The Beginning of Football Season

You can argue that college football starts the weekend before Labor Day, the first days of fall practice, or when rivalry games start. Me, I say it starts with Media Days. Which is tomorrow for the SEC. You know. The only conference that matters (of course I'm kidding).

Coaches of each team bring three representatives from the team to answer a myriad of questions. The good, the bad and the ugly. And even though all of these coaches and players have probably answered 75% of these questions before, they'll bite their tongue and answer them again with a smile. Before you ever poo-poo any of these coaches and players, follow them around for a full week and then ask yourself if you could show the same restraint.

Anyway, the Bulldogs are certainly in a better place this year than they were last year. You won't find many people who don't think the Dawgs will win the East, and that's even with the East getting better in the off season with coaching. I can't help but think we are in a good position to get back to playoffs, so let me reiterate what I tweeted out in January. Especially after reading this article.

Granted, I wrote this still feeling bummed about being a play or two away from the championship, but reading about the officiating in that game only made it worse. Normally, I always feel like you should play the game so that the referees can't affect the outcome of the game, but that officiating hurt us at key times, all in the second half.

So I go into the 2018 season full of hope despite all the key personnel losses. I think losing Roquan Smith will hurt the most. But talent is just gushing into Athens right now and Kirby is probably a better coach that we gave him credit for in 2016. As is Mel Tucker, Jim Chaney, etc.

Yep, everything is going according to plan.......

Go Dawgs!

Welp......

I had already decided early in the season that whatever happened this first year with Kirby, I was going to overlook it. And I still feel that way. I know there are examples of coaches that come in the first year of a program and win in dominating fashion, but there are plenty of examples where they don't. Kirby said at the beginning of the season that the Bulldogs just did not have enough depth. Turns out he was right. Did he make mistakes? Absolutely. But Georgia has had seasons where, if a few key plays had not gone our way, we would be 8-4 instead of 10-2. I think we just hit it this year. Better times are ahead. Go Dawgs!

Georgia vs Florida

Occupy Jacksonville.

That is all.

Day.......yeah, I'm not keeping count

Well, Mark Richt and the Dawgs certainly had a better month than I did. In HR, we call it attracting talent. In college football, it's called "getting 17 and 18 year olds to commit to you, even though you went 6-7 last year". And since I doubt he's paying those kids, he certainly deserves a huge kudos for pulling in that haul of players. The only downside is watching running back Washaun Ealey implode from within. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but he hasn't exactly displayed a very good grasp on 'think first/act second'. Regardless, I'm not really worried about him. Because this is what Richt excels at. I'm just certain that Jesus called coach up one day and said, "...and I especially want you to pay attention to those kids who are right on the edge, who are in desperate need of guidance, OK?" We all have a right to second guess Richt for kicking a field goal from the 2 yard line against Central Florida last year, but we've also admitted that HE'S THE GUY that we want in charge of our kids. So, if Ealey can be saved, then by golly the man that new Georgia RB Isaiah Crowell dubbed "a God-fearing dude" can do it. If not, he'll go the way of Zach Mettenberger, Michael Lemon, and a host of others that he tried to help out.

As for me, still looking for work. I've learned several things. First, no matter how many channels of TV you have, it still ain't enough. Even the interwebs has its limits. After a while, "fail" web sites don't make you laugh, even at others. So my advice to you is, if you're going to be out of work, make sure it's in the summertime.

2010 Georgia Bulldogs - The Rules

The off season is a long, long time. If you're like me, you crave little bits of information from coaches, players, whoever will throw us a bone. Problem is, that doesn't happen much from January to July (except for spring practice) and that leaves us, the fans, to do the talking. And boy, do we.

So I have created some rules that we all must follow. These rules are meant to protect us from becoming the rabid fans that we make fun of (even though we have already slightly morphed into said 'rabid fans'). Keep these in mind as we progress from spring practice into fall camp.

1. You will no longer mention the name of a certain WR that chose to go to UT instead of Georgia. Let. It. GO.
2. Phrases that you will no longer use include “a good game manager”, “senior leadership”, ‘bend but don’t break’, ‘blitz every down’,
3. You will stop hyping our players so much that it becomes a disappointment if the ‘Ealey/King connector’ only stretches 78 yards in a game.
4. You can no longer say that Richt is ‘too nice’ to do something. He gave one of his closest friends a chance to right the ship, the friend didn’t do it, and Richt fired him (along with others who were underperforming).
5. You will not turn on Jakar Hamilton or Alec Ogletree the first time they get burned for a touchdown. You will also not call for their back ups to come in. (even though this may have been acceptable with Bryan Evans).
6. You may only use these analogies once per month: Lakatos’ secondary shut down the Gamecock’s air attack, Belin did more with less at Vandy, Grantham made Jay Ratliff a star @ Dallas……etc.
7. You WILL NOT dissect every single quote from Coach Richt (or any other coach) until you find fault with it. You WILL REMEMBER that the players are between the ages of 18 and 23, and react accordingly (remembering your OWN actions/words at that age).
8. You MAY call for Coach Richt’s job if, and only if, you come up with a viable, reasonable replacement. Until then, pour yourself a nice tall glass of ‘shut the hell up’ and chug it.
9. You WILL accept whoever is anointed as the starting QB – even if it’s not Aaron Murray.
10. Gators suck. Vols suck. Nerds suck. Tigers suck (both of 'em). And the Gamecocks, oh hell yes they suck.

Who ARE these guys?

Swagger [swag-er]- to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air.

Seems like the less I write, the better the Dawgs do.
It occurred to me why no one thinks Georgia is an elite football program yet. For the past few weeks, many in the media have been wondering if the Dawgs can keep up the kind of energy it takes to win big games. Now, a rival fan will tell you that the Dawgs are doomed – Richt has to keep pulling these cutesy little stunts (endzone celebration, black jerseys) to keep the players fired up. Sounds like a sore loser to me. I mean, some of these same rival fans said Georgia would be good again in a couple of years, but not this year. Now that Georgia is on the verge of a 9 or 10 win season with a roster full of sophomores and freshmen, no one wants to admit that talent is taking over. What you are witnessing is a scenario where everything that Coach Richt HOPED would come together IS coming together. And everyone is having fun, including Richt.
Many of those close to Coach Richt saw this coming. Oh, I don’t mean they knew he would purposely orchestrate unsportsman-like penalties and the like. But they knew he would have more time on his hands now that the play-calling duties had been handed over to Mike Bobo. And Richt hasn’t had that extra time since………..well, never. He’s been calling plays his entire career. So what does he do with his newfound free time? Work on his high diving techniques? Pick out a haircut style more acceptable to the new millennium? No, he’s yelling at referees and choreographing end zone dances. And why not, the Dawgs are getting yards on the ground, through the air, making sacks, getting interceptions…….life is good.

Swagger indeed. Bring on the Wildcats!!

Latest News & I Don’t Make Predictions Week 9

Uh, not much happened this past week.

DAWGS RULE AND GATORS DROOL!!!!!!

I could go on and on and on about Georgia’s win over Florida, but it’s been done to death. As it should be. Some quick points:
**If you’re one of those whining about all of Georgia’s players rushing the field after our first TD, I will refer you to the Dave Chapelle (via Rick James) quote – “It’s a CELEBRATION, bitches!!”
**I’ve never seen someone who looked as unhappy as Florida coach Urban Meyer did. I was pretty sure he was going to cry in the third quarter. And they should award him some stats since he was parked halfway out to the hash mark for a better part of the game.
**Why can only the Gators do the chomp? You’re telling me that if Erik scored a TD and he woof woof woofed the crowd that he would get a flag thrown? I don’t think so.
**I usually don’t buy into the hype that’s given to players, but…….Knowshon Moreno. WOW!
**Also, since we won, I can legally say that was some of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. They missed a call or two against us as well.

A few weeks ago, everyone was writing the Dawgs obituary. Now, we could win out (and hope for a UT loss) and make it back to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game. But alas, we must focus on Troy this weekend.

Other games (that no one cares about):
LSU @ Alabama – The Saban Bowl. See Nick coach the Cajuns. See Nick leave for the NFL millions while Les Miles coaches the Saban leftovers. See Nick fall on his ass in Miami. See Alabama sell their soul to the devil to get Saban back. See Nick tell recruits that LSU’s success is all on him. See an all out BRAWL this Saturday.
Vandy at Florida – Oh, you really WANT Vanderbilt to win but they just won’t. The Gators are still mad about our CELEBRATION, BITCHES!!!
South Carolina @ Arkansas – The Ole Ball Coach has perfected the art of being a tool. I mean, he gives preacher’s kids a bad name. I should have a better reason to pull for Arkansas than “I hate Steve Spurrier”. I’d like to see Darren McFadden do well, how ‘bout that?

May I help you?

You really thought I was going to write anything this week after the shellacking that the Dawgs took on Saturday?

Notsomuch.........

I Didn’t Make Predictions Week 5, And I Won’t for Week 6.

If I were a gambling man, I’d be broke. But I bet a lot of people lost money, seeing that 6 of the top 13 teams lost. Watching college football – good. Gambling on college football – bad. You already know who won and lost. I would consider it one of the best weekends ever. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas –all losers. But the celebrating and gloating is over.

Let’s look at what’s happening this weekend:

Florida @ LSU – Does anyone really think this game has lost its luster just because of Florida’s loss to Auburn? No, I didn’t think so. Sure Tim Tebow may have had to return his cape, but don’t think he’s not going to try to get it back.

Kentucky @ South Carolina – Is South Carolina for real? Is Kentucky for real? I know a lot of Gamecock fans who aren’t taking this game seriously. Big mistake. Big one.

Wisconsin @ Illinois – Two more teams trying to prove they are for real. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Ron Zook’s team is 4-1, with a win over Penn State. Wisconsin is also trying to play the “no one respects us” card.

Oklahoma @ Texas – This game HAS lost some luster. The Sooner lost to a Colorado team they had no business being close to, and the Longhorns loss was coming sooner or later. Still, it’s a grudge match and those are fun to watch…..sometimes.

West Virginia @ Syracuse – West Virginia’s motto, “Hey we’re still good without Pat White”. Syracuse’s motto, “We beat Louisville”. Boooooo-ring.

Virginia Tech @ Clemson – VT just hasn’t been VT this year. Clemson has been Clemson, meaning they start off well and then tank. Is this the week they start tanking?

Ohio State @ Perdue – Big Ten football. Yawn.

Georgia @ Tennessee – I could go on all day about this one. About how UT is desperate to prove they won’t repeat 2005. About how Georgia hasn’t lost in Neyland Stadium since 1999. About how UT laid 51 points on Georgia last year in Athens. About how Mark Richt resembles Bugs Bunny and Phil Fulmer resembles the Angry Bull. The Vols are 2.5 favorites, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why.

Other thoughts:

Does anyone think it’s funny that Florida safety and team captain Tony Joiner (last seen kissing Tim Tebow on the sidelines) was arrested for taking his girlfriend’s car from an impound at 4am? Is it even funnier that the owner of the impound, an admitted Gator fan, now says that the whole thing was a misunderstanding?

Former Colorado back up punter Mitch Cozad was sentenced to seven years for stabbing the starting punter. Didn’t Harding/Kerrigan/Gillooly teach us ANYTHING?

Nick Saban’s backhanded slam on South Florida’s academics is like Lou Holtz telling Rece Davis “I can’t understhtand you, you need to sthpeak more clearly”.

Other Thoughts from the UGA/Bama Game

A friend of mine( who supports another SEC team) once told me that when Georgia is winning, it just feels like they are toying with you. Like they are just stringing you along. I can assure you, no Dawg fan I know has EVER felt like that. And Saturday’s 26-23 win in OT was no different.

1. I’m curious to know if the manufacturer who makes Danell Ellerbe’s helmet is the same maker of all the other Georgia helmets. If not, we need to fix that. I swear that thing has come off about four times this year. Danell, you’ve got dreadlocks, yes, we get it. Strap that thing up and leave it on before you crack your skull!!!

2. Have you ever seen Coach Richt move so fast as when he was giving the motion to spike the ball at the end of regulation? For all you fans who asked that he “show some fire”, I think that may be all you get this year.

3. I don’t think that our dropped passes are as bad as fans think, but now that the issue is talked about, I think we harp on EVERY SINGLE ONE. Granted Tripp Chandler had a rough second half, but he caught one when it counted.

4. Speaking of Chandler’s catch, that set up what would have been the winning field goal. I’m sorry that Brandon Coutu missed it but I was relieved to see his reaction when it sailed just left. He was genuinely angry. What that tells me is that he had no doubt in his mind that he could make that, even after missing a 51 yarder earlier. Call it arrogance, call it cockiness, whatever – I want my kicker to have the kind of swagger that Brandon does.

5. Don’t take this the wrong way, because I’m really excited about Knowshon Moreno. But he had a run in the second half that ended close to the sideline where he collided with a defender – he looked like he was more interested in knocking the defender off his feet than getting the extra yards. In fact, I wasn’t sure he ever went out of bounds until he was jumping around in celebration. Coach Richt confirmed this in his press conference, saying that he could have cut back in and gained enough for the 1^st down. Hey, the guy is definitely exciting to watch, but I don’t want to see him posing for the camera or showing off.

6. Bama fans knew this, but the media got a reality check – the Trinity still includes God The Father, The Son, and the Holy Ghost. Nick Saban will have some work to do before he cracks that club.

7. I wonder if Tide DE Wallace Dingleberry Gilberry was able to get Matt Stafford’s phone number and home address AFTER the game since he got nowhere near him DURING the game?

8. The Dog Pile Maximus. I could really get used to it.

I Don’t Make Predictions Week 4 – With Updated Comments

(Note: I forgot to post this on Friday. So I’m posting it today and adding in some comments to prod myself)

Onto to this week’s games. Randomly selected, of course:

North Carolina @#23 USF – Are you like me? Do you get UCF and USF confused? Well, you shouldn’t anymore. USF is now ranked and a Big East PLAYA. UCF is coached by former Nerd Georgia Tech coach George O’Leary. He probably lies and says that he coaches USF.

South Florida is building something down there. They replace Louisville as a Big East powerhouse.

#20 Texas A&M @ Miami – I’m interested to see if Miami can fully recover from the beatdown they took from Oklahoma. Not that A&M is a similar measuring stick. But even if it’s easy to hate the “U”, it’s hard not to pull for Randy Shannon and what he’s trying to do.

Miami took it to A&M. That game was never in question

East Carolina @ #4 West Virginia – As if it wasn’t enough fun watching White/ Slaton run roughshod over people, now throw in Noel Devine. That dude is just a blur. I’ve seen cheetahs that aren’t that fast. I’m glad he finally found a home at such a fine educational establishment.

Ho hum. Mountaineers win again. On deck: South Florida

#3 Florida @ Ole Miss – You can bet that since Tim Tebow is now being mentioned in the Heisman race that he will be in the game until the fourth quarter, running up the stats. Then he’ll retire to the sidelines to suck face with his teammates. I think Ed Orgeron’s head may actually explode (admit it – you’d like to see that).

This game was seriously close. Give Orgeron this – he found a way to slow down the machine.

#10 Penn State @ Michigan – If you hate Michigan (and let’s face it, these are good times), you can begin watching again. Although, sometimes these seemingly lop-sided games actually produce watchable TV.

As this one did. Michigan’s win puts them back in the Big Ten hunt. Dammit.

#12 South Carolina @ #2 LSU – Remember the days when Steve Spurrier was a Florida and he used to beat opponents mercilessly? What goes around comes around. However, Spurrier won’t throw his visor because an LSU defender would probably eat it.

I gotta hand it to the Gamecocks, they did better than I thought. Most people say the score is not indicative of the game because of the rain, but it’s still closer than most people would have thought. It was nice to see Spurrier get a dose of trickery

#21 Kentucky @ Arkansas – Ah, the resurgence of Kentucky. Thanks for beating Louisville, now welcome back to your SEC slate. Your first mission, should you choose to accept it – stop Darren McFadden. And do it with that crappy defense.

This is the last stop for the Kentucky bandwagon. Better get on now.

#22 Georgia @ #16 Alabama – Aside from all the secrecy and mistrust going on, this should really be a good game. Bama doesn’t think that the Dawgs have played anyone yet, and the Dawgs aren’t ready to give up. One common opponent says Georgia is tougher. One Bama player has the hots for Matt Stafford. If Bama actually loses this game, I might feel sorry for Nick Saban. He’s the only one talking “one game at a time”. The rest of the Crimson Nation are assuming 8-0 when they play LSU. I smell UPSET!!!

And now I taste upset. Dawgs win 26-23 in OT. An OT that we handed to them. Hey a win is a win and Mark Richt is 23-3 in other school’s stadiums. Yeah, baby!

Dropped Pass Fever - Catch It!!!

Much has been made of the number of drops that the Georgia wide receivers have made. Not just this year, but really over the last few years. Some fans take out their frustration by booing our players. Some want receivers coach John Eason's head on a platter. But for all the hand wringing and worrying, there is no answer.

This sums it up best.

And The Second Guessing Begins

Courtesy of the Anti-Orange Page, Jim from Duluth offers his usual stellar recap of the Bulldog Hotline call in show Monday night.
It never ceases to amaze me that fans are so pompous after a loss (such as the Dawgs loss to South Carolina). If you’re one of those fans who constantly criticize a coaching staff, you probably need to evaluate what you say. Understand that I DON’T feel that coaches are above criticism. Take Virginia’s Al Groh. There’s a man who needs to be criticized. He was brought in to use his NFL type recruiting skills and turn around a Cavalier football program that has not seen excellence in sometime. For all the money UVA paid him, and all the hype about his connections to the NFL, he has done very little for that program.
But it’s easy to say that we should have done so and so in a particular game, when the coaches plan didn’t work. How many things go wrong in our own lives and hindsight turns out to be the only true vision? Now you may come back with “Yeah, but those guys get paid millions of dollars……” This is true, but chances and odds don’t change just because there’s more money at stake. College coaches are pinning their hopes on young men that are between the ages of 18 and 23. Think about the brilliant things you did when you were 19.
Back to the Bulldog Hotline. As I read through, I see a host of questions that just come out wrong. One caller basically questions the caliber of the WR corps. For the record, colleges can’t go out and recruit players mid-season. You’re stuck with who you have for a year. Second of all, you can teach every fundamental you can to a wide receiver, but he and he alone will make the catch on the field. A better question would have been, “was there a reason that we were throwing crucial throws to Mike Moore and Tony Wilson (2nd team WR’s) rather than starters Sean Bailey, Mikey Henderson and Mohamed Massaquoi?
Another popular perennial question that comes up (though disguised each time) “Why did you abandon the running game” or “Why don’t you use one running back?” Let’s be clear – Knowshon Moreno is the real deal. We already know that. But the best RB’s in the world need an OL to open up holes. Since everyone agreed at the beginning of the season that our OL was young, is it really right to place such a heavy burden on them when the game is on the line? I suspect that if the Dawgs had utilized Moreno more, and we still lost, the question would have been, “Why run the ball when you’ve got a gunslinger like Stafford?” You can’t win with some people.
Question the coach? You bet. Fans deserve that. But coaches spend there entire lives watching film and evaluating talent. The average fan, who doesn’t go to practice or know the weight room stats, is just that – the average fan. I doubt he has any suggestions a coach hasn’t already thought of.

Quick thoughts from Saturday’s games

(Sorry, I gotta start with the Michigan/Appy State game)

*When Appalachian State’ Cory Lynch blocked Michigan’s desperation field goal in the waning minutes of the game, he ran it back to the 5 yard line, then celebrated wildly on the side lines, teammates piling on in victory. The refs, doing what they are SUPPOSED to do, threw a flag for excessive celebration. Let me just say this. Since this is now the greatest upset in college football history, there COULDN’T have been excessive celebration. The 15 yards they lost to run out the clock was meaningless. Since this is an arbitrary penalty anyway, couldn’t the refs just have gotten together and proclaimed, “There is no penalty, we’re going to let the Mountaineers revel in the fact that a I-AA beat the #5 team in the country in their own house”

*Dawgs 35-Pokes 14. It’s not that Stafford had 235 yards passing that excited me. It’s the fact that he threw to 9 different receivers. And it looks like he’s learned that taking a sack is not the end of the world.

*I’m still concerned about our kick offs. All day I watched team after team kick the ball right to the goal line, yet Coutu was putting them between the five and ten yard lines. I KNOW he’s got a stronger leg than THAT.

*Got Southerland? We do. And Shaun Chapas, too.

*If you’re wondering why the 13^th ranked team in the country didn’t get a lick of press coverage yesterday, and why ESPN felt the need not to switch over from the painful sight that was Illinois vs Missouri, it’s because we’re not flashy. Coach Richt has not been flashy since he left Florida State. Once the Dawgs are ahead, Richt simply runs the ball to eat away the clock, whereas a team like the Gators will keep running up the score.

*Something tells me the “flashy factor is about to change. College football, meet Knowshon Moreno. You two will get along great.

*Uh, I thought we were going to see Joe Cox?

*How awesome was it to watch WR Mohamed Massaquoi tackle someone like that on their botched punt?

Non-Dawg:

*Is there any doubt left that Notre Dame is the most overrated program of the last 5 years?

*Is it just me or was the score of the Auburn/Kansas State game a little closer than it should have been? Same for Texas and Arkansas State.

* I am changing my original prediction that Virginia Tech will beat LSU on Saturday. As long as Sean Glennon is their QB, that offense is mediocre.

*Dear Mr. Vol fan. There is blood in the water and the sharks are on their way.

What Would Mark Richt Do?

Don’t get all riled up at the title. It’s just a bit. But be honest, out of all the sports personalities in Georgia, nay in the country, do you know of anyone better to emulate? Two people issued apologies earlier this week. Michael Vick stood in front of a Virginia Federal Courthouse and apologized for his role in the whole dogfighting thing. I listened to his speech and while I do think he was sincere, what I wanted to hear was these two words, “I lied”. Basically, that’s what I’m upset about. Don’t get me wrong, the dogfighting is grotesque, but he then lied about it. So his apology was given because he simply HAD to.

Contrast that to our fearless head coach Mark Richt. Friday afternoon, after having practice rained out, Richt went on a tirade about UGA’s lack of an indoor practice facility for the football team. “I’m about tired of it” he said. And for those of us who follow every crumb of UGA football, it set off another debate. Georgia and Florida are the only SEC schools that do not have indoor practice facilities, so the proponents for it say ‘Everybody else has one, why shouldn’t we?’ Those who don’t care say ‘It’s obviously not hurting Florida (where it seems to rain every afternoon), so what’s the big deal. I don’t care one way or another, but it’s obviously a big deal to Coach Richt.

Fast forward to Sunday. Coach Richt issued this apology:

“I would like to make a public statement following up on my recent comments pertaining to our facilities at UGA.
First I am very proud to be at the University of Georgia. I have poured a lot of my life and energy into this program and I’m thankful every day for where God has placed me. I’m also thankful for the leadership of our University, Athletic Association, and Athletic Board.
Friday’s comments regarding the lack of an indoor practice facility were a knee-jerk reaction to a series of events that happened throughout the day ending with the cancellation of practice due to a storm in the area.
When I actually read my comments late in the day on Saturday I was very disappointed in what I said and the way I said it. It appeared to be someone who was ungrateful for what he had and that is certainly not the case. For that, I want to apologize to President (Michael) Adams, (athletic director) Damon Evans, and the Bulldog Nation.
I am very blessed at UGA and Damon and I have a great working relationship. In fact, we have been working together in planning a project that will provide a major facility improvement.
I want to end by saying that this statement is heartfelt and I was not asked to make it by anyone other than my own conscience.”

Huh?

I’ll admit, off the football field, his Friday statements are the closest thing to a tirade you’ll ever get from Richt. Most of us would turn into Howard Dean on crack if we were asked the kinds of questions that head coaches were asked. But if you ask me, he didn’t have to apologize for anything. I’ll bet you $200 that Athletic Director Damon Evans (if he in fact DID even read the story) said, “Ah, bitching about the indoor facility again. Whatever.” President Michael Adams is still figuring out how to attract more people at the fan friendly tailgaiting locations (memo to President Adams – people drink at football games. Get over it.) Neither of these guys gave a whiff about what he said, not because they don’t care, but because IT WAS A NON STORY.

You know, come to think of it, Richt did issue an apology once before. AJC columnist Jeff Schultz asked a question during the 2005 season about the lack of offense and was Coach Richt frustrated by it. Let’s preface this by saying that Coach had been addressing this issue at EACH press conference. Never the less, Schultz felt the need to drag it up again. “Can you talk a little bit about the stagnation of this offense?” Richt’s response was fantastic. “Well, I’ve talked about it before, but I’ll explain it again to YOU, if you’d like……” He then went on to discuss, very calmly, the offensive shortcomings. Before Richt ever apologized, Schultz made a reference to it in his column – noting that Richt’s reaction was as close to a public lashing that you’ll see from him. The very next press conference, Coach Richt started off by apologizing to Schultz and the AJC. I would have loved to have seen the looks on the faces of the reporters who were thinking, “what the hell?” You know even Schultz was thinking, “Who IS this boy scout?”

In both of these instances, Mark Richt did something we all do, he got extremely irritated. And then he lashed out – by his standards. However, he went back and apologized, leaving most of us scratching our heads. For all you UGA haters who complain about all the ‘thugs’ this program brings in, you certainly can’t complain about the man in charge. If he didn’t show any emotion on the football field, I would have the CIA investigate him for being a pod person. But he expects more of himself than he does of you. And he does it for the whole world to see.

What’d I Miss?

You just can’t take off any time during fall camp. I was busy celebrating Karl Rove’s departure yesterday, but I missed out on all the changes at the Dawgs’ practice.

Remember that scene in Space Jam? Jordan’s team (the cartoon characters) are all in the locker room and they’re all bandaged up and ailing? It seems that paints a clear picture of the offensive line. In fact, it’s so bad that RFr Kiante Tripp has been moved from defensive end to offensive tackle. Really? We’re that stocked at the end position we can afford to move 2006’s 14^th rated defensive end to the offensive side of the ball? Well, I guess when the same guy was also rated the 9^th best OT then the answer is OH HELL YEAH. Hey, I can appreciate that Coach Richt doesn’t want to move guys around. But it sounds like this guy is extremely athletic and would punt if you asked him to ( You reckon he punts? We still need a punter….)

In case you’re keeping tabs on the injured:

OL – Chris Davis, Chester Adams, Scott Havercamp, Chris Little, Tanner Strickland

Skill positions – Mikey Henderson, Tripp Chandler, Jason Johnson, TJ Gartrell, Kris Durham

DL – Tripp Taylor, Ricardo Crawford

DB’s – Rashad Jones, Bryan Evans, Thomas Flowers

LB – Chris Gaunder

Don’t worry if you’ve not heard of Chris Gaunder. He was just awarded a scholarship after he and fellow walk on Drew Williams showed they got what it takes. I distinctly remember Gaunder making a tackle in the Chick Fil A Bowl last year right after Milner scored our first touchdown. I’m guessing Gaunder has become a special teams guy, because at 6’0” and 216 lbs, he’s not vying for Brandon Miller’s job (of course former MLB Jarvis Jackson was around 220 lbs, so what do I know). I love to hear the walk-on stories because they are essentially making space for someone who has proven themselves on the field.

In the “I love Mark Richt, however” department we have this blurb about the linebackers yesterday:

“Brandon (Miller) of late has played more Sam and (Dannell) Ellerbe has played more Mike,” Richt indicated when asked about Miller’s play on Tuesday. “If it happened today we would probably play Ellerbe at Mike. It doesn’t diminish Miller’s ability. Even though he isn’t playing a lot of Mike right now, he is the guy who is physically dominating. He’s quite frankly throwing our tight ends around.”

This despite the previous declaration that, in moving him to the MLB, Miller was the “key” to the defense. He sounds like a White House press secretary who’s backpedaling. Look, I know he says whatever he has to just to protect his players, but this sounds worrisome. In the spring he said, and I quote, “We’re in good shape at linebacker”. Is this the equivalent of “no new taxes”?

Speaking of politicians, Georgia Congressman Paul Braun visited practice on Tuesday. You reckon HE can punt?

CB Remarcus Brown was suspended for the first two games for the dreaded "violation of unspecified team rules". At Miami, that means they've been smoking weed. Could mean anything here. At South Carolina, you can key a car and not get suspended any games. Unfortunately, at Georgia, they'll suspend you for skipping class, so I hope everybody's got the mischief out of their system.

We're getting down to two weeks before the first game. I hope we're done playing musical chairs and let these guys just play. Bring on the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State: Boise State v2.o or West Virginia v2.0?

As fall practice begins and the arrest season winds down, we keep the following date posted on our list of “to do’s”. September 1^st. That’s the date that the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to town (cue Clint Eastwod western music). Instead of starting the season with the usual patsy like Western Kentucky or Winona Park Elementary School, Athletic Director Damon Evans has scheduled a season opener with a team very capable of beating the Dawgs – depending on who you ask. Two years ago, media darling and mid-major Boise State came to town for the opener. All summer long many ‘knowledgeable’ media types predicted that Boise State would upset the Dawgs. Using their new-fangled, pass happy spread offense, they were supposed to confuse and confound Georgia. Bronco coach Dan Hawkins (now at Colorado) proclaimed that his team would not be bothered by the heat and had just as much speed as the SEC teams. He was wrong and the Dawgs squashed Boise State 48-13. Even worse, those poor guys had to fly back to Idaho. I couldn’t tell if we were that much better or Bronco QB Jared Zabransky threw the game. Fast forward to January 2^nd, 2006 – when SEC champion Georgia played West Virginia in the Sugar Bowl. That turned out to be the upset. The Mountaineers ran and ran and ran and beat us 38-35, making household names of QB Pat White and RB Steve Slaton in the process. Many Dawg fans offer up excuses – it was a meaningless game, we weren’t prepared and took the game lightly, Coach Richt’s press conference bored our guys to sleep, but regardless, they won and excuses don’t matter.

So now enter Oklahoma State. I submit that they are not Boise State, but they ain’t West Virginia either. Hardcore Georgia fans should recall the name of QB Bobby Reid as he was somewhat recruited by Georgia out of high school. He’s a very capable dual threat. They have a very versatile backfield and a serious WR threat in Adarius Bowman. But by most accounts they have a shaky defense (which means Georgia Tech could even score on them), so it could be a high scoring affair. The only person who seems bullish on our defense is Coach Richt, so I feel good about all those new guys if HE does. For that reason, and that reason alone, I imagine we should win that game. Ultimately, I just don’t want to lose the first game of the year. That’s the equivalent of throwing a party and having the “marginal” guest show up first. You know – the one who is really obnoxious but you only invited him so his feelings wouldn’t be hurt? It just makes for an awful long wait until the next guest arrives (in this case the next game - against Steve Spurrier, possibly the worst dinner guest EVER)

A Look at the best Georgia football players…….to interview

I listen to the players talk with great interest. I’m curious to know who’s got a future in broadcasting after their NFL playing days are over. Or who’s going to be a White House press secretary and offer up the kind of fluff that we expect. Today we look at just a few. We’ll check them out as the season wears on.

Sean Bailey – should be the team spokesman. Not only does he avoid the maddening “you know” and “uh”, he genuinely has something to say. I could listen to him all day long.

Matthew Stafford – I know that he’s the new sheriff in town, but he sounds like Butthead in interviews. Somebody taught him the usual lines; “we just gotta execute and play as a team”, “we faced a lot of adversity” and “blah blah blah, learning curve blah blah blah”. Of course, he’s been very guarded since his keg tossing days.

Fernando Velasco – He’s trying WAY too hard. I know he’s the senior leader, but he’s working too hard to spit it out. Slow down Fernando, we’ll wait.

Thomas Brown – he’s very good, actually. Here lately, he’s been answering a lot of questions about whether or not he would take a medical redshirt in 2007 and he’s handled them sincerely. No canned answers, he just wants you to understand that he’s getting back out there and his knee is fine. I get why Coach Richt adores him.

Asher Allen – See Fernando Velasco.

Mikey Henderson – Mikey is just EXCITED about the receiving corp. He seems like the type of guy who has a lot to say and he’s glad you asked. Something new in each sentence.

Kris Durham – Has apparently been to the “How to talk humble” classes that Georgia offers. But hey, he’s young.

Kelin Johnson – He may not have a lot to say to fans or a press corps, but I bet he can fire up the defense. And in the end, do we really care what they say to us as long as they get it done on the field?

Ah, July……College football is COMING!!!!

Just a quick recap of what’s happened to the Dawgs in July.

1. I watched the Chick Fil A Bowl again last weekend. That. Never. Gets. Old.
2. Still no punishment handed down for Blake Barnes and Tripp Chandler for underage drinking. It has to be at least 1.2 games, per university policy. Can we really put them in at the three minute mark in the first quarter of the South Carolina game? And by ‘them’, I mean Chandler.
3. Matt Stafford is learning to play golf and has a long way to go. Dear Matt: Thanks for playing golf instead of going to another NASCAR race.
4. There are a total of 17 verbal commitments for 2008 – that’s right, seventeen. See, in the old days, we wouldn’t have paid them until December or January.
5. Incoming frosh Caleb King was arrested and booked for driving on a suspended license and going the wrong way on a way street in Athens – ON A SCOOTER. Thanks to the cops for keeping those hardened criminals from overtaking the campus.
6. Walk on lineman Tripp Taylor was arrested for simple assault for an altercation that took place a month ago. No jokes here, if he’s guilty, he should be suspended for the season or kicked off the team.
7. Larry Munson has announced that he will probably only announce home games starting in 2007. Even Gators fans think that sucks. And they know about these things.

Fall camp opens in a couple of weeks. I'll be addressing the schedule in the upcoming weeks. The 2007 season is a big unknown for the Dawgs. Partly because of their own team, and partly because the SEC is more wide open than ever. Doesn't matter, because I'll be watching or listening to every game.
And please, folks. No weddings during football season!

There's nothing worse than being a fan of an out of state team. I live in Virginia, but LOOOOVE my Georgia Bulldogs. So all you people who get to go to the games, consider yourselves lucky. The rest of us have to pay for the privilege of listening to Larry Munson from afar. I'm so glad Al Gore invented the internet.

I don't know how I stumbled upon this, but I prepared a schedule for the Georgia/Florida game in 2005. Luckily, that game is always on TV. Anyway, here's how I planned the weekend for me and my family. The game didn't turn out so well, and even though my wife, Robin, and I actually WENT to the WLOCP in 2006, that didn't turn out so well, either. Oh, well, like the Gamecocks say, "wait til next year".

(It's OK to pity my kids)

Schedule for Georgia/Florida weekend.

Friday:

6:30am – Robin to Orthopedic Surgeon. Have hand operated on. (memo to self: bring large red & black foam “#1” finger for her to wear home)

11:30am – Begin badgering Robin about what she’s cooking for dinner with “one good hand”

11:31am – Regain consciousness, go pick up Olivia from Pre-school. Review cheer with her. “GOOOOOO DAWGS, SIC EM WOOF WOOF WOOF” (remind her it has to have FEELING)

12:15pm – Go to Atlanta Journal Constitution online, read latest updates to “Junkyard Blawg”. Ridicule Gator fans who, despite having their OWN blog, come onto ours and pick fights

12:30pm – Realize that the “Gator Fans” are really Tech fans who have nothing better to do. Since their team sucks.

2:05pm – Madelyn gets home from school. Pull Madelyn and Olivia into the living room and simulate the “Sprint draw”; discuss why it doesn’t work on 3^rd and long; fire off email to Coach Richt giving him said reasons.

3:30pm – Kid games. Play “So how tall are they?” Olivia plays running back Thomas Brown, who is 5’8”, Madelyn plays wide receiver Kenneth Harris, who is 6’3”, Daddy plays offensive tackle Dennis Roland, who is 6’9”. (tell kids Mommy is a party pooper because she doesn’t want to play tight end Leonard Pope – 6’8”)

5:00pm Enough of this kid stuff. Back to work. Watch game films of the Tennessee game. Madelyn will ask, “Daddy, what are we learning from THIS game”. “Nothing, sweetheart. I just enjoy watching UT get beat”.

5:30pm Watch film of Arkansas game. See if Olivia can count the number of ambulances that cart the Dogs off the field. Explain the significance of our new starting quarterback, Joe Tereshinkski, whose father and grandfather both played football for Georgia. Lie and say his great-grandfather planted the original hedges at Sanford Stadium. Explain significance of the hedges and tell them Scott Sergent and I broke into Sanford at 3am one night to get a piece of the famous bushes. Poke the girls to keep them from going to sleep.

7:00pm – Watch an ESPN pregame show. Explain to the girls that Lou Holtz is not retarded, he just has a lisp and combs his hair straight down.

7:30pm – In celebration of Halloween, show the girls a picture of legendary Georgia Defensive coach Erk Russell. Spend the next 15 minutes calming Olivia down.

8:30pm – Entertainment time. Show videos of past GA/FL games. Replay the one in ’97 when Steve Spurrier threw his visor 28 times, and his #1 ranked teams got their butts whipped 37-17. Also replay the Belue to Scott 94 yard TD in ’80. Lord above, that never gets old.

10:00pm – Put the girls to bed, tell them we have a long, long day tomorrow. Prepare something to eat since my slacker wife still hasn’t made me anything for dinner.

Saturday:

5:30am – Breakfast. Listen to Larry Munson clips to fire everyone up, “WE JUST STEPPED ON THEIR FACE WITH A HOB NAIL BOOT!!! WE JUST CRUSHED THEIR FACE!!”

5:45am – apply red and black face paint. I might wear some, too.

6:00am-8:00am – Go over offensive schemes

8:00am-10:00am – Go over defensive schemes

10:00am – Explain to the girls why they can’t go outside and play. Time to review punts and kick-offs.

10:30am – Watch “College Gameday” on ESPN. Make voodoo doll for Florida coach Urban Meyer. Remind the girls (who are hating life at this point) that Meyer cried in his press conference after the loss to LSU. This man was supposed to revolutionize the SEC. He is hereby dubbed Urban Cryer.

12:00pm – Allow the girls to watch cartoons instead of football, but only if they promise to keep the face paint on.

12:00pm-3:30pm – Watch meaningless (read: any other) college football games.

3:30pm – Watch GA/FL game intro. Call announcers Verne Lundquist and Todd Blackledge a couple of @#&*!’s. (Explain to the girls it’s not really ok to say @#&*!). State out loud that I’m tired of hearing about Pollack and Greene. It’s 2005, time to move on. (Explain to Olivia who David Pollack and David Greene are. Draw her a map of Snellville)

3:30pm-7:30pm – Yell, stomp, kick, cuss.

7:30pm - ????? – Depends on the outcome of the game. Either of the conversations could take place.

Robin: Madelyn, go ask Daddy if we can eat out tonight while he’s in a good mood

Madelyn: Will we have to wait until the holes in the ceiling are fixed?

OR

Robin: Girls, try to avoid being on the same floor as Daddy.

Madelyn: Can we cover that hole with plastic, it’s supposed to be cold tonight?