As expected, Kirby Smart spent considerable time answering questions about quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields during Tuesday’s post-practice interview session at the Butts-Mehre Building.

However, for those wondering if more playing time might be in the offing for Fields following Saturday’s 36-16 loss to LSU, Georgia’s head coach isn’t saying.

“Justin’s growing. He’s getting better each and every day. I think his maturity is getting better. In the meeting room, he’s picking things up; he’s developing,” Smart said. “He’s certainly eager to get that opportunity. He continues to progress, do things in practice, and get his opportunity in the games. We’re never closing that door completely at all, because we’ve got to play the guy that gives us the best chance to win.”

After Fromm struggled in Georgia’s 36-16 loss to LSU last Saturday in Baton Rouge, calls for Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney to finally give Fields an extended look have been loud and clear.

From your average Joe Fan, to former Bulldogs like linebacker Amarlo Herrera and celebrities like Quavo of Migos, folks haven’t been shy about taking to Social Media to voice their opinion on Georgia’s current quarterback situation.

Smart, on the other hand, isn’t worried what’s being said outside the walls of the Butts-Mehre Building.

“I don’t know what’s being made [of all this]. That’s the thing. Maybe you guys are making a big deal. It’s not to me. I don’t listen to that. The world we live in, we have to look at the field, we have to look at the practice, we’ve got to look at what’s best for our team, and whoever gives our team the best chance to win is what we’ll decide to do,” Smart said. “I’m not going to be influenced by outside forces on who to play or what to do.”

Smart acknowledged what most already knew—Saturday wasn’t the best of efforts for Fromm.

The sophomore completed only 16 of 34 passes for 209 yards with two interceptions. He did throw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Riley Ridley, but the game was already decided.

However, Smart suggested the numbers don’t always tell the story.

“Nobody knows what happens on a play when a kid throws the ball because the corner cats (blitzes) and he throws the ball away. It looks like he missed a guy. That might have been the best play he made all day, because we might not have had the corner picked up, and it was going to be a sack if he didn’t do that. So you just can’t go off statistics,” Smart said. “Now could he have played better? Sure, he could have played better. A lot of people could have played better. A lot of people could have coached better, but that’s over with. We’ve moved on to Florida, and that’s what we’re focused on.”

While that may be true, don’t look for the conversation about Fromm and Fields to end.

In an interview, safety J.R. Reed was asked about some of the overall concerns he had heading into next week’s game against Florida.

Unprompted, he mentioned Jake Fromm’s name.

“We don’t pay attention to the media or on the outside,” Reed said. “If they say something about Jake; it is what people do, it’s what critics are paid to do. Our job is to play.”

Left guard Solomon Kindley agreed.

“It’s the outside. We’re a family in here, so whenever I hear that, somebody asks me a question, I just say you can ask them, stuff like that,” Kindley said. “I just brush it off my shoulder, and I guarantee you, when they ask them that question, they brush it off their shoulders, too. This is a brotherhood.

"When you’re talking about one person, we’re always going to have his back.”

Smart said he considered playing Fields, who took only five snaps, more in the second half.

“Yeah, we considered that a lot. We talked about it a lot. The point there after Jake went down there and scored the one touchdown, we considered it once they went back and scored on us,” Smart said. “But to be honest with you, the game was kind of out of hand at that point. I think they were up maybe 21 or 28, something like that. Justin continues to work. He’s doing a good job. He took good reps today. He’s getting better. I think both those kids understand they’ve got to play better for us to be able to play better offensively.”