Being an offensive coordinator on the college or pro level is a thankless job. Every play called has a 50-50 chance of working, and that’s if it doesn’t get changed at the line of scrimmage.
And then, of course, there is the human factor. That is, if everything works, the pass still has to be delivered on target and on time, and then it has to be caught; or, if the hole is there, the back has to see it and be able to accelerate through it.
If the outcome is good, the offensive coordinator and/or quarterback are feted. If not, they’re vilified.
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Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley knows this as well as anybody. While he’s done the job for the Bulldogs only the last two years, and only this season solely, he also coordinated offenses at Florida State and Miami, to varying degrees of control.
Never, however, has he had to deal with the level of attrition he experienced this year at UGA. Nevertheless, the 46-year-old Miami native was careful to accept all the blame for Georgia’s offensive struggles this season.
“I’ve got to do a better job, first and foremost,” Coley said at the Sugar Bowl’s offensive coaches and players news conference Sunday. “Starts with me, right? So I’m looking at myself hard and criticizing myself and busting my tail to get that end better. And then we have to put some pieces in place for a quarterback in the pass game. We’ve got to put some pieces in place up front for the running backs.”
Those "pieces" are, of course, players. Georgia lost its leading receiver, Lawrence Cager, to a shoulder injury in the first quarter of the South Carolina game. He was able to play only in fits and starts after that, and then was finally lost for good the week of the Bulldogs' regular-season finale against Georgia Tech.
That was after the Bulldogs lost four of their top five receivers to the NFL and transfer. That represented 67% of Jake Fromm’s receptions from the previous season and more than 70% of the yards.
Coley defended his junior signal-caller, who completed just 47% of his passes over the last five games, on that front. But he also took responsibility for developing the players available to him as well as designing ways to get the most out of what he’s got.
“That’s what we’ve been fighting all season long to get better at, working really hard at the bottom line — got to score points,” Coley said. “How do you score points with conditions or what you have or the injuries you’re working with. It’s been tough and ultimately it falls on me. It’s our job to get it better.”
Sunday’s 15-minute Q&A session with reporters and television cameras was Coley’s first since the early August. Following are some highlights from that exchange:
Q. What kind of energy has new line coach Matt Luke brought to the team?
COLEY: "Man, I thought I had a lot. It's fun coaching with him. It's a lot of fun because he really enjoys it. I mean, you can tell it's his passion. And, of course, he was a head coach and he's done this for a while. He's running up and down the field, celebrating with the players. He's coaching them hard. He's always teaching. We can be in a staff room and he's teaching the staff. So he loves the game. He's got a great feel for people and he's got great knowledge about the offensive line and offense, period. So it's fun having him around."
Q. What’s the offensive line going to look like without tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson and others?
COLEY: "We have got guys who are working in that rotation. You got Cade Mays, you got Jamaree Salyer, you got [Warren] McClendon, freshman, who's been practicing really hard. So those guys played great for us this year. But Cade and Jamaree also played in those spots. So we're excited to see them get their opportunity. And I'll tell you what, they've really had fun and they've really worked really hard these last several practices. It's fun watching a kid jump into a row, embrace it, work at it, and you start seeing them improve, improve every I don't want to say every play. But as every period goes on in practices and the practices flow on, you start seeing them get into their I say groove again but getting into their niche.
“It’s been fun watching those two guys. And Warren has gotten a lot better. He’s taken a lot more reps with good on good. Yeah, it’s a challenge, but I know those guys are going to go out there and play their butts off for Georgia.”
Q. How much of what Georgia is doing is your system as opposed to Jim Chaney’s system or doing what Kirby Smart wants?
COLEY: "I don't really see it as the system that Kirby wants to run or we're forced to run this certain system. As a staff, we sat down and we said, 'What gives us the best chance to beat certain teams with the players we have?' And that's the plays we've called to put our players in place. We're still a pro-style offense, and that just gives us the flexibility to do a bunch of things.
“And, again, it’s who you have out there and who you’re trying to feature. So what gives you the best chance: Giving the ball to the tailback who’s a really good player or throwing the ball to a young guy who may not be ready for that moment yet? You know what I mean? I don’t think what I want to do has been held back. What I want to do, I’ve done. It’s been none of that.”
Q. How much of a challenge has it been with the turnover at wideout?
COLEY: "I think we were very different from last year to this year because of the departure of the receivers we had that are now playing in the NFL. And I think we're different from, I would say, the first quarter of the South Carolina game 'til now because of injuries to a player like Lawrence Cager. I think that all affects the quarterback sometimes, right?
“You’re moving your pieces around to give yourself the best chance to win, to score enough points to win, to score more points than the other opponent. And when you do have injuries — for example, the SEC championship game — we’ve got two of the three starters out in the first quarter and you’re already a little bit low, now you got to figure out: What’s the emergency plan from the emergency plan? ... You have to deal with the elements of the game, what they’re doing to you and how you’re going to respond with guys that are new at those spots. It’s tough. It’s our job, though. It’s my job. It’s a difficult thing to scheme around, but it’s what we do, and it’s what we get paid to do, and we got to do the best we can.”
Q. How would you assess the play of quarterback Jake Fromm this season?
COLEY: "I think Jake is still the same Jake. I think he's done a great job with his attitude, how he comes to work every day. He's not fazed by stats. He's not fazed by production in a game. He probably knows he did all he could do to give us a shot.
“Coaching him for two years now, I’m very proud of the kid. I’m watching him in practice this week and last week. Man, you are talking about a person that comes in with a great spirit to complete and to affect others. It’s unbelievable.”
Q. What level of participation do you expect from D’Andre Swift on Wednesday and how might his availability affect the way you call the game?
COLEY: "Man, D'Andre Swift, he's working really hard to get healthy. You guys know he hasn't been healthy 100%. He's practicing hard. We're all supporting him through this because it's tough. He really in his heart, he's a part of this team. He's a leader. He's one of our leaders.
“If he is unable to go, we’ve got a good stable running backs there. James Cook and Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh have all practiced really hard and embraced the role of ‘I’m the next guy in.’ And those guys are embracing bigger roles than just playing the backfield. As you guys saw in our game at SEC Championship game, they played in the slot. We motioned them in from the backfield to the third receiver in a set, to the first receiver in a set. They did a bunch of stuff. So they’ve had to cram in more than just running back at times. They’ve played outside as receivers.
“I’m excited to see those kids play. They’ve worked really hard, and they’re ready for this opportunity.”
Q. What do you see from Baylor’s defense and that three-man line that’s produced so many sacks?
COLEY: "Well-coached group. When you watch them on defense we spent some time analyzing what they do and how they affect other teams. They are well coached and they play with a high motor. They know what they're doing. They have got great skill set. Those three guys up front, they know how to use their hands. They have great get off ... and always play hard."
