Alright, let’s keep it real—winning is cool and all, but what if we told you Georgia’s 2024 season felt more like a bar fight than a championship run? Bruised, battered, and barely breathing, the Dawgs still walked out with the SEC title. But if you listened to the ex-Georgia captain at the NFL Combine, you’d know there was a whole lot of behind-the-scenes mess that nearly knocked Georgia and Kirby Smart off their throne.
The former team captain, Tate Ratledge, didn’t sugarcoat it: Georgia’s offense struggled, but not because the coaching staff forgot how to call plays. “If you really watch that film, most of it’s on us; it’s not coaching. It’s execution, taking the right steps, the little things,” Ratledge admitted.
On March 2nd, Georgia insider, Deane Legge hopped onto his ‘Dawg Post’ podcast and cleared the air after Tate Ratledge’s indirect stray at coaching: “Kirby Smart can’t go out there and tackle people for KJ Bolden. He needs KJ Bolden to go do that. Stacy Searels can’t block for Tate Ratledge. Mike Bobo can’t throw—thankfully—for the Georgia quarterbacks. That’s not their job. Their job is to recruit well, acquire, develop, and get players to execute while they’re in silver britches. That’s the job of the coaches.” In other words, the coaches did their job, but execution? That was another story.
But hold up. This ain’t about dodging blame—Georgia’s offense wasn’t its usual self. Injuries, off-field drama, and an identity crisis all played their part. So, let’s break it down. Georgia’s offensive line looked like it went twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. Ernest Greene, Tate Ratledge, and Jared Wilson? All banged up. Carson Beck? The man had a mid-season concussion and an inconsistency phase. Even the skill guys weren’t safe. Dillon Bell pulled his hammy and missed crucial time. It was like the injury bug held a season pass to Athens.
Deane Legge doubled down: “And then you talk about running backs constantly being hurt. And again, this is no judgment—a running back in the SEC, that’s a physical and difficult position to play. But that’s the reality. That’s where we were at with this thing. They were hurt a lot.” Now the numbers weren’t pretty. Only one game with over 200 rushing yards all season? That’s a sign they weren’t hitting their stride. When your big dogs up front can’t stay healthy, good luck trying to establish a run game. Georgia finished the season averaging 124.3 rushing yards per game—102nd in the nation. Read that again. This is GEORGIA. The program that built its empire on ground-and-pound football. That’s like Waffle House running out of waffles. It just doesn’t make sense.
As if injuries weren’t enough, Georgia had to deal with off-the-field chaos too. Deane Legge went off, “You had two off-the-field issues—arrests—that took out two players from Georgia. Many of us suspected they’d be there this entire season, but they weren’t. Colbie Young and Rara Thomas—they weren’t there.” Colbie Young got hit with a–ault and ba–ery charges, while defensive back Daniel Harris thought it was a good idea to hit 106 mph on a wet road. Both were gone, just like that. When key players disappear overnight, it ain’t just a numbers problem—it messes up team chemistry.
Kirby Smart preaches discipline, but you can’t coach maturity. Legge low-key threw shade at Georgia coaches too. “So instead of having the entire plethora of things you expected, you didn’t have all of those things, and it made it very complicated and challenging for the coaching staff. But even still—no, they didn’t do as good a job as they could have. They just didn’t.” Also, when players are watching teammates drop like flies—whether to injuries or bad decisions—it’s tough to keep the same energy. You feel it in the locker room, in practice, in games. And Georgia felt it.
Where’s the Dawg in the run game and conclusion?
Georgia’s offense usually moves like a freight train. This year? More like a Prius running on fumes. The Bulldogs only cracked 200 rushing yards once all season. Even Alabama fans had to double-check the stats on that one. Dean Legge put it best: “That is… un-Kirby-like.”
The Dawgs weren’t built to throw the pigskin 40 times a game, but with the run game stalling, they had no choice. That put all the weight on Carson Beck’s shoulders, and while he played decent, the offense lost its balance. Without a dominant run game, Georgia had no identity. The offense became predictable, and in big games, predictable gets you beat.
Now, before y’all start yelling, ‘But they won the SEC!’—yeah, they did. And that’s impressive given everything they went through. But let’s be real—an 11-3 record and a No. 6 finish in the rankings? For Georgia and Kirby Smart, that’s a letdown. This is a team built to compete for natties, not just conference titles. The standard is different. And Kirby Smart knows that.
When all was said and done, Georgia wasn’t Georgia. They were a tough team that found ways to win, but that dominant edge was missing. Moving forward, staying healthy and keeping distractions off the field will be priority No. 1. Because if 2024 proved anything, it’s that even the kings of the SEC can bleed.
The post “They Were Hurt”: Insider Unmasks Kirby Smart’s Real Struggles After Ex-Georgia Captain Sounds Off appeared first on EssentiallySports.