Georgia’s A.J. Green: Too bad he only plays one sport
A.J. snags the gamer at UK. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
I am, as we know, a little odd. My first question to Tony Gonzalez involved not the sport he has been hired by the Falcons to play but the one he played as a lark in college. “So how many points,” I asked last week, “did you have against Villanova in the NCAA tournament?”
A bit of background: Villanova was the No. 4 seed in the East Regional in 1997, and Cal — Gonzalez’s team — played the Wildcats in the second half of a Round 2 doubleheader on a Saturday in Winston-Salem. This game was widely ignored nationally and locally because Dean Smith had broken Adolph Rupp’s record for career victories in the first game, and North Carolina basketball tends to be a big deal everywhere but especially in Winston-Salem, N.C.
But does Gonzalez recall the game? Oh, yes. “Twenty-three,” he said, in answer to my question. “Tim Thomas [who's still in the NBA] had eight. We were guarding each other.”
Which brings me, albeit in a roundabout manner, to A.J. Green. It was in Tempe, Ariz., last September that he rose and snatched — that’s the only proper description — a Matthew Stafford pass from the desert sky, and I sat upstairs and said to myself, “That wasn’t a catch. That was a rebound.” So last week at Media Day I asked him: What kind of basketball player were you? Pretty good?”
“I was OK,” he said, and he smiled.
Where’d you play? Small forward? “Everywhere. Forward. Point guard. Everywhere.”
What’d you average? “About 25,” he said.
Did you ever think of playing both sports in college? “Sometimes. But football is my first love.”
And I say that’s a shame. Not that he’s playing the wrong sport — I like football, too — but I figure he’s so gifted he could walk onto Georgia’s basketball team in mid-January and be starting, Gonzalez-like, by February.
Indeed, here’s the Charleston Post and Courier’s recap of Green’s performance for Summerville (S.C.) High in the 2008 Class AAAA state title game against Spartanburg, and you’ll gather from Philip M. Bowman’s account that Mr. Green did more than OK that night. He scored 25 of his team’s 50 points, took nine rebounds and blocked three shots. (Heck of a game, too: A 60-footer that would have won the game for Spartanburg was waved off by the refs.)
A.J. on D. (Mic Smith, Post and Courier)
But enough basketball. Green’s favorite catch as a Georgia freshman wasn’t the one in Tempe but the one in Lexington, Ky. “The game-winner,” he said, smiling again. As for 2009:
Does he worry the offense will become more run-oriented with a new quarterback? No, Green said. “The offensive coordinator [Mike Bobo] has confidence in Joe [Cox] and his ability to step up and lead the team.”
With Stafford and Knowshon Moreno gone, does the sophomore feel like the old man of the offense? “I guess it’s me and Mike [Moore, a fellow receiver]. But we’ve still got some things to learn.”
What does the addition of Orson Charles, an ebullient freshman tight end, mean for the offense? “Orson’s a great tight end. He’s going to do great things. He reminds me [disposition-wise] of Knowshon.”
And what Georgia receiver, you’re asking, does Green most resemble? Well, I haven’t seen them all, but I did see Gene Washington and Lindsay Scott and Andre Hastings and Brice Hunter and Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown, and each was very good. But Green has the potential to better than all of them. He is, not to put any pressure on him, a talent on the order of Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson. He’s an All-American.
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68 comments Add your comment
Panties in a wad
August 10th, 2009
2:46 pm
9-3, second in the East
Saint Simons
August 10th, 2009
2:50 pm
I just want everyone to know that I’m gay and proud of it!
JB
August 10th, 2009
2:52 pm
We beat Tech by 2 TD’s this year…..Only because Richt calls off the Dawgs.
lakerat
August 10th, 2009
3:01 pm
Give it a rest with the constant questions to every single player about the former QB and running back going to the NFL!
Sheesh, all of you need to just leave that part of the history alone, and, as Lou Holtz said way back yonder when he had to kick his 2 best players off the team before the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma in 1978, and he was continually asked about it, “we only talk about the players who are here”!
Will
August 10th, 2009
3:01 pm
I think AJ will have 1500 yards this season…even with the double-teams he will see all season. Moore and Troup will really step up there game as well and take some pressure off of AJ on the other side. Brown looks tough in practice and will create a big mismatch for smaller corners.
When we play a team with a poor secondary like Okie State or South Carolina, AJ will probably have 200 yards a piece. He will be virtually unstoppable.
stoopid
August 10th, 2009
3:03 pm
purchased my #8 jersey this weekend and will be standing in line Aug 22nd to get that bad boy signed! is it game time yet????
JSS
August 10th, 2009
3:05 pm
13-0 and SEC champions.
Spike
August 10th, 2009
3:11 pm
Get him the damn ball!! He is the BOMB!!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 10th, 2009
3:29 pm
His playoff performance on a whole that season was incredible. Not only is this story great, but the relationship he shared w/ the JV Basetball coach who was tragically killed in the Sofa Super Store fire is also very good. That is the piece that Outside the Lines did on ESPN. I followed AJ since he was a Freshman in High School and have never witnessed a better athlete in person. Not even Carlos Dunlap who played at the rival Fort Dorchester.
Saint Simons
August 10th, 2009
3:33 pm
just a reminder 45 -42 !!!!!!!! hahahaahahahahahahahahahaha
PMC
August 10th, 2009
3:35 pm
Mark, Georgia has a DB that used to play Basketball and QB at Fayetteville High School (Brandon Boykin) and he’s got plenty of game.
Coach Fox has to be knocking on his door and asking him if he will come workout with the Basketball team in January.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2009
3:35 pm
I didn’t mention the story about the Summerville dying in the fire, but that seems a powerful tale in itself.
Corine Browns (d)
August 10th, 2009
3:43 pm
who dat gonna beat dem dare gator..who dat?
Class of '98
August 10th, 2009
3:45 pm
AJ nursed a bum ankle all last season as well, if I recall correctly. I can’t wait to see him full speed. He is also, by far, the best freshman WR I have ever seen at UGA. The only other who comes close is Terrance Edwards. But not THAT close.
Paddy
August 10th, 2009
3:47 pm
/AJ is better than Carlos Dunlap, WOW. Who would have thought?
Nick
August 10th, 2009
3:51 pm
That’s comparing apples to oranges. One is a DE the other is a WR. I bet Dunlap goes higher in the draft.
Nick
August 10th, 2009
3:52 pm
9-3 is a fair prediction. Anyone who thinks they’ll beat UF hasn’t been paying attention or just needs to sober up.
jeffrey d
August 10th, 2009
3:54 pm
but I figure he’s so gifted he could walk onto Georgia’s basketball team in mid-January and be starting, Gonzalez-like, by February
True, but I could probably walk onto Georgia’s basketball team and be starting by February. (I’m 5′11″, white, and horrible at bastkebtall).
JT
August 10th, 2009
3:54 pm
Anyone who thinks UGA will beat UF this year has not been paying attention or needs to sober up.
9-3 is a fair prediction.
jeffrey d
August 10th, 2009
3:54 pm
Fred Gibson played basketball too, didn’t he? But if I recall, he wasn’t anything too spectacular.
jeffrey d
August 10th, 2009
4:00 pm
Anyone who thinks UGA will beat UF this year has not been paying attention or needs to sober up.
We beat Florida last year. And we were horrible last year.
Rob
August 10th, 2009
4:13 pm
jeffery d
We beat them in Basketball earlier this year, but I don’t know if you remember the score was 49-10 in football. In case you forgot, I’m sure Urban can call a timeout to remind you.
chitown
August 10th, 2009
4:18 pm
A.J. Has a long way to go to get to Calvin Johnson status. Calvin put up his numbers with an awful quarterback who could never hit his targets or remember what down it was. Imagine what Calvin could have done as a freshman with a quality quarterback like Stafford throwing to him? My guess is a lot better than A.J Green last year.
jeffrey d
August 10th, 2009
4:24 pm
oh sorry…thought we were talking about basketball. Carry on.
jasonfm
August 10th, 2009
4:31 pm
Saint Simons, if those 3 points can get you through another 7 years, I’m proud of you. The world has not seen such (sorry for this reference:) dogged determination since Brittan in WWII. Can you keep it to yourself for a bit, though?
Saint Simons
August 10th, 2009
4:34 pm
Just a reminder, I’m gay because no girl would go out with me:(
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 10th, 2009
4:35 pm
Carlos Dunlap while a phenomenal athlete in High School (At 6′6 240 he returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown- I saw this in person) had a terrible attitude. He displayed this several times throughout his tenure at Fort D. Dunlap might not have even been the best defensive player on his team. Robert Quinn was a gifted defensive end and a state wrestling champ who had offers from essentially every D-1 school, but suffered a brain tumor that cost him basically his senior year in High School.
Dunlap may go higher in the Draft, but on a high school level AJ Green commanded TRIPLE COVERAGE his Senior year. Despite that he was still able to go over 1000 yards receiving.
reservoirDAWG
August 10th, 2009
4:50 pm
Is it 09/05 yet?
Its a gator world
August 10th, 2009
4:55 pm
Lowcountry bulldawg,
AJ commanded triple coverage? What exactly are you smoking? That’s got to be the dumbest statement I’ve seen all year. The kid is not superman and he’s not even the best wr in the sec. Julio Jones is vastly superior to this kid and he proved it against you guys head to head. Give it a rest. TRIPLE COVERAGE MY ARSE!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 10th, 2009
4:59 pm
Research it yourself. A corner back, the had a Linebacker in the zone and rolled a safety to his side. That is triple coverage. That is a fact not an opinion. Go research Bowmans article with the Post and Courier. Again, feel free to show your lack of intelligence with name calling if it makes you feel better.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2009
5:01 pm
Julio Jones is terrific. But Green is, too. We’ll be debating those two for at least two more seasons.
Cuz in Minnesota
August 10th, 2009
5:26 pm
AJ is no Calvin Johnson. Calvin was smothered by the Dawgs D his last game. I don’t see that happening to AJ. Well unless he is smothered by the Dawgs D, but that is for an alternate Universe.
Paul H
August 10th, 2009
5:27 pm
UGA most likely won’t beat Florida, but will at some point during AJ Green’s career here. UGA will beat Tech because it’s not 2016 yet, which is when Tech is schedule to beat UGA again.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2009
5:28 pm
I laughed at that one, Cuz.
LSU Fan
August 10th, 2009
5:28 pm
38-3!!!! hahahahahaha
Cuz in Minnesota
August 10th, 2009
5:30 pm
Calvin Johnson could probably beat AJ in World of Warcraft. He did go to Tech don’t ya know. Oh my God I am starting to talk like these people.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2009
5:31 pm
You know, I’m not a gamer, but I did download the Stickwars free app to my iPhone. It’s an extremely complicated game that involves tossing stick men in the air and smashing them against the ground. Needless to say, I’m hooked on this. As is Elizabeth Bradley, age 12.
LizDawg
August 10th, 2009
5:45 pm
AJ is already showing much more potential than Calvin “2-Catch” Johnson. The Dawgs smothered him on defense. Paul Oliver, Minter & co. locked 2-Catch down every time.
Its a gator world
August 10th, 2009
5:47 pm
Lowcountrydawg,
You prove my point exactly when you stated the linebacker was in the zone. Exactly. In zone coverage a linebacker covers a “zone” not a person. A safety naturally rolls over on either side to help out the corner if the wr gets a step past the corner. You make it sound like AJ automatically has 3 guys assigned just to cover him which is absurd. No defense can afford to put 3 guys on one single guy and then be exposed against every other skill player. How ridiculous is that?
MiltonDawg
August 10th, 2009
6:16 pm
I foresee AJ setting receiving records at UGA and in the SEC during his tenure here. Cox this year, Gray/Murray/Mettenberger (all good qbs) the following years.
Jason
August 10th, 2009
6:23 pm
AJ still has a good amount of work to do to be as good as Calvin was. Calvin was an automatic touchdown on fade routes when Tech was inside the 10 yard line. AJ hasn’t reached that level of dominance, but he is quite a talent. He’s still young, so who knows how good he really is. However, I do think that Julio Jones has shown more potential so far than AJ.
Dave
August 10th, 2009
6:24 pm
I still can’t believe Munson is gone . . . just damn
coach buck parkview
August 10th, 2009
7:31 pm
Cuz & Mark, why don’t you two go on a date or something… I think you were made for each other
NewnanDawg
August 10th, 2009
7:35 pm
What about Marlon Brown for the 2 sport act? He is still listed at some of the recruiting sites as both a football and basketball signee at UGA. When I was in Athens in June the coaches wouldn’t say anything about it; just that no decision had been made on whether he would, or could play both sports.
Please let the next 25 days go by quickly! Go Dawgs!
Matt the Brave
August 10th, 2009
7:52 pm
Hey Saint Simons, how many times has Tech won in the last decade? Must be nice to go all over the AJC website and post last year’s score. I’m guessing that you have no job? That Tech degree’s really helping you, right?
Gators Will Pay
August 10th, 2009
8:04 pm
Any reference to Lou Holtzzzzz is a waste of words. I can’t stand the man as a analyst. ESPN needs to hire some SEC analyst and get rid of the guys who constantly want to talk about how great Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Southern Cal are. Since ESPN has signed the huge contract with the SEC, they need to show us the deserved respect.
Cuz in Minnesota
August 10th, 2009
9:54 pm
Coach buck I will buy Mark a beer when he shows up at the Masters but he is not my type. I stick to females.
Jason, I think from what I saw last year that AJ has a fairly good understanding of the ten yard fade route.
Mark Bradley
August 10th, 2009
9:55 pm
No beer will be necessary, Cuz. (I’m not much of a drinker.) But a pimento cheese sandwich from the Augusta National concession stands would be nice.
Cuz in Minnesota
August 10th, 2009
11:00 pm
Yep, those green wraped Pimento cheese sandwiches are worth the three thousand for the ticket.
ASDdgrgr
August 10th, 2009
11:09 pm
Fred Gibson had a much better freshman season than A.J. Green and he had to catch passes from David Greene who has the arm strength of a high school quarterback. His freshmen season was the best single season for a wide receiver in UGA history per game average. (He didnt play the first 4 or 5 games). He was also an incredible basketball player and could have entered the MLB draft if he wanted to after playing only his senior year of baseball.
harleydawg
August 11th, 2009
12:15 am
c johnson caught about 6 passes his whole career against the dawgs, 6 in 4 games, he had sucess against the acc defenses, hasnt turned out very good for the lions yet either, we shall see
Topdawg
August 11th, 2009
1:20 am
Can someone please explain to me how Julio Jones has shown more poetnetial than A.J. Green by putting up less yards and HALF the touchdowns?! And Fred Gibson’s next 3 years were terrible after his frehmen season, he followed the same path as Terrance Edwards. Which is to say he came outta the blocks looking real strong and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing with the rest of career at UGA except give me several Fred Sanford style heart attacks. Incredible basketball player??? MLB draft??? If he was that good at all those other sports, (Which is not true about basketball I can assure you, I saw him play for Georgia), then he wasted his time playing football.
Topdawg
August 11th, 2009
1:24 am
And Calvin Johnson’s life just got a whole lot brighter thanks to our friend young Matthew Stafford, he’s just what the Lions needed. A rifle armed qb, with a lighting guick, high iq for the game. Extremely confident, sometimes over confident but that’s what you get with a gunslinger. But you’re right, let’s wait two years and then check back in on BOTH careers.
NikkiFree
August 11th, 2009
5:20 am
A.J. is definitely a special talent. He’s one of those WRs that will still get yardage even with garbage at QB. (Sorry Cox, I’m just not sold on you.)
Big time?? Not
August 11th, 2009
7:03 am
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
Dobearsbare
August 11th, 2009
7:16 am
PMC: Brandon Boykin is a great athlete, but a college basketball player he is not. He was the probably fourth-best player on his high school team, though he was the team’s leader.
To the rest of you: let Saint Simons play. Don’t react. Trolls only grow if you feed ‘em.
Sundawg
August 11th, 2009
9:09 am
ASDdgrgr:
Fred Gibson didnt play baseball his senior year in high school.
Saint Simons
August 11th, 2009
9:56 am
(((((45-42)))))hahaha and we had a great TICKLE PILE on Herty Field!!!!
Saint Simons
August 11th, 2009
11:54 am
I run like a fat kidnergartner who just pooped his pants about an hour ago.
FRED
August 11th, 2009
12:07 pm
THIS KID IS A GREAT ONE. YOU GOTTA LOVE HIM
DublDawg
August 11th, 2009
2:54 pm
Just wait until Lou Holtz gets elected to Congress, then see how often we have to read his witticism.
Saint Simons
August 11th, 2009
2:56 pm
I could not get into Ga. Tech, and went to Southern Tech instead. Nonetheless, I like to pretend like I am smart and post on every other football blog.
Every football blog but LSU….
Phil Bowman
August 11th, 2009
6:57 pm
Mark, Phil Bowman of The Post and Courier, here. I covered A.J. Green in high school and football and as high school athletes I’ve seen in person, A.J. is probably in the top three. The others are Cris Carter and Robert Smith, both of Minnesota Vikings fame. It should be noted that A.J. never picked up a basketball any time other than basketball season. If he had wanted to, he could have played at North Carolina, he was that good
Mark Bradley
August 11th, 2009
7:28 pm
Thanks much, Mr. Bowman. Hope you didn’t mind me borrowing your story.
Phil Bowman
August 11th, 2009
9:49 pm
Mark, no problem.
Simply put, I’ve been in the business 25 years and he’s the best high school athlete I’ve ever seen.
I saw the third game of his high school career and he had something like 10 catches for 250 yards. My thought was: This is what a future first-round NFL pick looks like when he’s a freshman.
Mark, can you e-mail me sometime. There was something interesting in the UGA press guide about A.J. when he was a freshman, and it deals with his basketball career at Summerville
Samm
August 12th, 2009
11:58 am
For the record: the 75-FOOTER that WON the game for spartanburg was legit. iv seen that replay a million times and the ball was clearly out of his hand before the light on the backboard came on. Z-MAN was the star of that game definitely not green. and all the summerville players new the basket was good too bc they were all crying. and the ref that waved it off WASNT EVEN WATCHING!!! you can see it on the replay. that was the most bs call iv ever seen in high school basketball. Those refs hate Coach Lowe (Spartanburg Coach)who btw has won 600 games in his tenure there. he is amazing!!! Go VIKINGS! and green dont pretend you actually won that game
Maizenbluedoc
August 16th, 2009
11:23 am
I watched A J through 4 years of HS football and I believe he has the potential to be one of the best receivers in college football. He will also play on Sundays if he stays healthy. My wife has never been a football fan, but she would go to the Sumemrville games to see A J play. she still will watch Georgia just to see A J.
Maizenbluedoc
August 17th, 2009
11:47 am
Samm: Don’t blame A J and the Greenwave players for a referees decision. This has happened many times in sports, even in the pros. While it is unfortuate for the losing team, unless more stringent rules are in place, using current technology, these things will happen. It is not fair to denigrate Green and his teammates because of your lack of logic.