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November 17, 2008

The Expectations Disconnect

My first Georgia game was in 1989 as a high school kid. I was a student at UGA through arguably the second darkest extended period in modern Georgia history -- only the 1950s were worse than the '90s. I appreciate how far we've come under Richt. In fact, I think that hiring Mark Richt is the second best thing to happen to Georgia since Easter Sunday 1980 when "that kid out of Johnson County" finally signed his letter of intent.

It's extremely hard for me to call a season that could very well end at 11-2 a disappointment. But anyone -- including Richt -- would admit that it's been frustrating to have such high hopes dissolve into a season that lacks a win over a Top 15 team.

The downside of being ranked Preseason #1
There's almost nowhere to go but down. Even though I repeatedly said that I didn't think this team had the schedule or offensive line to pull off a #1 ranking, I still expected a less convoluted and more inspired product from Bulldogs.

Coach Richt is probably annoyed that Georgia fans seem so disgruntled in the face of such a high ranking and strong record. We certainly come off as spoiled and ungrateful, but I look at that as a credit to the job he's done over the past 8 years in raising expectations.

Mark Richt created a new definition of success in Athens. As a result, fans raised their expectations for the program.

The Expectations Dilemma
My only question...has Mark Richt continued to raise the expectations for his team, his coaches and himself?

In my own career, I have a specific exceptional skill. However, (a while back) due to a series of events that started off as beyond my control, I slowly lowered my expectations for myself and those around me as it relates to that skill. The result was an erosion of excellence in that one area. That slippage came back and bit me. To "fix" the situation, I had to go back and elevate my expectations for everyone involved...including myself.

I wonder if something similar hasn't happened in Athens. Does Mark Richt expect and demand the sort of excellence from this team that produced the 2002, 2005 SEC Championships and 2007 second half of the season turnaround? Has he raised his expectations for the team?

These things don't suggest high expectations:
  • Special Teams -- There is nothing "special" about this group unless you're referring to that short bus kind of special. We aren't playing enough exceptional athletes on kick coverage. We are kicking the ball out of bounds with regularity. We're fumbling punts. We've got a third team QB that's going to strain his throwing shoulder frantically calling fair catch on punt returns. This is fixable by simply putting more high quality athletes on special teams. This is an old personnel problem that has gone from nuisance to game changing source of pain.

  • Tackling -- People who are still bitching about Willie Martinez's play calling and scheme need to go back and watch this game again. Willie was reading their mail through long stretches. Even the second Auburn TD included a beautiful play call where two guys blitzed into the gaps where the play was run. Unfortunately, neither dude tackled the runner. The worst example of tentative tackling came when Reshad Jones pulled up and refused to pummel Tim Hawthrone early in the second quarter. Jones has devolved his tackling into a guy playing bummer cars instead of wrapping up or clobbering people. Additionally, both safeties are making our CBs look worse with their help in coverage. Particularly on corner blitzes. Regardless, if the players would wrap up at contact, the other team's stats would look much more favorable to us.

  • Penalties -- As Quinton said to me yesterday, "I don't know how to fix this, but I don't make $2.8 million a year either." Six personal fouls in one game has to be an Olympic Record. That has nothing to do with injuries given who was committing the fouls. Other coaching staffs do not have the personal foul epidemic that UGA does. This is fixable.
The Red Zone situation is also still a problem, but I'm not sure that it's a question of expectations as much as play calling and confidence in the offensive line.

All of this is a long drawn out way of saying...I am not "disappointed" in this season. I'm frustrated by it, and I'm mostly frustrated that if the Coaches don't raise their expectations for special teams, tackling, penalties and red zone play that we will most certainly be disappointed next year.

Please fix the fixable stuff.

PWD

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

In the words of Lewis Grizzard, a great American, "Tell it all, brother". It is very frustrating to see our defense pull up from the big hits, and big plays being negated because of personal fouls.

Coach Richt, you have raised our expectations for the team, it's time to raise theirs now.

Anonymous said...

I learned this season that Dick Satan and Urban Liar are BETTER game coaches than Richt. Both 100% punked Richt in the media during game week.

Richt played "games" with Alabama in the media while Saban remained focused and downplayed everything.

Urban took the celebration and worked it to his advantage, while Richt tried to act politically correct all week and the team came out soft.

Mark Richt is a class act and GREAT man, but he clearly has the Bowden Oh' shucks attitude towards disipline and winning. I sometimes feel like I'm hurting worse than he after a loss?

Great man, excellent recruiter, poor game coach with HORRIBLE staff around him (minus Bobo).

Anonymous said...

I feel you..but I wouldn't lump Searles in with HORRIBLE. While Bobo shows promise at times, he panics if something happens in the red zone. We get a penalty, he can't adjust and runs the same play.

Smitty said...

I think everyone in the stadium knew that fade in the endzone was coming on the opening drive. PWD you are dead on about Rashad Jones. He definitely is NOT the player we all thought he would be. Special teams are an absolute joke. I mean to rough the punter in the endzone and fumble the punt on the same play! Amazing. Prince Miller should be ashamed of himself for fumbling a punt and commmitting a personal foul on another kick later in the game. All these personal fouls tell me that we lack composure, discipline and maybe even character. Stupid selfish acts that make a bad team (Auburn) look somewhat decent.

Mike said...

Saban played games all week in the media as well (wearing black to the press conference, etc.).

Saban/Meyer just had better teams this year. Score one for them. As Richt had a better team and beat them both last year.

All 3 are great coaches.

Like PWD says, fix the fixable stuff and try to get them back next year.

Anonymous said...

RE: Red-zone play calling -

Will Southerland get another touch this season?

the tri guy said...

I don't know that I'd classify the coaching staff as horrible, but I do think that the staff as a whole, and Richt in particular, are getting outworked by Saban and Meyer.

My biggest criticism of Richt has always been that his game management is TERRIBLE. There has been no improvement in this area the entire time he's been here. He doesn't seem to understand momentum or how to keep a game from getting away from his team.

I wrote on my site yesterday that this team doesn't have an identity that it's going to use to win football games. To me, that's the biggest difference right now between us and Florida and Alabama. Those teams know the formula they are going to use to win, and we seem just have no clue.

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe we lost to Auburn. I haven't seen the score, but from reading here, we must really stink.

Oh well, I've been watching UGA football since the late 60's, and yes, we've stunk before.

Anonymous said...

What gets me is the fact that during the Donnan years we often looked unprepared for whatever the other team was doing on both Offense and Defense.

In contrast (at least in the early years) during the Richt era our teams ALWAYS looked prepared. If you beat us you were going to get our best shot and you were going to earn it. Beginning with the WVU debacle in the '05 Sugar Bowl, there have been entire games (see UT '06,'07, Bama '08, Fla '08) where our guys just flat don't show up. What happened? Where has the preparation gone? Is it poor coaching? Lack of leadership?

I don't mind losing when you are prepared and the other team is just better. What I have a problem with is getting embarassed by teams that have either an equal or maybe slightly better team.

Fix the fixable!!

Anonymous said...

If we arnt going to play caleb then i dont see why we dont make him our KR or PR. Hes too good of an athelete to not play. Also, if we want to get logan on the field so bad why not have a package for him every game like everyone else does with a running QB. Let him run that read play out of shotgun a couple times a game where he can keep it or hand it off to knowshon.

C. Paul said...

+1 Anon 10:08AM

"If you beat us you were going to get our best shot and you were going to earn it. Beginning with the WVU debacle in the '05 Sugar Bowl, there have been entire games (see UT '06,'07, Bama '08, Fla '08) where our guys just flat don't show up."

That is it in a nutshell.

This season has been one of the hardest to watch as a alumni/fan of the team. They are mind-numbing at times and off the chart brilliant at others.

I think that the game with this year with GT is a perfect ending to this season. Beat GT - go 10-2 and while there will be grumbling (there always is) it will be muted.

LOSE to them, at home and then everything will get magnified. And really, they are the ultimate test for this team - if you can match their talent, stay disciplined on defense and make some throws down field - you can win handily (see UNC with an extra week to prepare). If you don't.....

Here's to the boys getting some deserved rest and GATA in two weeks.

Go Dawgs!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I hate to pick on one guy (because, really, it's the whole unit that needs some work), but Reshad Jones has really disappointed me this season. I read a handful of articles and interviews in the preseason that made me think that he was ready to step up and be Georgia's big-hitter this year. And in the first 2 or 3 games of the season, he had some great tackles. But ever since then, his technique has basically just become a gentle shoulder-bump ... and when he does get a decent hit, he either hits the guy out-of-bounds or grabs his facemask. After all the recruiting hype, all the preseason hype, and even some of his very own words in interviews and such, ... he's come up WAY short of what was expected from him.

And I'm not saying that Richt should fire Martinez ... I just want to know that he's got the cajones to do it if that day ever does arrive. I've always been afraid that Richt may be too much of a softy to give a friend the axe for the good of the program.

And finally, Stacey Searels is a genius. Anyone who wants to say anything about Georgia's coaching staff needs to pause and acknowledge how great he's been this year. Just sayin'.

Anonymous said...

First drive of the Auburn game. We are gashing the Auburn defense running the ball. We get to the 3 yard line and it's 3rd down and 2 yards for a first down. We throw a fade which we have completed once this year out of 150 attempts.
Then we miss a field goal that my sister could have made.

Hard to watch!

Anonymous said...

You all are making good points about this. For the record, I would add the Tennessee game in 2006 to the "don't show up" list--we didn't show up for the second half.

My opinion about this penchant since WVU is this: After that game and before Hawaii this year the players and coaches noted that they relaxed too much and were not ready to play. I don't think that's the case every time...there's a bigger thing here, and it's that the team PANICS and goes into a mental rabbit hole when the opponent puts up two quick scores against them: defenders overplay and get out of position; the OL can't run block, the one thing needed to take steam out of another team's momentum.

The tackling, personal fouls, poor special teams play (the blocked FG was Walsh's fault, a RIDICULOUS mistake), the menatl collapse when momentum goes awry...Mentally soft. Since DJ Shockley left we have been mentally soft.

Anonymous said...

PWD, you said it-frustration. I came to campus in 94 so I remember what its like to get whipped consistently and have nothing to look forward to. But I saw that as an aberration. A setback in a long and proud epic.
If this was the '06 team with close wins, I'd be ecstatic. But this is the '08 team and we are a better team in so many facets of the game. However, we are severely lacking in mental toughness/preparedness and special teams.
Why can't we hire a special teams coach? we have the money. After UF, we're the most profitable athletic dept. in the SEC.
Our talent is off: both our safeties are a drop-off from prior years. And Keilan and Tra were a drop-off from the guys before them. Our DE's stink. Watch a replay of UK's score after the blocked punt and you see Houston loafing instead of forcing Cobb further outside. Wacth the first Auburn score and you see Reshad square with Fannin and he doesn't come forward. WTF? And in terms of personal fouls, Reshad has turned into '01 Arnold Harrison. Do we need this kid in our program? A poor tackler with a tendency towards late hits?
When I was a kid, my dad used to point out that Georgia's goal was to win the SEC while Bama's goal was to win the NC (and that was a problem). As an adult, I get it. Just like all of us selling widgets, in order to achieve your goal, you have to state it and write it down. Richt always talks about IF we win the SEC then everything else will "fall into place".
How bout "our goal is to win everygame we ever play"

Anonymous said...

Great post, esp. about the defense. It was not a scheme problem on Sat. There is just something missing right now, the team is not clicking for some reason, or is only clicking inconsistently. The attempt to draw AU offsides on the punt late in the 4th is a great example. I liked the call and the look. It almost worked, but we found a way to mess it up.

We've also had our share of luck to get to 9-2. This is the third game this season where our opponent has been driving for the win or the tie with very little time left in the 4th and we've come up with 2 picks and and an incomplete pass with one second left on the clock. We probably deserved to lose at least one of those games.

I do believe that Richt will right the ship, and I like our staff, even WM. Bobo is getting better at play calling Searels is just the man. Fabris is a great DE ends coach, and Garner is a great recruiter and a very good DL coach. But, we have a problem with kicking right now. Why is Walsh almost falling down on KO's? Like a golfer with a hitch in his swing, something just looks wrong with Walsh's technique, and there's no Coach Hartman to fix it anymore. This will cost us more than one game over the next few years if we don't get it fixed.

Anonymous said...

I think that Logan Gray could make the transition to Safety and make an immediate positive impact. We need someone to give direction and we need a vocal leader ON the field. He may not turn out to be the best tackler, but let's face it, who in the secondary is?

Lay off the coaches for a while. Richt is still top 3 in the SEC and Searles may get a medal for his efforts this season. WM appears to be regressing, but that could be a talent issue. Besides, who do we replace him with?

Defensive End is a staggering position of need. We MUST look to JUCO this recruiting season as the Hargrave guy may not make it in (Toby?). Either way, we need a proven guy off the edge right away.

Other than that, I can only agree with the rest of you that the special teams may have to become a unit of starters. We need speed, we need abiltiy and we need it within two weeks. The TECH game doesn't exactly strike fear in my heart, but we don't need to give them a short field on every possession.

We have some very simple (fundamental) issues that I think can be fixed in the offseason WITHOUT wholesale staff changes. However, if the penalties, special team wiffs and secondary challenges continue next season, then Richt will start catching some language and attitude from the fans that will NOT sit well. Then, he will need to change, but not this off-season.

Anonymous said...

The team takes the attitude of the quarterback. Bitter determination under Greene & Shockley.

"whatever" attitude under Stafford.

We need leaders on this team, and right now, there are none to be found.

Anonymous said...

Florida makes special teams a priority -- Harvin and Demps are All-Stars on that unit, and Meyer has the whole "Steak and lobster vs. beans and franks" approach to the guys on special teams to where everyone WANTS to play special teams. I'd like to see some of that. And yea, having watched some Georgia practices in previous Richt years -- the kickers get no instruction, left to their own devices. We need to bring in somebody to help Walsh along. He's got the skills but everyone needs coaching up.

Sports Dawg said...

We're not agressive. We're not agressive. We're not agressive. We are a team that has not only failed to improve throughout the season, we have actually become worse (overall) as the season has progressed.
To heck with a top 5 recruiting class. I'd rather have an unranked one filled with kids who want to knock your lights out and fight you until the end. We don't have that now. And if you watch UGA every week, you can just about call plays along with Bobo. You know DCs have us down after watching our films for a week. Now we gotta go Wreck Tech...somehow.

Anonymous said...

I agree with alot of the comments made in here.

At times we look very solid, while at other times we don't look like a top 25 team at all.

The first drive against Auburn was a perfect example of both good and bad. Moreno is gashing the Auburn defense, picking up 5, 10, 15 yards at a time. We get down to the 3 yard line and can't seem to finish the deal.

I also agree about putting more emphasis on special teams. That area has been a joke this entire season. It seems like we either kick it out of bounds or opponents catch the ball at at least the 10 yard line on every kick-off. We have got to put play makers on special teams.

The personal fouls absolutely made me sick. No discipline at all...absolutely none.

Anonymous said...

Here is a real simple question.

Is UGA closer to winning a national championship or is the gap between UGA and teams like Alabama and Florida widening?

Anonymous said...

Matt B., respectfully, I just don't see the Stafford leadership thing as being the real problem here. He might not be the same kind of leader as Greene or Shockley, but I'm not sure you're giving him enough credit. And I think the problem is something even more intangible than that, and I think the fans and the team are really having a hard time putting their finger on what's going on, as evidenced by the team play this year and some of the posts.

All that being said, I was a FR at UGA in 93, and the problems we're having now are nothing compared to the problems we had then. And we have the right coach to fix these problems, I believe. You forget how competitive Richt is--he doesn't like what's happening, and he's going to work to fix it, nice guy or no nice guy.

Anonymous said...

Really...CMR & staff are 2-6 vs Florida. What have they fixed so far this year? If the juniors cannot lead this year, can they become leaders next year?

Anonymous said...

I think we are as good as Alabama right now. If we played them 10 times we would win 5 and lose 5.

Florida is a different story. They would beat us 1,000 times if we played them 1,000 times. They will annihilate Alabama in the SEC championship game and then do the same thing to whichever team gets the honor of playing them for all the marbles.

There are college teams and then there is Florida. Nobody is going to stay on the field with Florida.

Anonymous said...

Did someone say disciplined defense?

Pete Carroll has two goals for his team every year: win the Pac-10 and the Rose Bowl. Nothing about national titles. Why? It simply is out of the control of coaches and teams regardless of what they do on the field. Ask Auburn. Maybe BamaDad claimed Bama's goal was national titles back in the day because not only could Bear control his schedule and outrecruit everyone, those folks will claim any and all national titles it can - legit or not. That's pre-75 schollies and one (or 2) national champion.

I don't think Bama is where we're giving them credit for being. They're number one right now on the strength of their name, their coach's reputation, and the SEC brand. Their a traditional power, Saban has a MNC, but the SEC brand is down.

Nobody is in Florida's league. Right now or over the last 20+ years. LSU might be close, but that's only if '08 is their '07 and then only over the last 6-7 years. For most of the last 25 years, the SEC is Florida's league. Spurrier set the tone and Meyer has, to my chagrin, picked it up and knocked SOS in the head with it. We don't have to like it, but if you don't see it, you aren't paying attention.

We're close, but it's going to take more than a win over a lameduck Zooker and Florida's 9 win no-defense model for us to start talking about being an elite team.

I realize that ain't popular, but that's where I'm at.

BIG ALBANY DAWG said...

Lack of a Killer Instinct. Plain and simple. When this team smells blood, they need to exploit it, and keep piling on relentlessly until the momentum swing reflects the on the scoreboard by several scores. (see Hawaii 07 Sugar Bowl). Instead, this team is satisfied by just watching Moreno do his thing, meanwhile they continue to barely keep their head above water, rather than take it to the other team's tale for a solid 60 minutes.

Dubbayoo said...

I'm disappointed in injuries, lack of discipline and inability to just put teams away. I don't see UGA ever just shellacking a DECENT/GOOD team the way UF does...a 30 point rolling.

As far as the actual win-loss record I'm fine with it as long as we win out. I won't ever complain about being 11-2. I'd still rather be #3 in the SEC than WAC champion.

Hell, I went to West Georgia and they went 0-10 this year with not one single rushing TD ALL YEAR. More INTs than TD passes. THAT is something to complain about.

Hobnail_Boot said...

Good, thoughtful words Paul.

The thing that bothered me Saturday was how similar the first drive of the game was to the one last year vs. SCU where Knowshon is ripping off huge chunks of yardage and we end up throwing the ball close to the goal line. I don't know if that's a Bobo thing or a Stafford thing, but it doesn't make much sense.

Anonymous said...

What's with the audibles / check downs at the line from Stafford one out of every 2.5 plays? Rarely does the resultingplay gain significant yards at all.

Anonymous said...

It seems that we are playing for nothing and expecting everything. It seems to be a problem with Richt and his faith. The concept of God giving people something puts too much confidence in fate. I believe that this idea is something that has hampered Richt.

I am not making a religious statement. I am merely asserting something that I see as an underlying tone of the team. It is almost as if they believe that whatever happens will happen simply if fate decides it. They put in no work, no leadership, no pain, and no determination.

We have made all these explanations about what may be the problem. Many have alluded to an overarching problem. I believe that this type of fatalism is the problem.

You can say what you want about players playing and coaches coaching but the philosophy is what is problem.

Richt has said it many times that God allowed "this" or "that" to happen. This maybe the case but this does not mean that we don't have to work at getting what we want. There seems to be the idea that if Georgia is supposed to win then it is by the determination of fate or God that grants victory.

You may disagree and that is your right but you have to look at the big picture and see the undertones of why Coaches and players are saying the things they are saying.

Anonymous said...

Since we're airing out all grievances, can this team stop calling a bazillion audibles at the LOS on punts? Snap the ball. Punt the ball. Tackle the guy who gets the ball. KISS, please.

Anonymous said...

2 things:

1) WTF happened to Southerland?? One of the best FBs in football -- where the hell is he?

2) R. Jones is worthless.

Anonymous said...

If you secretly read between the lines of the season, you could see that the coaching staff was concerned about the OL & DL all the way back to Spring practice.

The injuries to Sturdivant and Owens particularly set the table for stuggles this year, but I think we would have had difficulty with each.

I disagree with the Saban outfoxed Richt during Alabama week. The Tide is really good and experienced on their OL and DL which has been the foundation Saban has always used for his most successful teams. Also, I think the long trip back from Arizona and the two weeks on the road really hurt more than anyone let on. If we had had a bye week we still might have lost but the score might have been signifcantly different.

Unfortunately, I think Meyer and the Gators totally psyched us out for the UF game. They kept the celebration as an media issue for 12 months and I thought our team played like a team afraid of the Gators were going to do. Our offensive gameplan was right there to stay with them eary on but we did not recognize their blitzes in the Red Zone - plus we dropped/missed passes and missed FG like previous losses. Defensively we were playing alright, but inopportune penalties and missed assignments put us in a hole. It looked like the coaching staff and team panicked as things went downhill.

If there is any consolation, the UF '08 reminds me of UGA '07 in that everything is going right for them at this point. UF has scored on 5 INT returns and 2 Punt Returns. They have had 9 drives that began inside the opponents 30 - all of them resulting in points. They have suffered no signifcant injuries other than the TE at the beginning of the year. Yes they are really good, but they have had a multitude of breaks.

Do not read too much into the shaky efforts at AU and UK. It comes at the end of long and brutal stretch. Hopefully we will come into the Tech game well-rested and full of energy. If we can win that and the bowl game we will finish 11-2.

We will be ranked high in 2009 and should be better on the OL and DL.

Anonymous said...

Anon at 1:56 p.m.: "They put in no work, no leadership, no pain, and no determination."

I am reminded of the following quote from the movie Billy Madison:

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I've ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response was there anything that could even be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

You're the Ralph Nader of commenters - totally alone in left field.

Muckbeast said...

I don't know the best place to ask this, so I'm trying here:

What key players would potentially be back from injury when bowl time rolls around? That is 6+ weeks from now, so one has to wonder. I imagine the really important players all took medical red shirts, so they won't be back.

Also, is there any kind of rule that they can play in the bowl game (since it is in 2009) without it taking a year of eligibility?

Anonymous said...

couple things Paul.

On red zone, I'm increasingly frustrated over the lack of Southerland. He is a force as a lead blocker that seems to have recieved relatively little use in short-yardage situations (at least not unless its at H-back with Chapas at FB in the I), let alone as a rusher or reciever. Moreno has made plenty of big runs following right off Southerland's hip, yet it is a very under-used part of the red zone play calling. Strange.

And the record vs fan anger-it's not so much the number of losses, but the manner in which they are recieved. If Bama and Florida were hard fought battles that were in question going into the 4th quarter, fans might feel different. But they weren't, they were humiliating dominations. We looked like we were completely incapable of competing with top 10 teams, and that is very frustrating considering the fans' opinion we should be among that level of competition. Our ability to not just lose, but to utterly sh*t ourselves in blowout fashion, that is the reason, imo, for such strong discord. You'll always have the lunatic fringe where nothing is good enough. You'll have your share of addicted gamblers who stupidly keep making the same bet (on UGA to cover) expecting a different result than the last 1000 times (as in UGA actually covering). But those two sects are rarely a problem. The increase in fan discontent beyond those two segments, imo, is directly related to the disturbing frequency of getting a$$-blasted with UF and Bama this year, Tennessee the previous two years, West Virginia, et al.

Anonymous said...

Once again, we went undefeated in opponent's stadiums. Perhaps we should move the Florida game to Gainesville.

Anybody else notice that when Knowshon goes out of the game in the middle of drives, the drive stalls?

Anonymous said...

Richt 8 years

2001-2004 Van Gorder DC - 1 (ONE) time we gave up 30+ points. That was to LSU in the 2003 SECCG. LSU won the National Title.

2005-2008 Willie Martinez DC - 10 (TEN) times we have given up 30+ points. 7 (SEVEN) in the last 2 years.

2005- Auburn (31), WVU (38)
2006- UT (51)
2007- UT (35), UF (30), Troy (34)
2008- Bama (41), LSU (38), UF (49), UK (38)

The total defense and scoring defense numbers dont lie either. We are getting worse every year.

Anonymous said...

Get used to being without Stafford and Moreno. Next year is when the pissin' and moanin' will begin in earnest.

11-2 and will look damn good next year.

Anonymous said...

I too am disappointed that we are not going to Miami this year.

But I think that if we complain enough, tell our friends to complain and get them to tell their friends to complain, we could probably get everyone in the entire stadium to boo as soon as we make a bad play at the GT game. Then the team would feel hollow and probably play even more poorly and we could boo even more. This would likely end up causing us to lose the game or only win it by a point or two, which would lead to more booing. Since I'm sure every good bowl will have representatives at the game, we can show them just how much we don't support our team. Then maybe, if we are lucky, the Capital One Bowl, Outback Bowl, and Cotton Bowl will pass on us and we make our coveted trip to the Georgia Dome.

Maybe then everyone will quit complaining.

Anonymous said...

What does GATA mean?

Anonymous said...

GATA means Get After Their Asses!This term was coined by Erk Russell.
http://cornfielddawg.blogs.sportsline.com/mcc/blogs/view/7426686?tag=GATA

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erk_Russell



GATA DAWGS and DAWG Fans! Play hard and support hard! Glory,Glory to ol' GEORGIA!!!

Anonymous said...

Dear Hunkering Hank,

I am the anonymous who posted the "most insanely idiotic" post.

Let me defend myself.

You can't have it both ways. Either you have leadership or you don't. Most people agree there is no leadership with this team.

You either put in work or you don't. Most people will agree that the scheming and play-calling or bland. Most people agree that it seems some players are loafing when they should not be.

You either experience pain through growth or you don't. The lack of growth this team seems to have shown proves that they are not putting in the pain it takes to grow. Most would agree that the development of the team in major games from '05-'08 is minimal at best. Hence, they put in no pain.

You either have determination or you don't. Most would agree that we laid down at the hands of Alabama and Florida. This shows that there is no determination. The teams ability to only rise to the level of its opponent proves that there is no determination.

Please don't take this post or the previous post as an outlandish attack upon the beloved Dawgs. But take it as an attempt to look deep into the hearts of our team.

I am simply trying to point out what I think is the root of problem. If you think that this reasoning is the most idiotic thing ever written and you are dumber for reading it then so be it.

Clearly, the team has issues most people have pointed or hinted at each of these main issues. I wish to take our heads out of the sand and be realistic while remaining objective by reigning in our passions.

Mitch Rhymer

Anonymous said...

who is the dimbass?

the number 1 ranking with a team starting 4 freshmen and 5 sophmores on offense alone or the fans who are pissed at a potential 11-2 record.

btw after last week who is the only college football team in history to go DOWN in the coaches poll 4 times in a year after wins?

it's about style. USCN i mean ESPN sees to that.

Anonymous said...

I disagree that we "laid down" at the hands of Alabama and Florida.A team that lays down does not come back 30 points. We moved the ball against Florida. We just made too many mistakes(and had some of the worst luck I have ever witnessed) in those games to recover. I have heard Coach Richt speak of things that God allowed to happen in his life, but have never heard him say he did not believe in effort, hard work and determination and left things to "fate". I do not think we can know all the team and coaches do and do not do. My expectations are for the team to play hard,take their privilege and talents seriously, and represent the school well. I trust that what needs to be fixed will be fixed.
GO DAWGS!! GATA!!! BEAT TECH!!

Anonymous said...

Stafford is a very good leader on offense. He's lead many 4th quarter comebacks, keeps his receiver's morale up and never quits unless you kill him. He can not lead the defense and special teams and neither did Greene, Pollack was the unofficial leader of that team, he was the heartbeat of that team. The heartbeat of this team is Moreno, as he goes, we go..if he has a so so day, so does the team, if he has a great day then so do we. The fact is, our defense just is not that good, that effort against Auburn is about the best we can do. This isnt the 3rd game, its the 11th, if you have not seen it by now then chances are you are not going to see it at all.

 
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