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WHAT ORSON MEANS TO ME
Georgia has finally arrived. Yes, I think we've been saying that since 2002. That was a good year and I never thought it would get any better. However, each year something happens to the program that proves to me that UGA is upgrading from Windows 2000 to XP to Vista. They are becoming an elite program that can recruit with the best of them...out of state! In the past, we've had good luck with in-state talent but out-of-state is a recent trend that seems to be getting stronger each season. Orson Charles is proof that Hollywood, South Beach, and 100K stadiums are no match for "lil' ol' Athens."
So what does this successful battle against USC, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, and Miami signify? It means UGA can do anything it wants and it will only get better next year. Call it what you will but Orson Charles was the most important signee in this year's class. He's a man of high character, a proven winner, and has "freakish" abilities you can't develop. Georgia beat out 53 other schools for the services of gunslinger Aaron Murray, Lane Kiffin couldn't fight off grandma for Marlon Brown, and it seemed like track star Branden Smith couldn't get on Hwy 316 quick enough. But one guy who just put the nitrous and glycerine together to create the BOOM is a late-signee from Plant High School in Florida.
He's everything Mark Richt builds an offense around. In fact, I would venture to say that Orson Charles may be the pro-style version of spread-offense speedster Percy Harvin. When I say that, I mean his versatility for the type of offense Georgia runs. It will be extremely hard to cover a TE who is 6'3", 230lbs, and runs a 4.5 forty with a lone linebacker, much like Percy's ability to create mismatches in the spread. He creates defensive breakdowns and the inability to double-cover AJ Green and other receivers. His physical attributes make him strong enough to use him as a blocker on running plays, too, so defenses won't be able to guess the play when he comes in. The pro-style offense Richt runs is generally centered around short passes to the TE and RB, while also finding the deeper routes by exposing the open pockets in zone coverages. Better yet, he doesn't even have to play TE! He can line up as a scat back, flanker, trips option, even pitches. The playbook was already thick, now it's going to need a New Testament version because the Second Coming is about to turn tailgates from water to wine.
So what does this successful battle against USC, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, and Miami signify? It means UGA can do anything it wants and it will only get better next year. Call it what you will but Orson Charles was the most important signee in this year's class. He's a man of high character, a proven winner, and has "freakish" abilities you can't develop. Georgia beat out 53 other schools for the services of gunslinger Aaron Murray, Lane Kiffin couldn't fight off grandma for Marlon Brown, and it seemed like track star Branden Smith couldn't get on Hwy 316 quick enough. But one guy who just put the nitrous and glycerine together to create the BOOM is a late-signee from Plant High School in Florida.
He's everything Mark Richt builds an offense around. In fact, I would venture to say that Orson Charles may be the pro-style version of spread-offense speedster Percy Harvin. When I say that, I mean his versatility for the type of offense Georgia runs. It will be extremely hard to cover a TE who is 6'3", 230lbs, and runs a 4.5 forty with a lone linebacker, much like Percy's ability to create mismatches in the spread. He creates defensive breakdowns and the inability to double-cover AJ Green and other receivers. His physical attributes make him strong enough to use him as a blocker on running plays, too, so defenses won't be able to guess the play when he comes in. The pro-style offense Richt runs is generally centered around short passes to the TE and RB, while also finding the deeper routes by exposing the open pockets in zone coverages. Better yet, he doesn't even have to play TE! He can line up as a scat back, flanker, trips option, even pitches. The playbook was already thick, now it's going to need a New Testament version because the Second Coming is about to turn tailgates from water to wine.