AJ Green "Stay or Leave" Update

It appears that "sources"have reported AJ will forego his senior year at UGA and enter the NFL Draft. HOWEVER, AJ has tweeted that he has not made a decision and that the reports are false. While we have all been duped by tweets before, I am really holding out that there is some truth to AJ twitter proclamation. Whether or not AJ will leave for the draft or stay a Dawg for one more year is still to be determined, but I officially think he will be playing in Sanford next year-and I hope I am right.

Caleb King and Two other Dawgs out for the Liberty Bowl

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and John I hope you got that Beiber album you wanted. Some Dawgs did not have a great Christmas; it appears that Caleb King has trouble keeping appointments. He can't make it to court dates, he can't make it to "hold on to the ball" meetings, and his latest snafu involves missing academic meetings. King missed his fifth academic-related meeting, and as a result has violated UGA Athletic Association policy. Two other players, Cornerback Derek Owens and o-tackle A.J. Harmon, will also miss the trip to Memphis due to academic reasons. The loss of the latter two players likely won't affect the Dawgs too much, but King's absence could potentially hurt the Dawgs, if not for solely depth-chart reasons. I think Caleb King's latest screw up could help the Dawgs in one way though. If Isiah Crowell is sitting at home reading the newspaper, or this blog, then he may be thinking to himself, "I can step right in there and do work, cause King ain't do nah nuthin'." This also will make it easier for the UGA coaches to tell Crowell that, yeah you can be the man next year. Who knows if King's absence from the Liberty Bowl will hurt or help the Dawgs more, but I am guessing it helps more.

More on "Tat-gate" and a UGA slant



Probably only worth a small dragon tat.



It is semi-official, Stewart Mandel probably has damngooddawg.blogspot.com on his favorites list. Stewy wrote a pretty good article on "Tat-Gate" that references some of the things I touched on an earlier post. Recent releases from Ohio State mention that the school will appeal the 5 game suspension handed down by the NCAA, and that isn't abnormal. As Stewy pointed out in his article, the Athletic Department pretty much threw the compliance office under the bus by claiming that the players "didn't know they couldn't do that." Here is a little legal information for the vast readership, ignorance of the law is not a defense-that means "I didn't know I couldn't do that" doesn't hold a lot of water.
  Anyways, what I will be looking at in the future will be whether the time between the handing down of the sanctions and the actual enforcement will heal the wounds and result in a reduction of the suspensions. If the suspensions are reduced, such an action would be a travesty and directly in conflict with precedent set in the AJ case. Remember, AJ came was fairly straight forward with the investigators and still had to serve out the full 4-game suspension; these Buckeyes committed the violations even before AJ sold his jersey-so there should be no reduction whatsoever. Now this likely won't be an issue when the sanctions take effect because the most "talented" of the offenders will probably declare for the NFL draft and avoid any suspension whatsoever.

The Buckeyes might be in a little trouble (UPDATED)

It seems as though the NCAA compliance officers have dug in up in Columbus, Ohio to investigate alleged violations spawning from Ohio State football players deep desire to get tatted up. I will tow the company line on this one an say that these are mere allegations, and the players may be completely inconvenient, blah, blah, blah. But seeing as how this is the Big Ten and we are dealing with Legends (or are they Leaders?) at Ohio State, mt SEC bias inclines me to assume that these players probably screwed up. If this investigation leads to the suspension of any number of Buckeye players it certainly won't help the squad overcome its typically anemic performance against SEC teams in BCS bowls. Information is still coming out with what I will term "Tat-gate" (be on the look out for other media outlets coping my phrasing) but I think this situation is more likely to result in a suspension a la AJ Green, rather than freedom a la Cam Newton. Giving up NCAA merchandise for services (akin to memorabilia for money) is a no-no and could be an Uh-Oh for the O.
UPDATE...
Well the NCAA has dropped the hammer...I guess. Five Buckeyes, Dan Herron, Mike Adams, Terrelle Pryor, DeVeir Posey, and Solomon Thomas, have been suspended for the first five games of next season, not the Sugar Bowl. I am very curious as to why the players aren't suspended for the Sugar Bowl especially when these violations occurred last year, and not just recently. What is particularly striking about the suspension taking effect next season, and not for the upcoming Sugar Bowl, is that several of these players including overrated talent Terrelle Pryor can declare for the NFL Draft after this season and effectively escape any punishment for their actions. It isn't like there is no existing precedent that says players don't get suspended for bowl games, take a look at what has transpired in Iowa. Granted, those suspensions where handed down by the team, not the NCAA; but, I would be surprised if Jim Tressel did the right thing and suspended these players for the Sugar Bowl. I can't help but think there is some sketchy dealings going on here with television ratings, BCS interests, etc. deeply involved. Also, there must have been pretty damning cut-and-dry evidence against the above players for the sanctions to come so quickly after the story broke.

Airing of Grievances

Since this is the Festivus time of the year, I want to commence the Airing of Grievances with some NFL related news that has been bothering me for a long time. My main grievance is directed at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Have y'all heard the joke about the NFL Rookie who was arrested for sexual assault and was punished by not being able to start a game? Yeah, it isn't a joke, it really happened/is happening. Perrish Cox, formerly of OK State fame-and who was suspended for last season's game against the dogs, is the NFL rookie, and sexual assault is the alleged crime. The punishment handed down (by the Broncos, not Goodell) was a non-start in a game, not a no-play, a no-start! Mr. Cox was not only accused of this crime, he was also arrested and charged for the crime. If y'all are wondering why this bothers me, the answer is because it is another instance of Goodell's inconsistent enforcement of his own precedent. Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for 4 games (originally 6) for exercising bad judgment in conflict with the personal conduct code of the NFL. Big Ben was not charged with a crime, nor was he arrested for any crime. However, he did use poor judgment and probably deserved some form of suspension. BUT so do some of these other players who have not only been exercising poor judgment, but have been arrested for such decisions. The following is a list of some players who have likely broken the NFL personal conduct code in some way shape or form lately, and the punishments handed down for the violations. I have heard that DUIs and the like are not listed under the personal conduct code, but rather the substance abuse code-I am still listing some such cases because the players were actually arrested for committing crimes.

• Perrish Cox - arrested for alleged Felony Sexual Assault - no NFL imposed suspension
• DJ Williams - arrested for alleged DUI (second DUI arrest in 5 years) - no NFL imposed suspension
• Vince Young - cited for misdemeanor assault (caught on tape) - no NFL suspension, (probably because his play alone is worthy of benching)
• Shaun Rogers - possession of firearm at Airport - no NFL suspension (but fined-ohhhhh)
• Tony McDaniel - charged with domestic battery - suspended for 1 game
• Jermaine Phillips - arrested for felony domestic assault - suspended for 1 game (but reason not listed!?)
• And of Course the gunslinger himself Brett Favre - general bad judgment with cell phone - NFL currently tip toeing around the issue.
• Ben Roethlisberger - accused of sexual assault (not arrested or charged) - suspended for 4 games

This is just a nice little sample of some of the infractions committed by NFLers in the year 2010, and the subsequent suspension or lack thereof. This website has a pretty complete list of bad deeds over the past year. Hope y'all enjoyed the Tuesday morning Airing of Grievances.

Quick Hits

Just some quick hits to start the week.

• According to the Bulldogs Blog A.J. Green has started talking "Murray-for Heisman" in 2011. I'd like to think it is possible though, as the other post points out, it Murray will have to put up big numbers while also leading the Dawgs to a winning record.
• Green's comments were also interesting with regards to the "leave or stay" implications one could read from them. I think myself or one of my cohorts will have a "Leave or Stay 2011" posting in the next couple of days. Speculations will run rampant.
• Seth Emerson, who writes for the Macon Telegraph and is the author of the Bulldogs Blog, had a nice little write up about Coach Bobo and how he was the punching bag for criticism for poor play calling, etc. I think this is a tired story, we all called for his head (I still wouldn't mind a change), but the offense put up good numbers, etc. The best thing about this article is the new quotes from some of the players, who stand behind Coach Bobo. One of the players that has defended Bobo is TE Orson Charles, and he claims that the offense will be opened up next season. That would be nice considering that it took about four games to get the ball into Charles hands on a regular basis!
• FB Shaun Chapas decided to have surgery on his ankle, so he will be out for the Liberty Bowl. Bruce Figgins looks to fill in at the position. Figgins is jumping at any chance to contribute and fullback may be his best option. Between Orson Charles, Aaron White, and hopefully Jay Rome, Figgins doesn't seem to fit into the TE picture next year (barring injury of course).

The recruiting race heats up

As the temperatures plunge here in Georgia, the recruiting race is heating up. The contact period is well under way for this time of year, and coaches are making the usual family room visits. UGA has several top prospects in its sights, three of which are top priorities for the Dawgs.

• Priority numero uno is Isaiah Crowell, a highly sought after Running Back out of Carver H.S.. Alabama, Georgia, and now Auburn, are high on Corwell's list, but no solid announcement has been made yet, and likely won't be made until signing day. Crowell seems to have all the necessary skills, he can break tackles, run like the wind, and catch balls out of the backfield. He is a must get for Georgia.
• Next up on the necessity list is JUCO star John Jenkins. Here are Jenkins qualifications and the exact reason the UGA Defense needs him: 6'4, 340 lbs.. He is a OK State commitment, but I am feeling good about UGA's ability to sway him over a la "you can be a star in a 3-4 defense, in the SEC-see Terrance Cody."
• The third priority is Jay Rome, and he is a priority based primarily on his athletic ability and pedigree, not so much as a positional need. Rome plays Tight End, and right now seems to be a lock for UGA. Rome and Charles would be a nice TE tandem to aide Murray's dismantling of opposing Ds.

Chip Towers over at our little sister publication has more recruiting info for ya if you so desire.

I'm ready for UGA basketball! Wait what?

Most Georgia fans, including myself, have spent years neglecting all other sports because as we all know football is king on UGA’s campus. However, I think it might be time to at least think about crowning our queen.

Lets face it, there is a lot to be excited about when it comes to UGA basketball and we are at a time when excitement is hard to find around here. First of all the team is coached by an excellent young coach. Mark Fox seems to get the most out of what he has and is very fundamentally sound. Although we didn’t win an away games last year, we had some huge upsets at home with a far inferior team. This year we have already improved on our away game record with GT being one of our wins.

The team has three dynamic players.

1. Tre Thompkins is the preseason all SEC player of the year. He decided to come back for his junior season even though he would have been a probable lottery pick. If you check draft boards he is currently projected anywhere from 6-10. Thompkins can score, rebound, and play defense and will be the key to our success this season.

2. Next you have Travis Leslie (the human highlight reel). Leslie is also projected to be a first round pick. I believe last year he made top 10 plays on Sportscenter more than our entire teams highlights were shown. He brings amazing leaping ability to the floor and excitement every time he touches the ball. He is still a little raw, but he will improve as the season goes on.

3. Lastly, we can’t forget about JUCO transfer Gerald Robinson Jr. Last year he was forced to sit out due to transfer, but I heard once he made it to the court he would be the ball handler that Georgia needed. So far he has lived up to expectations, distributing the ball extremely well, but also scoring when needed.

So far we are 6-2 with two close losses, but Thompkins was hurt and it took a little while for us to get our flow back when he returned. SEC play starts in less than a month and we open with a huge game against KY.

Every one GET EXCITIED!!!! because we are going to be playing in postseason basketball this season.

So disappointed...

  Loyal followers please bear with me as I know that this Blog hasn't had a lot of UGA news posted, but there has just been so  many other noteworthy things going on, so I am sure y'all understand. The latest news breaks my heart-Will Muschamp to Florida. Those of you who know me well know that Will Muschamp holds a special place in my heart-a man crush if you will, similar to John's man crush on the Sasha Baron Cohen character "Bruno."
  The latest news regarding Muschamp kills me for several reasons. First, Muschamp PLAYED AT GEORGIA, and I always held out hope that he would return to be Head Coach at UGA someday. Second, he isn't going to Auburn, or Tennessee, or GT, all those would be bad, but he is going to UF-THE WORST POSSIBLE OPTION. Third, I like Muschamp as a coach and do not want to root against him. Fourth, what the hell is Florida's problem with stealing limelights. Last year it was Urban speaking out about his "health issue" days after Bama won the SEC championship, now they are (supposedly) making an announcement on Heisman Saturday, which should be followed by what I am hoping will be an awesome 30 for 30. I didn't think I could hate UF anymore than I did 20 minutes ago, but now it is personal.

I'm full of about this much crap...

Don't sell yourself short Urban, you're full of more doodoo than that! The Weasel King is in the news for all the right reasons. Today Urban made the announcement that he will be resigning as head coach of the Gators after the bowl season. I am sure many of you are thinking "yeah I'll believe it when I see it," and I am thinking the same thing. But, I hope he is finished at Florida, cause let's face it, his weaselly ass has had Georgia's number since he has been at UF. I will give props where props are due, and as such I have always begrudgingly admitted that Urban isn't a bad coach (he is dare I admit it, a good one). That doesn't mean I don't strongly dislike him, and think that maybe he is hoping to get a job offer from the Denver Broncos (I am sure this separation has been strenuous on the relationship between Urban and Timmy); all in all I will just be glad if he is actually absent from the UF sidelines next year. With regards to the coaching though, there has been a lot of stink down here in Jacksonville, Florida about Urban's lack of adaptability/unwillingness to adapt his system to the talent around him (i.e. a pocket passer like Brantley). Maybe it is his fear that he'll keel over from all the stress. Whatever the reason I really don't care, this is one case where I hope he isn't BSing all of us. Talk around the town is that the likes of Bob Stoops, Dan Mullen, and Bobby Petrino (a snake of epic proportions) are being targeted to fill the slot. If two out of those three coaches didn't beat the Dawgs this year I would be ok with the candidates. But, Petrino and Mullen did beat CMR and the Dawgs in what we should all be hoping was a down-down year. Regardless, with a (potentially) new coach and system implemented next year maybe UGA can pull out a win in Jax.
In other news three UGA players named to the first team All-SEC squad and they are pretty deserving. AJ was named to the second-team because in all reality his absence from the first four games of the season probably dropped him from "first overall pick" to just "first wide-receiver taken" status in the 2011 NFL Draft. FINALS are over with, let the (slightly more) frequent posting begin.

Lots to talk about regarding football...but that will have to wait

Drunk Santa brings me out of my con law studying daze.

Guess who isn't in trouble...(for now anyways)

  Quick post on the recent news regarding Cam-Gate 2010. Before reading though, take a minute to scan over the previous posts on this topic. Scanned? Good. So, Cam Newton is eligible to play, and is currently cleared for this entire season (games ahead, and past). It appears that the NCAA decided that Cecil Newton might have been up to no good, but Cam had nothing to do with it/no knowledge of it. I have a very strong feeling/theory why this result has come about, and it goes something like this: the evidence against Cecil was more or less he-said-this but he wasn't around-and-there-may-have-been-some-text-messages-but-I-don't-have-them-, in other words weak at best (at least the evidence that was put out to the public); so it is hard to say that Cam knew of something that is hard to prove happened in the first place. In other words, there is just too much of a jump to make the conclusion that Cecil definitely cheated and Cam was aware of it. So no ineligibility for Cam (aside form the procedural hoops that had to be jumped through) and Auburn's dream season of potential National Championship + Heisman trophy winner goes on.
  BUT WILL, do you really believe that Cam Newton knew his dad was up to no good? I think it is a stretch, but I also think that the NCAA has shown that it will follow any lead, and investigate the hell out of it and dig as deep as needed to get some damning evidence (think AJ Green and his jersey sale that netted just under .6 % of the alleged pay-for-play number in Cam-Gate). So whether or not Cam knew what was up, I guess the NCAA didn't have enough to slam him on it-or it would have! I also don't think there is some big conspiracy to actually have Number 1 and Number 2 in the BCS and Heisman ranking alike face off for the National Championship for two reasons. First, why would the NCAA make the determination when there is still one more game to be played that could mess up that scenario, and second why would the NCAA set something up that it would tear down later. That is all.

Be easy...

  OK, the Dawgs beat the Nerds this weekend. I figured it would happen, just not in the ugly manner that it did. I have two main issues with the game: first, why are our defensive players still trying to pick up fumbles instead of just falling on the ball (Hamilton, and not Houston-but either way I would have been more comfortable with both just falling on the ball); and Second, after the number of fumbles our RBs have given up, you'd think they wouldn't let go of the ball unless it was a helmet-on-ball hit. A win is a win, even if it was as ugly as Saturday's was.
  Sorry for the lack of posts and general un-updatedness lately. Both Chuck D and I are preparing for upcoming academic onslaughts, so our focus has been elsewhere. However, late next week when my school is finished for the year 2010, I will keep this bad boy up to date like never before. So for those of you who work and get pissy when there isn't a recent post, calm down and be ready to check daily, hell thrice-daily, for updates. And don't be afraid to let us know y'all are out there by leaving some insightful comments.
  Here is a slate of things that will likely be posted on in the near future: SEC Championship; BCS melee; CMR coaching moves; Dawgs Bowl outlook; Dawgs Basketball; What I get for Christmas; Non-SEC Conference-hating; and more...

The wee ones strike back...

  Well the Big Ten (11, 12?) President caught a little backlash from his counterparts at BSU and TCU for his earlier comments (see below) about their respective schools. I personally find this all pretty hilarious considering how much (which is not much at all) I respect all the involved schools, their conferences, and their schedules. While I respect the BSU President's counter-argument I find it lacks punch. I will be the first one to tell you that USC and Miami aren't any good, but at least they have won National Championships in the past decade. Also, because the SEC gets dragged into this, I have to analyze his comments that BSU is knocking down top programs doors to play them. The Dawgs didn't have a home-and-home with BSU, but I doubt BSU would have wanted that considering the whooping the Dawgs put on them when they did play which was only a few years ago. In the scheme of college football, BSU is a relative newcomer (TCU has been a power in the past) so in my eyes they need to earn their keep before they can demand to play top programs. They have the record/"notoriety" that they do because they go undefeated against BAD TEAMS. Although I don't really side with the OSU President in that the Big Ten is a "murder's row" conference...I do agree that the SEC is and if you want the prestige and power you have to earn it by playing/beating TOP CALIBER teams week in and week out.
  Just to back up that last point; earlier this week I saw a graphic on the Mothership that listed the top four teams (Oregon, Auburn, TCU, BSU) and the number of top 25 defenses and offense that each has faced this season. Oregon and BSU have both faced 3 top 25 def/off. this season. TCU has faced 4 total (if my memory serves me right). And Auburn, playing in the SEC, has faced 8 total! That is pretty telling information to me. Now I know that statistics can be misleading and that some of the top 25 def/off might not have been so before or after they played the Top 4, but that doesn't matter because the teams that they did play WERE top 25 when they DID face off-what happens before or after is irrelevant for these purposes.
  I don't know much, but I do know that I am looking forward to the Iron Bowl on Friday, and some Nerd Bashing on Saturday. In the true spirit of getting to know your enemy, I will do my best to immerse myself into the Nerd lifestyle-I will purchase a pocket protector, dust off the ol' TI-89 calculator (although nerds probably have TI-92s or better), load up World of Warcraft, derive the square root of this room, and try to post regularly on this blog.

Oh the hilarity...

I came across an article about the Ohio State President more or less calling out Boise State and TCU. I thought this was pretty funny, because as we all know, the Big(?) Ten is a pretty fluff conference compared to the SEC. I mean they don't even play a Championship Game! I realize that the Big Ten may play a tougher schedule week in and week out than BSU and TCU, I hope that the President was referring more to his SEC days than his Big Ten days. Again, this is all relative to the SEC, but I do not think that Ohio "weak schedule/lose big games" State doesn't really have a lot of room to talk.

Georgia Dome here we come

I don't know if everyone has heard, but Georgia just dropped its home and home games against Louisville in 2011 and 2012 to be a participant in next years Chick-fil-A kickoff game. And who is our opponent you ask, none other than Boise St. I must admit I am absolutely shocked by this move, yet I love it. Given all of the comments that the new AD has made, their is no way you could see this coming.

I think if you take a good look at this game their are some Pros and their are some Cons:

Pros-

1. We get national exposure on opening day and gameday will probably be there

2. It keeps our kids focused the entire offseason

3. It forces Bobo and company to get off to a fast start instead of the usual three games of horrible offense

4. Richt can go into Isaiah Crowell's living room tomorrow and say "Don't you want your coming out party to be on opening day, on national television, in front of a rocking crowd

5. A win could save Richt's career, a loss could cause him to lose his job at the end of the season

6. A win could give us some swagger that we haven't had in a couple years

7. Boise St. is losing about 10 starters, so we might have a chance

8. In 2012 we would have played USC (on road), Louisville (on road), Alabama (on road). Now we might be able to keep that date open

9. Chris Peterson could possibly interview for his new job in 2012 in Athens

Cons-

1. Boise St will return 12 out of 22 starters (including Kellen Moore) and I think we all agree they are currently a much better team than us

2. If we lose to Boise St, we have to play USC the next weekend and could easily be 0-2. Not good after this season

3. A win could saves Richt's career, a loss could cause him to lose his job at the end of the season

4. Losing on national television to a MWC team will not be good for our reputation

5. Aj and Durham will likely be gone which will make it very tough to win

In the end I love the move. I think a win in this game could fire up our team and lead us on the path to a very successful season. I do not think we will be ranked and they will probably be in the 15-25 range, so we don't really have that much to lose. This also gives Richt and uphill climb to keep his job, which I think is not that bad of a proposition. If he beats Boise St and then USC we will be 2-0 against 2 good teams and he will have shown me he knows how to motivate his team. If we lose both games, it will be a continuing trend of not being able to beat good teams and he will feel his seat becoming very hot. All I have to say is we better be ready because this is not the Boise St team that Dj and company beat up on in 2005.

On an unrelated note, the UGA-Auburn game was the 2nd most watched game of the season behind Va Tech-Boise St in week one. Pretty Cool

Boise State game is good for Georgia but difficult for Richt

Georgia is idle, and the Cam Newton saga continues...

I am happy to report some great news-there is no way the Dawgs will lose a football game this weekend. This is in large part because the Dawgs do not play a game this weekend, but we'll say a non loss is a win.

Pay For Play Gate 2010 featuring Cam and Cecil Newton continues on with more news/non-news from "sources" and so on. The latest (that I have seen or heard) is that Cecil Newton laid out a installment plan for Cam's footbal services to a Mississippi State Booster. Here is the fun part, apparently Mr. Newton did not lay out the plan to the Booster specifically it was laid out to the now infamous former Miss St. player Mr. Rogers, who laid it out to Booster Bell. Now here is where it gets especially speculative/suspicious, the go between and Booster Bell said that Cecil never specifically laid out the plan but he "inferred" it. Oh well then, let's get those NCAA sanctions in, as a matter of fact all you Heisman voters out there just go ahead and leave Cam off your ballot. OR we can wait and see if proof turns up to back up some of these claims. If you followed the link and read the article you'll have notices that Booster Bell is trying to recover from the wireless provider texts that were sent from Mr. Rogers (but NOT Cecil). Until that evidence, or any form of evidence for that matter, show up I am giving Cecil and especially Cam the benefit of doubt. Recall that some of the recent sports related "scandals" have been substantiated by some kind of evidence - Tiger Woods voicemail, confession; Brett Favre voicemail, gunslinger-ness, Wrangler commercials; AJ Green bank statements, confession; Roethlisberger's rapist haircut- and so on; with the Newton case there is nothing more than he-said, he-said.

Is it too early to think about next year?

Is it too early to start thinking about next year? I am undecided how I feel about our team and the direction of our current program. I want to believe that if we give CMR and Todd Grantham another year, we could become the next Alabama. I don’t know who remembers, but they lost to La-Monroe in Saban’s first year and went 11-1 the next. However, there are other times when I think that we have been outcoached far too many times and CMR’s best days are behind him. I thought that the OC and DC are coaches that other programs eventually would want to higher as their head coach. I am pretty sure that Mike Bobo wouldn’t even have a job if it weren’t for UGA.

On offense there will be the obvious absence of AJ Green. It is going to be impossible to replace what he brings to this team. He opens up the other WRs, he frees up the running game, and hell he even helps the defense by keeping them off the field and getting them better field position. The hope for next season will lie on the shoulders of our great freshman QB. I believe he gives us a great chance to improve next season. It would be great to get #1 RB recruit Isaiah Cromwell to help out Ealey and have our own version of Marcus Lattimore.

On defense I actually think there are some things to look forward too. Hopefully, CTG will have a year to recruit some players that fit into the overall 3-4 scheme a little better than the current ones. However I think we have made strides. Last year, we gave up 40 points to both USC and ARK even though we were the better team. This year we only gave up 17 and 24 respectively and both of them had better teams than us. We also look pretty aggressive all season and have been stout against the run. We need to learn the defense a little better and stop having so many blown coverages. I think the best thing that could come out of the GT game would be to win and make it to a bowl game so our young players need the extra practice. I have heard that the practice you get for going to a bowl game is longer than spring practice.

Whatever happens I am already excited.

P.S. - Fairley is the dirtiest player I have ever seen.

This Coach is not pleased with poor performances...

I know that CMR will never get this fired up, but a fan can dream.

War Eagle/Tigers/Thugs

As a Philadelphian and a die-hard Philly fan, I feel I am a qualified expert in thug players and hated fans, but I must say that compared to Auburn this past game, Philadelphians look polite.

The easiest and best example of this is boo-ing during an injury. Philadelphia booed during the Colts game when a player was hurt. At the time, the play was shown on the jumbo-tron and it was a bad call by the refs, so we booed. This received national attention and dredged up the whole we threw snow balls at Santa ordeal (which, he had coming). Here, Auburn boos because they felt that UGA was trying to delay the inevitable by faking injuries. In Philly, after the replay the fans were silent and clapped when the player left the field. Auburn just kept on booing and did not recognize when the player was removed from the field. Next thing you know Auburn will be throwing batteries during baseball games ...

Moving on to the classy Auburn D-Lineman, Fairley. He was hitting Murray late all game long and getting away with it. The hit he actually got called on would have warranted a fine in the NFL. You do not hit a QB in the back with your head down so there is direct helmet contact, especially after he has already thrown the ball. Maybe if Fairley was paying attention to the game and not planning his next illegal tackle, he wouldn't have received the penalty. Jim Johnson wouldn't stand for our Defense acting like that, but shockingly, former-Gator Chizik let it go.

I must say that I was most proud of CMR this week when the fight broke out and Richt justified it perfectly -- it's what happens when refs don't give penalties for roughing the passer and late hits all day. Of course our players are going to settle it on the field, Fairley's a big boy I think he can handle a hit from little-ol' Ealey.

This brings me to my last point, Auburn is winning by 18 points and beating up on our QB (I don't think for a second that Fairley's helmet to Murray's knee was unintentional) and its Auburn who is throwing punches? Congrats, you got yourself suspended for half of a game. And you're welcome Bama.

Philly fans may throw snow balls and batteries and have a potential for hatred that is unparalleled, but at least we recognize that we're jerks and don't pretend to be otherwise.

What's good for the goose...BUT...

• Fairley is a thug-but a dominating player

• I am proud that the offensive line stood up for Murray and retaliated for the low hit on the QB; I am also even more proud that the Dawgs took care of it during the whistle in the trenches and it was the Auburn players that elevated it to the point of penalties

• Nick Saban can send a thank you note to the Dawgs for helping facilitate the ejection (and subsequent first half suspension in the upcoming game) of two backup Auburn D-lineman.
• The Dawgs played a hell of a game and I am as pleased as I can be with a loss and (with the exception of Ogletree showing his youthful inexperience) I thought the team played well all around-and the play calling wasn't half bad either.
• I can't wait for Verne to retire to Florida.
• And finally...all I have to look forward to is whooping up on some...

Rivalry Time!

More "sources" are coming out with damning evidence against Cam Newton; so much so that it has gotten to the point that Auburn officials are doling out a "no comment" when asked about Newton's playtime this weekend. I think Newton will play, and I think Georgia will have its hands full. I think, and hope it will be a close game-after all this is the one series that CMR tends to dominate. But, I think the Tigers pull one out on the Dawgs. I am really looking for Murray to have a good game, and maybe AJ will make a few highlight catches. Either way it should be an interesting game, and I am glad I don't have to search through the tv guide to find out which channel it is on!

UGA 34 - AU 45

Sources: Cam Newton says "insert vague, out of context statement here"

Cam Newton is in the news again, but for something that original broke last week. An earlier post discussed the Miss. State pay to play discussion that supposedly occurred when Newton was being wooed. Now “sources” are reporting that during a phone conversation Cecil Newton, Cam’s father, mentioned that it would take “more than a scholarship” to get Cam to play at Auburn. “Sources” are also reporting that a dismayed Cam Newton told an individual that he would be attending Auburn at his father behest because “the money was too much.”

Do not construe this post as advancing the theory that Cam Newton is guilty of any violation or wrongdoing. I actually feel the exact opposite. The stories on Cam Newton from the past week are a clear example of the unsubstantiated claims being reported by unnamed sources as “pretty true” or “possibly true” – i.e. there is a continued slide towards the breakdown of journalistic integrity. Has anyone noticed that “more than a scholarship” and “the money was too much” are the only statements being quoted? Furthermore, has anyone noticed that only negative connotations are being attached to these statements? When I was considering which college to attend I considered more than just what scholarship I was being offered. I considered academics, the campus, girls, athletics – in effect, the school I choose had “more than a scholarship” to offer. Maybe Cecil Newton wanted assurance that his kid would be looked after by the coaching staff, or that he would have access to tutors, or any other number of perfectly plausible explanations, but ones you won’t hear on ESPN, Fox Sports, etc. With regards to the “the money was too much” statement – maybe Cam had to attend to Auburn because the alleged offer of money to play at Miss State was too much to get involved with, i.e. it was over the line. To clarify my point, what if Cam was offered money to play at Miss State and Cecil Newton, recognizing that his son had already encountered trouble, wanted to steer clear of any trouble that accepting money would possibly entail. 

Maybe Cam and Cecil Newton were up to no good a few years back, I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt. I would like to see a little more deference and discretion when reporting these so called stories. Heisman votes are already coming out and saying that now they won’t vote for Newton. If that is the case then the Heisman and the voters who determine the winner will lose a lot of respect in my, and probably a lot of other people’s, book. I won’t even go into how the NCAA has had this information since January and investigations are ongoing. 

Also, I am with Chuck in that I do not hate Auburn like I hate Florida, Tennessee, and The Nerds. Maybe it is because we have had Auburn’s number for the past decade. Although I am fairly sure that this year Auburn will have Georgia’s number…but, I’ll save those thoughts for another post.

DO WE HAVE A CHANCE?

Today’s game went exactly as one would expect. In the first quarter we came out flat, which isn’t unusual considering last weeks game, but we rebounded well and looked solid. By about the third quarter my mind was focused on Auburn. Does anyone think we stand a chance next week? I honestly haven’t decided what I think yet.

I think we can all agree that Auburn is the best team in the SEC. They have had a few close games, but they look like the Oregon of the East (scoring 60 on everyone). Cameron Newton looks like the reincarnation of Tim Tebow (except I don’t hate Cam Newton). He has 19 TD/ 15 TD rushing and receiving. To go along with Newton they have Michael Dyer (a great freshman RB) and Ontario Mccalebb who is like Carlton Thomas, only much more talented. If you put all of that together, I think Auburn scores 30 points easily.

So now the question becomes can we score 30 points? AJ Green was quoted after the game as saying that “they (Auburn) have not faced anyone like me and Aaron”. I agree and disagree with that. I honestly believed that if the playcalling goes well we have a stacked offense. If Bobo uses Murray, Green, Charles, King, Ealey, Durham, etc, etc correctly our offense can be extremely dangerous. However, Auburn has already faced Mallett/ Childs and Garcia/Jeffrey and beat them both. The whole season I have watched Auburn get destroyed on defense. There are a couple of reasons for that:

1.There offense is on the field for about 2 seconds every drive, so the defense stays out there a lot and stays tired

2. Nick Fairley is there only defensive standout and we have protected the QB pretty well lately

Add all of that up and I think we could easily score 30 points on Auburn.

We need to watch the film of the first half of the Clemson-Auburn game and watch how Clemson held Auburn to 3 points at halftime. With all of that being said, I think we can make it a good game, but I think we lose 42-31.

On another note the Georgia-Auburn game is the oldest rivalry in the South. For some reason I have never hated Auburn like I hate UF, GT, and UT. I feel like Auburn, Alabama, and Ole Miss are similar to UGA and at least have a little class. Needless to say, it makes watching the game a little easier.

Some NCAA knowledge for ya...

Note: If I don't post for a few days it is probably becuase the NCAA requested a copy of my financial statements to see if my use of the Cam Newton image below was any sort of violation...

Resident NCAA expert "La Gatter" on Cam Newton and the NCAA in general:

Thanks to Reggie Bush thinking that he could start a sports agency while at So. Cal. The NCAA now has a different set of rules for “high profile” athletes. “High profile” athletes are exactly what they sound like, athletes that are actually good and will likely go pro. The NCAA brands these athletes and once they are considered to be high profile, the NCAA then can investigate the financial background of the player his family, his siblings and his girlfriend.

The NCAA can do this because (1) the NCAA is a voluntary association for colleges and universities, (2) the NCAA is not a state actor, (3) there is no constitutional right to participate in athletics (even signing a letter of intent does not give you a property or liberty interest in your right to play), and (4) the privacy rights of athletes is lower because there is no right to participate, and so there is always the “option” not to play.

So, unfortunately I think we are on the verge of a new era of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions seeking out star athletes and probing into their past, their families and their personal lives without cause, because the NCAA has written a need for cause out of their own bylaws.

As for individual school’s athletic departments, the Committee on Infractions has said that any school must not only report infractions that they may find, they have to host an in-depth investigation and administer appropriate sanctions on that player/coach/administrator. If the school fails to do so, they face sanctions from the NCAA, which is also the case if the punishment does not fit the crime.

Now, how Rainey and Jacques Smith managed to escape all of this is beyond me.

In response to the Cam Newton article specifically, it sounds like Miss. State will more likely be sanctioned then Newton himself for not reporting any potential infractions. But the NCAA does what it wants and gets away with it, and this year it looks like they want to take down the SEC so there’s no telling what will happen next.

The NCAA is at it again!

Just came across this Cam Newton article on usatoday.com. Looks like the NCAA is after another one of the SEC's star players-again. I may have my resident NCAA expert post on the craziness that is the NCAA-such as the request that Cecil Newton provide financial statements.

Give me a break!?

  I just awoke from a depression induced slumber after this past weekend's GA/FL result. I don't really want to break the game down; it was exciting to watch, but in the end it was a loss for the Dawgs. I don't recall where I saw this but somebody said something that really resonated with me and it went something like this: We are to Florida what the Nerds are to us-overwhelming domination of the respective series in recent history. It is sad, but true.
  In other news, and the main point of this post-"Chokegate" 2010. It is a few days old, and this post is mainly in response to this article by Tony Barnhart. Tony would suspend Grantham, and fine him substantially. Are you kidding me. Grantham is the only UGA Football coach who displays any fire/passion on the sidelines; was the gesture a bit of poor sportsmanship? Yeah maybe, but he was just gesturing what every Dawg fan was thinking. I generally like or appreciate what Barnhart has to say, but he needs to get over himself on this topic.

Party Time!

  The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is upon us. Las Vegas is liking the Dawgs by a slim margin-and I am not sure how I like that. On one hand I think that this squad needs all the confidence it can get and will benefit from having "somebody" on their side. On the other hand, this is not the game that you want to head into cocky-they need to remember to go out there and execute-hopefully they will get some good play calls to help facilitate the execution!
  I just read in the Jacksonville Times-Union that Meyer has said Chris Rainey will play Saturday (if you would like my opinion on the matter see the "Isn't that convenient" post) and the gator's kicker Sturgis will not play. Meyer is also reported as saying that Demps is as healthy as he has been in five weeks. It looks like Meyer and his bye-week rested team will be ready to try and prove Vegas wrong. BUT...
  CMR and the Georgia Bulldogs might have something for 'em this year. Georgia will be returning a few players of its own on Saturday. Caleb King and Branden Smith are set to return which help the Dawgs chances a bunch. Ealey needs to keep running the ball as well as he has the last few weeks and HOLD ONTO THE BALL. It will be great to have King back for depth though; I am thinking the UGA running game will have a great day. This will be Murray's biggest challenge yet-and since he hasn't really been the problem yet this season I think he continues to play great this weekend.
  I actually think the performance of the Dawgs D will be the determining factor. The D seems to be clicking, but it will be going up against a Meyer offense that, while not all that great, will have have schemed for two weeks. The Gator's O-Line has taken a beating on the local sports radio station, I hope that they have some more material to bash 'em with come the Monday drive-time show. I am curious to see how the new X-Factor is used by Meyer, and how the Dawgs D handles it. All in all, the D ought to keep clicking and help seal a Georgia victory.
  Both teams are having a down year, lets hope the Dawgs can take advantage of it!

Ready to Party?

Sorry I haven't been blogging the last couple of days. I am studying my ass off because I am going to the World's largest outdoor cocktail party this weekend. I feel like a two year old on Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. This will be my first trip since 2007 and if I don't make it back to Charleston, it means we probably won.

One quick thought on our current team. I know we might be 4-4 and we aren't quite having the season I wanted, but I haven't seen a beat down of three teams like that since Shockley left in 2005. The teams we had from 06-09 might have been better than this years team, but almost every year we lost to either Vanderbilt or Kentucky. I'm glad we went out and layed the hammer on three teams that we were just plain better than. Go Dawgs!

UGA vs. UK (short) Preview and Predictions

Better late than never. Georgia looks to keep rolling with a win in Lexington tonight. The Cats should prove to be a formidable foe this weekend and will not be the pushover Kentucky of years past. Randall Cobb is nasty and could give the Dawgs D fits. While on the subject of the Dawgs D, Grantham's squad will have a chance to prove to the Bulldog Nation that his 3-4 can and will work. I think the change has been for the better but, this will be more of a challenge for the D than Vandy, La-La, and Tennessee-this is the game to prove that the D can dominate against a good team. It will also be HUGE if the Georgia Defense can leave this weekend and head into next weekend with a bunch of confidence. Lets hope the beards keep growing as the Dawgs keep winning the turnover battle-and win the game. Short post, however, note the new Score Predictions.

Chuck D: Dawgs over the Cats, 42-24
Will D: Dawgs over the Kittens 34-21

Isn't that convenient....?

Once again Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators will have an extra week to prepare for the showdown with Georgia. Not surprisingly Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators will also be able to prepare a gameplan that includes Chris Rainey. Recall that Rainey was kicked off the team earlier this year for telling a woman via text that it was "Time to Die". Well everyone should be pleased to know that Rainey was able to rejoin the team conditioned on his serving a 4 game suspension (note that AJ Green served a 4 game suspension for selling a game worn jersey to an individual who insists he was/is not an agent). As you may have guessed by the title of this post, Rainey's suspension will conveniently be completed by the time the Gators suit up against the Dawgs. I can't believe Meyer may let Rainey play. Actually, that is not true; I can ABSOLUTELY believe that Meyer will let Rainey play against Georgia because Meyer is a conniving, crybaby, snake. As always, I want the Dawgs to take the Gators behind the wood shed and whoop 'em come the end of October. But for now Georgia has to play what is sure to be a difficult game against the Kentucky Wildcats. I expect a let down game from the Cats coming off of their big win last weekend-whether or not CMR and the team will be able to take advantage of it is another story.

Urban Cryer

Can you believe Ms. State just beat Florida with a balanced second half attack of 25 runs to 1 pass. They were basically playing to lose and handing Florida the game yet, Florida didn't take advantage and lost one of the worst games in Urban's tenure.

There is nothing I like more than seeing Urban Meyer with his head in his hands at the end of game. I think Urban is the biggest baby in all of sports. "Oh no I lost three games in a row Wah Wah!" I might not like Mark Richt all the time, but I guarantee he wouldn't show his ass like that out on the field.

On another non UGA related note. I watched a little bit of the OSU vs WI game and I honestly believe we could beat both those teams. The Big 10 has slow players and the conference is so overrated.

Win #1 for Big Bad Bruce

Another great game today for UGA. I know a lot of people will say that it was just Vanderbilt, but that is the same Vanderbilt that has beat us within the last three years. We went out and took care of business exactly like I would expect Georgia to do.

Aaron Murray is the real deal. He has quietly compiled quite an impressive season up to this point. His stat line reads 1366 yds, 10 TD, and 3 Int. The 2-3 skinny posts he threw over the middle could not have been thrown any better. I was thinking today that he might be in the running for freshman of the year, but of course we will have to improve our record. Another thought concerning Murray is Chrsitian Lemay. If Lemay sees our freshman QB playing well will he still be willing to commit to Georgia knowing he won’t play for three years. Just an interesting thought to think about.

I know Ealey went over 100 yds, but it still looked liked he missed a lot of holes and doesn’t run North-South enough.

On the defensive side of the ball I also thought we looked good. I loved to see Grantham fired up and yelling at our players even when the score was 35-0. I like how Alec Ogletree looked and I am starting to think he should see some more playing time. I know Rambo and Boykin are supposed to be the two best players in the secondary, but it seems that they are the two who are always getting burned. I think they are trying to be heroes instead of staying in their spots.

I know this is crazy talk, but if we win out and USC loses to Florida and Arkansas we are on our way to Atlanta.

There's a new Dawg in town

Uga VIII - "Big Bad Bruce"

Move over Russ, there is a new Dawg in Athens! Russ you were a good interim mascot but it is time for new blood. Uga VIII (registered name "Big Bad Bruce") will become UGA's new Uga this weekend during the Vandy game. Here is the link to the AJC's article on the New One.

AJC on new Uga

The Potential Affect of Arrests on Recruiting

  By now everyone has realized that the Georgia Football team has some discipline issues. I believe the most recent count was at 11 arrests for the team this year. The short term affect on the team is apparent; arrests link to suspensions, which often equal loss of talent on the field. What may not be so apparent is the potential affect the slew of arrests could on recruiting. My theory isn't backup by science or studies (although there are probably some out there) but I think it is pretty logical and realistic.
  It is public knowledge that pressure is on from President Adams (who, for the record, is not held in high regard by this blog) for CMR to clean up the program. I speculate that this pressure will not subside after the season ends. While CMR already has next year's recruiting class established in terms of who is high on the list, there is potential for the long term affect of this year's arrests could start surfacing a year from now when the 2012 recruiting class is being assembled. Why? CMR and the recruiting staff will be pressured to evaluate potential recruits' character more heavily than years past. This is where there is likely some study comes into play: more talented players tend to have less character/more behavioral issues. This means that overall talent will be decreased, but overall good behavior will increase (good behavior doesn't really win games, but neither does being suspended). Follow?
  Additionally, and this could come into play as soon as this recruiting period, parents and guardians of potential recruits will require extra assurance that their children will be in good hands. I am sure that over the years CMR has snagged some prized recruits because the recruit's parents felt CMR was a good, church-goin' man who would watch out for the kid and keep him out of trouble. The recent rash of arrests, and increase of arrests over the past several years will likely diminish this "comfort level" parents have with Richt. So not only is there potential to lose talented but troubled recruits as a result of administrative pressure, there is also potential to lose out on talented and high-character recruits due to a lack of faith in CMR's ability to watch out for the players.
  President Adams isn't above getting his slimy scales into Athletic Association affairs, our new AD and CMR are already feeling-and will continue to feel-pressure to right the ship, and parents will steer their kids to schools and programs they feel are safe and stable. This theory may have some stretches, but let it simmer for a while and think about it. Y'all let me hear what your thoughts are about this in the comment section.

Bobby's Last Game

Even though the last two games tortured me, I still realize that Bobby Cox is a special manager that will be missed by all Braves fans. Bobby Cox was a manager who spoiled us with 15 straight division titles from 1991- 2005. I must confess that with all that success I, along with many other fans, started to take the playoffs for granted. That speaks to the greatness of # 6. He was such a good manager; we started to expect playoff baseball. That fact never became more apparent to me than this year as we volleyed for a playoff spot down the stretch. I was excited just to have that chance to watch the Braves play into October.

Bobby retires as one of the all-time greats and is a surefire hall-of-famer. He ranks fourth all time in career wins and second all time in playoff wins behind Joe Torre. Some say he underachieved, only winning one World Series after all those playoff runs, but I think he has brought us moments over his tenure that I will never forget. Two of my favorites are Sid Bream sliding into home in 1992 and Otis Nixon’s amazing catch at the centerfield wall.

Bobby was known as a player’s manager and I have never heard a former player speak one bad word of him. An interesting story I read on AJC talked of the time Gary Sheffield wanted out of town and signed a free agent contract with the Yankees. The next spring training Chipper and Gary were talking and he told Chipper he didn’t realize how good he had it until he left Atlanta. I think all of us Braves fans need to realize we have had it great the last 20 years. I am excited about the future, but I am proud to say I grew up rooting for a team coached by Bobby Cox.