From UGA to UGH...Here We Go Again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.