Adams: Richt hopes tailbacks become playmakers

Auburn often employed future first-round NFL draft picks Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown in the same backfield en route to their 13-0 season.

But Richt's plan never got off the ground. It went down with tailback Kregg Lumpkin on the first day of preseason practice.

Lumpkin, who rushed for 563 yards as a freshman in 2003, suffered a season-ending knee injury while working out in shorts last August.

"That kind of put a damper on everything," Richt said during Thursday's SEC football media days. "Because (then), Danny Ware was going to have to be the starter."

With Lumpkin out, the Bulldogs relied on freshman Ware in a conventional I-tailback alignment. Ware rushed for more than 100 yards in three of his first six games, but a series of injuries eventually sabotaged his season as well. Thomas Brown, another freshman, ended up leading the Bulldogs in rushing with 875 yards.

Lumpkin, Ware and Brown will make for a crowded and talented tailback position this fall. They also will test the creativity of Georgia's offensive staff.

"We have taken the ideas we were preparing last year and we did study Auburn," Richt said. "We also studied Southern Cal and how they have been able to use their backs.

"But the bottom line is only one guy would touch the ball per play. So the goal is to get the ball in your playmakers' hands as many times as possible. And you've got to determine (your playmakers) by how they compete in practice."

You know who the playmakers aren't. They aren't four-year starting quarterback David Greene or All-SEC wide receivers Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown. All three departed after last season.

What's left is a run-oriented offense that is questionable in the passing game.

In addition to all those tailbacks, new quarterback D.J. Shockley gives the Bulldogs another running threat. But in the last two years as a backup, he only completed 43 percent of his passes.

Georgia's wide receivers are less proven than Shockley. Starters Bryan McClendon, a senior, and junior Sean Bailey have a combined 41 catches for their career.

"If it was me, I would play those guys in single coverage to see if they can make plays," Richt said. "If they can't, teams will try to outnumber the running game."

But if Shockley blossoms as a full-time starter and the receivers step up as well, defenses are in big trouble.

Lumpkin, Ware and Brown are all capable of rushing for 1,000 yards. And they're running behind an offensive line that has been together for almost three years.

Just a couple of years ago, Greene was sacked 47 times behind an inexperienced line comprised mainly of freshmen and sophomores.

"We had just lost six seniors in the offensive line," Richt said. "Those young guys weren't ready to play.

"By the grace of God, we won 11 games. It was just unbelievable we won as many games as we did."

With basically the same starters, the line has gone from a weakness to a strength. Max Jean-Gilles, a 340-pound guard who almost turned pro after his junior season, is the star of the bunch.

"I think everybody thought I was gone," Jean-Gilles said.

But when he studied the draft and saw what little clout offensive guards had, he chose to return for his senior season. The day before he announced his return, he called Shockley to say, "I'll be blocking for you."

So will basketball-size tackles Daniel Inman (6-foot-7, 328 pounds) and Dennis Roland (6-9, 300), and center Russ Tanner, who was one of the six finalists last year for the Rimington Award, given annually to the best center in the country.

Georgia has the blockers and the runners. With just a little overhead support, this offense could help carry it to a fourth consecutive top-10 finish.