In a clear understatement, Brian Schottenheimer is an interesting hire as OC and QB coach at the UGA. Mark Richt seems genuinely excited about the hire, so for me that's good news. Like him or not, Richt is commonly regarded by his counterparts in the SEC as one of the best offensive minds in the nation. Richt has already been quoted as saying he was "blown away" by his interview with Schottenheimer. Since I've been a Richt supporter all along and CMR is excited to have him, then I'm supportive.
That said, Schottenheimer's offenses with the Jets and Rams were not stellar. On a positive note, both improved dramatically under his leadership and the Jets abruptly fell off statistically when he left for St. Louis. Also let's be honest, neither the Jets nor Rams were anywhere near the top of the league in offensive talent while he was at either. Another consideration is how well he fits into CMR's offensive philosophy. Schottenheimer's offenses and what Richt prefers are virtually identical. Like his dad, Schottenheimer is also known as a quarterback groomer. During his NFL career, Schottenheimer coached quarterbacks Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers in San Diego, Brett Favre and Mark Sanchez with the Jets, and Sam Bradford with the Rams. Bradford has been impressive when healthy, but hasn't taken a snap since early in the 2013 season, thus handicapping the Rams' attack. With 2016 5-star Jacob Eason on his way, the tutelage of Richt and Schottenhemer could be just the ticket to keep UGA's offense among the nation's elite.
Rams' head coach, Jeff Fisher, was apparently blindsided by the departure and -- through my limited research today -- was nothing but impressed by Schottenheimer and his work in St. Louis before this announcement. Maybe something comes out in coming days to indicate differently, but the initial reports out of the Rams organization were both supportive of Schottenheimer and surprised at his leaving.
Welcome to Athens Coach Schottenheimer, wife Gemmi, son Sutton, and daughter, Savannah. Welcome to DawgNation. Get to work and make us proud.
No comments:
Post a Comment