Georgia football: 2018 defense will need help

In 2017, the Georgia football team rode the back of its defense to the National Championship game. That defense is long gone, and there is little chance the 2018 defense will resemble it.

If you are looking for reasons the 2018 Georgia football team will repeat the 2017 team’s accomplishments, don’t look on defense. The defensive losses from 2017 scream, “not gonna happen.”

Defensive line

About the defensive line, from Head Coach Kirby Smart, “We don’t have the depth.”

And, “We’re not playing to the level we need to play at.”

In 2017, the Georgia defensive front pushed and banged on opposing offensive lines with elite talents and the depth to rotate two complete sets of interior lineman even when the  Dawgs faced injury issues.

When John Atkins, and Trent Thompson left for the NFL promised land, the talent level dropped. And, now with depth concerns, Head coach Kirby Smart moved offensive tackle Chris Barnes to defense.

The move could simply be the typical springtime response to injuries – a team needs enough bodies to practice. Smart’s response to questions was, “We are so low numbers on the defensive line, we are extremely struggling on the defensive line from a depth standpoint.”

Seth Emerson broke down the possibilities, and while he didn’t ring the alarm, Georgia fans might consider lowering their expectations for the 2018 defensive line.

"“That top group [defensive linemen] — led by Clark, Ledbetter and Rochester — can be elite. The question is how much they’ll have to play, or if enough other guys emerge to allow Georgia to sub as often as it did last season, allowing everyone to be as fresh as possible. It’s a situation worth watching.” (Seth Emerson, Dawgnation.com)"