So much for this summer’s UGA quarterback debate
It was quite an eventful weekend on the college football front. So what did we learn?
**–So much for this summer’s UGA quarterback debate: What was going to be a raging quarterback debate throughout the summer—Aaron Murray vs. Zach Mettenberger—ended on Sunday when head coach Mark Richt announced that Mettenberger has been dismissed from the team. Mettenberger was already facing a minimum one-game suspension because of an arrest on alcohol-related charges earlier this Spring. Sports Information Director Claude Felton told the AJC’s Tim Tucker that there was not a new incident involving Mettenberger. It’s very unfortunate and we wish the young man well.
Two things:
I said in this space last week that I thought Murray, the redshirt freshman from Tampa, would be the starter because I thought he was a more complete quarterback. But Mettenberger could have helped provide a change of pace because of his arm strength. Logan Gray is a splendid athlete but not an every down quarterback. And please, let’s don’t talk about a true freshman who comes in this summer (Hutson Mason from Marietta) being the guy when Georgia goes to South Carolina on Sept. 11. Murray is the guy. Coach him up. Keep him healthy. Georgia can win with Murray if the offensive line does its job.
Secondly, is there anybody out there who STILL thinks Mark Richt isn’t tough enough for this job? This is the second guy Richt has kicked off the team this spring (OLB Montez Robinson was the first). If this doesn’t send a message, I don’t know what does.
Reasonable people can disagree on how well Georgia was coached last season. I happen to think Georgia wasn’t well coached in some areas because they committed too many turnovers and penalties. But it had nothing to do with Richt’s toughness or lack thereof. So can we put that silly argument to bed?
**–This week could change the face of college football—forever. By Wednesday the Big Ten’s expansion plans may be known to everybody. On Sunday Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany met in Washington, D.C., with some of his presidents who were in town for the Association of American Universities (AAU) meeting. That is an organization of 62 top academic institutions of which all 11 Big Ten schools are members. The Chicago Tribune reported Sunday that Delany would use that opportunity to discuss expansion.
On Tuesday Delany travels to the annual BCS Meetings in Phoenix where all 11 conference commissioners will gather. The Big Ten has already said publicly that it will tell the commissioners in advance if they plan to discuss joining the Big Ten with one of their members. So it is not unreasonable to suggest that if some decisions are made on the expansion front, Delany will inform his fellow commissioners this week.
Then the fun begins.
Back on April 5 we told you that among the Big Ten’s ideas on expansion is the possibility of going to 16 teams. That option is still on the table.
Buckle up boys and girls. This summer could be a bumpy ride.
**–Logically, Alabama should not be your preseason No. 1. But……..I spent an entire day in Tuscaloosa last week and talked to a lot of coaches and players and folks involved in the Alabama football program. I came away thinking that Alabama was going to be really, really good again but that logically they should not be my preseason No.1. How can a team that lost NINE starters on defense (including its projected top eight of nine guys in the secondary) be No. 1 before the season starts?
But my friend Andy Staples at SI.com made this point after Saturday’s A-Day game and I agree with it. There is simply not going to be a talent drop off on the Alabama defense.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/04/17/alabama.spring/index.html
There are so many guys on defense who have played a lot of football.
Yeah, Rolando McClain is gone but I spent some time with his replacement, Dont’a Hightower. Young Mr. Hightower is every bit of 260 pounds and can run like the wind.
People are talking about losing the defensive front, which included Terrence “Mount” Cody but Josh Chapman and Kerry Murphy are both great players and DE Marcel Dareus is a beast (in the most positive since of the word) who cannot be blocked.
There are good players on defense who must be coached up into a unit. I think Nick Saban and Kirby Smart have proven they can do that.
If ‘Bama’s not No. 1, then who is?
**–While there will be no quarterback debate at Georgia this summer, there will certainly be one at Tennessee: When Nick Stephens, the only quarterback who has played in a game for Tennessee, decided to leave midway through Spring practice it looked like JUCO transfer Matt Simms would move into the lead. But Simms has been struggling, first in a scrimmage two weeks ago and then Saturday when he threw three interceptions in the Orange and White game. True freshman Tyler Bray, who enrolled last January, showed a lively arm and threw 40 passes (completing 18) without an interception.
You can never read too much into a Spring game, especially for quarterbacks. But that won’t stop the discussion of Simms vs. Bray this summer on old Rocky Top. Simms has at least played college football at Louisville and at El Camino (Calif.) Community College. It’s hard to believe that a true freshman would start the first game against UT Martin on Sept. 4 with games coming up against Oregon, Florida, LSU, Georgia, and Alabama in six-week span after that.
Stay tuned. Off to Auburn today as my annual Spring football tour comes to a close. See you Tuesday.
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257 comments Add your comment
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
8:23 am
First. He gone!
Charlie Bama
April 19th, 2010
8:24 am
CMR needed to toughen up on players behavior, no doubt. Being tough on the front end (BEFORE they get caught) seems to be better for all in the long run Including the fans, if you know what I mean). Eighteen-to-twenty-one-year-olds are not known for thoughtfully contemplating the consequences of their actions (the attention span of a gnat, in most cases), so a healthy dose of pre-goof-off time inoculations of fear from the head coach can help reduce these tough after-the-fact (after the act?) decisions. I hope the banished kid gets to play someplace –JUCO or something– especially if he really has learned something, like team loyalty.
JB
April 19th, 2010
8:28 am
Let the Aaron Murray era begin!!!
HBTD!!!
s5
April 19th, 2010
8:29 am
Go NOLES!!!!!!
DawgFan618
April 19th, 2010
8:31 am
Love your blogs, but it’s HUDSON Mason, not Hunter. And no, he won’t be the starting QB. I’m with you, it’s Murray.
Charlie Bama
April 19th, 2010
8:31 am
And, yes, SEC fans, Bama will indeed be very, very good again this year. Tony failed to mention that beyond the rebuilt defense, the offense will be a scoring machine, handily doubling average points production per game from last year’s low number, when it seemed to work out just fine, what with winning the NatChamp trophy and all that.
Charlie Bama
April 19th, 2010
8:32 am
Hey, DawgFan618 — IT IS Hutson (with a T) Mason. I’m just saying ……
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
8:35 am
Tony, aren’t you forgetting the great Nash Nance in the Tennessee quarterback debate?
JB
April 19th, 2010
8:38 am
Bama certainly has talent but the question is how will these guys handle starting, playing as a group, the expectations, fill the leadership voids, etc, etc. In other words, no one truly knows.
I’d temper the excitementuntil you see if the proof is in the pudding.
HBTD!!!
Tony Barnhart
April 19th, 2010
8:39 am
Thanks for the catch on Hutson Mason. It has been fixed. My eyes were looking right at the name and my fingers decided to write something else.
JB
April 19th, 2010
8:41 am
Tony,
Had you heard anything about who had actually been winning the QB comp, prior to the dismissal?
HBTD!!!
Dink
April 19th, 2010
8:43 am
Hate it for Mettenberger, a ton of potential and I thought he looked the best during the spring game. I wish him well.
Go Dawgs!
dip
April 19th, 2010
8:45 am
Tony,
The real problem is not punishing them AFTER but not signing them. Maybe Richt has spent too much time with Bobby Bowden. Character matters – the sooner Richt learns this the better off he will be. The number of problem players he has signed over the years is a joke.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
8:49 am
Tony, you are lauding Richt for his sudden desire to discipline?? How long has he been at Georgia?? Look, virtually EVERYBODY has problem players that need to be harshly dealt with but I’ll bet ya that the ADs are getting tired of the publicity and the bad image and are telling these coaches to “crack down” or else. Gary Brown, the 5 star recruit DT, was arrested at Florida earlier this year and before anyone even got a chance to debate it…he was gone. Expect to see more and more of this as the schools have grown weary of the baby sitting of some of these prima-donnas and are just not going to take the bad pub anymore.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
8:50 am
Florida, Florida State and The U have done pretty well recruiting “questionable” players. It’s how college football is today, dip.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
8:54 am
Reptiles Rule. If anybody wants to take shots at Richt about discipline it sure ain’t you. The thugs you’ve had at UF fueled the run to 2 BCS Championship. Try somewhere else with that crap.
mightyKC
April 19th, 2010
8:56 am
Tone,
“DE Marcel Dareus is a beast (in the most positive since of the word)”
since=sense ?
not a fan of msg board grammer police, but this is your job and all
Beast from the East
April 19th, 2010
9:00 am
Jax Dawg,
I don’t think Reptiles Rule was taking a shot. He’s just saying that he thinks most coaches’ tolerance level is getting shorter. It’s a shame because the kid probably grew up a huge UGA fan because of his proximity to Athens. Just wasn’t quite mature enough to handle the scrutiny that most kids that age have never faced. Being a Gator fan, I know we’ve had our share of off the field problems, as well. That’s one of the many reasons we all embraced Tim Tebow so much. That’s the type of kid we wish they all could be. Wish Mett the best and hope he gets his act together.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
9:02 am
BTW, overshadowed by the Mettenberger thing, one of the (few) stars from Tennessee’s spring game, S Darren Myles was arrested this weekend the very night of the game. It will be interesting and an early test of the resolve of young Derek Dooley, who is apparently about to face a very challenging year on the field as well. Will he give him a mere slap on the wrist and just put him right back there with Mr. armed robbery “look-out boy”, Janzen Jackson? Remember Kiffin slapped HIS wrist and then slapped him right back on the field. The other two guys took the fall because Jackson was the starter and apparent future star…we’ll see…
Miles
April 19th, 2010
9:03 am
Alabama’s the best team out there right now…they’ll meet the Buckeyes in the Natioanl Championship…
Jacket Backer
April 19th, 2010
9:06 am
Go Jackets!!!
joe
April 19th, 2010
9:06 am
Vols need to give the keys to Bray, take their lumps and let the season play out…Simms doesn’t have it, for whatever reason. If memory serves, Vols did okay when they gave to keys to Peyton and Ainge as true freshmen back in their days. If Bray starts as a freshman, he will benefit in ‘11. ‘12 and ‘13.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
9:09 am
Jax Dawg…I guess I’ll have to read my post again for you since you apparently lack comphrension or reading skills…”EVERYBODY has problem players that need to be dealt harshly with”…etc…need I go on or are you capable of taking it from there?? My point was, expect to see a school-wide crackdown on this bad behavior by players.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
9:12 am
Richt has had a problems with penalties for years. He hasn’t fixed it. He’s had a problem with his QB throwing too many interceptions for many years and hasn’t fixed that either. We’re not talking bad, we’re talking #117 in the NCAA bad. Then you look at Richt’s record at Florida being 2-7, losing year after year after year, and you have to ask yourself does Richt know how to fix problems—does he have the ability to fix these type of problems? If so, why do they keep happening year after year?
JB
April 19th, 2010
9:13 am
Other than last year, when has UGA had a big problem with throwing interceptions?
HBTD!!!
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
9:22 am
I took exception with your statement that inferred that Richt woke up and realized he needed to start disciplining his players. I have above average reading skills.
Gary Brown, Janoris Jenkins, Kenneth Tookes, Ronnie Wilson, Marcus Thomas and Jamar Honrsby
April 19th, 2010
9:25 am
Come on Richt! Get control of your players in Athens. You’re an embarrassment!
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
9:27 am
Good morning Tech fan.
athensdawg
April 19th, 2010
9:31 am
should’ve kicked him off at the first sign of trouble. zero tolerance is what i say
TommyJack
April 19th, 2010
9:38 am
TB: I’ll go with you on putting the Richt “toughness” thing to bed. But you’re still flat-out wrong on the new taunting rule….It will become the bane of officiating. Wait and see.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
9:42 am
I was simply responding to Mr Barnharts curious statement about people STILL questioning Richt’s “toughness” and then displaying as evidence these two specific disciplinary actions. I just found it interesting that you would have tol be citing these two most recent examples and while still defending a guy who is going into his 10th year. That’s almost like asking a person why he doesn’t know how to do his job…10 years after he was hired.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
9:44 am
Penalties, and turnovers and losing to Florida BECAUSE of penalties and turnovers, year after year, ALL have NOTHING to do with how tough Richt is or how good Richt is at discipline. There is NO correlation. At all. Ever. Under any circumstance. Being ranked #117 in penalties and turnovers means you’re the MOST disciplined team in the NCAA. Everybody knows that.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
9:45 am
Well, it’s a good thing Coach Meyer is still learning then. Check back with you in 5 years and see how much he’s learned, if he’s there.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
9:48 am
I wouldn’t be knocking Hutson Mason, many of the same people who say Huston Mason doesn’t have a chance to start, also promised Murray would soar above Mettenberger in the Spring scrimmages, and they were wrong there, as Mettenberger totally outplayed Murray, and Murray seriously underperformed. I’m telling you right now, Mason is the best QB right now on the roster.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
9:53 am
After Georgia finished #116 in interceptions last year, and Murray comes out in the 3 spring scrimmages and throws more interceptions than touchdowns, you have to wonder, why can’t Georgia fix these problems? You finish -16 in turnover margin, you think they’d figured out a way to solve that problem. A team that ranks #116 in interceptions thrown shows a LOT of self-discipline.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
9:57 am
maybe Tony’s right. Maybe the reason Richt keeps losing to Florida has absolutely nothing to do with discipline (penalties, turnovers, arrests, etc.).
Maybe it’s Richt’s inability to fix a problem.
Whether you’re talking penalties, losing to Florida, arrests, turnover margin, low td to int ratio, these problems KEEP happening, year after year under Richt.
David Granger
April 19th, 2010
9:58 am
Can’t blame Coach Richt here. Mettenberger reminds me a lot of Ryan Perrilloux…a lot of talent, but very little maturity or self-discipline. It’s a shame…he could have helped us a lot this year, but we’re better off without him.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
9:58 am
Jax Dawg, if Urban Meyer decides to walk away today, believe me he has accomplished more in his short tenure here than most coaches would even dream of in 10 years…or even entire careers. But don’t you worry about ole Urban, you’ll be seeing more of him than you care for this fall…and for a few more to come.
Bulldog59
April 19th, 2010
9:58 am
So, you mean even professional writers can make a typo? Good stuff TB…Murray is not only THE guy, he is the ONLY guy. If LG could be #1, he would have done it last year. He needs to be on the field in situations, but not our starting QB. HM just got a promotion and hasn’t even arrived yet; that is scary. The details of the ZM dismissal should be out soon. What could he have possibly done to get this reaction from CMR?
Gary Brown, Janoris Jenkins, Kenneth Tookes, Ronnie Wilson, Marcus Thomas and Jamar Honrsby
April 19th, 2010
10:03 am
We love Coach Meyer too Reptiles Rule.
Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
10:03 am
I’m going for the record today, 5,000 posts. Blah, blah, blah…
Urban Meyer's brain cyst
April 19th, 2010
10:06 am
I sure hope the offense runs better than last year. If we don’t put up 30 points a game and hold the other team to 0, Gator fans complaining will make burst.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
10:08 am
Grace is a powerful thing. Where’s the grace here? Where’s giving this kid, who made a mistake, a second chance? Where’s the grace?
Carlos Dunlap
April 19th, 2010
10:09 am
Give it a rest Jax Dawg. Like I did at the intersection in downtown Gainesville.
s5
April 19th, 2010
10:11 am
If Murray gets hurt, you’re looking at another 5 to 7 loss season dawg fans.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:13 am
Hey darrell. Grace? Grace died 30 years ago. Do you mean “the blessing”?
Dap01
April 19th, 2010
10:13 am
If this had happened at Florida, Coach Myer would have suspended the QB for 1/2 of a game and he would have retired and unretired.
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
10:13 am
Well, you’ve obviously run out of anything reasonable to contribute. Not surprising. I guess the usual name calling come next…
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
10:16 am
Dip01…did you see that somewhere else or did you come up with that all by yourself??
Micah
April 19th, 2010
10:18 am
Wow. It appears that “Mr. College Football” is really only Mr. Southern Football. That’s too bad. It would have been nice to see a note about the Ndumakong Suh donation of $2M to the University of Nebraska. The Big 12 defensive player of the year makes the largest donation any football player has ever made to a college or university.
UT96
April 19th, 2010
10:19 am
Reptiles Rule, not defending Darren Myle Jr at all, but he was busted for underage drinking, nothing more. I don’t think anything more than a slap on a wrist is called for this time.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:19 am
Reptiles Rule. My only comment to you was the inference, implied or not, that Richt just started to discipline his players.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
10:20 am
By grace, I mean mercy. Where’s the mercy for a 1st time offender who’s an 18 year old kid? I don’t get it.
This kid didn’t cause turnovers, penalties, losing to Florida, this kid ain’t the reason for any of this stuff.
Throwing this 18 year old kid under the bus won’t make Richt’s life any better, it’s only magnifying the problems Richt has, if anything.
Fans are looking harder at Richt, than ever before.
Not a big fan of merciless, graceless, decision making.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:21 am
Micah. Where does a student athlete get $2M before he signs a professional contract in the NFL?
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:22 am
darrell. Something tells me he didn’t tell Richt the whole truth about the situation in Remerton.
Lizard King
April 19th, 2010
10:23 am
Reptiles, reasonable?????? These are the same fans who were exulting Murray three weeks ago as the next great thing and “better than Brantley” and then turned to Mettenberger after the Spring game and are now saying that Mason is the man. What a joke.
cantondawg
April 19th, 2010
10:26 am
athensdawg,
You’re a dumba$$…Zero tolerance will get you zero players..Evidently, you never went to college or played football. College kids are going to have fun especially football players. As long as there is cold beer and hot women, there are going to be problems. So you’re saying that we should kick off all the players at the first sign of trouble…Good luck, we would become Vanderbilt or worse very quickly
Mike
April 19th, 2010
10:27 am
Can we stop with the “Logan Gray stinks” lines. If he does, then Murray is worse, because Logan Gray outperformed Murray in the 3 scrimmages.
Same number of td’s, 3 times LESS interceptions, same yards per catch, and accuracy was only 3% less than Murray’s. Murray’s td to int ratio was 3x WORSE than logan Gray’s.
If Logan Gray isn’t qualified to start for Georgia, then based on their 3 scrimmages, Murray certainly has no claim, as Logan Gray matched or beat Murray, in 4 out 5 areas. The most important one, td to int ratio, Gray had 3x better td to int ratio.
If Murray’s so good, he should have gotten on the field last year.
Dog Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:28 am
There was nothing in Mett’s past to suggest he would get kicked off the team. Sometimes you take a chance on a kid and it bites you. Other times you take a chance on a kid and he becomes a man. Why is it any coaches fault. The player’s make the mistakes and have to pay the price. Coaches can’t hold everyone’s hand.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:33 am
Lizard King, you must be one of the hundreds of thousands of level headed, rational Florida Gators that litter these comment boards all over the country, right?
cantondawg
April 19th, 2010
10:33 am
I would like to wish ZM well. I hate that one mistake will cost him the chance to be a bulldog. However, this should help our recruiting tremendously. I can’t recall a year when we were in the race for so many top prospects. Christian Lemay, CJ Uzomah, Nick Marshall and a few others.
BamaBoy.
April 19th, 2010
10:34 am
Hey Reptiles rule tell us how Lawrence Marsh got into Florida. He couldn’t even meet entrance requirements at other SEC schools, but there he is playing football at Florida.Looks like Florida changes their entrance requirements when it comes to recruiting athletes. Thugs and dumbasses make up the Florida football program. The SEC and NCAA need to look into Floridas entrance requirements for their football program.I’m sure Meyer isn’t doing anything illegal….right?
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
10:35 am
UT96…with all due respect, but it seems not too long ago I was reading the same stuff here about Mettenberger and how it was just underage drinking and everybody does it and who hasn’t been underage drinking no big deal there’s no news here no discipline needed kind of stuff and it was the small town cops out to get him etc etc…. But more and more, coaches are finding out that if you don’t send a strong message (and that goes for ALL coaches, before Jax Dawg get all twisted again) that it just invites more bad behavior.
Mikey
April 19th, 2010
10:35 am
Oh God..we are one nasty hit away from Logan Gray being our QB.
I think I’m going to go outside and throw up.
Bulldog59
April 19th, 2010
10:36 am
Everyone thinks they know someone who has “inside info,” and I am no exception. I called my source, as always, he had the scoop. Suffice it to say, CMR did the right thing. Stories/rumors/details will come out soon enough.
Reptillicide
April 19th, 2010
10:36 am
What about Nash Nance? Didn’t Da’Rick go to UT so he could catch passes from his buddy? Huh?
Da’Rick = retard.
Gary Brown, Janoris Jenkins, Kenneth Tookes, Ronnie Wilson, Marcus Thomas and Jamar Honrsby
April 19th, 2010
10:36 am
Lawrence Marsh is our boy!
JB
April 19th, 2010
10:38 am
Murray will be fine, as long as he’s healthy…..Georgia has had lot’s of successful QB’s who were very good at winning games without being a physical specimen, Mike Bobo and Buck Blue come to mind..
The big difference, Dooley hated to throw the ball, and those guys had big, mean offensive lines and great tailbacks and a Junkyard defense. Let’s hope Grantham can give Murray a chance. Being down
2-4 Td’s early would make it tough for Peyton Manning. Gonna be interesting.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:39 am
Reptillicide
April 19th, 2010
10:36 am
What about Nash Nance? Didn’t Da’Rick go to UT so he could catch passes from his buddy? Huh?
Da’Rick = retard.
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
8:35 am
Tony, aren’t you forgetting the great Nash Nance in the Tennessee quarterback debate?
Look Alive
April 19th, 2010
10:42 am
the last ga bb coach came in and ran off all his good players and drug a good team he inherited down to mediocrity. being tough doesn’t mean being stupid. i think other things could have been done if the one incident was all there was too it. kicking your best qb (yes the best qb) off the team for one incident is not too smart. from what i have seen of murray his best qualities are mobility and a quick release—other than that he looks very average. with mett you had potential to throw the ball down field. i know the murray supporters are glad of this judging from the posts supporting the dimissal but we will be sorely hurting at qb. the qb has to do more than just hand the ball off to the rb—the defense can stop a one dimensional team. with mett at qb aj had a chance of catching the ball in stride instead of having to wait for the ball and be tackled immediately. maybe i am wrong and just frustrated but this situation just makes me sick. disappointed in my coach for not handling this better and i have never posted anything negative about the coaching staff except to say no three man rush (the stupidist play in football) but that is an ingrained fault within most losing defenses and not much chance they will correct that situation. pardon me i am just rambling
John
April 19th, 2010
10:42 am
Timing is everything. Seems Mettenberger is a victim not only of shaky personal judgement, but also CMR’s need to re-establish his credibility as being in control.
Also, it makes you wonder why the Remerton Police Department is spending so much time on such a nothing case. The Chief says investigation is still on-going.
What the hell for?
An 18 year old college student with fake ID – OK 2 fake ID’s? Underaged drinking on Spring Break? Unheard of. I shudder to think what prompted the obstruction charge. Hell, the kid probably tried to hide the beer or the ID’s.
Talk about overkill by the cops. What’s with Remerton, anyway?
gatorman770
April 19th, 2010
10:42 am
Alabama is in the same shape defensewise that the Gators were in after their 2006 BCS NC. Both lost 9 starters from their defense and will be reloading with many sophmores, redshirts and freshmen defensive players that will have to perform consistantly in order for Alabama to have a chance to repeat.
The Gators defensive failed in 2007 due to lack of defensive depth caused by Urban’s poor first recruiting class (which I believe only 4 players out of the class ended up with any appreciable playing time defensive and offensively) and ended up with at least 5 true freshman starting most games on defensive and did not have the experience and maturity.
Alabama should not have a defensive depth gap and with the majority of Alabama’s offensive starters returning should easily deserve the number one preseason ranking (more than ‘da Ohio State).
I believe the Gators should be pre-season ranked about 7th.
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
10:42 am
“BamaBoy”…how come you’re wearing a cap with a “G” on it?? You’re no Bammer or you certainly would NOT be talking NCAA and illegal in the same sentence, now would you? Plus Bammers aren’t worrying about who does or doesn’t get into UF, they’re too busy celebrating, God bless ‘em. Nice try though, Jax Dawg…
UGA Prof
April 19th, 2010
10:47 am
Richt didn’t kick Montez off the team. Montez is in jail and will likely be there for the 2010 football season, and Adams booted Zack to gain points with the NCAA for the job that he is not seeking.
Shug
April 19th, 2010
10:48 am
How ’bout we drop the term “coached up.”
Delbert D.
April 19th, 2010
10:52 am
There has to be something about the Mettenberger thing that hasn’t been made public. Last week, Richt was going to release the depth chart after reviewing films with the offensive coaches. What did he see in those films that made him decide to dismiss Mettenberger? Or is it the same old Richt indecisiveness?
POAD
April 19th, 2010
10:53 am
Hutson Mason Better be workingout hard this summer. He better getting all the UGA tape he can because the job could be his if he wants it.
Hoopie
April 19th, 2010
10:54 am
CMR has been too lenient for too long. Just like his mentor “Dadgum Bowden” he still doesn’t practice preventative discipline, but at least he is starting to hammer the boneheads that break the rules.
I wonder if the recent grumblings have anything to do with his new found “discipline”.
POAD
April 19th, 2010
10:55 am
It should be interesting in the UGA football offices since Mettenberger’s mom works in that office.
Travis Carroll
April 19th, 2010
10:55 am
Bama ARE cheaters. That’s what I told Steve Spurrier when I transferred to Florida.
Ugaclassof2004
April 19th, 2010
11:01 am
Ugh…does anyone else think this season is going to suck. I think I’m going to just watch the Falcons this year. 2 years ago, I never would have dreamed that I would be saying that I would rather watch the Falcons over the Dawgs. But that day has come. Hell I’ve enjoyed watching the Falcons play the last 2 years and that certainly hasn’t been the case with my Dawgs. At least one team in Red and Black from the state of Georgia is moving in the right direction!
McDawg
April 19th, 2010
11:03 am
the Richt discipline thing is stupid/you’re suppose to kick people off the team before they have done something wrong??–the only team besides Bama at #1 would probably be Ohio State why?? who else–BTW who spends their spring break in Valdosta (no offense to the folks from Lowndes Co. but ……)
Lizard King
April 19th, 2010
11:03 am
As the “real’ Mason (Perry) would say, I rest my case.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
11:03 am
UGA Prof glad to see we have at least 1 “evil Adams” remark..it would be too much to wait and see what comes out in the details of Mett’s arrest.
Spring Breakers
April 19th, 2010
11:04 am
McDawg. You have to drive thru Valdosta to get to Panama City.
ROLL TIDE
April 19th, 2010
11:04 am
Reptiles Rule:
Thought Urban retired to spend more time with his family…..Bama gonna put him back in the emergency room again…..
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:05 am
the 37th arrest for Richt since 2007, doesn’t come at a good time. Richt also finished #117 in penalties, and #116 in interceptions, and #118 in offensive giveaways. I am sure all of these have NOTHING to do with the concept of DISCIPLINE ot TOUHGNESS, zero.
37 arrests since 2007, not real good there. Another area Richt seems to be unable to fix. 36 of those were not Mettenberger’s fault either.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
11:05 am
Ugaclassof2004
Bye see ya have a great time watching the Falcons..damn if you turn on your team for this how big a “fan” were you really??
The rest of us
April 19th, 2010
11:06 am
Stats are for “darrells”.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
April 19th, 2010
11:07 am
Ugaclassof2004——–YOU ARE A TECH MITE IN DISGUISE….IF NOT, FIND YOU ANOTHER TEAM TO PULL FOR, AND LET US REAL DOG FANS PULL FOR THE DOGS…….
Urban Meyer's daughter
April 19th, 2010
11:11 am
Yeah, I’ll have my Daddy back again after the SEC Championship! Thanks ROLL TIDE. That will be twice in two years I’ll get him back.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
April 19th, 2010
11:12 am
darrell:
Go back to Dungeons and Dragons…..Thanks for all those numbers that really don’t mean a damn thing……the thing that matters is the worst team Georgia has fielded in the last 10 years beat the best Tech team of the past 10 years….and now we claim the ACC Championship…..Happened at “the joke by coke” on November 28….Can’t believe it happened but it did….BAYBAY dropped it, and that was it……I had Tech as a 17 point favorite…..
murfdawg
April 19th, 2010
11:14 am
I really don’t understand CMR’s hard line with Mett. If he and/or Michael Adams kicked out every student who had a beer while underage at UGA, there would probably only be about 1149 students in Athens.If having a fake I.D. at Georgia is grounds for dismissal, then about another 1000 would be eliminated. There has to be something more serious that happened than what has been reported.
Also, what is going to happen to Mrs. Mettenberger as she tries to work in the Athletic Department that decided to make an example of her son?
NEGa
April 19th, 2010
11:17 am
Hopefully for UGA fans, time will solve the problems within UGA’s football program. After 2011, Richt will be gone and so will all his boys. If UGA’s really lucky, maybe even Adams will be gone by then and someone can be “crowned” head football coach who is competent to do three things: compete with Saban and Meyer without being embarrased, 2)keep the program “clean” and 3) instill and maintain discipline among his players before they get into difficulties. Surely, for 3 million a year they can find someone that is competent in all three areas.
SOGADOG
April 19th, 2010
11:17 am
CMR did the right thing with Mettenberger. I hate to see a kid punished, but the worst thing you can do is not hold a kid accountable for his or her mistakes. Otherwise, they will make mistakes the rest of their lives. In the long run, Mettenberger and UGA football will be better off.
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:19 am
Peanlties have nothing to do with discipline huh?
Interesting, because Navy, Air Force, and Army ALL averaged less than 6 penalties a game.
In fact, Navy finished #1 in least penalties.
I’ll stick to my theory, that Richt is “discipline-challenged”.
Gator Growl
April 19th, 2010
11:20 am
Actually Tide, Urban’s with his family now as he is not doing the Gator Clubs circuit this year, but thanks for asking. Saban’s a mighty fine coach, but maybe one day we can return the favor and put him in the old folks home. We don’t even worry about Tan Man up there at Georgia anymore, heck I’m more worried more Lou’s son at South Florida than I am Mr Nice Guy…
Gator Fan
April 19th, 2010
11:24 am
Gator Growl is right. I can’t wait to spend $40.00 to hear Steve Addazio speak.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
11:26 am
NEGa please CUM just had to kick a DL for beating up 2 girls..moron!
Brandon Spikes
April 19th, 2010
11:30 am
If I were to choose, I’d definitely vote for Logan Gray. He throws such a nice catchable pass. Yep, I’d vote eye…err I mean ..aye, for Logan!
Huntley Johnson
April 19th, 2010
11:30 am
Gator football players aren’t thugs, they’re clients.
Rich Martinez
April 19th, 2010
11:30 am
I’m sick of Tony Barnhart telling us what we can and cannot talk about. (1) do NOT talk about Hutson Mason competing for the starting QB job. (2) do NOT even discuss whether Richt is tough enough. (3) you can NOT even think about talking about whether Jon Gruden should have been considered for the Tennessee coaching job. Barnhart is not smarter than the rest of us, he just thinks he is.
Brandon Spikes
April 19th, 2010
11:32 am
I hope I can punt some footballs into the stands next year. No penalties for that in the NFL, just fines.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
11:34 am
Why the harsh punishment for Berger boy??? All he needed was a “TIME OUT”!
Ugaclassof2004
April 19th, 2010
11:34 am
how2fish: Thanks I will. And when the Falcons make the playoffs and the Dawgs finish 7-5 or 6-6, I’ll be waiting at the end of the season with a big fat I told you so!
Lake Oconee Dawg: Yes, you nailed it! I’m a Tech fan! Because anyone who says anything negative about UGA must not be a fan. Cheering for your team is one thing, but mindless blind devotion is another. I love the Dawgs and I want to see them excel. But if the coaches and players are going to half ass around,then why should I care? Attitude reflects leadership, and UGA has lacked it in several areas the last few years.
UT96
April 19th, 2010
11:34 am
Reptiles Rule, I don’t disagree with you but you can’t have a total zero tolerence policy. As much as I would like to see it, I don’t think it’s possible.
CMR
April 19th, 2010
11:36 am
Ok Players, one more infraction and I’ll tan YOUR hide!!
John
April 19th, 2010
11:36 am
What is it with you Gator people? You all act like self-appointed PR guys for Coach Urban. “Coach gained six pounds this week!” “Coach bought a new Land Rover!” “Coach took his kids to Disney World!” “Coach says if you see only one movie this year, make it Avatar!”
Whoopti – freaking – doo!
NEWS FLASH: We non-Gators don’t give two-craps what the great man’s itinerary is for this week – as hard as that may be for citizens Gator Nation to fathom.
You guys got a helluva sports program down there. I hope some day, some of it will rub off UGA. Be proud, but get off your doggoned high-horse.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
11:39 am
Oh, I’m in Bimini in case anyone wants to know…
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:40 am
for those of you that think the QB debate is over, you’re in for a big surprise:
1) once Aaron Murray throws some more interceptions
2) or gets injured again like he has for the last 2 years in a row,
3) or when Logan Gray has a breakout game in the summer scrimmage
4) or once Hutson Mason steps on the campus and lights up the stats.
The QB debate has only begun.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
11:40 am
Nicki and I are having Pina Coladas. And before you “Metts” fans ask, you only have to be 18 down here…
mightyKC
April 19th, 2010
11:42 am
love this idea that now richt is mr. tough guy. those 2 players gave him no choice.
every team has bums on their team (ie, kids that can’t stay out of trouble). the bigger reaction is how do the coaches deal w/ said problems. do they pray for a misdemeanor, enact the warsaw rule?
i believe kids should be given 2nd chances, but in the case of the LB and this QB, they both were probably already on a ‘one more strike and your out’ clause…so again, kudos to richt, but it’s not like he is all the sudden showing new and improved toughness.
Shelley Meyer
April 19th, 2010
11:43 am
Ambien and Pina Coladas make for a loving husband, sorry Elin but they do.
The Sunshine Band
April 19th, 2010
11:45 am
Hey mightyKC. You were pretty tough on US back in the day.
Monger
April 19th, 2010
11:45 am
to John and the rest who think the Mettenberger charge was ONLY a fake ID and disorderly conduct matter. I have inside information from a guy at the bar, that he “grabbed” a girl at the bar, and I dont know if it was violent or what, but she is about to charge sexual assault charges on him. This is the “ongoing” investigation the Remerton police are talking about. They found out about the sexual assault part, and so did Richt. He is dismissing Mett for this, being a Christian man, assaulting a girl is unnaccaptable. He has already kicked Montez Robinson off for battering his girlfriend. I dont think he should have been kicked off, maybe a one game suspension, because we all know how young girls like to lie and/or exaggerate stories….(cough cough Roethlisberger). Not saying he is innocent, and I think Big Ben is guilty of something minor, but these girls get their chest touched and they scream rape, I believe this is more applicable to Mett’s situation, but he didnt deserve to be kicked off. Richt is a failure at life…
Mike
April 19th, 2010
11:48 am
Monger-
Thanks for breaking this story.
What’s the guy’s name at the bar you know, so we can follow up?
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:49 am
The only reason Richt kicked Mett off of the team is because Murray is his boy and he didn’t want a qb controversy
The rest of us
April 19th, 2010
11:49 am
Monger, please post all future posts as “Caveman”. Thank you in advanced.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
11:50 am
Oh, didn’t I mention that Elin’s with us?? Sorry. And John, you can follow my every move at hesarealcoach @twitter.com.
Mike
April 19th, 2010
11:52 am
Why some are annointing Murray as the next big thing, based on his 3 scrimmages, it a mstery to football fans. What has this guy done at Georgia in any of the games or scrimmages to impress the journalists and Richt? Is this based on Murray’s High School hype?
Ever heard of Ron Pawlus? There’s a bunch of high school “prodigies” who ended up flops in college.
Again, what has Murray done in the 3 scrimmages that’s so impressiveor so much better than Mettenberger or Logan Gray?
Borodawg
April 19th, 2010
11:52 am
TB was right to begin with…CMR didn’t just suddenly start being a disciplinarian. They even have classes for the players, about staying out of trouble, studying, etc etc. They have continuing programs for the players…for improved “life” experiences, etc. It IS up to the players. CMR for the most part recruits players he thinks are of fairly high character; players he thinks are coachable and who he thinks will stay out of trouble…and one day become “men”. It’s not an exact science.
Give him credit for not publicizing all the details of any player’s misdeeds. If he kicks a player off the team, you can bet the offense was fairly egregious; or there was a total lack of remorse; or the player was not putting forth the effort to correct the mistake. CMR has had punishment in place for years; from running sprints to running the stadium steps, and up to and including suspensions. So, as TB says, the argument that CMR isn’t “tough” should be squelched.
To think you know more about the progress of the different QB’s than the coaching staff is ludicrous.
It’s a shame about ZM. I wish him well in his future endeavors.
Goooo Dawgs!!
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
April 19th, 2010
11:54 am
darrell:
If was only about character and discipline, the Armed Services Academies would win the National Championship each and every year……Don’t remember them winning any lately, so it must be a little more that character and discipline……Not that simple….
CMR
April 19th, 2010
11:54 am
OK OK OK…the truth about Metts and Murray…for some strange reason, I prefer short people.
Beano Cook
April 19th, 2010
11:54 am
Ron Powlus should have won 4 Heisman Trophies.
who really is Thug U.?
April 19th, 2010
11:56 am
Jaxdawg- For all the supposed thugs you claim take the field at the Florida schools, UGA has had a good bit more players arrested in the past 10 years than any of those schools have.
So who really is “thug u”? I’d say UGA is the leading candidate.
ATL XMAN
April 19th, 2010
11:56 am
the turnovers and penalties were due to all the underclassmen uga has had to put out there..look how many freshmen uga has had to play on the O-line and def backfield…navy and the other schools you mentioned have all seniors playing where as UGA has had their jrs and seniors leave early for the pros….richt is and will never be the problem at UGA…all those things will stip once we have jrs and seniors leading the team…=)
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:57 am
L O DAWG what are you talking about?
CMR
April 19th, 2010
11:58 am
Yep, my goal one day is to one day have a dwarf QB. Someone I can look up to. And I can assure you, unlike that Tebow guy, HE won’t have any problems under center!
darrell
April 19th, 2010
11:59 am
Nice try “darrell” imposter with your 11:49 post to try to be like me.
Note:
I am signing off for the day, if anyone posts as me, they are a fake.
Attn AJC: Please be aware of this and take care of this.
Dorsey Hill
April 19th, 2010
11:59 am
Last week somebody posted that the reason that the release of the QB depth chart was postponed was because CMR was “too nice a guy” to tell one of the QB’s he wasn’t the No. 1 guy. I wonder where that idiot is today.
I would like to know what led to this decision and whether Zach will have a chance to go to GMC next fall and earn his way back.
Gary Brown, Jamoris Jenkins, Kenneth Tookes, Ronnie Wilson, Marcus Thomas and Jamar Hornsby
April 19th, 2010
12:00 pm
who really is Thug U.?
April 19th, 2010
11:56 am
Jaxdawg- For all the supposed thugs you claim take the field at the Florida schools, UGA has had a good bit more players arrested in the past 10 years than any of those schools have.
So who really is “thug u”? I’d say UGA is the leading candidate.
You tell em Gator fan we got yo back!
Jax Dawg
April 19th, 2010
12:00 pm
In the words of the great Lizard King, I rest my case.
Ricky
April 19th, 2010
12:01 pm
All I know, is whatever stuff Richt’s been trying to help the players get more disciplined, is making things worse.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
12:03 pm
Ugaclassof2004
I too will wait for that I told you so…but if a QB issue sends you too the Falcons at the expense of the Dogs bye ! The idea that at college grad can’t multi-task well enough to follow a Pro and College team is hard to swallow..but I don’t see our chances of going 7-5 to be greater this year than last…by the way I’ll be rooting for the Falcons also.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
April 19th, 2010
12:08 pm
Ugaclassof2004:
The Dogs lost 2 premium players in one year who went to the league, a pretty damn good QB (#1 draft choice, and Knowshon Moreno (who has made the Broncos proud they drafted him). Dogs got caught in a situation where they played the QB who had been in the program and had gotten more reps than the others……Sometimes he played well, sometimes he didn’t….He was obviously no Matthew Stafford……And the 2 young running backs took until the Tech game to really get into high gear, and I must say that Tech had a lot to do with that…..Moreno was a human highlight reel…You don’t realize how good he was until you look at some of the old video….There was no way on offense to replace these 2 guys, yet you say the coaches and players are half-assing around…..CMR just replaced the entire defensive staff…..Who do you know is half-assing around????? It’s all about talent, and losing Stafford and Moreno really hurt…..
djgator
April 19th, 2010
12:08 pm
No talent drop on the Bama defense yeah right. Hightower is good but he’s no Mclain! Their offense will be good again if not great, but that young secondary will cost them some games. You are right Tony it does not make any sense to rank Bama number one because they’re not.
Mike
April 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
Hey guys, interesting story, heating up the sports pages, been fun, I’m out of here.
HDTV This Year
April 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
When Coach Richt first came to Athens he emphasize a TEAM approach to this program. It was understood by the players that they were a part of a team and you did not see the type of behavior you have now. We didn’t see the dreadlocksand hair out of the helmet, players writing messages on their bodies with silver sharpies, wearing their own versions of the uniforms with one long sleeve, one different color socks, etc….I don’t believe the penalties and undisciplined behavior on the field is a coincidence. The message the players seem to be getting is no longer that it is a team mentality, it’s more about me, me, me! Until this is taken care of, don’t expect to see a cohesive unit like we did in the days of Pollack and Greene. I did not re up with my donation and tickets this year because of this. I hope to see things turn around soon.
CLEVON LITTLE
April 19th, 2010
12:12 pm
Well, THERE GOES OUR SEASON!!!!!!!!!!1
FRICK’EN GREAT. JUST GREAT.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
12:13 pm
Monger..let me ask you this..when Mett was telling CMR is version of the story the FIRST time did he mention the girl?? If he didn’t then he lied at least by ommission…and deserves what he got..not saying that is what happened as I have no “inside” source but if he lied to CMR when he told his story..I can see what happened being called for. But again I urge a little patience until the details are released. The young man getting booted is bad enough we don’t need to slander him on top of that.
mettenberger
April 19th, 2010
12:15 pm
Its no problem dawg fans me stafford and ginger boy just down another keg! I asked matthew what it was like beating the Gators in 2007? He told me to shut the hell up and go get more beer!
Ben Rothlisberger
April 19th, 2010
12:19 pm
Which of us is perfect? Some need a second and third chance to start acting right.
who really is Thug U.?
April 19th, 2010
12:19 pm
Ummm I never said the Gators, Noles or Canes haven’t had players in trouble…just that the FACT is UGA has had MORE, and by a good bit, players arrested than any of those 3 in the past 10 years.
Which makes even more funny each time you morons try and throw stones from a paper thing glass house.
mettenberger
April 19th, 2010
12:21 pm
I should have asked myself what would would Tim Tebow do?
BAMA STAN
April 19th, 2010
12:22 pm
13 NATIONAL TITLES – 22 SEC TITLES!!!
I hate it for the Mettenberger kid. Remember folks, we are talking about an 18 year old that showed poor judgement and made a HUGE mistake.
He is learning what being an adult is all about – responsibility, accountablity, and consequences for ones actions.
I am sure that he will land on his feet and be better as a result of this situation. At least, I hope so.
Well – it’s going to be an interesting year:
– will Alabama’s defense be good enough with all the new starters/
– will Florida enact revenge for their SEC Title loss?
– Will South Carolina get over the hump and – beat UGA and Tennessee – finish #2 in the SEC East?
– Will UGA mesh and win double digit this year?
One other thing – I was WRONG on the Bowman kid – I did not think UGA would be able to land this recruit:
– his brother wanted to go to UGA – was snubbed and is at Alabama
– his mother made a huge issue wearing an Oklahoma State T-shirt (rooting for another son) at UGA several years ago for the UGA/OK STATE game – although she and her family were guests of UGA recruiting. A UGA associate had asked her to take it off – not knowing her son was playing for OK STATE – Richt intervened and all was OK – except she went to the press and discussed how she was insulted – disrespected – blah blah blah. Kid must have made a great connection with the staff in Athens – good rebound for Richt
ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL TIDE!!!!!
rebman76
April 19th, 2010
12:22 pm
Mettenberger had a chance to defend his actions to the AJC. he didn’t and came off, at least to me, that he was arrogant. It seems like he was thinking he would get caught.
(Reached by the AJC on his cell phone, Mettenberger said: “I’m not going to talk to you, sir.” Asked if he wanted to address the dismissal, Mettenberger replied: “No thank you.”)
Regardless of which team you cheer for, you hate to see a young man have to face this. But these kids have to realize they are given a golden opportunity to play college athletics and receive an education for free. You can’t screw up and expect to be patted on the back and told “it will be alright. we will take care of it and sweep it under the rug.”
Maybe he can get back in Richt’s good graces in the future. Who knows?
Voice of Reason
April 19th, 2010
12:23 pm
who really is Thug U.?
April 19th, 2010
12:19 pm
Ummm I never said the Gators, Noles or Canes haven’t had players in trouble…just that the FACT is UGA has had MORE, and by a good bit, players arrested than any of those 3 in the past 10 years.
Which makes even more funny each time you morons try and throw stones from a paper thing glass house.
I guess most people can differentiate between an expired tag misdemeanor and an assault weapons felony. All arrest are not created equal my mouth breather friend.
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
12:29 pm
UT96…I’m not suggesting Zero Tolerance, I’m just saying that ALL coaches (including ours) need to get away from the “slap on the wrist” punishment. I think you’re starting to see that because of all the negative publicity. You can’t always control what THEY do out there in public, but you can sure control what YOU do in response to it. Believe me, these guys are warned and told time and time and time again. I’ll gaurantee that if EVERYONE started sending that hard message and sending more of these guys home, they’d think twice before they just chucked their scholarships away. Also djgator, got to disagree with you a little there…I think that one of the things you earn by finishing #1, is the right to be #1 till someone proves otherwise. Until someone knocks off the Tide, in my mind, they’re number 1. I just hope it’s the Gators. All I know is that after watching their spring game that Urban needs to keep bringing in those bad azz D lineman and I know we’ve got a couple more lined up for this next 2011 class as well.
mettenberger
April 19th, 2010
12:32 pm
Coach kicked me off the team because I refused to dance in the endzone in the spring game.
WonderDawg
April 19th, 2010
12:32 pm
Kirby who?
Gary Brown
April 19th, 2010
12:34 pm
I’m a bad azz D lineman.
Marcus Thomas
April 19th, 2010
12:36 pm
So am I.
(The Real) Reptiles Rule
April 19th, 2010
12:39 pm
Apparently not bad enough.
WonderDawg
April 19th, 2010
12:41 pm
It’s a good thing regular college students are held to a different standard regarding minor violations. . .
Dorsey Hill
April 19th, 2010
12:45 pm
Here is a list of off the field incidents since 2007. Not exactly a “parade of horribles.”
Feb. 25, 2007 — Linebacker Akeem Hebron arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol. Suspended two games.
Apr. 26, 2007 — Linebacker Akeem Hebron arrested a second time and charged with underage possession of alcohol. Removed from team, but returned after a year at GMC.
Nov. 26, 2007 — Snapper Jeff Henson arrested and charged with DUI. Suspended for Sugar Bowl.
March 23, 2007 — Tanner Strickland arrested and charged with possession of fake ID. He was not suspended.
June 10, 2007 — Blake Barnes and Tripp Chandler arrested and charged with open container. Barnes was also charged with furnishing alcohol to a minor and Chandler with underage consumption. Both served a one-game suspension, and Barnes later transferred.
May 25, 2007 — Walk-on defensive tackle Tripp Taylor was arrested on assault charges. Dismissed from team.
July 18, 2007 — Tailback Caleb King arrested and charged with operating a scooter without a license.
July 30, 2007 — Tight end NeDerris Ward arrested and charged with operating a scooter without a license.
Jan. 20, 2008 — Defensive back Donavon Baldwin arrested and charged with driving under the influence. He was suspended to be suspended for the start of the 2008 season.
Jan. 20, 2008 — Fullback Fred Munzenmaier arrested and charged with underage possession of alcohol. He was suspended for the first two games of the 2008 season.
May 14, 2008 — Left tackle Clint Boling was arrested and charged with DUI. He was suspended for two games, but the charges against Boling were later reduced, as was the suspension — to one game.
June 3, 2008 — Defensive end Jeremy Lomax arrested and charged with speeding and carrying a concealed weapon. He was cleared of all charges and was not suspended.
June 28, 2008 — Linemen Trinton Sturdivant and Justin Anderson arrested and charged with simple assault for touching a pregnant woman’s stomach. All charges were eventually dropped against both players.
June 28, 2008 — Defensive end Michael Lemon was charged with felony battery after a fight at an off-campus party. He was dismissed from the program by Mark Richt — later being arrested again in Athens — but played a year at GMC and is now a member of the NC State football team.
Aug. 2 2008 — Defensive back Donavon Baldwin and linebacker Marcus Dowtin are both involved in a fight at a downtown Athens bar. Dowtin served an internal punishment and was not suspended. For Baldwin, it was his second off-field incident in less than a year. He was suspended indefinitely, eventually deciding to leave the team in what Richt dubbed a mutual decision. No charges were formally filed against either player.
Aug. 2, 2008 — Snapper Jeff Henson is charged with public indecency after he was found urinating in public in downtown Athens. This was his second charge in less than a year as well, and he was dismissed from the program by Richt.
Aug. 5, 2008 — Linebacker Darius Dewberry is suspended for the first two games of the season after Richt announces he was involved in damaging property at Saint Mary’s Hospital when he went to visit teammates Baldwin and Dowtin there the previous weekend.
Aug. 20, 2008 — Tight end Bruce Figgins is benched for the entirety of Georgia’s opening game for what Richt called a violation of team rules. He played the following week.
Oct. 19, 2008 — Defensive tackle Brandon Wood is charged with driving under the influence and receives a two-game suspension from Richt.
Oct. 19, 2008 — Lineman Vince Vance is arrested and charged with driving without a license. No suspension is levied, as Vance was already out for the season with a knee injury.
March 17, 2009 — Mark Richt revokes the scholarship of recruit Dexter Moody after the player threatened at teacher at his high school.
May 8, 2009 — Defensive end Justin Houston is suspended for two games for a violation of team rules, while tight end Bruce Figgins lands a six-game suspension, also for violating team rules. Wide receiver Tony Wilson was rumored to be involved in an incident as well, but he was instead given a medical disqualification and did not return to the program. He recently joined the football program at Bethune-Cookman and said the incident at Georgia involved him getting into a physical altercation with a member of the coaching staff.
Oct. 13, 2009 — Cornerback Vance Cuff is arrested and charged with operating a scooter with a suspended license and the now infamous charge of “emerging from an alley.” He was suspended for one game by Richt, but did not play for the next several weeks.
Oct. 25, 2009 — An arrest warrant was issued for linebacker Rennie Curran, who was charged with failing to pay parking fines and theft by taking after he moved his scooter, which had been booted by traffic police. Curran cleared up the incident, paid a fine and was not suspended.
Oct. 28, 2009 — Offensive lineman Vince Vance is arrested for the second time in the past year for driving without a license. Richt says Vance had a learner’s permit, but not a proper driver’s license.
Nov. 19, 2009 — Lineman Jonathan Owens is arrested and charged with driving a motorcycle without a license.
Dec. 4, 2009 — Defensive end Montez Robinson is arrested and charged with misdemeanor simple battery and felony criminal damage stemming from two separate incidents — one involving pushing his girlfriend and one involving smashing a parking light on her car. He was suspended for two games.
March 7, 2010 — Quarterback Zach Mettenberger is arrested outside a bar in Valdosta and charged with five misdemeanors, including underage consumption and possession of false identification.
March 31, 2010 — A police report is filed by several UGA students claiming they were harassed and assaulted in a taxi cab by four Georgia football players. It was later revealed that only one player was involved — running back Dontavius Jackson — and he attempted to play peacemaker in the situation.
April 4, 2010 — Montez Robinson is arrested for the third time in the past four months, again for misdemeanor simple battery of the same woman. He is immediately dismissed from the program.
April 18, 2010 — Mettenberger is dismissed from the team for an undisclosed violation of team rules. UGA confirms the dismissal is not related to a new arrest.
While the frequency of the issues is an issue, the substance of the vast majority of these are inconsequential alcohol and driving related issues. I can see people complaining about a pervasive lack of judgment, but calling these guys “thugs” is a gross overstatement.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
12:46 pm
Reptiles, I think I might have just found me another bad azz D lineman right down here! Name is U’gangy Bangee and he says he eats bulldawgs for breakfast…which by the way is quite a delicacy down here I understand.
Torrey Davis
April 19th, 2010
12:47 pm
I’m the baddest Azz one of them all. I have a ring AND was kicked of the team.
DawgsOnline » Comings and goings
April 19th, 2010
12:47 pm
[...] interesting is that people are starting to say that this dismissal settles the quarterback derby. I’ve maintained for six weeks that [...]
HardTruth Soldier....
April 19th, 2010
12:48 pm
Brandon Spikes concentrate on your draft status, you’ve got a brother to spend bonus money on getting a Lawyer.
Torrey Davis, Marcus Thomas, Carlos Dunlap and Gary Brown
April 19th, 2010
12:54 pm
Hey Reptiles Rule. Thanks for remembering us. We love you too. Work ‘em, Silly Gators!!!
SOOHSO
April 19th, 2010
12:56 pm
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Lizard King
April 19th, 2010
12:57 pm
WonderDawg you make a point. But be it fair or unfair, when you accept that scholarship and wear that uniform, you become a direct representative of that university and it is your responsibility to follow the rules and conduct yourself properly. That is a price you must pay. But it is a price that probably most of us would gladly pay in order to run out of that tunnel every Saturday and to have that opportunity at a quality education.
HardTruth Soldier....
April 19th, 2010
12:59 pm
A message to all UGA Football Players, A Bulls eye is own your back everywhere you go. Don’t be stupid, don’t drink in public, and last but not least, remember your there for an education, and part of being educated is knowing right from wrong in life!
Bama man
April 19th, 2010
1:02 pm
Tony if you are going to Aubarn, watch your step. Lots of cow paddies everywhere.
AltamahaDawg
April 19th, 2010
1:02 pm
Put a silly argument to bed…..Are you new here?
Jarvis Moss
April 19th, 2010
1:02 pm
Don’t forget about me guys.
HardTruth Soldier....
April 19th, 2010
1:05 pm
All of GAY-TOR nation, How much is UF paying the NFL to make Tebow a QB. He’d be the first one in the last 4 decades to do anything if he half way succeeds… Don’t say jack crap about Rex Grossman while he hides in Houston backing up the backup!
Lanierpoet
April 19th, 2010
1:05 pm
Am I the only one who wonders why the good christian coach Richt let this 18 yr old kid play his heart out in the spring game to only kick him off when he already new the allegations.There is a lot more to the story than we have been told.Aone game suspention didn’t seem too much for the allegations but to let him practice and then kick him off is unbelievable.
Urban
April 19th, 2010
1:06 pm
Well, gotta go. Lunch is being served at the Bimini Bay Resort. Nothing but the best of course. And remember, you can follow me at hesarealcoach@twitter.com
Lanierpoet
April 19th, 2010
1:13 pm
I have poet IN my name but the difference between knew and new escapes me. Don’t get me started on suspension.
DawgByte
April 19th, 2010
1:13 pm
The Mettenberger situation hurts, but only from the standpoint of support. Without Mettenberger, we will have to rely on Gray for back-up duties. On the positive side this makes Georgia extremely attractive to the three 5 star QB’s who are currently looking at our program for 2011.
cantondawg
April 19th, 2010
1:20 pm
Dorsey Hill,
Wow..that’s alot of information. Thanks for sharing. I remember several of those players were highly recruited and i’ve lost track of them (Michael Lemon, Donovan Baldwin)
Todd from Birmingham
April 19th, 2010
1:23 pm
All of your comments are great points. I hate the fact that as a Dawg fan we are so wrapped up into a players dismissal? Do you think if Nick Saban kicked a quarterback off his team that anyone would care? No! They know he’s always going to reload with something better. Mark will never be that type of leader. He is hoping just like all of us we don’t get embarrassed by the big boyz this year. We are going down hill fast with Bobby jr driving the bus..ask FSU fans how that went for them? It’s time for Will Muschamp to be handed the keys, tell me all of you wouldn’t love to be on that bus
G8R GRAD
April 19th, 2010
1:23 pm
Sorry Tide, but your 2010 defensive secondary is no more talented than the squad we fielded in 2007 and they are equally lacking in experience.
We went 9 & 4 with losses to AU, LSU, UGA AND Meeeeshigan! It wasn’t until the NEXT YEAR that they gelled into the defense that beat UA and held OU to 14 points.
You’re going to stumble in one or more of your games against AU, Arkansas and/or UF.
Mallet’s a passing stud, AU’s QB’s combined for 488 yards in the air on Saturday and Brantley broke every passing record in Florida his senior year (and has a plethora of weapons to throw to).
cantondawg
April 19th, 2010
1:23 pm
UGA FOOTBALL LESSON 101
1) Cold beer + Hot women = Trouble
2) Cold beer + Car = Trouble
3) No license + scooter = Trouble
4) No license + car = Trouble
I hope this helps…
CLASS DISMISSED
AltamahaDawg
April 19th, 2010
1:26 pm
yes Lanier, you are the only one. It’s pretty clear the picture was developing but became clearer this weekend, so what would you have him do, refuse to let Mett practice? How does that help the young man?
Don’t you think that Mett IS going to play somewhere, eventually? Would sitting on the bench for unexplained reasons been more helpful for his career? Richt can and will I would bet you my last dollar be pushing everybody he knows to give this kid another chance, and did EXACTLY what he should have for the kid to make sure he was preparing to either make this team or be a factor someplace else.
I would also be willing to bet that all this, the remaining in practice, the time to let things sort out, the potential and eventually dismissal from this team was done very openly, and with full understand with the Mettenbergers and thier son.
Dave In Tampa
April 19th, 2010
1:27 pm
Monger – “Richt is a failure in life…”
Are you serious? Maybe he is not the top notch coach, but look what the man has done off the field. What a typical lack of facts person you are to say that CMR is a failure. How many children have you adopted? How many people have you brought to Christ? How many missionary trips have you made? How many life’s have you influened? ZERO, that’s what I thought. CMR is way out of your league. Call him a bad coach if you will, though many colleges would love to have him, but to say he is a failure in life. You have no idea what your talking about.
Mike the Tiger
April 19th, 2010
1:30 pm
I agree with those who see Adams’ hand in this incident. Richt had allegedly punished Zack and allowed him to participate in spring football. Adams’ PR minion responded immediately when the Boston paper criticized Adams for weak player academics and poor discipline in conjunction with the NCAA post. As usual, these issues were attributed to Dooley lies.
how2fish
April 19th, 2010
1:32 pm
Todd from Birmingham please I want to trade the coach with CMR’s record for a guy who has yet to play a game where he is the HC??..WTF..while I’m at it I’ll trade Payton Manning for Tebow..what are you smoking??
DP
April 19th, 2010
1:37 pm
With regard to the Mettenberger dismissal, Chuck Oliver of 680 said today that he had 3 sources who told him there were 2 reasons that Richt cut him loose. First was that as more information has come in, Mettenberger’s behavior was worse than initially known. Oliver’s sources say that Mettenberger was quite grabby with a female in the bar, attempting to lift up her skirt to expose her. Second, the sources say that Mettenberger lied to Richt on more than one occasion about what happened that night. Mettenberger apparently told Richt that he only put his hands on the girl’s waist to move her aside so that he could go past her to the bathroom. Oliver said his sources told him that there were a lot of witnesses to the incident who would not support Mettenberger’s version of what took place.
AltamahaDawg
April 19th, 2010
1:38 pm
BTW, as a poet you must have hated how I butchered the concept of clarity in that second line. I did. Not very Marshes of Glynn esque.
Anonymous
April 19th, 2010
1:44 pm
AltamahaDawg:
“Marshes of Glynn esque”
Really?
This site is replete with UGA fans.
You really expect that to have an impact?
Lanierpoet
April 19th, 2010
1:46 pm
Obscure just called and said to leave this sports comment board.
Title #14 in 2010!
April 19th, 2010
1:49 pm
Bama clearly is the preseason #1 team! They are loaded on offense and with a bunch of new talent on D, they may be better than last year. Bama should roll through the SEC and I predict a match against Ohio State for the national title.
DaveDawg
April 19th, 2010
1:54 pm
Good thing we decided – last minute – to add a QB to this past February’s recruiting class.
Unfortunately, I think Mettenberger is the best of the bunch.
Attack of the Rothelisberger!!
April 19th, 2010
2:01 pm
My First Protégée!!! SWEEEEET!!
abc
April 19th, 2010
2:16 pm
Georgia and Georgia Tech will be lucky to finish 2010 in the top 25. Bama will be very strong again; Boise State, Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska (#1 defense in 2009, we’ll see if they have an offense this year), Florida, Ohio State, USC, LSU, Oregon, Utah will all be strong top 10 contenders.
Attack of the Rothelisberger!!
April 19th, 2010
2:17 pm
Those GA Peaches are hard to keep your hands off of!! At least I’m not the only one now!!! hahaha
EASTsiders
April 19th, 2010
2:32 pm
Mett was the guy and now he is gone. Urban, Derek, Steve, Joker, and Bobby are smiling a little bit today.
Old Dawg
April 19th, 2010
2:33 pm
Tony, nice job with your column. It’s obviously past time for coaches to keep their programs in line with disciplinary decisions like this. Also good to see your work on a more regular basis.
Fulmer Cup
April 19th, 2010
2:40 pm
So who is leading in the race for the Fulmer cup this year- given to the conference’s most thug program based on arrests. With UGA and UT both having players arrested and booted from the team this weekend I’m thinking its a tie or thUGA has a slight lead over the viles. How many more players from these 2 thug programs will be arrested in over the summer? Inquiring minds want to know!
Otto
April 19th, 2010
2:42 pm
I would be really interested in what caused Mett to be kick off the team. Lots of rumors and few facts. However, I do understand that there are many reasons to keep private information private. Wish Mett the best in his future decisions, he has the arm and skills to be a big time player.
JB, INTs at UGA? Stafford never tossed fewer than 10 a season. Stafford was a good QB but not the legend many Disney Dawgs make him out to be.
Who is #1? I see no reason for preseason rankings at this point many teams could be. Bama is the defending champ with many key players coming back. IMO the Final Top 10 will look strikingly different than the preseason Top 10. The preseason Top 10 at this point is looking like a beauty contest of teams that have done well the past few years.
Doesn't Matter
April 19th, 2010
2:51 pm
About Mettenberger, I agree with all who thinks that he deserves a chance to play somewhere and that this will be a step in the right direction for him. That being said, as a student who worked hard to academically get into UGA, I have no problem with high profile players being removed from the team. He didn’t get kicked out of UGA, but he probably will leave this year. If it was anyone else that was not a student athlete, they would have been kicked out on the first offense. This is a lesson to any future college athletes to stay in line and enjoy your free ride to a better education. Some of us actually have to work to stay on campus. Also, I have had the displeasure of meeting Mettenberger a few times this year, and every time he seemed to be lacking any kind of sportsmanship or moral fiber. Hopefully, this will build his character and we will see a changed young man returning to play for someone else in a couple of years.
Tide Rising
April 19th, 2010
3:06 pm
Every program gets a handful of guys who are prima donnas and think they are above the rules. Guys who were pretty much pampered and praised their whole lives simply for being a great athlete and they get that weird sort of sense of entitlement as if normal rules don’t apply to them. This is what eventually gets them in trouble.
The innuendo seems to be that Mett was harassing a girl and if Richt is keeping it private and the police are ‘investigating’ then its probably a pretty well founded rumor. This is probably why CMR let him go but at the same time is keeping it private to spare the kid from further embarrassment.
The consensus on these boards seemed to be that Mett was the better qb based on scrimmage stats and that he would probably take over the qb job after the 1st game. He certainly looked more poised and more in command in the G-day game than did Murray. Its a darn shame that his Georgia career had to end this way but good luck to the young man wherever he seems to go from here.
Monticello Dawg
April 19th, 2010
3:18 pm
Todd from Birmingham, do you recall Muschamp’s defense at AU getting lit up by the Dogs?
On a brighter note, more trophy room needed at UGA. Men’s golf team just won their 28th SEC title. Of course, the men’s tennis team has 32 SEC championships. Athens is Title Town SEC!
Tide Rising
April 19th, 2010
3:26 pm
One thing Tony forgot to mention about us is that coming into the 2009 season we had to replace 8 offensive starters.
The way we played people would never have known that the offense had 8 new starters. But people didn’t realize that most of the starters that took over on offense were just like most of the new starters on defense this year: A lot of seasoned guys who’ve had a lot of playing time and experience and will move seamlessly into new starting roles.
The defensive secondary does look to be very green though and it will take time for them to jell. Could cost us a game or 2 against the likes of someone like Florida or South Carolina which I think will be our 2 toughest games. Penn State, LSU, AU, and Arky all look to be tough games also but if we lose 1 or 2 it will most likely be Florida or Carolina which is looking like a big trap game.
There aren’t that many parallels though between our new defense with 9 new starters and Florida’s revamped D coming off their 06 bcs title and going into the 07 season. Florida had a lot of great freshman stepping in that year. Most of the guys taking over on our D will be jrs, redshirt sophomores, or seniors, basically guys who’ve been in the program a few years.
The front 7 is loaded with sick talent and talent that is mostly upper classmen. Only in the secondary is there a real possibility of true freshman playing and even then it will be true freshman in backup roles. Its possible a true freshman could start but it would be only in a nickel or dime package. Everywhere else there will be a good deal of experience returning. Can’t wait to see what happens. RTR
GT
April 19th, 2010
3:44 pm
Richt has suspended Zach Mettenberger, and as of yet we don’t have a clue why. I have no idea but have got to think this is deeper than Richt being tough ,which he is not. Montez Robinson was a three time loser which is not a difficult decision ,nor thing to do in a town of Barny Fifes like Athens, but Mettenberger is a mystery. I think knowing that Georgia is not a school of high discipline like their PR piece Tony would have you believe, this is a contrive strategy, to angle towards a certain appearance without any real sacrifice. Mettenberger being white may be part of it. Even handed justice, I just don’t believe it was so even for either party, Robinson or Mettenberger. I think earlier discipline by this “tough” coach and maybe sending their PR piece down to the Athens Police Department earlier would have stopped some of this. Maybe a little article about the Athens boys in blue by Tony, something like the ones he writes on his Dawgs that bring all these expectations would be useful for a change.
Musashi
April 19th, 2010
3:52 pm
Tide Rising:
IMHO, your kicking game seems a far bigger concern than your secondary. No offense intended, but my son’s HS punter can boot it further than the lad I saw Saturday. And as Coach Bryant said, “defense and kicking wins in the SEC”.
jarvis
April 19th, 2010
4:03 pm
GT…it’s all a conspiracy.
Back and to the left. Back and to the left.
Yaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnn
April 19th, 2010
4:13 pm
A new year, so ole sh*t coming out of Athens.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
ZZ
who really is Thug U.?
April 19th, 2010
4:15 pm
Dorsey why start at 2007, why not the whole time Richt has been there? And yes there are some pretty bad arrest on there and if you were to pull up the Gators list of arrest you will also so many their majority are for petty traffic charges etc.
FACT is UGA has more arrest including some that are more aggregious than your run of the mill traffic offense but they want to always throw stones.
GT
April 19th, 2010
4:17 pm
Hell you got me javis. The Bear was a milktoast compared to this man. Now lets go take a swim and forget I brought it up. Ms. Richt will be serving milk and cookies.
AltamahaDawg
April 19th, 2010
4:23 pm
I’ve been dying out here for 4 years and obscure calls NOW to help me out? Thanks a lot.
The rest of us
April 19th, 2010
4:31 pm
Yaaaawwwwwnnnnnnnn
April 19th, 2010
4:13 pm
A new year, so ole sh*t coming out of Athens.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
ZZ
Link Report this comment
It’s an annual event. Georgia players get into trouble before the season and then beat Georgia Tech during the season.
Charlie Bama
April 19th, 2010
4:36 pm
Merciful Tony, shut this one down before it dies a natural death. It’s obvious that the Dawg fans will be plenty stressed until the kick-off in Columbia SC week two of this coming season. Then the real stress blooms post-Columbia. You guyd have a lot to drink about.
BG
April 19th, 2010
4:38 pm
Mark Richt is the most strict coach in the SEC. He actually kicks players off the team when they get into trouble. I think some other coaches in the sec need to be as tough as Richt.
Chuck Uga
April 19th, 2010
4:40 pm
Guys, drinking is not the reason the kids are getting kicked off the team. It’s the other stuff they were doing (beating up bystanders, girlfriends or grandmothers) or pulling up skirts and fondling the girl, or worse yet, doing a Rothlisberger (sp). No brainer when that happens. Mett was NOT kicked off the team for drinking. Geesh.
5IML
April 19th, 2010
4:43 pm
Musashi,
You’re correct. Our punting was absolutely horrible on Saturday. It’s a good thing those were our #3 and #4 punters (if there are such things). The #2 punter is a backup offensive lineman who was unable to play due to injury.
The #1 punter won’t be on campus until this summer.
5IML
April 19th, 2010
4:45 pm
If the incoming scholarship punter is not better than what’s already on campus (it’s a guarantee he will be), we should go for it on every fourth down outside of field goal range. lol
Lizard King
April 19th, 2010
5:09 pm
Looks like UF gained a big time QB today as 6′3″ 225 Jeff Driskel commits for 2011 class. He physically looks very much like………no, I’m not gonna even say it.
cindy hendrix
April 19th, 2010
5:23 pm
I hate it about mettenberger he looked like the bestQB at the gday game. But I am sure there is more to it we just don’t know the whole story it had to have been something more serious hopefully he will learn from it. But we are in a critical yr this yr. New coaches, players learning a new defense, he has to abide by the rules like the other players we need more discplined players. Sorry but I have not been too impressed with logan yet. Tony lets not decide on HM yet lets see what he’s got & how well he does & how quickly he can adapt if he does well & catches on rotate him & Murray or let him be backup QB. From what I’ve read he’s like Eric Zier if this is true we need to keep him & use him. I’m anxious to see him play. Don’t forget Zier finished school early
& eventually won the starting QB job & look at how good he did. We don’t know about Hutson until we see what he can do & give him a chance he sounds good his stats are good I bet he will really suprise some people so lets not count him out yet anyway besides Logan who else do we have before 2011?! good luck to ZM hope he learns a valuable lesson from I know he’s a kid but he was playing football at an elite school possibly being the starting QB eveyone knows who you are. As always GATA & GO DAWGS SIC EM WOOF WOOF!!!!! Cindy
CJ
April 19th, 2010
5:30 pm
Let’s not be disrespectful of Logan Gray and declare the QB race over now that Mettenberger is gone.
Logan Gray is an Elite 11 QB, who is a top 5 ranked dual-threat QB and has actually out-performed Aaron Murray over the 3 scrimmages.
Additionally, Gray is less injury prone, and got better in each scrimmage, where Murray got worse in each scrimmage.
Gray did great against the 1st defense on G-Day, Murray did horrible.
Logan Gray can play folks.
What do you call a team without a QB?
April 19th, 2010
5:34 pm
Losers!
CJ
April 19th, 2010
5:36 pm
So far, I wish I could say differently, but Aaron Murray looks like one of those hyped up high school 5 stars who’s stats are due to something else, like an Orson Charles possibly?
Murray, so far, looks like a bust. We need some help at QB, and fast. Murray would break Joe Cox’s interception record if he starts, Murray is averaging more interceptions per 20 passes in the 3 scrimmages, than Joe Cox did all of last season.
Murray also has a NEGATIVE td to int ratio, whichis absolutely unacceptable. No way we win more than 7 games with another year of interceptions like 2009.
T'VILLE DAWG
April 19th, 2010
5:36 pm
i’m sorry but I don’t get this,I am very self disciplined myself. You bring someone for discipline, the decision is made and you give this fellow a 1 game suspension which he accepts with responsibility and then later you discipline himagain for the same offense. Noe thw Montez robinson case was a series of infractions so he was definitely heading for trouble. I f you father spanked you for something and then later called you in again and said I didn’t spank you hard enough so your getting it again. I respect Mark Richt like few others I’ve ever met but their has to be more to this than what’s being said.
Gen Neyland
April 19th, 2010
5:37 pm
Myles was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Thankfully he was picked up before he could fire up the ol’ Biscayne, right ReptilesRule..? CDD will need to send a message that lets his Tennessee team know that getting busted for being drunk and stupid won’t fly. Still, I don’t think Tennessee wins the SEC division of the Fulmer Cup.
GatorinAthens
April 19th, 2010
5:38 pm
Elite QB gives verbal pledge to UF
By Robbie Andreu
Staff writer
Published: Monday, April 19, 2010 at 3:32 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, April 19, 2010 at 3:32 p.m.
Pointing to his team’s lack of depth and experience at quarterback, Florida coach Urban Meyer said after the spring game that the Gators needed their next quarterback commitment to be a monster, a big-time player.
Well, the Gators went out and got their monster.
Jeff Driskel, who is expected to be among the nation’s elite quarterback prospects in the recruiting class of 2011, gave his verbal commitment to Meyer and the Gators on Monday.
“I committed to Florida,” Driskel said. “I’m a Gator.”
Driskel’s announcement came less than 24 hours after he picked up the quarterback MVP honors at a Nike Combine in Gainesville on Sunday. Driskel said at the combine that Florida had emerged as his leader.
On Monday, Driskel went ahead and pulled the trigger.
Driskel plays for Hagerty High School in Oviedo. He is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds and has been timed at 4.52 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He has a strong arm and also can make things happen with his legs.
CJ
April 19th, 2010
5:38 pm
It could be worse, we could be stuck with Florida’s Brantley, with his 26 sacks and 8 fumbles in 3 scrimmages.
Logan Gray’s td to int ratio in the 3 scrimmages is just as good as Brantley’s, looking fine.
CJ
April 19th, 2010
5:40 pm
230 lbs, sounds like a mobile qb for Florida, haa haa haaa. Meyer will quit before then, he always does before his 6th year.
CJ
April 19th, 2010
5:44 pm
Christian Lemay is ranked the #2 QB in the nation by Scout. He’s leaning Georgia, might announce in a couple of weeks. 44 td’s, 2 int’s.
http://recruiting.scout.com/2/962529.html
GatorinAthens
April 19th, 2010
5:51 pm
You mean this Lemay?
School Interest Level Offer? Attended Camp? Visit Date Signed LOI?
Alabama Med Interest Yes None
Auburn Med Interest Yes None
Clemson Med Interest Yes None
Florida Med Interest Yes None
Georgia Med Interest Yes None
Miami (Fl) Med Interest Yes None
Notre Dame Med Interest Yes None
Tennessee Med Interest Yes None
Texas A&M Med Interest Yes None
Virginia Tech Med Interest Yes None
Florida State No Interest Yes None
Michigan No Interest Yes None
North Carolina No Interest Yes None
Oregon No Interest Yes None
Garry Owen
April 19th, 2010
5:56 pm
Some of these sports people are taking up space that honest students could have. Rule #1. If you break any rule or law you are gone. Rule #2 – see rule #1.
Tide Rising
April 19th, 2010
6:03 pm
Musashi,
No offense taken. Your high school punter son probably can boot it a lot farther than the farce of a punting exhibition we saw Saturday. Defense and solid kicking does win games(UT last year) and our placekickers better get it together before the season. We have a great freshman punter coming in the fall but its really iffy to have to rely on a freshman in your kicking game. Wouldn’t be surprised if kicking is our downfall if we lose a game or 2 this year.
Jambi
April 19th, 2010
6:03 pm
A. Murray = small, but slower than advertised – offset by by a not-particularly good arm. You people that imagine him as another D. Greene are in for a letdown.
CJ
April 19th, 2010
6:04 pm
I mean this Lemay, the #2 QB in the Nation.
http://blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2010/04/19/georgia-now-even-more-attractive-to-elite-qb-prospect-christian-lemay/?cxntfid=blogs_recruiting
Tide Rising
April 19th, 2010
6:14 pm
Lizard King,
Go ahead and say it. He does look like another Tebow and is the same size as Tebow when he was in high school as a senior. Not sure but I don’t think Tebow ran a 4.5 forty. I’m guessing Tebow was more of a 4.6 guy and if so this Driskel kid looks to be faster.
GatorinAthens,
We are in the hunt for Lemay also but somehow I just don’t see us getting him since we seem to be set at qb for years to come. McCarron looks like he will be a solid 3 year starter and we just signed a 5 star qb Phillip Sims who enrolled for the spring. Sims looks really good and will push McCarron next year. Just can’t see Lemay coming in to compete against those 2.
General Neyland- “Being busted for being drunk and stupid won’t fly”. Look at the bright side At least he wasn’t drunk, FAT, and stupid. Drunk, fat, and stupid is no way to go through life.
Wreckmaniac
April 19th, 2010
6:15 pm
Instead of his normal 6 of the top 10 QB’s every year, it looks like Richt needs to get all ten of them.
CJ is a loser
April 19th, 2010
6:23 pm
CJ you’re pretty pathetic. Mark Richt would do back flips naked through Athens to have John Brantley on his team.
Hurt QB at Georgia
April 19th, 2010
6:58 pm
Georgia finds themselves in trouble with 4 months to go. If Murray starts he’s already demonstrated a faulty judgement in scrimmages witha horrendous INT ratio. Also the kid has a history of being injury prone in high school–welcome to the SEC! If Carolina dings him a few times Logan becomes the future at QB. Georgia fans can spin losing Mett all they want. Reality says he was their best QB.
Be glad you don’t have to face the front seven @ Bama. You might need Hutson in that game. The Tide & Gators continue with top 3 classes every year while Richt bumbles.
Me
April 19th, 2010
7:08 pm
What are you talking about?? CMR would stay out of the tanning bed for a year and make an appearance as the lead vampire on “True Blood” if he could get Brantley…
Me
April 19th, 2010
7:12 pm
What are you talking about?? CMR would move to Salem and become a Warlock if he could have Brantley…
Me
April 19th, 2010
7:16 pm
What are you talking about?? CMR would ride a camel to Tora Bora just to shine Bin Laden’s sandles if he could have Brantley…
Me
April 19th, 2010
7:19 pm
And what are you REALLY talking about. Mark Richt would even send his wife down to Gainesville to be “watergirl” for a day if he could get Brantley…
Observor
April 19th, 2010
7:23 pm
This Murray kid really is overhyped. I saw the spring game and quite frankly I wasn’t impressed. poor judgement, not a great arm, not a very big kid or fast for that matter. Things aren’t looking too good at the qb position. Not good at all for the most vital position on the field.
barneyb
April 19th, 2010
7:52 pm
For the “Darrell” poster above: “Grace” is not deserved nor warranted here. If this all pans out like the authorities have inferred, the next 5 words Mettenberger will hear are, “Will the defendant please rise?”
midland Dog
April 19th, 2010
7:58 pm
If Richt worked with Zach’s mom, knew the kid since the boy was 9, and still dismissed him, don’t you think there is LOT more to this story? I hate to see him pay such a high price, but at the same time, these colleges need to let these athletes know that there are consequences for their actions.
Dawg Story
April 19th, 2010
8:10 pm
If urban meyer or nick saban kicked players off the team for what mett did, they wouldn’t have many players left to field a team. Meyer and saban let anything go. Richt has a lot more class.
Bulldog59
April 19th, 2010
8:53 pm
Check out Chuck Oliver’s comments on 680 The Fan. Bottom line, ZM made inappropriate advances toward a coed during his drunken escapade in Remberton. If the Roethlisberger type behavior wasn’t bad enough, he capped it off by lying repeatedly to CMR about it when questioned. CMR stands behind players and gives 2nd and even 3rd chances, as do all coaches, but he won’t stand to be lied to. That demonstrates total disrepect. CMR made the correct call.
jumbeauxtiger
April 19th, 2010
9:21 pm
Nice column Tony.
-There is something wrong at UGA to have this many issues with players. Does any other school really have as many incidents as the Dawgs? LSU has had 3 players arrested in the last 3 years.
-The Big Ten will expand. The only question is how many they will add. The Chicago Tribune article on Sunday is a good read and excellent work by the writer.
-Bama should be number 1 until proven otherwise. It seems all of the usual powers have more holes to fill than typically: Texas, Florida, USC, Oklahoma and Bama as well. I agree with the blogger who earlier said the final top 10 may be very different than the preseason top 10.
-The Vols must replace the entire OL, their top returning tailback and QB. It may be a long season at Rocky Top.
Geaux Tigers
Go SEC
Bama fan
April 19th, 2010
9:25 pm
Dawg Story,
Are you freaking insane? Saban lets anything go and wouldn’t be able to field a team if he kicked Bama players off the team for doing what Mett did? You can’t possibly be that stupid can you?
Saban runs the most disciplined program in the conference. We’ve had exactly 1 player arrested in the past year or so. Saban’s discipline is so intense that he has forced starters like Prince Hall and Brandon Fanney to transfer out of the program for breaking team rules. Not for arrests but for breaking team rules. How’s that for discipline. That’s why we don’t have the myriad number of player arrests under Saban that you guys have. Its because Saban boots guys just for breaking team rules. For the most part Saban gets rid of the bad apples before they ever get to the point of being arrested and embarrassing the school. You are an idiot son.
jasont13
April 19th, 2010
9:39 pm
Observer, your an idiot or a Tech fan which is about the same. Murray is 6′1″ and does have a rocket arm and also runs a 4.5 40. Don’t know who you were watching but it wasn’t the same game I was at. Murray didn’t look great but not bad. He had a lot of dropped passes but it was also the spring game where he couldn’t show off his running ability as well.
George Bush
April 19th, 2010
9:57 pm
WHAT DID METT DO PlEASE tell me ANYBODY ??
Marisa
April 19th, 2010
10:43 pm
UGA has become a total joke with this recruiting~signing~suspending cycle.
Why not just give every 11th grader UGA is interested in a comprehensive drug test, check his driver’s license, and give him a polygraph test. Then hire a nanny to go everywhere with him.
That ought to keep the players straight. All two of them.
And two bedtime reminders:
1. 25-6
2. Shreveport
And if you’re really waxing nostalgic tonight: Florida Gators
SouthSide Dawg
April 19th, 2010
10:53 pm
Remerton has very corrupt police. It’s a 2 block cop stop. Their only source of revenue is three bars and giving tickets on Baytree Road.
Title #14 in 2010!!!
April 19th, 2010
11:07 pm
Is there any doubt that Bama will be #1 to start the season? They are loaded and clearly the #1 team. Bama may roll through the year easier than last season, since florida’s way down this year. Bama will beat them twice, once in T-Town and second in Atlanta!!! I”m already making plans for Glendale. Anyone know any good hotels in Phoenix?
san diego dawg
April 19th, 2010
11:10 pm
It would not surprise me at all to see Logan & Aaron rotate series for the first few games. This can work if Georgia really has a strong running game. Regardless of who is the QB, look for the return of the wide receiver screen that UGA ran over & over when CMR was still calling the plays. This will cut down on INT’s, build confidence and get AJ the ball more often.
Does anyone know who throws a better 40 yard deep out between Logan & Aaron? They both look extremely athletic so I am guessing their footwork is equal or close to equal.
And Marisa, one would have thought Dwyer could have run faster than a .459 at the combine. I mean being hopped up on amphetamines and all. Maybe he should have been jacked up on Mountain Dew instead?
mas
April 19th, 2010
11:36 pm
Bama should open #1 across the board, but schedule is brutal including, I think, something crazy like their last 6 consecutive games being against teams coming off their bye weeks…that’s a lot to ask once you toss in Penn St, @ Arky, SCarolina and LSU…if they repeat, they will have earned it…
Not at all
April 19th, 2010
11:40 pm
For those of you that say ZM out performed AM – you are kidding your self – if you actually watched you will notice that ZM only played against the 2nd Defense and never against the 1st Defense – where as AM played against the 1st Defense – so you really can’t compare their stats from that.
What a bunch of idiots we have on here tonight …. and every night.
Hairy Dawg
April 19th, 2010
11:43 pm
Someone needs blame to Adams+Evans. Then we unload a whooping can on Adams-Evans for not getting professonals folks to take care a mens needs. Professonals make sure Metts don’t mess around with under the ages. At price for tickets hiring professonals cheap to keep players needs like Metts.
dd
April 20th, 2010
12:52 am
Why do tech and fla have such ugly women on campus?
Pititful
April 20th, 2010
6:39 am
Why don’t you GT folks do something about all the crime down at North Avenue. A female student gets held up and robbed last night walking from the Library to her car on Ferst/Cherry . That is sad….and GT has not done jack about protecting her students.
Your little fantasy light sabers are useless against a “light-skinned black male, 23 to 25 years old and 5 feet 8 inches tall with a medium build” scum sucker!
collegedude
April 20th, 2010
7:57 am
Falcon fans, come meet & have lunch with 3 Falcon’s legends & support a local charity at the same time. Jeff Van Note, Jessie Tuggle, & Buddy Curry will be there and have a Q&A session with those in attendence. Check it out here: http://www.falconnationcharities.org/lunchwithlegends.html
Dogs Horses Rule!
April 20th, 2010
8:18 am
The Dawgs won it all in equestrian baby!!! The football, basketball and baseball players aren’t that good, but the Dawg horses have it going on!!! Give damon evans a big raise for putting that program together—he’s a genius!
Diva
April 20th, 2010
8:36 am
“Secondly, is there anybody out there who STILL thinks Mark Richt isn’t tough enough for this job?”
Answer in a word: Yes, and he never will be. He’ll continue to coddle most players and look the other way while thuggery runs rampant all around him.
And if you want a nice story, look at the kind of phony degrees the scholarshipped athletes are allegedly working toward. What a freaking joke to even associate the word “scholar” with these goons.
code prefix fgd135
GatorinAthens
April 20th, 2010
8:38 am
I am such a tool that I cut articles from the Gainesville Sun and paste them in the AJC. I’m not sure why I can’t just comment on the Gainesville Sun’s comment board but then I wouldn’t be a mouth breathing Gator fan that everyone has come to know. I clap vertically and yell “Work ‘em, Silly Gator!!!” Somebody do the noble thing and put me down before I breed.
Angelina
April 20th, 2010
8:45 am
Poor san diego dawg, he’s still upset because he was arrested trying to use his food stamps to buy his Ripple at the Piggly Wiggly.
Go on back to the dumpster, I’m sure things will get better if you find a job.
help, I live in Ga
April 20th, 2010
8:48 am
Tyler Bray is the man in Knoxville. If Dooley is as smart as advertised, he gives the job to Simms and redshirts Bray. This gives them time to recruit an O-Line to go with that stable of recievers. It also gives Bray a chance to gain 20 pounds. The guy is good, but he’s so skinny the his under armor sags! Go figure.