Georgia's Stafford looks to take the next step

If Matthew Stafford is going to take the next step from being a good quarterback to a great one, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo figured he needed to be unrelenting this spring with the talented junior.

"As a coach, you gotta be more stubborn with a guy like that," Bobo said. "Sometimes a guy can make a throw not with the proper fundamentals and sometimes as a coach you might tend to let it slide, but my goal this spring is trying to be more stubborn with him and coach him just like everybody else because he needs work just like everybody else."

Work on better footwork and balance. Stepping up into the pocket. Improved decision-making. Showing more consistency.

"That's something that every quarterback needs to have, that the quarterback is reliable back there and can hit a target," Stafford said.

"I think I made strides from freshman to sophomore year that were huge and hopefully I can make some more. I'm obviously not perfect; no quarterback is with fundamentals. It's just something that you can work on."

Stafford wanted to build on the progress he made from year one at Georgia to year two.

He flipped the script on his touchdown to interception ratio, going from seven touchdown passes to 13 interceptions in 2006 to 19 TD passes to 10 interceptions in 2007.

His completion percentage improved from 52.7 to 55.7. His target goal this season is completing at least 62 percent of his passes, something only Bobo in 1997 and Eric Zeier in 1993 have done at Georgia.

"All the things have gotta click," Stafford said. "You've got to get protection, you have to get guys open, you've got to hit them and you've got to catch it."

Stafford believes it's attainable. He mentioned JaMarcus Russell completed 68 percent of his passes at LSU in 2006.

Stafford himself completed 65 percent as a senior at Highland Park High in Dallas.

"I'm picky with myself, too, as far as how I play," Stafford said. "If I don't hit him right where I want to hit him, I don't feel like it was a good play for me."

Stafford's unofficial passing numbers in Georgia's two spring scrimmages 17 of 31 for 54.8 percent aren't an indication of how sharp Stafford has been this spring, teammates say.

"If he's wanting to improve on accuracy, he's done it," tight end Tripp Chandler said.

"He's put some balls right on the money where if he didn't put it where he put it, no one was going to get it. He puts that ball right where it has to be for only his guy to get it."

Stafford can make throws that other quarterbacks wish they could sometimes throwing off his back foot but Richt has been encouraged this spring that Stafford has showed more willingness to throw the ball to a receiver in the flat instead of taking a shot downfield.

"His decision-making has improved so much," senior wideout Mohamed Massaquoi said. "He's making a lot of great reads, going through his progressions and just being smart with the ball. A guy with his talent a lot of times you can get away from the things that you learn in your fundamentals. He's such a bright kid, such a smart kid, that he's using everything to his advantage."

Richt wants Stafford to not only get better individually but show the way on an offense that includes a young line that Richt described last week as a "ship without a rudder".

He wants Stafford to be in position where the guys can know the guy's going to perform well everyday, but also be a guy to lift the group when things aren't going well.

He's definitely understanding that better and doing a better job at that." Except for what Bobo and Richt called a post-spring break slump, Stafford has met coaches' expectations this spring.

"It's a progression," Massaquoi said. "He's gone through his bumps and bruises so I think this year is really going to be a special year for him where he just hones everything in and uses all of his talent and skills. I think he's going to have a breakout year."

See more at www.staugustine.com

Other Sports News:
Daequan Cook, Dashonte Riley, Demarcus Cousins, Glen Davis, Joakim Noah, Reggie Bush, Kevin Durant.