A clue to what’s been missing in Dogs’ running game
Nobody at UGA worked harder than Thomas Brown. (Associated Press)
While a lot of fingers have pointed at departed Georgia assistant coach Stacy Searels’ underperforming offensive line as a big reason for the Dogs’ running game being only the 10th best in the SEC this past season, there obviously was more to it than that.
The fact that thanks to injuries and disciplinary problems Georgia rarely had both its top two running backs, Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, playing in the same game was a factor. As was Mike Bobo’s tendency to abandon the ground attack for long stretches and his insistence on trying to run Carlton Thomas up the middle at inopportune moments in close games.
But at times there also seemed to be something lacking in the effort of the backs themselves. Rarely did you see Ealey or King break tackles.
And I think maybe you can get an inkling into why that was the case from comments made Friday by former Georgia tailback Thomas Brown, who’s joined the new strenth and conditioning staff under Joe Tereshinski.
The diminutive Brown, who battled for playing time with Danny Ware, Kregg Lumpkin and Knowshon Moreno, played like he was much bigger than he was thanks to his phenomenal strength and competitiveness. In talking with the media about the decline in the Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning in the three seasons since he departed, he said: “I think you can solve most problems with more competition. I think that’s one of the biggest things that’s different from when I was here as a player and here now.
“When I came in, I was highly recruited, the No. 1-rated running back in the state of Georgia, No. 3 or 4 in the nation. I came in, I was No. 7 on a depth chart of eight running backs. I had to compete, and I think that kind of makes guys raise their level of expectations. I think it’s harder for guys to be motivated when they know they’re kind of guaranteed to play. So I think … bringing in guys to compete with those guys will make everybody a lot better.”
That fits in with what Blair Walsh said after the Liberty Bowl disaster about some of the players on the team having a sense of entitlement. Ealey runs his mouth a lot and King thinks he’s too cool for school, but rarely has either looked like the hardest-working back in the game.
Whether or not Georgia signs Isaiah Crowell, that’s got to change if the Dogs are going to consistently run the ball in the SEC.
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480 comments Add your comment
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
1:52 pm
And by the the way oconee puppy, Ealey, Walker and Hearst are all from Class A schools in Georgia. Also all three of those high schools at one time or another have played each other.
Go dogs.
Bill Goldberg
January 22nd, 2011
1:52 pm
We scored 6 against UCF because Murray sucked.
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
1:57 pm
Murray telegraphed the run better than any quarterback I ever saw. He also could not check off at the line very well either.
Go dogs.
Bill Goldberg
January 22nd, 2011
1:57 pm
Flat tire, think the problem is more Richt then Bobo. I never thought Staffard was a great “college” qb. So keep throwing all the stats out there you want. The results speak for themselves. Murray is average. Just watch the freaking games. Truth be told, we need a running game and we don’t have one.
Duh
January 22nd, 2011
1:58 pm
AJ Green, 2 experienced running backs, an offensive line with more starts than any other team in college football, Orson Charles and a freshman QB who played better than expected. Tell me again about this lack of talent Bobo had, Oconee you sir are a fool. Oh yea Kris Durham as well. Bobo handicaps this team, has no imagination and to be honest I have played against kids on the xbox who can call plays better than Bobo.
A clue to what’s been missing in Dogs’ running game – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | Best Dog Store
January 22nd, 2011
1:59 pm
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Yo
January 22nd, 2011
1:59 pm
We only scored 6 because our coaches didn’t have the kahunas to go for it on fourth and an inch at the 2, when averaging I don’t know like 4yds an attempt at the time!
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
2:02 pm
The problem is Richt. He tries to reform football players instead of developing their talents. That is why the team is not playing with heart. Richt has confused them. Instead of playing football like they have done all their lives, they have to live up to Richt’s standards.
Go dogs.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
January 22nd, 2011
2:02 pm
Bill Golberg
Can You pass me some of that kool-aid your drinking
That way I can make through next seasons dismal performances with a positive outlook that we can appear in a national title in what 40 more yrs from now
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
2:04 pm
That is right yo. Richt would not go for it on fourth and two inches. He is killing all of the players drive and determination. Richt should have been fired right then for that play call.
Go dogs.
Bill Goldberg
January 22nd, 2011
2:05 pm
Yo, you are right, and that was a freaking Richt decision, not Bobo! Does anyone really think Richt doesn’t control Bobo and the play calling? Richt is as conservative as you get and always will be. He doesn’t let Bobo lose. He has him as an OC because he controls every move he makes. If it wasn’t like that Richt would take it over again. But they are one in the same so there is no point!
Duh
January 22nd, 2011
2:05 pm
Oconee and Goldberg are Richt’s and Bobo’s wives and Tony is apparently on the down low with Washaun Ealey.
Bill Goldberg
January 22nd, 2011
2:08 pm
Flat Tire, you certainly can’t read and I know you can’t anyalize a football game or a players performance. I’m still not sure what Kook Aid i’m drinking. I don’t buy into anything UGA is doing lately under Richt.
Chad
January 22nd, 2011
2:11 pm
I doubt we’ll see Ealy again. He’s going to end up in jail or just decide he’s good enough that the NFL will waive that whole three years rule for him and hire an agent. Then, upon getting denied, he’ll gain 50 lbs and go undrafted the next year. He’s like Maurice Clarett, but without talent.
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January 22nd, 2011
2:16 pm
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BJohnDawg
January 22nd, 2011
2:32 pm
its not about yards per carry. Those can be inflated by controlling clock against weaker teams.
It is about winning.
And Ealey and King in college have not been winning the big games.
Until they do, Walker is and always will be head and shoulders above them.
They both need to dedicate themselves to the game, their school, their team, and their position.
Or fully expect to see someone else run the football at UGA.
Malcome, Crowell, whomever will get it done.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
2:32 pm
Rooster:
SEE THAT YOU WERE LATE COMING TO THE BLOG…DON’T KNOW IF IT TOOK YOU THAT LONG TO READ THE 3 PAGES OR NOT…YEA, I THINK I KNOW THAT WALKER AND HEARST WERE FROM CLASS A SCHOOLS AND DID GREAT…THINK WE LET THE 8000 YARDS EALEY HAD FOOL US ABOUT HIM…WHAT OTHER CLASSIFICATION CAN AN UNDERSIZED BACK WITH VERY LITTLE ABILITY TO MAKE SOMEONE MISS OR RUN THROUGH A TACKLE GAIN 8000 YARDS…ITS NOT IN CLASSIFICATION, ITS IN TALENT…HEARST AND WALKER OBVIOUSLY HAD IT, AND TO COMPARE EALEY TO EITHER OF THEM, WELL, JUST CAN’T BE DONE UNLESS YOU PULL OUT SOME USELESS STATISTICS….DOWN HERE ON THE LAKE, I GOT YORE PUPPY RIGHT HERE…
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
2:37 pm
I know a lot of the dog fans and Bill King want Ealey to quit or get kicked off the team. That would would be terrible for the football team in 2011. We need Ealey and all the other players. We need more positive articles written about our football players and not all this negativity that some people post about certain athletes.
Rooster
January 22nd, 2011
2:40 pm
Crowell is more undersized than Ealey. Plus he has never played a single down in a SEC game neither has Malcome.
just a fan
January 22nd, 2011
2:47 pm
any news on who UGA is going to coach the O-Line, me personally I hope they get Robbie Caldwell
SOS Dawg
January 22nd, 2011
2:49 pm
Robbie Caldwell is going to Clemson.
Mike
January 22nd, 2011
2:52 pm
We need to get rid of King and Ealey…they are nothing but full of themselves……I would rather take my chances with whoever comes to UGA to play the position than to depend on these two morons…..will CMR had the balls to kick them off this team…..
just a fan
January 22nd, 2011
2:53 pm
I like Ealy and I think he can be a good RB but he doesn’t break tackles, lacks top end speed, and I think his on field vision is lacking but he could turn the corner with some healthy competition from Crowell and Malcome
just a fan
January 22nd, 2011
2:53 pm
So who does that leave UGA looking at for O-Line
SOS Dawg
January 22nd, 2011
2:58 pm
Maybe Richt will get Brad Scott….. who was demoted at Clemson
Dawg4Life
January 22nd, 2011
3:01 pm
I go absolutely nuts when Bobo calls the draw play on 1st or 2nd down with twenty plus yards to go. I will never understand that logic. It fails miserably every time he calls it. Also, it seems since Musa or maybe even Knowshon, we no longer have any backs with a burst. King or Ealey go down with a shoestring tackle. UCF’s back ran with a lot more desire and determination than any of ours. Whatever happened to the screen out of the backfield, seems non existent?
Elmer
January 22nd, 2011
3:10 pm
I’ve decided I don’t like to hear about how Ealey got more yards a carry than Herschel in both high school and college, even though it’s true, I’d prefer to believe something else, or just make up something else, so I will just ignore it.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:11 pm
THINK EALEY CAN BE A CONTRIBUTOR, BUT WHAT HE DOES WITH JOE T AND SPRING BALL WILL DECIDE THAT…
Elmer
January 22nd, 2011
3:12 pm
If Herschel broke more tackles, he would have averaged more yards a pop than Ealey anyhow, so I’ll just imagine he did, even though he didn’t.
Elmer
January 22nd, 2011
3:13 pm
Does Crowell have 133 touchdowns like Ealey had in High School? If not, I’ll just imagine he does and use my wishful thinking power.
James
January 22nd, 2011
3:15 pm
CROWELL MIGHT DECLARE GEORGIA, MIGHT NOT, MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE LIKE LATTIMORE, MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE LIKE SAMUELS.
Wally
January 22nd, 2011
3:17 pm
So what if Ealey averaged the same yards per run as Walker and Moreno, Walker & Moreno broke a LOT more tackles than Ealey ever did, it just didn’t show up in the yards per run.
Larry
January 22nd, 2011
3:18 pm
In my world, Ealey got 0 yards, and Herschel ran for 100 yards each carry. I like to reinvent history too.
Bucky
January 22nd, 2011
3:21 pm
Man, if I were Ealey, after reading all this, I’d transfer. What a negative bunch of folks Georgia fans is.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:21 pm
James:
SOMETIMES IT IS JUST A CRAP SHOOT…WHAT SOME OF THESE GUYS DO IN HIGH SCHOOL JUST DOES NOT PROJECT IN THE SEC…NEED MORE OF THE DAVID POLLACKS…HOW MANY DAVID POLLACKS DO THESE GURUS WHO RATE THE STAR SYSTEM MISS EVERY YEAR????
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:24 pm
Bucky:
WHAT IF YOU WERE A UGA COACH AND READ THIS CRAP? HOW WOULD YOU HIRE ANOTHER HEAD COACH WHO READS ABOUT THE CURRENT UGA HEAD COACH WHO WINS 90 GAMES IN 9 YEARS AND HAS A COUPLE SETBACK YEARS AND THE REDNECKS WANT TO SEE LET GO AND THE STAFF THAT WAS PART OF THE 90 WINS…WOULD YOU WANT TO COME COACH A TEAM WITH A BUNCH OF REDNECK FANS LIKE THAT….
Bucky
January 22nd, 2011
3:27 pm
That’s right, if Coach Richt read all this stuff, he’d be depression city.
Bucky
January 22nd, 2011
3:28 pm
Is this a “fan” blog? Don’t seem like Ealey has too many fans on this blog, except one or maybe two.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:28 pm
Dawg4Life:
TELL ME A GOOD CALL ON 1ST AND 20…THE DEFENSE FIGURES PASS AND IS GONNA BRING THE HEAT, 4 OFF OF ONE SIDE AND YOU ONLY GOT 3 TO BLOCK THEM, SO YOU TRY TO RUN THE DRAW AND RUN BY THEM…SOMETIMES IT WORKS, SOMETIMES IT IS CRAP…BUT IF YOU GOT SOME GOOD 1ST AND 20 CALLS, COACH SABAN, LES MILES, COACH RICHT, AND COACH SPURRIER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THEY ARE…SEEN COACH SPURRIER RUN THE SPRING DRAW, LEAD DRAW ON LONG YARDAGE SITUATIONS….
Albert
January 22nd, 2011
3:30 pm
I DON’T SEE WHY GUYS LIKE EALEY, LEMAY OR MASON SHOULD EVEN SHOW UP SINCE IT’S ALREADY DECIDED THAT IT’S CROWELL & MURRAY IN 2011.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:30 pm
BUCKY:
IF WE WERE TRYING TO HIRE A NEW COACH AND THEY READ THIS, WOULD THEY WANT TO COME TO UGA, HOPE TO WIN 10 GAMES A YEAR, BUT THEN PUT UP WITH THIS CRAP WHEN THINGS GO SOUR….JEEZ
just a fan
January 22nd, 2011
3:31 pm
Lake Oconee Dawg
If you ask me I just think CMB is predictable and our execution of the draw play and the screen pass this year were lacking just MHO
Jose'
January 22nd, 2011
3:33 pm
Amigos, try not be so down on Ealey & King. They do best. They only 2 players on the team. Don’t blame all on them.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
3:49 pm
just a fan:
YOU SAY THAT COACH BOBO IS PREDICTABLE…GOT A DEAL FOR YOU…SIT BESIDE ME AT ALL UGA GAMES NEXT YEAR, AND BEFORE THE PLAY YOU TELL ME WHAT THE PLAY WILL BE…ON EVERY PLAY THAT YOU CALL CORRECTLY, I WILL GIVE YOU $100…ON EVERY PLAY YOU CALL INCORRECTLY, YOU GIVE ME $100…AT THE END OF THE SEASON, I WOULD OWN YOUR CAR, HOUSE, BUSINESS, ETC CAUSE THEY RUN ABOUT 75 PLAYS PER GAME…YOU MIGHT GET 1 OUT OF 15 RIGHT…UGA SCOUTS THEIR OWN FILM SO THAT THEY WILL NOT BE PREDICTABLE TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM KNOWING WHAT IS COMING…I COULD GET A COPY OF COACH BOBO’S CALL SHEET AND WE COULD SIT TOGETHER AND YOU COULD JUST LOOK DOWN THE SHEET AND POINT TO THE ONE YOU THINK HE WILL RUN NEXT…I COULD QUIT MY JOB AND JUST WATCH GEORGIA FOOTBALL….
Rusty
January 22nd, 2011
3:55 pm
Any chance Washaun or Caleb will transfer if Georgia goes after Crowell? How about Hutson or Christian or Logan if they hear more about how great Murray is all off-season?
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
4:05 pm
RUSTY:
HOPE WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE ALL OF THESE GUYS MUST PRODUCE TO GET ON THE FIELD FOR THE BULLDOG…COMPETITION JUST TO BE ABLE TO PLAY IS THE BIGGEST MOTIVATOR THAT THERE IS IF YOU ARE A COMPETITOR. YOU OCCASIONALLY GET ONE LIKE DAVID POLLACK WHO HAS FIRE BURNING WITHIN HIM…IT IS HARD FOR THE COACH TO PUT IT THERE…IT IS MORE A PRIDE THING WITHIN THESE TYPE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT THEY ARE JUST AS DAMN GOOD AS THE 4 STARS AND 5 STARS….WHEN YOU FIND ONE THAT THE FIRE BURNS WITHIN, YOU REALLY GOT A PRIZE…NOT EVERY YEAR WILL YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE…BUT WHEN YOU DO, HE CAN LEAD YOUR TEAM BY EXAMPLE AND PERFORMANCE WHEN THE OTHER GUYS ON THE TEAM SEE A GUY WHO DOES NOT HAVE EXCEPTIONAL SIZE BEATING UP ON PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALL THE GOD GIVEN TALENT…THAT WILL EVEN GET AN OLD MAN LIKE ME EXCITED TO SEE THAT KIND OF PASSION ON DISPLAY…GIVE ME THE DAVID POLLACKS AND THOMAS BROWNS OF THE WORLD, PEOPLE WITH A PASSION FOR THE GAME AND THE DAWGS….
just a fan
January 22nd, 2011
4:06 pm
Lake Oconee Dawg
I don’t get paid to do it for a living but those that do it well out schemed him this year since we did NOT win one game vs a team with a winning recored.
I am not trying to pick a fight just giving my opinion and you are right I can’t tell you every play he is going to call so I will pass on accepting your bet
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
4:09 pm
just a fan:
YOU SAY THEY OUTSCHEMED COACH BOBO THIS YEAR…TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THEY DID THAT YOU SAW AND COULD IDENTIFY THAT TOLD YOU THAT THEY WERE OUTSCHEMING HIM???
Would Herschel have got the TD?
January 22nd, 2011
4:17 pm
Guess who got to carry the ball 3 straight times before UGA kicked the FG against UCF?
Waushaun “Tony thinks I am better than Herschel” Ealey.
He couldn’t make 1 yard on 3rd down against a C-USA team.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
January 22nd, 2011
4:19 pm
THOSE ARE THINGS THAT I HEAR ALL THE TIME, AND IT IS BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN PASSED FROM LIPS TO LIPS….ITS EITHER THAT COACHES OUTSCHEME COACH BOBO AND THE UGA OFFENSIVE STAFF OR THAT THE PLAYS THEY CAUSE ARE TOO PREDICTABLE…BUT NOBODY CAN GO INTO DEPTH AND TELL ME EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED THAT WOULD MAKE THEM BELIEVE THAT COACH BOBO AND COMPANY WERE OUTSCHEMED…AND IF IT WERE ONLY SCHEME, WHY DIDN’T VANDY, TENNESSEE, AND KENTUCKY JUST COPY THE DEFENSIVE SCHEME THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL AGAINST GEORGIA AND USE IT TO BEAT THEM… AND ON TO PLAY PREDICTABILITY, SOME SAY YOU CAN SIT THERE AND CALL EACH PLAY ONE BY ONE THAT BOBO WILL RUN…I HAVE OFFERED A BET OF $100 PER PLAY TO SIT BY SOMEONE WHO CAN PREDICT HIS PLAY CALLING AND IF THEY GET IT RIGHT, I PAY THEM $100, AND IF THEY PREDICT THE PLAY WRONG, THEY PAY ME $100…NOW HOW BIG A BOY ARE YE?? IF YOU WANT SOME OF THAT, JUST LET ME KNOW AND WE WILL SIT TOGETHER AT ALL UGA GAMES AND LET YOU CALL EACH PLAY…AND DON’T SIT WITH THE GENIUSES THAT AFTER THE RUNNING PLAY IS OVER AND GAINS NO YARDAGE, SCREAMS OUT THAT WE SHOULD HAVE HAD A PASS PLAY CALLED…THEN ON THE NEXT PLAY, WHEN WE PASS AND IT IS INCOMPLETE, THE SAME GENIUSES HOLLAR, DAMN WE SHOULD HAVE RUN ON THAT DOWN…SELAH!!!