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
DawginLex
March 30th, 2011
1:17 pm
Darla, I’d say NONE since all the players are still on the team.
Coachdawg 2000
March 30th, 2011
1:30 pm
I wouldn’t necceassrily call him a cancer but AJ Green cetainly hurt the team. He put his interests above the good of the team and should not have been allowed back on the team after his 4 game suspension. The season was lost by the time he returned and it would sent a message that no one above the TEAM.Coach Dooley took away Lindsay Scott’s schooly at one point in his career.
Coachdawg 2000
March 30th, 2011
1:34 pm
Chemistry is easy to talk about but difficult gauge until the bullets are real.
jarvis
March 30th, 2011
1:42 pm
It’s all fun til someone gets knocked up.
Win the East
March 30th, 2011
1:50 pm
This UGA team is loaded on both sides of the ball and with florida way down, Ga can win the east with an upset of USC in Athens. Mark it down–the Dawgs play Bama for the SEC title!
Ringleader
March 30th, 2011
2:29 pm
Darla……….You need to straighten your pantyhose……..The complaints were about the faculty.
Now you go figure……..
Dawgboy
March 30th, 2011
3:50 pm
Lordy we are going to have to overcome 0-2 in September I’m afraid. And there is a distinct possibility that Lattimore and Jeffrey absolutely punk us at our house. Oh, well.
Fan of the Game
March 30th, 2011
4:06 pm
Bottom line is that we had better beat Florida!
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
4:08 pm
That is the 4 million dollar question I-Dog. He better have figured it out now. Although I will point out that I didn’t really think (and said often) they played all that well in 2008, or 2009. We could NEVER pick up short yardage when needed, not even with Knowshon back there. I really think some of why they looked so bad last year was that the playcalling around a freshman QB, and just never having a RB step up just put a lot of pressure on them, or put them more in the spotlight at times. Not so sure they were all that much worse particularly.
I know what(who) we were doing then, and we seem to be doing it different this year. I guess we will see. I personally think we have better players starting to come on. If they are in fact bigger and stronger, that has to help….they only needed a few more plays late in the game to have squeaked by in a few more ugly W’s last year.
Larry
March 30th, 2011
4:09 pm
You don’t worry about chemistry if you can win some football games.
Please beat somebody besides Vanderbilt this year guys, seriously, this is getting embarrasing.
GAMECAWK Harry
March 30th, 2011
4:36 pm
Please UGA keep Mark Richt! UGA is the easiest team to prepare for on our schedule.
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
4:41 pm
Bingo….
Alt @ 4:08: “We could NEVER pick up short yardage when needed, not even with Knowshon back there. I really think some of why they looked so bad last year was that the playcalling around a freshman QB, and just never having a RB step up just put a lot of pressure on them, or put them more in the spotlight at times.”
The O Line should have been our strength with a Freshman QB. I don’t think they were ever challenged as such and put in the spotlight. “If this team fails, it’s your fault guys”, that’s a lot of pressure but call it like it is. Good O line equals a good running game, good ball control, takes pressure of the young, new defense. The O line was the downfall of last year’s team IMO.
ca dawg
March 30th, 2011
4:48 pm
i think robinson and the rest of the dawgs HAVE put that talk behind them; the “cancer” quote is what, two or three weeks old? everything i read is about NEXT year. there are monitors in the weight room with a ticker counting down to the boise game.
bill king and the AJC are the only ones still reporting cancer talk. y’all are the ones who need to move on. there are plenty of interesting position battles going on right now (radi nabulsi was talking about them on 960 theref and dawgdial); why don’t you talk about those instead of this “cancer” retread?
Jay Sulkowsky
March 30th, 2011
5:15 pm
Just what I need to hear. Maybe this explains why we had so many players who individually had great stats but as a team did poorly. I hope that when I drive the 285 miles each way, pay for the tickets (after market higher ones) sit in the traffic for hours to support my school, some of there brats will appreciate what they have going for them. It is not a co-incidence that the demand for tickets is down almost to the point that there may soon be available single game tickets sold. This hasn’t happened in quite a few years. The alumni will be voting on this team with their pocketbooks.
Dirty Dawg
March 30th, 2011
5:29 pm
Mobile Dawg…since you’ve been ‘involved in one way or another’ – whatever that means – with UGA football for all those years, tell me, just who do you feel did earn your respect as a leader? There were only four coaches during that period – so I assume you mean Vince? Certainly not Ray…Jim maybe…but not Mark. What was it about Vince, or whoever, that you felt was worthy of your support, and correspondingly, what is it about Mark that doesn’t? Is it his piety? His strong sense of family? What? Or is it that you don’t like their losing more games than you’d like ‘em to? I mean it wasn’t as if Vince was a world beater and if it hadn’t been for that running back from Wrightsville, oh yeah, and a Lindsay Scott, Lindsay Scott, Lindsay Scott…he’d be about in the same boat as Mark.
Let’s just say that the man we’ve got now is more than capable and is on the verge of having a great run of success that will make even you proud…oh yeah, we’ll save a spot on the band wagon for you and if need be we’ll build some more to add to the parade…maybe then you won’t have to eat any crap from the AUs and UAs over there.
For the record
March 30th, 2011
5:50 pm
it is a game after all. Just a Game!!!
UGADawg83
March 30th, 2011
5:55 pm
Bill-the only thing worse than the continued talk about the “cancers” is your lame effort to get a story out of it. I thought you were supposed to a ” fan” but it seems as of late all that you want to do is to wallow in negativity. I know being a fan sometimes means being critical, but as of late you are doing nothing to help the cause.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
6:26 pm
Well, we agree on the line being an issue last year. I think there was more to it than they simply were not told to do better or challanged. They knew thier job. If you and I know it, they know it. The teams fortune resting on them was certainly plastered in every publication and discussion coming into to the year. I feel like they were properly aware of being on the spot. The staff just didn’t get them to do it. I think it’s more of a physical answer, than a mental or emotional answer. And there were some other issues running the ball that weren’t just about the line.
The running game has been much better at times. The O-line has been better at times (talking about in Richt era) What I do in my business when some aspect of it is not doing as well as it has in the past, or doing better than ever, basically when something has changed, is to try to identify what are the constants and what are the variables. Richt needs to figure out who/what those are.
frannie mae
March 30th, 2011
6:56 pm
Well according to Chip Towers article today another top Georgia recruit goes to Florida. Yep I say once again Fran is spot on. Next!
Mobile Dawg
March 30th, 2011
7:22 pm
Dirty, I was referring to players as being “team leaders”. As Alt said above an analysis of everything is what we need at this point. I do believe a void of leadership from CMR has allowed us to digress overall to where we are. As far as jumping back on the wagon, I will support CMR when he has demonstrated he deserves to remain as our Head Coach….
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2011
8:54 pm
Naw, I’m sure Fran wasn’t suggesting we have to sign every single kid from Atlanta, or even have. Nor do I think he was suggesting that we signed anyone because he made Chip Towers #21 honorable mention Ga prospect. I’m sure Fran would say good for him, he wanted to play DE and UGA and most others saw him as a OL. I’m Fran would be much more interested in that TE from South Georgia that we really needed.
nutritionist???
March 30th, 2011
10:01 pm
The 2nd highest earning athletic program in the country can’t afford a nutritionist??? Really???
ReddDawg
March 31st, 2011
1:50 am
Make Booboo the “have fun” coach. He isn’t worth a poop at anything else
Paddy
March 31st, 2011
7:19 am
Does cancer have a name…….after reading your post I gathered that you have never stepped foot in a lockeroom or clubhouse! You don’t name names, PERIOD, NEVER! Good or bad they are still your teamates. If you do not understand sports, don’t comment on sports.
Joe
March 31st, 2011
9:03 am
If there was a cancer on that team….What did the Dr.(Richt) do to cure it or stop it during the year??? Or, did he bungle the prescription or the diagnosis????
BYRDDAWG
March 31st, 2011
9:33 am
Well the genius paul johnson said the tech players were complacent last yr!!!! Go figure……
dawgsneedchemo
March 31st, 2011
9:52 am
They certainly play like they have cancer year-in year-out. Though I DO see some genetic mutations in Mark Richt’s cells.
Whisky Breath
March 31st, 2011
10:04 am
Ga fans probably need to let go of that distant Hawaii win. Bill may not tell you dawgs what you want to hear, but he tells it like it is. Maybe the only guy that does. I would love to see Ga lose, but honestly all you need to do is change your head coach. Just find you some guy that wants to beat Florida. Why don’t you guys hold CMR accountable for Florida?
FanSince59
March 31st, 2011
10:18 am
Every year it’s the same old BS. We’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do that. What happens? Four loses, five loses, six loses. Supposedly with plenty of material to work with. Will things be different this year? Who knows? But remember the old saw: The fish rots from the head. Paying attention, McGarity?
DawginLex
March 31st, 2011
10:33 am
2011-What will happen?
None of us knows.
I’ll venture a guess.
Beat Boise St
Lose to SC in a close one
Beat CC
Beat OleMiss
Beat MSU
Lose to UT
Beat Vandy
Beat Fla
Beat UK
Win another patsy OOC game
Beat Auburn
Beat Tech
10-2 and play LSU for the SEC title and lose and go to Cap One Bowl and win
11-3
Hate away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
recruits
March 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
why is florida getting all these superstar recruits from Ga all of a sudden? Richt should be keeping these players in state.
AltamahaDawg
March 31st, 2011
5:41 pm
superstar? you better check that again. And read the story on the last one and it will tell you exactly why he decided to go to UF. (rather than AU)
Morris
March 31st, 2011
8:07 pm
Richt went 0-6 against ranked teams last season, 2-9 last 2 seasons, so I’ll guess Richt goes maybe 1-4 against the 5 ranked teams, and maybe 6-1 against the unranked teams, to finish 7-5.
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 1st, 2011
10:40 am
Darla,
you can subscribe for free for the UGA daily student newspaper called, “Red and Black”. It will help you from jumping to conclusions without any factual evidence. Supositions are what lawyers make in court to plant doubts in the minds of juries. They do have some evidence to back it up though, even if it has to be twisted to fit the point they hope to make.
AltamahaDawg
April 1st, 2011
12:32 pm
Reminds me of April 1, 1983. The Red and Bleak ran a cover story about Vince Doobie resigning to take the Head coach position at GaTech.
Tech Buzz
April 1st, 2011
9:46 pm
Will Grantham earn any of that obscene $750,000 salary this year? He didn’t do anything last year with all that money. The Ga taxpayers are getting hosed on this deal.
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 2nd, 2011
9:23 am
Tech Buzz,
I see where GT had a real great defense on the field last year also. The coach did not have a single person he recruited last year to introduce a new defense and did not have the man, to stop up the middle. At least UGA fans can pay for their coaches with money generated by their sports programs. Tax money doesn’t pay for the coaches.