Bradley’s Buzz: Tech, UGA both among early-entry losers
Derrick Morgan and Morgan Burnett: They're gonzo. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
This won’t be surprising to those among us who follow college football. Still, it’s jarring to see in megapixeled black and white. Both Georgia Tech and Georgia rank among the nation’s biggest losers regarding early entry to the NFL draft.
For the Bulldogs, there’s good news amid the bad. Tech is seen as having been hit harder, and Florida is the consensus choice as having been hit hardest.
Bruce Feldman of ESPN.com rates Tech the second-biggest loser, Georgia the fifth-biggest. His reasons:
“Georgia Tech: I was tempted to make the Jackets No. 1 on this list because every player who realistically could consider declaring did. Tech says goodbye to its two best defenders in DE Derrick Morgan and safety Morgan Burnett as well as quarterback Josh Nesbitt’s top two weapons, running back Jonathan Dwyer and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.
“I still think Nesbitt, RB Anthony Allen and RB Roddy Jones are big-time players, but the offense takes a huge hit, especially when you consider that Thomas accounted for about two-thirds of the team’s receiving yards this past season. Meanwhile, Morgan had half the team’s 25 sacks.
“Tech could’ve been a preseason top five or six. Now I think it might not be in the top 20 …
“Georgia: The Dawgs’ defense has been really shaky the past few seasons and is in rebuilding mode. A new defensive coordinator is coming from the Dallas Cowboys (Todd Grantham), but he’ll have to retool Georgia’s scheme without the team’s two leading tacklers, LB Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones. Curran, a fireplug, had 130 tackles last season, while Jones, who put on a dazzling show against rival Georgia Tech, also picked off four passes this past season.”
Stewart Mandel of SI.com sees it pretty much the same. He has Florida first among his list of four losers, with Tech second and Georgia fourth. His comments:
“Georgia Tech: The defending ACC champs had a chance to return a staggering 19 starters, but leading rusher Jonathan Dwyer, leading receiver Demaryius Thomas, second-leading tackler Morgan Burnett and ACC sacks leader Derrick Morgan all turned pro. The Jackets’ running game should be fine with Josh Nesbitt and Anthony Allen, but Thomas was their lone receiving threat, Morgan and Burnett their best defenders …
Georgia: The Bulldogs’ defense struggled in 2009, costing coordinator Willie Martinez his job. New coordinator Todd Grantham would have inherited a depleted unit regardless, but his job wasn’t made any easier by the defection of Georgia’s two best juniors, linebacker Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones. The defense will now return just four starters.“
My take: Just because they fall under the same heading doesn’t mean all losers are equal. Georgia lost two good players. Tech lost four of its five best players. Tech got hit way harder. Way harder, I say.
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266 comments Add your comment
Herschel Talker
January 19th, 2010
11:30 am
PANTS ON THE GROUND!!!
PANTS ON THE GROUND!!!
LOOKIN’ LIKE A FOOL WITH YOUR PANTS ON THE GROUND!!!
Dorsey Hill
January 19th, 2010
11:32 am
Nate,
Are you sure you even want to go back to Atlanta and play Bama? I mean, they made your QB cry like a baby and put your coach in the hospital. When they beat you again, and badly, in Tuscaloosa next year, I think most of your players will choose to watch the game on TV. But if not, it will be “funny” to watch Brantley cry and your coach considering retirement again.
Morgan Burnett
January 19th, 2010
11:33 am
I’ll be honest with you Mark, after 30-24 I grew tired of chasing an UNTOUCHED Caleb King on his way to yet another 75-yard touchdown for Georgia!
Technophobia
January 19th, 2010
11:39 am
You can get arrested for a felony and still get reinstated but if you overestimate your talent and reputation by entering the draft you’re done. That makes no sense and it isn’t right.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
11:39 am
While reading the Dawgs game-day blogs, I noticed Ginger not jumping ship with every fumble or pick, making a lot of the panickers look weak.
The one and done in college basketball is worse than the 3 year rule in football. Just look at Shumpert’s improvement vs the Heels. Crittendon should have stayed at least one more year. Maybe learned not to gamble with star player too.
GT home football schedule looks boring.
May have to become a roadie.
Jamie Gillis
January 19th, 2010
11:40 am
Is “way harder” (with italics!) AP stylebook compliant?
My “prognosticating perispicacity” says no.
Dostoyevskiy
January 19th, 2010
11:41 am
Gt, losing to Tech on Sat. did not get me down any more than the last 20 wins in-a-row- did little to arouse me. I and my other UNC friends and classmates love football as much as we do bb. My neighbor from Atlanta loves UNC bb more than he does UNC football. Now there is the difference.
By the way, I’m not trying to get you. You do that to yourself.
AndyC
January 19th, 2010
11:42 am
I agree with Mark. UGA has young players that can step up on defense to replace Curran and Jones. Also, with a new defensive scheme being implemented, it might not be a bad thing that there is such a big turnover on defense. Might make for an easier transition. Tech is losing a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball and does not have the talent depth that UGA has. Tech got hurt way worse.
Rennie Curran
January 19th, 2010
11:46 am
Face it dawg fans, we got lucky this year. If Nesbitt had played the whole game or if Tech had played some defense they would have worn us down and won the game and that’s with us playing our best game all season against them. Can’t count on that luck next year and I can’t bear to see the hedges torn up again. Tech needed Miracle Groh this year we’ll need som miracle grow next year.
F-105 Thunderchief
January 19th, 2010
11:46 am
Well, at least Cooper Taylor’s coming back.
Seriously, Tech suffer mightily, especially on defense. Hill and Allen will prove capable replacements for Thomas and Dwyer.
PMC
January 19th, 2010
11:51 am
UGA has a load of guys who probably should have been playing anyway. It may be addition by subtraction for all but Rennie Curran who is nearly irreplaceable anyway. If they get better coaching they will play vastly better as a team even with the losses.
Tech loses a ton but they are mostly hurt on defense where they change schemes anyway.
SEC East Headlines – 1/19/10 | MrSEC.com
January 19th, 2010
11:51 am
[...] in the mid-90s.6. Georgia still has one hole to fill on its defensive staff.7. Grantham will have to replace UGA’s top two tacklers from a year ago… both of whom went pro early.8. ESPN’s “College GameDay” [...]
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
11:52 am
The addition of a D coordinator who knows his stuff may more than offset the loss of Burnett and Morgan.
Even with them, Tech seldom stopped anyone.
PMC
January 19th, 2010
11:54 am
Tech has a lot more depth than they are being credited for on the offensive side. It’s incredibly difficult to replace the NFL talent they have lost the last two years on defense but they continue to recruit well. I’m not sure they have the size to hold up and I think North Carolina and Miami are looking very tough for next year but Tech will absolutely be in the mix for another ACC title. They still have Nesbit after all and he should be a better passer in the offense by next season
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
11:54 am
F-105, how can Tech be worse on D?
Tech fans around me were furious all year about the few number of stops.
Like for Georgia, I think a much better coordinator will make up for the loss of players.
Just the Facts.....
January 19th, 2010
11:56 am
For you people who keep talking about UGA, UF(God I hate them), yes there losing talent, but it’s not like they won’t be in a bowl next year, these teams CONSISTENTLY bring in great talent. All you ACC fans, please talk about BB, it is after all what y’all do best(barely) afterall. Leave the FOOTBALL TALK to the conference with, count em, four consecutive BCS national title, and 7 out of the last 12!
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
11:57 am
The Heels keep all the juniors I’ve heard but I like us at the QB position which is the most important.
Matt
January 19th, 2010
11:58 am
Maybe if Tech had won the Orange Bowl their might have been some incentive to play for it all?
Well, probably not with those lines.
Big John
January 19th, 2010
11:58 am
UF has gone 5-3 in the SEC 40% of the seasons over the last 5 years.
2010 will be one of those 5-3 seasons again, pretty much every other year with Gators is a 5-3 sec year.
Technophobia
January 19th, 2010
11:59 am
A player can be arrested for, say, assaulting his girlfrien then get arrested again a month later for breaking out the tail lights on here car and still get reinstated to the football team. But another player who overestimates his skills and reputation and enters the draft too early is done. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? If a player goes undrafted they should be allowed to return. If the school doesn’t have a scholarship to give them, let them transfer. The student athlete should be the priority here, not the fans and not the NFL or NBA.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
11:59 am
So should Dawg fans defer to Florida, Bama, LSU and Tenn with their 3,2,2 and 1 NCs respectively in the BSC period up against the Dawg goose egg in that department, not likely to change with a new QB?
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:02 pm
Losing to Georgia and Iowa Sate did at least have one benefit: it convinced CPJ his smarts could not make up for Wommacks’s deficiencies there.
UGA Alumni
January 19th, 2010
12:04 pm
Finally, the Techsters will suffer as much as we at UGA usually do early entry.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:05 pm
I am glad Dwyer, Morgan and Thomas left.
I did not want to see them lose money possibly due to an injury. Morgan Burnett’s decison is the only one I am not sure about.
He could have improved his draft position, the others just as likely to drop.
Tech Flunkie...
January 19th, 2010
12:06 pm
Did we play the Steelers in Miami? Is Knoshown, I mean Washun & King still running? O.k. I’m going back under the bridge now, I don’t want to be woke till 2018 when we beat UGA one time every ten years! Damn I swear that was the Steelers in Miami, friends keep telling me that was Iowa, but it ain’t no black people in Iowa!
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:08 pm
If basketball required two or three years like football, Hewitt’s teams would do a lot better.
Shumpert makes a great case for staying more than a year and learning a lot more how to play in the ACC.
I could be wrong but Favors sure looks like he could benefit like Shumpert from another year.
Just the Facts..
January 19th, 2010
12:08 pm
Miami, 2010 ACC Champions, Just the facts!
F-105 Thunderchief
January 19th, 2010
12:09 pm
“F-105, how can Tech be worse on D?”
By losing their two best players? Hopefully recruiting and better coaching makes up for it and creates a solid unit.
F-105 Thunderchief
January 19th, 2010
12:10 pm
Tech’s kicker is worse than awful. Glad to see they signed a kicker.
DawginLex
January 19th, 2010
12:10 pm
UGA’s defense will be young but better because of coaching. The talent is there but has never been coached up. That will now change.
Tech’s defense will be better also because of new coaches. UGA has more returning on offense and with a new QB(no Joe cox), if we can limit turnovers, the offense can score a lot.
Both teams have the capability to be 10-1 or 9-2 when they meet
Flowery Branch Dawg
January 19th, 2010
12:10 pm
Teams that average winning 10 games or more like UGA and Florida (Tech may be joining this group) will annually be hurt by early entry. When teams recruit that kind of talent that is going to be a regular problem. Every now and then you get super classy superstar players like a David Pollack or a Tim Tebow that will play their senior year because they love the team.
GeoffDawg
January 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
Fake Rennie Curran – you’re saying that because tech did not have quality depth at QB and because their defense was actually worse than even Georgia’s last year, that was the reason they lost the game?
So, in other words, if the 2009 tech team was better than Georgia, they would’ve won…thanks for clearing that up.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
Fake Tech venters, what would u do without the Jackets?
Ya’ll get real quiet – like on the blog about the Tenn commitment who changed to Florida – when the Gators venters show up to rub your nose in their 3 NCs and 17-3 “rivalry”.
Mr. Thomas Anthony "The Taxman Cometh" Jones, SR (Waf-SS, L. Col./ret.)
January 19th, 2010
12:11 pm
Advise from the Taxman, young people! Always take the money. Bradley does not work for Free. Neither should you. Slavery is over here in the United States of AmeriKa!!!!
Mr. Thomas Anthony "The Taxman Cometh" Jones, SR (Waf-SS, L. Col./ret.)
January 19th, 2010
12:13 pm
Advice from the Taxman, youngPeople! Always take the money! Mark Bradley does not work form free and neither should you.Slavery is over here in the United States of AmeriKa, and we now get paid for our labor, young briother and sisters!
Dawg Fan
January 19th, 2010
12:14 pm
Georgia always has a kicker & punter on scholarship and consistently is among the best teams in the nation when it comes to field goal kickers and punters. Great kickers & punters almost always play their senior year and graduate on time.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:14 pm
Geoff, maybe u guys are right and GT is just a little better than Vandy.
So how do u explain your 3-17 record vs the team u really hate more than us?
The Dawgs are like Vandy to them for 2 decades?
re: Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:16 pm
So, mister Jackette2010, you have to live vicariously through the Gators. That is a pretty sad statement on Georgia Tech isn’t it?
30-24!!!!
8 out of 9!!!!
73-66!!!!
Enjoy that termites!!!!
Just the Facts..
January 19th, 2010
12:17 pm
Jackets 2010, same results as 2001-07, and 09. Realize when your lucky, Like winning the cash”4″, you won that week, had a break with extra money, now it’s gone and it’s time to get back to reality. Y’all are perennial losers to the DAWGS. Accept your fate as a servant, and not the King, and we’ll throw you a bone every8- 10 years!
Denver Dog
January 19th, 2010
12:18 pm
Hey “all I am saying,” I guess that is why there are 3 super bowl MVP’s from UGA. THe number one pick last year was from UGA, and of course, 4 UGA starters from the 2008 team are starters for NFL teams this year.
The Dawgnation
January 19th, 2010
12:20 pm
Actually, we still hate the Georgia Tech Jackettes much more than anyone. But it is a satisfying hatred since we beat you gals so very much, dominate the series and get to see you all year long!!!
Brock
January 19th, 2010
12:21 pm
Sam Robards, Dawg Fan
January 19th, 2010
11:25 am
Wow, never heard that before.
Just the Facts..
January 19th, 2010
12:22 pm
Mark Bradley and Jeff Schultz, please go see Furman Bisher for remedial Journalism classes, after all he got away with it for over forty years!
Reality
January 19th, 2010
12:23 pm
1 out of 9 is a FLUKE
8 out of 9 is DOMINATION!!!!
Throw in the fact that Tech’s overrated street ball basketball team has not won a game against the Dawgs in Athens since the mid 1970’s.
Oh Yea! Don’t forget that the overrated Tech football team has lost 5 consecutive bowl games and has not won a major (BCS level) bowl game since the 1950s!!!!
GO DAWGS!!!!!
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:24 pm
Here some numbers for you dawg fans to chew on.
3,2,2,1.
You know what they stay for.
Thinks were your Basketball program would be had Dooley given Tubby smith a raise.
It would be a top program instead of in the toilet.
Elmore Spencer
January 19th, 2010
12:25 pm
Excellent column. Tech doesnt like to admit it but they have a much harder time replacing talent than does UGA. However they spin it those defections are going to hurt and show up in the final records.
Ask UGA if losing their two best players ( Stafford and Moreno ) hurt?
GeoffDawg
January 19th, 2010
12:25 pm
Jackets2010 – no one disputes Florida’s dominance of the rivalry since 1990. The fact that a self-proclaimed jacket fan is using that to trash talk speaks a lot more to you than it does me. Hiding behind Florida’s skirt is pretty shameful in my humble opinion.
Jackets2010
January 19th, 2010
12:26 pm
Thats all u got.
You need the Jackets since Gator and Bama fans have it all over you.
Paul Hewitt
January 19th, 2010
12:26 pm
My basketball team would do better if any of them could actually read or write. Then they could learn the plays! You people don’t think our basketball players are real students do you? As 60 Minutes proved some GA Tech players aspire to be janitors!
Elmore Spencer
January 19th, 2010
12:26 pm
It would be a top program instead of in the toilet.
We may be in the toilet but we can still count on beating you guys.