Mike Bobo offers a positive spin … and the usual tease
Mike Bobo offered a tease about freshman Jay Rome. (Associated Press)
Most of what offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said when he met with reporters Wednesday was pretty predictable (like his playcalling, some wags would say).
He was optimistic about the thin offensive line (”We’re not very deep, but you only need five. We played in ’02 with only five linemen.”), was circumspect about prospects for highly hyped running back Isaiah Crowell (”He might be the guy that comes in and really helps.”) and put a positive spin on the offseason attrition of players: “It’s not going to be easy, and we’ve made it extremely tough around here. When you turn up the heat, sometimes you’re going to have guys that don’t want to be a part of it. That’s their choice.”
He was also slightly self-deprecating when it came to talking about what he has to do with the personnel that remains, saying, “We’ve got to play to the advantage of the guys that we have playing. We can learn from last year not having A.J. Green for the first four games. I probably didn’t play to my other guys’ strength too well because I didn’t give them enough credit.”
And, Bobo being Bobo, he couldn’t resist throwing in one tantalizing little tidbit out of the blue, floating the possibility of using true freshman Jay Rome (who has a logjam of experienced players ahead of him at tight end) as a sort of hybrid fullback-tight end, much the way TE-turned-FB Bruce Figgins is expected to line up some of the time. Said Bobo of Rome: “He’s a bigger guy. He could be that guy.”
Of course, longtime Bobo watchers will offer the caveat that he’s known for sprinkling his interviews with intriguing ideas that either never come to pass or wind up making a token appearance in his offense (as with the Wild Dawg).
A couple of players also met with reporters Wednesday, and much of that continued the theme of those Bulldogs who are still in Athens rededicating themselves to turning the program around. Orson Charles put it rather bluntly when he said, “Every team has dead weight, somebody pulling you back and I think the university and Coach Richt did a very good job of letting people go.”
Asked whether he was underutilized last season, Charles said: “I don’t think so. I think Bobo did a fairly good job of calling the plays. I felt like as a whole we could have played a little harder, played a little faster, and had fun playing the game. But I think this spring it changed a lot. We were having fun, we were competing. In the locker room we were just embracing. So I’m just looking forward to this season.”
A good positive outlook, though someone might want to mention to the youngster that saying your coach did a “fairly good job” probably isn’t the most politic characterization, even if it is pretty accurate.
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346 comments Add your comment
Nate the Great
July 28th, 2011
3:55 pm
kerryb,
One other thing I like to remind the Boise faithful about the game, they are actually favored in this one, so they have the target and can’t play the underdog card anymore because people EXPECT them to win. They have won enough that the big boys won’t be taking them lightly. BSU are the ones with something to lose and UGA are the ones with something to prove. This little role reversal should be intriguing. If they lose their season is OVER, but if we lose we still play USCe the next week and that’s when the most important part of season STARTS. UGA doesn’t really have anything to loose (our pride was taken last year by UCF) and everything to gain (national repect and a top 25 ranking). Which team do you think will be playing tight and which team will be playing loose?
And the other thing is Boise has NEVER beaten a SEC team. Does Jared Zabransky and 48-13 ring any bells? They were supposed to beat us that year also, but we won the SEC and finished in the top 10.
Small school QBs that were 1st or 2nd round picks until they played UGA:
1) Jared Zabransky
2) Colt Brennen
and soon to be added 3) Kellen Moore.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
3:56 pm
At the end of the year I want all of you trollers to come on here and eat your crow. My guess is that you want have the guts too.
The Most Interesting Man Alive
July 28th, 2011
3:56 pm
That is the mystery kerry’sb. How does it feel to root for a HC who has a losing record against winning teams the last 2 years? That is not bashing, just the facts. In fact Bobo might be a great OC if Richt turned him loose. You don’t think Richt approves of the game plan? Wake up sonny.
Joey
July 28th, 2011
3:56 pm
Mr. Bobo finished 10th in the SEC in scoring against winning teams.
http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/911/team/offense/split09/category09/sort01.html
7576DAWG
July 28th, 2011
3:58 pm
Just askin
That’s another problem . CMR and Bobo are two peas in a pod. They think exactly alike which is not good in the close games. Your head coach and your offensive coordinator need to be on the same page but they each need to have their own strengths concerning the offense that are different so you will have more variety to chose from when the game is on the line and not be so predictable.
Joey
July 28th, 2011
3:58 pm
Mr. Bobo finished 3rd in the SEC in scoring against losing teams at 42.
So 42 points against losing teams, 18 against winning teams= 24 point difference.
Here’s the link to view his 3rd place finish in a category that doesn’t matter:
http://www.cfbstats.com/2010/leader/911/team/offense/split10/category09/sort01.html
The Most Interesting Man Alive
July 28th, 2011
3:59 pm
Joey and don’t leave out Choke Grantham giving up over 30 to the worst florida offense since 1990.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:03 pm
Uninteresting, I think most real UGA fans know what happened the last two years. In 2009 you had a weak defense with a weak DC, you had a 5th year backup at QB who showed why he was a backup, and had lost the most dynamic RB in the country. Last year you had a RF starting at QB, and a new DC with players learning a new system, and lost your #4 draft pick at WR for the first 4 games. This will be a completely different team this year.
Nate,
I was at the 2008 Chik-fil-a game with Bama and Clemson. A #24 Bama team came into the Dome and wiped the floor with a #10 Clemson team that didn’t look like it belonged on the same field. This will be the same.
slydog
July 28th, 2011
4:04 pm
@kerry b If that was a shot at me, then Yes I am a UGA fan who expects more from this team and the program. This staff has let time pass them by. If UGA wants to keep pace, then they need to let these guys go. As for that, Boise St. will get crushed in about 34 days, but what about after that? The thought is almost scary
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:05 pm
Uninteresting, If you are a UF fan you need to worry more about losing 5 games this year than worrying about UGA. If you are a Tech fan you need to worry more about your probation.
REALITY
July 28th, 2011
4:05 pm
Another season of mediocre UGA football..can’t wait. Run the draw on 3rd & 13. I wonder if we’ll even make it to another toilet bowl. @ least we have a new score board to watch 1980 highlights during pre-game! Glory days..! WE were #1..31yrs. ago!
The Most Interesting Man Alive
July 28th, 2011
4:06 pm
No kerry’s b, most UGA fans think Richt can walk on water and that everyone but him is responsible for UGA’s irrelevance. But hey that is ok by the rest of the SEC, worship forever. OUT!
slydog
July 28th, 2011
4:07 pm
@kerry b.. How many weaknesses did Auburn have last year. How long has that Coaching staff been together? How long has Gus Malzahn been an OC? Chizik a coach? How much playing experience did Dyer and Newton have?
Joey
July 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
I’ll give Bobo credit for the Florida loss too, 4 turnovers, ridicluous place to put Grantham’s defense in.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:08 pm
slydog, What are you worried about after Boise? I believe this team is better than USC too. We almost beat USC last year with a QB playing in his 1st SEC game and without his biggest weapon. Lattimore ran up the middle all day because we had no presence there. We do now. After that I’m not worried about anyone else.
ga gator
July 28th, 2011
4:09 pm
All Bobo really needs for success is a dominant OL which has been inconsistent the past few years because of injuries.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:09 pm
Reality, your out of touch
Smitty
July 28th, 2011
4:09 pm
Agreed, Bobo can’t average 3 td’s aganst ranked teams now for 2 years. Got to get 21 a game minimum, if not 28 to give your team a real chance.
terminator
July 28th, 2011
4:10 pm
Dream on kerryb
Boss
July 28th, 2011
4:12 pm
When it coems to REAL COMPETITION, winning or ranked teams, Bobo is in over his head.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:12 pm
slydog, auburn was a one man team last year and that man is gone. That man made Malzahn and Chizik look like geniuses. You really can’t tell me that Auburn would not have lost 4 games last year if Newton was not on that team. They were down by 21 to UGA, Bama, and they were down to USC in that game. Without Newton they would not have come back in those games.
Sanders
July 28th, 2011
4:13 pm
0 offensive td’s against UCF or Spurrier is absolutely unacceptable. Even Kansas scored 50+ on Colorado, Rado had a terrible pass defense, we should of torched em for 50.
kerryb
July 28th, 2011
4:16 pm
The last thing I say is, quit concentrating on the past and watch what happens in the coming future. I think all the critics will be having a mouth shutting experience.
slydog
July 28th, 2011
4:25 pm
kerry b
Come on man, you just admitted that team had weaknesses all over the place all the way to a ring. Special talent or not, Chizik, Malzahn, and Roof hit the right buttons in every game, from series to series. As far as SC, We will probably crush them too. THIS season should be a NC title run with only LSU or Alabama standing in the way @the Dome. The Tennessee game is dangerous this time around. 10-2 and 9-3 is fool’s gold for the talent that is on this team. It pains me to admit it for the first time, this is the less optimistic I have been in 8 years. I know asking for a NC or else is a very high ultimatum, but it should be very close when you compare the current landscape.
Sanders
July 28th, 2011
4:29 pm
Arkansas game, you’re on the 50, got to get it to the 35 to have Walsh kick the game winner and couldn’t get it done, Ealey & Thomas just made 10 yard runs, defense in pass defense, call a pass, Murray takes a sacks and you lose. Colorado game, you’re on the 20 yard line, all you have to do is take a knee and not fumble, kick a field goal for the win, and you call a run up the middle, fumble, and you lose. Florida throw interception into triple coverage in overtime. South Carolina & Miss St,, fumbles in the red zone. UCF 2 interceptions and a fumble cost you the game. Auburn was on the defense.
Hairy Dawg
July 28th, 2011
4:35 pm
I really think that a team’s offensive line is the best symbol of what that team truly is. If you’ve got a bunch of underachievers up front, that tells me that your meat-and-potatoes guys are a little too self-absorbed. Our OL has to be a well-oiled, dependable machine. You can throw all the top recruits you want at that problem, but if you can’t draw out some humility and a lot of hard work, you’ve lost the battle. If these values are instilled and believed in, the offensive line, even a thin one, should be a strength this season.
Sanders
July 28th, 2011
4:39 pm
Yes, I do remember the Arkansas game, they couldn’t stop Ealey or Thomas, but Murray kept calling his own number, I oculdn’t figure out why because Ealey & Thomas were both getting @5 a carry, and Murray was getting @.6 a carry. Murray ended up running 15x for 9 yards. He also took 6 sacks in that game.
Freddie G
July 28th, 2011
4:42 pm
I will say it for Orson Charles, No Bobo did not do a good job.
Freddie G
July 28th, 2011
4:48 pm
The quote attributed to Coach Bobo is that you only need 5 linemen to play. Could that be the reason why every year since Richt and Bobo have been together that there has been a concern over the Oline.
I am not going to be as optimistic of a turnaround this year like so many are, although I wish them well and hope my fears are not realized.
AltamahaDawg
July 28th, 2011
5:11 pm
Can you BE any less informed about how the offense works at Georgia to keep saying that Coach Bobo “calls” a draw play?
What a JOKE
July 28th, 2011
5:12 pm
Bobo didn’t play to the strength of his players because he didn’t “give them enough CREDIT”? OMG – I remember him GIVING them credit for NOT doing what he was calling for plays!
This punk was a loser in college (run drunk boy, run – I remember you) and he’s a loser now.
SOUTHGADAWG88
July 28th, 2011
5:15 pm
The fact is 99 percent of all teams play 5 OL.NOBODY rotates OL NOBODY.The only time the backup linemen play is due to injury to a starter or one guy getting pulled.This is true with any team in the Sec.Richt won 2 SEC championships playing the same 5 players…so has EVERY other team in the league.Sometimes I wonder if some of you guys know anything about football at all besides watching it on TV
SSIgator
July 28th, 2011
5:17 pm
What a JOKE -
But he excels at pro-creation.
The Diesel
July 28th, 2011
5:19 pm
When teams play UGA,the opposing DC gets plenty of sleep.Not to hard to scheme for Bozo the Clown OC play-calling.Hey Mike how about not calling the draw on 3rd and long this year.I will continue to root for the Dawgs we will see what happens this year,especially after the first 2 games.
Bill
July 28th, 2011
5:28 pm
Fire Bill King!!!!!!!!!
SOUTHGADAWG88
July 28th, 2011
5:29 pm
For the record …how many teams consistently converts 3rd and longs anyway?Another stupid topic.
Coach Petrino
July 28th, 2011
5:40 pm
Ark. sacked Murray at the end of the game because of missed block by one of those two All American RB’s our foes keep saying we can’t do without. Just watch the poor block by Mr. Ealey on this play -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSHLJeeHvww
Know do you know why he’s not at UGA anymore? I wouldn’t expect any of you geniouses to get that though.
Chris M
July 28th, 2011
5:45 pm
Enter your comments here
Chris M
July 28th, 2011
5:48 pm
i think bobo is a pretty good coordinator. Our offense has not been the problem ever. The defense has been pretty bad the last few years after stafford left. But with todd grantham in his second year Im excited our front seven will be pretty good and our secondary isnt terrible if we get pressure. If the line can block for murray and crowell and marlon brown steps up like i think he will Georgia could have a great season. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forest Gump
July 28th, 2011
5:51 pm
Sanders is dumber than a box of nails. People who don’t know football, shouldn’t comment on firing coaches.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 28th, 2011
5:51 pm
Same ol 4 plays
Sideline pass
Run up the middle
Dump pass for 5 yards over the middle
Screen to the fullback or reciever
Any questions class?
Dumb & Dumber
July 28th, 2011
5:55 pm
Yea, that’s right. UGA”s only gots 4 plays in there hole playbook. And they punt a bunch to. What a bunch of loosers. Where’d they git them coaches frum any ways.
Austin Powers
July 28th, 2011
5:58 pm
Texas needs to dump that Mack Brown too. What a idiot he is! You talk about falling off a cliff. No offense, no defense, didn’t even make a bowl game last year. Fire MB!!!
wreckamaniac
July 28th, 2011
6:00 pm
Paul Johnson needs to go too. Good lord, he’s lost to Richt twice! He must be a horrible coach if he can’t beat Richt & Co. Geez!!!
Old Blind Dawg
July 28th, 2011
6:00 pm
I keep reading about BoBo and his skill at developing QB’s but my question is – who couldn’t have been great developing QB’s when coaching the QB’s we have had? I’ll give you Bobo fans the recruiting but really…………….how many kids would have come to UGA regardless?
My thoughts on our offense – is it so complicated that it takes years for kids to learn. We seem to always fall back on the “well when they learn the offense they will play” while other schools get production from freshman and sophomores.
Austin Powers
July 28th, 2011
6:02 pm
Sorry, guys. I thought we were all just throwing random crap against the wall to see what sticks. My bad.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 28th, 2011
6:08 pm
Old Blind Dawg
You forgot to add or learn to block
Spurrier said its the offensive line’s job to block and running back to run when asked about that issue.
But hey what does Spurrier know, he’s only been to 2 NC’s and won 1, and took S.C to the dome
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
July 28th, 2011
6:11 pm
And won 6 SEC championships in a 10 yr span
slydog
July 28th, 2011
6:12 pm
It’s funny how all these CMR and BooBoo supporter’s only legitimate howl is: You guys are not college football coaches, so shut up! How do you know anything about football?! Ok cool, those who are opposed to CMR and BooBoo continuing to screw this program up, we will shut up. Cause we don’t want to win. We don’t want these talented young men developed to their full potential. Heck, why even go to Jacksonville every year, there is nothing there to do, especially going to the game. We don’t want to admit that our OC just admitted he didn’t even try to utilize the talent he had on hand. We don’t want to admit that our HC of 10 years just said..”I need to study more football..” We haven’t noticed how the defense that sucks so bad OUTRANKED the offense in just about every category during the past 4 years or more both nationally and conference wide. So since all of the detractors are idiots, stupid, blind, deaf, and dumb, then supporters of CMR and BooBoo, tell me your solution? Or is 8-4, 9-3, 10-2,6-7, blowouts on national television against every ranked opponent good football for a team that ACTUALLY is more talented than Alabama, UF, Auburn, Arkansas, or Miss St.? Heck throw LSU in there as well. It’s cool. You didn’t build the computer you are using currently from scratch either, but you’re using it. You know whether it is a good one or a crappy one. Did you build the keyboard you are using to type?…lol Yall make me laugh. Eternal optimism and always staying positive is a good approach when you know when to cut your losses in order to stay positive.
slydog
July 28th, 2011
6:13 pm
Mack Brown has done way more than CMR. CMR can’t tie his shoestrings.