This isn’t how Isaiah Crowell should get the starting tailback spot
It's being reported Washaun Ealey has been suspended indefinitely. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
Looks like the Washaun Ealey era at UGA, such as it was, may be coming to an end, and not because of the signing of Isaiah Crowell.
Rumors had been swirling the past 24 hours about Ealey’s status, and I’d just gotten off the phone with my son, who had heard third- or fourth-hand that Dogs football players were saying Ealey was going to be suspended, when I saw an online report by ESPN’s Mark Schlabach citing sources saying Ealey has indeed been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.
If that’s true and Ealey doesn’t return, it means UGA is looking awfully thin at tailback this coming season — especially so if Caleb King doesn’t get his academic house in order.
When I read Steve Hummer’s Sunday piece about the recruiting of Crowell, the bit about Mark Richt having the team line up minus a tailback and asking the recruit if he could see himself starting against Boise State in that position made me wonder what that said about Richt’s view of Ealey and King. Practically promising a recruit he can start as a true freshman is not standard operating procedure.
This concerns me because even if Crowell is every bit as good as everyone thinks he is, it just doesn’t seem like a good situation for the team for anyone to get the starting spot handed to you without having to beat out any competition. As Thomas Brown says, competition is key to a player’s development. Plus, tailback is definitely a position where you need some depth.
So much for our visions of an offseason free of turmoil in Athens!
Meanwhile, the hiring of Will Friend from UAB as offensive line coach surprised some fans who wondered why Georgia couldn’t do better than a no-name coach from a Conference USA program.
I think the fact that the best Georgia could offer was a one-year deal at a program that is facing a possibly make-or-break season probably had a lot to do with it.
On paper, Friend looks fine. He played a part in UAB putting up an impressive offensive output last season and his line ranked 15th in the country in fewest sacks allowed. Overall they were 30th in the nation in total offense (423 yards per game), 24th in passing offense (267 yards per game) and 59th in rushing offense (156 yards per game).
The fact that their rushing numbers were less impressive touches on my one feeling of concern about Friend. He’s basically spent most of his coaching career been mentored by former UGA offensive line coach Neil Callaway, who drew knocks in his time at UGA for the inconsistent offensive line play, especially in the running game. At times under Callaway, Georgia’s linemen seemed not to know what run-blocking was all about.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Friend will be a clone of Callaway, and it’s only fair to give him the benefit of the doubt until we see what he can do with Georgia’s underperforming offensive linemen.
I’m hoping he can whip them into shape (with the help of Joe Tereshinski’s new conditioning program). They’re going to be needed even more if Georgia winds up as thin at tailback as it’s looking.
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307 comments Add your comment
G-Dawg
February 8th, 2011
11:30 am
Some of these kids need to watch the movie Rudy or talk to a number of these walk-ons who do everything they are told just so they can wear the uniform and have the experience of a lifetime.
UGA’s Washaun Ealey Suspended | TheMatadorSports.com- College Football Headlines, News, and Rumors
February 8th, 2011
11:31 am
[...] facilities or attend any team activities. Sources say Ealey is still enrolled in classes, but rumors of transfering are starting to [...]
Eaassyy
February 8th, 2011
11:32 am
How many chances do King and Ealey need? Kids need to make mistakes growing up to mature but you have to learn from each mistake and make adjustments accordingly. They are failing to do this. I am glad Richt is drawing a line in the sand. There is a disconnect with reality shared with each of these young men. Very sad. If they do not make drastic changes they will have a very tough wake up call when reality sets in for these two.
McDawg
February 8th, 2011
11:34 am
who has ever heard of a “star” position coaches-toally asinine–star position coaches become OCs or DCs and then head coaches
its called working your way up
Matt
February 8th, 2011
11:35 am
There is no harm in showing a kid was is “possible” and what “could” happen. Telling him he is going to come in and be with the practice squad for year isn’t exactly a great selling point. Ealey and King haven’t exactly been Walker and Hearst.
RxDawg
February 8th, 2011
11:36 am
Oh god Richt, just kick these cancers off the team. Enough is enough. These guys may be athletic but they lack the heart it takes to be champions. Were 6-7 with them, and that ain’t going to cut it. It’s time to get on or get off. These two underperforming RB’s have had enough troubles. Get rid of em Richt. Hell this fan will give you another pass next year just to send the message and lean on two freshmen RB’s.
Fire Mark Richt
February 8th, 2011
11:37 am
Georgia hasn’t been worth a damn since Calloway and Van Gorder left, so I’m pretty sure he wasn’t the problem. I don’t remember Georgia emphasizing the run much in the early years under Richt, but I haven’t seen many backs since have more success than Musa Smith.
schmeckdawg
February 8th, 2011
11:39 am
@G-Dawg: NICE CALL!!!!!!!! By the way, I am finding this Jerry guy whoever he is pretty funny. Stupid, but funny!
Jerry
February 8th, 2011
11:41 am
Hope Ealey calls Richt’s bluff and transfers. Ealey doesn’t deserve to be treated like this. This is an outrage.
schmeckdawg
February 8th, 2011
11:41 am
@Fire Mark Richt: Ever heard of Knowshon Moreno? Went over 1,000 yards in two season and probably would have been three or four if he wasn’t redshirted and he didn’t leave early!
ClinchPanther
February 8th, 2011
11:58 am
Bill you said the “FACT” that all UGA could offer was a one year deal.
Is that really a “FACT” or is that guessing on your part?
Jerry
February 8th, 2011
12:06 pm
Greg McGarity shares in the blame here. By choosing to not extend Richt’s contract, it puts Richt in a tough spot, Richt has to think short term tactically instead of strategically. He has to do what’s best THIS SEASON only. And since McGarity’s harped on arrests/displine issues, Richt has to fix that NOW, regardless of how many losses it leads to in the Fall. Richt has to make a lot of decisions from a 1 year time frame. McGarity has put Richt in a horrible situation.
Go Dawgs!
February 8th, 2011
12:08 pm
Jerry
February 8th, 2011
10:44 am
Something smells fishy. Isn’t this the same trick Richt used to end the Mettenberger/Murray battle, now this, to end the Ealey/Crowell battle.
Seriously Jerry?!
1. Richt wasn’t the one who went out got a fake ID, drove down to Valdosta, got hammered and started groping women to the point that one of them wanted to press charges, and got himself arrested, I believe that was Z.Mettenberger.
2. Richt wasn’t the one who did whatever to deserve a “punishment run” and then decided to just blow it off thinking he is the BMOC. Richt also didn’t look himself and the other coaches in the face and flat out LIE to them about not driving while on a suspended DL.
Get a grip and stick to reading John Grisham and Tom Clancy novels for your conspricy theories.
jerry's a moron
February 8th, 2011
12:08 pm
Jerry, what’s up? Every comment you’ve made has been the dumbest I’ve seen! Grey over Cox? Mason over Murray? Ealey’s the hardest worker on the team? Are you kidding me? Obviously he’s not considering he didn’t show for a punishment run. Entitlement? Ha! That’s a good one. What should Richt have done with Mettenberger smart guy? Let him stay on the team after a sexual assault charge? What does that say to the rest of the team? And you do realize that with 1 more game Murray possibly could have beaten every record Matt Stafford owned right? And who are you to say Friend is not SEC caliber? Every big named coach started out at a small school!
Swarles Barkley
February 8th, 2011
12:11 pm
How can anyone claim this is favoritism. Aaron Murray doesn’t do this kind of thing, so Mark Richt would never have to make that choice. He kicked Mettenberger off for breaking the rules, not because he liked Murray more. If Murray broke the rules and nothing happened, you would have a case. And Bill King, please quit whining. Nothing Richt does is right to you. First he doesn’t do enough for punishment, now you’re complaining the running backs will be thin if he does.
Ace
February 8th, 2011
12:14 pm
Crowell will wish he went to Bama…
Jerry A
February 8th, 2011
12:18 pm
Thomas Brown said Georgia has an entitlement culture, devoid of competition.
Walsh said the same thing after the Bowl game.
Mettenberger & Gray have transferred, Ealey likely to follow.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
island dawg
February 8th, 2011
12:21 pm
If Ealeys pouting about the love fest over Crowell then he needs to man the F#CK UP!!! If anything this should be motivation to this prima donna to get his fat ass in the gym and work to earn that starting spot. Seems like he would want the competition! If anyone has a feeling of entitlement its Ealey.
Jerry A
February 8th, 2011
12:32 pm
When Arron Murray has 4 to’s against Florida, he isn’t benched.
When Ealey fumbles once, he’s benched.
No favortism?
GADawg43
February 8th, 2011
12:34 pm
Last year we had washaun out for 1 game and Caleb out for five games and thomas as a back up . If Washaun and Caleb don’t get their acts together then oh well. I agree with what someone said earlier about putting in some plays that fit Carlton Thomas’s style. Heard good things about Malcome and we have all seen what Crowell is capable of. I hope this is a case of the coachs not putting up with players ego and lack of effort.Get your crap together Ealy an King and don’t waste your opportunity! GOOO DAWGS!!!!!
Chris
February 8th, 2011
12:34 pm
Well, well, well. That little recruiting high Richt had is officialy over. We are right back to idiotic player’s not doing the simple things they need to in order to stay on the team. What a surprise!
I can’t believe all the talk about this wonderful recruiting class. We have them every year (excluding 2010). It’s not the talent, it’s the coaching. As soon as McGarity realizes that, the better off Georgia will be. It will only take 12 games of medicority this coming fall.
Get ready, it’s coming!!!
Dawg Fud
February 8th, 2011
12:37 pm
I hope Ealy stays and fights like heck to get the starting position. That makes him better and the team better. Plus, staying enrolled at Georgia is a good opportunity for him.
Dawg Fud
February 8th, 2011
12:38 pm
Ken Malcome deserves a shot at the title, too,
Swarles Barkley
February 8th, 2011
12:43 pm
I was speaking of disciplinary actions in terms of favoritism. Therefore the turnovers/fumbles is irrelevant to my comment. However, since you brought it up, no that is not favoritism either. Murray was a freshman quarterback and we had no effective backup quarterback to bench him for. Ealey is a second year running back with a number of guys we can plug in for him. Also, a fumble for a running back has greater weight than an interception for a quarterback. Typically, good quarterbacks throw up to 10 interceptions in a season. A running back will never fumble ten times, because he will lose his starting job well before that mark.
jojo
February 8th, 2011
12:44 pm
Yes the self annoited trolls are on here. Blah, blah, blah. If UGA went 14-0 and won a National Championship they would still be whining. They gave up too many points boo hoo, oh my the sky is falling. Some of the fans wonder why Richt and most coaches do not pay attention to fans-fans are idiots in most cases.
schmeckdawg
February 8th, 2011
12:44 pm
I run this state…I just don’t do punishment runs! AMF Washaun, you’ll look great in Ga. Southern Blue!
schmeckdawg
February 8th, 2011
12:50 pm
Any DAWGS fans besides me worried about Crowell’s durability? I heard that he missed all or parts of 4 games his senior year due to injury. If he can’t take the pounding at the Class AA level, can he handle the beating he will take in The SEC? Can anybody on here from that area confirm or deny this?
Go DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!
doug dawg
February 8th, 2011
12:50 pm
ealey gone — great. king on the bench — better. time to clean house of these thugs and move on. neither one is a real dawg; only for themselves, never the team. i hope this thug era is over; and ealey’s latest blunder was the last straw. good riddance. now, let’s move on. go dawgs.
chickenman
February 8th, 2011
12:54 pm
Not surprised… THat is why we needed crowell. Ealey and King are beyond their stardom now… It is crowell hour and i really like the rs freshman Ken Malcome.. all will be well out with the old in with the new
Jerry A
February 8th, 2011
12:54 pm
With the joke of a O-Line coach hire, look for Ealey to hit the road and go play for a real offensive line and a coach who appreciates his on the field performance and rewards him for that objectively.
No other coach on earth benches Ealey for 1 fumble, and elts Murray have a free pass for 4 turnovers in 1 game.
Double standard, unfair, entitlement, favoritism.
Tide roll
February 8th, 2011
12:57 pm
What is a punishment run? Sounds like an 8th grade P.E class. You got a real problem on your hands with this “Joe T” guy and John Kasay. Does Richt think things through before he makes a decision? He seems too easily influenced by others. This Joe T/ John Kasay thing seems almost like something from the 1960s. McGarity blessing it is troubling as well.
schmeckdawg
February 8th, 2011
1:01 pm
@Jerry/Jerry A: Your hilarious posts are making a bad situation almost palatable. Keep em coming!
SMOOTH
February 8th, 2011
1:07 pm
70% chance Ealey will be back. Caleb may not.
SMOOTH
February 8th, 2011
1:11 pm
Jerry A :
Mettenberger was kicked off the team, then he transfered. Gray wasn’t good enough to start, so yes he transfered.
Murray carried the team in 11 of 13 games. Ealey carried the team in 2 of 13.
Do the math.
Good day.
Dawg 39
February 8th, 2011
1:12 pm
People, you can’t have it both ways. You wanted discipline; now you are getting it. Ealey will probably be back but if he can’t follow the rules he should be gone.
Ealey & King bring the punishments on themselves. Time for them to straighten up & fly (Run) right.
I really like what I am hearing out of Athens now. I believe the entire team will be better off from all of the changes being made. After spring practice we all should know more about what type of team the Dawgs will put on the field this fall. I think that it will be a well conditioned, well disciplined, highly motivated team ready to win some football games.
RaceCityDawg
February 8th, 2011
1:15 pm
Kick Ealy off the team now. Now is the time to set the precedent that there is no tolerance for lack of responsibility, committment, and dedication to the team.
7576DAWG
February 8th, 2011
1:15 pm
Jerry A
Murray spend’s every spare moment studying film and how to be a better leader for the team. If he has any shortcomings it would be his height but a lot of short QB’s have learned to excel in the pro’s so the jury is still out with Murray. You can’t compare Murray with Ealey. Murray touches the ball on every play where Ealey only touches it maybe 25 play’s a game, if that.. Every since Ealey got to Georgia he has had an attitude , a since of entitlement. He doesn’t understand that he only has a few more years to impress the pro’s if he want’s a shot at the next level. Instead of bowing up and getting an attitude, Ealey should be working his butt off staying in physical shape and making sure he carries the ball so he want fumble. SHOW THE PRO’S THAT HE IS MATURE ENOUGH TO PLAY AT THE NEXT LEVEL AND STOP ACTING LIKE A PUNK KID. Time to grow up Ealey.
kb
February 8th, 2011
1:20 pm
Bill, As I understand it Caleb was suspended for the bowl game by Richt for missing tutoring sessions,
he was academically eligible to play.
G8R GRAD
February 8th, 2011
1:20 pm
Sorry JB, lunch break.
Re: The word out of Gainesville South?
It’s awfully quiet (maybe TOO quiet)!
DawginLex
February 8th, 2011
1:26 pm
You can’t teach character at this age. Either you have it or you don’t. I say punt Ealey and King.
Crowell and Malcome can grow up together as freshmen.
Thomas is still around as a fill in.
I still wish Richt had gone after Marcus Caffey. Then we would have 3 solid running backs plus Thomas
rrich
February 8th, 2011
1:29 pm
I know if i did not show up to work and do the things my boss said i had to do….Or went around groping women…..Or had a suspended license but lied about it I would for sure lose my job…..so why should CMR let these kids get a way with it you people are full of SH8T Take back control Of this team CMR and win 10 games next year and these people will be praising you
Top Recruit
February 8th, 2011
1:31 pm
Bill King, Caleb King, and Washuan Ealey have the same mind set. If they think the two roster is set in Athens then re-think it. Crowell would love to take it by attrition. But he can easily start because of his talent and desire. Tell me how productive Ealey was? When you count up those yards plug in the number of goal line fumbles. When you count his and King’s rushing yards factor in the games or quarters they did not play. So now tell me how good was the two deep roster last year. Crowell is smart. He knows he will line up in a back field with a very talented QB, a QB that will spread the field and open up lanes for runs to…how do RB’s say it…hash marks, numbers, sideline, endzone. If you think Friend is not a top-notch O-line coach, then you are not much smarter than RBs who can not step-up to a D1 level. As I recall when Callaway and Friend were in Athens, the Dawgs won a few titles and games. Plus I’d put those numbers up against the past two years in a heart beat.
Look, it is not that hard. There are RBs out there every year. The question is, “can you bring it?” I’d say Ealey and King, still think they are in junior high rather in D1, SEC football…names like Walker, Brown, Hampton, Hearst, and the runners go on. Do you see a difference in those TBs and the current two? Let’s see how the Dawgs run their first sets next year in the Dome. Friend has the right pedigree…start when he was a Parade AA … that says he understands what an O lineman is and what the work ethic should be…that will be his bar.
7576DAWG
February 8th, 2011
1:32 pm
Ealey had to run lapses because of some team rule that he broke , just like anyone else that break’s the rules on the team would have to. It’s no big deal. But, it is if you don’t think that you have to pay for your attitudes and actions that help divide a team instead of bringing it together.
needums
February 8th, 2011
1:34 pm
Maybe Ealey needs to think more about getting his degree and playing to his full potential and not running his mouth and dancing around when UGA is getting their butts kicked.
7576DAWG
February 8th, 2011
1:44 pm
Apparently some of you didn’t see the same things I did about Ealey last year. He would look like a back that should already be in the pro’s , running as hard as you could , very impressive. Then eventually the other team would hit him real hard and I would say , well that it for Ealey. After he got hit real hard a cheerleader could have brought him down. All the other defense had to do is tough him and he went down. A great back has got to be able to break 2 or 3 tackles not go down with arm tackles. Then throw in him not tucking the ball so he want fumble and he becomes ineffective and inconsistent.
Pacific Dawg
February 8th, 2011
1:48 pm
Breaking News!!! Vasi “Tombstone” Papulu is set tp play JC football next fall. He has agreed to sign with San Joaquin Delta College. So, he will be a Delta College Mustang for a least one year.
The G Day game in 2010
February 8th, 2011
1:49 pm
Ealey got into a brawl with one of the Black team’s safeties in the last G Day game, after he was tackled hard.
Likely, both were running their mouthes. We all know that WE does that.
Ealey caused Ealey to have problems. He lacks integrity, street smarts and frankly mental toughness and preparedness. Waushuan Ealey is Ealey’s worst enemy. He cannot break tackles either and that is how I look at his “worth” to UGA.
If he leaves, the NFL will be taking note of his negative character issues. The days of guys like this playing in The League ………………. are over.
UGAG is gitting the ncaa death penalty, he he ha ha
February 8th, 2011
1:50 pm
I laugh at your “dream team,” seeing as how uga is where football careers go to die……its prison stripe blues for you clowns.
SlapAjacket
February 8th, 2011
1:51 pm
tide roll! Get up off your knees and wipe your mouth. Bean Anderson has had his way with you AGAIN.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 8th, 2011
1:52 pm
I think Ealey needs to straighten up and start working hard for next season. Ealey is a great back. With a better attitude and work ethic, Ealey could be one UGA’s alltime greats.