Roster News -- John Miller leaves the team

Wanted: Strong, fast, smart, healthy offensive linemen.
This Dawgs now have NINE non-senior wide receivers on the roster, and we have four non-senior tight ends on the roster. Next year, two more WRs and two more TEs on committed.

Unfortunately, the Dawgs have only 1 non-senior offensive tackle on the roster yesterday after true freshman John Miller walked away from football (Ugasports.com premium).

Miller's departure adds even greater frustration to the offensive line recruiting problems of Callaway's tenure. Ted Kian has a solid take on the situation. My thoughts below.

So where are the tackles? The answer...apparently we didn't recruit any.
-- Josh Davis, redshirting, is the kid whose high school coach commented after learning that he commited to UGA that he didn't see Davis contributing for 2-3 years.

-- Highly regarded offensive line prospect Kiante Tripp is redshirting this year as a defensive end.

-- Chris Davis, also redshirting, is practicing at Guard. Last I heard, he weighed about 270 lbs.

-- Alleged 5 Star OT prospect Clifton Geathers (Hargrave) looks to be more of a promising defensive end prospect for Georgia, and that's what he's playing in prep school.

-- Elite OL prospect Justin "Bean" Anderson (Hargrave) says Georgia wants him to play Guard.

-- That means we're banking on JUCOs (that haven't committed) or True Freshmen to play at least one offensive tackle spot next year. The other OT spot will likely be manned by Chester Adams (who can't possible be a downgrade from Inman).

Well surely we recruited OTs in the past few years right?
-- In 2005, we signed one offensive lineman. Center Ian Smith.

-- In 2004, we signed two offensive linemen. Chester Adams (OG/OT) and Seth Watts (OG)

-- In 2003, we signed several offensive linemen. But the only tackles we signed were Tommy Gainous, Ken Shackleford (who we promptly wasted his Redshirt year so he could protect on extra points), Trey Chandler and James Lee. Lee never visited Athens during the recruiting process. Is it any wonder that he got homesick or restless and left after 18 or so months? Gainous and Trey Chandler were ruled physically unable to perform within a year.

-- So...in the face of obvious and critical needs for offensive tackles that had existed for more than two years....we signed in 2006:

• 3 offensive linemen with grades that would get them no where near Athens for at least a year (Anderson, Geathers and Ben Harden). Currently, it looks like none of those kids will be playing tackle. Hopefully, that will change.
  
• A kid barely over 16 years old with a bad shoulder in John Miller.
  
• A potential "project" in Josh Davis
  
• 2 promising guard prospects that weighed around 260 lbs each.
• A promising OT that is playing defensive end. A position where we do have depth.
  

It's maddening. Especially since we offered Inman (the son of one of Callaway's former players at ECU who's only other offer was ECU) instead of Marcus McNeil (4 year starter at Auburn). Especially since Paul Duncan wasn't good enough for Georgia to recruit despite being good enough for Michigan and Notre Dame. Especially since we signed Gainous instead of a 3 year starter at FSU in David Overmeyer. Especially since we apparently didn't pursue Duke Robinson very hard...a potential 4 year starter at Oklahoma.

We're not in the position we're in with offensive linemen because we're unlucky.

We're in it because some combination of Neil Callaway, Rodney Garner and Mark Richt have been doing a lousy job of evaluating talent, transcripts and health of Offensive Tackle prospects while doing a questionable job of managing scholarships allotment.

The good news
Callaway does a good job of coaching up what he gets CONSIDERING the quality of the talent that he has brought on. And, Richt/Garner and the rest of the staff do a very good job of recruiting at all other positions.

That said, you can't look at the allocation of scholarships across the wide receivers, tight ends and even fullbacks and say that our recruitment of offensive linemen -- particularly offensive tackles -- makes any sense whatsoever.

Recruiting does look promising for 2007. Particularly at offensive tackle. But you can't fix the mistakes of the past 3-4 years in one year. Next year's team looks really interesting...except at OT where it'll take a White Knight Juco to save us. If you're a high school offensive lineman, Georgia has an opening for you.

PWD

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CBS Uses Six-Day Selection Option on Nov. 11 Games

Image: Georgia Sports Communications

Source; SECSports:

CBS Sports has elected to use a six-day selection for games of November 11, 2006. The following four games are being held: Tennessee at Arkansas, Georgia at Auburn, South Carolina at Florida and Alabama at LSU. CBS will televise one of these four games at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. ET), while ESPN will televise one of these four games at 7:45 p.m. ET (6:45 p.m. CT), ESPN2 will televise one of the four games at 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT) and Lincoln Financial Sports will televise one of the four games at 12:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. CT). The selections should be made by Sunday afternoon based on the outcome of the Saturday, Nov. 4 games.

The remaining SEC game on the schedule for Nov. 11 will have Vanderbilt visiting Kentucky at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT).

If I were ranking the games right now, I’d go:

1. Arkansas at UT (#12 vs. #8)
2. UF vs. SC (Spurrier returns home with the chance to wreck #7 UF’s season)
3. UGA at AU (#6 AU hosting a bad UGA team in a great college rivalry game)
4. Bama at LSU (#13 hosting a horrible Bama team)

However...
LSU plays at UT this weekend.
Arkansas plays at South Carolina
UGA plays at UK

By Sunday, it could look more like this:
1. #11 Arkansas at #7 UT
2. #6 Florida playing a 4 loss Gamecock team that still has the Spurrier story
3. #5 Auburn vs. a rebounding 6-3 UGA team
4. #20 LSU hosts a boring 6-3 Bama

OR

1. #25 South Carolina vs. #6 Florida with a great storyline
2. #17 Arkansas at #13 UT
3. #5 Auburn vs. a rebounding 6-3 UGA team
4. #11 LSU hosts boring 6-3 Bama

God bless the Atlanta TV market, our ace in the hole. The wildcard in all of this...LSU doesn't want to play anymore day games. If they throw a fit about playing on LFSports at 11:30 am CST, they'll put the SEC in the position of trying to decide who to screw.

PWD

Note from Dawgnoxious: All things considered, I think I'd rather take my chances with a half-asleep AU team at 11:30 CST than a jacked AU team at 7:30.

PWD NOTE: LSU is the host team vs. Bama. I had it listed both ways above.

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UGA vs. Auburn Tickets Available

Buy or Sell Georgia vs. Auburn Tickets
Stubhub.com has Georgia vs. Auburn tickets for sale, and they guarantee that you'll get your tickets in time for the Game. They have lower and upper level tickets available for what looks to be reasonable prices. Fans with extras can also use Stubhub to sell their tix to other fans.

For more on the Georgia Sports Blog's relationship with Stubhub.com check here.

Go Dawgs. See you at Jordan-Hare.

PWD

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What This Saturday's Game Means to UK

Image: Augusta Chronicle
Saturday is everything to the men in big blue. Kentucky is 4-4 with games remaining against:

Georgia (Lexington)
Vanderbilt (Lexington)
UL-Monroe (Lexington)
Tennessee (Knoxville)

With a win over Georgia, the Wildcats would only need to beat UL-Monroe to gain bowl eligibility with Vandy still on the horizon for them to upgrade their bowl situation. To put things in perspective...

Kentucky hasn't been
to a bowl since 1999.
They have only been to three bowls in the past 22 years and five bowls in the past 30 years. In the 55 year period since winning their only legit SEC Championship in 1950 under Bear Bryant, Kentucky has only attended six bowl games.

This Saturday is huge for the Wildcats. Rich Brooks would lock in his job security, and Andre Woodson would become the conquering hero. It would also be the opportunity to finally tear those goal posts down. Something they've been DYING to do for years.

It darn well better mean everything to us, or we are in for a long day. A Georgia team that struggles to beat a 1-8 Colorado team, a 2-7 Ole Miss squad and a 2-7 Mississippi State team can't walk into Lexington feeling sorry for itself, or it will get beat. That's just a fact.

We better get it together and shake the Cocktail Party Hangover because the Bowl Picture looks like a steaming pile of poo if we lose on Saturday.

PWD

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Thoughts on the Florida Game

Offensive MVP. Image: DawgPost.com

I'm always prone to hyperbole, and it may have been the bourbon talking. But before the game, I said, "This will be one of the greatest days in American History, or it will be exactly what I'm afraid will happen."

Actually it was neither. We played better than I thought we would, and we kept it close while losing.

Some positives:
-- Our defense only allowed two touchdowns to Florida. That's fewer than the defenses of LSU, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee allowed in their match-ups with the Gators.

-- Our offense scored two touchdowns on the solid Gator defense. That is more than the offenses of Auburn (0 offensive TDs), LSU (1 offensive TD) or Alabama (1 offensive TD) scored versus the Gators. And it's the same as UT managed.

-- Chris Leak got a concussion in the game. WAIT -- BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT. I don't wish injury on anyone, and I've got no beef with Chris Leak. I want him to live a long healthy life. However, for Chris Leak to get a concussion we had to actually hit him. That's something we have not done often in three of the prior four games against the Gators. In fact, most QBs this season that UGA has faced -- not named Blake -- haven't even experienced grass stains much less violent collisions. The Dawgs knocked Leak around several times. Hopefully, it's just a headache and he heals up nicely. But it was nice to see us get some pressure on the QB for a change.

-- We didn't roll over and play dead. Down 21-0 I was afraid it was about to get risickulous. But the Dawgs battled back and played well.


Ouch. Image: ABH

Some Negatives:
-- Martez Milner tries hard. He's a good dawg. He's overcome so much to just be eligible to play this final season after starting out as a partial qualifier. The Colorado game should've been the moment that turned his career around. But it doesn't look like that will be the case. Can we see what Tripp Chandler can do in a broader role? He certainly made some critical plays vs. MSU.

-- Receiving in general. We could improve so much in this area. Right now, we have a team that couldn't catch syphilis at a Rockdale County prom. And we don't block well either. Whatever we've been doing the past six years doesn't seem to be working. Maybe it's time to try something different in our approach...beyond the tennis ball thing.

-- Tackling, while much better than the past three weeks, still needs work. Primarily, we need to work on our tackling at the spot manned by the 170 pound walk-on safety who starts over the bigger, faster, stronger, better tackling, well rested and younger player named CJ Byrd. Is Tra Battle so critical to our defensive scheme that he can't come off the field more than a handful of plays on defense per game? How is Byrd going to get better on the bench?

-- The turnovers. You don't beat anyone with 5 turnovers. The Kelin Johnson turnover was horrific luck. The Stafford INT in the endzone was horrific decision making. The others sort of ranged anywhere in between. If we had committed just one fewer turnover, we have a shot to win it.

-- Why on earth does Danny Ware return kickoffs? Why not try Mikey Henderson back there? Or Bryan Evans. Or Remarcus Brown. Or someone else with breakaway speed?


A face mask penalty that wasn't called. Image: ABH

Overall:
-- I think the defense played pretty well, and Martinez made some nice adjustments to the Gators misdirection game. We also hit hard enough to cause some of the UF drop balls, which were a big asset in slowing them down. It was our best defensive game since South Carolina way back in Week 2.

-- Dropped passes, inconsistent line play and turnovers continue to plague the offense. If we can just cut the silly drops and turnovers in half, we would have an entirely different view of the season.

-- No coach looks like a genius when faced with a consistent string of 3rd and 10. I'd love to see what Richt's offense would look like with consistent OL and WR play.



PWD

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Possible Bowl Scenarios for Georgia

Just please. Not Shreveport
UGA announced today that ticket order forms for Georgia's possible bowl destinations will be mailed Monday. They will accept orders via mail or internet. The details are on UGA's site, and more info will probably be available in the mailer. Yes the timing sucks, but there's no way around it.

The scenarios as I see them:

Beat UK and not GT -- Music City Bowl
As far as bowl cities and venues go, Nashville knows how to throw a party. In a rebuilding year, this is OK. We could also face Miami there, which would be an interesting game. Getting stuck with Wake Forest would be demoralizing, but Maryland wouldn't be so bad. Starting this year, the Music City and Liberty Bowls pick at the same time by submitting an order of preference to the SEC. If they have the same preference, the teams get to pick their bowls.

Would the Music City rather have a struggling 7-5 Bama team in disarray tettering on the brink of firing their coach in a rematch of the 1992 National Title Game? Or a struggling UGA team where Richt plays his alma mater as a possible story line? Who knows. If the Gamecocks beat Arkansas or Clemson, they would strongly be considered ahead of us.

Beat UK and GT and hope for the best -- Peach Bowl
CBS Sportsline still has us going here to play Clemson. GT is almost a lock for the ACC Title Game after their win over Miami. The Peach now gets the 2nd pick of available ACC teams. The prevailing theory being that they wouldn't want GT (local) or Boston College (small traveling fan base). If Clemson is in the Peach, that means South Carolina is out of consideration to avoid a rematch. Bama is struggling as badly as UGA is. UGA would sell its allotment of tickets if Clemson were in the game, and Clemson would generate greater excitement for the game as well. If we somehow found a way to win out including Auburn, we'd end up here.


Please. No.

Lose to UK and GT (scenario 1) -- Independence Bowl
The Independence has a strong preference for SEC West teams. Last year, they only took South Carolina because there weren't enough SEC teams bowl eligible. The only other SEC East team that they've ever taken was UGA in 1991. HOWEVER, the problem here is the bowl pecking order. The Independence now gets the 8th SEC selection. This bowl probably doesn't want us given that Athens is 666 miles from Shreveport, and there's no easy way to fly there. BUT they may have no choice. If Bama, South Carolina and UK end up in some combo of the Peach, Music City and Liberty Bowls we end up at the Weedeater Classic. Period. If we lose to UK, that not only possible. It's very likely.

Lose to UK and GT (scenario 2) -- Liberty Bowl
The SEC has a tie-in with the Liberty Bowl this year. The SEC team plays the Conference USA champ. UGA vs. Tulsa would be totally unappealing, and I'm sure the Liberty knows that. Geograpically, the Liberty would probably rather have Bama than UGA. Frankly, they could probably sell more tickets to a UK fan base that was 7-5 than UGA fans. They could certainly sell more tickets to a 6-6 or 7-5 Gamecock fan base than a 6-6 UGA fan base. We could wind up here, but it's a winding convoluted series of events.


It's never Vegas when you want it to be.

The True Nightmare -- Destination Unknown
There is one scenario worse than all the above. That's the scenario involving two SEC teams not making the BCS. In that event, everyone ahead of us is pushed down a notch. A 7-5 Georgia team would be battling South Carolina, Bama and Kentucky for slots in the Music City, Independence and Liberty Bowls. One of us would be shipped off to Detroit or some other ungodly Georgia Tech-like destination in the freezing cold to watch us bang heads with some half assed MAC or MWC team. That is the true nightmare. That's why we have to beat UK this weekend. To take a DefCon 1 disaster off the table.

PWD

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15 of 17 and counting

Image: Georgiadogs.com

Since '90...
Mississippi State has beaten UF more times than we have.
Vandy has beaten UGA more times.
UK has beaten us the same number of times.

It's mind boggling to put your head around. We had our shots in...
-- '93 - Timeout Florida
-- '00 - McMichael's drop and Lito Sheppard's pre-half INT return
-- '02 - Terrence's drop
-- '03 - 200+ yards rushing for UGA, but Leak brings 'em back
-- '05 - We lose our QB and lose by 4
-- '06 - 5 turnovers and we lose by 7

It's crazy that the streak is what it is. But it is.

Anyone that thinks it's because of the bye week or the location or any other reason beyond our own bed wetting ineptitude once we hit the Florida state line, is just making excuses for what we've done each and every year since we narrowed the talent gap around '99.

Congrats to the Gators. They are clearly the better team. My beef isn't with the game. It's with the streak in general.

More thoughts on the game later.

PWD

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Property Destroyed Tomorrow?

PWD

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Go Dawgs

I'm in Jax. Doubt there will be any posting from here out.

For Dawg stuff check:
Dawgbone.net

For Gator stuff check:
EverydayShouldBeSaturday.com

PWD

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Florida Week Notes III

Image: AJC.com
Stafford gears up for the Cocktail Party -- DawgPost

EDSBS Gives the Pro-Gator Fark of the Year -- Orson Swindle

EDSBS Gives Us Top 10 Reasons Georgia Owns Florida -- EDSBS

Richt unsure what to expect from Stafford - Macon Telegraph

Ware Looking to Contribute in Jax - Ugasports.com

Meyer Knows Dawgs Could Put it Together -- GatorCountry.com ($)

Kicking Balls His Whole Life - David Ching

Florida Press Conference Recap - David Ching

Rivalry in Reverse - ABH

Personally, I like the fact that most of the articles are either not talking about the 14-2 streak OR they are talking about not talking about the streak. The pressure of the streak doesn't seem to be on this team as much as the pressure of getting our act together overall.

Not sure if that's better or not, but I'm glad to not read as many articles about 14-2.

PWD

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DawgBone.net Old School Pic of the Week

Buck Belue walks up to the line

Think happier thoughts.

Photo from Dawgbone.net

PWD

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Best Halloween Costume for Your Kids

Hat tip to GatorsWearJeanShorts. The best site for this week.

pwd

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Save the Cheerleader. Save the World

Realizing that the Heroes reference in the headline will be lost on many of you....Many of you who are missing out on the best new TV show in quite some time....I give you this update on a UGA cheerleader that needs your help. (BTW -- judging from all the exclamation points in the email snipet below a very excited cheerleader wrote this).

One of our very own UGA Cheerleaders, Tiffany Gillespie, was selected for Round 3 of the Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest to represent the UGA and the SEC!


Tiffany will compete in an online poll against 7 other cheerleaders (one from each BCS Conference, and one from a non-BCS Conference). Round 3 will go "live" October 14th at 12:00 AM and will last for 3 weeks.

The last day to vote will be November 3rd at 11:59 PM. PLEASE VOTE EVERY DAY FOR TIFFANY!!! It’s easy, just go to www.athlonsports.com and click on the link for the Sideline Spirit Contest, located in the middle of the page. The winner of Round 3 will go on to compete against the winners of the other rounds for the chance to be named the 2006 Athlon Sports Sideline Spirit Contest winner!!!! Please support Tiffany and the SEC by casting your vote often!! Thanks for your support and as always, GO DAWGS!!!

PWD

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Florida Week Notes II

Welcome to Mo's

Gordon Ely-Kelso is getting snaps at place kicker. Andy Bailey thinks it's more than just insurance. My answer to this move...THANK YOU.

David Ching has his unposted notebook from the Columbus-Ledger. These are always gems. One of his topics is the start of the third quarter, which is something Josh Kendall talks more about. Stop blocking in the back on kickoff returns, stop throwing INTs and feed Lumpkin the rock from the I formation in the third quarter...problems solved.

DawgPost.com talks about the players dealing with the reality of being underdogs. The AJC covers some of the same ground.

Lastly, Ugasports.com talks about the need for sacks.

Around the Dawgosphere:
-- JMac of The Cover Two weighs in on the lunacy of Mo Mass getting booed.

-- Kyle King has incredibly harsh words for Willie Martinez. I'm not in that camp. I'm still of the opinion that if our LBs could tackle ANY scheme would look much better. Other than the WVU debacle, I don't place all of the defense's woes at Willie's feet over the past 10 games.

-- Doug at HeyJennySlater has posted a novella/tome about the team that even Kyle King can envy in terms of it's total lack of brevity and pound for pound value per word. (This was somehow meant as a compliment but certainly sounds otherwise...so just go with assuming something nice)

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Tickets Available for the Cocktail Party

Buy or Sell Georgia vs. Florida Tickets
Stubhub.com has Georgia vs. Florida tickets for sale, and they guarantee that you'll get your tickets in time for the Game. They have upper, club and field level tickets available for what looks to be reasonable prices. Fans with extras can also use Stubhub to sell their tix to other fans.

If you feel that all tickets should be traded between people at face value, then maybe Stubhub isn't right for you. But if you want tickets to an event or you have extras for an event, the site might help you. For more on the Georgia Sports Blog's relationship with Stubhub.com check here.

Go Dawgs. See you in Jacksonville.

PWD

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Best Gameday Sign of the Year

Will Collier's "From the Bleachers" brings us the best ESPN Gameday Sign of the year. Check the upper left of the screen.


Somewhere, JD Stokley is laughing.

PWD

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Florida Week Articles

Click to see or buy the T-shirt with this design

Did you know that UGA is a 14 point underdog against the Gators? I thought this was our biggest underdog game of the Richt era, but we were 19 point dogs to the Gators in 2001. We were 20 point dogs in 1997, and we won by 20 points (37-17). I personally think you have to go bcak to the 1996 game to find so little optimism among the Dawgnation for any game. The low expectations are almost an asset at this point.

Dean Legge of DawgPost.com posts his 5 keys to the upset. My #1 key to the game is turnovers and my #2 would be tackling. If we make the plays we're physically capable of making on offense, limit our mistakes and suddenly start tackling well, we can give them a heckuva a game. The concern is the tackling issue. You can't just flip a switch and start tackling well. Amazing stat from Legge, Leak has never thrown an interception against Georgia. Unreal.

Speaking of tackling, Willie Martinez says the players have to step up in this area. What else can he say I guess.

The AJC says Martrez is likely out for UF while Chester Adams and Remarcus Brown are likely back. Having Chester back is the best news of the week so far. Massaquoi has been demoted for Goodman, but Harris is still second team to Bryant. I find that odd.

The networks says they won't call the game the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Pointless. That's what the fans will call it. The AJC is looking for alternative names. My favorite from the list would be "Dockside Debauchery." Orson Swindle's EDSBS has a t-shirt that offers a title of "World's Largest Outdoor Coke Orgy."


Just guessing this isn't what Adams has in mind.
Depressing factoid. "Johnny Rauch in 1945 is believed to be the last Georgia freshman starting quarterback to beat Florida." (Source: ABH)

And UGAsports.com talks about Stafford and the Dawgs getting ready for UF.

PWD

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Pat Dye nails his commentary on Tebow and Stafford

Leave it to ol' Pat Dye to nail it in an article in the AJC.

Freshman Tim Tebow has done no wrong. Gators coach Urban Meyer hasn't let him. Through controlled runs and carefully timed passes, Meyer has whet fans' appetites for what is to come after senior Chris Leak.

"He is a hybrid," CBS broadcaster Tim Brando said of Tebow. "Just a freakish athlete."

But he's still a freshman.

"[Tebow] didn't make any difference when he played against [Auburn]," said Pat Dye, the Tigers' former coach. "He had one run, but then the next three or four times he ran it he never got across the line.

"If Tebow is playing the whole ballgame, he would be making the same mistakes [Georgia freshman Matthew] Stafford is making."

That's been my point. So far, he's a helluva a fullback, and I sure as heck don't want to see him rolling out there on 3rd and 1. But he's only thrown 14 passes so far this year, and nine of them were versus UCF in mostly garbage time.

He's a whale of a talent, but the hype as a QB vs. what he's actually done throwing the ball is way out of whack. He's a weapon, but not for throwing the ball. At least not yet.

Oh...and Meyer says we'll see a heap more of Tebow this weekend.

PWD

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Photos: MSU vs. UGA (Southerland in action)

Brannon Southerland was making plays all over the place. All images by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Southerland = Playmaker. This ball was behind him, and he one armed it to set up a score. HUGE play.



Southerland dives for the final UGA score.


Southerland on the move.


PWD

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Facebook apology and Support note to Massaquoi

I've been told the name of the Facebook group is:

"Mohammed Massaquoi = Amazing"

If you're a student looking to show you're support for Mohammed, please register. If there are other similar groups, please let me know. For more thoughts on the losers who booed Mo, click here.

PWD

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Photos: MSU vs. UGA (Offense)

All photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Massaquoi scores a TD on the fade.


Kenneth Harris had a monster day.


Tripp Chandler makes a big time play


PWD

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Monday Morning Table of Contents

After days and days of posting light, I've got several things to start your morning.

-- MSU Game: Thoughts on the Offense
-- MSU Game: Thoughts on the Defense
-- Photos from Jim Hipple of the Defense in Action
-- Commentary on the Douche Bag fans that booed Mo Mass

More photos coming after lunch. Enjoy.

PWD

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MSU Game: Thoughts on the Offense

Brannon Southerland makes plays. Image: Jim Hipple

After watching the offense show fits and spurts vs. MSU, you can't help but wonder what would've happened if Richt had picked Stafford sooner. Like 5 minutes after the UT game was over for instance.

The three INTs are an unavoidable part of the growing process with a true freshman QB. Even the Gators with Super Hype All-World Tebow are bringing him along slowly. Did you know that Tebow has only thrown 14 passes this year, and nine of them were in garbage time vs. UCF. We don't have that luxury so what you get is what happened on Saturday. By comparison, Matthew Stafford has thrown 125 passes this season.

Regardless, what we got to see vs. Mississippi State was some of the prettiest deep balls that we've seen in Athens since the Boise game last year with Shockley. The 40 yard corner route to Harris on the second drive was particularly nice.

The Playbook:
Richt went to the shotgun and 4 WRs most of the game. When we were in the I formation, we were mostly in a 3 WR set with no TEs. That makes sense given that Stafford is more comfortable in the gun, and Martrez Milner was out for the game.

It's hard to watch the offense we saw on Saturday and say that Joe Tereshinski works with a fatter playbook than Stafford does. What we saw was closer to the old FSU sling it around offense than anything we've seen under Richt in years (if ever). It was nothing like the 3 yards and a screen pass into the dust that we saw the past 3 games.

My only beef with play calling is the continued under utilization of Kregg Lumpkin. He had 15 carries for 80 yards. When you've got a back that consistently gets 5 yards per carry or better, why not give him the ball more?

One can't help but wonder if our third quarter offensive disappearing act the past three games has anything to do with Lumpkin not getting many carries in the 3rd period. Lumpkin carried the ball on UGA's first two plays of the second half, but he didn't get another carry until roughly the 9 minute mark of the 4th quarter. The result was a 16 yard run. FEED THE BEAST.

The Turnovers:
All three INTs were totally and completely on Stafford. He actually could've thrown another one. The flip side is we entered the redzone 4 times and we scored 4 TDs with him at QB. The fumbles are a lot less understandable given that it wasn't freshman doing the dropping.


Tripp Chandler's TD on 4th and 1. Click to enlarge. Image: Jim Hipple

The Playmakers:
Brannon Southerland, Tripp Chandler and Kenneth Harris had superb games, and Nick Jones is a walking pile of guts surrounded by awesomeness. Southerland's one arm grab of the pass thrown behind him (Photo at top) was as athletic as any play you can make in football. Harris went over 100 yards receiving, and he was money all day. Tripp Chandler's grab on 4th and 1 was just a case of him wanting it more than the MSU kid did.

Pass Blocking:
Dan Inman continues to register offsides, holding and unsportsmanlike penalties at a staggering rate. This week he pulled the offsides hat trick resulting in Dawgnoxious' comment:

"On Senior Day when they call player names. Dan Inman will come out too early."

That said, the pass blocking with a make shift OL was pretty solid. Stafford had some time to let plays develop downfield, and even his INTs weren't a result of being rushed. He just misfired.

Run Blocking:
We run block pretty well for Lumpkin. Not so much for anyone else. I did like the zone read keeper for Stafford from the gun. It makes the draw play MUCH more effective if there's at least a CHANCE that the QB keeps it.

Richt's Comments:
Richt finally said what most of us have been thinking. He went for it on 4th and 1 inside the MSU 20 because "I just got tired of punting and kicking field goals." It's comforting to know we're on the same page. I'm tired of being Field Goal U as well. I loved the play call.

Overall:
We should be further along than we are on offense. Frankly, we would be further along if the QB with all the upside had gotten more snaps at this point. But we are where we are, and it is what it is. We need Chester Adams and Nick Jones to be healthy for the Cocktail Party, or it's going to be an exceptionally long day.

PWD

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MSU Game: Thoughts on the Defense

Charles Johnson bats down a pass vs. Miss. State (Photo by Jim Hipple)

Defensively before the game I was hoping to see:

More pressure on the QB - check
More blitzing from the LBs - check
Using Ellerbe and/or Dewberry on obvious passing downs - check
Better tackling - nope. way, way, way off

The good news is that we tried some new things vs. Mississippi State. Unfortunately, our linebacker coach hasn't taught our young LBs to shed a block or wrap up on a tackle any better than he taught our older LBs to do it. So the blitzes weren't all that effective. That said, Tony Taylor had a very good day with the exception of some horrific arm tackles late in the game. It was also good to see both our Defensive Ends have a very productive days.

Why so many points?
The Drive Chart tells the story, and it's awfully hard to blame the defense when the offense gives up five turnovers.

MSU had a 2 play 13 yard scoring drive resulting in a touchdown. They also had a 4 play 8 yard drive resulting in a field goal. Those were the gimmie points that we served up on a silver platter. Even the world's most inept offense can score in that situation. We also gave up another TD after a turnover.

The Bizarro Dogs had only 1 drive of more than 51 yards on the day. That's it.

The DBs:
Bryan Evans played like a redshirt freshman corner generally plays in the SEC. Some good, and lots of bad. On Tuesday, when they show the replay on CSS you'll see that he was the victim for most of MSU's big passing plays. The good news is the upside. He looked no worse than Paul Oliver, Tim Jennings or Tim Wansley looked as freshmen in their first start. Byrd still didn't get a ton of minutes, but Tra Battle had a solid game with a huge INT return to set up Georgia's first scoring drive. Hopefully, Remarcus Brown will be back for UF.

The LBs:
Worst tackling linebackers at Georgia since at least Marion Campbell's early 90s squad. If that group tackled better than this one, then we either have to go back to the 4-7 '90 team or some group coached pre-Dooley in the early 60s. They tackle at a level only Hal Mumme could appreciate.

The good news is that Tony Taylor really stepped his overall game up. He still missed some tackles, but he had a variety of big plays all over the field. He has a case of the want its. And it's obvious.

The DL:
As I said earlier, Moses and Johnson had a huge game. Richt said after the game, "They made a difference in this game and I was thankful for that. I was proud of them for that." I agree 100%. We're going to need a bunch more of that in Jax.

If you're mad at Willie Martinez after this one (other than the tackling with I personally put on the position coach) you're barking up the wrong tree or you didn't watch the game. An opinion that David Ching shares with me. The turnovers put us in the position we were win. The offense must protect the ball better.

As someone else said this weekend, every scheme looks better with great effort, pressure on the QB and great tackling. I think we got 2 out of three. Still room for improvement, but I thought it was progress given the field position.

PWD

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Most retarded fan moment in 7 years

Damn Good Dawg.

I still can't get over the absolute whiny bitch move some of our fans pulled on Saturday when they booed Mohamed Massaquoi and then followed that with a bronx cheer when he was benched.

That's the lowest moment since the 1999 Auburn Implosion. That night in 1999 we lost EVERY SINGLE RECRUIT that visited campus.

Is that the type of program you want to be a part of? The type that has so little tolerance for any failure or bumps in the road whatsoever that you boo? The type that eats its own and runs off quality players and recruits?

Those fans don't deserve to watch success on the field. Mo Mass has been busting his ass for Georgia, and he's in a slump. But he won't be in a slump forever.

You don't boo the kid that works hard, is trying to make plays, never runs his mouth, never gets in trouble off the field, and has made HUGE plays for you in the past. Personally, I don't think you boo any college athlete. But even if you're a horse's ass big enough to boo someone in college...you sure as hell don't boo THAT guy.

If anyone was going to get booed, it should be the pot smoker who constantly commits penalties, doesn't give full effort and has been a loafer for 5 years who's toughest moments seem to come when he injures his own teammates. But even he has a G on his helmet. Even he deserves better than what Massaquoi got on Saturday.

There's a FaceBook group of students putting together an apology to Massaquoi. It's called something like We Love Massaquoi. I lost the email with the exact details. If you have the name, publish it in the comments field.

The students talked about showing "Solidarity" with the team on the Black Out. You want to show that you're really behind the team? Stop BOOING. You're making yourself look like chumps.

PWD

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Photos: MSU vs. UGA (Defense)

All photos by Jim Hipple. Click to enlarge.

Kelin Johnson tackles an MSU wideout.


Johnson after the fumble recovery to end the game.


Johnson goes for the strip


Coach Fabris gets his freak on.


More Photos tomorrow.

PWD

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FINALLY - I was beginning to feel like Preston Burke

Good grief. So I had to perform open heart surgery on the blog today. On Saturday, I blew up the blogger.com template somehow. Definite user error.

To make matters worse, it turns out that I hadn't backed up the template in about a year despite the addition of a store, a stubhub integration and google ads. That makes me a dumbass.

Several hours and a total hack job later, I think I'm back fully functional. No comments or posts made prior to around 10:00 am on Saturday were lost. Anything you thought was a comment after that was never recorded.

If you see something that looks fouled up, shoot me an email. My email addy is in my profile over on the upper right. Sorry about that. Game thoughts later.

PWD

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Making Love with Lee Corso

You have to hear this to believe it. (EDSBS)

Best. Song. Ever.

PWD

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Quick Headlines from Starkville and Gainesville

MSU DB is a scoring threat -- The Advocate
-- PWD: A real player to watch on Saturday.

Dawgs to see a steady dose of Tebow. -- TBO
-- PWD: All Tebow has shown far is that he's the SEC's most hyped freshman fullback in history. He's thrown what 7 passes? The Dawgs should fear him on 3rd an 1 because he's a wrecking ball. But as a QB? The more I see him back there the better.

Gators putting Loss in the Past -- Gainesville Sun
-- PWD: Meyer talks about rebuilding the Gators mindset. Frankly, if we play defense like we have the past few weeks, they could sleep walk to a win.

pwd

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Weather on Saturday

Looks like it should be an amazing day on Saturday. It will be 60-69 degrees throughout the game and sunny. Game starts at 1:00 pm, and remember there's no TV.

Dawg Walk starts at 11:15 am. See you there.

Go Dawgs.

PWD

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Defensive Talent vs. Years Past

Our defense is struggling partly because of coaching. But it is also struggling because of talent. It isn't all "Willie Martinez is teh Suxors." There are other issues at play on defense. Some of it boils down to this is a rebuilding year talent wise. It happens.

(NOTE: I'm not ripping on our players. I'm simply stating an opinion, and I'm comparing them to other Dawgs. I'm not questioning anyone's work ethic or heart. Some of this was taken from a post last week about linebackers I made on the Porch. Sorry if it's rehashed to you.)


We're missing guys like Witherspoon.

Consider the Linebackers:
SAM: B. Miller/Verdun-Wheeler is a talent downgrade from Boss Bailey. But that's not all. You have to go back to '97 or '98 when a Luckie brother was manning this position to find a time when we had lesser talent at such an impact position. The current guys here just don't have the talent, speed, strength and/or violence combo that the position had for several years. Dewberry is fast and does appear to have the elite physical tools. However, for whatever reason, he isn't seeing the field in meaningful snaps. We're willing to throw a FR QB out there with the game on the line to sling it all over the field, but we're not willing to rotate a guy with wheels in on 3rd and 8 to blitz the QB? I don't get that.Look at how Auburn used Tray Blackmon in his first start. They used his athetic ability balls to the wall. If our existing guys aren't going to do much in coverage, then why not pull them out and let the faster, young guy blitz? The Good News: Dewberry will get more chances in the Spring.

MIKE: Jarvis Jackson is a talent downgrade from Odell, Tony Gilbert, Kendrell Bell and Will Witherspoon (who played MLB some in '98). Again, you have to go back to a Luckie brother in '98 to find a guy that has struggled more at MLB. And really, I'd take Greg Bright and Randall Godfrey before Jarvis which takes us back to around '91. (Technically, you have to go back to Taylor playing hurt and out of position last year, but the point is the same). Granted, Jarvis has been hurt all year. Granted, he's a warrior who's fighting through the pain. But he lacks the speed of some of those guys or the violence and strength of Gilbert to enforce the middle. Marcus Washington also lacks speed. The Good News: Speed is being redshirted.

WILL: Tony Taylor isn't having a bad year. He could actually make 3rd Team All-SEC or honorable mention All-SEC. That said, he's not Will Witherspoon or even Orantes Grant. You have to go back to around 1995 to find a guy that you'd take Taylor over. The Good News: Ellerbe and one of the Akeems bring more speed here. If Ellerbe can stay out of trouble, he could be the answer here or elsewhere. Better coaching might help improve all three spots.


He was glorious.

Consider the Safety Combo:
The combo of Tra Battle and Kelin Johnson doesn't really compare to the past combos of Blue/Battle, Blue/Davis, Davis/Jones, Jones/Curry, Curry/Phillips, and Phillips/Bierra. You have to go back to when guys like Kirby Smart (God bless the guy for his INTs vs. UF in '97) and Trey Sipe were playing flag football with Jamal Lewis to find a combo that is weaker than this pair. The Good News: Willie Martinez has a great track record of coaching Safeties. We are putting them into the NFL, and it's not just guys that the previous regime coached. There is also talent in the pipeline in the form of Byrd and R. Jones among others. The Bad News: Byrd continues to not start. A move that baffles me.


Consider the DTs:
Three of our top four defensive tackles are a Soph and two freshmen. Our lone senior defensive tackle, Ray Gant, that can contribute at a high level has been banged up virtually all season. The young guys have big time talent. That said...they simply aren't Sullivan, Stroud and Seymour....YET. The Good News: We have the bodies to make this work out HUGE in the near future. The Bad News: We don't have a time machine in Butts-Mehre.


Who has two thumbs and doesn't blitz?

The CBs:
I look at the CBs and I see a comparable product to what we've had the past several years. They aren't Jennings and Minter of 2005 or Bryant and Thorton of 2002, but they are comparable to the Jennings and Minter of 2004 and most CB tandems that we've had over the past 10 years. They would look a helluva a lot better if the QB didn't have all day. The Good News: All our CBs will be back next year. Also, Martinez has done an excellent job with our CBs over the past few years. The Bad News: We have a some young guys out there learning on the fly. Sometimes bad things happen. It's football.


We need more of this. Image: Jim Hipple

The DEs:
Moses simply isn't making plays. That's not earth shattering news. Johnson is making plays, but not as frequently as he was earlier in the year. We need more out of these guys. The Bad News: If Johnson bolts for the league, we're downgrading here next year in a catastrophic fashion. The Good News: we have a talent / speed upgrade next year at every position on defense except DE. So we can weather it if CJ did leave.


Overall
If you look at the talent situation this year, and all you come back with is..."Richt won with Donnan's players." Then you missed the point. Donnan would've loved to have players like Owens, Weston, Atkins, Johnson, Moses, Dewberry, Oliver, Allen, Remarcus, Byrd and R. Jones. Donnan recruited only 1 player from last year's SEC title team, and I'm not sure that Will Thompson was the reason we won the title. We've won these past 5 years because of more reasons than "JD gave Richt players."

If you look at the overall situation this year, and all you come back with is..."Richt only won because of Van Gorder." Then I'd argue that you're missing some bigger picture issues. As many others have said, Richt has an overall infrastructure in place that WILL continue to be successful. That doesn't mean it doesn't need tweaking.

Frankly, we just picked a lousy year to have a defensive talent rebuilding year, a razor thin OL that is very banged up, WRs with the yips, and a FR QB. If any one of those four things doesn't happen this year, we're a 6-1 team with a tough close loss to UT. We're not 5-2 team wondering which end is up.

The team does need to overall haul a variety of things, but let's not put this all on the coaches. And frankly, it's not fair to put it all on the players. Some of it is just the fact that we haven't caught the breaks we needed to catch.

Before the season, I said:"If we stay healthy along the OL, get smart play from the QB and avoid the dropped passes of the past, we could win the East or better."

Well...none of those things have happened. We are what we are. But we can get better. I still think we upset AU, UF or GT. (and yes, right now GT would be an upset)

PWD


(note: yeah, I recycled the two thumbs line. So what.)

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Georgia Blog Debuts with Controversial SEC article

The Wishbone Blog recently debuted, and it's first post is a strong article on the toughness of the SEC. It's the type of article that every SEC hater blogger will link to and say "SEE. I TOLD YOU SO." He points out the SEC's problems vs. other BCS teams this year.

Personally, I think the SEC is the toughest conference in football THIS year. Last year, it was the ACC, and the Big 12 had a few good years. The strength of the SEC lies in the relative dominance of it's top four teams. Auburn, Florida, LSU and Tennessee can compete with any team in the country. Well, realistically LSU couldn't roll with Ohio State, but otherwise I stand by that comment.

The SEC's problem the past 5 years has been the wild inconsistency of Bama, and the return to the crapper of Ole Miss and MSU (two teams that looked to have finally made it to respectability). The SEC's other problem this year is Georgia.

Check out The Wishbone. Even if I don't agree with them as it relates to Arkansas vs. USC proving anything. The ARK team of today would still lose to USC, but they are nothing like the Week 1 team with a healthy McFadden and a more experienced Mustain.


Baddest healthy RB in college now that Peterson is down. Image: SECSports.com
PWD

Note to Other UGA bloggers: If I promised to link to your site, but haven't done so yet email me. I'll get back on it. My email can be found on my profile link in the upper right.

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Scouting MSU

From around the Blogosphere. Hail Dear 'Ole State has found Sly Croom's schedule for turning around the Bizarro Dogs. The AJC also talks about Croom's rebuilding schedule.


Source: Hail Dear 'Ole State. Click to enlarge.

Hail State also has some thoughts on their defense, or more who's fault their problems are. Note: I feel your pain. The Clarion Ledger also talks MSU defense.

MSDawg.com provides this interesting quote from Croom on the UGA match-up:

Croom: “I wish we could’ve caught them when Vanderbilt did. Now they’re going to be all upset and circling the wagons and getting ready to fight themselves out of a tough situation. We’ve got our hands full, there’s no question about that. We had our hands full under normal circumstances. This isn’t going to make it any easier.”

And the mother of all show stoppers...the MSU band has started playing Don't Fear the Reaper complete with Will Ferrell moves. Hat Tip - MSU Sports Blog.


So...there's that. -- PWD

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Great Article on the Dawgs Coping with Losses

Paul Oliver:

"We use that pain to drive us even harder," he said. "We just want to right our wrongs and figure out what we're not doing right, then move on from there. Really, the only thing that helps you forget about a loss is a win."

The entire article from the Albany Herald is here. Hat tip to JL for the email.

PWD

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Felton Lands Hoops Prospect

Felton got a commitment for the 2008 signing class from Chris Barnes, a 6'8" forward out of Riverdale.

More later.

PWD

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Stafford to start and more practice reports

Image: Jim Hipple

Stafford finally gets the nod. Everyone has this story and more from practice reports.

Tuesday Stuff - David Ching
Practice Quotes - David Ching
The Velocity Issue - Josh Kendall
Throw it to Mikey - Josh Kendall
Chandler to start with Martrez out - Ugasports.com
I would post links to the ABH, but their site won't accept my cookies or username. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

And non-football, but this will give you insight into how only 1 of 11 hoop dawgs graduated that enrolled from '96-99. Rob Dryden talks about Jirsa's stupidity. Note: Don't miss the sentence of the article where Jirsa made the decision to remove Rob from the team b/c of his refusal to change his major THE WEEK AFTER HE SCORED 22 AGAINST TEXAS. Jirsa. What a dumbass.

PWD

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Mississippi State Song: Cowbells Ain't Ringing Anymore

From Chris Vernon and the guys that wrote the Coach O Song, "Cowbells Ain't Ringing Anymore"


PWD

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JeromeFromDecatur's Thoughts on Georgia

Preface - Jerome originally posted this Sunday on DawgPost.com's message board. It does such a great job of articulating thoughts that I agree with, that I asked him to let me share it with you guys.--PWD


The Law of the SEC
I was thinking tonight during the final seconds of the UF-Auburn game about our team and SEC Football. What happened to Chris Leak tonight was an example of The Law of SEC football:

The law is simple and no matter the decade, it doesn't change:

"You hesitate, you die."

Chris Leak hesitated in crucial moments and he got blown up and it cost his team the game. Unfortunately, we as a team, as a coaching staff have hesitated in determine who we are. We've waited. And it's caught up with us.

The Plan
Name Matthew Stafford the starting quarterback. Get him the reps he needs in practice. Limit the playbook. Simplify. Whatever. Let's just get a direction and go with it on offense.

No, naming Stafford starting quarterback will not stop Jarvis Jackson from peeling away from a tackle to get a "better" angle on a qb scrambling 17 yards downfield. No, naming Stafford starting quarterback won't solidify our shaky safety play.

But it might begin to fill in some of these gaps.

I imagine this decision now is probably a foregone conclusion. Our hand has been forced and there will be a necessary change. Look, I love the passion and intelligence Joe T brings. I love his work ethic, his toughness, and what he and his family have given this program.

But the psychology experiment is over.

No more church league or T-ball substitution patterns. No more worrying over hurt feelings. Now, everyone's feelings are hurt. Losing to Vandy will do that.

In the handling of Greene and Shockley, CMR had the midas touch. But this situation and this year is hard to figure out. There was a report I remember reading before the season began CMR asked CVH who he thought he should start at QB.

I remember worrying then, "Why is CMR asking CVH?" "Are we that unclear at the position?" The fear then is the reality now; the question of who we are on offense as yet to be answered. Or worse, it has.


And Little Things Become Big Things
We do not have an identity on offense. And it shows up in ways big and small. The last offensive series was a case in point. So was the one before it.

The Milner drop in the endzone.

The Bryant drop on the post.

Would they have happened if #7 was getting more than 10-15% of the snaps in practice? If #7 had worked with the first team more and they had worked with him, would that connection that only comes through meaningful repetitions in game or game-like conditions have resulted in a catch?

Who knows?

You have to speculate and wonder. And unfortunately, that's what a loss to Vandy leaves you with--time to speculate and wonder.


A Mystery

But going back to after the South Carolina game, there seemed to be a very clear answer to the question of who was our quarterback.

And its hard to understand why #7 was given the chance to make plays downfield in that game, was protected with a strong running attack in that game, but since then we've wavered thinking that Joe T.'s ankle injury and extra time watching film would somehow make him physically more capable of throwing a deep out.

And this is the mystery I keep coming back to. Both in looking at our play calling against Colorado and in Stafford's first series today--

If Stafford is so fragile as a freshman than why do we come out in the gun and have #7 slinging the ball around?

And if Joe T. knows our 18 volume play-book by rote memory, then why do we go uber-conservative, and run the Screen Offense?

Unless, the answer is--there are throws that Joe T. cannot PHYSICALLY make.

A conclusion that may sound familiar. A conclusion that takes us all the way back to G-Day and the Florida game 05.


So Let's Go With What We Got and Become Who We Are
At some point, the only way a quarterback is ever going to learn is by doing. And at some point CMR staff have to let go and let #7 make plays or not make plays. But the experience is the thing. The more Stafford plays, the more he will be able to LEARN, GROW, and MATURE. And the more we’ll actually have a shot to make some plays downfield.

There was a small but telling moment in this game and it brings me back to the original point of this rambling post.

It was on a on a completion in the second half. Stafford threw a ball that was tipped by a defender but still had enough ZIP to get to the WR for a completion. You get the ball tipped without that ZIP against the Floridas and Auburns and its going to be six the other way.

There was no HESITATION on that ball. It hummed. No rainbow. No out route that hung in the air for hours. It was delivered with speed and purpose. Two things we desperately need now. In every area of the game. Every facet. Speed and purpose. And the quarterback, that most unique of all positions in sport, sets that tone.


Common Sense and a Middle Ground
One more thing. The next few days I am sure will be ugly. Hell, the next two weeks should. This is definitely the most adversity CMR and staff have seen yet. But there's no reason the conversation cannot be constructive, critical, and supportive at the same time. The thread started by yogi earlier should be a model for how to do this correctly.

It's often said there are only two or three types of Georgia Fans:

1.) The Eternal Optimists
2.) The Realists
3.) The World is Falling

These categories are fluid. It's amazing how the most vocal of group 1 can become the most vocal of group 3 so quickly. But I digress.

There's a middle ground between the extremes. There's a balance between Pumping Sunshine (losing to Vandy will help us develop fortitude) and Scorched Earthers (fire Martinez, fire Eason, fire Janeck, fire, fire, fire).

My dad used to say there are really only two types of people in this world: those who do make silly generalizations and those who don't.


We can find a middle ground

We can support our team and still voice concerns about the play of the team. We can also complain about the play without calling for Coach X or Y to be fired. There's a world of space for improvement between being a top-rated defense before UT and suddenly firing Willie Martinez.

We, as fans, have a responsibility to get through this first significant bump in the road with the class and toughness exhibited by our head coach.

JeromeFromDecatur
Guest Columnist

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Like a Fart in Church

It was bad enough sitting through Saturday's game. But, Lincoln Financial allowed this gutterball to wear a Florida tshirt on Georgia's sideline during the game. But I don't blame him for being the turd in the punch bowl. Clearly this person received no hometraining.

I blame Lincoln Financial Sports for letting this little slap in the face happen. It's bad enough Lincoln Financial Sports is a third-rate, bush league, junior varsity operation with the production values of public access television, but allowing an employee to show up for work broadcasting a SEC football game in a bitter SEC rival's shirt and hat is just tacky tacky tacky. It is expecting too much professionalism from his supervisor to ask this turd to put on a jacket? If you want to wear a blue shirt, fine. But it doesn't have to be officially licensed NCAA Gator apparel.

The Blackberry Bandit of Tift County said it best: "What, they couldn't find any escaped mental hospital patients to hold the cable?"

[Photo courtesy of the Blackberry Bandit of Tift County] This is the kind of person who would wear a "WWJD" tshirt to a bar mitzvah.


[Photo courtesy of the Blackberry Bandit of Tift County] This the job you get when you fail out of Parabolic Microphone Holding School


Dawgnoxious
Arbiter of Good Taste
Georgia Sports Blog

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Random Thoughts from the Weekend

I already laid down some thoughts on Georgia. As for the rest of college ball....

-- UF and AU:- The blue print for beating both teams is there. You pressure the hell out of their quarterbacks and tackle well. UGA isn't in a position to take advantage of either blueprint right now. Right now, both would take us to the woodshed in a big way. Interestingly, I think both would lose vs. Michigan's sack happy defense.

-- Chris Leak: He isn't tough. He hasn't ever been tough, and he will never win a title of any type because he isn't tough. Pat Forde said it best:

Leak was supposed to be the player who sustained Florida's program in the uncertainty of the post-Spurrier world. He'll leave Gainesville with a bag full of records and fancy stats, but he's never won a championship of any kind and he's rarely played like a hero in big moments.

None bigger than this one.

Armed with a lead on the road, Florida was shut out in the second half Saturday night. And by the fourth quarter, Leak was coming unglued. His final six plays of this game were as follows: Fumble, interception, pass batted down, pass overthrown, pass dropped, and -- the coup de (dis)grace, a completed pass that was lateraled back to Leak as he fell down. It bounced off his chest, was scooped up and run in for the final touchdown at the final gun.

Orson Swindle is pretty much over him too. Stewart Mandel also weighs in.

-- Tray Blackmon: Damn. Second biggest UGA recruiting miss of the Mark Richt era behind Calvin Johnson. A human seeking missle that explodes to the ball carrier. Sure, he missed the tackle on Percy Harvin, but that happens sometimes. It's interesting to see how AU use him despite his full knowledge of the playbook. Why? Because he can make plays. I'd love to see us use Ellerbe and Dewberry in the same manner. Why? Our starting LBs aren't covering well in zone, and they aren't fast enough to get to the QB on a blitz. So why not put the fastest LBs on the field to blitz and distrupt? It worked for AU.

-- Miami's Meltdown: If you want to see why Richt is a bad fit for Da U, check out the color guy's commentary for CSS during their broadcast of the FIU game. The color man is former Cane player Lamar Thomas (the one that was stripped by the Bama player in the '92 title game). As the fight breaks out, he describes what a good thing it is. Under pressure from the ACC, NCAA and the Miami president, Coker will likely suspend players through the GT game in two weeks. Right now, the 8 suspensions are just listed as "indefinite." Expect more before Tuesday. Chan Gailey just caught the biggest break of his career. Also expect Lamar Thomas to be unemployed by Tuesday.

-- Next Week ESPN Gameday: The Gameday crew will most likely be at Clemson next week for the ACC showdown of Georgia Tech and Clemson. If I were betting, I'd go with the home team. Sheridan agrees as he has the Tigers a 7 point favorite. That seems a bit much to me, but I do see the Tigers winning this one at home. As someone else said (no idea who), the ACC title game was intended to put high profile programs like Miami and FSU against each other. The idea of Boston College vs. Georgia Tech or Wake Forest in the ACC title game is the worst nightmare of John Swofford, ABC and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.


Looking like the best case scenario right now.

-- Georgia's Bowl Chances: The Dawgs are playing their way to Shreveport or Nashville right now. However, we have two aces in the hole. It still looks very possible that the SEC will put two teams into the BCS. Right now, I like Auburn and UT in those two slots because I think UF loses the SEC title game which pushes them out of the BCS picture. Also in our favor...the Peach Bowl now gets the ACC Championship Game loser. If Clemson loses the ACC title game, a match-up with UGA would be very appealing. It would also keep South Carolina out of the Peach. FWIW -- Sportsline has us in the Peach. Bottomline: If UGA wants a decent bowl, it better get it's collective act together.

-- Wake Friggin Forest: The Deacons are 6-1 with a legit shot at 8-4. Who woulda thunk it. Rutgers is 6-0 with a legit shot at 8-4 or 9-3. The Tire Bowl's worst nightmare is Wake Forest vs. Rutgers in the Who Gives a Damn Bowl in front of 25,000 people. That said, it's a travshamockery that Wake isn't ranked in the Harris or Coach's poll.

That's all for now.

PWD

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Dawgs still need 2007 opening opponent

Dawgpost.com has the story. Apparently, Oregon State backed out on us and the deal fell apart. Damon says we'll consider anything including playing a BCS school on the road to open the season or a second Div I-AA team at home. We're just totally desperate.

Although luckily Auburn is in the same boat.

pwd

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we just don't have an identity

We're not a physical team this year.
We don't play with a high level of violence this year.
We don't play smart field position football this year.
We don't finish games strong this year.
We don't have solid special teams this year.
We don't have any visible leaders that halt our slides.
We don't have smart QB play.

And these problems didn't start with Vandy. They were issues all year. They were the issues that almost cost us a game vs. 0-6 Colorado, and they almost cost us a game against a lousy Ole Miss Team.

More importantly, those problems are on top of the same issues we've had for 5 years related to offensive line inconsistent play, play calling, WR drops and the disappearing running game.

Frankly, the 2006 team simply doesn't do much of anything well enough to build an identity. We don't have a base from which to build upon. At least not currently.

It's not about "firing this coach" or "firing that coach." It's about playing the type of UGA football that we played for the past 4.5 years. The type of ball that got us to the SEC title game 3 times. The team that we're seeing right now isn't playing that type of ball.

Not even remotely close.

And it doesn't look to get any better any time soon. Not with Nick Jones and Chester Adams both banged up. Not with this group of linebackers who simply aren't talented enough, physical enough or fast enough to play the type of ball we want. And, for some unknown and inexplicable reason, we're still giving Joe T snaps out the wazoo.

Georgia has 1 week to regroup. Otherwise, the Gators are going to beat the ever living crap out of us. An optimist says, "Yeah, but Leak looked like crap vs. Auburn."

Yeah, well....Leak ALWAYS looks like crap when you blitz like hell and beat him up. But that's not something we've done successfully under Martinez. So, my optimism is pretty limited in that area. Especially given that they have 2 weeks to get better.

Go Dawgs. More later.

PWD

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Apparently, my mom has a daughter

I don't know what's more shocking. That my mom has a daughter, and I didn't know this for my entire 30+ years. Or the fact that she's a UT fan.

Check the visual evidence.

PWD

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The Intern Search Continues

We've gotten some interesting overtures, but the search is still on.

If you've got a great imagination, a passion for the Georgia Bulldogs, and you're a great writer, the Georgia Sports Blog's (http://georgiasports.blogspot.com) team wants to speak with you. We're looking for an intern to drive content, research stories and participate on the site during the day.

I posted the listing on CraigsList. Check it out and let us know if you're interested.

It's fun. Plus, if affirmation is your drug of choice, blogging for a site our size will sooth your addiction.

Paul Westerdawg
Georgia Sports Blog

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Agreed: Michael Adams is a Big Fat Liar

Finally, Vince Dooley and Michael Adams agree on something: Michael Adams is a big fat liar. Embattled UGA Dictator President apologized to Coach Dooley for lying in the editorial Adams wrote in Thursday's AJC.

Predictably, Adams is trying to deflect any blame for the pitifully low graduation rates of UGA athletes during Adams' tenure as President while trying to throw Dooley under the bus.

How do you know Michael Adams cannot be trusted? Check his neck. How do you know he is lying? His lips are moving.

The low graduation rates for the 1996-2000 athletes recently reported are largely coterminous with the coaching tenures of Jim Donnan, Ron Jirsa, and Jim Harrick. Michael Adams is responsible for the hiring of Jim Harrick over Dooley's objections, and Harrick's tenure put basketball graduation rates in the toilet for the foreseeable future. Michael Adams made under-the-table retention payments to Jim Donnan unbeknownst to Coach Dooley and the Athletic Board. But he doesn't want you to remember that.

It is simply laughable that Adams expects to be absolved of blame for the low graduation rates. Then he takes the petty, ankle-biting low road by publicly blaming Dooley in his op-ed piece--and tells lies to do it. You can lay the blame directly at the feet of Michael Adams.

Dooley writes a rebuttal in today's AJC exposing Adams' lies and setting the record straight. The highlights:

Drawing on the training acquired in pursuit of his doctorate in political communications, Adams put an excellent spin in response to the AJCs' editorial that placed the overall responsibility of the poor graduation rates squarely on his shoulders as the president of UGA.

Using his skills as a spin doctor is commendable. But Adams crossed the line when he said, "For some time, the philosophy at UGA was academic eligibility, not graduation." I, along with many academic counselors, administrators and coaches who have diligently worked for decades with student-athletes in the pursuit of a degree, resent the finger-pointing in this crisis. [snip]

Adams' guest column also stated that "the academic counseling function was moved from the athletic department and placed under the university's chief academic officer." That never was the case, nor is it the case today.

Adams admits he is a big fat liar in a follow up article in today's AJC. Adams apologized to Dooley in the article and promises he meant no offense and is sorry "any offense was taken". Adams admitted that his statement about moving the academic counseling functions under the provost was a lie. "I don't know why Dr. Adams would say that," said Dooley. "Perhaps he was misinformed." Yeah. Perhaps. Or perhaps he was twisting the facts to fit his tortured characterizations in order to paint himself in a more favorable light. Either way he lied and got caught.

"I am not a crook." Deloitte & Touche disagree.

Terence Moore even calls Adams on the carpet for his hypocrisy. Admittedly, I'm a day late on this, but I never read Terence Moore because...well...no one does. Moore basically accuses Adams of talking out of both sides of his mouth for saying he'd still accept marginally qualified athletes because "we still have to compete in the [SEC]", while sidestepping the blame for low graduation rates. Moore thinks Adams is saying he won't let academics get in the way of winning championships. Why? "Adams said so twice. In different ways. Within three days, and to the same newspaper."

Not all criticisms of Adams are on target. Grumpy old man Bill Shipp blames Adams for Saturday's loss to Tennessee. Shipp writes, "Mike Adams admits, in effect, that the University of Georgia has enrolled some of the stupidest jocks in the nation so Georgia can compete in the SEC." Fair enough [see above]. But the scholar athletes represented in the reporting period were not on the on the field Saturday. I am confident Coach Richt and Coach Felton will affirmatively work to see that our current athletes raise our graduation rates to respectable levels. At any rate, the intelligence of our athletes is not why we lost to Tennessee. This guy is.

So let's get this straight: graduation rates are lower than whale turds, tailgating is on the verge of extinction, family friendly zones are an utter failure, and our endowment continues to be source of embarrassment. Michael Adams is a President even Jimmy Carter can observe with indulgence. Sonny Perdue can blame the AJC all he wants for kicking UGA, but if he really wanted to do something for the state's flagship institution, he could put getting rid of Michael Adams on his Sonny Do List.


Dawgnoxious
Chairman,
Coalition to Impeach President Adams

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To be the man you gotta beat the man

Steve Spurrier got back to Nature Monday night. Spurrier attended WWE RAW is WAR as the guest of bleached-blond, mulletted, and--no surprise--Gator fan Ric "Nature Boy" Flair. Like many of the most rabid Gator fans, he didn't actually attend the University of Florida. Said Spurrier, "He used to married to a girl who was a big Gator fan."

[Full disclosure: Flair is my all-time favorite wrestler, even if he stands on the wrong side of the field in Jacksonville. When we hold up four fingers at the start of the fourth quarter, sometimes I look around for Arn, Ole & Tully.]

The Nature Boy is going back to the heart of Four Horsemen country to attend the October 28 South Carolina game in Columbia against Tennessee. Clearly, the Nature Boy has not held a grudge against Spurrier for coaching at the school that ripped off his entrance music.

I want my entrance music back! That music is for winners! Woooo!

Spurrier has never been one to pass up an opportunity to get his digs in--especially against Georgia. Flair regularly attended the Georgia-Florida game while Spurrier was coach, along with Bill Goldberg. "So they would come the the Georgia-Florida game every year. Bill Goldberg was the Georgia Bulldog, so whoever won got the bragging rights. Obviously, Flair got most of the bragging rights in that series." Ouch. Fair enough, bitch.

You beat him 18-0? Sounds like you ARE the man! Woooo!


Dawgnoxious
Senior Correspondent
Pro Wrestling Affairs

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