Spring games have always been a bit paradoxical.
You're never quite sure whether the outcome of a play is good or bad. Is that long run a good sign for the offense, or does it portend doom for the defense? Was that sack a sign of an unstoppable defensive end or a Swiss cheese O-line?
However, some things are not ambiguous. Take this from Chris Low's recap of Georgia's spring game:
A.J. Green isn't going to be able to do it alone at receiver, either. There were way too many dropped passes last Saturday. Look for incoming freshman Marlon Brown to get a chance to show what he can do right away once he arrives.
It is unfathomable to me that, given how good Mark Richt's FSU offenses were, he can't cobble together a sure handed receiving corps anymore. It's been so bad in recent years that Bulldog fans have frequently blamed dropped passes for Matthew Stafford's fairly low completion percentages across his first couple years.
It sounds as though things won't get better this year unless hyped receiving recruit Marlon Brown can come in and be the second coming of A.J. Green. I don't mean that Brown has to come in and lead all SEC freshman in receiving yards as Green did, but rather that he would need to actually catch most everything thrown at him.
UGA receivers coach John Eason is also assistant head coach, and he's been there as long as Richt has. In other words, a change in the position coach is unlikely unless Eason is hired away or until the 63-year-old retires. (Eason is no longer the receivers coach. See comments. -Ed.)
If the system in place can't for some reason teach guys to stop dropping passes, then the recruiting their way out of this predicament would be the only other viable option. With Green in 2008 and presumably Brown in 2009 as dependable guys, the situation is improving.
Whether the Bulldogs can compete for national titles while bringing in just one reliable receiver per year is another question. Given that Richt signed three four-star pass catchers in his '09 class (Brown plus Orson Charles and Rantavious Wooten), it appears he's trying to pick up the pace.
Unfortunately, no one in Athens will know if they are the answer until the fall when they finally show up to campus. Right now, it appears the status quo with the Georgia receivers hasn't changed.