This is Part Two of a two-part series on Georgia football quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who many consider the back-up QB entering the offseason

ATHENS — Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff keeps his head down and keeps working, seemingly oblivious to the narrative around him.

Much of the offseason talk has centered around how good projected Bulldogs’ starter Carson Beck looked in the G-Day Game.

PART ONE: Why ‘Dream Quarterback’ Brock Vandagriff is where he wants to be

Beck, a fourth-year Florida prep product once committed to Alabama, has NFL prototype size and undeniably elite arm talent.

Vandagriff, meanwhile, is spending time picking his own game apart.

“I had to break a few bad habits from high school,” Vandagriff said, explaining his growth the past two seasons while speaking with former Georgia star Aaron Murray during a Player’s Lounge interview.

“When you’re watching yourself and making highlight tapes, if it’s a bad play I remember thinking, ‘Oh yeah this play is probably coming up, skip!’ " Vandagriff said.

Now, Vandagriff said, he searches out weaknesses in his game.

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Details, details

Vandagriff said it’s a matter of “being tough on yourself all the way down to mechanics,” such as sniffing out ways he might be tipping off the defense.

“Am I giving this away if I fake clap like this, or does my fake clap look like my real clap?” Vandagriff said.

“Is my footwork good, is my throwing motion good, do I change when I throw to the left or to the right?”

Vandagriff shared how his knowledge has grown, in three-dimensional chess fashion, of the game within the game.

“There’s always pre-snap keys, and you find those and it’s something that will help you get into something that’s going to beneficial for the offense,” Vandagriff said.

“I think I did pretty well in the spring, but it’s something I want to keep working on.”

Fancy footwork

Vandagriff’s mobility and ability to throw off the run has caught Kirby Smart’s eye, and it’s a major reason why the Georgia head coach has left open the QB competition.

But Vandagriff said there’s where to be done there, too, even if it’s already an area of strength for him.

“The main thing …. was finding a medium,” Vandagriff said. “Are you running out (of the pocket) because you felt some push? Or did you just need to take a step left or take a step right?”

Vandagriff said it is possible to be too “extreme” with pocket movement.

“I can get away with that stuff in high school, (because)( that D-End isn’t running 4.4 like the dudes in college,” Vandagriff said.

“So (it’s) just being able to find that medium of, hey, maybe I can slide right and still deliver that ball instead of rolling out and maybe still make a play.”

Vandagriff said his drop is another area of study, as he sometimes sets up too deep.

“I would set and just kind of stand there, so you are setting your landmark,” Vandagriff said, noting that he should instead “go up at least a yard or two, and that builds the pocket and helps your tackles out.”

Feel of the Game

Murray nodded often as Vandagriff spoke having heard many of the same coaching points and philosophies when he starred for the Bulldogs with Bobo as his QB coach and offensive coordinator.

Indeed, as Vandagriff described his favorite Bobo drill, Murray shared it was the same drill used 10 years ago when he was becoming the SEC’s all-time leading passer.

“they have these beanbags, four or five beanbags, and they are on a knee and you catch a snap and they toss beanbags around,” Vandagriff said, explaining how the drill works.

“Based on where the beanbag is (on the ground), you’re going to have to run to it and get around it, or you’re going to have to slide one step to it.”

Just one catch: The quarterbacks have to keep their eyes downfield and ‘feel’ where the beanbags are — just as they must anticipate maneuvering within the pocket.

“You’re keeping your eyes downfield, and you are feeling the bags,” Vandagriff said. “Being able to do that is a big thing … just making sure I’m staying compact and under control in the pocket.”

There is more — much more — that Vandagriff didn’t go into. The nuances of the quarterback position are amazing and go far beyond what the average fan comprehends.

Vandagriff is continuing to better himself and learn the position, and the Georgia coaching staff is watching him and others in the QB room closely.