Live from hot Jax: Only 30 (of 32) writers pick the Gators!
This is not as it seems. The sweater is orange. It is, of all things, a Gator dog. (Photo by M. Bradley)
Jacksonville — It was raining when I boarded the plane at Hartsfield-Jackson at 7:45 a.m. It is not raining here, unless you count sweat beads. Here it’s hot. Here it’s hot even by Florida standards. And, speaking of sweat …
Your genius correspondent managed to leave his glasses in Tim Tucker’s rental car at the stadium, necessitating another walk to/from distant Lot P. This marks the second time in 13 months I’ve left my glasses in a rental car, and the first was in Tempe, Ariz., where it was only 97 degrees and we were parked even farther away.
But enough about this perspiring writer. Let’s talk about other writers. The Florida Times-Union asked 32 writers, some of whom might actually have seen Georgia play in the past five years, for a prediction. (None of the 32 were from the AJC, you should know.) Thirty picked the Gators. The two exceptions: Matt Hayes of Sporting News and Scott Michaux of the Augusta Chronicle.
By tradition the Georgia-Florida crowd is split down the middle, but there seem many, many more Gators here this time. Perhaps Georgia fans are keeping a lower profile. Perhaps they sold their ducats. Perhaps they’re using the proceeds from that windfall to buy out Willie Martinez.
And I have to tell you, it has been a long time since I arrived at a stadium (with or without glasses) feeling as I do. I don’t see a way Georgia can win. I suppose Florida could fumble 10 times, but I can’t really see Florida doing that. And I can’t see the team with the better offense and better defense not winning.
But I have, as we know, been wrong before. I covered the Super Bowl between the Rams and the Patriots, in which St. Louis entered with the better offense and defense. I picked the Patriots to lose 42-3. They won 20-17. So I guess stranger things have happened. But not many, I submit.
With that, the floor is open for your comments and observations and contributions to the Free Willie Fund. I’ll be here all day, unless I feel the need to walk back across the parking lot and sweat through my shirt again.
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3,111 comments Add your comment
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:14 pm
WERE ARE THE MORONS WHO KEPT SAYING THE FIRST 6 GAMES THAT THE DEFENSE LOOKS GOOD
HELLO
jack
October 31st, 2009
8:15 pm
Hey Gator Gator,, you are right, ,it’s not Gaytor’s,,,,,, it’s Gayturds !!!!!!
Dawg Tired
October 31st, 2009
8:17 pm
Mark – The answer to your question is not among the choices you listed. The record will be 5 – 7, as I predicted after the UT game. Tech will score at least 50.
What happens to our 5′7″ 165 pound DB recruit when (if) Willie is fired? Horror of horrors is losing a 5′7″ 165 pound DB. I guess we have to keep Willie. Now that’s a good plan.
As for all those folks worrying about no more top 10 recruiting classes all I can say is give me some 3 star recruits who want to play for the University of Georgia. I do request they have enough sense not to commit 8 to 12 penalties a game.
GBO
October 31st, 2009
8:18 pm
What was the final penalty total this week for UGA?
Dawg Tired
October 31st, 2009
8:19 pm
Jack – If this bunch gets to Boise it will be a miracle!
G8TR
October 31st, 2009
8:20 pm
What, no whining about bad calls favoring UF? Even your excuses are in decline.
Byrd Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:20 pm
Will Vince Dooley pleassssssssssssssssssssssssssssssse come out of retirement.
nd dawg
October 31st, 2009
8:21 pm
Ryan, I agree, I would like to see Petersen take the talent UGA gets and do some really amazing things with it. We get top talent and waste it. Why? I don’t have a clue…CMR makes weird personnel choices. What was the ratio of playing time to pine time for Danny Ware? I was never a fan of Shockley but under another head coach, the Shockley/Greene combo could have been something amazing. Instead, just as he did w/ Gray, CMR put Shockley in situations for EPIC FAILures and just enough to undercut Greene’s success. I really don’t care about Richt’s nice guy off the field schtick. That is NOT what he’s being paid for. He’s being PAID to drive a successful football program…winning games wins much for the school. CMR has never, ever had his priorities in order.
Chris Peterson
October 31st, 2009
8:25 pm
I told you once and i’ll tell you twice. No thanks on the coaching job.
TGT
October 31st, 2009
8:26 pm
Anyone hear the postgame press conf.?
Byrd Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:27 pm
Your right Jack, It is Gayturds.
senoiadawgs
October 31st, 2009
8:28 pm
Mark Bradley, please post the postgame press conf. notes
Frogger
October 31st, 2009
8:28 pm
Mr. Bradley did but he ain’t sharing no info.
Bud
October 31st, 2009
8:28 pm
Damn, I really thought the helmets would have done it. But it’s hard to win when the refs are so biased toward Fla.
mtairyDawg
October 31st, 2009
8:29 pm
Spineless,heartless,no discipline…2 weeks to prepare for Tebow and company and this is the result!!Folks we got3 more losses to look forward 2 this year. How the heck did we fall so far from grace so fast. Tell me why did Donnan get the axe? Wasn’t it because he couldn’t beat the Gators and Vols? It really sucks being a dawg fan these days.
Bud
October 31st, 2009
8:29 pm
Hey Dawg Killer are you out there?
DawgsSUCK
October 31st, 2009
8:30 pm
“At least there is one good thing — The Ga texh and Florida fans are showing just how classy they are”.
Yeah, I’m sure you’d rather run “Ga texh” and Florida fans down for their bad manners than field a football team that can win. It’s all about manners for you, right, Miss Manners?! Hahaha!!
But hey, your OWN fans think you stink–it’s not just us who think that! That’s true class.
And I repeat……Tebow is a QUARTERBACK, not a running back. And he beat Herschel’s record at JUST THE RIGHT TIME, in the Georgia game. Couldn’t be any more satisfying than that. A butt-kicking AND beating Herschel’s record? Life is good.
Can’t wait to see how y’all do against Tech and Auburn! See you here on the blog!
2Dawgs
October 31st, 2009
8:31 pm
Really sad performance. One of the worst Dawg teams I’ve seen in maybe 10 years. What gives with this team??
Dawg Whisperer
October 31st, 2009
8:31 pm
Gatorville… I feel like I’m wasting my energy responding to your inane post. Apparently, you are less than 20 years old since all Florida Gator success has been during the last 20 years. Check the Florida tradition before then. Florida never EVER won a SEC title before 1990. It was a losing tradition that hovered around .500 football.
The reason why UGA fans refer to their great football tradition is because college football goes back more than 100 years. BTW, a century is not the past 10 years. That’s known as a decade. The great winning UGA tradition is a reference to playing collegiate football over it’s entire history. Only Alabama and Tennessee have a better winning tradition than UGA in the SEC. While the Gators have had immense success during the last two decades, their football tradition pales next to the Dawgs. I hope you now have a better understanding of tradition and century. If not, you are allowed to return to gatorville where apparently history is not taught in school.
Frogger
October 31st, 2009
8:32 pm
Who really gives a crap what Richt says. Unless he said, “Willie, YOUR FIRED”, it doesn’t matter anyway.
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:33 pm
365 MORE DAYS OF HAVING TO HOPE WE CAN WIN
730 MORE DAYS IF WE HAVE THE SAME COORDINATORS
Frogger
October 31st, 2009
8:34 pm
I would trade our coaches for Vandys coaches, and i’m not kidding.
PapiChullo
October 31st, 2009
8:35 pm
In hindsight we should probably have worn black socks. I’m pretty sure that would have made the difference this year against UF. However, I’m confident CMR and his crack staff of fashion designers will eventually strike upon the correct color combination to get us to the national championship. It’s only a matter of time. By the way does anyone know how many different uniform combinations are mathematically possible with red, black, white, and silver? FireMarkRicht.net
Gordon
October 31st, 2009
8:36 pm
Look at the bright side, Dawg fans. 2 years ago you finished #2 in the nation. If you can fall this far this fast, you can rise that far that fast. Things change faster than you think they can either way. But you are obviously going to have to make some changes. It will be interesting to see what Richt does. If he does nothing, you have a real problem.
Byrd Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:37 pm
Are there any struggling offenses out there? The cure is a Willie Martinez defense. Why can’t Mark Richt fire this man?
Puppy Wine
October 31st, 2009
8:37 pm
So the Gators had a big chunk of Bulldawg for dinner, and now all the GA fans are serving up wine after the meal (I know, it’s whine, but c’mon, we’re talking GA fans, ya gotta keep it simple.) Come Monday morning they’ll talk about how GA is gonna kick Tech’s behind and how they have a stellar recruiting class next year, but they’ll still be spreading the asphalt too thin on the highway…
Dawg Tired
October 31st, 2009
8:40 pm
Question for anybody (including Mark): How bad must our other QBs be if Joe Cox is the best we’ve got?
Call it Like It Is
October 31st, 2009
8:40 pm
Hey Dawg Whisperer
Stop your moaning!
Your team stinks, and yes, FL is that good!
Enough Said!
Sonny Clusters
October 31st, 2009
8:41 pm
Next week they should come out in leotards and pretend they is the Lady GymDawgs. Might catch Tennessee Tech or State or whoever it is off guard.
Gator Growl
October 31st, 2009
8:41 pm
Next year will be more of the same with Johnny Brantley handing off to a talented backfield including Mack Brown. Mack is going to fit REAL nice into our offense. We need to snag another D lineman out of Ga besides Ball, they seem to do REALLY well when they come down here (see J. Cunningham). I love getting Georgia players!!!
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:42 pm
BLACK HELMETS
I GUESS RICHT HAS NO MORE WAYS TO WIN
THATS WHY WE CAME OUT WITH THE SCARY BLACK HELMETS WHOOOOOOOO
NEXT WEEK BLUE TURF AT SANFORD STADIUM
Mark Bradley
October 31st, 2009
8:43 pm
Here, if anyone is interested, is the game column.
Sonny Clusters
October 31st, 2009
8:43 pm
Clusters would never try gimmicks like black helmets. Clusters was always too proud to try lucky helmets and we had a friend that was a lucky underpants wearer but that is another story and another sport.
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:45 pm
KENTUCKY GAME
WHITE HELMETS
BLACK JERSEY
RED PAINTS
CANDY CAIN SOCKS
TGT
October 31st, 2009
8:47 pm
Two of the biggest reasons why we are where we are:
Coming into the game we were 119 out of 120 in turnover margin, only ahead of winless Miami of Ohio. (see here.)
Coming into the game we were 117 out of 120 in penalties per game (About 9.3 penalties per game for about 75 yards). (see here.)
We did nothing today to help either number.
Even more telling (as far as our lack of discipline goes): In 2008 we finished 116 out 120 in penalties and in 2007 we finished 85 out of 119. ( 2007 numbers, ( 2008 numbers)
Simply the Truth
October 31st, 2009
8:47 pm
Attention to all season ticket holders… Write to Obama and demand a “bailout”. Richt and Company are overpaid and take too many vacation days(ie; bye week). Richt and Company have wasted valuable resources and the “value of the football stock” IS DEFINITELY DOWN. MMMMMM…MMMMMMM….MMMMMMM Save us BHO…..MMMMMMM….MMMMMMMM…..MMMMMMM
Darius
October 31st, 2009
8:49 pm
UGA fans should have been convinced of UF’s total domination of UGA when Richt went 1-2 against Ron Zook.
Souljaboy
October 31st, 2009
8:49 pm
Richt’s recruiting thugs and poor discipline have finally caught up with him. It was inevitable and will take a new coach, a new UGA president, and a long time to overcome.
dawgfan13
October 31st, 2009
8:50 pm
As I sit here and watch the Georgia Tech game, I can honestly say as a DAWG FAN, that Paul Johnson is a better coach than Mark Richt. His team makes plays and they are disciplined. They have a game plan and they execute. Georgia seems to be a gimmick team. There is no talent at QB. the offensive line has regressed, the defense is horrible, I know teams go through seasons like this, however the coaching at Georgia is clearly outmatched. The talent is there in certain areas, but If Richt decides to keep these coordinators, this program will go down hill, we will lose the great recruits, and Richt will be hired somewhere else because he will be gone.
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:50 pm
AUBURN GAME
BLACK HELMET
BLACK JERSEY
BLACK PANTS
RED SHOES
RED SOCKS
Dawg Tired
October 31st, 2009
8:50 pm
Gator gator – you have insulted Grambling!
Dawg Whisperer
October 31st, 2009
8:51 pm
Yes, UGA football smells all the way from Jax, Fl. but if you have a job, good health, a loving family and the peace of God, you should have restful sleep tonight. Roger Staubach and Tom Landry, football icons in years past, had these things in the proper perspective. Arrogant Gator fans and their acid comments do not deserve yout attention.
Dawg Tired
October 31st, 2009
8:52 pm
The one thing we had going for us was good looking uniforms. This bunch of coaches even screwed that up.
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:53 pm
GEORGIA TECH
WHITE HELMET
WHITE JERSEY
WHITE PANTS
WHITE SHOES
RED SOCKS
RED FACE MASK
Super Dog
October 31st, 2009
8:54 pm
BLACK FIELD
RED LINES
CANDY CAIN FIELD GOALS
Joe Cox will bust out against TN Tech
October 31st, 2009
8:54 pm
There are so many things to talk about. Definitely didn’t turn this game on expecting to win, but I thought we had a decent shot.
1. Mark Richt simply must make wholesale changes within his staff. The obvious guys must go altogether — Martinez and Fabris. Bobo needs to be put on probation, or demoted to QB coach at worst. He might as well bring in a whole new staff, but that’s as likely as Kiffin shutting his mouth.
2. Richt needs to just forget about uniforms. The best teams don’t even worry about those — Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, USC…you ever see those coaches getting cute with their clothes?
3. It is glaringly obvious that Joe Cox is a bad QB. He had a receiver wide open in the end zone, and couldn’t even get a 20-yard pass to him. His arm is weak, and he’s prone to throwing picks. I commend him on the fight that he has in him, and his loyalty to Georgia — I wish all of our players possessed those characteristics. But I prefer talent above that.
4. Let’s get back to Richt. I really like him. Always have. But if he doesn’t do what needs to be done to get us back to being a real competitor, he will be a victim of his own loyalty and kindness.
5. Don’t give me this crap about “you can’t win 10 games every year”, or the “we’re just rebuilding.” First of all, the best teams don’t rebuild. They have incredible depth at nearly every position, and they develop their 2nd and 3rd team guys because they KNOW that the guys on the field right now won’t be there for more than 2-3 years [or 4 at the most, but that is rare]. Secondly, anyone who says this kind of crap after ANOTHER Georgia loss to Florida needs to think about it. When you lose to a team 17 of 20 years, the “you can’t win them all” argument is asinine. We have won 15% of our contests against FL in two decades. We fans have every right to be pissed off about that. On top of all that, why do Saban, Carroll, Meyer, Brown and Beamer always have top-caliber teams? Because they’re big-time coaches, that’s why.
6. How can a team who is supposedly recruiting great classes year in and year out have such underdeveloped players? Someone said recently, after they stood on the UGA sideline during pregame warmups, that they were surprised how small our players looked compared to the other team. Our strength and conditioning program needs an overhaul. Even the best high school players won’t do well in college if they don’t get any larger.
7. Our discipline is just terrible. Penalties on top of penalties, turnovers on top of turnovers, and we can’t force any turnovers, either. Missed tackles, missed blocks, wide open receivers, confused defense. It is a complete disaster on the field.
8. A quick note about opposing fans — what good is it to spend your time on opposing teams’ blogs trash talking? If my team was #1 and just beat a big rival for the 17th time in 20 years, I’d sure as hell be out partying and celebrating. And on another note, why pull for your rivals to lose all the time? Don’t you want your opponents playing their best? Think about it — if all the teams you played were having awful seasons, fewer people will be impressed that you beat them. But if you beat a bunch of 10-2 and 9-3 teams, then you’ll look so much better [and actually be so much better]. You might as well play Boise State’s schedule if you want all your rivals to suck.
9. The UGA administration, if they aren’t already concerned about the direction we’re going in, will soon be. When season ticket sales drop, and donations drop, and merchandise royalties begin to dry up, they’ll damn well pay attention. Nothing gets a quicker response from Mike Adams than money, and UGA fans will quickly quit supporting the team if this keeps up.
10. To round out the “top 10″…if you aren’t worried as a fan, then what will it take to worry you? Everyone knew that Moreno and Stafford would leave early, so why didn’t our coaching staff prepare players to take their spots? Why doesn’t Richt appear to care very much about what happens? Why do our players consistently look unprepared and undisciplined [even when our team is "loaded"]?
Just think about these things. If you’re a fan, it’s more than just a game. When opposing fans get tired of ragging you because it’s too simple, it’s time for change.
Go Dawgs, always and forever, no matter what.
dawgfan13
October 31st, 2009
8:54 pm
Georgia missed out on Dwyer because they recruited Caleb King harder and Caleb cant sniff Dwyer’s jock strap! Dwyer is a beast!
Doubledawg
October 31st, 2009
8:56 pm
The reason cmr is “somber” is the fact that He’s fixing to fire his bud,in order to keep his JOB,meanwhile Marky the clock continues to tick for you,what a pathetic team,especially with the recruiting class UGA has year in and year out,no excuses,when the doggies do a start over,please THINK DEFENSE,because a good defense—-well you know.I’m stunned that with the athletes at UGA how marginal they are,it’s almost like it’s on purpose.cmr cannot seem to build around his strengths and remains in this stupid funk that he comes up with these lame gimmicks to win.someone please tell him that he is in the SEC and to “coach” his players up?otherwise goodbye!
Gator Fan
October 31st, 2009
8:57 pm
Dawg fans did you really think you had a chance to win this game?
Just be happy if you get to the toilet bowl this year!
Georgia Tech is going to stump the Dawgs this year! Joe Cox has the potential to make the NFL (Not) in this life time!
I love it when the Dawg fans start talking about their 100 yr history when it comes to beating Florida. Dawg fans when was the last time you smelled a National Championship?
Gator Chomp!
Bob Horner stayed hurt
October 31st, 2009
8:59 pm
Joe Cox…brilliant post…..the only thing I question is your screen name…?????