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
Jim
January 19th, 2010
11:28 pm
Let the underclassmen bolt to the NFL because Mickie D’s is alway’s looking for new workers. While I wish Jones and Curran the best they both have a long row to hoe. Maybe they should ask Kurt Warner about what he went through to get where he is today. I for one whould like to see a rule change to keep underclassmen out of the draft.
Frank Lane
January 20th, 2010
1:19 am
Curran should change his mind, if that is still legal, and return for a year of coaching under Grantham. More first class coaching and opportunity to learn than he will get in the pros next year.
BuLLdawg
January 20th, 2010
1:22 am
UGA is not losing near as much as Georgia tek. There is no way to spin that, that we are.
BuLLdawg
January 20th, 2010
1:35 am
Georgia tek losing all their players to the NFL, leaves me with a question since they lost 3 games this year, will Georgia tek be playing 6 opponents who will not even go to a bowl game next year ?
Obviously, it will 56 years since Georgia tek has even won a Major Bowl Game, and 6 years since it won any bowl game.
And, just how is a washed up 66-year old coot going to identify with the nerdy little poor loser brats for Georgia tek ?
UGA was Number 4 in Scout.com Recruiting Rankings 2009 and we redshirted that class and Georgia tek with Paul Johnson’s sorry Number 32 recruiting class last year had to play his recruiting class from last year, and has nothing to replace their players going to the NFL obviously.
Scout.com ranks UGA Recruiting Class now for 2010 Number 10 and Georgia tek has capitalized on their 6 games against non-bowl opponents even by dropping off to the Number 45 Recruiting Class for 2010.
30-24 and 8 of 9. Bradley want to explain this in an unbiased fashion how Georgia tek losing all this, with this sorry recruiting of Paul Johnson, can possibly re-stock all these players recruited to Georgia tek by NFL head coach of Buffalo, Chandler Gailey ?
BuLLdawg
January 20th, 2010
2:43 am
Austin Long, recruited last year and Redshirted is an Offensive Tackle ranked Number 6 Best in the Nation by Scout.com. Rivals ranked Austin Long the 2nd best football player in the entire state of Tennessee last year and Marlon Brown the best. Never mind we only threw 2 passes for a grand total of 15 yards last season to Marlon Brown, maybe we can come up with some excuse to call that an injury year. That was a serious waste of talent in Marlon Brown’s case to waste an entire year for 2 only 7 and a half yard passes all season, both in the vols’ Loss. But don’t forget we took Rival’s Number 11 best running back in the Nation last year, Washaun Ealey and did not play him until 3 quarters of the 5th game was over, our season by then already down the tubes. Marlon playing 8 games and Washaun 9 is a huge waste of talent for a team that really needs to put its playmakers on the field.
Chris Burnette out of Troup in LaGrange is ranked by Rivals as the 4th Best Football Player in the State of Georgia and 3rd Best Offensive Lineman in the Nation by Rivals. We Redshirted him as well. We obviously didn’t need any help on our sorry OL last year.
Dallas Lee another 4-Star OL out of Buford was Redshirted. At 6’ 4” and 300 lbs. much is expected over the next 4 years from Mr. Lee as well. As the 20th Best OG in the Nation according to Scout.com and 16th Best in the Nation according to Rivals, we Redshirted 3 of the Best Offensive Linemen in the Nation last year. Of course, we Redshirted Knowshon Moreno, so our ability to judge talent is quite clear on Offense.
Aaron Murray, recruited last year and Redshirted is a Quarterback ranked Number 3 in the Nation by both Scout.com and Rivals, and Zach Mettenberger is the Number 14 Best Quarterback in the Nation according to Scout.com, Number 11 Best QB in the Nation by Rivals, and we Redshirted both of them too when we all know how well big Quarterbacks in The SEC have worked out through the years as winners.
When I called this time last season to NOT REDSHIRT Zach Mettenberger in here, everyone thought that was stupid. I still think it would have been best for him and for UGA. 2 Quarterbacks in the same recruiting year of this caliber is a mistake. Mistake for us and mistake for one of them. General Consensus is mistake for Zach. I would have liked to get Zach some experience as Coach Richt obviously has no intention of playing Logan Gray at QB except to appease him, slightly. And, we have not prepared Logan Gray at all. Just as we did not Matthew Stafford. Just as we did not Joe Cox.
And, now we have 3 QB none of whom have done a damn thing at QB for us, in an up-coming season destined to have 1 of our Best Ever Special Teams and 1 of our Best Ever Defenses since Erk Russell roamed the sidelines. It’s been that long since we had a Defense like this one, this year.
I expect with a new system, and with our Defense last year lacking in playmakers for us to not pull this stunt of Redshirting Players when we only signed Todd Grantham to a 3-year contract. If you look at the terms, it is really is only a 2-year contract. Do not expect Todd Grantham to Redshirt playmakers such as TJ Stripling this season. He gets on the field and contributes to this fine Defense we obviously have this up-coming season.
Kwame Geathers has been timed at 4.56 in the 40-yard dash, and we Redshirted him too with 3 NFL Senior Linemen ahead of him this past season who all had great years for Rodney Garner, and Kwame at 6’ 6” and 320 lbs. is a beast out of South Carolina to play NG for Todd Grantham with all Geathers family in the NFL before him. Geathers is too fast to play OL, where it would be wasted compared to on Defense. Derrick Lott also was Redshirted on the Defensive Line for last season too, out of Kennesaw.
Chase Vasser is a 6’ 3” linebacker at 208 lbs. we also Redshirted. With 4.52 speed, he will be slotted by Todd Grantham at outside LB out of Gainesville.
Jordan Love at 4.41 Defensive Back has some hops out of Glen Allen Virginia and we Redshirted him, although he had more height at 6’ than the ones we did play back there to get burned on every pass all season long, including against Georgia tek who could not catch the ball, wide open.
9 of the Best Football Players in America, Redshirted in a 5-Loss Season. Idiots. The NFL rules are that after the recruits’ 3rd year on campus Redshirt or Not, they can go to the NFL. Ask for that to change all you want in this blog, this is the FACT, it is not changing, and it is right for all concerned, including UGA Bulldogs.
We just have to do a far better job of evaluating talent than we have in the 10-Year Coach Richt Era. A Decade of Wasted Talent.
TJ Stripling is 6’ 6” tall, no doubt skinny at 220 lbs. and ranked the 4th Best Defensive End in the Nation for a football team who has little in the Rotation as it is at any position, but 11 solid players to put out there, is not going to be Redshirted or should not be with his 4.55 speed. He will be very hard to pass over, or around to that side. TJ Stripling is on the edge. He is not an interior guy, don’t try to make him one TommyP.
Garrison Smith is in the middle. We cannot afford to Redshirt this type of player and I have no expectation that Todd Grantham is going to continue these mistakes of Redshirting 9 of the Best Football Players in America, and then LOSING 5 GAMES including TWO LOSSES to UNRANKED 7-6 teams Kentucky and the vols.
Alec Ogletree too could be slotted on the Outside, but I suggest to you that it will come down to Defensive Back. Now, criticize away while you have no CONCEPT, no idea, and no feel for it – just criticize those who say what will happen, only to see each actually happen. He is 6’ 3” and we have had nothing but short players back there and we all saw how that has worked out for Willie Martinez. Jakar Hamilton plays in game 1 back there too, while you sit there and cannot even figure out who our best playmakers are.
That is because you are NOT a student of the game.
Just post-away dumbslit stuff FLAMES of POSTERS with no substance on your part whatsoever. Just FLAMES.
You don’t read.
You don’t study.
You have no clue.
You just FLAME.
Instead of FLAME POSTS, try studying that which you make a fool of yourself in public in this blog.
Why wouldn’t we play Da’Rick Rogers as the 2nd best receiver in the Nation ? How long can we afford to be mediocre at 17-19 vs Final AP Poll Top 25 with another 8 Losses to UNRANKED TEAMS ?
Oh, yeah, while you SIT THERE AND TRY TO TELL ME WE ARE SO FREAKING GREAT and will BEAT ALABAMA, DISNEYdawg.
We get some new blood on the coaching staff, not enough, but some. Look for them to say (1) Rank the players (2) get the playmakers on the field.
those games meant nothing to tech
January 20th, 2010
8:13 am
tech couldn’t beat Georgia if they had REggie Bush and Peyton Manning…cause tech’s a bunch of losers and chokers anyhow
Pit bull
January 20th, 2010
9:00 am
The biggest question is who is going to be QB. The running game is going to have to carry the dogs this year. The Dawgs need to decide on a QB as quickly as possible and give him practice time. That’s the main thing!
Dawg n' the gators nest
January 20th, 2010
9:34 am
Wow Mark,
At least now you admit you are just using other people’s work. Do some of your own and get back to us with.
Larry Platt
January 20th, 2010
10:28 am
TECH PLAYERS ON THE GROUND
TECH PLAYERS ON THE GROUND
LOOKIN LIKE A FOOL LAYING ON THE GROUND
LOOKIN LIKE A FOOL LAYING ON THE GROUND
30-24
Boca Baby
January 20th, 2010
10:34 am
Both are swell kids who are leaving UGA. But it is not a good thing if a safety is the #2 tackler on your team. This means that too many runners and receivers are getting through the first and second waves of your defense. As for Curran he continued a heritage of heavy hitting tacklers at the storied program. His deficiency is his size and average ability in pass coverage. He is truly a “tweener” and it is to be seen how effective he will be at the next level. It would probably had been better for him to stick around for his final year under the tutelage of Grantham who has first hand experience at the next level. All this said I do believe that UGA has some yet-to-be-seen talent to appear on the stage and I think we will be OK. If a trigger man shows up at QB next year, look out!
Boca Baby
January 20th, 2010
10:37 am
And Mark, it is quiet OK for your to use the opinions of other notables to make your point, thank you!
Boca Baby
January 20th, 2010
10:40 am
That’s “quite ok” not “quiet ok”, sorry. Both correctly spelled, one incorrectly used.
Tron Carter
January 20th, 2010
11:19 am
GT has slipped to a #44 recruiting class (#9 in the ACC).
Yesterday it was #43 and #8 in the ACC.
“Tough Talk” Johnson can’t recruit.
No player with any pro aspirations wants to run the triple joke or play in a 55,000 seat stadium and watch the douchebag fans cram down their free hotdog and coke and then head for the exit. They will also be underwhelmed, when Al Groh hoverounds on in at 3-5 mph to their living room and tries to sell them on a high school class program.
They don’t want to be around the dorks at Georgia Trek.
You really should hide your students and fans when recruits come to town.
Paul Johnson football is recruit repellant.
South FL Chapter of the Bulldog Nation
January 20th, 2010
11:20 am
I agree with Bradley…GT was harder hit by early NFL departures. UGA’s losses will be felt on D without a doubt, but I believe we have enough depth to fill those holes without too much of a drop off. Obviously any time you loose starters it hurts, but when you rotate as much as UGA does, the game time experience is there. The major question mark is at the QB position. But, as we remember, one David Greene did pretty well as a redshirt freshman. You just really don’t know how their going to do until they get into that situation.
It’s funny how people are trying to place the blame on Grantham for the early departure of the Cowboys…it’s just funny and I’ll leave it at that. It’s not funny about Al Groh’s departure from UVA however…and I’ll just leave that as it is as well.
UF is without a doubt the hardest hit of any school by early departures for the NFL as well as coaching staff changes. Even without CUM, now that’s funny!, taking an indefinite leave of absence…they lost three members off last years staff. now add the seniors to the list of juniors that are leaving off the defense alone and they’re going to have some growing pains as well!
There will be a lot of questions coming into the season that can only be answered on the field, and I for one am looking to everythng being put to the test!
UGA has without a doubt enought tallent on the squad to win the east this year….but we shall see! Let’s just get through Feb 3rd first and then we can worry about filling the holes that have been left by Sr’s and Jr’s moving on to their next challenge. Best of luck to all players, teams, coaches, and fans….it’s going to be a very interesting year to say the least! LETS GET IT ON! GO DAWGS!
John
January 20th, 2010
3:12 pm
I am glad to see Reshad Jones go becasue he was a terrible tackler. He tried to play like Greg Blue, but unfortunately doesn’t have near the skills.
BadgerDawg
January 21st, 2010
2:05 am
Stinger, old man Groh gave up: 26 to William and Mary (both of them in a loss), 30 to TCU (loss), 37 to Southern Miss (loss and without Favre), 34 to Yech, 28 to Duke (?!), and 52 to Miami (all losses.) Ending the season with memorable 34 points to Clemson and 42 to VaTech. He’s at least responsible for the entore defense and not a position coach if you’re looking to put blame somewhere. Who has the joke of a coordinator now?