Random Thoughts from this Weekend

I'm still trying to formulate in my head an opinion on exactly how I should feel about this weekend. Here's sort of a rambling rant. Good, Bad and Ugly Style.

The Good:
-- Next Saturday Coach Richt can join Gene Stallings and Steve Spurrier as only the third coach in the modern SEC to make the league championship game 3 times or more in 4 years. Fulmer, Saban and Tuberville aren't in that club.

[Photo: As crazy as it sounds, we still have a very real shot to win this thing. Auburn is the best team we'll play this year.]

-- Congrats to Auburn. They played a great game. They deserved to win.

-- Pre-season if you had offered me a 9-2 regular season and a birth in the SEC Championship Game, I would have taken that offer in minute. When you look at what we lost last year, there's no question that I would've taken that offer. I even predicted that we wouldn't win the East. We still have 2 more big games to get to that point, but it's very doable.

-- We had some of the best blue chip athletes in the country on hand Saturday night. The early reports from Scout.com and Rivals.com are glowing.

-- The Turducken was a smashing success. I was excited about it, but I was skeptical. Some pictures will be posted later this week. Wow.

-- No matter how blue you are, just remember we've got a better shot at winning the SEC than Auburn, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. If you're looking to take the edge off your misery via the misfortune of others, consider these tidbits:

-- Ron Zook never lost to South Carolina. The Gators are livid. The Gators are likely headed to Shreveport for a matchup with a wretched Big 12 team like Nebraska (The Tommy Frazier is Still Running Bowl) or the Music City for a battle with Northwestern (The Spread Offense Tickle Pile Bowl).

-- The ACC is going to have anywhere from one to three teams bowl eligible more than they have bowl tie-ins. If Central Florida wins their next two games (Rice and UTEP), they'll be in the Liberty Bowl. Interestingly, the Liberty has room for an At-Large Spot. GT vs. UCF in the "You Still Owe us $1.5 million Bowl." The mere thought makes some GT fans edgy.

[Photo: When I look at that pic, I know how Robert Morris felt in Red Dawn. All that hate keeps me warm.]

-- The Vols barely beat Memphis who was playing without their all-american running back. I like Vandy's chances next week. If Fulmer had a sense of humor, we could call this game, the "Planes, Trains and Automobiles Bowl" because its Steve Martin vs. John Candy. But Fulmer's not funny. Just fat.

-- DJ Shockley played his nuts off. He had a shot at SEC Offensive Player of the Year going into that game last night. Unfortunately, Kenny Irons or Sidney Rice will win it now. We should've let him take a shot on 3rd and 10 after the pass interference penalty. You have to trust your best player make a play in that situation.

-- Offensive Play Calling (except for the 1st and 25 sequence). I was really pleased. I like the attacking nature of the no huddle. I like that we took shots down field. I like that the Toss Sweep appears to be back for good. I like that we mixed it up. It was Richt's best called game (except for the 1st and 25 sequence) since Boise.


The Bad:
-- The Fumbles.

-- Sean Bailey's hands. Some guy near me compared him to Terrence Edwards. That's not fair. That's insulting to Edwards. TE had a great career at UGA. Sure, he made some key drops, but overall he was a major offensive weapon for us for 4 years. Bailey so far is about two catches ahead of having a LaBrone Mitchell type season.

-- Eternity. That's how long that ESPN Classic will keep showing that game. Every year for the rest of our lives.


The Ugly:
-- Willie Martinez defensive game plan and in game adjustments. Van Gorder's first season in the SEC was no picnic. In 2001, We had non-sensical blitz schemes, sieve pass defenses in big games like UF and times when we had the ball run down our throats like AU. Van Gorder got better in Year 2. All we can hope is that Willie comes around as well because these last two game plans leave me wondering if he even watched film to get ready for the game. Did we not think that Irons would run it? Do we not have a Plan B for defending the 10 yard out pattern? We aren't attacking on defense. And it's driving me crazy.

[Photo: We should spring for a VCR for his office.]

-- The Offensive Pass Interference Call. One of the few philosophical things that Jim Harrick and I strongly agreed about was that the worst call in hoops was an away from the ball offensive foul in the final moments of a game. That particular call was the one that would send Jim into a profanity laced tirade and get him booted in a milli-second. The call on Pope was the same type of call. A totally inappropriate call.

-- Lastly, and most importantly, the cluster on the 2 point conversion. Look, I'm pretty forgiving. People make mistakes. Players drop passes. Coaches call plays that don't work. But not being organized is unacceptable. That means your fundamental approach to executing in that scenario was busted. To get a delay of game there is just not acceptable. It was the biggest game management blunder since the Boston College punt fiasco. It really pissed me off.


Separately, I know a bunch of people are saying that Richt should have let Auburn score on the last possession. I understand the logic and in hindsight I agree with it. But it's awfully hard to tell players to lay down. If we had done it, and it had worked. Great. But I'll never criticize a coach for telling his players to stop someone. I just can't get overly mad about that.

BTW -- I know everyone's pissed. Just watch the F Bombs and the GDs. I'll nuke all of that.

We can still finish 11-2. There's no need for jumping off cliffs.

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