Wrong Way

So I look at the AJC this morning and there's yet another story about some recruit and his current status. It appears that Henry is now leaning towards Alabama. I seriously think it's the 20th update on this kid and which schools are in the lead. Earlier, I saw a story about another kid whose name I forget. Let's call him Mr Hotshot. Anyhow, Mr Hotshot was commenting that he didn't go for the sales pitch approach. He's not impressed. He wants to go where he can get some playing time. Basically, the attitude is "show me something".

I have a note for the Georgia Bulldogs. Ignore these little brats. Am I the only one around here that is sick and tired of the updates on the whimsical leanings of a high school kid? Let's look, rather, at the fact that almost 30 of these little gems have been booted from the team in the last 3 or 4 years due to academic and character problems.

How about this Mr Hotshot..? Prove something to UGA. Show us why you are different than Carlton Thomas, Caleb King, Isaiah Crowell, Washaun Ealey, or any of the myriad list of running backs and other hotshot kids that got here and completely failed. And after what? How many hours did UGA coaches spend chasing these kids? How much time and money was invested so he could waffle and flirt and hold press conferences wherein a clever stunt reveals which school gets the honor of his presence. Go pack sand, Mr Hotshot. We'll get good kids without you.

I'm a fan of sports. I'm a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs. I get excited like the next guy but I found the line of tolerance. And it's behind us. Time to back up, boys. Let's get to a better place. I know recruiting is important but let's find a better way. You have more to offer them than they have to offer you.

How about a ceremony where we put up a bunch of faces on a board and reveal the new class on national TV. This recruiting thing is out of control. It's not bringing in better kids and when they get here they're not being coached to their potential anyway...but that's a different post on this blog.

Summer 2012. Same as 2011...and 2010.

First post of the calendar year 2012. Just to bring this thing up to speed, we looked pretty bad in losing to Michigan State in the bowl game. Had a chance to seal the thing more than once. We did not. So...we ended the season like we started. 2 straight awful losses to ranked teams.

 Now on to the really fun stuff. It would not be summer if Dogs fans did not wake up to the news that a crucial component of the team had somehow invented a new way to get chucked from the team or injured. I haven't even mentioned the suspensions. I lost count years ago how many big games were missing key guys. For the third straight summer, the Georgia Bulldogs lose a critical offensive component that was supposed to be "the year" that they shine. Starting with Zach Mettenberger...meandering through Damon Evans (forgot about that one...yes the AD is crucial)...let's jump over to Washaun Ealey and Caleb King and just nuzzle on up to yesterday where we learned that Isaiah Crowell carries an unregistered pistol in his Marquis. Good to know. Except that it's a felony.

 It brings me ZERO joy to see these guys go down. I'm not the guy that celebrates at the misfortune of others. Jump on the ESPN boards and you'll see what I mean. There are people straight up giddy at the thought of somebody crashing and burning..because...you know...that anonymous commenter's life is so perfect.

 Having said that, allow me to be shallow and selfish about the sports side of it. We need all the help we can get. As I mentioned, there are guys out on suspension already. We've had to move dudes from offense to defense. We've got a young O-line. It does not look good at the moment.

 Here's a perfect opportunity for Coach Richt to really show us something. Coaching. Yeah...no kidding, dude..he's the coach. NO...I mean show us why we pay the big bucks. He's on par with the top flight guys yet we always come back to the issue of coaching. Why are guys getting in trouble? Why do we recruit top 5 every year and lose all the big games? I know they're young guys and you can't remote control them all and make decisions for them. But how is it that coaches that Richt is on par with find a way to get it done? LSU was without a QB for awhile. They went undefeated. Bama has won twice in 3 years. We recruit as well as them. We pay our coaches on par (or reasonably close) with them. I like coach Richt. I've defended keeping him. But at some point you have to look at a nice guy and say..."dude, you've got all the tools. You've got the facilities, the athletes, the fan support, the best of everything...why do we keep falling short?"

 This is officially my last, "defend Richt" season. I didn't say that I'll hop on the "fire Richt" train. I am just tiring of the "aw shucks" attitude when we lose and/or another kid gets booted.

Let It Go

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

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

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

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

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.