Run the Damn Ball.

Let It Go

2011-12-04T11:02:00.001-05:00

I write this blog not for the stats and expert analysis. I write this blog not for the adoration of fans. I have none. Nobody reads it as far as I know. I should call it, "Tree falling in the forest."

I admittedly care too much about the Dogs and how they play. I'm a normal guy with a respectable career, great wife, and a happy regular, well-adjusted life. This is my one oddity. I watch and care about a football team from the college I attended and graduated from 20 years ago. Oh well.

So on to expunging my frustration about the LSU game...then I'll be positive.

I tend to watch games and think of them in moments of potential. In other words...if we get this first down...if we don't stop them...that kind of thing. For instance...what does the other path look like if we catch that first touchdown? What does it look like if we catch the second? Or if we hit the field goal? Or if they actually called the clipping, holding, spearing, or touchback on that run back? The answer is that we'll never know...and that is what bugs me.

I realize that we'll never know and that it perhaps doesn't matter. As a fan though, I can't ignore it. I have no responsibility to "respond" to adversity. I can only hope my team does. I don't have to "get over" wondering about the what-ifs?

What chaps my hide is that we have to deal with them in the first place. If you execute you have better luck. If you catch the ball and score, you don't have to wonder. If you don't commit a dumb penalty, you don't give them the damn ball back on 4th down.

In the end you can say it's true that it does no good to wonder what could have been. I'll grant you that. My point is that you know exactly what happens if you execute. Look back at the previous ten games. It means you win.

Looking ahead, I hope our coaches can keep the players holding their heads high and teach them the lesson. Look how good you look when you play hard and execute. You are young. You have two more seasons of this ahead of you. Learn the lesson.

The Georgia Bulldogs can play with anybody when they do not beat themselves.

Really looking forward to the bowl and next year. Go Dogs.

Look At Us Now

2011-11-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

I've been looking for this Georgia Bulldog football team for a couple of years now. It's the byproduct of focused effort. The coaches are coaching. The players are listening. The schemes are working.

So nice to complete the season with a decisive win over Tech. That makes two ranked teams in 3 weeks. Very nice.

We now face the biggest challenge since Bama came to Athens a few years ago. In fact, this may be the biggest Georgia game in the last decade. Not because we stand to win the National Championship. We don't...but because we stand to win the SEC in a year where they are saying that the SEC West is the best division ever. They're saying LSU may be the best team ever. They are giving the Dogs no chance. Perfect.

I couldn't be happier. We have absolutely nothing to lose. Play loose. Have fun. Fly around. Put a hit on somebody. Make them play tight. Let them worry. We're not defending anything. We are trying to show the rest of college football that they better look out for the Dogs.

We are young, we are pissed and we are dangerous.

Go Dogs.

Fork In The Road

2011-11-12T14:41:00.001-05:00

So here we are...

I'm calling this the biggest fork in the road in the last decade for the Bulldog program.

Win and you've opened the door to a shot at the SEC title. Lose and we have to hope that SC loses too.

To be truthful, we will know before kick off...however...I'm writing before the SC/FLA game ends. I never want to worry about another game when the Dogs are in the driver's seat..so we carry on with this line of reasoning.

We need to win for the confidence of the youngsters. We need to win because it means the East. We need to win because it's Auburn. We need to win because it's the fork in the road.

This is a ranked team. This is our chance to boost confidence. To execute. To show the rest of the SEC that we are a team on the rise.

Because I'll tell you this...if we are not on the rise..we are in trouble. We are young and loaded. Fast and talented. Big and tough. Ready and willing. We are a team that has a chance to crush it for the next two years. Think about that. We are right there on the verge. Who else? While Bama and LSU get all the attention, we are quietly creeping up at the pace you could only dream about. Nobody is talking about us yet we are stacked.

Let's win out and prove our worth..because next year the radar will hone in on us. Next year we cannot play the "rebuilding", "young", or "underdog" card. Next year is our year. The following is even better.

A lot of that depends on how we execute today. This very day. Are we ready? I say yes without hesitation.

Go. Dogs.

With Any Luck

2011-11-01T13:08:00.001-04:00

One thing I keep bringing up on this blog and in conversation is that I believe the Dogs have run out of bad luck. We aren't above dumb penalties and mistakes...I'm just saying the bad luck lacks the severity and timing that it once had. I think we've paid our fair share in unbelievable turnovers and penalties at critical times over the past couple of seasons.

We now seem to be winning the close games. Winning the ugly games. Winning the games we should win because we are no longer committed to beating ourselves.

With any luck on the positive side we have 6 more games to look forward to this season. I have predicted it before and have no reason to alter my assertion. The Georgia Bulldogs will win out. We have yet to see the full power of the machine in motion. We are watching young players gel. We are watching Freshmen and Sophomores learn complicated systems and assignments. Our coaches have found a great bunch of young guys that want to be coached and have bought into being a Bulldog. Seems getting rid of a couple of guys can go a long way.

I could go on about this and that but here's the abbreviated version that I assume everyone can see for themselves. Defense is playing great. Offense seems to be picking up. Bobo is calling a better game. Special teams is awful. I assume the coaches see all these things and will address what needs to be addressed. I'm on a purely opinionated mission here.

I'd love to see us win out. South Carolina needs to drop one. We get to play LSU or Bama. We trip them up. We go to a BCS bowl and execute against a great opponent.

By the end of the year, we will be the team that nobody wants to play.

**UPDATED** 4:45pm. Nov 1.

So I just read that Crowell, Carlton Thomas, and Ken Malcome are suspended for failing a drug test. On top of that...Richard Samuel is out. We literally lost 4 running backs since Saturday.

I am going to say that while that flies in the face of my bad luck theory...I choose to look at it in a positive light. At least it happened before the New Mexico State game and not Auburn.

Will be interesting to see if this dies or gets worse. A lot worse. I hope our luck is good.

One Key Stat

2011-10-24T21:06:00.000-04:00

Here's the only stat I care about for the Georgia/Florida game this weekend. 12-1.

While this could be properly interpreted as 12 beers for 1 guy (this guy)...that is not why I listed those two numbers.

12-1 is the turnover score in the last 3 meetings of these two teams. In fact...the last 3 UGA QBs have all had 3 INT games respectively. During that time we have taken the ball from Florida...ONE...freakin...time.

Murray threw an INT on his first pass....and on his last pass..in last year's matchup. This is simply not something that you can live with.

I have to believe that sheer odds are on our side this year. There's no way Florida can win this many years. There's no way we can turn the ball over that many times. Math won't allow it. We will show up. We will execute. We will stomp the Gators.

There. That's my expert analysis.

Another Ugly Trip To Tennessee

2011-10-16T17:38:00.001-04:00

Just happy to squeak by with the win. That's two weeks in a row we got out of Dodge with a bruise or two but the ugly W.

My theory is still intact. I said it before on this blog. The Dogs will win out this year. Seems even more bold and half cocked given our performance of late.

The theory is based on a couple of things....

Mostly blind allegiance to a team that is half as good as I wish they were...another is the feeling that we're out of bad luck..finally. It's the feeling that we have an incredible set of components that have still not clicked as the one solid unit. Still having miscues, penalties and missed assignments. The difference this year? We are actually winning a couple of the close and ugly games. I think every team needs to win a couple clunkers and get a little lucky during the course of a good season. I just have this nagging feeling that we will get our act together and really hit that next gear.

A week off. Crowell will heal. Malcolm Mitchell will heal. We can prepare for the Gators without "overlooking" some other opponent. We can review last year's game play by play and realize that Aaron Murray lost that game for us by being a freshman. And it's okay. No worries.

This is the year we turn around the Gator curse.

We have a ton of room for improvement. Now is the time to move from "needs improvement" to "don't look now but the Dogs are good".

Mississippi sweep. Tennessee sweep. So far so good.

Tennessee

2011-10-05T21:16:00.003-04:00

What is it about the Tennessee game that chaps my hide every year? I can't put my finger on it. I mean, I know the orange is the easy "go to" answer. They look like crappy popsicles in those get ups. Is it the redneck fanbase? Maybe...but then again the Dogs have their fair share too. Could it be that they play that damn song every time they score?...or gain a yard?...or snap the ball? Probably.

In truth our rivalry, while old, has not been as bitter as it should be. I just naturally hate orange and Tennessee is the worst offender. I just don't like them. Period. And I think that it's healthy to despise a team for no other reason than that you just sorta...do. Just sort of can't stand the bastards. There you go.

Not really scientific but honest.

By the way...look at this gem from Da'Rick Rogers. Here is his wisdom on leaving UGA after committing 7 months earlier. Out of nowhere. Flip Flop.

Tell us all about it, Da'Rick:

Q: Did Georgia have any hints or signs that you were going to flip on them? Did you surprise the coaches when you switched to Tennessee?

A. “I don’t know. I don’t know about the coaches. They can feel however they might have felt. It was all for me. You know, I had to go where I could be happy and I’m in a great place now. I’m happy here.”

Like my opinion...his quote is not really scientific but honest.

But read closely.

"It was all for me."....and the eloquent, "They can feel however they might have felt." The tense doesn't agree but I think you get the hint.

Da'Rick is actually perfect for the Vols. Stay there. Then leave early because some dumb agent oversells your ability to a third tier NFL team.

Go Dogs!

Just Catching Up

2011-09-23T23:26:00.000-04:00

Oh...well hello there average Bulldog fan. I have to say that I totally agree with you. This blog sucks really bad. Nobody should ever check here for any stats, facts, or reliable information.

In fact, I haven't updated it since I walked out of the Dome wondering who those guys in the clown suits were.

We totally blew the South Carolina Game and we completely dominated the high school opponent we faced last week.

And now for the bold prediction.

Huh?

That's right...it's time for the bold prediction.

The Georgia Bulldogs will not lose another game this season.

What?

I'll say it again...The Georgia Bulldogs will not lose another game this season.

I say this mostly because our luck cannot get any freakin worse. At least 3 solid years of absolute shit luck. Horrible. Unthinkable. Just when we think we are doing great. The hag, skank, bad luck slut rears her nasty head.

No more.

Dogs execute. Dogs win. All. Year. Long.

We will destroy all takers and be considered top 5 next year.

Go Dogs.

Past, Present, Future All In One

2011-09-10T00:12:00.000-04:00

Because nobody reads my blog, nobody will notice that I didn't really follow up about the dreaded Boise State game.

I'll say this. We had no game plan. We executed the "no game plan" game plan to perfection. An utterly winnable game but we instead showed up in Maybelline red clown suits and played like unfocused all stars.

In fact, that's what we are.

As a result our past, present, and future collide on Saturday. What the hell does that mean? Well...it means the past season was a living nightmare, the present situation is ugly, and the future of the program will hinge on this one game. Win and we call off the suicide watch for most fans and we put things back on track. Lose and it's "I told you so" for the Richt detractors. Lose and the faith in the Mark Richt Era is shattered.

If You Need A Reason - Part 2

2011-08-28T20:29:00.007-04:00

It's gettin' ugly in the chat rooms on ESPN. Check out this gem from a turd swallowing gonad calling himself, get this, the Boise Gentleman.

HERE IS HIS RUNDOWN:

BoiseGentleman

This game is a serious clash of blue collar VS entitlement issues.

Not 1 Georgia fan feels they have to "earn back" what they lost. They earned it once, and that's it. Teams don't have to keep up that level of effort.

The name alone should earn them a win... what a crappy fan base. AND! The players suffer from this syndrome! That is where the fans learned it from.

I am sorry Georgia fans, I really am for you. Because you guys were so dominant! You've earned a TON of respect and swagger from many years of great football seasons. All of that has led you to the notion that this will be a cakewalk. When in reality, none of those years were earned from any of these players on your roster today. All the trash talking... all the cockiness, will all make it that much harder when you are dealt a loss.

Have a little humility yourself. Last year should have been the ideal wake up call on behalf of all your program represents. But, as we can clearly see, the UGA faithful have learned nothing from it. As if last year never happened! Somehow, it is 1980 every year for most of you folks! This is the basis for my sorrows to you all. That negligence of failure is a coping mechanism to distorting the false reality of power.

Even worse, there seems to be no target of acceptance that things have changed anywhere near the foreseeable future. All hope on that obvious mental fiasco is long gone. I mean, it isn't like only a few of you have this faulty belief... It's nearly all of you! Almost like a suicide religious cult... and all of you, are holding cups. Right before kickoff, you will have the free will to take a step back and get a better, more clear understanding of the true state of things with your football program. The time for entitlement and feeling like you no longer have to work for it is over!

Every last one of you make your program look out of touch and classless. Imagine a brand new (independent) fan comes into these boards, and is deciding what team to root for. How you act, and what you say goes a long way in whether or not Georgia makes a new fan. If I had no dog in the fight, I sure as heck would not become a Georgia fan based on what you all type. You sound like a bunch of obnoxious fools, always putting people down. Disrespectful and in denial of last year.

As I said before, I am truly sorrowful of any Georgia fan who still feels like they are better than someone else. Some much needed respect is due from your corner.

#call.it.as.i.see.it

If You Need A Reason

2011-08-27T17:12:00.000-04:00

I'm waking up from a long slumber. I haven't really turned my attention to the Dogs yet. This past week I've been on ESPN chatting about the upcoming game. It doesn't take much to realize that Bronco fans have already checked off a "W". For most, it seems the only choice left for the season is which BCS bowl they'll be winning. They're unbelievably cocky. Yes, they have been a good club for a few years but sheesh...it's getting to be a bit much.

In case you think I'm overstating it...please watch the presentation below. Yes...they are serious.

Snore Fest

2011-06-19T17:07:00.002-04:00

My goodness....this post is an act of desperation. It's like putting a mirror under a guy's nose to make sure that he's still breathing.

Hockey is done. NBA is done. MLB is in the boring stretch. The NFL is not going to happen this year.

Yikes.

This is the blogpost from the Antarctic outpost of sports boredom. It's the blip that lets you know someone is still out there...but they aren't doing anything but existing.

I've been arguing with Pac 10 fans on ESPN chats about bowl games, for God's sake! I'm bored.

Let's get it on. Bring on the Broncos.

I think I may start talking trash on message boards just to rile them up.

"blink twice if you are alive and you can hear me!"...

blink. blink.

...it's all i can muster...

must...maintain...

summer...sucks...

Ealey

2011-05-10T07:25:00.000-04:00

News today that Washaun Ealey has been granted unconditional release from the team.

Several things come to mind. First, I am resisting the temptation to immediately jump to the cynical side of the issue (for once in my life). Reading posts on some blogs makes me ashamed to be a Bulldog fan. We don't know for sure why he left. We don't know what was actually said. We just know it didn't work out. Why jump on the guy with both feet?

Secondly, I feel a sense that we actually lost a valuable asset. I know the numbers didn't add up quite yet but I feel his best days are ahead of him.

Thirdly, I am happy to see that the coaches are indicating that they're willing to let talent walk away in order to stay true to the idea that the team is more important.

I wish Ealey the best. I'd like to see him go somewhere else and sort it all out. In the meantime, I look forward to the race to fill the void. Competition should produce nice results. Let's see who steps up.

Halfway There

2011-05-01T19:58:00.000-04:00

By my calculations, Wed. May 4th will be the halfway point between the last time the Dogs took the field and the next. Some folks would argue that this is the best part of the sports year. NBA playoffs, The Masters, The Kentucky Derby, NHL Playoffs, MLB just started, the NFL draft is here...lots going on.

Not for me. My real sports season is truly concentrated on a few short Saturdays. I appreciate them at this very moment much more than I do when they arrive.

I know nobody else is counting the days yet...but I am.

I'm ready to shut the Bronco fans up already. Last time I watched a game in the dome I had to suffer celebrating Packer fans. I can't repeat that embarrassment. I want to walk out proudly while people from Idaho curse under their breath...while blue and orange paint mixes with tears running down their sad little cheeks.

Go Dogs. Please practice hard and really show up at the Dome on Sat. Sept. 3rd. See you there.

Spring Thoughts

2011-04-12T08:36:00.001-04:00

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'd like to announce that injury season has officially arrived. 18 players missed the latest spring practice and Trinton Sturdivant is out for the season. I feel really bad for this kid. By all accounts, he was on track to be a fantastic lineman with a ton of potential. Perhaps with modern medicine and rehab he can bounce back to normal and get an NFL look.

I hate that I'll miss the G-Day game. Reports from spring practices look pretty good.

This is also the time of year where I sit around and watch YouTube highlights of the Dogs and get stoked for next year. I might actually enjoy it more than the real game because I don't have to curse at the TV during penalties and turnovers.

Russ and the New Recruits

2011-02-04T18:57:00.001-05:00

Sad to hear that, yet again, we have lost another UGA. Rest in peace, little fella. Looks like our old pal Russ will fill in for the time being. Russ is not technically qualified to be the mascot but he's really starting to grow on me.

As for the recruiting class, I think CMR reached pretty far up his sleeve to pull this one out. Congrats to their entire staff.

One question that remains from my post about recruiting last February. Will they be coached? Or will they be great athletes that are not utilized to their full potential? When they don't work as a team, the Bulldogs are a .500 team with 5 or 6 dudes that go on to get paid on Sunday. Great for them....not so great for the Red and Black. I put the onus on the coaches.

Let's go boys. Time to hit the weight room. We are no longer a proud program. We're a pretty good program with great upside. Time to coach the players up to the hype you sold them on mom and dad's couch last year. You promised them greatness, now coach them up to it.

Go Dogs.

Disgusting Finish

2010-12-31T19:06:00.001-05:00

I love the Dogs. I'm a totally committed fan. As such, I cannot point to a game in the last few years where we played worse and made me feel more helpless and dismayed.

Who was that? Was that the Dogs? Was that Mark Richt?

Holy Freakin' Curse Word!

A losing record? Nice!!

Whatever, man. Let's just move on. Our players are not interested in following rules, our coaches are not interested in discipline, our overall TEAM is not interested in the fact that the fans travel and PAY to see them perform on a mediocre level. Go Dogs. Thanks for a great 2010 season. 6-7 is fantastic.

I'm embarrassed as a fan....when are you going to be embarrassed as a program?

You think you're ready for Boise State? I don't.

A couple of posts ago I committed to a new attitude and mindset of patience. Wow. What a test. I'm always a positive fan of the Dogs but I will now have a bitter pill to swallow until Sept.

Argh. Get a new ATTITUDE, DOGS!! Wake up! You are embarrassing.

Bring in Russ

2010-12-31T09:40:00.000-05:00

Not sure how serious the illness is...but today, Russ will subbing for UGA VIII today. I hope the little fella feels better soon.

So what do we say about the game today? Not much really. Caleb King and two others managed to bookend the season with punishment. That's nice.

UCF is not a team to take lightly. Hmm...what else? AJ Green is an NFL draftee at around 7:45pm tonight. Aaron Murray has a chance to break some records today for freshman Bulldog QBs.

Basically, the Red & Black take the field today. While the game means nothing...perhaps that's the thing that makes it mean something. Can you go out and execute when you have no reason to care? Yes is the answer I'm looking for here.

Go Dogs!

Finish strong.

The New Enemy is Here!

2010-12-11T23:27:00.002-05:00

I graduated from the University of Georgia in 1994 with an ABJ...that's Georgia-speak for a half-assed degree in journalism.

Today...Florida announced that they have found a new coach, Will Muschamp. In reading up on him...I realize that not only is he a former Bulldog player (I kinda remembered that)...but he graduated in 1994!

Behold...the enemy is here and he is familiar...and I feel OLD.

It's sorta like the first time you realize that the Playboy centerfold was born in a year that made you count on your fingers (including your thumb) to verify that you are a dirty old man. "1990!!?? I was in college!!"

Anyhow...this Muschamp putz was a classmate of mine and I didn't realize it until now...and given my continued interest in the success of Bulldog football...it puts him in a special place of contempt. How could you Will? We went to school together, dude!

I'm guessing his answer would be related to tons of money, national fame, wild success, and the opportunity of a lifetime. I don't really care about that though. It's Florida, dude.

You are the traitor that walks among us. You drank big beers from the dirty taps at the Georgia Theater. You told people that you saw R.E.M. for 5 bucks at the 40Watt. You rode the Milledge bus with us. You went to Sonstock instead of freshman English class on a Tuesday afternoon. How dare you, sir? How DARE you?

You played between the hedges. Now you stab us "between the shoulder blades".

Congrats to Will Mus"chimp". Or should I say, Mus"CHUMP"?

Either way, we will be glad to put an asterisk next to your name during the glory years when you recorded a half tackle and no wins under Ray Goff.

Good day to you sir...I said..good DAY!

New Mindset

2010-12-11T14:28:00.000-05:00

So here's my goal. I believe what I need and what the Dogs need is a good change in overall mindset. Far too often we relish in "I told you so". We love to point out problems and throw our hands in the air when they bite us in the ass or repeat. That's human nature. It helps us improve to some degree but without the shift in attitude it only recycles itself.

Learning from past mistakes depends on reconfiguring your mental acceptance and response as well.

We need to be patient with Richt....patient with the new defense....and patient with the current set of circumstances. All the pieces are there to succeed.

Coaching - check
Talent - check
Fans/Support - check
Recruiting - check
History - check

I believe the Georgia fan base is dangerously close to a false positive. In other words, Richt has had two bad seasons and we are ready to conclude that it is time to move on. We expect coaches and athletes to be strong in the face of adversity. Why then do we feel entitled to react like spoiled brats at the first sign of trouble?...myself included.

How about this..? Let's let this thing breathe. Let's instill a sense of confidence in our players and coaches. Let's support the Dogs thru thick and thin.

Yes...I'd like to see CMR get pissed off a little more often.
Yes...I'm tired of the offseason disasters.
Yes...I'm tired of losing to Florida.
Yes...I know we have been our own worst enemies. I get all of that.

I would submit, however, that if you realize that you are your own enemy, and shift your mindset to become your best ally...the culture of winning will prosper again between the hedges.

It is not because of outside forces that we are in this place. It will not be due to outside forces that we get back up and fight again.

Before You Let Your Guard Down

2010-12-05T22:28:00.003-05:00

Ok...so some of you may be content with the mere fact that Florida (more or less) sucked this year.

Please don't forget that they beat us. UGH!! Yes, they beat us. I just vomited. Let's move on.

In the end though...I believe that we, as Georgia fans, tend to forget that we hate every other SEC team...especially Florida.

Here's a vivid reminder of how awesome they are. Just great. Good for you, Gators....good for you.

By the way...dude at the beginning of this video looks JUST like Cam Newton.

**Note. This video has been eradicated from the face of the Earth (or at least youtube). If you know who I need to thank, please comment below. Part of me wishes it was still here so that you could fully grasp the horror.**

Lesson Time

2010-11-26T21:16:00.002-05:00

I'm not a college football coach. I'm a putz with a blog (redundant?).

But why is it that this statistic jumps out at me?

UGA under Richt: 40-3 when....? What?

When are the Dogs 40-3 under Mark Richt?

When we have an individual with a 100yard rushing effort.

Aaron Murray is a fantastic QB with a ton of potential. Imagine if we helped him out by handing the damn ball off to one of our talented RB's. Ealey and King have a ton of upside. Sure they've fumbled in key situations, but that's not a reason to forget the running game.

Dear Coach Richt:

Run The Damn Ball.

Sincerely yours,
Dude that writes a blog called, "Run The Damn Ball".

Thank You.

My System at Work: Season 2

2010-11-25T13:27:00.002-05:00

I outlined a system last year by which we have a short playoff that incorporates existing BCS games. It worked last year. Let's see how it would stand up this year. Remember...you must win your conference AND be ranked appropriately in the BCS.

1. Oregon
2. Auburn
3. TCU
4. Boise

If they schedule based on current rankings, it would look like this:

#1Oregon vs #4Boise - Fiesta Bowl - Jan 1.
#2Auburn vs #3TCU - Sugar Bowl - Jan 4.
#5LSU vs #8Ohio State - Orange Bowl
#6Stanford vs #7Wisconsin - Rose Bowl

Winner of Fiesta vs Winner of Sugar = National Title Game. Glendale, AZ - Jan 10

Any problems with that?

Hypothetical

2010-11-24T23:34:00.002-05:00

Imagine if you will...you are Auburn. Here is your 2010 schedule:

Va Tech
@Wyoming
vs Oregon State
@New Mexico State
vs Toledo
@San Jose State
vs Louisiana Tech
vs Hawaii
@Idaho
vs Fresno State
@Nevada
vs Utah State

Now imagine that you are Boise State:

vs Arkansas State
@Miss State
vs Clemson
vs South Carolina
vs Louisiana-Monroe
@Kentucky
vs Arkansas
vs LSU
@Ole Miss
vs Chattanooga
vs Georgia
@Alabama
TITLE GAME: vs South Carolina

In a vacuum...which schedule do you choose?

Yeah...that's what I thought. Better yet...would Boise State or TCU like this run...?
vs UNC
@Florida
vsWVU
@Auburn
vsAlabama
@Arkansas

That's only HALF of LSU's schedule.

Piss off if you don't believe that there is a difference in the strength of schedule between teams like Boise State and big conference teams.

The question is not whether or not Boise is a good team. The question is...how good would you be week in and week out with the big boys? Of COURSE you can go toe to toe for one freakin game. We are tired...you are not. You've been playing weak teams. Bottom line.

Seriously...look above again...tell me Boise State's record after playing Auburn's schedule.

By the way...the answer is 7-5.

BONUS ROUND:

You are TCU....here's your schedule...you get a SIX game schedule for all the marbles...ready? go:
@Arizona
vsPenn State
@Michigan
vsWisconsin
vsMichigan State
vsOhio State

Well...!? How did TCU fare thru this schedule? I'm sure they were undefeated, right? Huh? No freakin way. That's the answer.

For what it's worth...the above schedule is a 6 game sample from Iowa's actual schedule this year.

Let me say it again...you do not compete like the big boys do. Sorry.

Cooler Head

2010-11-14T09:18:00.002-05:00

Ok. I've had a chance to lighten up a little. Pretty fired up last night at the CBS presentation. The Braves played the Mets after 9-11. The Falcons played the Saints after Katrina and the Dogs what? Oh...they played Cam Newton after a week of being accused of doing bad things...who was then treated like a messiah.

Again...I hope he's not guilty. I hate the idea that his reputation is tarnished. However, I think we have seen a gross pendulum swing the other way. Now what we seem to be hearing is..."See, he's a great football player. He can't possibly be guilty of anything. Look at him go!!"

As for the game, we put up 31 points on the #2 team in the nation. Our offense represented themselves well. Murray is going to be really fun to watch for a few years. Our defense needs some tweaking and we need to recruit guys that can excel under this system. I think what we have now is good players trying to figure it out for the first time. Anyhow...I'm not worried about it. We've done some really good things this year and I'm hopeful for our immediate future.

We have put ourselves in a position to win each and every game until at least the mid fourth quarter. I think the Dogs can hold their heads high.

One more against the Jackets and done. I think the program should turn down a bowl bid but that's just me. I'm not a senior on the team so it's easy for me to be cavalier about such things.

Complete and Utter Nonsense

2010-11-13T19:54:00.005-05:00

First off...I'm O.K. with our team being the inferior team on the field of play. What I'm REALLY sick of, though...is the CBS worship session for Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Florida. Holy Sheep Shit!

Gary Danielson and Verne Lundquist are the worst sycophant suck jobs I've heard in my entire life.

UGA lost today. They got called for 4 huge 15-yard penalties. We saw ZERO replays on those penalties. What we did see though was the alleged push off on Green and the "hilarious" face punch by Newton on the defender. Huh? That was illegal and described by Danielson himself as, "unnecessary". We also got to see the pivotal moment where our defender almost picked off Cam Newton but the defender interfered. OOPS! Nevermind..they called it on Rambo. Argh.

Oh..and did you notice that the kicker not only tipped it off his calf but also touched the ball with his left hand before recovering the onside kick? Nah? Neither did the officials or the CBS crew.

To top it all off, chop blocks and dirty hits were celebrated all day long for Auburn.

While I don't want to see Cam Newton wrongfully convicted in the court of public opinion, I also do not wish to see a thug celebrated in the face of public decency.

I now fear that the thug scenario is the more likely. Sorry...but the CBS crew was entirely too satisfied to watch Cam Newton win today.

I'll say this. Cam Newton is a great player. Auburn is an average team...with Cam Newton.

It's official. I despise the CBS SEC crew. I cannot watch them. They are total whores.

They care nothing about the ACTUAL GAME....they cheer openly for the "story". F*&k the story. Call the game.

Auburn. Game Day

2010-11-13T15:15:00.005-05:00

No live blog today. Gonna be knee deep in hot wings and cold beer at the house.

One thing is for certain. Verne Lundquist is going to be really annoying. I mean legendary.

I used to love listening to him call college football. Now he is insufferable. Stick to golf, Verne.

Ten bucks says he'll refer to Cam Newton today as, "Cameron Newton"...and he's got a prepared "off the cuff" call for when Newton scores his first TD. Ugh. I miss Keith Jackson.

Slow motion replay of Cam Newton scoring a TD....CBS music kicks in...silence...Old Fat Verne, "Cameron (pause for effect) Newton. Wow." Cue the Geico commercial.

Old Verne packed a special leather cleaning kit in his bag this week...ready to buff up Newton's satchel. Somebody kill me.

Oh...by the way. Dogs win this game. Did I mention that?

It's 3:15pm. Time for the Verne show. He might actually pull the Jim Baker and cry. Stay tuned.

Ha!!

The game hasn't even started and Verne just did the serious, "Cameron...Newton"...

What a putz. Go Dogs.

For the record...he just did it again.

real thoughts about the actual game on the next post

Let's Be Fair

2010-11-10T10:06:00.004-05:00

I know it's fun to slag on opposing teams and their fans....but let's be fair here.

Absolutely no one has proven that Cam Newton did anything. It drives me mad in today's society that public conviction requires only that one "source" throw out a nasty allegation. The rest takes care of itself.

"Where there's smoke there is fire." Nonsense. Especially when the smoke is concocted by a gutless accuser and there is no proof we're even smelling real smoke. It offends the agreement reality that we've been living in as a country for a couple hundred years. It offends due process and presumed innocence...and it sucks.

Make a hero. Tear down a hero. Just because it's compelling conjecture and there is a 24 hour news cycle to fill in order to keep the masses well fed does not justify taking shots at a person presumed to be innocent.

The "developing story" makes me sick sometimes. This is one of them.

Let's assume we learn that all of this is correct. Fine. Why could we have not just collected all of the info and come forward with it when we've got enough to take the guess work away? In other words..."Cam Newton found guilty of X, Y, or Z".

The sad part is that if we find that he did nothing wrong...we've put him through months of torture in the name of the "public has a right to know". Perhaps it does but we should get ahold of when the public has a right to know.

Approaching it with suspicion and pre-conviction public shame unfairly rips the character of the accused for weeks or months. If and when he's exonerated, it will be a boring blurb scrolling by in the lower third of your screen.... and we'll have already moved on to a new witch hunt.

Another Reminder

2010-11-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

War Eagle Logic

2010-11-09T07:38:00.003-05:00

This is an interesting video. It's ESPN's Mark Schlabach reporting from Auburn. The reason they're yelling at him? Because he has the sheer audacity to actually report a timely story alleging that Cam Newton may have asked for money to sign a letter of intent.

From their intensity, you'd just as easily guess Schlabach was actually kicking a puppy during his report about how to beat up senior citizens. I sorta wanted to go to the Auburn/Ga game this week but this video reminded me that Auburn fans will be there.

"Tell us the truth!", says one woman.

You live in Alabama and you cheer for the second best team in the state. There's a trampoline, a huge satellite dish, and a bad baby-jesus-plastic-manger scene in your front yard. There's the truth heatin' up, kitten. Want me to go on?

**Update**

As of the morning of Tues. Nov. 9th...new stories are surfacing that Cam Newton may have faced expulsion for cheating at Florida...in addition to the stolen laptops and in addition to the allegations that he wanted money to sign.

I'm sure the Auburn faithful will easily defend this by yelling, "War Eagle" at the nearest reporter. It seems to work for them in the clip below.

Idaho State Game

2010-11-06T12:36:00.021-04:00

Any chance this will be a nightmare game wherein we lose to an opponent to a lower division? I think not...and god I hope not. Not sure how much of the game I will cover but here goes:

Kick off coming to Boykin. Go Dogs.

Murray takes the offense onto the field. Here we go. Nice fake up the middle. Pass to Green for 13. Next play is Branden Smith out of the backfield. I like when we do this. Wish we'd do it more often with him. Caleb King picks up a bunch of yards. We look good so far. We should. We're playing a team that we should destroy. No reason to disrespect the efforts of the ISU Bengals in explaining why...we should just destroy this team.

Hmm...drive stalled at the 20 for field goal.

Dogs 3 Bengals 0

For some reason, we feel as though it's mandatory to give up 40 freakin yards every time we kick off. Here comes ISU on offense. 3 and out.

Dogs ball. Moving it pretty well. Inside ISU territory. Long pass to Green incomplete. For what it's worth, I have noticed a lot of no calls and bad calls against Green. A few TDs that were disallowed and guys holding and shoving him like he owes them money.

Oh boy. Murray just got sacked. That should be enough for Richt to pull the entire O-line. Don't believe me? He just got sacked again. Mostly a coverage sack but we should not be at 3rd and 17 due to two sacks. Oh...make that 4th. He just got hurried into a bad pass. Time to punt on the 1-7 Bengals (from a lower division).

Decent defense. ISU punts. Dumb penalty on us. We've pinned ourselves deep in our own territory. Couple run plays give us some breathing room. This would be a good time to start pounding the ball on every play. Shocking that I would suggest a thing...I know.

Dogs with a few nice runs. Bad call against ISU for a phantom late hit. Murray looks bad throwing the ball. He was hurried. Again. Ugh. 3rd and 10 and guess what? They hurried Murray again. He made a terrible throw. Time to kick a really long FG. Walsh hits 53 yarder.

UGA 6 ISU 0

Our kicking game is great but we need a guy that can kick it into the end zone every time. I'm tired of dudes catching it on the 10 or 15. Not a great way to let them start.

Dogs ball near the 50 End of the 1st Quarter. UGA 6 ISU 0

2nd QUARTER

Nice play to Tavarres King. He gets up limping. Nice pass to AJ Green. Negated by a holding penalty. Nice run by Caleb King down to the six. No bad news to even things out. Go Dogs. Caleb King is in for a TD.

Dogs 13 Bengals 0

We kicked off into the end zone. Bengals take over.

Pick 6 for Rambo. I wish he could've caught the one against Florida last week with the same results. Ugh. What could have been. Ok...I'm back to this game. Go Dogs.

Dogs 20 ISU 0

Decent defense for a couple plays. Boykin INT return to the 4. Dogs have 1st and goal. TD for AJ Green.

Dogs 27 ISU 0

Looks like my wife will be dragging me from the friendly confines of the couch out into the real world for something called, "lunch". I can hardly wait. Until then...Go Dogs. Put in some youngsters to give them some reps.

Ok...blah blah blah and a bunch of shit happened and the Dogs win 55-7.

Next week is Auburn. I believe we will knock them off their high horse. I believe Cam Newton is the best player in college football but will have an off day. We'll knock him around and confuse him to create a miserable Saturday for Tiger fans.

Go Dogs!

A Couple of Views

2010-10-31T21:04:00.001-04:00

Here's the view from the hotel:

Here's the view from the game:

Here's the view from a confused fan:

How can you win with that many turnovers? How many times can I complain like an old lady that the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs collapse on the absolute verge of success? How many "woulda coulda shoulda" games can we play in?

Couple of random notes:

-the Georgia/Florida game is a great rivalry
-the tailgating at the Georgia/Florida game pales in comparison to any ol' Saturday in Athens
-Jacksonville, Florida is a visually interesting city with a cool layout. The river. The beach. Great concept. Somehow it manages to have no perceptible soul to the average visitor. But hey....thanks a lot for Limp Bizkit.
-The Omni is a decent hotel unless you get the "upgraded" room that I got...meaning absolutely NOT the room I prepaid for a few months ago but rather a smoking room that smells like a witch's taint and has one less bed than the printed confirmation would lead you to believe. I would rather lick a cigar stained ash tray than return to that hotel.
-The Landing is great on Friday afternoon...only. It blows goat from then on...

Alright...I'll finish on positive notes:

-We almost won, even though we didn't play a great game
-Red and Black still kicks the shit out of any team colors anywhere
-we've got great fans, a great band, and a great program...the team is pretty good...it needs to get great to match the rest
-Mark Richt is not on the hot seat. He's been frustrating for a year and a half. Everyone relax. Great coaches have ups and downs like everyone. If we suck ALL YEAR next year...then we can talk.
-Murray had a decent game with a couple bad mistakes. He's a first year starter. It's OK. Everyone relax. It's a big game. A couple of the INT's were tipped. Not the end of the world.
-A fall college football game is and always will be the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
-I'm OK with calling this year the year of Murray's development. Let the kid go wild. Start dialing up crazy plays. Turn him loose. To hell with it. Break all the eggs now.

Go Dogs.

p.s. - We WILL spoil Auburn's season. You heard it here on Oct. 31st.

Final score: Fla 4, GA 1

2010-10-31T10:15:00.012-04:00

Thank you for standing up sir. Now we know who the real Slim Shady is.

It ain't the one who went 3-0 the last 3 weeks

It aint' the one who had a +8 turnover margin in those games (9-1)

It ain't the one who averaged 182 yds on 40 rushing attempts...

Nope.

It's the one we saw yesterday. Dropping wide-open passes, missing wide open receivers, playing well at times - especially the 4th qtr - but showing very little in the way of consistency.
Throwing 3 picks & losing a fumble.

Rushing for 126 yds on only 34 attempts.

Great game? One for the ages? Sorry you media cheesedicks but this fan vehemently disagrees.
Just because a team shows some grit & comes back from an 11 pt deficit in the 4th qtr to send it to OT - that does not make it an "instant classic".

Did you stop & think to yourseleves that if UGA had thrown 1 less pick, or fallen on even 1 of those Fla fumbles that Larry, Moe or Curly could have recovered (hell, even Shemp could have come up with 1 of those balls), that this game is in the bag, & that 11 pt deficit never exists?

Here's some good news. We had only 2 penalties the entire game...that has to be a 1st.
Bad news? One of them was a horseshit late hit call in the 1st qtr that led to a score.

In virtually all of the games in this rivalry, despite records, momentum, talent, etc. the team that runs more & for more yds wins the game.
It really is that simple.

So Coach Richt, on the slim (shady) chance that you read or even hear about this blog, next time tell your star receiver to go pound sand when he whines & pouts about not getting the ball. Tell him to wait until the next game when he'll have 12 receptions for 150 yds & 3 TD's.

But in this game, he's a decoy, a blocker & maybe a guy who gets a couple screens thrown his way. Period.

Next time coach, just run the damn ball.

Florida

2010-10-26T20:06:00.003-04:00

Headed down to Jacksonville on Friday. Omni. Landing. Tailgate. Game. Victory celebration. In that order.

Is it foolish for me to have hope? Am I silly for thinking we have a chance here? I think not. I think we have a real shot to really pound a despised rival. If we don't...oh well then. I just like our chances and I like how our team is developing this year.

Again...win out and wait for SC to self destruct. It would make for an interesting home stretch of the season.

In lieu of actual meaningful analysis I leave you with this telling image...It says it all really.

Next week? Slim Shady vs Fla

2010-10-24T10:46:00.014-04:00

ok, so maybe this is a bad idea.
invoking Eminem before the Fla game...don't know if it's ever been done, but damn it - here goes!

In Georgia's last 3 games, here are some important things to note re: rushing yds, rushing attempts & turnovers:

UGA vs Tenn
* Rush yds - UGA 136, TN 9
* Rush attempts - UGA 36, TN 26
* Turnovers - UGA 0, TN 3
- GA wins 41-14

UGA vs Vandy
* Rush yds - UGA 232, Vandy 58 (hey it's better than 9!!)
* Rush attempts: UGA 45, Vandy 27
* Turnovers - UGA 0, Vandy 2
- GA wins 43-0

UGA vs Kentucky
* Rush yds - UGA 177, KY 70
* Rush attempts - UGA 39, KY 31
* Turnovers - UGA 1, KY 4
- GA wins 44-31

So, can anyone find Waldo here?

Last 3:
UGA avgs 182 rush yds, & the opponents avg 46. UGA avgs 40 attempts, opponents avg 28. UGA has 1 turnover, & forces 9.

By this time next week, someone's 3 game streak will end, & if the UGA of the last 21 days shows up, it will not be ours.
If not - more of the same misery in JAX.

The Gators haven't lost 4 in a row since 1999. That may not seem like a lot, but 11 yrs ago, Blake Lively was only 12. Now she's, well she's Blake Lively.

So, which is it fellas?
Won't the real Slim Shady please show up, please show up, please show up?

Kentucky Game

2010-10-23T20:11:00.041-04:00

Late to the live blog. Oh my god! Absolutely nobody on this earth cares or noticed. Perfect. Woo WOO!

Any-freakin-how....

Dogs up 14-3. We've given up huge third down conversions...but...we've gotten huge turnovers and we returned a kickoff.

Blair Walsh missed yet another field goal. I'm really OK with that...as long as it isn't in the clutch.

UGA 14 UK 3

fourth down for UK. here goes a big stand for the D. and....?...stopped? wow. It's close. Ugh..Freakin refs with a great spot. Oops!!! Didn't get it. Ha!

The yellow line lies!! Bulldogs get the ball.

Dogs slug it out. They push and shove for a first down. Ealey seems to want to be the guy.

END OF FIRST QUARTER
UGA 14 UK 3

Ealey runs for 9 more. Dogs in the red zone.

Murray swings it out to Green. Down to the 2. Ealey tripped up at the 2.

2nd and Goal for the Dogs. Ealey walks in.

I could've handed off to my fat aunt Sally for a TD there. Nice!

UGA 21 UK 3

Good D by the Dogs. We force the punt. We get the ball.

Murray moving the chains. Dogs up 21-3 ball on our own 41. Randall Cobb jogs to the locker room. He's an absolute beast for the Wildcats. I hate to see a guy like that headed to the locker room. I may despise my opponent but I don't wish ill on their players.

Murray scrambles and falls short of the 1st down. Time to punt. Sorry to be excited about a punt but, dude. Butler flips the field for us yet again. Wildcats ball inside their own ten. That matters. Sorry, the punter matters. And we have the best in the country. Another Butler. Go Dogs.

Cats from the 2. Stuffed. 2nd down and 8 from their own 2.
Fumble. Dogs ball. Go Dogs.

I'm not the Offensive Coordinator but I say, "I wide right hand off to my fat aunt Sally".

Argh...lame throw to Green. 2nd and Goal.
Ugh. Lame handoff to Ealey. 3rd and Goal.
Pitch to Ealey. Third TD. Suck it, Wildcats. Just Suck IT!!

UGA 28 UK 3

Ok...so we sputtered and stammered on defense...Eventually we gave up a big TD pass. That is not OK. I know we're winning but that is a big problem for us. We keep doing this. It doesn't matter at this very moment. But it sure as hell could matter later.

UGA 28 UK 10

1:00 left in the 2nd Quarter. Don't forget that UK had a huge comeback against us last year. Just a reminder.

Let's not lose our focus.

HALFTIME. UGA 28 UK 10
THIRD QUARTER

Dogs will get the kickoff to start the 2nd Half.

Programming note: Telemundo: Tigre contra Pumas
CNBC: Suze Ormond
Fox: 2 and a Half Men

Dogs running it to start the 2nd half. Ealey looks good so far. Go Dogs.

We swing it out to Green. 34 yard pick up. Wow. Pass to Wooten. Down to the 2 yard line.

Hand off to Ealey. 4th Touchdown. Holy Shit. Suck it, Cats. Sidenote: Blair Walsh just missed an extra point. This kid is solid gold. Why he is missing kicks lately is beyond anyone's guess. Argh. Come on kid...wake up. You have a chance to be one of the all time greats at UGA.

UGA 34 UK 10

Kentucky drives. We get an INT in the end zone. wow. Dogs looking good.

Our efforts sputter out. Punt by Butler. Cats take over on their own 34.

Cats moving the ball. This is a good test for the Defense. We stopped them on 3rd down and guess what? We had a freakin penalty that kept their drive alive. SHOCKING!

I know...it's really crazy that a Georgia team would kick itself in the nuts. But we did. Kentucky now has the ball deep in our territory as a direct result of our own friggin stupid play.

So...Ball on the 21. Nothing.
3rd and 1 from the 22. Standby. Let's see if we just give it to them again.

Jesus Christ. We didn't exactly just give it to them but they threw it into the end zone and some asshole stopped and grabbed it for a TD. That's what happens when you let the other team hang around. They pull a rabbit out of the hat.

UGA 34 UK 17 (assuming they hit the extra point)
START OF THE 4th QUARTER

Completed pass to Green. Dogs at the UK 11.

Ealey to the 1yard line. Another hand off to Ealey. 5th TD of the night. He just tied the record for TD's in a game. Go Dogs.

UGA 41 UK 17

Not sure what happened other than the Cats got the ball....had a bunch of big plays and ran the ball down the field against us for a TD.

UGA 41 UK 25

For the record. It's a 2 possession game for UK. We seem to be comfortable with dicking around and letting Kentucky do good things. We need to fall out of love with that idea. Time to step on their throat.

Dogs ball on the 20. Ealey got dropped. Ugh.
2nd Down. Here we go...and...Ealey picks up 7 or 8. Not so bad. Murray converts the QB sneak.

Ealey is over 100yards for the day. Ealey picks up another 7. 2nd and 3.

Chapas stopped for nothing. 3rd and 3.

Ealey gets the first but goes down hard. He is grabbing his knee.He went down awkwardly.

Thomas comes in to the game. Thomas gets a good 6 or 7. Nice run. Wow. Now he sticks his head into the pile and pounds out a first down. Run. The. Damn. Ball. Go Dogs.

Damn it. Ealey is down again. I hope it's only a cramp. At least he isn't being arrested.

Dogs have 3rd and goal. Ugh. Thomas got stuffed. Time to kick.

And the kick is good.

UGA 44 UK 25

Go Dogs.

2 minutes left and we seem to be getting sloppy. We just had a roughing penalty and then gave up an 8 yard run. UK may get another score. That sucks. We're kicking the shit out of them. Don't let them score and make it appear closer.

ARGH!! We let them throw a TD pass.

Now it's UGA 44 UK 31

Here comes the onside kick. We should have stopped those bastards.

It will surprise no one on this green earth that Kentucky recovered the kick. Why we can't close...I'll never know.

Dogs get the win.

Just For Fun

2010-10-23T08:07:00.001-04:00

Sitting here looking at the standings and looking at the rest of our season I let my mind wander a little. Just a thought...if South Carolina loses twice and we take care of bidness against Kentucky, Florida, and Auburn, we could find ourselves in Atlanta playing for the SEC.

Now...I understand that a simple plan doesn't mean it's an easy one.

Simple plan: Climb that mountain.
Easy plan: Take a helicopter to the top of the mountain
Simple and Easy: Sit right freakin here and drink beer while watching someone do it on TV.

Which is about my level of involvement in the aforementioned "Win the SEC" scenario I've so irresponsibly laid out.

Look...you have to have goals. Mine is to not break something the next time a potentially game winning drive stalls at the four with a fumble. The Bulldogs should huddle up, look at the schedule and rededicate themselves to winning the SEC.

I'm sure they don't even need to RE-dedicate themselves. It has probably always been the goal. I'm just saying that the first "dedication" didn't seem to light the fire we hoped to see.

As a fan I like to see us still in the mix. I wish we didn't have to cheer for so many other teams to hopefully lose...but isn't that just being the fan of an SEC team?

Vandy Game

2010-10-16T13:09:00.025-04:00

A little late getting started here. The rundown so far:

Most importantly: We welcome UGA VIII.

We called all three of our timeouts within the first 5 minutes of the 1st Quarter.

Murray looks pretty good. He missed Green once and Green dropped a pass.

We've gotten a couple bad breaks. Points taken off the board on a play called back....then we pinned them inside the 5 on a punt and committed a dumb penalty to put them out to the 20. Nothing earth shattering.

Run game just scored in 2 plays. Nice!

UGA 10 Vandy 0

Overall, we look good. Just no tempo to the game yet. Lots of hiccups with timeouts, flags, reviews and such. Oh well....we're up and it looks like we came to play today.

Bad snap over the Vandy QB's head! Ball goes into the end zone..we recover.

For the 2nd time today the crowd goes apeshit on a defensive touchdown and instead...the call is overturned...taking points off the board. Ugh...they rule it a safety instead. We can't seem to celebrate without having an interruption...be it a flag..a review...whatever.

Whenever we do something good, I don't even bother clapping...I look for the flag...for the "hold everything"...it's now happened twice today.

Ok...done bitching about that. It's points. We get the ball.

Murray looks good scrambling. 11 yards. END OF QUARTER

2nd QUARTER - UGA 12 Vandy 0

Ok..back to bitching...some goon for Vandy just fully speared into Murray pure helmet on helmet contact, leading with his freakin head. NO call. As they showed slow motion helmet to helmet, Murrays head snaps back and the stupid announcer goes, "hmmm...I'm not so sure that couldn't have possibly been a potential helmet to helmet shot..." Oh really? Potentially? We're watching slow motion proof, dingleberry.

Next play...Vandy guy drapes all over Green NO flag.

We punt. We finally get a freakin call. We've got Vandy trapped inside their own ten.

Ok...we've got the ball back at their 40 due to good field position, bad Vandy punt. Go Dogs. We need points that don't get called back.

Nice run for Ealey. Of course that means he gets up limping. Perfect. Holy smokes man. No good play or break goes unpunished. Carlton Thomas looks good on the next run. First down.

Ealey back in...Chapas gets first and goal. Drive looks good. Let's stick it in the end zone.

Nice! Kris Durham. TD.

UGA 19 Vandy 0 - UGA VIII = already napping. Good boy.

I know it's Vandy, but our defensive looks pretty good today. We've given up a couple big pass plays but overall I'm pleased with the intensity and tackling.

Good play developing. We're moving the chains. Ealey looking really good today.

Ok...I am SO freakin sick of this review or not review, catch or no catch bullshit. AJ Green just made an amazing catch. They ruled it no catch. They showed the replay. He freakin caught it. It makes me nuts that they didn't even bother to review it. On top of that, these assbag announcers are sitting there making these excuses for it not being a catch. Any putz could tell you it was a catch or at least worth reviewing. Good God, man. So now we have to settle for a field goal. Piss off. I'm so tired of catch (or no catch) calls being so damn arbitrary....and it always seems to take points OFF the board for us. We're up to 21 points so far just today.

Anyhow...to hell with it.

UGA 22 Vandy 0 - HALFTIME

Wow...Kris Durham snatches the ball out of triple coverage for a 22yard 3rd down conversion. Bad idea for Murray to throw it. Great play to come down with it.

Geez...AJ Green just grabbed one and took it straight to the damn house. 50 something yards. Man oh man I am gonna miss this dude. Think we could get a miracle and he stays next year? nah...me neither. It'd sure be nice though.

UGA 29 Vandy 0

Yet another good long sustained sensible drive that leads to a TD.

I know it's Vandy...but if we weren't romping...you'd be saying, "it's VANDY!! we should be romping!"

In short...this is the UGA team we have been waiting for. It's a complete effort for the 2nd week in a row. I love to see us playing at our level instead of lowering to the competition...which we've done several times in the last few years. SEE ALSO: Kentucky game last year.

UGA 36 Vandy 0

Interception. Georgia marches down and scores again.

UGA 43 Vandy 0

3 and out for Vandy. Long day for the Commodores.

Here come the Dogs again. Let's see if Richt pulls the starters for the 4th Quarter. It would be the smart thing. Yep...Hutson Mason is in. NICE!! I like this kid.

Mason leads a nice little drive. Walsh with a rare FG miss. Glad that wasn't for the game.

Not much going on now. Still hoping for a shutout. We have 40+ two games in a row. Defense looks great when they don't get burned for huge plays. Good job getting off the field today too.

Stopped the 'Dores on 4th down. Should be a matter of a couple runs and a punt for a complete game and impressive shut out. Go Dogs!

Another impressive win. A shutout for the defense. A Tennessee sweep for the Dogs this year. Always nice.

Dogs looked pretty damned good today. Gotta say. Pretty freakin good. I am hopeful for the rest of the season.

FINAL
UGA 43, Vandy - Goose Egg

Good Dog/Bad Dog

2010-10-13T19:21:00.000-04:00

Bad Dog: Caleb King. Does that make him UGA 11? 11 arrests. That's enough to field one side of a football team. Top notch work.

Good Dog: UGA VIII.

Best mascot in sports. A new one makes his debut on Saturday in Athens. A Thank You to Russ for filling in. Not that he realizes he filled in...he's a freakin' dog, afterall. Oh well, I'm being stupid. I'm writing a blog to thank a dog. Ok, time to stop.

Go Dogs. UGA VIII is on duty.

Rocky Bottom

2010-10-09T15:52:00.000-04:00

It's usually bad form to celebrate the misfortunes of others. In this case...I'd even say it's bad form to celebrate the misfortune of a team that wears orange. There is not one team in the ranks of college football that wears orange that I would pity.

I will say this instead. I am really thrilled at the incredibly fortunate turn of events that allowed the Bulldogs to put together a complete and utter ass whooping on an SEC opponent today.

I hope the Tennessee faithful care about their team enough to be as miserable as they should be. That damned "Rocky Top" is the bane of my existence. I hate it on a level I cannot describe. Watching them play that song with such glee while we are down justifies my smug, contemptuous satisfaction today that the Volunteers laid an utter and complete turd sucking performance in the middle of the field and wallowed in it. Meanwhile...the Dogs righted the ship. We're still in the storm but we've aimed our bow at blue skies.

Suck it Volunteer fans...Just suck it. I am so happy that it's your turn to cry.

I have broken my rule. I am man enough to admit it. I am happy that you are shaking your head in disgust.

Oh...and by the way. Bama goes down today. Sorry Tide. You can suck it too.

Tennessee Game

2010-10-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

I've literally been afraid to start my semi-live ranting today.

We just scored another nice TD to go up 34-7 on Tennessee. It almost makes me nervous to jinx it by blogging.

Overall...Dogs look good today, Vols look like stir fried donkey turds.

8 minutes left in the 3rd...as I write, Tenn just completed 58 yard pass.

I think I'm done for today. I'll write what I hope is a victory summary soon.

I Love The Dogs

2010-10-03T09:30:00.003-04:00

Seriously...

No sarcasm here. I truly love the Dogs. We are 1-4 and I am still thrilled that it's football season. I've already let go of the dream. I've already let go of the what-ifs. I've already let go of salvaging the season. Now it's just Bulldogs football. It's the colors. It's a fall Saturday. It's Athens. It's the best time of the year.

I can still grill and drink beers.
The weather is still great.
The Red and Black combination is still the best.
The "G" still makes me happy.
I am making a pledge to enjoy the games ahead...I sure know I haven't enjoyed much thus far.

I have figured out what drives me crazy about the Dogs...now it's time to remember and celebrate what makes me a fan in the first place.

Go Dogs.

No TV coverage? No problem.

2010-10-02T22:58:00.008-04:00

Evening folks.

So the Dogs just flubbed another game. Stumbled & fumbled their way to another loss to another inferior opponent.
The stomach is too turned to watch - reading Emerson's rantings & "watching" on ESPN.com (at this point, UGA ain't even good enough to warrant a blip on the ESPN3 radar. Nope - can't even see it on the old computer. Relegated to viewing the award winning graphics created by the geeks in Bristol).

Living outside of SEC viewing territory is usually annoying as all hell, but today it was a blessing. All the furniture is still intact, the dog still has all 4 limbs attached, & my knuckles ain't bleeding.
And I got to see some great games - Dartmouth & Penn went to OT in a real a nail biter/barn-burner. Edge of my seat.

But it's not all bad, as I was able to watch both Ga Tech & Alabama, & was extremely impressed by both teams - for very different reasons.
* GT - not much of a showing on the ground for a Paul Johnson team, but they were down 2 scores in the 4th qtr & pulled off a 3 pt win. Showed tons of grit, never lost focus or confidence & showed how to get it done despite playing poorly against a very mediocre team.
* Bama - wow. You just don't do that to Florida. Especially Urban Meyer's Fla team. Bama pounded them like a screen door in a hurricane. Yeah the Gators did have some stupid turnovers, & "held" the Ingram/Richardson beast in check for much of the 2nd half. But good grief. Even Bama's 3rd string RB looked like a Heisman candidate. They are the epitome of a true SEC team & exactly what I dream about when I fall asleep on the couch reading The Economist.
They play defense - really well
They run the ball - really, really well.
They force turnovers - often.
(are you reading this Mark?)

It does not seem possible nor plausible that anyone will be able to put together 4 qtrs good enough to beat the Tide.
I just don't see it.

Coach Richt - take note. Have your staff make a few dozen copies of each Bama game & give them to all your coaches. Make them watch them - every day. The whole season. They should watch as much Bama film as they do on the upcoming opponent.

That is an SEC football team, & that is what the Dogs need to strive for. Nothing less.

Colorado Game

2010-10-02T19:09:00.072-04:00

Almost time for kickoff. Colorado is not really that good this year...but neither are we so who knows?

For what it's worth...running that stupid Buffalo is kinda cool.

1st Quarter

We kicked off. Touchback.

Lot's of empty seats in Boulder. Probably a great town for other stuff...but a bit of a shit town for college football, yeah? Can't fill a stadium in college football?

Nice...we just gave up a huge gain on a freakin' QB sneak. We've given up a TD on the opening drive THREE GAMES IN A ROW.

COLORADO 7 UGA 0

PROGRAMMING NOTE: "Good Burger" just cranked up on ABC Family.

2nd and Goal for Colorado: Touchdown. Flag on the play. Nevermind. It's on us. Everyone celebrate in Boulder. FOUR GAMES IN A ROW....we give up a TD on the first drive.

I switched to "Good Burger". Somebody call me if we do something good...

Good drive for the Dogs so far. We're in the red zone already. Bring it.

Oh well...we sputtered out. Time for a field goal.

COLORADO 7 UGA 3

...wow..."Good Burger" is under appreciated comedy gold. Aw man...wiping the tears. Hey...are the Dogs on TV yet?

Oh great...one of our guys just went down and blew out a knee. If it's not an arrest, it's an injury. Mark Richt has been given the shittiest hand in college football this year.

Just heard that CMR is one of 7 coaches to go 90 games or more without losing 3 in a row. We've now lost 3 in a row...working on 4. Argh. Go Dogs.

3 and out for Colorado. If I'm a cynic, I'm worried that we'll rough the kicker or fumble the kick. Neither happened.

Dogs have the ball. 1st Quarter still.

Hmm...3 and out for the Dogs. Time for a punt. We've got field position, at least.

Nevermind...Colorado has crossed midfield.

SECOND QUARTER - COLORADO 7 UGA 3

Colorado has the ball on our 45. 1st and 10. Let's go D.

3rd down for Colorado. HUGE PLAY...down to the 1. Wow. We suck.

We had them at a third down. They got a big play. Then an easy TD. Who are we? Are we the Dogs?

Hold up. Play under review. Is it a TD?

I'm such a cynic. I KNOW it's not a TD...but i KNOW they'll give it to him. Standby...

Yep...told ya. They gave it to him...even though the announcers totally agreed that it was most certainly NOT a TD. God bless America...

COLORADO 14 UGA 3

End around to AJ Green. Nice run for 30+ yards.

Caleb King just bulldozed and shoved his way for 20 yards. First and goal for the Dogs.

Now 3rd and goal. Big point in the game here.

Are you kidding me? If you thought AJ Green didn't matter, then watch this play and tell me he's irrelevant. The booth is reviewing this. If they say it's not a TD then I will lose all faith in football. Go Dogs.

...and by the way...best catch in college football this year goes to AJ Green.

COLORADO 14 UGA 10

So we dominate Colorado and force them 3 and out but miraculously they call roughing the passer on a busted play on 3rd down. Good God almighty...I'm tired of penalties that keep drives alive. It may seem small but it's not. Also...Colorado just got away with a HUGE hold. UGH!!! Akeem Dent is now injured...could a series of unfortunate events bone us harder? Holy smokes.

We had them OUT and punting from their goal line. NOPE!! Penalty called on us. Penalty NOT called on them. Injury to a major player. Colorado just marches on down the field unaware of their magic pixie dust.

I know I am a cynical homer for the Dogs but how can you watch these games and not conclude that we are really hexed at times. Big third down again. They throw a prayer and the crowd and Buffs can't believe that we didn't get flagged. PISS OFF!

Wow. 44 yard return and NO FLAGS! We have good field position and the zebras didn't hurt us.

UM...huge play to AJ Green for a TD. No flags. Suck it

UGA 17 COLORADO 14

OK...so I missed a big group of plays. We drove and threw an INT int the end zone. Then..they threw a pick to us.

Now..We have the ball with a minute and change trying to score before the half.

Nice play call. We complete a 3rd and 10 to Aron White for a first down.

Less than :30 left in the half. Bubble screen to Green. Nothing doing. Time for a FG.

Snap. Hold. Miss. First miss of the year for the Dogs.

So...we miss the opportunity for a TD and miss the opportunity for a FG. That's 10 points boofed in a couple minutes. If you don't believe that we do this as a habit then read my blog. We always find a way to drive to the cusp. The cusp of greatness is where we do our bed shitting. Unreal. I love the Dogs but that's the solid truth comin' at you. We blow it at the moment of greatness.

HALFTIME
UGA 17 COLORADO 14

We'll get the kickoff. Let's see what happens. We've really let them hang around, to be honest.

Here we go...

3rd QUARTER

Blown up at the 15. Ugh.

Busted play. Murray scrambles. Steps out of bounds 1 yard short of the first.

Long pass to Green. He's covered. No matter. He hauls it in. May have gotten away with a bit of offensive pushing. Dogs in the red zone. Nice run by Thomas. Chapas for a first and goal. Time to score, boys. Can't whiff on three drives.

Verge of success...here goes...

Holding on CU. 1st and Goal from the 2 for the Dogs. Standby for the update...

All signs would point to awesome for UGA. Will we convert? These are the situations that kill me as a Dogs fan. Jesus...Go Dogs.

And....

1st down - No gain.
2nd Down - Touchdown. NOPE. Flag. Illegal shift.
2nd Down again - Murray runs for nothing.
3rd and Goal - Touchdown!
...and...
No Flags! It actually counts.

Sidenote: AJ Green is laying on the sidelines in pain with trainers around him. Sweet. Always some bitter salt with the sugar.

UGA 24 COLORADO 14

Vance Cuff just delivered the hit of the year for the Dogs. Lit that bastard up. Nice!

So a big play for Colorado. 68 yards. Flag on the play. Nevermind. It's on us. Are you surprised? I'm not. Wow. 1st and goal for them again, suddenly.

Huge play: 3rd and Goal for Colorado. They're down 10. Let's see what we've got.

We had the QB sacked at the 12. He scrambles for a TD. There's your answer. We've got nothing. Oh...and they tricked us for a 2pt conversion. We're only up 2 and they've got the huge swing of emotion and momentum. Jesus Christ it's hard to be a Bulldog this year. It truly is...

UGA 24 COLORADO 22

I am going to predict a fumble on the kickoff or a really stupid play on our part. Will it be an onside kick? Will it be a holding call? Will it be a stupid play that traps us at the one? Who knows? I'm just saying we'll do something monumentally stupid here.

And...my prediction...? Wrong. Decent return to the 30 or so. Go Dogs.

Two bad runs and a sack. AJ Green on the sidelines. Time to punt. Crowd goes crazy. Trouble for the Dogs, folks.

Oh look, we got burned big time for a huge play and the other team is in the red zone on us again. Shocking.

Ok. Big 3rd Down. We stop them here and we're in business. Hmmm...big play for a catch at the one. They rule it as no catch.

So...every single time I've ever seen a catch like this ruled on...it's been called "no catch". Ha ha! No catch. Piss off. Personally...I think it was a catch. However, if it was ruled as such, it would run counter to all the calls I've seen lately.

No matter. Colorado hits a field goal after a huge stop...and...FLAG!!!

So...now Colorado gets a MIRACLE call that puts them in a first down situation from the 10. Nevermind going ahead by a field goal...they get a TOUCHDOWN!!!!

COLORADO 29 UGA 24

I am officially a pessimistic realist.

I absolutely cannot stand it. I cannot believe it. Every time the Dogs get something good, it's negated. Including the fact that AJ Green is currently sitting in the locker room with some mystery injury. Including the fact that crazy plays keep going against them. ALL YEAR LONG!!!

Ok...it's now 3rd and long. All momentum is lost. Green is out and we're losing. Here goes. Time out UGA because we were gonna get a delay flag.

Here goes again. 0-3 Colorado suddenly looks like Alabama. Awesome.

Sacked. Perfect. Go Dogs. So we're punting from our own end zone.

Colorado has the lead. The momentum. The ball. Field Position. Luck. And home field.

2 minutes and change left in the 3rd.

COLORADO 29 UGA 24

3rd and 7. Can we stop them?

Yes. Nice job. Time for Colorado to punt. Can we get a break? Can we actually drive the ball without penalty or turnover?

Let's see....

So far. So good. First down. Good running plays. Nice toss to Orson Charles. Dogs on the move. End of the 3rd.

FOURTH QUARTER
COLORADO 29 UGA 24

AJ Green...STILL in the locker room. Really? We haven't been punished enough? Seriously? THIS is the time for bad luck? Wow. Injuries. Penalties. Arrests. It's always one or more of these. ALWAYS.

Ok...my old lady rant paid off. Here comes Green. We're back in the red zone. Nice run by Caleb King. First and Goal.

2nd and Goal - incomplete to Green. He got mugged. no flag. awesome.
3rd and Goal - batted down. and...flag on us. Time for FG.
4th and Goal - FG is good.

COLORADO 29 UGA 27

Can I say it enough times? Can I? EVERY SINGLE TIME that we are on the verge of something good we screw it up. GOD BLESS it. Every time. Sputter out. Flag. Interception. Missed field goal. Turnover. Alien invasion. Menstruation. Something.

PROGRAMMING ALERT: Sabado Gigante on Univision. Bull Riding on Versus. Hannah Montana Forever (Double Dose) on Disney.

CU fumble. No worries. They not only recover...but it's good for a first down! WOOO!!!! YES!!

Huge sack. They threw a flag on us but waived it off. Miracle. Jesus.

Ok...huge play coming up. 3rd down and 13 for Colorado at their own 28.

We tie him up. Huge coverage sack...nevermind...their QB scrambles. Missed tackle. HUGE COMPLETION FOR A FIRST!!

We suck. We cannot get off the field. This is the most frustrating UGA team I've ever watched. Colorado has burned at least 5 minutes. Clock still ticks. 4th Down.

Colorado goes for it and gets it. Wow. They are gonna run the clock from over 12 minutes down to about 3 minutes or so and score. Jesus.

Another 3rd down. Can we make them kick? It's close. Let's see. No way. He's short. Stand by for the refs to screw us...and..

YEP!!! They screwed us. No way in hell he got that.

Tick Tock. Down to 5 minutes. They're at our 25.

Big hit by Boykin. Run play gets nothing. Tick Tock.

3rd and long. Can we stop them? Yes. We finally stopped them. I'm surprised there is no flag against us. Dowtin crushed the QB. Still time for us to screw up on fourth down. No worries.

SITUATION UPDATE: COLORADO 29 UGA 27
4 minutes left. 4th down for COLORADO at our 30 something. Kick or punt? Or...go for it?

They are kicking a FG....here goes....no good. Suck it!!

SITUATION UPDATE ON THE SITUATION UPDATE:

Our ball on our own 35. 3:42 on the clock. Just need a FG to win.

I want to be an optimistic, awesome, positive, fun UGA fan...but I'm not. I'm a realist and a bit of a bastard. I want us to win so badly but I am afraid (based on performance) that we'll mess it up.

Here we go:

1st Down - Complete to T. King. 10 yards.
1st Down - Complete to C. King 4 yards.
2nd - Complete to Chapas. First Down.
1st Down - Caleb king run. first down.

GAME NOTE: I had Bison stew for dinner. Total coincidence. My wife brought Ted's Montana Grill home for dinner.

So back to the Dogs.

Situational Update to the pessimistic fat bastard update to the angry dogs blogger ranting update:

We are close enough to kick and win. There's just over a minute to go. We should run 2 or three times, kick and win. Let's see if we can get out of our own way and actually succeed. Here goes:

1st Down. 1:59 left. Ball on CU 25.

We fumble. They recover.

Colorado runs it out to the 44. Missed tackles. The crowd goes wild. We call our last timeout.

Colorado will snap two more times and win.

Can I say this more? Can I be more clear? We fail at the critical moment. It is unreal. It is not possible. It is out of control.

FINAL
COLORADO 29 UGA 27

By the way...Colorado fans stormed the field. Really? You just beat a 1-3 team....boosting your record to 1-3. Great win boys.

Adversity

2010-10-02T16:17:00.001-04:00

Today we are as bad as we have been in 17 years. Today we stare into the intimidating eyes of adversity. There is nothing fun about it. And there are only two choices. Blink and give in, or take a deep breath and decide to keep staring until the confidence to take a step forward arrives. That step may be small. It may be clunky. But forward is the only direction to move when faced with adversity. It defines teams. It defines character. It sets the tempo for change. Everyone knows how they react when things are going well. How do we act when we face adversity?

Well, I can't quantify it via the metric system but I'd safely assess that the size and weight of our current adversity quotient is hovering somewhere between a lot and a shitload.

Go Dogs. Move forward.

And for those of you calling for Richt's job, please find another team to cheer for immediately. Critique and comment? Yes. Call for his job? Suck it. Not this year. Not next.

Same Old Story

2010-09-25T22:21:00.001-04:00

I don't know how many times I can say it...or in how many different ways.

We are a team that does great things...only to be negated during the celebration.

There's a classic moment of jubilation interrupted by..."huh?"...flag on the play. This play is under review. This good play for you is about to be called back. It's crazy. Read my game blogs if you don't believe me.

If it's not that, it's us giving the other team a huge play when we just shouldn't. When we just need to buckle down for one play. That is the moment we teeter on the verge of greatness and fail.

Just...fail. Just...ugh...screw it. We have been our own worst enemy.

Murray looks fantastic. Our O-line looks awful. Our mental mistakes look typical.

Miss St Game

2010-09-25T20:01:00.047-04:00

I'm late to the blog again but it's the same old story. We've turned the ball over and committed stupid penalties and given up dumb big plays. We're down 7-3 with 8:48 left in the second.

Before I could even finish the sentence, I see that we give up a huge game breaking 20 yard play to put MSU into our red zone.

Hold everything...we got an INT with a 15 yard boost on top. Go Dogs.

For the record, there's a rule in college football that stipulates no artificial noisemakers are allowed. Somehow the NCAA doesn't count drunk rednecks with cowbells as an infraction of that rule. Whatever. Maybe we should hand out vuvuzelas in Athens. Ugh.

We got a couple of lucky breaks. Murray just dove for a first down. We have to make the most of the gifts given by the other team. Let's turn this into points.

4:37 left in the 2nd Qtr. 7-3 MSU

Nevermind. Dumb penalty on us. Move 'em back, move 'em back wayyy back. Ugh.

Programming Note: Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift is in full swing on TBS. Andy Griffith Show on TVLand.

Aaron Murray just ran for a crazy first down. All heart. All effort. Nice work.

Big play for the Dogs. HUGE play. NOPE...coming back. Why? Because of a penalty, of course. Un-freakin-real. I actually clapped and thought, "no flags...woo hoo!!". Yeah..there was a flag.

I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to be a Georgia Bulldog fan. I've watched 14 points worth of really nice, big plays turn into a mediocre 6 points worth of two field goals. We deserve to suck. Whatever.

Scroll down on this blog...I've said it before. We are always on the verge of greatness. In fact, we actually do great things...but right at that moment of greatness something happens to negate it. Penalty. Fumble. Crazy play that screws us. Big play for the other team. It ALWAYS happens when we are right there. Ready to finish it. It's unbelievable really. There should be a shock factor statistic to record this freakish reality.

HALFTIME: MSU 7 UGA 6

Should be 14-7 at least. But there is no "should" in college football.

Third Quarter:

So we got an interception!...Nevermind...we were offside. Shocker. A big play negated by stupidity. Next play? First down for MSU. Awesome.

I cannot believe the consistency of our self destruction.

Big play! Fumble. NOPE! Went out of bounds and MSU keeps it. We've got great luck don't we?

I said it last week. We've got NO Rhythm. There's no sense of constant, methodical progress. It's just a series of big plays against us...or big plays BY us that get called back. There's no boring forward motion. We haven't even touched the ball this half.

HUGE FUMBLE! Nevermind....MSU recovered. Shocker, right?

We are going to actually receive a punt now. Last time, we fumbled. This time we got a fair catch at the 11. Great.

Can we put together an 89 yard drive for a TD? I think so. Let's see how many penalties we commit. Or will it be a turnover?

PHILOSOPHICAL NOTE: I'm ready to stop with the whiney, bitchy pessimistic nonsense. GO DOGS!!

First and ten for the Dogs. Here we go...

Good run by Ealey. Is he hurt?

3rd and 2. Can we convert? Murray is a bad ass. He earned that with heart.

By the way...I obviously like that we're running the ball a bit...but where is the run dominance that we should be establishing?

Murray has now thrown 2 INT's and neither was actually caught by MSU. Phew. This is a long and boring drive. I like it. Nevermind. It stalled.

Let's Go D!

We used to be able to make big plays on D. Can we tonight? Where's the intensity?

Positive attitude. We are stopping them...they are grinding but we are stopping them. Problem is, we're stopping them at 3 yards per play. Two huge 3rd down conversions for them. Check that...3 conversions in a row.

The 3rd Qtr has flown by...

FOURTH QUARTER
MSU 7 - UGA 6

Here's the situation....

MSU has a huge sustained drive taking up most of the third quarter. They are inside our 30 and they'll most likely score. We've done nothing to show them that we came to play.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Suze Orman. Glenn Beck. Two and a Half Men. All of these shows are airing now on competing networks. That's a trifecta of american whoop ass television. Go on and watch one of those...I'll keep you posted on our self destruction.

MSU 10 UGA 6

Wow...we had a return and field position with no flag. I will wake up from the dream any minute now.

GO DOGS!! We are so much better than MSU. It's all about our lack of execution so far. Just make the plays that you are supposed to make. We should win this game by three touchdowns.

Ok...so this is the biggest third down of the game. They just converted a bunch in a row. No problem. Can we? Yes! Brown! Nice!

Nice run by Carlton Thomas. We're in the right mode here. Moving the ball. Let's go.

Nice play to Kris Durham for the 1st Down! Nevermind...we got a flag for holding. Back it up and make it harder. Are you kidding me!!!?

God BLESS it!!! Stop screwing up huge plays.

I can't say this enough. Once again we succeed...only to find out that we got a penalty and it negated a HUGE play. 1st and goal? NOPE! We had to punt.

I really want to hang in there and give you the play by play emotion...but it's ALL BAD. What the hell?! Everything significant is significant in the way that moves us toward failure. GOOD GOD!! Let's get a good break. Let's have a big play that goes our way. Let's have a good play that isn't negated by a dumb penalty or turnover. CUT IT OUT!!

This is the biggest play of the game. It's 3rd and 2 for MSU and they're up 10-6 late in the 4th. Convert here and you can make us burn ALL of our timeouts and run out the clock. I can't believe we've let ourselves get backed into this corner. Here goes...

HUGE PLAY!!! WOOO!!!..for them.

Yeah...they converted, of course.

We have absolutely no sense of the moment. Here goes another 3rd down for them. We've got them trapped in their territory. And....they're short by 6 inches....

They go for it and they get it. Are you kidding me? They started this drive with 8-plus minutes. Are we really gonna let them do this to us? Really?

They just ran it 20 yards up the middle. Wow. Who are we?

Answer: We suck. They just scored a HUGE TD. Big pass play.

MSU 17 UGA 6

That was a TEN PLAY 93 yard drive in the fourth quarter when we just needed ONE STOP!!

Yikes. Let's go Murray.

By the way...I predict a Dog 4 and out. Wanna freakin bet?

1st Down incomplete. Still want to bet?
2nd Down - 4 yards.
3rd Down - Ball batted down. Shocker! Still wanna freakin bet? God...
4th down - Here's the game. PERFECT!!!
WE complete the pass ...BUT...FLAG on us..
now it's 4th and 10...and...take a wild guess...nothing.
We lose the game. Shocker.

INSULT ON TOP OF INJURY: They scored another TD.

INSULTING INSULT ON TOP OF INSULTING INJURY. A big penalty to negate a decent return...even though we've already lost.

INSULTS continue...we've had a nice drive at the very end. Murray looks awesome. He completed a huge pass only to have it called back because some ASS BAG on our team got called for clipping. Even in defeat, we can't do it.

Nevermind. Huge TD by UGA. Great play. WHERE'S THE FLAG!!??? Jesus...are you sure we're allowed to score?

Aha...there it is...we let Murray get crushed on the 2pt attempt AND we had a stupid penalty. Geez, I thought for a moment we would succeed at something.

FINAL: MSU 24 UGA 12

The Pain Has Subsided

2010-09-18T16:53:00.001-04:00

I'm a passionate Dogs fan. I won't apologize. I get frustrated when we fail. I'm ecstatic when we succeed. I wish I were more in the middle...but I'm not.

Now that the pain has subsided, I will be honest about the team and the game.

I'm proud of our effort to bounce back from 14 down.
Richt is too passive.
We aren't as good without AJ Green.
Murray has great potential.
Our running game could use a boost.
We give up crazy amounts of huge plays when the other team REALLY needs a big play. It's unreal.
We tolerate mediocre play.
We lose focus. A lot.
We miss tackles.
We don't, "Finish the drill".
We've got a top ten recruiting class every year...and...wait for it...thud. Nothing to show.
We've got the best stadium, team colors, uniforms, traditions, fans, and campus in NCAA football...especially if you score it as an aggregate.
We couldn't time our mistakes worse. I've never seen a team self destruct at crucial points like we do.
We are three plays away from being 3-0 right now.
We're going to win 9 games this year...including Florida and Auburn.

Arkansas Game

2010-09-18T12:36:00.063-04:00

First off...

Suck it, Petrino!

Ok...now we'll get started. I'm late to the keyboard. It's 7-7. We got burned on a long TD pass, looked good on an offensive drive, and got lucky on a dumb penalty negating a run back.

Dogs don't look bad so far, but we're lucky it's still tied.

:58 left in the first. Huge throw and catch for Arkansas. I guess great Qbs get lucky ass breaks. Ugh...and now a gain of 23 before I can finish my first thought. I'm going to be extremely sick of these ass kissing announcers.

END OF FIRST QUARTER

In case you haven't heard, Ryan Mallet is 6 foot 6 and he shoots magical pixie dust out of his ass...and lives under a rainbow with a unicorn. I can't wait until we sack him or pick him off to hear about how awesome he is for letting us do that.

Wow. We got really lucky that they didn't rule Mallet in for a TD. Bad call. Go Dogs.

Ugh. Ok...time to be a pessimist....Bad tackling. Dumb penalties. Missed assignments. Secondary torched. Dumb luck allows first downs on penalties and crazy plays. This might be a long season.

Last of the complaining...then I will only be optimistic to the point of stupidity. Here goes: We can never seem to get in a rhythm. It's always like.."hey we looked good...time for them to punt...oops penalty. Oops dumb luck first down. Oops big play for the other team. Oops 3 and out for us..." It just seems like I watch and wait for "when do we get started?" Ok...as soon as we get the ball back...oops. Ugh. It never ends. Its a series of "next time" until the game ends. Ok...done bitching. GO DOGS!!

Murray is looking really good. I don't care if we lose the game due to a dumb play by him. I'm ready to test his limits. Time to put it in drive.

Murray just did a great job of eating the ball. Great read. Suck it up and punt. Nice work.

I'm not going to complain about that facemask penalty. The announcers have it right...the Arkansas player grabbed ours first.

Great 3rd down stop. Arkansas going for it. Let's stop 'em boys.

Situation: 7:14 left in the 2nd Quarter. Arkansas up 14-7. Hogs going for it on 4th and 5..somewhere around our 35 or so. Big turning point right here. Never mind....Hogs punting.

Need a nice drive here. Murray got a little jacked up last drive. Him and Bobo both bleeding today. Tough game already, huh? Geez.

Programming note: If the Dogs start looking bad a double shot of, "That's So Raven" just cranked up on ABC.

Wow. Petrino is such an ass bag. We just made it on a 4th down dive and they give that putz the timeout instead. I seriously deplore that guy.

We went for it again and got it. Suck it Petrino.

Prediction: If we don't fumble on this drive...we will get into the rhythm I've been looking for...

Argh...great defense on three plays in a row for the Hogs. We lost our composure there. Need a stop to end the half and then we get the ball back.

Wow...Butler is unreal. We just took a penalty to back him up to our 40. He still kicked it into the end zone. What a weapon to have that leg on our side.

Nevermind...we just gave up a HUGE pass play. Come on boys.

ARGH!! Rambo! You gotta catch that! Rambo drops an interception. Damn.

Situation: :26 seconds. Hogs trying to score before the half. Mallet just got away with murder on a grounding call. Wow.

This will be an important play. :09 left. Time for a FG.

We called timeout to ice the kicker. I hope that doesn't give Petrino a second thought to bring on Mallet. Ugh...48 yard field goal is good.

ARK 17 DOGS 7

We are now behind the 8 ball.

HALFTIME

Quick thought about this game and Mark Richt. Here it is...

GET. PISSED. OFF.

For God's sake Coach. What the hell is going on here!? Let's see a blip in your heart beat. I'm tired of your cool, calm bullshit. You are NOT cool and calm. You are indifferent. It matters that the players see you shrugging it all off. Get pissed off and break something in the locker room. If you don't give a shit then neither do I.

Don't say the wrong thing in lieu of honesty. Say the wrong thing because it's honest. Piss somebody off. Get your team fired up. Some people like hot tea. Some like iced tea. Nobody ever asks for it room temperature. You are brewing room temp tea, dude. Cut it out.

END SOAPBOX RANT HERE.

Go Dogs.

THIRD QUARTER NOTES BELOW. or..."A Tale of Two Halves".

I'm ok with the interception. The dumb ass Arkansas player taking his helmet off makes it a premature punt. Let's go D.

Game Note: Murray is with a trainer trying to point out where his should hurts.

Good stop by the defense. Great quick kick by Mallet. Lucky for us it rolled into the end zone.

Programming Note: If the Dogs sputter out, there's a double dose of "America's Next Top Model" on Bravo.

Game notes: We are literally watching Aaron Murray learn and our defense figure it out.

For the 2nd time today our opportunity for success was derailed by a penalty. We start at our own ten yet again.

Nice play calling. We're out to the 30. Go Dogs.

Third down for the Dogs. Murray audibles and completes for a first down. Best play of the game thus far.

Good drive. Excellent. Got points. Let's go.

Ark 17 Dogs 10...near end of 3rd.

Prediction/Hope: Time for the Bulldogs to take the ball away.

UPDATE: If our LBs could catch we'd have 2 INTs.

Definition of Ga Bulldogs Football: Team on the verge of greatness gives up huge back breaker of a play against all odds. Lets other team position itself for success.

PROOF: We gave up a huge third down. On first down, they burned us for a back breaking TD.

I'm looking at YOU, Grantham.

Nice pass and catch for the Dogs. Good on ya. Followed up by the best run of the year. Keep it up boys.

Ugh...we went for it. We failed. No flag, huh?

Again...good plays...on the verge of something meaningful...and...FAIL. What the hell is going on here? Wake up Richt. Get these guys pissed off will ya?

Alright...down 2 TDs. 10 minutes. We've got the ball. Totally and completely within reason. Let's go.

I'm going to scarf down an overcooked Bubba burger and some Ore Ida fries and yell at the TV. Until then, I expect greatness in the making from the Dogs. This is the time for Murray to show us the future.

Hogs up by 7. 5:30 left in the game. 3rd and long. Go D.

WOW!!! We stopped them AND the penalty for once was against "them". Woo Hoo!

FORK IN THE ROAD MOMENT:

Our ball 5 1/2 left. We can tie it up. Nice throw to Durham. Go Dogs.

Is Durham hurt? He's a tough kid. Has also had injury problems.

3rd and 5. Biggest play of the year.

First Down!

Huge. Let's make a mark here, boys. Stick it in the end zone.

There it is!!

Dogs 24 Hogs 24

Prediction: We will cause a big turnover. We've been on the verge all day. Everyone will stay at home and the Hogs will try to get clever.

Good stop. Nothing stupid here boys. Fair catch and let's get a FG.

AWAY TEAM KUDOS: This kid Broadway for Arkansas is awesome. Credit where credit is due. He's made some big plays for the Hogs.

PHILOSOPHICAL UPDATE: We don't need a big play anymore. They DO. Don't let them have it.

Not sure I like our 3rd and 4 call. Murray got crushed. Had no outlet. GREAT job to hold onto it.

:47 left and we give up a HUGE play. Then ANOTHER! What the hell? We're gonna lose on a field goal.

Good news...we didn't lose on a field goal.

Bad news...we gave up the third big play embarrassing TD of the day with :13 left.

Dogs lose a heartbreaker. I'm really mad at our coaches.

AGAIN...we are on the verge of greatness and we blow it on a huge, unbelievably bad, impossible, horrible, heartbreaking play. WHY!??

It happens as a regular matter of course! WHY!?

I should've watched, "That's So Raven".

PS- Murray just chucked it 65 yards in the air. It got tipped and then dropped. What? Dude! You gotta come up with that.

I'll Blame the Hat

2010-09-12T09:52:00.000-04:00

Here's a tough thing to accept and admit. We got beat fair and square on the field of play. Hats off to South Carolina. I don't really have any major complaints. Aside from the crazy phantom first down call that was reviewed and confirmed...I believe it was a well officiated game.

The Dogs looked a little sluggish, our defense was vulnerable in the middle but tightened up in the second half. Murray looked good. He made good decisions and didn't lose the game for us. The fumble was a back breaker but I am choosing to blame something else.

The hat.

I knew it when I bought it. It's the hat that cursed us. I had a beautiful, traditional straight up red Georgia hat in my hand at Dick's Sporting good last weekend. It was a few minutes before kick off and I needed a new good luck hat for the season. Inexplicably, I stopped, turned around and started eyeing the black one. Why would I do that? I've been down this road before. I actually threw away my black one at halftime of a game because it was such bad luck. Why on earth would I purchase the same hat!? I've never had a traditional red one. This could have been the year. Suffice it to say that I ignored my gut, put down the red one, picked up the black one and proceeded to curse the Dogs for another year.

I apologize to players and fans alike. While I love the look of the all black Dogs hat, I must retire it for good and just get the damn red one like the rest of the loyal fans. Ugh.

Go Dogs!

AJ Green

2010-09-09T15:18:00.000-04:00

If I'm being "holier than thou", I would submit that AJ Green should make better decisions, not let down the team and be accepting of his punishment. If I'm being cynical I say, "here we go again". I have chosen, rather, to be what I feel is realistic.

We've got a game to play...once again we're missing key personnel. It's frustrating as a fan. I can think of no other sports organization in recent history that has suffered more setbacks for crazy reasons involving critical players. Whatever.

If we believe what we preach, then this is the time for CMR to talk to his team about adversity. How do we respond? I don't care that it's self-inflicted...the rest of the team has to go out there and make up the slack. It's not moments spent sailing in calm waters that define a team. It's what you do after you get slapped in the face or kicked in the dirt that reveals team character.

We're in a tough stretch of early make-or-break conference games. We're allowed to put 11 guys on the field at a time. Let's do that and make sure that each knows the other 10 are counting on them.

AJ will be back soon enough. He did something silly and got an excessively punitive punishment considering the "crime". No time for that. Let's play ball.

Go Dogs.

Bring on Garcia

2010-09-05T15:08:00.014-04:00

Last year we managed to make Stephen Garcia look like Joe Montana. He tore us a new one and I thought it was the beginning of a new era in South Carolina. I now believe it was a bit of a fluke. I think he's a solid, tough kid with a lot of upside. I also think Spurrier is too big of an egotistical turd masher to allow the kid to relax long enough to succeed. Spurrier is a college football classic but his achilles heel is the belief that somehow scaring the shit (and confidence) out of a kid is actually good for the team. "I won the Heisman ya know...I won the SEC and National Title multiple times ya know...?" Good job Steve...but I'm starting to think that it may have been miraculously in spite of you.

Look, It's tough to work (or play) for someone who used to do what you now do. It should be great because the supposition is that they'll understand the nuance of what you deal with and will have the insight to understand and encourage you through those tough spots. Instead, they tend to revise history, forget how hard it can be, and tell war stories about how they did it with one arm tied behind their back. In other words...it's actually worse to deal with because of this very fact.

Spurrier was a great QB but he should calm down and give these dudes a break. He never had to remember the number of plays...get hit as hard...deal with the amazing athletes...or deal with the popularity of the game. Since broadcast TV and the internet have exploded, the hyper-awareness of the average fan is out of control. Spurrier thrived in the time of relatively low expectations.

I respect Spurrier and South Carolina and wish them well on other days...but on this particular Saturday I want to see someone lay a mullet flapping, chest hit on Garcia-douche that plunks the ball on the ground 2 seconds before the visor on the sideline skips onto the field.

Creed Lead Singer To QB Cocks

LA-Lafayette Game

2010-09-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

A beautiful Saturday in Athens. A new QB takes the reins and has a great outing.

CMR got pissed at Murray for running in the TD before the half. Murray had a half-assed quote that indicated he is willing to pretend he understands.

Only bad moment was the deep TD pass for the Ragin Cajuns. We got burned. Oh well.

Sorta bummed that AJ Green had to sit because somebody somewhere said someone did something...

Huh?

Why make the kid sit? If we aren't careful...he sits the SC game next week too. Bullshit.

Anyhow...the point I'm here to make is this...The Georgia Bulldogs took the ball away, scored when they should score, didn't kill themselves with penalties, and played hard for 4 quarters.

See you next week. Go Dogs.

Number 9

2010-09-04T07:12:00.000-04:00

I'm not going to dwell on it too long. Just wanted to mention that the 9th Bulldog this year was arrested. Alec Ogletree. Let's hope he didn't do whatever it is they said he did. I have no new thoughts or feeling on the subject. Go Dogs.

The Richt era

2010-08-29T10:52:00.016-04:00

So...where to begin?

With the exception of last year, Mark Richt's tenure at UGA has been an incredible success - no matter who's measuring & how they measure.

Wins? check.
here are some stats taken straight from http://www.markricht.com/....

* 90-27 in 9 seasons (not a math major, but I believe that comes to precisely 10-3)
This is the 6th best winning % (.769) among active coaches
* 2 SEC titles, & 4 SEC East crowns
* 2 time SEC COY (02, 05)
* 3 Sugar Bowl appearances & 2 wins
* 7-2 in bowl games
* 33-6 record in opponent's home stadiums - that is amazing.
* 39-4 vs non conf opponents - also amazing.
* finished the 2007 season ranked #2 (11-2)

Enough stats - we know the man can coach & he wins games with regularity.

Now the hard part - how much longer will he be the head coach in Athens?
Looking at the above, the logical answer would be "for as long as he wants to be there". Big time schools in Big conferences are all about the W's, & we all know it.

Then why bother asking the question?
Because of the continued trend of arrests, transgressions, mistakes, etc by his players - that's why.

As most of us know, Richt is a passionate, dedicated Christian man. In fact you could almost say he's 50% coach & 50% minister. Few coaches preach the word of God more & thump the bible harder than MR.
He's open about it & proud of it & good for him.
If I was a regular church-going kind of guy - I am not - he is precisely the kind of man I would want looking after my son for 4 yrs.

But take away his Christian beliefs for just a second. By all accounts he & his wife are wonderful, generous people regardless of their faith. They spend good chunks of the off-season volunteering in impoverished countries (most of which are not Christian countries), helping bring medicine, clean water, educational materials, etc to kids in desperate need of these things.
They are not trying to convert these kids, or show them "the path to Heaven". They are helping those in need & those less fortunate than they are. Plain & simple.

Richt is basically an older, wiser, much less annoying version of Tim Tebow.

This is where it gets tricky.
For all of his amazing on & off-field traits, accomplishments, etc, why do his charges continue to drive drunk, get in bar fights, brandish weapons, get charged w/sexual assault, etc. etc?

As Mr. Emerson has pointed out previously, we are all guilty of jack-ass, knuckle-headed deeds - especially in college.
I cringe when I look back & think of some of the things I did/said while in Athens. It's not pretty.
A friend & I once spent an entire evening pretending to be bouncers, sitting in chairs outside of a bar, checking (and confiscating) ID's & only letting in hot girls. I did not work there, I did not even know anyone who worked there.
We were just really drunk & thought it would be fun - which it was.

(For the record, I never brandished a weapon or assaulted any women. As for the rest, I plead the 5th).

See: houses, glass.

Certainly we see this behavior at dozens of other schools - large & small.
Despite the reputation of Athens being "a drinking town with a college problem", it is not just a UGA thing or an SEC thing...it's pervasive across the sport & across the country.

See: University of Southern California, University of North Carolina.

The hard part is figuring out "why"? Why so many UGA players? Why every year? Why are the same mistakes made over, & over & over?
Well some would say that if the former AD, Mr. Damon "I don't know how those panties wound up in my lap" Evans exhibited this behavior, how can we expect 18 to 20 yr old kids (and yes they are kids. Do not think otherwise for even a second) to be any different?
Too easy, I say.

Getting back to Richt, if he leaves or is asked to leave anytime soon, it will be a huge step backwards for our program. I don't care if he's replaced by Nick Saban, Bob Stoops, Urban Meyer, Mack Brown - whomever.
He cannot be replaced. Perhaps his win/loss record can be replaced & even surpassed. But it is near impossible to find someone with his combination of coaching prowess & character.
Lou Holtz maybe? Mack Brown?

But why, Mark? Why do your kids keep screwing up?
It's sad to think about but could it be that you are too nice? Too forgiving? Too willing to give a 2nd chance? Maybe but I think it goes deeper.

Yes I know you booted Zach Mettenberger (great call), suspended Washaun Ealey (good call), & have generally dealt w/these transgressions well. That is not the point.

The point is why? Why do the same problems arise year after year? Why does it seem like the new crop of recruits have goldfish-like memories & cannot recall what happened to their peers 6-9 months earlier?
Why do these kinds of kids "slip through the cracks" & make it to Athens?

Now w/the LeMay situation, is it even worth bringing the kid to Athens when he will have gone a year w/out playing in a game?
I say no. Pull his scholarship & give it to another kid who, while he may not be as talented, is also not as stupid.

At some point, if this trend continues, the only common denominator is you - Coach Mark Richt.

We want you to stay, we know you're a good coach & a better father/husband/man.
But coach - come on. Do something before the decision is made for you. It won't be this year or even next unless things get even worse. But despite your consistent 10 win seasons, & BCS bowls, & top NFL draft picks, the scrutiny will only intensify unless things get better soon.

Please do not misunderstand me people. By no means am I advocating for a coaching change, even if we could get Saban.
The last thing we need is some Woody Hayes-like prick, or a slimy Barry Switzer type, or just a plain old asshole like Kiffin.
No sir. We need Mark Richt.

But we also need more accountability. We need you & your staff to do a better job of recognizing & identifying potential problem kids before they are "in the pipeline".

We don't expect perfection or anything close - we just expect improvement. There will always be kids who say & do all the right things, have great GPA's & all kinds of accolades. Then they arrive at UGA & discover that they are placed on a pedestal - or at least on a step stool - because they wear shoulder pads on Saturdays.

Hell it happened to Stafford....remember the keg hoist pics at Talladega? (Frankly I think the more egregious error in his case was not the fact that he was half in the bag, lifting 40 lbs of beer over his head while under-age, but that he was at a NASCAR race...in Alabama).
At least his obligatory "bonehead move" was off campus, off-season, & did not result in an arrest.
The fear here is that unless you reverse this behavioral pattern in your players & recruits, that the unthinkable may happen.
That a giant of a program like UGA, in the most difficult conference - bar none, will replace their coach, & not because he didn't win games.
This coach will have an avg of at least 10 wins per season, multiple conf crowns, & multiple BCS bowl wins.
That he will be shown the door despite winning more than 3/4 of his games.

That he will be forced out because he was not willing or able to handle the problem kids before they became "UGA problem kids".

Don't let it come to that.

Christian LeMay

2010-08-27T22:05:00.005-04:00

Alright...so the next big name at UGA is Christian LeMay. He is the next big QB recruit for the Dogs.

Come to find out he will not be allowed to play his senior season at his high school. Why? Hmmm...strange. He has been suspended for misconduct. Rumors allege (and all but confirm) it's because of a sexual act witnessed by school officials, yadda yadda yadda.

Now...we're all superior when it comes to what we did in the past. We brag about our misconduct back in our youth. We dismiss our own shitty behavior when it comes to the mythical, "good ol' days". Right? It was OK when we did dumb stuff, but we're judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to "kids these days".

The answer is yes. Sorry. But it is yes. The stakes are higher in this day and age. So is the scrutiny. If you are a major recruit at a major sport for a major college and you've been deemed such a shithead that you can't even play your senior season at your high school...then perhaps the college that recruited you should pull the offer.

Not Georgia. We are standing behind the kid.

Wow. Really?

We can find great athletes elsewhere. Seriously...let this one get picked up by Florida or Alabama. Leave it alone. We've got tons of recruits fighting for top arrest headlines next summer. Why pursue one?

I wish LeMay the best of luck in getting his life together. I'm just confused at our willingness to stand behind a recruit that is in trouble a year before he gets to Athens.

Shocker

2010-08-27T21:25:00.002-04:00

Wow. A real shocker today. A Georgia Bulldog football player got arrested.

Will someone please tell Washaun Ealey that arrest season is already over? We are well into injury season now. If you are a starter for the Dogs, it's time to blow out your knee...not hit and run.

Anyhow...at least his crime did not involve a weapon, drugs, alcohol, or an "accuser".

Richt did the right thing in suspending Ealey. Let's move on. But for crying out loud...can we please...please...please...pretty please have a frickin meeting about being a dumbass in your daily life?

I'll say it yet again...we are all dumb in our daily life. We were all dumb in college. We all do stupid shit. No judgement there. But...if I got a full ride and played a high profile sport at a high profile program, then I would realize that the rules aren't fair....either way.

You get some free shit and attention that other students don't. The cost is that you get agitation and scrutiny that far exceeds normal students. Take it or leave it, dude.

21 Days

2010-08-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

21 Days to go. Almost time for "Saturday in Athens". Can't wait.

In the meantime, I believe talented, professional and otherwise reputable writers and broadcasters let their minds wander to ridiculous places. They get so hyped that they have preseason prediction shows and basically conclude that there is no reason for them to actually play the season out.

During the World Cup (which I love) I got all tensed up that one of the deciding factors in case of a tie was an old fashioned coin flip. A coin flip!? Then it dawned on me that my favorite sport is decided by voting. Huh? Try explaining that to someone from outside our college football culture. "Yeah...a bunch of biased coaches vote...then a bunch of biased writers vote..then we feed it to the magic computer..TADA!!".

The point of mentioning this is that the results of these votes make it too hard for some teams and make it too easy for others. Start at #13 or above and you're in the race. Start below that and people actually believe that it's a REAL assessment of your talent despite evidence on the field. As if this team should have to work harder because they were voted lower.

Anyhow...Georgia is somewhere around the low 20's in preseason rankings except for one organization called College Football News dotcom who has the Dogs at...wait for it...#3. Do what? Number 3?

Come on, man. I love the Dogs as much as the next guy but when you conclude that there are only two teams in college football better than us it's just downright off base.

In conclusion...I vote Georgia number one for all time. There. Take that.

Look if we have to rely on freakin voting let's at least wait until AFTER game #5. As it stands, we may as well open up the phone line and let folks vote American Idol style and forget the rest.

TEXT "Go Dogs" to 57733.

Vote Dogs.

ps- I made that number up. Text to it at your own expense. I love the enthusiasm though.

From UGA to UGH...Here We Go Again

2010-07-10T14:14:00.002-04:00

I can only conclude that the UGA players handbook is written in Mandarin Chinese. Maybe the code of conduct section is missing from the welcome packet...whatever the case may be, I find it hard to believe that we have another DUI involving someone in the Georgia football program so soon after the very public shaming of Damon Evans. I aim not to judge underage drinking or boys being boys or college kids having fun...or any of that. I just think that after the last couple of recent dismissals that the player would pay attention and actually believe that they too are subject to the rules. In fact, the rules surrounding athletes at big time programs aren't fair..but neither is all of the attention and free stuff you get for being an athlete. That's the trade off. You have to not do the dumb things average dumb kids do.

Whatever...I give up...I'm stepping down off the soap box. Go Dogs.

...arrest season is coming to a close, let's turn our focus forward now and brace for injury season.

I Was Wrong

2010-07-05T15:27:00.001-04:00

As it turns out, the rules apply to Damon Evans and he is no longer the AD for the Dogs. This brings me no joy. I just wanted to see the rules apply to everyone. Apparently, they do...and that is a good thing. I wish him no ill will. I hope he learns and moves on...much as I wish the same for Z. Mettenberger.

Go Dogs...

...please stay in the classroom and the weight room. Stay out of the court room.

Infallible Rule Makers

2010-07-04T09:51:00.003-04:00

I haven't yet looked at the posts of other Dog bloggers. I haven't really taken the deep dive into the Damon Evans story. Not sure I want to at this point. What we have is a DUI, a young woman with a big mouth, her underwear in Damon's lap and a confused Evans family and Bulldog administration. Given those elements, I believe any player in this situation would be immediately dismissed and shamed. Rightfully so, perhaps. I do not possess a crystal ball but I'm guessing that this will not result in dismissal for Evans nor will he stop making videos for the Jumbotron and the newsletter delivering messages of how a good citizen should conduct their life.

Anyhow...the people making the rules get a free pass. Congrats Damon. Perhaps once we hear all the details, I'll feel better about this. Hmm...I doubt it.

I'm less concerned with the fact that Damon Evans made a horrible mistake and got caught and more concerned with the fact that he is in a position to judge and shame others...yet when the rules are applied to him they somehow become more flexible.

"Mr Evans...your wife is on Line 2, your meeting with HR has been moved up to 9:30, and Zach Mettenberger and his father are here to see you..."

Offseason STILL sucks

2010-06-27T17:46:00.003-04:00

So it's Sunday, June 27th and September 4th is still a really long way off. I need a second wind. I'm resigned to watching reruns of the Dogs. At the moment I'm watching us pimp slap Tech at Tech last year. I was there. I was also incredibly tanked. I had no business weaseling my way down into the GT student section but I did. Truthfully, I felt a little guilty about being the dumb jackass Georgia fan in the GT section but I also remember being in Athens and allowing a bunch of smarmy GT fans to crowd into our section where they didn't belong. They proceeded to talk smack, talk down, and generally act as if their shit didn't stink. So...I say we're even.

This coming year I ask only THREE things:

1- Run the freakin ball. Ealey and Caleb King are both freaks. Let them carry the load.
2- Play good D. Learn and execute the new system.
3- Reduce dumb penalties to a manageable level. Dumb penalties kill us. Period.
Ok 4 things...what can I tell you:
4- Turnovers. We were terrible in turnover margin. Stop it. Get some damn take aways, will ya?

For what it's worth, as I'm watching this Ga/Ga Tech replay...I just saw the field goal by Walsh that put us up 27-17. I saw a SINGLE set of arms rise up signaling a good field goal in a sea of GT fans. I am 110% positive that those were my arms and it made me simultaneously cringe and laugh. What an asshole I am. Ha!

Offseason Sucks

2010-04-18T18:43:00.002-04:00

Every year some dumb ass gets arrested. Every year some dumb ass gets in a fight. Every year some dumb ass gets in some sort of trouble that gets him kicked off the team...and if it isn't that...it's a good player through no fault of his own getting hurt.

This has become the way of the Georgia Bulldogs football offseason.

My interest in the Bulldogs is selfish. It is limited to performance on the field. While I hope that these kids learn from their mistakes and become better young men and all that nice stuff..that is the job of the parents, coaches, and mostly...the player.

I agree with Mark Richt for booting the kid. I can't imagine the head scratching going on among the coaching staff in general. It ain't like they haven't talked about it.

In the meantime, I look forward to watching the progress of Murray. I'm pulling for him. Until then, I'm hoping that nobody gets hurt. Ugh.

Go Dogs.

G-Day 2010

2010-04-11T16:58:00.004-04:00

I don't really know what to take away from a spring game. I'm not really there to break down the x's and o's. This isn't really that type of blog. I'm not that type of fan. I go by gut, by instinct, by the irrational, emotional response to what I witness when my favorite team on the planet is on the field.

Here are a few thoughts:

-our stadium is better than your stadium. ONE - it's on campus. That matters. TWO- it has a dramatic approach. It's an impressive structure...especially the first time you see it from the bridge. THREE - it makes sense to get in and out. FOUR - we have hedges.
-a perfect spring day in Athens is the right time to get your football fix when the season is 5 freakin months away.
-I'm constantly grateful that I attended and graduated from the University of Georgia. Great campus. Great town. Always will be.
-We have loyal fans that know football and are honest about our team and our state of affairs. We aren't the jackass fans that think we're going to win a National Title every year and if we don't we should fire everybody.
-Our second team, the BLACK squad, squarely beat the first team, RED.
-Logan Gray is probably a nice young man and a tough customer. He should not be our starting Quarterback. Should not. No, thank you.
-Aaron Murray looked...O.K.
-Zach Mettenberger was by far the most outstanding player yesterday. He stood tall in the pocket, made good decisions and had great stats. He looked way more comfortable than the other two QBs. A really nice surprise.
-We didn't really see the defense that we'll see in September. The coaches have hinted that we saw a skeleton version.

Other than that, nothing really stood out in my mind. I'm just glad the secondary didn't get burned.

Go Dogs...Start Zach. The campaign begins today.

Recruits

2010-02-03T17:39:00.003-05:00

Ok...so another recruiting day came and went and a bunch of kids got to sit at a table and grab one of the three or four hats in front of them on the table and then a dude that you only see once a year comes on TV to tell you why this kid is the next coming.

Then you see rankings for who is doing the best and so on and so forth. Georgia started the day somewhere around 4th and will end up somewhere in the Top 10. Florida, Alabama, and a bunch of other SEC teams loaded up too. No surprises there.

You try to track your team or at least check in and suddenly you realize that you have to sign up for some lame report from some lame website. Hold up a damn minute. I don't care that much.

I did at first but as the day wears on...ugh...so what if some kid ditched us for Tennessee? Screw 'em.

All I care about is how we coach these kids. We always finish high in recruiting. I understand and appreciate the importance of landing great prospects..but geez. Pick the best kids you can find and let's get them in class and on the practice field already.

Every year we have good talent on the field and sidelines. When can we get the best out of that talent with the best possible coaching? That's my question.

Teach 'em how to take care of the ball. How to block. How to tackle. How to hand the ball to the ref after a touchdown. How to not commit stupid penalties. This is the year of coaching...not recruiting.

Until Then

2010-01-24T09:40:00.006-05:00

Until there is news of note in the world of Bulldog Football...I leave you with this. Hopefully, Wed. Feb 3rd will be a happy day for the dogs. Stand-by for details. Looking good so far. Florida is, of course and unfortunately, looking incredible (and not because of our girlfriend pictured above). Geez. Hats off to Dog recruiters though.

Todd Grantham

2010-01-19T13:28:00.002-05:00

Ok. We hired a new Defensive Coordinator. Good. His name is Todd Grantham. All I know is that he came from the Dallas Cowboys and that some Cowboy fans were mad about this. Anyone who angers a Cowboys fan is a friend of mine. Welcome to the team Todd. Go Dogs.

My Playoff System

2010-01-11T11:11:00.003-05:00

Ok...so a few posts ago I proposed a new system with realigned conferences. Under my system this would have been a possible scenario:

SEC - Bama

Big 12 - Texas

ACC - Ga Tech

Big East - Cincy would have had to win one more game for conference title. Let's assume here that they win.

Pac 12 - Remember...I had Boise and TCU in that conference. This means that only ONE would come out undefeated. Let's say it would have been Boise because they actually won the head to head bowl game

Big Ten (Mid Twelve) - Ohio State.

So that means we could have had:

Orange Bowl - Ga Tech / Florida

Sugar Bowl - Oregon / Ohio State

Fiesta - Cincy / Texas (2 v 3) - THIS IS A PLAYOFF GAME

Rose - Bama / BSU (1 v 4) - THIS IS A PLAYOFF GAME

BCS TITLE GAME @ The Rose Bowl

Only two remaining undefeated teams play each other. In fact, who cares if they're undefeated at this point. It's compelling and decisive if an unbeaten #1 loses to a one or two loss team.

This leaves ONE team as the clear winner.

Couple Final Thoughts

2010-01-02T16:31:00.003-05:00

Ok...so during the year I got (to this point) 2,254 page impressions on RTDB.

That's awful. It's horrible...and I love it. I got paid exactly...this is no joke..$0.25 for my thoughts. Ever hear the term, "A penny for your thoughts"?...well I got 25 of 'em. Boom!

Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Three more years and I turn a dollar. Suck it.

Not sure what I'll do during the off season. I hate to disappoint the 4 people that accidentally stumbled across the blog that will be clamoring to hear more about my expert insights on a college football team.

Anyhow...perhaps I'll take the offseason to up my game. I might add multimedia eye candy such as "pictures" next year. I may add "links". Jesus man...look out.

Go DOGS!!!!!

Same As it Ever Was

2009-12-29T18:45:00.005-05:00

Ever since early Sept, when this amazing blog was born, we've been espousing (or just spouting about) the glorious virtues of running the football.

So now that the season has ended, & we are sitting at a very mediocre 8-5 (albeit the 13th straight season of 8+ wins, & the 10 straight under Richt), let's take a look at some stats.

See if you can find a pattern here.

- In the 5 losses:

* We were outrushed 823 to 546.
* Per game, that's 165 to 109 in favor of the opponent
* Per game, we avg 31 carries in the 5 losses

- In the 8 wins:

* We outrushed the opponent 1,547 to 843
* Per game, that's 193 to 105 in our favor
* Per game, we avg 37 carries in the 8 wins

So, to Coach Richt & to Coach Bobo...I hate to say "we told you so", because technically we did not (both coaches declined interviews & would not answer their doorbells).

However, team RTDB was spot on this year. No, it does not take a genius or a wily old veteran, or even Tim Tebow to know that running the ball more often & more effectively than your opponent - especially in the SEC - leads to many wins & few losses.

In closing, I would like to point out to all offensive coaches at UGA that all 6 of our top rushers in 09 (including 2 FB's) are returning in 2010.

Also, it is worth noting the following:

- Vince Vance is the only OL who will not be back in 2010
- Trinton Sturdivant will return (assuming his karma hasn't completely run out) next year, & we have 2-3 big time hosses signed for 2010.
- The starting QB next yr (Murray or Mettenberger right?) will come in having thrown a grand total of 0 passes for 0 yds in his college career.

This all points to a new blog next season, as RTDB has run it's course. You like that? You know what they say - always end on a high note & always keep em' wanting more.

Just a hunch, but since Kade Weston, Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins & Roderick Battle will all be playing on Sundays in 2010, perhaps "Please Stop Letting the Other Team Rush For 350 Yards Every Game" will be the new name.

PSLTOTRFTYEG.
Yup - that sounds good.

End of the Cox Era

2009-12-28T21:46:00.003-05:00

Question...why do you play Joe Cox thru thick and thin...only to pull him in the 4th Quarter of his final game. Let the dude hand off. Let the dude throw it some more. What the hell? Time for some quality Logan Gray evaluation time? Time to show respect to A & M? Ugh. Let Cox finish.

While bitching...I should admit that I absolutely loved the double fullback formation. Seeing Chapas and Munzenmaier in the I formation was fantastic. Two big meatwheel, pipe-hittin fullbacks pounding the ball was a nice way to finish the season. Loved it.

We won on special teams and turnover ratio. Thank God! We kept penalties low and more or less kept huge mistakes to a minimum.

Overall, I believe it was a fair and square ass whoopin'. A great way to end the year.

The Dogs move to 13 seasons straight with a bowl appearance. 11-2 in those bowls ( I think...check my math there). Mark Richt is 4th among active coaches in winning percentage. I believe we also set some record with number of consecutive 8+ win seasons (13).

Anyhow...a new D Coordinator and a new QB combined with an experienced young team...plus...an "easier" schedule next year....I believe we'll be ok.

GO DOGS!!

The Something-or-other-bowl Preview

2009-12-22T19:51:00.004-05:00

Ok...we had a tough year. But this is a lesson in pride. Respond to constant adversity with pride...play the way you know how...play for your team and your school, not for the record or trophy.

Anyhow...that's the type of nonsense I'm using as rationale to grill up steaks, fry a shit-ton of wings, have friends over, and tank back a bunch of cheap beer. I'm trying to work myself into a frenzy wherein I hold Texas A&M in utter contempt. A mock rivalry if you will...if only for the day. I'm having a hard time with it as they seem pretty mundane and non-confrontational.

They've never really done anything to me. I can't even hate maroon...can I? Who is that...Miss State? Ugh. I'm sure I'll find and share my motivation for hatred any day now...or make something up.

In lieu of any real analysis I present, instead, my version of the Texas A&M / Georgia preview if it were on any of the NFL preview shows....

"The key to this game for Georgia is to move the ball down the field and put it in the endzone. If Texas A&M can stop them from doing that and put points of their own on the board then THEY have a good shot at winning this thing".

Thank you. Go Dogs!

Conference Overhaul

2009-12-02T14:51:00.011-05:00

So like I mentioned...in order to implement my plan, the conferences need to be overhauled. This isn't perfect by any means...but here's my first go at it.

Big 12, SEC, ACC, MAC - All stay the same

Big 10 - has 11 teams - add Notre Dame and call it the MID 12 Conference

Big East - add Navy, ECU, Army, Marshall

Pac Ten - add Boise State, TCU

Rearrange the displaced teams:

Western Conference: Fresno State, Hawaii, BYU, Utah, Air Force, Colorado St, Houston, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, Memphis, Southern Miss

Sunbelt: Troy, Middle Tenn, U La. Monroe, Florida Atlantic, La Lafayette, Florida International, Arkansas St, La Tech, Western Kentucky, UAB, UCF, Rice

OTHER: Nevada, Idaho, Utah St, San Jose State, San Diego State, UNLV, New Mexico, Wyoming, UTEP, North Texas, New Mexico State (Problem here...only 11 teams)

I haven't yet decided whether we should create an upper tier of teams and reduce some of these...or if it's more interesting if we gave them all a shot.

Also...I've updated my thinking to say that, while you must win your conference, your conference doesn't entitle you to a BCS title shot. So if the top SEC team was somehow 9-4...and there were other Conference Champ teams ahead of you....you aren't in the top 4 just because we all just love the SEC. In fact, if that 9-4 SEC winner came in at #9 in the overall rankings...you don't go to a BCS bowl. Suck it. The SEC team that beat them could, in fact, play in a BCS bowl ahead of them...just not in the top 4 for the National Title.

Again...still working on it. Please check my math and make suggestions. I want a good system more than I want to be right.

Great Win

2009-11-29T01:36:00.006-05:00

For those of you who had the joy of sitting on the Florida side of the stadium on the day we pimp slapped the Gators two years ago...you understand the special/similar nature of this win tonight. It was that sort of "shut the F up" win that speaks for itself. I live in Atlanta and enjoyed the easy drive down to the Tech campus for a pleasant tailgate. All the folks I hung with were polite and knowledgeable Ga Tech fans. More than that, they were college football fans. So it made for a good time.

At the game, however, I realized how much Ga Tech fans really do hate the Dogs. It sorta surprised me. I don't hate Tech like I probably should but boy oh boy was I unpopular last night. I was "that guy" in the student section. Not terribly rude or anything...just happy when the Dogs made a play. I actually walked to the exit just before the final Tech play...knowing that they were going to fail and knowing they would blame it on me.

Oh well...these are the type of fans that rubbed it in last year, so I suppose they can eat it.

For what it's worth, the Dogs had TWO guys run for over 150 yards each. I love that. We looked pretty damn good last night. Nice to do it to a team that was supposed to do it to you.

GO DOGS!!

State Champs

2009-11-29T00:26:00.002-05:00

Wow.
It really happened.

RTDB fulfilled it's destiny, in game #12 of a 13 games season.

* Outrushed the #2 rushing team in the country, 339 to 205
* Ran it 44 times for a 7.7 avg gain
* Held GT to less than half of their per game rushing avg
* Won the turnover battle 2-1
* Only 5 penalties for 39 yds

It really makes you wonder - had Richt,Bobo & Co. listened to us since early Sept, would we be sitting at 10-2 right now & headed to Orlando?
The combo of Ealey & King was unstoppable.

I must say, regardless of what ass-bag bowl we end up in, I am feeling very warm & fuzzy about next yr.
Ok, so a little help from our good friends at the Maker's Mark distillery may have a little something to do with that, but still.
We have all 3 of our leading rushers returning (4 if you include Thomas), our best WR's, & a great battle between 2 soph QB's to lead the charge.
Losses on D will hurt, but w/Willie the Clown hopefully gone, those should be mitigated.

On that note, I am wholeheartedly against the return of CWM, but give him the credit he deserves in this penultimate game of 2009. He had a great game plan & stuck to it. Nice job Willie.
You still do not belong on the sidelines next yr, but you certainly showed that you are not an inept pudbag. Just a guy in over his head at the SEC level.

Looking forward to Nashville. Or Memphis. Or Shreveport. Or where the hell ever.

SEC, SEC, SEC!!

8-5.

Go Dogs!

My Flawed Proposal

2009-11-27T12:27:00.008-05:00

I understand what I'm proposing needs work. I submit, however, that it needs a lot less tweaking than the current train wreck we call the BCS. Here goes my contribution to the never ending story. One more jackleg throws his $0.02 in...

THREE STEPS BEFORE IMPLEMENTING MY PLAN

1- Forget my plan unless this is achieved. Ready...here it is...Tell every president at every major college that they need to freakin get on board. We're tired of feeding your pockets while you stand by and defend an unsatisfactory system. I love capitalism. It's the best system. But this is capitalism with collusion and that makes you a crook, not an innocent guy trying to make a buck for your university. You'll make your money in my system, douche bags, just get on board or get out of the way.

2-Next requires another huge step. Give every conference 3 years to align, combine, dismantle or whatever they see fit to achieve 2 things. 1) 12 teams. 2) A clear cut conference champion.

3-Get rid of one cream puff match up. If the argument is that teams get too beat up OR the classic, "there's no time for a playoff"...then this helps a lot, does it not?

THE PLAN

-Continue to use the ranking system to determine the top 25 teams. NO POLL will be taken until after week 5.

-There are by now 6 major conferences (more on that later. maybe next post) with a clear cut winner and 2 at-large spots available for BCS selection for a total of 8 BCS teams. 2 less than now.

-Keep all four BCS bowls intact but remove that annoying "conference tie-in" crap.

-Add the title game a week after the BCS bowls at a rotating site already hosting a BCS bowl...just like they do now.

-You MUST win your conference to qualify for the National Championship game.

-Example tourney. Remember, the title game would rotate. This is just a "what if" scenario.

ORANGE BOWL - #8 (at large) vs. #7 (at large)

SUGAR BOWL - #6 vs. #5

FIESTA - #3 vs #2 - Winner plays for title

ROSE - #1 vs. #4 - Winner plays for title

National Title - ROSE BOWL - one week later - Winner vs. Winner

You have not changed the length of the season. You have not done away with BCS money. You have a clear cut winner. You have greatly reduced the controversy of teams on the outside. Now you have a shot if you're in the top FOUR instead of two.

Now...I realize this is not the most original plan in the world and it is flawed. But the purpose of this science is to achieve the best results...not to make myself feel better. So...I'm going to let the season play out and then plug teams into my system. I will track it along with how the real BCS turns out. I am willing to be wrong but I would bet my system would answer questions left on the table after this season plays out.

A Bold Prediction

2009-11-25T21:36:00.002-05:00

I know we're in a down year. I know we're at rock bottom. I know Ga Tech is the highest ranked one-loss team for a very good reason. I was at last year's game. Trust me...I KNOW! I get it.

I don't care though. I have this sneaking suspicion that we are going to embarrass the Yellow Jackets in their own house.

...just saying is all. I've got no evidence to support this madness.

Ga Tech 27, Georgia Bulldogs 35

Suck it.

In Fairness

2009-11-24T20:54:00.006-05:00

When fair can be quantified, I'm all for it. Philosophically, however, the idea of "fairness" rings hollow throughout nature and the universe...

I say this because...well..I want to be "fair". My gut feeling is that Logan Gray and Zach Mettenberger are gonna get a big-fat-life-isn't-fair-sandwich next spring. Aaron Murray will step up and show why Dog fans have been hollering for months to put him in.

All I ask, though, is that the process by which we evaluate our next starting QB is fair. The results don't have to be. If those guys lose the competition...fine. Fair is fair.

In the end, fair competition for the starting QB position is only going to make our team better. I just hope the 2nd and 3rd place contestants...whomever they may be...realize that life ain't fair.

As a sidenote...a little itch in the back of my mind tells me that Zach Mettenberger is a MUCH better QB contender than we may think...even though I have all but decided that Murray is the guy.

Watch some video of this Mettenberger kid throwing a pass, though. He's gonna start for somebody someday. And that somebody will compete. The kid can chuck it.

Jackasses

2009-11-21T23:26:00.006-05:00

By the way...for all you jackasses who bitched that putting in a freshman QB would be tantamount to giving up on the season...and that Joe Cox is our best chance to win...and that CMR knows best and we should finish the drill....eat a bag.

Despite sticking with ol' Joe...we are STILL 6-5 and we'll be lucky as hell to finish above .500. Is that the fantastic season you hoped to protect? Is that the lesson? Is that your point?

Thanks for your support. Don't come bitching to me when we've got an inexperienced QB next year and we coast into a 5-7 record...and we feel LUCKY to have done so.

Oh..by the way..let's hear it from the Logan Gray supporters about now...seriously. Make your plea. Can't wait to hear it. Tell me about how "serviceable" he'll be for a year or two.

Ugh.

Go Dogs.

UGA/UK

2009-11-21T19:59:00.039-05:00

1st Quarter

Not great to start...a little slow. Good morning, Dogs...time to play. Defense is on the field...again.

Dumb penalty on Evans. Shocker. Nice hit when the dude is 5 yards out of god damned bounds. As a result...UK is sitting pretty at our 23.

Touchdown Wildcats. Nice assist from the stupid referee. He set a nice pick. This is what happens when you commit stupid penalties. Will Evans sit? Hell no. We don't have the stones to sit the guy.

CATS 6 (botched extra point), DOGS big fat ZERO

Nice return by Boykin. Let's see what Cox can do. I vote we run it.

Ok...just heard this story...may be old news for everyone else. On his visit to Florida, Orson Charles bumped into and BROKE the National Title trophy. Wow. Orson Charles just became my favorite Bulldog.

Wife hijacked the damn laptop for a spell. A few dumb penalties later I'm back at the keyboard.

Dogs 10, Cats 6

Ealey and Smith look good running the ball. Makes me hopeful for next year that we'll have a running game while we develop a true freshman QB that got zero snaps in '09.

Nice play for a TD to Orson Charles!!

Dogs 17, Cats 6

Looks like the game clock works again so I know now that there's about 1:30 left in the first half. Dogs seem to be running well and moving the chains. We're inside the UK 30.

Big 4th down decision coming up. I would go for it. But then again...I'm a fan. Walsh drills it, of course.

Dogs 20, Cats 6

HALFTIME

3rd Quarter

So we start the second half with a fumbled kick off. Kentucky scores in less than a minute. Turnovers continue to kill the Dogs.

Cats 13, Dogs 20

Looks like we've given Kentucky new life. They're now fired up for the second half and actually in this game.

Nice toss from Cox to Troupe to keep the drive alive. We needed that. King and Ealey looking good as a tandem.

...getting tired of saying this but, nice kick by Butler. Bad coverage and the ball topples into the end zone. Ugh. Come on, Dogs!! Let's wake up for the second half.

Decent defensive stand. Dogs flip field position by chucking a nice long pass to Tavares King. We're into Wildcat territory...strike that..TOUCHDOWN!!!. Rantavious Wooten!!

Nice!

Dogs 27, Cats 13

Usually when one of our guys gets a pass interference, I'll say we're guilty and stupid. I think this call on Evans was bad. Ugh. That's FOUR 15 yard penalties on us. Oh..and did I mention UK just scored a TD?

Cats 20, Dogs 27

By the way..notice a pattern? Big penalty on UGA....touchdown on the next play. And don't forget the other classic...big turnover...touchdown next play for the other team. Good times.

Georgia punts again. Good punt by Butler. Anyone else notice that Tavares King just trotted off the field in pain, holding his elbow? Ugh. I hope I was just seeing things.

Another game-changing penalty on UGA. Instead of a big fake punt conversion....it's coming back due to a penalty.

Also...Herschel Walker and David Greene have both been passed this year for all time records. One for SEC TD's and one for ALL TIME victories for a starting QB.

Meanwhile, FIVE 15 yard penalties haunt the Dogs. Don't forget that one of our penalties negated a 55 yard run.

Jesus Christ. Big penalty followed by a UK touchdown.

Cats 27, Dogs 27

So...can we recover from our own mistakes and step up to close this game out? We are dominating the stats. Unless you consider turnover/penalties.

UPDATE!!! Joe Cox throws an interception to a D lineman. UK ball on the 10. They drive to the 1. If history is any indicator..UK should score on the next play.

...and there you have it. Jesus Christ. We give everything away.

Cats 34, Dogs 27

Most important drive of the game now.

...wow...didn't even finish writing the sentence and we fumble again. Lost 10 yards. Jesus. Ugh...Cox hit as he throws. 3 and out.

Kentucky ball. Now they suddenly look like a fucking 10-1 team running up yards on us. Ugh...we kinda suck. Can we stop them now on 3rd down? I bet we cannot. I apologize for being the Negative Nancy...but the tough thing about being a Dogs fan is that I KNOW we won't get the 3rd down stop. It's a timeout. Let's see if I'm right.

And....wow...happy to be wrong. dumb play call by UK.

Nice pass to Tavares King. 38 yards. Go Dogs.

Gutsy 4th down call. Wish we weren't in a place where 4th down against the Kentucky Wildcats meant do or die.

Dogs fumble and turn the ball over at the 3 yard line. Wow. We make bad teams look and feel great.

FINAL DRIVE FOR THE TIE

So...we've given the ball over three times. We're down a TD and at the 50.

Oops. Cox throws a pick. Make that 4 turnovers. Go Dogs.

Ugh...

Kentucky fans are LAUGHING in our stands. Laughing. 4 turnovers. We gave away another game. These guys think they won on their own.

In truth....they have a better record than us...so I suppose they should be laughing.

Kentucky Preview

2009-11-21T10:17:00.002-05:00

First things first. Kentucky is an SEC football team. As such, they have the ability to show up and beat you on your own field if you take them for granted. While they are not a perennial powerhouse, it would be foolish to show up and play with the sense of entitlement that we sometimes carry.

That said, Georgia is a better program and a better football team. We should win this game. I'd like to see us do it in a manner comprised of discipline, blocking, tackling, and execution. A simple plan but not always an easy task. Our problems this year are primarily of the "between the ears" type.

Show up. Execute. Run it. Tackle. Win.

GO DOGS!!

Farewell to Uga 7

2009-11-19T18:18:00.002-05:00

Sad to hear a few minutes ago that Uga 7 has died. I truly believe that there is no team on this earth better represented by it's real life mascot than the Georgia Bulldogs. Uga 7 came and went far too fast. Despite his short tenure, I feel a bit of sentimental connection to 7 as I was at his first game (Georgia Southern) and his last game (Auburn)...and I got to meet the owner, Sonny Siler, earlier this year.

I will miss the little fella and I look forward to the introduction of Uga 8.

Go DOGS!!!!

Auburn Recap

2009-11-15T10:46:00.003-05:00

Wow. Look what happens when you run the ball effectively, don't turn the ball over, and only have 4 penalties for 29 yards. You stay in the game. You grind it out. You win.

Ealey had 18 carries for 98 yards. Sounds like a Georgia running back to me. We tested them up the middle. Both of Caleb King's TDs were right up the gut. Last night was probably one of my top 5 fun games in Athens. The weather was perfect. The expectation level on both sides was realistic. I had tickets on the 50 about 20 rows up. We played a good game. We won. The Auburn fans (around me at least) were as humbled by this year as we are...therefore they were actually kinda fun to goof with. Adding to the enjoyment of the day was our decision to ride on a charter bus out of Buckhead that dropped off right at our tailgate at the arches. The bus then left at 11:30 back to Atlanta. It totally removed the annoying logistics involved with a Saturday in Athens...especially a night game. They are tough to pull off from Atlanta.

Anyhow, I'm writing at the level of a dull 4th grader at the moment and I'm not feeling that this will improve anytime today...maybe so...but I've got a Falcons game to watch.

...not much of an "Auburn recap"...but what the hell..

Go DOGS!!!

Auburn Game

2009-11-15T02:31:00.002-05:00

Great win tonight. I gotta collect thoughts and write tomorrow. I went to the game on one of those drunken charter buses thingys. Good times.

9-4

2009-11-12T09:12:00.005-05:00

Is it possible?

Perhaps more important, is it even worth the time to contemplate?
I say "yes", hence this post.

The odds are beyond infinitesimal....they're beyond microscopic. My name is not Danny Sheridan & I did not go to MIT, RIT, CalTech, or any other school w/"Technology" in it's name. Like Southern Tech in Marietta.

My degree is from the University of Georgia, & I had to take Statistics 101 twice in order to graduate. In 5 yrs (hey, I changed majors & added a minor so blow me).

So - this is based purely on a fan's (skewed) perspective & has no scientific merit whatsoever. Sound familiar?

Here we go:

* To beat Auburn will be difficult. Maybe a 7 on a 10 scale (sorry - no more math or science). Oddly, the home team historically fares well in this contest, & in case you forgot, the game is in Athens. We have a 3 game win streak vs. the War Tigreagles (or whatever mascot they decide on), & have not won 4 straight since Joan Rivers was still alive.
Even if you ignore the trends, Auburn is simply a good football team - at least on offense. And since we play defense like (insert analogy here) , I doubt they will have any trouble finding the end zone.
They may, however, have a tough time finding their way back to the "town" of Auburn, since most tractors don't have Nav systems yet (but there's probably an app for that).
This would appear to be a 50/50 game. That refers to both the score for each team, & the chance of UGA winning.

* While Kentucky is no Duke - wait that doesn't work anymore...I meant to say that KY is no FSU. Either way, we have no business losing to them at home. Or in Lexington, or on a boat, or in a car, or on a train. You get the point.

* GT. Hmmm. Logic (sorry) certainly says we might be better off calling in sick on 11/28 instead of getting our asses handed to us by those T-square jerk-offs who can't even fill 50,000 seats, & wouldn't be caught dead (or at least not w/out 3 or 4 half-lifes left) at Bobby Grant's place 2 yrs ago.
Seriously, if you've seen their games, look at the stands. Watching the Wake game this past week, I noticed large sections of open pasture. Maybe the GT bookstore had a sale on "World of Warcraft" at halftime - I don't know. But it was pretty weak.

Nonetheless, their ball team is fairly good & we will likely get smacked around like Tom Cable's wife/girlfriend/sister/niece/maid/waitress/grandma.
I'm thinking 40-17 if we're lucky.

But (you knew there was a but), this being a rivalry game, perhaps played in nasty conditions, & with GT's BCS bowl on the line....you just don't know. They'll be playing tight as a tick in a cat's ass, & we have nothing to lose. That is, besides a big rivalry game, & our pride. Just those 2 things.

Then the bowl game. Should we come out unscathed at 8-4, one would think that a Peach Bowl (suck it ChikFil-A. This is Atlanta - it's the Peach Bowl. Go kill some more poultry) bid vs maybe Klimpsun (yay - more orange), or VT would be the scenario.

Hence - 9 wins & 4 losses.

So, in summary, if we were to get the aforementioned Mr. Sheridan involved, he would run the data, look at the stats, call Sulu for some help, & tell us that UGA will likely finish 8-5, or 7-6, & that Sammy Sosa has a better chance of being cast as an extra in "Twilight" than we do at finishing 9-4.

Possible? Of course. Probable? No. Likely? Ask me on Sunday.

The Message is Clear

2009-11-07T16:28:00.002-05:00

Dear Georgia Fans,

I have decided to hold off on our QB situation until next year. I like Joe Cox. I like him a lot. I have reasons to like him. Beyond being a great kid and great leader...I have reason to understand his challenge, to understand his struggle and to pull for him. I have given assurances to him and to this team that you would not understand. You are fans. I am the coach and we are the team.

You cheer for Red and Black. We wear Red and Black.

Football is a funny game and when fat, drunk, and over-hyped hillbillies cheer for and comment on the game, it's a great money maker. The downside, though, is that the same dipshits get to complain when it doesn't go as expected.

Hmmm...wait a minute...ok..

Therefore, I decided to play Logan Gray once we gained a 28 point lead. I decided to let him get in there and mix it up. To get in there and fail. To achieve. To learn. I decided that no matter what...it's time to give him the reps necessary to feel what its like to lead the Dogs for a half. I decided to turn it over to the youngster. Let's let Joe Cox coach him up. I decided that this kid is 100% the NEXT UGA QB.

Hmmm...wait...

I decided to play Joe Cox in the second half and let Logan Gray take a few...wait..

I think the BEST chance to win this football game lies in playing JOE COX. Therefore, I will play Joe Cox.

Thank you,

CMR

Tennessee Tech

2009-11-07T08:51:00.006-05:00

Yawn.

Big homecoming game for the Dogs today...I think. Today should be the day when a young QB named Aaron Murray is fighting off butterflies. A day the fans get to have a look at the future. A day we can build some confidence.

Instead we're building a serious game plan around the QB that "gives us the best chance to win".

Think about that for a second. How can you fault that logic? I guess you can't. What coach would NOT want to put his team in the best position to win.

But then again...that's also a pretty handy cop out. It's a bit condescending and a bit of a rationalization to stay the course. To have to come out and say that means that he knows his judgement is in question. To have to say that is to state the absolute obvious and the given. What coach would ever HAVE to say something like that. We, as fans, assume that you are trying to win. Thanks, though, for reminding us.

Conclusion...CMR is outwardly defending his decision to keep Joe Cox at QB. More than that he is defending his decision to NOT take off the red shirt on either young QB or...start Logan Gray.

What I would like to see is for CMR to come out and announce his choice and reasons rather than hint and rationalize.

For instance...."I know there's a lot of talk about the young kid. We are NOT taking off the redshirt. He's not fully recovered or ready. We talked to him. Everything is cool. He'll compete in the spring".

There. Done.

It would certainly shut schmucks like me up. What the hell do I know? I'm just a jackass with a computer. Wouldn't it be better to be decisive and possibly wrong than waffling and kept in question?

Nevermind

2009-11-02T21:17:00.002-05:00

Joe Cox has been named the starter for the Tenn. Tech game.

Mark this moment. It's the fork in the road. We had a chance to start down a new path but chose to stay the course.

Great...we just kept the redshirt on TWO guys that will consider a transfer now. Perfect.

I am a Dogs fan. I trust Mark Richt. I cheer for anyone playing in the red and black. It goes back to my question from a couple posts ago. Which is more arrogant? Me for thinking I see something from the stands that the coaches don't see? Or...the coaches thinking they see something from the sidelines that a bunch of angry fans don't see?

Just sayin' is all...

Some FBS Reality

2009-11-01T20:37:00.007-05:00

Out of 120 teams considered part of the Bowl Subdivision. Here's where the Bulldogs rank:

Turnover Margin: 119. Yeah. Next to LAST

Passing Defense: 73

Interceptions thrown: 114. Please note. We're tied with a group of teams at 13 thrown so we're actually 119.

Fewest Penalties Per Game: 118

Fewest YARDS penalized per game: 115

Total Defense: 68

Scoring Offense: 73

Scoring Defense: 89

Sacks: 55

Total Offense: 97

Rushing Offense: 99

Passing Offense: 61

Turnovers Gained: 120...DEAD LAST!

Fumbles Recovered: 120...DEAD LAST! we've recovered ONE

Passing Efficiency Defense: 88

Net Punting: #1 in the Nation

Kickoff Return Defense: 107

In case none of this sinks in at first glance...let me clarify....The following teams are also in the FBS:

-Central Michigan

-Oregon State

-Bowling Green

-Western Kentucky

-Wake Forest

-New Mexico

-Idaho

-Louisiana Tech

-UTEP

-SMU

-Arkansas State

-Utah State

-Temple

-Louisiana-Monroe

-Kent State

-Middle Tennessee

We only WISH our stats were as good as those teams.

...want me to go on?

It Has Started

2009-11-01T12:07:00.005-05:00

It starts with a trickle...

http://www.macon.com/shanks/story/886194.html

http://tinyurl.com/yfjdw4g

Again...if he is as good as he is supposed to be, he'll be gone after a couple years anyhow. If he's not as good as advertised, then I'd rather find out now. I'm just guessing...but if Logan Gray is such a hot #2, why is he fair catching punts? Why would you have not inserted him in the mix many games ago? I would offer that the Cox debate is all but over.

My personal opinion is that you know what you have as an athlete. It can all be measured. You know the probabilities based on stats. The only thing you don't know...can't know is response to adversity. Put Murray up against adversity now. Let's see how he reacts. I feel the same about Stafford and Matt Ryan. They both played early and succeeded. Stafford's NFL success is still TBD but I love that they're testing him now. These guys either have the mental fortitude or they don't. Carrying a clipboard does not better prepare you mentally for the ass whooping you're going to take. It doesn't prepare you for getting booed.

Your character and upbringing prepare you for that. Let's see if Murray is ready.

Which is More Arrogant?

2009-10-31T18:55:00.007-04:00

Which is worse?

A fan base that thinks they can see something from the stands (or from home) that the coaches can't see?

A coaching staff that thinks they can see something from the sidelines that the fans apparently can't see?

I would offer the following for our current state of the union.

OUR COACHES ARE WRONG!

Sorry. I don't pretend to be a coach. I don't pretend to think I know more. I just have a perspective and sense of dread that is shared throughout the Bulldog fan base. If our coaches do nothing to correct that which brings the dread...it's time to make adjustments.

Joe Cox is most likely a great kid, a great competitor, and a great leader. He is not, however, a great UGA quarterback. Nor is Logan Gray.

PUT...IN...THE...RECRUIT!

Let Aaron Murray fail. Let him suffer. Let him throw picks. His upside is great. His expectations are low. He can only manage the rest of a dismal season, right?

So WHAT if he sucks? We find that out now instead of waiting for three years behind 7-win Logan Gray. Ugh.

Mark Richt.....Wake Up. Show some emotion. Show some anger. Punch something. Grow a pair. Stop letting Florida manhandle you.

Have the balls to fire your coordinators. Have the balls to put in the young kid. Have the balls to actually show an emotional response to YET ANOTHER horrible loss. Come on man...respond!

...otherwise...get ready to sit next to me in the stands.

OH!...almost forgot....DUKE IS BOWL ELIGIBLE and UGA is NOT.

one more thing...the Dogs look fantastic in Black jerseys and in black helmets.

If you, as a Georgia fan, think that it's bad luck or makes us look bad....Suck it.

We look great in those uniforms. If you think we lost because of them, then you're dumb enough to think you could possibly WIN because of them. Neither is true. It's a style choice. So what?

I happen to like the way it all looks. Plain and simple. So what? Go F yourself if you don't like the change up.

Gators

2009-10-31T13:54:00.003-04:00

Bring the Pain

2009-10-29T09:58:00.006-04:00

I am happy to hear that Florida will be full strength on Saturday. I am happy to see that we are perceived as a weak SEC team coming into this game. I am happy that we are such underdogs. Bring it. I hope Florida and their fans assume the win. I hope they're looking forward to the SEC title game vs Bama.

Here's why. We have absolutely nothing to lose. Beat us and you were supposed to...lose to us and your season is done. What better way to approach a game?

This is the most liberating news (sadly) that Dogs fans can cling to at the moment. Same goes for the Tech game.

...but for now. My expectations are properly managed. I expect Florida to win because they are a better team than us. I say fine...bring the pain...but if we win...I'm laughing my ass off.

Suck it, Urban.

A Saturday off...

2009-10-25T14:05:00.003-04:00

Nice to watch games with no real vested interest yesterday. Boy oh boy though...do the refs ever love them some Gators. The interception-turned-show-off-turned-fumble by the Gators. What a joke. Snapshots from two angles show clearly that the ball came out before it crossed the goal line. Overturned? Are you kidding? That's a Florida Gator right there! No celebration penalty! Video evidence? Not on my monitor. Sure...your double angle proof shown on national TV might say no touchdown...but that's a Florida Gator, dude! Touchdown!

Also found it curious that the blocked kick by Alabama was still a live ball for a good 3 seconds while the team ran off the field taking off helmets and celebrating. I sure would have loved to see a level headed Tennessee player pick that ball up and run with it. I also would have loved to see the play reviewed. I think you could argue: A) the ball was live as the Bama player took his helmet off. B) it's an excessive celebration penalty and Tennessee gets 15 yards and a rekick.

I think it would be a disservice to the game...but that's the rule and they've been enforcing it...why not now? Rest assured, if that was someone blocking a Gator kick...flags would fly from 3 directions. Just sayin..

But this is a place to talk Bulldogs. We've still got a shot to ruin Florida's day and a good shot to spoil Georgia Tech's little run. More on that later.

I leave you with a good mental picture I have for next Saturday...visualize Rennie Curran's facemask in Riley Cooper's chest as he drills him over the middle...the ball pops up to Rambo who sprints 45 yards the other way. Hell..I'd be happy with just the Curran drilling Cooper part.

More on the SEC officiating fiasco

2009-10-21T12:01:00.007-04:00

Just to be clear...here at RTDB, we do not condone or encourage pissing & moaning - especially about the zebras - but when it gets to the point that a national commentator for a major network (Tony Barnhart of CBS via the AJC) devotes a column to that subject, it's gotten serious.

Tony spells it out pretty well here.

http://blogs.ajc.com/barnhart-college-football/2009/10/20/time-to-have-a-serious-conversation-about-officiating/

If you're feeling lazy & don't want to read his article, here are the main pts:

* The SEC crew that called the excessive celebration penalty against AJ Green (after which the league subsequently cried "mea culpa") made another major gaffe in the Ark/Fla game, which gave Fla a 1st down, & played a large role in their win.

* He feels - like we do - that this crew needs to get the boot for the remainder of the season. Screw up once in a big game...ok. Do it twice - adios.

* Officiating in general, all over the country, has gotten too visible. this is a bad thing. the point of having refs is to keep the players safe, ensure that no team gains a competitive advantage, & to keep up the flow of the game.

* When in doubt - don't throw the flag. When a ref is debating if it was a penalty or not...it wasn't.

Remember - this is football, not ladies golf in France (that's the best candy-ass example of a sport I could think of....mainly because it's French). Large, fast, aggressive men violently collide on every play. Players get hurt, they miss plays, they miss seasons - it happens.
If someone takes a cheap shot on a QB or a defenseless player - call the penalty. Hell, toss the guy if it's blatant. But don't walk off 15 yds simply because someone gets drilled, or lands on his ass.

* Finally, the conspiracy theory (aka - the refs are "protecting" Fla, LSU & Bama) is not the issue. The issue is incompetence.

Thoughts?

Run Game

2009-10-19T10:36:00.002-04:00

Looks like the run game got better. Bobo called plays from down on the field.

I think this is a good time for the reminder.

http://www.cafepress.com/runthedamnball

BYE WEEK

2009-10-18T19:00:00.005-04:00

It seems an oddity but I cannot deny it. The most sane week of my entire calendar is a Georgia bye week. I'm an idiot. I'm a die hard. I'm the guy that believes and defends when there is no hope and there is no defense. It will do my life and my marriage a lot of good to take a Saturday to just laugh at the nonsense. I love college football like no other spectacle. It is the pinnacle of pomp and circumstance...of team colors and fight songs...of irrational rants by fans that simply believe.

It is the best part of the year. It is quite simply...American. I love it so much it hurts.

....and to tell you the truth I need a week off. I can do my job. I can focus on life. I can return to my to-do list. I can be sane.

Let the other knuckleheads stomp, shout, and scream (to borrow a phrase). Let the pundits rant....let the douchebaggery reign supreme. Me? I'm going to laugh at it all...knowing that next week I will be among the band of fools...which I mock but for one glorious week.

Go Dogs!

A Good Start

2009-10-17T19:48:00.003-04:00

Dogs 35, Vandy 10

I will say this. I am ready to give the ball to Ealey for the rest of the year. King and rest of the boys looked ok...but Ealey had 13 carries for just under 80. That's more like it.

By the way...they asked Eric Zeier before the game today what the key to victory was in his opinion. His response?

"Run it, Run it, and then run it again!" Thank you Eric.

For the record it pains me to say that I was glad to see the Gators pull one out of their rear ends today. They got straight up OUTPLAYED and managed to win. Good for them. It's the mark of a great team. For me though...I'm just glad they're unblemished for one more week...a HUGE Bulldog win in two weeks at the "neutral" site just stings that much more. I argued with a die hard Dog fan today who felt in his heart that we can't beat Florida. Really? You think that we have absolutely no shot? Really? Good God man....that makes me sad.

If we lose by 30 I will still tell you that we HAD a chance before the game started.

Don't ever say that we have NO chance. Then don't watch the game and don't celebrate if we win. If you believe that we have NO chance then that means you are just not a fan. You have left zero room for emotion. He who puts no emotion into a team is, by definition, not a fan. If you absolve yourself of heart and soul...then you may as well watch another game. It is the opposite of being a fan when you say..."I don't care if we lose...". You have as much at stake as my 93 year old grandma. Go away. Don't want you watching the Dogs.

I say we rest for a week. Put a great game plan together and come out swingin' on Halloween.

SUCK IT, URBAN MEYER!!

Vandy Preview

2009-10-16T21:58:00.004-04:00

So tomorrow we play Vandy. I remember a couple years ago we had two weekends in a row in Tennessee and it was miserable. We got lucky to escape Vandy with the "W". Then Jim Rome, the douche canoe, called us out for stomping on the Vandy logo on the field. I happened to agree at the time with the snarky Rome. Whatever.

So here's the assessment. We have three losses already. We look bad on the field of play. Morale seems low among fans. Let me be positive for just a moment.

1. We still have a shot at a ten win season. Gotta win out and win a bowl.

2. There is a highly improbable, but possible nonetheless, chance that we win the SEC.

3. We can ruin Florida's season.

4. We can ruin Ga Tech's season.

The true measure of a team lies in its response to adversity.

Everyone knows how they would act if you got everything you want and if everything went your way. You meet the real "you" went shit goes pear-shaped and there's no apparent solution or reason to carry on...that's when the word "character" is truly defined. Let's see if we've got any...

Go Dogs.

Nice Story

2009-10-14T21:22:00.004-04:00

In case you haven't seen this...it's a nice little article on the Hedges.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4552978