Sound off on Stafford’s legacy, mix-and-match uniforms, spring stupidity
Do you consider Matthew Stafford a Damn Good Dawg or just a talented guy who spent three years in Athens? (Associated Press)
As the NFL teams take their pick of the best of the nation’s college football players again, Dogs fans’ thoughts naturally turn to a year ago and UGA’s $41 million man, Matthew Stafford, going first in the draft.
Yes, a year ago the considered opinion of the NFL brain trust was that Mark Richt’s program had produced the nation’s best quarterback, which pleased most fans in red and black. And yet Stafford doesn’t seem to hold much of a special place in the hearts of a lot of folks in the Bulldog Nation.
My son was commenting the other night on the frequency with which you see Georgia fans taking shots at Stafford, who clearly isn’t viewed with anything like the affection folks have for SEC championship winners David Greene and D.J. Shockley or even earlier quarterbacks like Eric Zeier who, like Stafford, failed to bring a conference title to Athens.
Maybe, he suggested, some Georgia fans see Stafford as getting more out of UGA than UGA got out of him. Oh, they’ll cheer for him to do well in the NFL, but he’s not beloved as you might expect a No. 1 draft pick to be.
I’ve said it here before: Stafford and Knowshon Moreno probably were the most talented quarterback-tailback tandem UGA has ever had, but I’m not sure they’ll ever enter the pantheon of Bulldog immortals because they left school early without achieving what the Bulldog Nation expected of them.
So how do you feel about Stafford a year later? If he becomes a big success in the NFL (which might require getting traded), do you think that will add some glow to his UGA legacy?
SEEING RED, BLACK AND WHITE …
Talking to the Lake Country Bulldog Club this week, Richt was asked about the possibility of another Blackout and Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald reports he first took an applause poll of the fans in attendance (more seemed against a Blackout) and then said, “What I’m thinking is if the seniors really want one, we might do it, but they’re going to have to earn maybe making it to Atlanta or beyond to get a Blackout,” Richt said.
Which sounds like an entirely reasonable response, the key being if they earn it.
Do you ever want to see those black helmets again? (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
But Richt went beyond that and raised the possibility of black jerseys (or, gulp, helmets) just becoming another rotating part of the Dogs’ uniform wardrobe, much like black uniforms have for other UGA teams, including basketball.
“What I’m thinking about doing, and it won’t happen this year,” Richt said, is “it wouldn’t be a bad idea if we have red, black, white jerseys and maybe a red helmet or maybe another color helmet, I don’t know, black helmet. And then just say this is part of what we do and then maybe make them match. Not to save them for any one special game. … I think just winning games is the most important thing.”
Well, he’s right about the winning, but I think perhaps he’s on to something with demystifying the black jersey by taking it out of the “special” category. And after all those years of watching that clip of Herschel run over Bill Bates, I’m sure I’m not the only fan who’d get a kick out of seeing the red britches again. (Though definitely not with red jerseys and helmets.)
I also liked the black britches a few years back with white jerseys and red helmets, but not with red jerseys. And the black helmet? I’m not so sure about the black helmet, which I doubt would have won over many fans even if the Dogs had somehow managed to upset the Gators last year while wearing it.
What do you think? Would you favor the Dogs mixing it up a bit in their uniforms, or would you prefer to stick with the tried and true standard uniform of red helmets, silver britches, red tops at home and white jerseys on the road?
TALK ABOUT BAD TIMING …
Two thoughts on Trent Dittmer’s arrest this week in Athens for public intoxication:
First, if you consider the home page of a newspaper’s Web site to be the digital equivalent of the printed paper’s front page, it’s amazing to me that anything to do with a walk-on backup punter who’s never likely to grace the field in a game could be considered front page news, even an arrest.
And second, we all know that college students are prone to do stupid things from time to time, especially related to drinking. But how clueless does a young man have to be to go out and get drunk, get in an altercation and get arrested the same week one of his team’s quaterbacks has been publicly humiliated and kicked off the team for an alcohol-related incident?
Sounds like it’s time for one of those team meetings.
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314 comments Add your comment
SoCal Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
12:26 pm
Let’s get back to the traditional.. where do you get white pants being traditional?
Silver Britches were an innovation of Coach Wally Butts, who took over as head coach in 1939. The handsome pants, complimented by a bright red jersey, made for a striking uniform. Through the years, fans referred to the Bulldogs’ silver britches in their chants and on banners, but the phrase really caught on in the early fifties with a cheer, banners, and colorful vests that proclaimed ‘‘Go, You Silver Britches.’’ Coach Vince Dooley re-designed the uniform when he came in 1964 and used white pants; however, he re-instituted the silver britches in 1980 just prior to what turned out to be Georgia’s national championship season.
'94 Graduate
April 22nd, 2010
12:27 pm
Hey Saint Simons,
(((((((((((((((((30-24)))))))))))))))))))
(((((((((((((((((73-66)))))))))))))))))))
(((((((((((((((((8 out of 9))))))))))))))
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
and just think…..in 220 days I will be updating this with the most recent UGA winning score and 9 out of 10
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
radlydawg
April 22nd, 2010
12:27 pm
38 YLD….you are corrrrrrect sir…..all but the allowances re: uniforms. We’re Georgia……that’s Red helmets, Silver Britches, and Red And White jerseys!!! Take those black helmets and send them to Grambling…they can stick a yellow G on them…they suck bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s concentrate on winning our division and the SEC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Dawgs!!!
Jon P
April 22nd, 2010
12:28 pm
Should have said White Jerseys (Away only)….only idiots want to wear White jerseys at home…Tech and LSU.
Mumbling to myself...
April 22nd, 2010
12:29 pm
Uniforms?? Doesn’t the team have REAL issues to contend with? Off field issues, no true QB, a new defense, etc…..
wsewell525
April 22nd, 2010
12:30 pm
the difference between greene and stafford is greene elevated the program, and stafford was expected to win everything. Stafford has an arm from god, but greene had the best touch. Moreno is awesome, I don’t care what anybody says. I saw that guy make something out of nothing more then anybody. We should have bought him a house to make sure he stayed one more year haha. Everybody needs to get off of willie also, in 07 we were winning all those games because of his defense. Howard started going on that sack party, and that’s what we lost in 08 and 09. We have an attacking defense now, good running game, and the once the QB gets some confidence in him we will win the NC.
Preston
April 22nd, 2010
12:32 pm
Stafford is a victim of circumstance here. CMR has been a much more relaxed coach over the past 4-5 years vs his first 4 when he had a genius defensive coordinator. There’s zero doubt that Stafford is a much better QB than Green was (absolutely no disrespect intended because I love David Green) but the fact that the defense was so awful during Stafford’s tenure in Athens, it depleted his legacy because of the overall non-success of the team. UGA didn’t even play in a conference title game during the Stafford years and that’s no fault of his. Players are remembered, and in most cases undeservingly, by what the TEAM did while they were here. UGA won an SEC championship and played for another during Green’s tenure. UGA won another SEC during Shockley’s tenure. But not once did UGA even play for one during Stafford’s because the D just plain sucked. Sucks for him because he could have won a couple of titles at other programs but his loyalty to UGA kept him from achieving it. But oh well. Kinda hard to feel bad for a 41 million dollar, #1 draft pick from the great UGA! Peace and chicken grease!!!
Scott W.
April 22nd, 2010
12:33 pm
I never want to see those black helmets again. I really don’t care for a “Blackout” either. I just want a National Championship and any uniform you wear while getting that will be my favorite from then on.
common sense
April 22nd, 2010
12:34 pm
NCAA should make it 4 years before draft eligable.
tim
April 22nd, 2010
12:34 pm
in my opinion stafford used uga to his benefit and didn’t care about championships on the uniform issue you puppies should dress like dorothy in the wizard of oz because that’s about the only way you’ll get to atlanta…or take the bus because you sorry dogs will never see the sec championship game as lonf as the gators are in the east…book it!
$750K
April 22nd, 2010
12:34 pm
Don’t you all just love symmetry? The $750K pay for one football coach just about equals $1,000 per teacher being laid off in Cobb county. Nice to know we have our priorities straight in Georgia.
Greg
April 22nd, 2010
12:34 pm
Next thing you know, Richt will be considering occasionally changing our name to the “BullFrawgs” so we can come out in green and yellow uniforms. Damn, if these guys need to be motivated/rewarded by uniform changes, then there is a problem. Anything other than the traditional uniforms shouldn’t be a “regular” thing. Once every 2-3 years is plenty. Tradition is a good thing. That uniform vs Florida last year should have been the last straw. Enough already!
Saint Simons
April 22nd, 2010
12:37 pm
(((((((((((( 25 – 6 ))))))))))) hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
ebdawg
April 22nd, 2010
12:37 pm
Bill, Agreed that the timing was terrible, but Trent is a good kid. He came to UGA because of his love for the Dawgs…. walked on and made the team. Poor decision, bad timing, stupid thing to do… yes, no doubt. College kids and MANY adults can’t handle alcohol… a few drinks and reason is GONE… at that point nothing else matters. IMO that is why we should teach our kids the “dangers” of alcohol and stop glorifying it at every turn. Why should we expect more.. when all we see is “Drink Responsibly”…. yeah right!!
common sense
April 22nd, 2010
12:38 pm
At least Richt don’t hand out those little helment stickers for good plays. That’s a tacky look imo. The silver helment sounds good.
Honest Lee
April 22nd, 2010
12:40 pm
I’m a GT alum and not a dawg fan, but I wouldn’t mess with the uniforms. UGA has the best color combination in the NCAA and a very recognizable logo. It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it.
Stafford underachieved in Athens. Especially with Moreno lining up behind him, they should have won more games. His relatively low completion percentage and relatively high interception ratio (both bad stats considering he’s a #1 draft pick) added to his less than 3 year “career” in Athens tell me the fans are correct to place him beneath Shockley, Greene, and Zeier.
YoungDawg
April 22nd, 2010
12:41 pm
I love the idea of alternate uniforms instead of the blackout approach. It worked great the first time & as an introduction of alt unis to the program under CMR. I love some of the throwback ideas that have been posted for the Fran era, others I’d like to see are unis honoring the 1942 & 1980 NC teams. My though is that those should be special occasion unis. We should keep the black jerseys, maybe add a silver one, defiantly add red, white & black pants. The alternate pants should mainly be worn on the road. Some practical ideas for that are; all white when it’s hot on the road then red or black pants when it’s cooler. I’m not opposed to alternate helmets but the unis all need to match up & look good, that red face mask wasn’t a good look. Also CMR is right if we go with alt unis we just add them & don’t make a big deal out of it. However if the players are just clamoring to wear a particular look, I love the idea of them having to earn the right to ware it.
CSA
April 22nd, 2010
12:45 pm
Stick with the classics. Richt should worry a bit more about winning games than the jerseys. The blackout is a great idea, but only for a special occasion, or when the players really deserve it. UGA fans are proud of the tradition of the school and football program, so keep honoring that tradition by sticking to tradition.
Mark "Crimson Crier" Ingram
April 22nd, 2010
12:48 pm
A cleric named Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi said:
Curdawgs that wear black helmets and “Many women who do not dress modestly… lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes” and losses to other SEC teams!
Cracker Jacket
April 22nd, 2010
12:53 pm
Corky on ” Life Goes On” and Stafford the same person?
WonderDawg
April 22nd, 2010
12:55 pm
I don’t care if we wear school-girl skirts, just please stop giving up 40+ point games!
In a related note, I wonder what Bob Stoops will say when the Sooners’ corners and safeties start covering and tackling like ours did the past 5 seasons?
coach
April 22nd, 2010
1:00 pm
Stafford=No championships=No Legacy.
The guy was never a leader and UGA people resent that. At least I do.
toga
April 22nd, 2010
1:01 pm
yeah whatever! – Ga has not been the same since Bama punched them during the last Blackout. No fire and no passion and nothing will change as long as old softy is around.
Enjoy your 7-5 season next year and start thinking of some good excuses.
ROLL TIDE
BigBad
April 22nd, 2010
1:03 pm
We are all in the UGA winning championships business. NOT in the “let me use this place as training ground for the NFL” business. Fact is, if you don’t win a title, or don’t stay 4 years and try, then you are just another passer-through. Greene, Shockley, Lastinger and Belue will forever be hero’s to the Bulldog Nation. Zeier, though he didn’t win a title will be as well because he honored his agreement with the program and played 4 years. Look at david Pollock. 3 time All-American. Could have been a first rounder but stayed to win a championship, then went pro and still was a first rounder. He will forever be a Bulldog legend. Not Stafford or Moreno
JB
April 22nd, 2010
1:04 pm
Hurts as a Dawg to say this, but Stafford had so little “heart” compared to Tebow. Tebow willed that team to win, and Matt would just come off the field and hit the bench. Yes, I think Matt wanted to win, but the QB is the defacto leader of a team. I also think more than anything that Willie Martinez really cost Georgia the last two years more than we will ever know. Our DB’s never, ever near a receiver and shoulder bumping for tackling and close to NO pass rush ever.
It was painful to watch. Once a school who teams feared to play because of defense to a big ole Liability. Here’s hoping Grantham & co. can turn that around.
WonderDawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:05 pm
Thanks toga, and enjoy your what, 8th?, 10th? NCAA probation.
Top Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:06 pm
(1) Who’s Trent Dittmer? (I know after reading the article, but give me a break.)
(2) Black helmets should be retired as a bad reminder of the Joe Cox “era.”
GO YOU SILVER BRITCHES
April 22nd, 2010
1:10 pm
partial to silver
GO DAWGS
April 22nd, 2010
1:10 pm
Black helmets never never again !!!!!!!
"Coach Vince Dooley re-designed the uniforms when he came in 1964....
April 22nd, 2010
1:13 pm
…and used white pants; however, he re-instituted the silver britches in 1980 just prior to what turned out to be Georgia’s national championship season”.
Yeah, then how come that picture of Herschel running over Bill Bates shows him wearing RED britches?
By the way, those silver “britches” with the red jersey may have been “introduced” by Wally Butts to UGA in the ’50’s, but they had been, and still are, a staple at Ohio State long before UGA used them. Even my alma mater, tiny Davidson College, utilized that combination in the 60’s and early ’70’s, so the combination is not nearly as exclusive to UGA as most fans would like to think…
McDawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:22 pm
Absolutley NO ALL RED-Black jersey cool on occasion
With respect to Stafford-just not sure he had all the weapons in place to show what he could do
SoCal Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Butts introduced them to UGA in 1939 not in the 50’s.
GO DAWGS
April 22nd, 2010
1:25 pm
Hey toga the Tide will be brought back down to earth this year,lost 9 starters on defense and schedule is not as soft.CMR has beaten yall more than lost.BAMA REDNECKS
McDawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:30 pm
All white would be cool as well
toga
April 22nd, 2010
1:30 pm
Georgia’s top 5 excuses for a 7-5 season this year:
1. injuries
2. new DC just getting started
3. rookie QB
4. rebuilding year
5. global warming
If there was a championship for excuses, Ga would win every year. All that matters are wins. Feel free to use any of these after SC
sends you home with your first loss.
ROLL TIDE
HOUDAWG
April 22nd, 2010
1:34 pm
Will consider Stafford a Good Dawg , not so sure of DGD status ….. mostly on the basis that he seemed to have his eye on the prize. That prize being the NFL ….. not so much SEC championships. Not a knock , just the obvious ….. still wish him well.
And PLEASE …….. never EVER again , black helmets !! Could handle other variations , but the helmet is a tradition. What if MICH came out with a gold ( or yellow ) helment with blue maise stripes ? Fans would faint …….. again , NO black helmets …. please !!
WonderDawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:35 pm
Dooley brought the “silver britches” in ‘81 for the opening game vs UT. I was there, and I’m pretty sure that was also the first game with the railroad tracks end of the stadium enclosed. A great day. Herschel, Buck, Lindsay and the rest kicked UT and Johnny Majors butt 44-0 (or maybe 42-0).
58 Dog
April 22nd, 2010
1:36 pm
Please stop this silliness. Georgia’s uniforms need to be left alone. Gimmicks cost ballgames in the long run. Take care of business, for crying out loud. We are already wearing the best looking uniforms in the country. And people need to identify with our uniforms, they are part of our brand.
Florida Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:36 pm
I don’t know what the big deal is about black jersey’s or white or red….our official colors ARE red and black…so these colors should be a part of our normal dress.
I had a black UGA shirt 40 years ago and still have several today just like all the other fans.
No big deal…just win. That’s it…just win.
Traditional Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:42 pm
The head coach shouldn’t even be thinking about changing uniforms and breaking traditions until he can establish a new tradition of beating Florida.
I have been a Dawg fan since I was born. Yes, we have seen different variations of Red, White, Silver and Black, but the changing mid year as a gimmick to “reward” the players is a joke. The players are rewarded with an education, should they chose to accept it. How about they reward us with hard work, respectability in their community, and exceptional performance on the field.
I for one think the black helmets are awful. Should the team decide to go in a different direction with the uniforms, so be it, but bending over to the wants of fickle 19 year old is absurd.
Look at Tech’s uniforms…those are hideous.
A poster before made the comment that Bama won a NC without gimmicky uniforms. Why can’t we?
dan
April 22nd, 2010
1:43 pm
I was pretty hard on Stafford while he was at UGA, but after witnessing the Joe Cox debacle and no doubt the continual growing pains at QB this year, I’ll take a QB with a mercenary mentality over a kid with all heart and no talent.
As for Godsakes, enough with the God forsaken uniforms! It worked for us a couple times when we were on a roll back in 2007, but lately it’s just been an embarassment! Just like the Dancing Monkey and the Tomahawk Chop, gimmics have a shelf life. The Black Jersey/Helment/pants thing has out lived it’s usefulness.
smyrna-dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:43 pm
He won no titles. It is as simple as that.
Lindsey
April 22nd, 2010
1:46 pm
I love mixing the uniforms up!!! GO DAWGS!!
patrick
April 22nd, 2010
1:47 pm
Toga…….4 ~ 1 against Ala. Nuff said
Impatient dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:47 pm
I can’t believe what I’m reading. I really can’t. We’re back to talking about uniform changes. Just incredible. On blackout night we got pounded into our own turf by Bama so what do we do then? We do another uniform change and come out with a black helmet and pants against Florida and what happens? We get blown out again. And now we’re talking about more blackouts and uniform changes? This is surreal.
Let’s try winning some games and beating the Bammers and gators of the world again before we start talking about stuff like uniform changes, blackouts, and such.
A poster earlier noted that all the national traditional programs have and wear the same uniform for years with virtually no changes. Michigan, ND, Bama, Nebraska, OU, Texas, Ohio State, Penn State especially, USC, See something here? These are all traditional powerhouse programs that don’t do the uniform gimmicks. And for the most part most of those teams mentioned above are still in the national discussion every year.
And one last thing. The blackout failed miserably and then when I watched the seccg last year I noticed something interesting. Those new fangled gator uniforms. How’ld that go for Florida? The team that once again went for the gimmick uniform in Florida once again got pounded by the team that wore its same ole traditional uniforms in Bama.
The uniform gimmick has worked consistently for exactly one other team: Oregon. And the reason it works for them is because its not a gimmick. They’ve been changing their uniform up so often and for so long that its part of their tradition. Its what they do. For us lets try winning some big games and getting better and beating the heavyweights like Bama and Florida before we worry about some dang uniforms and blackouts. Enough already!
Shreveport Sam
April 22nd, 2010
1:48 pm
I think the “red-out” is a good thing, should match the coaches faces after a number of games on this year’s schedule…..
Will Dawg
April 22nd, 2010
1:49 pm
Red or Black pants on the road. “silver” looks washed out with white jersey. NONONO white pants. They look like practice pants. Red pants would rule on the road. Black helmet would have been better with black mask.
Bama fans you won by 11 points in black out. Go redo your 2nd ugliest uniform in football or something. Penn St. ugliest of all time.
wsewell525
April 22nd, 2010
1:50 pm
I’ve always said we should have a different game plan only for the Florida game. That way they can’t study the film. If Murray is the QB for GA then on the FL game throw in Gray, let him run and gun all over the place.
patrick
April 22nd, 2010
1:56 pm
Toga……. @ 4 ~ 1. Who is really getting punched? Hmmmm
dawg85
April 22nd, 2010
1:58 pm
Stafford and Moreno weren’t playing defense. those are two great Dawgs. I have never understand the antipathy towards Stafford.
I like the traditional uniforms. Black helmets are awful. Black jerseys could be useful on rare occasions as long as you do it at the last second and don’t blab on about it all week. Red and silver and white and silver will do. Don’t mess with the helmets ever again.