Georgia football OC Jim Chaney reveals Jake Fromm-Drew Brees ‘commonalities’

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said he “hates the stuff” of quarterback comparisons, like the one he was asked to make on Saturday between Jake Fromm and Drew Bree’s.

Chaney, in his third year as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator, said he recognizes how “polarizing” quarterback talk can be.

Better to elaborate on the Fromm-Brees comparison than the elephant in the room, which is the amount of playing time gifted freshman Justin Fields might take from the proven leader Fromm has become.

Chaney, of course, coached Brees at Purdue (1998-2001), finding the future New Orleans quarterback legend to be the perfect fit for what was then a cutting edge spread attack.

Brees set two NCAA records and 13 Big Ten records during his time quarterbacking for Chaney at Purdue, so the Fromm comparisons might indeed be premature.

But Chaney acknowledged the quarterbacks do share key similarities.

“What are the commonalities, let’s just talk about that,” Chaney said. “They both have great, high, FBI — Football Intellect — they get it, they understand. They both affect other players in a very positive way, that’s two commonalities.”

Chaney pointed out “they both have proven they can win football games” as well.

“After that, the differences, I don’t want to touch on,” Chaney said. “At the end of the day, they share those traits.”

Chaney has provided Fromm with the same elite play calling that he used to help Brees in the Boilermakers Top 10 defense.

Georgia ranked fourth in the nation in red zone offense last season, despite playing with a freshman quarterback, and the Bulldogs were 11th in third down conversion percentage.

So while Chaney said he’s not ruling anything out when it comes to the possibility of playing multiple quarterbacks in this season, it’s very worth noting the comparisons Fromm is already drawing.