Stafford Ready for Second Helping

Georgia QB Stands To Improve After 8 Starts Last Year

Georgia's Matthew Stafford doesn't have to take his playbook home to study every single night now that he's a sophomore. And he'll be the first to say that it sure feels nice to not wonder if he fully understands the Bulldogs' offensive system -- something every team likes to hear from its starting quarterback.

"I'm not nervous this year," Stafford said. "I feel so much more prepared, and I'm just ready to go now. It's calming to just put the work in and get ready to go at this again."

A year after becoming the first freshman in more than a decade to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs, 19-year-old Stafford is the undisputed No. 1 quarterback and the center of attention in Athens, Ga. Stafford is in an entirely different situation from the one he faced as a freshman, when he was the youngest of four players vying for playing time.

Stafford, who was recruited from Dallas, played in all 13 games in 2006 and started eight, but the growing pains were obvious.

The arm strength and quarterback sense that made him one of the top high school prospects in the nation were there, but he tried to force plays too often, throwing 13 interceptions.

"He didn't want to believe the play was dead sometimes," offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo said. "But as he went on, the experience helped him learn when to throw the ball away or take a sack, and that sometimes there's nothing wrong with that."

The imperfection irritated Stafford, who admits he needed to make those freshman mistakes. His errors became motivation to learn how to read opposing defenses faster and how to better manage the offense.

"I think I'm my toughest critic," said Stafford, who threw for 1,749 yards and seven touchdowns in 2006. "If the ball was not exactly where I wanted it, it bothered me. It was tough to deal with throwing those interceptions and coming out of high school, I just wasn't used to doing that.

"The hardest part [of last season] was getting that experience and being able to fight through it, just tough it out and keep going."

Coach Mark Richt has the utmost confidence in his young signal-caller after watching Stafford take his lumps last year and become a team leader in the offseason. Gone is the Stafford who Richt said came to training camp out of shape, who would force the issue on the field, who wasn't always sure of his place on the team. In his place Richt now sees a gutsy, secure quarterback whom he trusts.

"Matthew's somebody with the type of character that you want to build your team around," Richt said. "He was trying to fit in as a freshman, and now he does. Now he's more experienced than most of his offensive line, not that that's necessarily a good thing.

"He's a very confident guy, he knows what to do, and he's excited about finally having the full responsibility of the position on himself."

But even though he holds the title of starting quarterback, Stafford still has lessons to learn. One of the first was, when you're the face of one of the country's biggest football programs, somebody's always watching.

In May, pictures appeared on the Internet of the underaged Stafford hoisting a keg above his head, supposedly at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama. There weren't any pictures of Stafford drinking alcohol, but it was far from the image Georgia, or legions of Bulldogs fans, want to have of their star quarterback.

"That just kind of let me know how visible you actually are, and to be careful of who you spend time with," Stafford said. "I'm just trying to live my life without a bunch of pictures being taken. It's different, but it comes with the territory I guess."