Athens, GA- Raise your hand if at the beginning of the season you had Tight End Brock Bowers as Georgia's Leading Receiver after 3 games? No one? Crickets? Bowers currently leads the dawgs with 203 yards receiving and is tied in team lead with 2 touchdowns.
For years, Georgia fans clamored for Tight ends to get more involved in the passing game. At Monday's Weekly press conference, Kirby Smart addressed the increased involvement of the tight ends in the Bulldogs offense along with what makes Brock Bowers Skill set so valuable.
On Brock Bowers…
"I think it's just based on who the tight end is. Did 'spread' make the tight end position more prevalent? Not necessarily because there's teams that do the same plays with a running back that we do with Brock (Bowers). There are teams we play that do the same plays we do with Brock that they do with a receiver. I can't comment, because in the NFL there's been more tight ends drafted in recent drafts, but it has nothing to do with the word 'spread'. It has to do with a guy that's a viable blocker that has replaced the fullback in traditional offense and he can also play on special teams. He can run, he can catch, he can run after catch. He can block maybe a little, maybe a lot, depending on who it is."
On the TE position…
"The tight end position has evolved in the NFL therefore it has trickled down to high school and college offenses. But it's really about who the guy is, right? It's not like everybody wants to just say 'well the tight ends are being used more'. Well, if you got a tight end that runs 4.5 (40-yard dash), then you know he presents a viable option. It's a threat in the passing game. If he's physical and tough enough to block and block on the perimeter, you give me any player that 235 pounds and can run 4.5's we'll find a way to use him. I think that has a lot to do with his (Bowers) skill set."