Isn’t Georgia-Florida motivation enough?
Can we call a timeout on cheap motivational ploys? (Associated Press)
The dueling insults story is easily the most predictable aspect of coverage this week leading up to Saturday’s Georgia-Florida game.
Mark Richt thought his 2007 team was flat, so he challenged them to get an excessive celebration penalty after their first score against the Gators that year. The whole team danced in the end zone and Georgia went on to win the game. The special attention SEC officials have given the Dogs since then has made some question Richt’s move, but at the time many hailed it as a great motivational ploy.
Urban Meyer didn’t think so. He told the world that it was a “bad deal” and would be “forever in the mind of Urban Meyer” (why is it humorless prigs always like to refer to themselves in the third person?). So he used it as a motivational tool all during the offseason, and in 2008 his Gators took it out on the Dogs.
That wasn’t enough for Meyer, of course, so he childishly extended the game with a couple of unnecessary timeouts, just to rub some salt in the wound and thumb his nose at Richt.
And nobody is surprised to read that Georgia has pictures of Meyer calling timeout and the score of last year’s game posted in its locker room and weight room.
A.J. Green says the pictures are “motivation for me” because the timeouts were “a sign of disrespect. So I’m going to play my heart out.”
Meanwhile, the Gators are still trying to milk some motivation out of the 2007 dance, with defensive tackle Terron Sanders telling the Orlando Sentinel it was “a sign of disrespect” and “a slap in the face. We can’t just let it be a one-year thing where we feel like we took care of it. We always have to look back at it as disrespect.”
What’s ridiculous is that programs of the caliber of Georgia and Florida need to look for signs of “disrespect” and motivational gimmicks in order to get their players up for the annual showdown in Jacksonville.
Why is all this posturing and bulletin-board stuff necessary? Would A.J. not play his heart out if the Gators hadn’t disrespected the Dogs last year? Of course, not. He plays his heart out every week.
But especially in a game like this, that should be the norm for all the players on both sides.
As Richt said in his Tuesday press briefing, “I don’t think this game needs anything extra from the past to get anybody excited to play.” If anyone on either team doesn’t “respect” the other program, you have to question whether they even belong on the field.
After all, this is Georgia-Florida, a storied rivalry. The crowd is split 50/50 so the noise is almost constant. In most years, the game decides the SEC East. The two programs battle over the same recruits in each other’s territory. That ought to be enough to get the players pumped to the max for this game without the coaches having to resort to the old “remember what they did last year” bit or on-field stunts or cheap-shot attempts at showing up the other team.
It’s the Dogs and Gators, so shut up and play!
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211 comments Add your comment
Mike S
October 28th, 2009
1:27 pm
Saint Richt – he got stopped for a traffic violation for crissakes get a life and stop obsessing over your DADDY!
Saint Richt
October 28th, 2009
1:28 pm
gatorman, is that really a book? I’d love to get a copy and know first hand about the criminoles from my days playing at GT.
And now this, you are absolutely right. If only it were the Tennessee Tech game Saturday, then Richt would have laid down the law. Which in his book is usually a 1 game suspension. Unless of course that one game is against your arch rival. Richt is showing his true colors.
takedowndawg
October 28th, 2009
1:29 pm
and now this, wonder who your team is? you gotta be a gat. or a bitter techiee. You’re so blatantly obvious. I guess you also would like for your team to forfeit the game if all your players did not get equal playing time too!!!! Remember little league. No difference. All of us will be watching the SEC referees in this game particularly. They are not doing very well as of late! Bad PR Huh? Most agree with that assessment.
Saint Richt
October 28th, 2009
1:30 pm
All you trailer trash neck Georgia fans are missing the point. The guy got arrested, its not like he got a traffic ticket. I guarantee you Paul Johnson would suspend the guy if he so much as got arrested for jaywalking. Bunch of hypocrites.
Andy
October 28th, 2009
1:30 pm
I heard that several Georgia players did not hold a candlelight vigil when Tebow got a concussion against Kentucky. If that doesn’t motivate the Gators for this game, I don’t know what will.
Saint Richt
October 28th, 2009
1:31 pm
Vince, give me 10 pushups and get ready to play Saturday. Nice.
Jdawg
October 28th, 2009
1:33 pm
Urban Meyer can be a pompous gass-bag all he wants. The UGA coaches are completely overmatched and can’t do a thing about it.
Thanks Jimmy Ray Richt
Saint Richt
October 28th, 2009
1:34 pm
Vince, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make you attend a mandatory bible study every Tuesday. Now get in there and keep those Gators off of our Cox.
takedowndawg
October 28th, 2009
1:34 pm
ALITTLE Sennnsitivvee aren’t we st.richt!
GATOR CHOMP
October 28th, 2009
1:35 pm
Bend over dawgies its time for your medicine COWARDS,We’re going 2 give it to you dawgie style.GATORS or DIE!!!!
Saint Richt
October 28th, 2009
1:35 pm
Mike S, Paul Johnson is your daddy. Chan Gailey has left the building, pal. Now go back to making excuses for your boy Richt, or about the refs, or about the injuries, or about the…. Georgia is yesterday’s news. Drink it in, soak it in, and enjoy it.
HH
October 28th, 2009
1:36 pm
Richt should probably do something to motivate the team. God knows he and Martinez and Bobo haven’t done much to “coach’em up”. A sad situation and no prospects for anything better unless significant changes are made.
Vince's Dooley
October 28th, 2009
1:42 pm
Let’s see, just an observation, Florida has Troy, Charleston Southern and FIU on their schedule…Bama has FIU, North Texas and Chattanooga…you call this national caliber teams that truly deserve number 1 and 2 rankings? Con artist needs to play somebody for 12 weeks not nine before I would give them that respect. At least UGA played Oklahoma State. If Dogs had these schedules they might have only 2 losses and be ranked in top 25.
ron mexico
October 28th, 2009
1:43 pm
@UF Locker Room Staff
scary stuff there. hahahaha i feel certain georgia will be beaten, but i seriously doubt the fact that the “gators are angry because most of them witnessed that first-hand” puts any real fear in any Georgia player. get over yourself gators.
gatorman
October 28th, 2009
1:44 pm
Wrong how2chum, that great team of yours with 2 top ten picks won how many games? They are soft just like their Saintly coach.
uuughh...
October 28th, 2009
1:44 pm
Saint Richt, gatorman, Uncle Jessie, and now this…he was arrested for driving on a suspended license. This is not a violent offense…and the case will likely be setled once Vance pays a small penalty. In the real wold, people get arrested for DUI (a much worse crime) and go back to work the very next day. Maybe Richt is doing the right thing.
It is not like he was using a dead girls Credit Card or stealing a car from and impound lot or something.
Don’t our boosters have the money to make sure that all Georgia players have a valid driver’s license!? Sweet lord if they had to drive to the games on Saturdays we wouldn’t have enough licenses on the team to get everybody to the stadium!
To the players: PAY YOUR TICKETS ON TIME IDIOTS!
gatorman
October 28th, 2009
1:45 pm
yeah coach vince, Tn Tech this year and Charleston Southern next. At least you will be favored against one Tech..
mightyKC
October 28th, 2009
1:46 pm
“The simple fact and major differences in what UGA did and what Urban Meyer did was this…UGA motivated themselves and entire team by celebrating a touchdown, Urban Meyer simply was being an a$$hole and Prik (and a baby) by calling timeouts toward the end of the game to prolong the inevitable. That is poor poor poor sportsmanship.”
comical…one was an unsportsmanlike penalty, and the other was something completely withint he rules….but of course this is lost on all idiot mutt fans.
last year’s game wasn’t even fitting enough “revenge”…to me, the only thing that would have been perfect was if when they reviewed the play, that knowshon would have been deemed to have NOT crossed the line, and then it would have been 3rd and goal from the 31 yd line.
but that’s OK, i’ll take the 4 losses we had in 2007 if they were enough to make our team motivated to win it all last year. meanwhile, this is UGA’s time to ‘return the favor’ and they are 4-3? hmm, well done richt!
“hey, i got an idea….let’s take the boys on the slip and slide on Friday, no practice everyone!”
takedowndawg
October 28th, 2009
1:46 pm
So, st.richt, you’re a 23 year old technie who lives at home with his parents? Interesting?
mightyKC
October 28th, 2009
1:47 pm
“At least UGA played Oklahoma State. If Dogs had these schedules they might have only 2 losses and be ranked in top 25.”
um, you lost to freakin Kiffin! STFU!
How2fish
October 28th, 2009
1:49 pm
Saint Richt moron please be quite for just a second the adults are talking..1st it was a traffic ticket..however as he had a expired license in the state of Georgia any moving violation is a arrest.. Gator Chomp really cowards…we not the ones with 2 years of recovery from an endzone dance…I’m thinking we show up and but and end to the Gator streak….
McDawg
October 28th, 2009
1:51 pm
these schedules can possibly come back to haunt UF or Bama particularly if Iowa runs the table
delusional fans residing in blogsphere neither Richt, BoBo, nor Martinez actually are playing on the field-what do you want BoBo to call when you can’t gain 2 yds running the ball? players have to make plays-if you want to scream and yell at the players go to the dawg walk and motivate them yourselves
What?
October 28th, 2009
1:58 pm
L-Dawg –
Please, why the all-caps?? Stop screaming already.
Geez, Dude… Settle down a little…
How2fish
October 28th, 2009
2:03 pm
gatorman we would have stomped a muudhole in the gators that day if they had started a brawl..but they were in shock I mean how dare someone thumb their noses at the mighty gators…bring it this weekend, bring Tebow, bring Spikes bring St.Urban if we can we will beat you like a rented mule..I’m not looking for revenge, respect or tax relief at the end of the game I want a win..and if the team plays there best game and can’t win so be it but no mercy given or asked for.
Skipper
October 28th, 2009
2:03 pm
HA! Florida as a weak schedule? And why is that? Could it be that Georgia is on it? It used to mean something to beat Georgia and Tennessee, but we’ve done it so much, so badly, that both schools are mired in mediocrity! And Florida State used to be good, too, but now all the talent in the state comes to UF!
We win so much that it makes the teams on our schedule go bad.
Buford T. Justice
October 28th, 2009
2:06 pm
“Kingfish” is a man what knows his football. Now where are you, you sumb*tch?!
How2fish
October 28th, 2009
2:09 pm
Skipper dude I hope your not driving…next it will be Bama is beneath us….remember 07 that UF team was better at that point of the season than this one..
uuughh...
October 28th, 2009
2:10 pm
Skipper…it is that arrogance that makes Florida fans the worst in all of college football. Add to it a Very good Tebow for 4 years and you clowns are down-right unbearable.
Why don’t you sully the Florda blogs for a while?
Matt
October 28th, 2009
2:11 pm
We can beat florduh if we do 3 things 1. get bryan evans off the field 2. get pressure from the front four 3. Don’t allow hernandez to get open less than 50 yards recieving from him and acomplish the other goals and we have a legitimite shot. I want to say one other thing I don”t normally criticize players but I haven’t seen Bryan Evans do anything since he laid that big hit on dez bryant in the first game except get beat. I respect all of the athletes at the UGA because they are phenominal athletes but there comes a time when they get lazy or there are just better players behind them without the experience, and experience isn’t alaways a reason you should start.
47-38-2 Dawg
October 28th, 2009
2:11 pm
Speaking of the team with the highest arrest number this off season….Wasn’t it Urban Meyer who picked and choosed what games Jarvis Moss missed due to several drug test violations? Luckily Jarvis was suspended for the game after SC so he was able to “get high” and block the winning field goal. Wasn’t Urban who kicked a player off the team for a serious offense but then decided to let the players decide if he was allowed back when he ran a little thein at that position. Didn’t Teabow’s roommate get a break last year after breaking into a impound lot to “retrieve’ his girlfriend’s car? I guess if Teabow gets arrested for drivin a scooter on the sidewalk or not paying speeding tickets he won’t play Saturday either….Right!!!!
Alabama Jack
October 28th, 2009
2:15 pm
dawgs are vehicularly challenged.
DawgGirl32
October 28th, 2009
2:18 pm
Wow, the idiots are out in full force today.
How2fish
October 28th, 2009
2:21 pm
Alabama Jack good one !
TybeeDawg
October 28th, 2009
2:23 pm
Urban Meyer..”Now Brandon Spikes, I can’t have you breaking and entering and committing Grand Theft Auto. You’re going to have to run steps at practice!”
Cuz
October 28th, 2009
2:26 pm
Vance would not have gone to jail if he had a valid license. I think the coaches should do mandatory checks of drivers license’s. That should keep these rascals off the street and make it safe for the drunk drivers.
filtar
October 28th, 2009
2:26 pm
We have the talent to win this game. Florida has looked anemic at best this year even against a arkansas team we dropped 54 on. if the dawgs dont pull it out its because they just dont care. forget coaching in this one they just have to want it.
How2fish
October 28th, 2009
2:28 pm
Cuz safe for the drunk drivers…..LOL..well I do need all the help I can get..filtar I agree 100% with that.
Yellow=Pee
October 28th, 2009
2:48 pm
More motivational than a timeout would be a pic of Brandon ‘baboon’ Spikes humping Tebow with no penalty.
Yellow=Pee
October 28th, 2009
2:48 pm
excuse me, humping Moreno.
Villa Rica DAWG
October 28th, 2009
2:50 pm
Tell me what it hurts and I’ll agree with you Bill. Until then, let them sink their teeth into it and “play their hearts out.”
You’re getting grumpy in your old age…
Okefenokee Dawg
October 28th, 2009
2:59 pm
Saint Rich talking about someone getting arrested in Atlanta. Now that’a funny!
Tired of fair weather fans
October 28th, 2009
3:08 pm
I get so sick of listening to these cry babies…half of which have never played a down of football in their lives. So what UGA has had a rough year so far…it does not change the fact that I am a DAWG FAN and I will give them a shot to beat the Gators till the last second ticks off that clock. If you want to be a fair weather fan go find another team to support. I am sick of hearing all the negative comments!! GO DAWGS!!!!
UGA – 45
FL – 21
damngooddawg
October 28th, 2009
3:17 pm
What we long time UGA fans have to face is the fact that Florida wins year after year is not because they have superior players (except for this year), but that UGA is out coached…first by Spurrier and now by Urban Cryer. Florida fans have, of course, been happy to have two of the sorriest pricks in the history of NCAA football coaching them with those kind of results. A pox on Spurrier and Myer, not because they are great coaches and beat us regularly, but because they are such miserable scumbags.
Willie Martinez
October 28th, 2009
3:17 pm
Let’s just hope Mike Bobo can put up 50 on them Gators, cause I know I’m going to allow at least 49.
Anyone looking for a talented High School D-coordinator at the D1 level?
Iceman
October 28th, 2009
3:22 pm
I’ve been a Dawg fan forever, but one of things a real fan has to do at times is admit when your team isn’t cutting it. At this time we’re too bad, FL’s D is too good, and the refs will flag anyone that so much as breathes in Tebow’s general direction.
There’s no way we win.
Valdosta Dawg Kevin
October 28th, 2009
3:25 pm
I know this is off topic, Bill you may need to broach the subject in another blog, but I have been a Police Officer for 11 years and have never, I repeat never booked anyone into a jail for driving without a valid license and disregard of a traffic signal. You scratch out 2 tickets, get him a driver and let him go! There are 14 reasons you must get a bond posted regarding traffic stops, and those 2 are not on the list. Seems to me the UGA police have a vendetta against the Dawgs!
uuughh...
October 28th, 2009
3:26 pm
Tired of fair weather fans…I for one am even more tired of Richt, Cox, and now stupid people on this blog thinking that you have to have played football to understand that our team and its coaches are not where they should be.
45-21!? You just keep that head in the sand with the rest of the women and children.
Prediction:
Tebow will score a rushing touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage and explode into a thousand doves that immediately fly up to heaven and perch next to Jesus.
Nothing to lose
October 28th, 2009
3:26 pm
UGA will humiliate Tebow and Cryer this year. They are a team that is stumbling and the Dawgs are about to be the team to shove them to the ground. Florida has lost most of their national respect from everything I hear and we are about to finish it off.
Georgia sux
October 28th, 2009
3:28 pm
Hey Cuz, Charles and rest mutt nation that’s the only crystal football you flea bags will ever touched. 27 pathetic years of failure and still counting.
Nothing to lose
October 28th, 2009
3:31 pm
“Georgia sux”, you must be 27 years old… those are pathetic years of failure.