Time for the Dogs to put the ‘cancer’ talk behind them
Orson Charles has the right idea about how to approach this season. (The State)
A lot of what you hear from college football players in the offseason should be taken with a grain of salt.
It’s part of the team-building process to talk it up, so you get a lot of “we’re working harder than ever” chatter. We heard last year about how much harder the players were working and how much faster they were. Then came the 6-7 season and the conditioning coach and his supposedly infamous mat drills were out, and now we’re being told how much harder the players are working and how it’s paying off with them being much bigger and faster.
Whether that’s true or just more talk, we’ll see this fall.
Also, if the previous season wasn’t all it was expected to be, you tend to hear comments about how much better it is now in terms of leadership and attitude. The past couple of years we’ve heard a lot of that kind of talk from Georgia football players, and we’re hearing more of it this year. There wasn’t any leadership in the locker room. There was finger-pointing going on after losses.
The difference is, this time the picture they’re painting of the previous year’s attitude and morale problems is much more extreme than we’ve heard before, with several instances of players who are no longer on the team being referred to as “cancers” that had to be removed in order for the team to get healthy again.
Whether that’s a bit of scapegoating or the morale problems really were exacerbated last year by some dissenters, this seems to be more than just team-building among the current players. Christian Robinson has been outspoken about last year’s morale problems, as has Ben Jones. And Tavarres King told the Macon Telegraph there were “absolutely” more chemistry problems with last year’s team than than those of us outside the program knew about.
Looking back, that’s not surprising, especially considering the early-season losing streak. In the midst of that four-game skid, Mark Richt was asked about how his team was handling the adversity, and he said, “All I would say is everybody showed up to work and we worked. That’s all we can ask right now. We just have to keep grinding right now.”
As the season wore on, we got more comments from him about the players needing to show up for work like a man and do their job.
Kris Durham said before the Tennessee game that the team was “trying to stay positive, trying to have a positive mentality, and get back to having fun. It’s never fun when you lose.”
Now it appears the problems with that team were more severe than simply not “finishing the drill.” It wasn’t all attitude, of course. There definitely were talent problems at certain positions. But perhaps members of the team who were unhappy over a lack of playing time or the way they’d been treated by coaches dragged the team down even more.
And this year? Well, it’s all going to be different, isn’t it? At least that’s what we’re being told.
I’m not sure all this pointing of the finger at departed players is any more productive than the “griping and moaning,” as Richt calls it, that apparently went down last year.
I think maybe a better mind-set is how Orson Charles appears to be approaching the coming season. As he told Dawgs247, “We just need to go back to just having fun. When I was coming here, I was watching when they played Hawaii. All them boys were jumping up and down and having fun. I’m like, ‘Why can’t we have that now? Why can’t we do that now?’ There’s nothing stopping us. We’re stopping ourselves. So I think that’s the No. 1 thing that we need to go out there and remember. We’ve been playing this game for a long time, and growing up, we’ve been having fun. So let’s just have fun doing it now.”
It is a game, after all.
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187 comments Add your comment
Oncology 101
March 29th, 2011
6:20 pm
There are still plenty of malignant players on this team. Get rid of Ealey, C. King, and Rambo for starters.
Oh, I forgot the biggest tumor of all – Mark Richt.
SEC fan
March 29th, 2011
6:55 pm
Georgia will be either 9-3 or 8-4 this year.
Coach
March 29th, 2011
7:04 pm
When you recruit, you have to recruit leaders and winners. If not, you will have a lot of “me” players. I’ve sent several guys to schools as 3-5 star players who were “me” guys. And, sadly, most did not amount to much at the next level. Players with talent AND character tend to do well in college and beyond. Unfortunately, I have seen UGA get away from this over the last 5 years or so. If you tell them that a kid doesn’t work hard or is lazy, they think that they correct that problem at the next level. 9 times out of 10 they, or anyone for that matter, cannot solve this.
little dog
March 29th, 2011
7:08 pm
looks like with the new regime their are going through some serious changes.Thats great.
Coach Also
March 29th, 2011
7:19 pm
Coach,
It’s not just UGA that is this way. I’ve seen it too with this staff, but it’s not just UGA that is like this. Several programs in the south don’t look at character first. I coached against a 5 star kid in 2009. He may be the best I’ve ever coached against. My buddy coached him and said he was the WORST kid to EVER come through his program. Georgia was hard after him. He turned them down at the last minute for another SEC school. Point being, several schools recruit talent first, talent second, and character third, if at all. Many of these kids don’t live up to their potential at the next level.
gary
March 29th, 2011
7:22 pm
it’s no secret, they were horrible, they just plain sucked!! And to think some of those guys left early for the NFL, who are thyey kidding!! Time to hunker down!!
UGA '05
March 29th, 2011
8:01 pm
I agree with what joe said earlier. All the “fans” that have anything negative to say ’bout them dawgs are very cancerous. Support our dawgs and they’ll want to win for their true fans. Through thick and thin always a True Dawg Fan. All the cancerous fans… go cheer for tech, you fair weathered whiny dawgs fan posers.
AltamahaDawg
March 29th, 2011
8:27 pm
frannie, if there was a way to making up stuff then arguing with it, you would have a bright future.
frannie mae
March 29th, 2011
8:34 pm
Making stuff up? Come on now …. Im like Joe Friday ” just the facts mam”.
AltamahaDawg
March 29th, 2011
8:45 pm
Ah, such as anyone ever said that a great recruiting class “would cure all wounds”, or going to be the only thing needed for a “complete turnaround immediately?”
Now my question is: when you argue with yourself, who wins?
AltamahaDawg
March 29th, 2011
9:00 pm
You asked me if i have read WHAT Fran said. I quoted his points almost verbatim then told you why I find them to be inaccurate. I know all you wanted to hear was Georgia is in trouble and its all Richt fault. That excited you because it fits your narrative. But you might not want to smarty pants ask somebody if they know what he said, if you can’t actually talk about the specifics.
AltamahaDawg
March 29th, 2011
9:06 pm
Fran listed 3 main points as the rationale for his determining georgia was in trouble. I listed 2. The other one was his not understanding the comments having to do with administrative duties. I suppose he could have said “I am personally familiar with how Damon Evans handled that stuff and can assure you that Greg Mcgarity cannot possible have a differnt approach”, but he didn’t.
Which of these 3 things would you care to debate me on?
AltamahaDawg
March 29th, 2011
9:08 pm
Want my advice? Don’t wrestle in the mud with a pig.
Zoli
March 29th, 2011
9:18 pm
I frequently read these blogs. This one has a bad vibe to it. Why do you care who the “cancers” were. Point being, they are gone now. I truly believe when Richt’s wife was diagnosed w/ cancer, things changed for him at that point. I believe in this man. If you are a UGA fan you should too. He is making the correct adjustments to right this ship. We are getting the right players fit for the 3-4. We now have a seasoned QB, and we are getting bigger and stronger. I hope Richt sees that this offense is too predictable. If Bobo becomes less predictable, we will execute better and everything will fall into place. We will be a better team and Richt won’t let us down next year!
Cuz
March 29th, 2011
9:54 pm
Alt you are working overtime on this blog. The AJC owes you a check or at least a nice t-shirt like Baylie got.
Cuz
March 29th, 2011
9:55 pm
Zoli, you call yourself a fan with comments like that. Well, you should. I agree.
Cuz
March 29th, 2011
9:59 pm
I think from reading this column a long time ago that Bill, Butts bless his name, was trying to say that we all have heard the same thing or similar, for the last two to three years. He and I, hope that this time it is for real and the guys come out wanting to play like Georgia Bulldawgs, not just talking the talk.
Fans
March 29th, 2011
10:48 pm
<=== This is the real cancer
Dawg48
March 30th, 2011
12:51 am
Does any body ever have any thing good to say? Players need to stop worrying about last year and who was a bad leader or a cancer or whatever! If you want to win study the game practice the game and play to the best of your ability! We all know the ajc is never going to print any thing good about any local sports team they have to print negative news to get people like us to read their articles. It’s about time to do some changing at the ajc and get some new blood in their, then Bradley can coach tech basketball cause he knows so much about it shultz can coach the falcons king and Tucker can be coaches at Georgia on the football team they all know so much they all should have us a championship in the first year and every one on the ajc blog can kiss and make up nag get along for a day! My opinion king and Tucker hire tide roll to coach o line and give delta stewardess a shcoly at nose guard to take out Ben jones!
frannie mae
March 30th, 2011
2:20 am
Atltamaha… I think in the whole scheme of things Fran was upset with Richt and really to what Richt was quoted about his duties as a football coach. Thus it reflects on the direction of the program even prior to last season because it has been ongoing for quite sometime. Recruiting, coaching and probably the internal discipline problems all included which led to Frans rant. You find Frans assessment of the UGA program inaccurate and I find them spot on. So go ahead and tell Fran its not nice to criticize his university even 2 weeks prior on national signing day. I’m sure as successful as Fran is he will listen take your advise.
Choke artist
March 30th, 2011
2:31 am
Mark Richt… the Andy Landers of Georgia football. Choke artist
chazzo.crw
March 30th, 2011
6:33 am
Yes. Jumping up and down wins games.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
7:18 am
Well except I never said any such thing. I said it was factually wrong to say that “we don’t get the good recruits from Georgia” 2 weeks before signing the best group of player from Georgia in a long time. Its great that you don’t find that counterproductive from a timing issue, I am saying its just odd to not actually be informed about it before making such a statement. You can convince yourself that you know what Fran MEANT. I am telling you what he SAID, and why It was incorrrect.
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
8:19 am
All you haters and complainers who call themselves fans are gonna be eating some serious deep fried crow when Richt rebounds big time over the next 2 years.
Oh and Bill, tell Tim Tucker thanks for banning me for getting into a urination contest with a troll. He just lost about 200 hits a week on his blogs.
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
8:22 am
frannie mae,
I will never downplay what Tarkenton did as a player.
But, that being said, he absolutely went about things the wrong way in bashing his school.
Did he seek a private meeting with Coach Richt?-apparently not
Did he basically do a drive by shooting on talk radio?-yes
Has he been heard from since?-no
Will he acome back and admit he was wrong if the Dawgs have a good year?-probably not
I call what he did one word:
GUTLESS
NoFKNdog
March 30th, 2011
8:49 am
So, I guess none of the problem was Richt’s fault and the players were COMPLACENT. And you stupes slammed CPJ? Yeah buddy, losers all around.
Louver Laine
March 30th, 2011
8:51 am
This whole team is one big cancer. Illiterates, thugs, and brainless goons.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
8:57 am
Not even that to me. If he wasn’t just complaining about a bad year, then a better year wouldn’t really prove much. More to the point: Has he come back to congradulate anyone on a Great class of Georgia Boys. Has he come back to say that McGarity was able to explain the Admin duties deal? Has he come back to say that maybe a man going to church is not so bad. (I’m reaching on that one, because I have no idea what he was trying to say to begin with)
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
9:19 am
Great article on Artie Lynch in the ABH.
headley lamar
March 30th, 2011
9:27 am
So, I guess none of the problem was Richt’s fault and the players were COMPLACENT. And you stupes slammed CPJ?
Talk to me when CPJ has won 90 games in 10 years at a big time school like Richt has.
Guess what? He won even come close to that number.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
9:29 am
I meant exactly what I said, read carefully, “anyone with half a brain knows what the problem is”. Not more than half, not less.
As far as those criticizing, Fran included, they have that right. Is it productive, that depends on your position as far as retaining CMR. Fran was simply venting, expressing his thoughts. Did it increase the heat on Richt, probably not. His performance, and record over the last 3 years were enough to turn up the flames.
frannie mae
March 30th, 2011
9:49 am
Is it really a great recruiting class? Yes on paper by the recruiting services who want to sell subscriptions but who really knows. Richt supposedly has great classes before so please spare us. Why would Fran need to seek a meeting with Richt or the A D to give his opinion? You Richt apologists are comical. Maybe Frans rant was a blessing in disguise but who knows. What we do know is Richt aint getting it done the last 3 years while other SEC schools are.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
10:04 am
The “dream team” recruits will in reality turn out like most of the other highly rated classes. A couple will be standouts, several will wash out, and for the most part they will fill positions lost to graduation.
To me, the real shame is that the “Head Coach” has drawn a “premium” salary and benefit package while not doing his job. Further, he hasn’t “taken responsibility” for the digression of the program.
As a public figure, Fran was within his rights to give his opinion. It was a bit shocking the way he weighed in as he hasn’t been involved in the program to any large degree that I recollect. He should have weighed his comments and used a little more restraint IMO.
Buckeye
March 30th, 2011
10:25 am
DawginLex,
Did Tucker email you and tell you as much?
Buckeye
March 30th, 2011
10:29 am
I can’t believe that Junkyard, Tucker, Schultz or Bradley has not yet opened up the floodgates on the HBO special.
Slackers.
It be be a record setting blog and I want $10 for everytime the word “Cam” is used.
It Ain't Rocket Science
March 30th, 2011
10:30 am
And most of you people call yourself UGA fans. A sorry bunch so far on this blog. King did succeed though, in that he got a lot of malcontents to spew their venom once again.
If you are a loyal and true fan, you might have criticism but you can do it in such a way as to be constructive and in remarks that indicate you made it past third grade. As for Fran Tarkenton; If you can not figure out his timing had all to do with launching his new radio talk show. I am old enough to remember his college and pro playing days. Just ask Minn’s former coach, Bud Grant, if Fran was not a true box of rocks. His success was largely based on his ability to scramble. He scrambled so much because he could not grasp the concept of checking off to primary receivers, and go to the second and third looks. Minn. lost every superbowl he played in and believe me, they had one heck of a team. He is in no postion to question any team or coach about thier abilities.
If you are a true fan, as some of you claim to be, you should realize the purpose of these blogs and realize that the more negative junk you post, disparging UGA, the more ammunition you give the people that come on here, to do nothing but start an arguement. You want support for your comments, go to Florida, Auburn, Alabama or Tenn. blogs and they will agree with you more than true UGA fans do. I will not even bother to tell you to go to Tech. boards since the AJC provides them for the school.
If you are a true UGA fan, now is the time to show your support. I do not think for one minute that CMR and his staff don’t know what has to be fixed this year and not for one minute do I think they will fail to fix it. 2011 will be day and night difference from 2010 in my opinion. I choose to be positive. Hopefully, some of the nathsayers on this blog will also get behind the program.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
10:40 am
I said there plenty of the top players from the STATE of GEORGIA in it. Fran says we can’t do that anymore. He never said anything about how classes turned out. He said GEORGIA PLAYERS used to come to GEORGIA, and now none of them do. He was wrong. Period.
So I am saying if he offers a criteria which was factually wrong, along with some incoherent reference to religion, and a dislike about how somebody was quoted in a soundbite about a topic that he clearly could not have had any knowledge about, I just don’t find that a particularly compelling argument. He exhibited absolutely no more expertise or insight than the guy on the street. I’ve never debated his right to state purely subjective, emotional, opinion. He doesn’t owe anyone a visit, he doesn’t have to consult with anyone. He never claimed to know for sure any of that stuff. All he ever said was, this is my opinion. YOU are the one trying to attach absolute credibility and factual relevance to his words.
Devil Dawg
March 30th, 2011
11:20 am
Here’s the most alarming fact of the upcoming season. Florida has one of the best play callers in the NFL as their OC, Charlie Weis. I know he’s not a good head coach, but he can call plays.
UGA is going to counter that with Mike Freaking Bobo? Boy, are we in for another steller season, please believe! For the first time in my life, I am not excited for UGA football this fall. I already know we are going to suck. Hopefully someone else from the SEC can step up again and win the NC, because it won’t be Georgia.
Dirty Dawg
March 30th, 2011
11:28 am
‘It ain’t rocket science’ absolutely nailed it. What in blazes do the naysayers think they’re accomplishing with the constant harping about Richt and his coaching? Cause it ain’t helpin’ nothin’ – unless, of course , that’s their goal.
Point being, the ‘elephant in the room’…the biggest ‘cancer’ of all are the ‘fair-weather fans’ with negative opinions. Fact is, and you can thank one of Tarkenton’s former teammates for this, the late Bill Godfrey…’Folks sure are nice to you when you win.’ You see, it’s been this way forever and it will forever be so…Win and the world’s a great place…lose and everything sucks – unless you don’t care one way or the other, and what fun is that?
Dirty Dawg
March 30th, 2011
11:38 am
…and since they haven’t seen fit to give us a place to comment on tonight’s HBO piece that, reportedly, will feature some ex-Auburn guys telling about the money they got for playing – or didn’t get.
I suppose that it’s pre-mature to get into it much before it airs, but since the transcript has already been published, why not now? I’d like to hear from some AU fans about this, and specifically, why is that the ones that we keep hearing from seem to be ex AUs…dating back a few years to Mr. Ramsey? Sure there’s plenty of ‘hundred-dollar handshakes’ going on in college football, but it appears that Auburn has made it an ‘art form’…I mean, bookbags? Is that supposed to make it academic or something? Guess you can be proud, at least, of that…namely, if you’re gonna cheat do it with a little imagination and do it better than anybody else and good things happen to you…at least for a little while until you’re caught.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
11:38 am
I know what you meant, but this is what you said verbatim.
Mobile Dawg
March 29th, 2011
1:57 pm
For anyone with less than half a brain the answer would be, “Lack of Leadership”.
I was really just joking with you, but if you insist. You and half-brained folks can agree.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
11:45 am
Dirty Dawg, and I know you’re not pointing a finger at me specifically, but I’m very skeptical about the direction of our program, I’ve been involved with UGA football in one way or the other for over 40 years, so I don’t consider myself a “fair weather fan”. I’ve always been eternally optimistic about upcoming football seasons, but now count myself among those that just can’t find myself overly excited about our Mark Richt led football team. Is it because I’m becoming senile, negative, older, or is it because of what I’ve seen first hand, the degeneration of our program on all levels over the last five years. I admit some of it is just a sign of the times, the changing of the atheletes, character of people, the changing of the very culture of the country we live in. I may become a “fair weather fan” if things don’t change. It’s hard to imagine fall Saturdays without following the Dawgs, but they now have to give me a better reason to devote a day to than they have the last few years. We haven’t won a big game since I can remember…………We haven’t had a field leader since Greene and Pollack, some would say Shockley, maybe………..CMR is accountable for this, at least to me.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
11:51 am
Actually Alt I was pulling one from your book. I was subtly poking fun at some of those who give CMR a free pass by answering my question for them, insinuating that they may be blessed with having less than half a brain. I often use the phrase “I don’t know if the Good Lord blessed me, or cursed me, by giving me a brain, and the ability to think for myself”. I enjoy your posts, agree with most of them usually.
I’m enjoying a rare office day, and catching up on what I’ve been missing the last couple of months….
ugaclassof2004
March 30th, 2011
12:15 pm
Well said Mobile Dawg.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
12:20 pm
Well it’s March and you haven’t missed a thing. A guy said some words and we all spend hours disecting what he really meant to say, what he didn’t say and what he should have said.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
12:28 pm
Is it March already, I just woke up….
I-DOG
March 30th, 2011
1:05 pm
Altamaha:
I thought the most interesting thing about Fran’s rant was that NFL scouts know that our players aren’t strengthed and conditioned for lack of a better phraze. yet, once again, our guys seemed like they did just fine and some were very impressive with bench, 40’s, agility at the NFL combine.
Now, the offensive line peformed very poorly this year. I think everyone would agree on that. Does anyone know why that happened? Was it the S&C program? Weren’t these the same 6-8 OL that played pretty well as Freshman three years ago? Shocking that they did worse their Junior and Senior years than they did as Freshman and Redshirt Freshman. We didn’t have a lot of injuries this year at OL compared to year’s past. We did have some injuries in August that caused this unit not to be able to practice together prior to game 1… but after 2-3 games, that should have worked itself out. We might have a played A LITTLE better in the 2nd half of the season, but we can all agree the OL was a big disapointment last year.
That is the one mystery I can’t figure out. Why didn’t the OL play better last year?
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
1:11 pm
buckeye,
no, my posts just won’t go through on his blog.
Darla
March 30th, 2011
1:15 pm
Speaking of cancer, her’s an AJC headline from today:
Sex harassment complaints poorly handled at UGA
Care to take a guess how many of the complaints involve football players?
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
1:16 pm
frannie, we can argue this from now on but my opinion will never change.
Classless-What Tarkenton did
Class-Seeking Richt out for a private meeting and then going on the radio and venting and being able to say “I met with Coach Richt to express my opinions and concerns”.
Don’t you think the ire he is catching would have been non-existent if he had done that?
He didn’t care. He was seeking publicity so he could sell his hair tonic/super vacuum/party ring/real estate gimmick or whatever his recent get rich quick scheme is.