Back to barking: 2010 Dawgs, Damon Evans, Mark Fox and more
Time to give some credit to Damon Evans. (Curtis Compton / AJC)
I’m back from vacation and pretty much caught up on what’s been happening while I was away, so here are some quick-hit thoughts on what’s caught my eye. Feel free to chime in. …
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach pretty well sums up my feelings about Mark Richt’s 2010 team: “If Dogs get anything out of [Aaron] Murray, they’re going to win 10 games. Best WR in the country. Two good backs. Senior-laden OL. Best kicker and punter in the SEC. All comes down to defense.” … I know it’s fashionable among some folks in this venue to mock Damon Evans as some sort of Michael Adams lapdog, but what does it say about the depth and strength of UGA’s athletics program that Georgia was No. 2 to Florida in the standings for the SEC All-Sports Trophy despite mediocre years for football and basketball and a terrible, last-place finish in baseball? Of course, to some of you that means nothing because you don’t care about spring sports or women’s sports and, in fact, it’s football or nothing, right? Those Dogs fans who take a larger view should be pleased, though, that UGA is competitive across the board. … Speaking of roundball, the signing of “Mr. Georgia Basketball” Marcus Thornton gives a pretty encouraging answer to the big question that was still hanging over Mark Fox as Georgia’s head coach: Could a guy with no SEC background recruit in this part of the country? We already knew based on what he achieved with an undermanned roster this year that the guy can coach. Things are definitely looking up for UGA basketball, and I think ultimately the hiring of the little-known Fox may be considered a major coup for Evans. … Finally, this only concerns UGA in relation to events such as the SEC Championship held at the Georgia Dome, but my take as a taxpayer and college sports fan is this: If Arthur Blank wants an open-air stadium for the Falcons, he should fund it and build it himself. The state and city can’t support two stadiums, a retractable-roof facility replacing the Dome seems prohibitively expensive, and giving up all the events that an enclosed stadium can host just so Blank can get what he wants makes no sense at all.
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187 comments Add your comment
ken
May 25th, 2010
3:46 pm
Tech envy for UGA never dies. You five loss guys willing to wager on that?
Dan
May 25th, 2010
3:46 pm
Yeah Spike, that’s good thinking. Because, y’know, they are so qualified to be making player evaluations. It’s not like they are trying to generate web traffic or anything.
Fillin' up @ Juniors
May 25th, 2010
3:50 pm
250th to say First!
Double digit wins? As a tech fan let me express to you how that feels, seeing as we have recently done this, and you haven’t…
1. UCONN plays in the Big East…enough said. Grrr. Rutgers fear, the red scarlets. The heck is a red scarlet???
Halsey
May 25th, 2010
3:50 pm
There’s reason for Dawg fans to be optimistic that Murray can play well as a redshirt freshman. He’s been with the team since January of last year, one of his targets is someone he’s familiar with(Orson Charles), and it’s not all that unusual for RS freshman QBs to play well.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
3:50 pm
Grantham is the guy who spurned Saban when Saban tried to hire Todd Grantham, Georgia’s new Defensive Head coach.
Chris Low said that, check it out.
Also, Grantham was asked about it after he was hired, and he confirmed he did in fact spurn Nick Saban’s offer to ruin Saban’s defense.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/8165/richt-zeroing-in-on-cowboys-grantham
Spike
May 25th, 2010
3:51 pm
Dan, I’m just saying they know more about it and are therefore much more qualified than you. So where are they going wrong, if you know so much more?
how2fish
May 25th, 2010
3:52 pm
Rodney Brown ..do you really think that if a new stadium is built outside the ATL proper but in the area that the SEC campionship won’t be held there? Really everyone will want to go to the shiny new place they always do.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
3:53 pm
the #1 7 #7 SEC leaders in tackles, were both LB’s at Vanderbilt, where Belin coached last season. Belin is Georgia’s new LB’s coach.
Check out the stats, look for Chris Marve at #1, and Pat M at #7, both Belin’s LB’s.
http://www.secsports.com/sport_stats/football/confldrs.htm
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
3:54 pm
The Big W,
Georgia looks okay but when you said that the rbs and wrs are tops I just had to roll my eyes.
I don’t think you will find any serious analyst who would say that Ealey/King are better than Heisman winner Mark Ingram and his super backup Trent Richardson who some say is better than Ingram. These 2 couldn’t shine the shoes of the Alabama tailback tandem. Having seem them both up close and personal and seeing Ealey and King also up front and personal I can tell you that its the difference between night and day.
As for wrs Florida also has an explosive wr set including 2 highly touted guys who missed all of last season with injury. The gators also return 4 O-lineman. The Florida running game also returns Jeff Demps and the exciting Chris Rainey. Defense returns a ton of talent and the recruiting class coming in was the runaway #1 rated recruiting class in the country. You have not made enough strides in one year to erase the 24 point gulf that separated the 2 teams last year. And the talent gap is only growing wider with the respective recruiting classes coming in the fall.
how2fish
May 25th, 2010
4:00 pm
Saban if we get to you pin heads in the Dome this year we will beat you like rented mules..
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
4:02 pm
The Big W,
What you fail to point out about Todd Grantham is that when Saban tried to hire him it was in 2005 and Grantham spurned him and took the Browns D coordinator job where his defenses subsequently ranked 30th out of 32 teams for 2 years and then of course Grantham got fired. You and Bama fans think Saban is so great but Saban just got lucky in avoiding what clearly would have been a bad hire. Saban makes mistakes in judgement just like any other coach. He was lucky that Grantham didn’t take the job with him at Miami.
Grantham was Richt’s 4th or 5th choice a fact that you seem to have a problem pointing out. Kirby Smart, Bud Foster at VT, and John Chavous were the first 3 choices and all spurned Richt. Grantham who was working as a d-line position coach because of his failure as a D coordinator at Cleveland was clearly Richt’s last choice as he was scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:02 pm
The numbers don’t lie, Georgia’s O-Line gave up half as many sacks as Florida, and the running game averaged over 247 over the last 3 games, yes, that’s the best in SEC over the last 3 games.
And, Branden Smith will be more involved in the runing game this year, like Percy, and Branden averaged over 12 yards a carry, Percy got about 9.
Bama’s backfield duo is good, Georgia’s Ealey/King/Smith trio is better.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:03 pm
Bill Billacheck couldn’t help the Browns, you saying Bill Billacheck. can’t coach? Browns have a losing mentality, no one can help them.
Ultimate Dawg Fan
May 25th, 2010
4:03 pm
Yep, I don’t think we even have to play the games this year. With the best OL in the country, best defensive coach and scheme, best kicking game, best redshirt freshman QB, best WR, HC and OC, we’re a LOCK !!! WIth our creampuff schedule, we should go BETTER than undefeated !!!!!! I can’t wait !!!!! Man, if we lose even ONE game, I’m gonna be pis$ed !
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:04 pm
You, nor anyone but Richt, knows how many offers he made for his DC position. Grantham is the best choice. I like who we ended up with.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:05 pm
Muschamp also recommended Richt hire Grantham.
Dan
May 25th, 2010
4:05 pm
Couple things, Spike. First, who cares how good the WR’s are. It doesn’t matter if the QB can’t get them the ball. And last I checked, Aaron Murray has completed the same number of passes in a college game as I have. Second, if the RB’s are half as good as Tech and A&M’s defense made them look, then UGA will throw it about as often as Tech’s offense does. Third, and most importantly, the Scout folks have the same qualifications as I do. They have one job – get web traffic. But that hardly means they know more about it.
3 QB's too many
May 25th, 2010
4:06 pm
Never will Murray, LeMay and Mason all be on the roster. If Murray shines this year, (ME) LeMay will never sign and if he does, then Mason will transfer. Book it.
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
4:07 pm
How2fish,
You won’t get to Saban to begin with cause you won’t get past us. 49-10 and 41-17 the last 2 years? What makes you think this year will be any different? And even if you could backdoor your way into the seccg you gotta be kidding. There’s not a dawg fan on here that wouldn’t tremble at the thought of taking on the Bammers, especially with blackout night still fresh in your minds. The reason you talk the big bravado smack talk is because you don’t play them this season and cause you know your odds of sneaking into the seccg to play them are slim and none. Easy to talk smack when you know you when get the chance to play them to begin with.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:09 pm
The Big W, it didn’t matter who Richt signed as D coordinator; you would of like me if he signed me. Grantham was not the first choice, he was a D line coach who got fired from his only coordinator stint. It wouldn’t of mattered if Saban offered or not, Saban still pulls all the strings for Bama’s D.
Honest Lee
May 25th, 2010
4:09 pm
10 wins? Sure, it’s a possibility.
Oh, wait – you were talking about football??!! I thought you meant 10 wins in basketball!
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:10 pm
Georgia has made is too easy on Florida by turning the ball over and by not forcing turnovers. Fix that, and the tables turn. Georgia has the talent, just needs to execute better, which requires better teaching.
Trav
May 25th, 2010
4:10 pm
First!
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:12 pm
The Big W did you come up with the turnover thing on your own? You must be some kind of a genious.
The Big W
May 25th, 2010
4:12 pm
If Georgia gets past S. Carolina (Richt is 7-2 against them) and Arkansas (Richt is 5-0), then Georgia will likely be riding into the Florida game with an 8-0 record.
If Richt beats Florida, he has a great record against Auburn & Ga Tech.
Hey Matthew 6:1
May 25th, 2010
4:13 pm
…and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get rid of #5’s picture to the left…
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:14 pm
Where you been for the past 30 years Big W?
Erin Andrews
May 25th, 2010
4:16 pm
Georgia Tech will lose to Uga . Again
Jimmy
May 25th, 2010
4:19 pm
Bill,
Is there anyway you can out all of these trolls using different handles who continue to bash teams? I find it “interesting” that there have been a lot of women’s names used to bash UGA at the same time that Chip Towers outed the user known as ‘Bama Stan’ as using different names to have a conversation w/ himself. We haven’t seen him around here lately, but all of these “women” show up bashing UGA. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I think UGA looks good on paper. Now hopefully the new members of the coaching staff will coach them up and the team can finally beat Florida this year.
I think Florida’s running game is going to suffer big time w/o Tebow this year. He was their inside runner and when it was 3rd & 2, we all knew where the ball was going. Demps and Rainey are outside runners and Emanuel Moody is injured too much to put anything on him. The freshmen will be good in time though. Just my 2cents.
Mikey
May 25th, 2010
4:22 pm
There is nothing wrong with the GA Dome.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:24 pm
Jimmy, if you would do a little research you will find that Trey Burton (a freshman who enrolled and went through the Spring) will do just fine filling the Tebow role like when Chris Leak was a senior and that turned out ok I think. I hate to tell you but the Gators are reloading.
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
4:30 pm
The Big W,
“The numbers don’t lie, Georgia’s O-Line gave up half as many sacks as Florida, and the running game averaged over 247 over the last 3 games, yes, that’s the best in SEC over the last 3 games.”
“Bama’s backfield duo is good, Georgia’s Ealey/King/Smith trio is better.”
Let me get this straight. Bama’s Ingram won the Heisman and he and Richardson rushed for 2500 yds and Ealey/King rushed for 1400 yds and you think the Georgia tandem is better? You can’t be serious? You’ve reached a new low in delusional thinking not to mention statistical analysis.
And you base that on only 3 games at the end of the season against 3 terrible defenses. Add in all the sec games and the bigger games like UF and lets see how that rushing avg looks over a full season as opposed to cherry picking 3 games against 3 bad defenses. You gotta be kidding.
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
4:32 pm
Quote from the big W “Bama’s backfield duo is good, Georgia’s Ealey/King/Smith trio is better.”
Big W wins the delusional comment of the day award.
BobDog
May 25th, 2010
4:33 pm
The Falcons are important. They need to be competitive with other NFL teams not only on the field, but in generating revenues. However, the events that only a venue like the Georgia Dome can bring- SEC Championship, Chick-Fila Bowl, Final Four, ACC BB Championship- need to be preserved. Hopefully something will be worked out where we can do both.
SteDog
May 25th, 2010
4:38 pm
after watching the aaron murray I saw in the spring game this year, Schlabach might better have begun the wording his assessment with if in all caps… IF Dogs get anything out of [Aaron] Murray, they’re going to win 10 games…. just sayin he looked mighty darn “iffy” out there.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:40 pm
Gator World quit trying; they are delusional.
SteDog
May 25th, 2010
4:41 pm
point is… I just don’t see how any dog fan who watched murray’s spring game performance can honestly say he inspired alot of confidence he is capable of leading that team to alot of hard fought sec victories this year… I sure hope i’m wrong
Gator world
May 25th, 2010
4:50 pm
The most interesting man alive,
You’re right. Trying to reason with a delusional dawg is a pointless endeavor. Its just incredible to hear a dawg fan say that this Ealey/King combo that ran for 1400 yds is better than the bama combo which includes a Heisman winning tailback and ran for 2500 yds. Its just incredible. We played against both and I can tell you its laughable to compare the dawg duo against the bama duo.
Jimmy
May 25th, 2010
4:52 pm
To The Most Interesting Man Alive,
I’ve done plenty research. Burton is a three star athlete who is barely 200 lbs. I wouldn’t compare him to Tebow just yet. When it’s 3rd & 2, do you really think he’s going to run between the tackles for that first down in the SEC? Maybe by his Jr year, and a huge maybe at that.
Jimmy
May 25th, 2010
4:53 pm
I also agree w/ many posters on whether or not the taxpayers should build Blank a new stadium. In a “fair” world, he would build it himself. For the people who say that the majority of the funding would come from hotel taxes and the like, how about taking that hotel money and rehiring all of these teachers who have been laid off recently?? Of course I wouldn’t expect a Republican to care about “Joe Taxpayer” at large, as long as they get what the want.
If the stadium isn’t built in the future, the Falcons will be playing in some other city, that’s reality.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
May 25th, 2010
4:55 pm
Jimmy, try 6-3 and 220 and a 4.49 40 and was the surprise of the spring game with over a 100 passing and running. Keep your hopes up though, 30 years isnt that long.
Dan
May 25th, 2010
4:56 pm
No wonder Jimmy’s so delusional! He’s a Democrat!
kevin
May 25th, 2010
4:59 pm
UGA GRAD AAND FAN = Tech fan. Funny, you make fun of UGA fans being ignorant and yet, under various unfunny and unoriginal names, you come on UGA blogs and rant and rave like a 9 year old–talking about GT being on the ups and UGA being on the outs. GT is a technical school, known for it’s prowess in math (and D & D skills), and yet 8 out of 9 somehow makes no sense to you.
Bill W.
May 25th, 2010
5:02 pm
Gator world-
“Georgia looks okay but when you said that the rbs and wrs are tops I just had to roll my eyes.”
Ealey/King have been rated high in the SEC by almost every publication preview. No, I do not agree with The Big W that they are better than Ingram/Richardson but I would take them before Demps/Rainey. Not sure why you would roll your eyes about the WR’s. AJ is the best WR in the country. Then you have guys, if they could get someone to pass them the ball last season, would be solid- T. King, Wooten, Orson Charles, etc.
kevin
May 25th, 2010
5:04 pm
UGA GRAD AAND FAN,
You still aren’t funny and remain thoroughly unoriginal.
I do not pretend UGA has a better math and science dept. that GT b/c frankly the numbers don’t show it. By analogy, you should not pretend GT is as good as UGA in football, b/c 8 out of 9 = we rule you.
Jim Donnan
May 25th, 2010
5:09 pm
Awesome Kevin! Except “we” doesn’t include you because you never took a snap. But keep living vicariously through your football team. I’m sure it helps you get through the day.
M Dog
May 25th, 2010
5:13 pm
Funny how anyone who gives a reasonable post is labeled delusional by a certain blogger. Who’s delusional—the one who gives unfounded opionions or the one who does not?
Jimmy
May 25th, 2010
5:16 pm
Wow, the ignorance in here from Florida fans never surprises me.
First off, who said I was a Georgia fan? I live in Atlanta now but i’m from Texas. Secondly, just because I make a comment about Republicans means i’m a Dem?? I’m neither, I don’t deal w/ polititcs. Ask me about any subject and i’ll fall on either the liberal or conservative side(not that anyone cares, I know). The fact is only a Republican BILLIONAIRE would ask the public to build a multimillion dollar stadium when those funds could go to more important areas, such as public schools, hospitals, or police or fire depts.
Geez, you can tell how our education in general is suffering just by the comments of most of you SEC fans.
Jim Donnan
May 25th, 2010
5:18 pm
Except that he’s not a Republican, Jimmy. But don’t let facts get in your way.
Jim Donnan
May 25th, 2010
5:19 pm
Also Jimmy, class envy is not very attractive.