Tag: Cleveland Browns football

Look: Georgia football RB D’Andre Swift the Captain America of NFL Draft

ESPN labeled Georgia football star running back D’Andre Swift as Captain America of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Georgia star running back D’andre Swift got some love from Marvel today when ESPN released a promotion of 2020 NFL Draft prospects as Marvel characters on Twitter.

The promotion also features Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts as Thor, Clemson safety Isaiah Simmons as Black Panther and Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown as Iron Man.

How Swift was chosen to be the esteemed Captain America is anyone’s best guess, but I like to think it’s because Swift is the most versatile running back in this year’s draft class.

In Swift’s three years at Georgia, he ran for 2,885 yards with 6.6 yards per carry and 20 touchdowns and he wasn’t done there…

The Philadelphia native added another 666 yards and five touchdowns as a pass catcher. And that’s while sharing carries as a freshman with now NFL running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.  

Not to mention the poor offensive play calling that limited Swift’s numbers as a receiver.

 

Swift will look to join the long line of Georgia NFL running backs this Thursday.

Mock drafts have Swift being selected anywhere from the top 15 picks in the first round to the beginning of the second round and there is some speculation that Swift –  Captain America – may be headed to Tampa Bay to be paired with the legendary Tom Brady. 

How will Todd Monken’s air raid offense translate to Georgia football?

New Georgia football offensive coordinator Todd Monken takes over a talented UGA offense with air-raid scheme.

After a pedestrian year from the Georgia Bulldogs on offense in 2019, Kirby Smart wasted no time making scheme changes, bringing in Todd Monken from the Cleveland Browns to take over for James Coley as offensive coordinator and play caller.

Monken has coached all over the football landscape, including 23 years of college coaching experience and eight years coaching in the NFL.

Most recently, Monken spent a season as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and before that, three seasons as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2011-2012, Monken coached Brandon Weeden, Justin Blackmon and the air-raid Cowboys offense to record breaking seasons, averaging well over 500 yards a game.

So, how does Monken’s air-rade scheme fit with a Georgia team built for defense and a power run game?

In 2019, the Bulldogs struggled with the deep passing game and the blame can’t be all on Coley, as Jake Fromm had issues with his deep ball and other than George Pickens, receivers either struggled with injuries, getting separation from defenders or dropped passes.

In 2020, there will be no shortage of depth or talent on the Georgia offense and in the light of recent off-season moves, it seems Kirby is planning to be more aggressive offensively.

The Bulldogs bring in a great arm in Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, paired with returning receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock and added five receivers in the 2020 recruiting class.

Georgia will have the ability to stretch the field on anyone and that is exactly what Monken’s offenses do. Still, the traditional Georgia run game can only benefit from the space the air-raid creates.

As Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator in 2019, Monken led an offense that saw former Georgia great Nick Chubb run for nearly 1,500 yards, so we can expect that running backs Zamir White and James Cook will get their fair share of touches in 2020.

Bulldog fans should be excited to see what 2020 will bring for this young team. In Monken’s system, expect to see much more complex route trees than in previous years, as well as a more aggressive approach to offensive strategy because of the security blanket that is the Georgia defense.

Three Georgia Bulldogs make PFF’s top 101 NFL players

Three former Georgia Bulldogs have made Pro Football Focus’s list of the top 101 players in 2019

Three former Georgia Bulldogs have made Pro Football Focus’s list of the top 101 players in 2019. PFF is one of the better ways of comparing players across their position groups.

NFL.com has a top 100 players list come out every off-season, but that list largely ignores lineman, defenders, etc. in favor of more sexy name-brand players like quarterbacks.

Here’s PFF’s criteria for the top 101 players:

 

This list is based solely on 2019 play. Nothing that happened in previous years or may happen in the future is accounted for. This isn’t about class or talent; it’s about performance throughout the 2019 NFL season.

This list is created with an “all positions are created equal” mantra. So, you won’t see 32 quarterbacks heading the list — even though that is the game’s most valuable position. Instead, we take a look at how guys played relative to what is expected from their position.

Unlike PFF’s awards, the 101 factors in postseason performance

23. Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb

Nov 10, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) runs the ball as Buffalo Bills free safety Jordan Poyer (21) and strong safety Micah Hyde (23) tackle him during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

95. Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones

December 8, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones (60) during the first quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

101. Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston

Oct 20, 2019; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston (9) is congratulated by a teammate after getting a quarterback sack against the Houston Texans during the fourth quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium. Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Do you agree with this list? Georgia’s Todd Gurley, Matthew Stafford, and  Jordan Jenkins are a few of the potential snubs from the list.

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Report: UNC expected to hire longtime Georgia football assistant coach

UNC is expected to hire a former Georgia football assistant coach.

Per a report from Bruce Feldman of the Athletic, the North Carolina Tar Heels are expected to hire former Georgia tight end coach John Lilly to the same position in Chapel Hill.

Lilly, who spent eight seasons in Athens as the Dawgs’ tight ends coach and offensive special teams’ coordinator, left UGA in 2015.

In 2016, Lilly was the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After taking 2017 off, Lilly joined Jeremy Pruitt’s staff in Knoxville as Tennessee’s Executive Assistant to Head Coach.

Most recently, Lilly spent the 2019 football season as the tight ends coach for the Cleveland Browns and was not retained when the franchise fired Freddie Kitchens.

Lilly will take over at UNC for Tim Brewster, who left to become the tight ends coach at Florida.

Assistant coaches live a bit of a nomadic life, and for Lilly to have eight years in the Classic City was a treat for DawgNation.

During his time with the Bulldogs, Lilly was part of several record-setting seasons: 72 touchdowns in 2012, 484.14 yards per game in 2013 and 41.3 points per game in 2014. All were the best marks in school history. He served as the Bulldogs’ interim offensive coordinator during the 37-14 win over Louisville in the 2014 Belk Bowl and the 24-17 victory over Penn State in the 2016 Tax Slayer Bowl. Both Louisville and Penn State had top 15 nationally-ranked defenses.

He coached star tight ends Arthur Lynch, an All-SEC First Team honoree and fifth-round NFL draft pick; Orson Charles, a fourth-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals; and Aron White, the Most Outstanding Offensive Player at the 2009 Independence Bowl. He guided Georgia’s punt unit, which included Ray Guy Award winner Drew Butler.

Lilly brings a wealth of knowledge to Carolina and may possibly be a secret weapon for Heels. He is highly respected and has a knack for exploiting a defensive team’s weakness.

Georgia football’s top plays of NFL week 10

Georgia Bulldogs made some great plays in the NFL once again this week. With several NFL teams having bye weeks, there were fewer chances for Dawgs to make plays. Matthew Stafford was out for the first time in years, so one of the biggest …

Georgia Bulldogs made some great plays in the NFL once again this week. With several NFL teams having bye weeks, there were fewer chances for Dawgs to make plays. Matthew Stafford was out for the first time in years, so one of the biggest play-makers from UGA didn’t suit up. Still, Jordan Jenkins, Nick Chubb, and Mecole Hardman had game-changing plays for their teams.

The New York Jets won against the Giants in a battle of New York teams. Former UGA linebacker Jordan Jenkins was a standout with two sacks:

Georgia’s Nick Chubb played excellent for the Browns. Many were concerned about the return of Kareem Hunt impacting Chubb’s role in the Cleveland offense, but Chubb managed to power his way to over one hundred yards rushing. Chubb carried Buffalo Bills defenders with him on his best run of the afternoon:

The best play of the week has to go to Mecole Hardman. Although it was in losing effort for the Chiefs, Hardman showed off his 4.3 speed on this insane touchdown:

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