P.M. Roundup: SEC East prediction, defending triple option

SouthernPigskin.com picks the Dawgs to finish second to Florida in the SEC East this season, heaping praise on Georgia’s offensive front (”perhaps the top offensive line in college football”) and saying that “a defense filled with veterans has the potential to be very good” though it “badly needs a pass rusher to emerge.” Their conclusion: “Expectations are down a notch after Georgia was preseason number one entering last fall. All things considered, that may be a good thing. With a little less pressure on the team, the Bulldogs could surprise this fall.” 

Georgia Sports Blog links to a Navy football blog that examines Georgia’s failed defense of Tech’s triple option last year and concludes that Willie Martinez was using some antiquated defensive concepts designed to stop the old wishbone. However, the Georgia Sports blogger points out that film clips included with the piece show a bigger problem with the Dogs defense: terrible safety play and poor tackling. While I think the Navy blogger may have a point about some of the schemes Georgia used against Tech, I’ve felt all along that the Jackets weren’t doing anything that playing smart assignment football and good tackling fundamentals couldn’t handle. As LSU proved.

165 comments Add your comment

Gdawg 82

June 29th, 2009
6:21 pm

Yes Cuz, we know. You believe Willie is a wonderful coach who is terribly underappreciated. You’ve supported this conclusion tirelessly with the, “In CMR we trust” defense. Not buying it. Willie is a huge liability. Open your eyes.

jj

June 29th, 2009
6:23 pm

hey, i like choade too. I was just kidding about CPJ being a better coach. I have Mark Richt posters all over my wall to prove it too.

haleydawg

June 29th, 2009
6:24 pm

hey jj, the dawgs would dominate the weak acc, you guys won the game last nov by 3, you beat a better team on that given day, move on, so move that bug campus out of the ghetto

hmmmm.....

June 29th, 2009
6:30 pm

hey fl dawg i all ready said that, the defense could be the best it’s been in years plus curran is a beast. look out ok st

AJC accounting dept.

June 29th, 2009
6:41 pm

Bill, After some careful expense review, we have decided that you need to go back to your old job of going for takeout for the staff and cleaning out the ink barrels. Thanks for trying, but this might be the dumbest column this paper has ever suffered, and that is saying a lot.

45ACP

June 29th, 2009
6:50 pm

The Bulldogs will be fine. They have just about all the injuries healed. Defense, Offense, everyone will be available. Joe Cox will be a leader and manager just like David Greene. Nothing fancy but he will get the job done. Running backs by committee. The “O” line fantastic. The “D” much improved.

richard cranium

June 29th, 2009
6:51 pm

Let me be the 1st to congratulate UGA on winning their 29th consecutive Pre-Season National Championship !!

Start drinking early.

NORRIS

June 29th, 2009
6:57 pm

2007 UGA 31 Tech 17
2006 UGA 15 tech 12
2005 UGA 14 tech 7
2004 UGA 19 tech 13
2003 UGA 34 tech 17
2002 UGA 51 tech 7
2001 UGA 31 tech 17
hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

TIGER TIME

June 29th, 2009
7:01 pm

LSU loves technonerd football.GO TIGERS 38-3 HAHAHAHA

BS Patrol

June 29th, 2009
7:03 pm

Nice try but no cigar,Rebel Rouser. Jackets picked to win the ACC & would be picked to win the SEC.

PTC Jacket

June 29th, 2009
7:06 pm

Wow, what on earth made UGA fans go from “This year is our rebuilding year” to “We’re going to win the National Championship this year!”? Can I have some of that Kool-aid?

DAWG13'

June 29th, 2009
7:12 pm

Hokie

June 29th, 2009
7:14 pm

Yeah, PTC. Just yell “Kool Aid” and your Mama will come bustin through the wall. Just not seeing any love for Tech in ANY of the pre-season rag mags. Guess you get your fix in by lurking on the UGA blog.

NORRIS

June 29th, 2009
7:18 pm

there is no way tech wins more than 8 games this year. It just aint happening. They do not have the talent. The option was new to the teams they were playing last year. Dwyer is a good back but not that good. Keep dreaming techies.

PTC Jacket

June 29th, 2009
7:20 pm

Yeah, we definitely didn’t get enough love to be put ahead of UGA in the ESPN pre-season ranks….oh wait, we did. See ya on the Flats Hokie

Rebel Rouser

June 29th, 2009
7:27 pm

BS Patrol…Y

Rusty Squidbillie

June 29th, 2009
7:31 pm

I bet my genuwine 1980 NC six pack & 1998 pre-season NC wal-mart cap them Dawgs win the real NC this year & go undefeated.

DAWG13'

June 29th, 2009
7:31 pm

7 straight years of beating up on nerds..football gods allowed bobby dodd to possess tech players the second half of last years game..i bet u nerds are praying he makes his presence felt around the campus these days..U fags seem 2 b easy targets lol 13 robberies gosh u guys need 2 stop walkin around with your purses!!!

Hokie

June 29th, 2009
7:32 pm

PTC, get over your fixation with UGA. You were shown enough love to be put ahead of many teams in several polls. Stay focused on your conference and your program may actually move the dial.

Rebel Rouser

June 29th, 2009
7:33 pm

BS Patrol …you must be reading the Tech newspaper for your prediction. All reputable publications don’t even have Tech in the top four in the ACC. What are you smoking? Gimmick offenses don’t work the second time around. I see Tech with at least five loses this year….get ready to go back in hiding.

The Truth

June 29th, 2009
7:38 pm

Jackets picked to win the ACC?….not in a million years! They will lose 5 games and get blown out by Georgia…count on it…The Truth has spoken!

PTC Jacket

June 29th, 2009
7:38 pm

Hokie

Where did I say that UGA has the majority of my focus for this year? No where. Just because I posted on their blog doesn’t mean that I have a fixation with UGA. Stop trying to figure me out, it’s creepy.

TechDan

June 29th, 2009
7:54 pm

PTC Jacket, you should know better than to respond to a VT fan on a Georgia blog.

He’s worse than Georgia fans, because he knows that the ACC will be decided in Atlanta on October 17th.

For UGA, a loss to us means nothing in terms of title contention, since we can’t play spoiler for an NC bid that just isn’t coming.

Dawg it for Me

June 29th, 2009
8:01 pm

You silly NATS. Cat fighting on a UGA blog with your ACC foes. And yes, PTC, you are fixated. Creepy little bitch.

chad

June 29th, 2009
8:08 pm

What is funny Tech ran for more than 400 yards by running the same play over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. Just wait until they run just one different play and blow the bitch nations mind. Last year was no fluke and ass lickers know it. Blame whom ever you want but the results will be the same. Another win for Tech and it doesn’t matter one point or three points or 100 points a win is win.

aj

June 29th, 2009
8:14 pm

the title on the sports page is misleading. they make it sound like someone picked uga to finish 2nd in the country, meaning they would play in the championship game. but the piece is saying they are picked to finish two in the east. big whoop…that isn’t shocking! they’ll finish ATLEAST second in the east!

dawgstephen

June 29th, 2009
8:15 pm

Everyone knows that once a bee has stung someone, they die and dont sting again till another one comes along. ONCE EVERY 8 YEARS

BS Patrol

June 29th, 2009
8:25 pm

aj,
I think you meant to say AT BEST, didn’t you?

Hokie

June 29th, 2009
8:32 pm

LOL, now those silly NATS are correcting each others posts. Bet they can work those dangling participles as well. Dorks.

TechDan

June 29th, 2009
8:36 pm

Yellow Jackets aren’t bees, dumbass. They’re wasps.

dan

June 29th, 2009
8:37 pm

For the Ga. Tech loss: for the umpteenth time, UGA lost that game for 3 reasons
1.) They were totally deflated from the Florida loss and were essentially playing for nothing but a bowl bid, hence the lethargic play. Those guys on defense know how to tackle, they were just feeling sorry for themselves and didn’t care. They got lucky against Kentucky and Auburn and their luck ran out against Tech. The spead for that game was UGA -7.5, and I was like no way! I’ll put my money on Tech all day b/c UGA doesn’t give a damn about this game. And I won money that day even though my team lost. I might not be much of a fan for doing that, but if UGA is going to play half-ass and lose a game, then I’m not going to feel bad about making money off their sorry attitude.
2.) Turnovers: Two Tech scores came off of turnovers, a Stafford INT and a Richard Samuel fumble on the 20 yard line which led to a TD and gave Tech momentum. That’s 13 points!The Lesson: it’s not how many good plays you make but how many bad ones you make. Maybe one day UGA will learn this lesson.
3.) It was Tech’s time: Truth be told UGA got lucky against Tech in 2005 and 2006. Tech’s defense played good enough for them to win both of those year’s but the offense kept screwing it up for them. But this time, it was Tech’s offense that had their act together. Tech’s offense had a coming out party against Miami the week before and had the momentum. They were playing focused and inspired football and UGA wasn’t. Plain and simple.

As for the finishing second in the SEC East behind Florida, that’s not a bold prediction. The Dawgs can finish 9-3 or 8-4 and still be second in the East this year.

Hokie

June 29th, 2009
8:37 pm

And thanks to TechDan….the hits just keep on rolling!

K-Town Dawg

June 29th, 2009
8:39 pm

You Tech fans (and I use the term loosely) are a riot.

You haven’t won 10 games in a season since 1998 (with ineligible players I might add) and you’re predicting a team that AVERAGES 10 wins a season (under the current coach) will lose 5 games.

Maybe you should forget about calculus and start studying statistics.

stan

June 29th, 2009
8:41 pm

sLOBBER, LICK UGA, WHO CARES?
tHE FANS WILL ALWAYS BE UNREALISTIC, AND DISRESPECT EVERY
OTHER TEAM, BUT LOSING 4 SOUND GOOD TO ME.

Dawg Gone Mad

June 29th, 2009
8:49 pm

You are right about UGA being Number 2….. in Georgia. Tech will be Georgia Champs … Again!

Rogeriter

June 29th, 2009
9:02 pm

Why is everyone so worried about our QB and RB’s. If our offensive line is as good as everyone thinks it will be. Cox and Caleb (or whomever) will do great! With a great OL avg backs will look great!

Tom

June 29th, 2009
9:11 pm

UGA_2001

June 29th, 2009
9:24 pm

The Navy guy’s criticism was flawed because many teams will throw a lateral out of that set and have one on one blocking if you play just one CB on the two WRs. You don’t have to be eligible to catch a lateral.

The problem with UGA’s defense last year was injuries and lack of physicality. The two issues went hand and hand as the coaches could not practice physically with the amount of injuries they had.

macrotech

June 29th, 2009
9:24 pm

Rebel Rouser, I see that you make stuff up over here, too! SHOCKER!!!

HH

June 29th, 2009
9:31 pm

Old Willie has been doing a lot of praying since last season that the offense is a “ball control” type offense this season. I bet he’s been awfully nice to Bozo.

What's a hokie anyway?

June 29th, 2009
9:49 pm

A turkey? Is it just another name for a turkey?

FL DAWG

June 29th, 2009
9:50 pm

UGA 2001: Is physicality a word? I don’t remember that one in any of my english classes. If it isn’t a word, we should make it one.

I do agree with you in principle that you need to practice the way you want to play and Richt even talked about changing practice as a result of injuries, however last year was a lack of effort on the defense. Way to many games with more than 30 points. Actually, UGAs defense needs to be measuring games in terms of games under 15 points. Time to get back to the Junkyard Dawgs!!!!

big dawg

June 29th, 2009
9:52 pm

everyone seems to think the d cost us against gt, and yes it was awful. but lets not forget that horrible 3rd qtr that our O had. this goes straight to coaching, coming out flat and contempt. every single game we’ve played over the last 8 yrs when leading have all started the same way in the 2nd half. now simply put, i for one, can’t and won’t complain about the coaching as we have one of the best in the college(the record speaks for itself). i even understand the philosophy. come out in the third and wear them down with the run game when they’ve been sitting for 15 min. we just got too lack-a-dasical in the third. should’ve,would’ve, could’ve won that game 60-42. hope we learned a lesson, which i think we did.

oh yeah, we will be playing texas for the NC. at least my 5 grand i recently put on it in vegas hopes so!!!

John

June 29th, 2009
9:52 pm

Tebow again for all of it. Ga. may have a very good team and to help it, they don’t have to play Alabama again this worr. I think Ga will lose 4 games.

big dawg

June 29th, 2009
10:00 pm

i wonder if all these techies even know where they got the name yellow jackets? i’ve got a feeling they don’t….

woodie

June 29th, 2009
10:01 pm

This blog always cracks me up.

dawes

June 29th, 2009
10:03 pm

georgia will go 12 and 1 this year finish no.2

the truth

June 29th, 2009
10:16 pm

Dawes,

Georgia will go 12-1 and finish #2. Surely you jest! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. You are kidding right? Please tell me you are kidding?

Calhoun

June 29th, 2009
10:17 pm

Georgia has alot of what if questions that will get answered as the year goes along. The SEC East will be down this year which helps the Dawgs. There is Florida and everyone else fighting for 2nd in the East.

I think the Dawgs can end the regular season with 4 losses if things go their way.

Denver Dog

June 29th, 2009
10:28 pm

What a laugh, Tech and VPI fighting on a UGA blog. bama fans talking about others being on probation. Engineers talking entomology, and Stan, at least UGA and others like us have fans.

I think the dogs will surprise us all. Whatever happens, we will really see what kind of coaches we have! We will burn down Grant field as Tech may be shut out there. Bumbiling bees gotta love em.