- Cameron: "The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. Less than a hundred were made. My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love, it is his passion."
Ferris: "It is his fault he didn't lock the garage."
Cameron: "He never drives it. He just rubs it with a diaper."
If you have a Ferrari, don't leave it in the Garage. If you're struggling to see where this is going, A.J. Green is the Ferrari. He has to see the ball more than four times per game for us to win.
Beyond that, the best line I heard on the game came from my friend Mike who said, "Bobo committed the cardinal sin of play calling. Don't stop doing what works until the other guy stops it."
Well...that about sums it up for me. Why we looked so good on that first drive and abandoned most of those plays for the rest of the game baffles me. Quinton's write up below is longer and better, but that's the long and short of what I felt about the game.
What to fix for South Carolina?
- 1. Let AJ be AJ.
2. When plays work on offense, run them again. Those are the good ones.
3. Find a way to punt without relying on the Wynn Kopp Signature 30-40 Yard Roll(TM).
4. Cover a kickoff. Running up to the returner and falling down isn't the ideal way to earn a scholarship.
5. Learn to jump over the chalk on the field. Those yard markers shouldn't have multiple tackles per game.
PWD
70 comments:
Its Monday and I'm as sick to my stomach today as I was Sat about that loss.
I seriously doubt Cox's ability to get the ball downfield to AJ. The time we tried it AJ had to stop and run back to the ball, meaning it was underthrown by about 15 yards.
Look at that SEC speed!!!
Joe Cox for MVP!!
Man oh man, AJ Green doesn't miss Stafford or MoMass at all. Addition by subtraction!!!
Does it seem like all of our problems since 2005 have been consistent?
Fire Richt!!!! He's run his course. Talent and schemes are dropping off and its only gonna get worse with Saban, Kiffin, Johnson, and Meyer poaching what used to be our only strength - recruiting. God forbid Auburn, Clemson, USC, or UNC get legs too. Let's get a real coach while we still can instead of rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic. I'm afraid we will be stuck in the independence bowl this year :(
Thanks PWD--I am still scratching my head about why we drove down the field on the first drive and scored, then completely changed our offensive scheme. Makes no sense. And why was there absolutely no QB substitution?!? I thought there were multiple packages for Logan Gray--I must have blinked bc I missed those. We are so loaded on talent, yet the talent didn't get their chance. It looked like Richt was defeated from the get-go. It's going to be a long season.
Paul,
I like the simple sarcasm. Indeed, this can be a simple game - you focus on the fundamentals and the other complications and intangibles usually take care of themselves.
However, we are not fundamentally sound (offensively). We lost our best backfield combo in our history (which failed to win an SEC btw) and it seems the other guys have never even practiced at the position. This, imo, is coaching.
The long and short of it is that we have systemic problems that have existed for 3-4 years now. Yes, I clearly recall 2007. But there is a reason we didn't win our division that year.
The longer these problems (special teams, play-calling, ill-timed penalties, turnovers) the further this program will continue to fall behind Florida and Alabama, among others. It's taken me 4 years to realize that as a program, we are not progressing but are either stagnant or regressing. It's not necessarily seen in the W-L column, but it's there. It's definitely there.
I believe the loss to OSU can be examined and learned from. Let's hope that's the case and that Saturday was just a bad day for the team, and coaches.
Sadly, I just don't think it was. I believe flat is the new up for UGA football.
Can't believe I'm typing this, but we could've used Caleb King on Saturday.
What's discouraging to me is that fundemental problems with the team and program, which have been identified in previous years, and which have been identifie again both on this blog and others after the OSU game, continue to persist-and in some cases there is no recognition by the coaches that these problems even exist.
And P.S.: One game of good defense is nice, but I'm still in "show me" mode regarding any defensive improvements.
Paul,
we had two (2) Ferrari's last year and looked awful at times.
I prefer a bevy of F250's diesels and a few GTO V8's.
Good ole American horsepower is what this program is all about. AJG looks better in red white and blue, not green and red.
Mike Bobo is our old bonneville.
Good call PWD - I hate to state the obvious , but look at CMB's track record (look at lsu forcing the match-up).The play calling is killing this team (2 yrs. ago at vandy).Turn the BIG DAWGS loose.Recruiting the best players does no good, until you USE them .
News flash to all my stomach-wrenched Dawg fans: The sky is still intact and there are no signs of the apocalypse. We are all disappointed in Saturday's result, which is completely understandable. But it WAS a non-conference game and a season opener and means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Though Georgia is a long shot to compete and play for an SEC title, that goal remains intact.
Sure, the offense looked somewhat pathetic after Drive 1 and again the D-line couldn't generate pressure. But I still have confidence in this group. For some reason I think it will find its way.
Keep this in mind, too: I finally read Warren St. John's "Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer" recently and was reminded that Alabama won the SEC title that season after the Mike DuBose secretary scandal and a last-play, last-second loss to Louisiana Tech in Game 2. Think about that for a minute. If you think you're miffed about losing to No. 9 Oklahoma State on the road to start the year, think about how the delusional Crimson Tide fans felt after that one against La. Tech at Legion Field? I'm sure they didn't think they'd win another game the rest of the year, yet Alabama went on to beat Florida twice and won a conference title.
Keep things in perspective, my Dawg brethren. Just my two Lincolns.
- John From Texas
Can you dial up that scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off where the girl was in the swimming pool in her camisole? I liked that scene much better.
Thanks,
HVL DAWG
"Don't stop doing what works until the other guy stops it"
Is there a way we could get Bobo to write this on a chalkboard 100 times?
Before we tar and feather Bobo, let's recall that it was his playcalling at the end of 06 that salvaged an otherwise horrid season. If CMR were still calling em, we'd have seen just as little running Saturday. Worse, any run plays would be a sprint draw or a fullback quick-hitter.
IMHO, CMR's philosophy of lettin young players taste action to see if they can put up results had serious consequences. To wit: Smith returning kickoffs from the bleachers was bad. Smith running the "wild dawg" was worse. Orson Charles over the middle will someday be awesome, just not last Saturday. Carlton Thomas running b/w the tackles...I don't see that ever working.
As bad as it was, Joe wasn't terrible. The trajectory and zip on the ball to White (though he dropped it) was far better than anything JT3 or even Greene would do. That pass, along with dropped ones to Charles and Moore were inches (not yards) off target. He sailed 2 over the middle, but Stafford would sail at least 2 or 3 per game.
Further, Samuel's could've hit a 100 if our play calling had gotten so confused (and assuming his hammy wasn't tweakin, was it?)
Yes Yes and Yes, get AJ the ball. But this wasn't a loss to Wyoming.
Credit to Willie, too. Our DE's still suck. But he managed to conceal that pretty well. A pass rush might've prevented the 50 yard TD. It also would've neutralized Zac running wild if our DE's didn't run for the armpit of Geno and Jeff every other play.
"If ... we address the kickoff situation." That's one hell of an "if," no?
I don't know what incriminating photos Fabris has of Richt, but apparently they involve donkeys and altar boys.
How on earth can ST still be such a gamekiller for us?
This is the least important game we will play all year.
I think OKey State's D is much better this year than in the past. That said, our offense really misses Stafford and Knowshon. Knew it would, but hoped it wouldn't.
I feel as bad for Trinton Sturdivant as I have felt for a college player in a long, long time. He has NFL and millions written all over him, but that knee was not ready for prime time. That was just a nasty looking injury. God bless and get well son - whether you ever play football again or not.
The D looked good. They were in horrific positions all game long. I love our safeties. When was the last time you could say that.
Our special teams are just awful.
Our offensive play calling lacked any imagination after the first drive.
The PF was BS, but that ain't what lost the game. I think OKey State was just better than us. They certainly had better players on the field.
Joe Cox was awful. But, I've had the flu and been sick in 100 degree weather before so I can't criticize. Although, I though Aaron Murray should have gotten a shot. That kid's a playmaker and he may just be better than Cox even with a limited offense.
I ain't saying anything ya'll don't know - this sucks.
"Alabama won the SEC title that season after the Mike DuBose secretary scandal and a last-play, last-second loss to Louisiana Tech in Game 2."
No, the sky is falling. Every other program near us is getting better. Even the joke by coke is doing its best to rise above mediocrity. The biggest thing that game Saturday did for us was to turn off potential recruits. Why would an all star WR come to Georgia to get 4 looks all game? Why would an all star DB come to Georgia when our guys don't know how to pick off simple passes. Why would we ever get another decent RB when our offensive coordinator can't stick with the run - even when it is working.
I dare say that if we continue to play like that those kids will go to UF, UT, Yech (you laugh but they have 2 all americans in Dwyer and Burnette and that WR they have is big enough to go to the league even with their crappy pass offense), LSU, Bama, and even lesser teams like FSU, Miami, Auburn and South Carolina instead of UGA. If I'm top talent and recruited by the dawgs, nothing I saw on Saturday makes me want to come to athens.
The problem is NOT the players. Maybe Cox could have done better, but we had other QBs on the bench who didn't even get to sniff the grass (er, turf) that game.
The real problem lies in that the same things that have dogged this team the past two years still dog us. We expect the team to get better in certain areas but they do not. This leads me to believe our coaches simply cannot get our players to where they need to be. That defense wasn't even in the top 90 last year. It wasn't OSU playing good defense that held us to ten points, it was our pathetic offense that scored 10 points. I'm not sure how great our defense was either. They had tons of penalties and missed opportunities.
In short, the talent is there and changes need to be made on the coaching staff to get more out of the talent. I don't think Willie is the problem - although we couldn't tackle last year we still finished in the top 25 of defense. I don't think the problem is offensive either, but instead related solely to coaching at the top. I think Richt is running into problems motivating and adjusting to coaches that have adjusted to him. He doesn't demand near the accountability from his assistants that he should. It's time to increase the heat under Richt a little bit just to bring back the now extinguished fire he had the first few seasons.
- Alpharetta Dawg.
UGA is 6-4 in the last 10 games. Let's face it, we have problems. Deep problems.
Much like it was with Lumpkin, it takes two (2) FULL years to completely recover from Trinton's type of knee injury.
Well said Hank, he was not ready for prime time, although you would think pre-season workouts, scrimmages, and practices would have revealed that.
Sad thing is that he wasn't even hit - just shifted his own weight laterally and the knee buckled like an old wooden bridge.
Either the knee wasn't ready or he's carrying too much weight for his frame.
Damn I wish Richt had a little Don Shula hellfire in him.
Amen to John from Texas. As much as that loss sucked (and oh did it ever suck), we have to keep our heads up. When it really comes down to it, the season starts over on Saturday. We NEED a win against the chickens.
As for criticisms of the players and coaching staff, I'm waiting until next Sunday before I start calling for anyone's head. That said, Mike Bobo was abysmal against OSU and I have long thought that he might need some perspective outside of our program. Still, let's not throw the baby our with the bath water just yet.
All in all, everyone keep your shirts on. I'm sorry to those of you who were naive and some how thought that Georgia was going to shock the world this year. Its just not going to happen. But let's not jump off the deep end by saying that our program is falling apart.
Oh, and i have to get this out: The big 12 needs to outfit its officiating crews with tissues so that they can wipe the tears away from all of their precious receivers. Give me a break. That's why these guys wear helmets. Quit trying to neuter college football. Hit someone even harder next week Reshad.
Ok guys. Lets put this in the significance that it deserves. We played a great team with a little bit of defense. Our offense is not ready for the challenge. Would you feel better if we had hung 50 on Charleston Southern. Now we know where we are and where we need to be by this weekend. It didn't cost us any ground in the conference and if they kick everybody else in the big XII we won't lose ground in the bowl picture. Not to mention it looked like we held some back on offense.
Wow. I didn't realize that Chicken Little was a UGA fan. It's funny that the team with the most wins over the last decade is in decline and being surpassed by all surrounding teams because of a loss to a top 10 team on the road. Yeah, GT, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Auburn, LSU, etc. have NEVER had bad seasons in the last 10 years. Seasons where they lose 4 or 5 games, or, even worse, MISS Bowl games. No not UT or Auburn...
Give me a break, guys. UGA is doing okay by me.
The only complaint I have is the players used, not the actual plays. Joe Cox is not a starting QB. He's a mighty swell fellow who sat behind Stafford and is a senior, but being older does not mean you are better. I would rather see Gray or Murray. At a minimum, Gray can move around in the pocket...I did not see "zip" on Cox's passes. And even worse, Cox was making freshmen mistakes as a senior. You never, ever run out of bounds 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage. His fumble was also caused by holding the ball too long...Get rid of it! And stop forcing passes into multiple coverage! Ugh...He'll be our starter next week, too...
Play calling didn't cause Charles to drop a first down or Chapas and Samuel to mess up a 3rd and 2. Samuel fell many other times, too. Even AJ dropped the pass that led to the 2nd INT. Thomas fumbled the ball deep in the Okie State territory. Smith running out of the stands, as said in an above post. All of the above were not the coaches' fault, but the players' mistakes.
If this is indeed a lost season, why not give Ealey and Murray some play? Where was Marlon Brown? Give them experience going into next season. Why stick with Cox merely because he is old? These are the questions I want answered...
We have no GATA mentality. We are vanilla on offense, still soft on defense, and inept on special teams. Not much has changed since last year, other than personnel. Our philosophy is still passive football. There is no talent shortage in the Classic City, so what does that lead you to? Right now we continue to be a football team playing not to lose, as opposed to one playing to win. There is one heck of a lot of difference between the two.
Yes, Alabama won the SEC that year.
Anyone remember what happened the next year?
I'm not saying that's a likely scenario. But be careful from whence you draw your optimism.
Jonathan Crompton = 22 of 28 for 280 yards and 5 touchdown passes. Tennessee = 678 yards total offense. Tennessee allowed 80 yards. Houston...we've got a problem
"The biggest thing that game Saturday did for us was to turn off potential recruits."
Do you have any clue how well we've recruited recently? Mercy.
trip to stillwater= $800
tickets to game= $ 200
New uga shirt for game= $60
Losing to a less talented 2nd tier big 12 team = priceless
This is the mentality I took into Saturday: Oklahoma State had everything to lose and Georgia had little to gain. I was as miffed as anybody about the outcome because of the offensive and special teams ineptitude, but Georgia wasn't expected to win in the first place.
Bottom line, as someone pointed out earlier, the real season starts Saturday at 6:04 p.m. at Sanford Stadium. Just consider the OSU loss a preseason defeat.
And for the guy or girl who compared Georgia's opening opponent to Tennessee's, Western Kentucky, that's weaker than Fabris' coaching style. I'll give Crompton and the two RBs some credit for having solid days, but to compare playing WKU at Neyland Stadium to playing Oklahoma State at home is ludicrous. Mangos and melons, folks, mangos and melons.
Now, let's flush the OSU loss and get amped for South Cack.
I mean't 7:04 p.m. EST. Remember, I'm from Texas.
Charles dropped that pass because it was (another) thrown behind him
Performance reminded me a lot of mid-season 2006...that is, every aspect of the team looked generally lousy, but they were still just a couple of plays away. That particular group of guys finally put everything together, and blew the doors off the 'Barn.
Same concept worked in '07, really.
Firing coaches, benching players, freaking the hell out at Richt two years after he gets us to the cusp of the MNC Game...sheesh. I've seen enough of this program to know that the brain trust has the general ability to figure things out, so that's where I start my opinion.
""The biggest thing that game Saturday did for us was to turn off potential recruits."
Do you have any clue how well we've recruited recently?"
Thanks for proving my point. We recruited well recently based on what happened two years ago. We aren't gonna recruit for monkey stink if this keeps up. Like I said, what RB wants to go to a school where they won't get the ball even when the run is working. What WR wants to go to a school where you can be the man but not get any passes downfield and only catch four balls.
What is ridiculous is that Georgia Tech had JUST AS MANY passing yards as we did. I don't care who they played, that team can't pass.
Until I see better, I'm convinced that we won't win more than 7 games this year. It will be a glimpse of things to come and we will have problems keeping up with not only florida, but also UT, LSU, etc. Dare I say we will end up lumped with Auburn, Yech, and Arkansas/USC east? It could happen.
Those "optimists" out there - time to take off the red colored glasses
I said it all during the second half. Why are we throwing the ball when our guys can't catch a cold. The first play we RAN the ball for a touchdown. Keep running it until you can't anymore.
I still do not understand Big Willie's defensive scheme. I'm sure there is a method, but I don't get it. But I can do math. 6 offensive lineman vs. 4 defensive lineman is a mismatch from the snap. The DE's are getting no pressure, meaning there is no need for a double-team, meaning our LB's can't reak havoc. I do understand that you don't need pressure on every down, but we don't get pressure on any down. Willie will be with us for the long haul so I will have to get used to it. The D did play well when it had to, after turnovers or botched special teams play. Not sure Cox is the answer. Yes he was "sick", but I, like others, would have liked to see Logan run some plays when Cox struggled. He will improve though, I do have faith in that. Hope we are ready for this week because SC's D is way better than OSU's. Go Dawgs!
Could Joe Cox throw a football through a plate glass window?
Through a wet paper bag?
JC = JT3 2.0
think of how many times we have lost the momentum in games due to our kickoff team. Until CMR gets in front of this problem we will be condemned to repeat it. I would love for CMR to take over the role of handling the kickoff team and he makes it a priority. I dont want to see another slow walk on running downfield ever again.
Completely unrelated/somewhat positive: Dannell Ellerbe made the Ravens team. Tons of competition at linebacker on that team, so hats off to him.
"We aren't gonna recruit for monkey stink if this keeps up."
I committed to Florida right after the Gators lost to Bama by 30.
You really have no clue how recruiting works.
Also: Matt Stafford was named the Lions' starting QB this year. Most guaranteed moolah in NFL history. You don't think recruits are noticing that? You think they really give a rat's patoot about one bad game on the road?
I still love my Dawgs, but...
Does anyone know anything of Aaron Murry or Zach Mettenburger (I think is how you spell it)? Have they officially redshirted this year? I am not asking becasue I believe that one of them should be replacing Cox - I do not think that he was really that bad in the grand scheme of things - it is kind of like blaming a car from breaking down, he is only as good as what is created and called.
I think after some adjustments on the O line and a little more of a O game plan geared towards the strengths that the team does have, it will be much different.
But as far as the #2 QB? I do not get why all of these Logan Gre(a?)y plays that we heard about all off season were non-existant in the game. Is one of the true freshmen #2 now for some reason?
USC (sadly) is actually stacked in their defensive backfield. We are going to need more of a run threat to open up some lanes.
Adversly, though, does anyone really think that Bobo is capable of a two QB rotation?
Ellerbe did everything possible to play himself out of the NFL draft last year. Now he makes the Ravens team who has one of the top defenses in the NFL. Could it be he got coached up at the NFL level? What does that say about his position coach at UGA?
People are still calling out CWM ?the list of problems is very long the defense wasn't one of them.CMB had an awful game(again)."Our"special teams are anything but...,admit the biggest improvement is CWM's group, he has earned it.12-1 will be a good year.
.
Hate to say it but the jury is still out on the defense. They got no pressure on the QB, forced no turnovers, and got burned on a deep TD. Willie had months to prepare for this game. He won't have that much time in the future. The truth of the matter is that the OK State penalties had as much to do with the defensive stops than the defense itself did.
A SEC team won't make as many mistakes and Willie is good for 2-3 defensive meltdowns ever year.
I said it before, and I'll say it again. When AJ Green came back for that underthrown pass to break up Perish Cox's interception, Bobo missed a huge chance. Cox was out for roughly 3 plays there, and he was all that was keeping AJ down. As soon as Cox went out, we should have gone right back to that play, and bombed away to Green downfield. Even if Joe couldn't get the ball in front of him, without Perish covering him, I'd bed on AJ catching it. But no, Bobo went to the other side, with two or three straight short plays, until PCox came back in. Horrible play calling right there, and indicative of our whole game. We were unwilling/unable to take advantage when something presented itself.
Sad.
I thought UGA would maul this team in the trenches for a victory. It didn't happen. My friends in Reno enjoyed my trying to figure out the strange taste in my mouth; we narrowed it down to humble pie. Let's see a good week of practice and a fine SEC victory over so car.
p.s. florida sucks
I don't think Joe Cox is the answer to the quarterback question this year. After the opening drive, I saw no confidence at all displayed by our QB. I kept waiting, during the forth quarter to see one of our amazing freshman get a chance. Alas, it was not to be. Alsowe continue to have trouble on kick coverages. This is not something new for the Dawgs. Year after year this always comes back, late in the game to haunt them. The whole defensive scheme on kick coverage needs to be canned and a new approach implemented. Preseason word said that many of the new freshman would get playing time. Be it special teams or somewhere else. There needs to be a shake-up now! Otherwise with Joe exclusively QB'ing and other problem areas neglected, this is going to be one LONG year.
I would imagine that since Ellerbee had a very good few years under this coaching staff, it has more to do with his being completely healthy right now as opposed to nearly the entire season last year more than coaching.
Areas of concern: 1. Kickoffs. Why do we continue to kick to the corner EVERY friggin' time? Once, and only once, did we kickoff up the middle. And you know what happened? Yeap, we dropped OSU at the 22! Why is this so difficult? 2. DE play (or lack there of). What is the issue here? After last season I expected big time improvement. I no believe 100% that all DE issues are a result of coaching. 3. TOTAL OFFENSE. Bobo, Richt and Cox need to do some serious soul searching this week. Bulkup guys, this season could get real ugly real fast.
1. Defensive intensity was as high as I've seen it since we played Hawaii. That is a very good thing, given what happened in 08. Even Reshad Jones looked like he had a fire lit under him. Martinez should be commended for generating a sustained intensity throughout the game. We never seemed to give up, esp. in short field situations. Strangely, the defense may end up being the strength of this team.
2. Still no pass rush, which is a problem. Dropped too many potential INTs.
3. Offense looked sluggish. The dropoff from Stafford to Cox was palpable, as was that from Moreno to Samuel. Samuel lacks the wiggle of Moreno, and while we were willing to concede this in exchange for his being a bruiser (along the lines of a Charles Scott), Samuel netted very few yards after contact on Sat. Cox lacked the zip that Stafford had on his passes, and while we were willing to concede this for his supposed surgical accuracy, he often missed his mark.
4. Dropped passes are immensely frustrating.
5. I'm not willing to throw Cox under the bus just yet. He did have the flu, and for that reason, I'll reserve judgment until I see what happens this week.
6. Few seem willing to concede that the OSU defense may have improved drastically from last year. Only time will tell, but it's quite possible that they have done in 09 what UF did in 08 (i.e., improve drastically from the previous year with the same personnel).
True, the defense did look improved over last years showing. Still there is absolutely no pass rush whatsoever. Very few QB hurries. I can' t recall a blitz either. The defense lacks aggressivness. If nothing is done to stimulate the entire defense, it won't take long for a complacent habit to form. As with Cox, if there's no noticable improvement, I can only hope that it doesn't take 59 minutes to try a different QB. Also, what happened to our downfield threats? With AJ and Marlon Brown we have one of the tallest and youngest recieving corps in the SEC. The short off tackle passes and the short passes in general is not taking advantage of your key receivers. The offense has become too predictable.
The vast majority of UGA fans thought we would win this game and many thought we'd win going away. My guess is the players and coaches (at least subconciously thought the same thing).
Now they know they have a problem to solve.
Would you rather this come out now or in Week 4-5 after feasting on cupcakes?
Cause it was gonna come out eventually.
Just because CMR and the other coaches don't blast each other or the players in the media doesn't mean they don't know there is a problem.
I'm hopeful that this has been an eye opener internally and we will see a revitalized, improved team on Saturday.
If some of you want to doom the program with CMR at the helm feel free to get drunk and pass out for the rest of the season.
We have 11 more games in which to improve. If Cox doesn't work out, we'll get Gray or Murray in there to prepare for next year....or have we all forgotten the improvement from 2006 to 2007 already?
Is anyone seeing greg reid tear it up against Miami right now? Why God... WHY????
Yep, he looks pretty amazing, that Greg Reid....
RedCrake, the problem with your post is that these problems were already there before the season started. Special teams sucked. Replacing Stafford/Moreno would be tough. And we looked like we did nothing in spring/fall practice to fix those problems. Unfortunately, I have no faith it will get better in the coming weeks if the coaches were not making that their #1 priority for the season, and did not have a backup plan in the first game for when things went wrong.
He's from Valdosta...we never had a chance.
Hey guys we got leaders though right?
Meh...Id rather have the stars and just get blown out a couple of times a year. Scoring 10 on that joke of a defense only goes to show how much of a joke our offense is
I just cannot believe how many people contend they saw no pass rush or that we didn't blitz. I mean, WHAT GAME WERE YOU WATCHING??? Yes, we pressured Robinson on numerous occasions--in fact, more than they did Cox. Yes, we did blitz--do you not remember Vance Cuff coming in off the edge in the first quarter, and Rennie Curran running the delayed blitz with great effectiveness at least three times?
Blitzing is not defined by "whether you saw ten guys coming after the QB." Nor is "having a pass rush" defined by how many times the QB got sacked!
If you look at Robinson's completion percentage and yardage, I would say our pass defense was pretty damn good, especially considering who the passers and receivers are reputed to be.
Now...if you wish to re-phrase and say. "I can't believe we had to play Geno Atkins at DE, or that we could not figure out a way to get line pressure," THEN we can have a discussion. But please do realize that that would be a minor point, because the pass defense wasn't just adequate, it was GOOD.
Anon 11:24
I'll concede the point that Special Teams play is something that should have been solved by now.
But nowhere in recent memory has anemic offensive play/playcalling or turnovers by one of the primary backs been an issue. These are things that can be handled.
The main problem last year was the defense. We just held one of the most prolific offenses of last year to 24 points and well below their stats of 2008...without any kind of pass rush. There were blown coverages, but the secondary looked improved overall. The DE's still didn't get much, but Houston coming back could be huge. That's what was worked on most in the offseason.
Stupid or nonsensical playcalling perhaps....but not anemic.
Just to add to that point.
Greg Reid man...damn. Kid is a heck of a ball player. I think I saw where he averaged almost 35 yds per KO.
...will hold Oklahoma State to 24 or less this year.
Ever wonder what happened to our defensive swagger and killer instinct? Remember when we were annually in the top 10 for scoring defense?
Number of games team held opponent under 10 points (number of shutouts in parenthesis)
02: UGA-4 (0), UF-3 (0), Al-5 (1), Au-5 (1), LSU-3 (1)
03: UGA-4 (1), UF-3 (0), Al-2 (1), Au-4 (0), LSU-6 (0)
04: UGA-2 (0), UF-1 (0), Al-3 (1), Au-5 (1), LSU-3 (0)
05: UGA-2 (0), UF-4 (0), Al-5 (1), Au-4 (0), LSU-5 (1)
06: UGA-3 (2), UF-4 (2), Al-2 (0), Au-4 (2), LSU-6 (1)
07: UGA-0 (0), UF-1 (0), Al-1 (0), Au-4 (0), LSU-4 (2)
08: UGA-1 (0), UF-5 (0), Al-6 (2), Au-2 (0), LSU-2 (0)
Total:
LSU: 29 (5)
Aub: 28 (4)
Ala: 24 (6)
UF: 21 (2)
UGA: 16 (3)
In the last two years, we held our opponent under 10 points just ONCE.
The number of times other big SEC defenses held their opponents under 10 points in the last 2 years:
UF: 6
Alabama: 7 (with 2 shutouts)
Auburn: 6
LSU: 6 (with 2 shutouts)
UGA: 1
I find that disturbing. This means we aren't even holding any scrub teams under 10 points.
Maybe Damon Evans can arrange for the Dogs to open against the Pittsburgh Steelers next year. That ought to help them start their season on a positive note. If Fla can have a powderpuff game, why can't we?!?!
Joe C. a.k.a. Joe T.
Michael:
I'm certain we'd have some defensive swagger if Thomas Davis, David Pollock & Odell were strappin on a helmet.
It's Johnny's and Joe's, not X's and O's.
Our DE's are the most mediocre we've had since mid to late 90's (pre Charles Grant).
It's like the old ESPN commercial where a computer program runs a hypothetical that the Falcons never trade Favre. The result? "Juen Jones named coach of the year"
There was plenty of blame to go around for Saturday's game. That said - I do think the majority of the burden for this one falls on Bobo's shoulders, for the reasons PWD gives above.
Subpar as Cox was, I'm not quite ready to give up on him yet, considering the circumstances. However, Gray or one of the freshmen definitely need to be getting more snaps this week. Something needs to kick this offense into gear. On Saturday, we resembled one of Croom's better MSU teams - not the kind of Bulldogs we want to look like.
LMAO - Blaming Damon Evans?
If you can't beat Ok State, you can't beat the Gators. If you can't beat the Gators, you ain't playing for a national title.
The Gators beat us because they have better players and better coaches. Not because of scheduling, bye weeks, site location, facilities, mojo, swagger, or any other bullsh*t excuse we dream up.
The more talented and better coached team has won the Cocktail Party every year since '90 except '92, '97, '02, and '03. That's 14-4 for the more talented and better coached squad.
In '05, JT3 couldn't have beaten USF much less UF.
PWD
I really have no reason to believe that kick offs and special teams play is going to change much between now and Saturday. It didn't improve at all in the off season. I can't see how it could improve in a week.
I was very proud of the defense. They kept us in it as long as they could.
I would have never, ever believed that Georgia would only muster 10 points against OSU.
Never.
Still trying to figure out why we stopped running the ball. Watching Bammer on Saturday night, they kept ramming that ball at VT until VT finally crumbled. I believe we could do that as well, along with some possession passes to AJG.
I hope our kickers asked the OSU kicker how to kick the ball into the endzone. That sure would be nice to see.
This was the first game of the season, on the road against #9, and it was non-conference. We can fix the mistakes. We just have to do it. Cox is not the problem, the play calling is. Use the personnel properly.
Paul: Not sure if the "swagger" part of your comment was directed at me.
Having good players and coaches is what gives a defense their swagger and killer instinct. Saying its our players and coaches.... well yeah, I agree But what are they lacking? Killer instinct, accountability, discipline, a lot of things.
I also think the Damon Evans criticism is kinda pointless. If we had won that game, the same people would be raving about our top 10 ranking now.
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