A.J.’s legacy at UGA: A great player who didn’t go great places (UPDATE: Green Tweets he’s not leaving – at least not yet)
It's no stretch to say he's the best Georgia receiver ever. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
If A.J. Green is indeed gone to the NFL, as two sources close to the Georgia program have told Zach Klein of Channel 2 Action News, he’ll leave a hollow legacy at Georgia. He’s the best-ever Bulldog receiver, and his surpassing has taken Georgia, in chronological order, to the Capital One Bowl, the Independence Bowl and the Liberty Bowl.
Part of this can blamed on circumstance: Green worked with three different starting quarterbacks in his three seasons. Part can be blamed on Green himself: At a time when his team needed him most, he got himself suspended for the silly sin of selling his jersey from a nondescript bowl for $1,000. On cue, the 2010 Bulldogs lost three of the four games he missed, thereby relegating them to yet another nondescript bowl.
There can be no complaints about Green the player. He made big plays, spectacular plays, winning plays. Had he arrived at the beginning of the decade and not its end, he might have been the difference between Georgia coming close to playing for a national championship and actually seizing one. But his first season was 2008, which was the beginning of the slide that has seen the Bulldogs go from 11-2 in 2007 to 6-6 now. He was the right man at the wrong time.
He’ll be a great pro. Of this there’s no doubt. Mel Kiper of ESPN lists him third on his latest Big Board, behind only Andrew Luck of Stanford and Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson. If there’s a difference between Green and Tech’s Calvin Johnson as collegians, it can be measured in Angstrom units. But the great Johnson at least helped lift Tech to an ACC title game in 2006. For all Green’s excellence, Georgia got worse over his time in Athens. Which doesn’t seem fair. But sometimes life just isn’t.
Twitter update: A.J. Green — he’s @ajgreen_uga8 — says he’s not going pro. Or at least not yet.
Tweet at 12:19 a.m. Thursday: “Idk where these ppl got that I’m going pro..this is def not true.”
Tweet at 12:34: “Haven’t even made a decision yet!”
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
418 comments Add your comment
Chuck Uga
December 23rd, 2010
11:50 pm
RammerJammer84,
Typical delusional fool football fan from Alabama. Always think those Bama and Auburn players are so much better talents. You are WRONG. Every NFL Scout says A.J. Green is more talented than Julio Jones. He certainly has proven that in college! Julio may block better, but that is about it. Green is the top WR in college. Period. Check with every respected NFL scout out there.
NoFKNdog
December 24th, 2010
7:17 am
All dog fans, et al = SUCK.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
Hypocrites
December 24th, 2010
8:26 am
If there is still anyone left that doesn’t believe there is a huge double-standard and bias towards the Little 11 with the national media and NCAA, look no further than the current 6 OSU players who were popped doing far worse things than what AJ Green ever did. NCAA bylaws, guidelines, loopholes, what have you, they should not be playing in the Sugar Bowl, as everyone knows.
UGA vs Florida series, wide outs, etc.
December 24th, 2010
11:47 am
UGA greatest wide out was Terrence Edwards, who dropped a David Green easy pass in his hands, while in full stride, crossing the field and no one within 15 yds of him, going toward the Florida goal. Period. He made OTHER huge catches that helped Green on to becoming a historic NCAA winning QB. Edwards is one of the best in UGA history.
Another great tight end and still in the NFL was Randy McMichael. With UGA on the Florida 5 yd line he DROPPED two easy Eric Zeir balls in a row!!! It was raining but while i was in UGA in the late 60s, we stomped Florida like 56-10 in a bad, rain storm. You can catch the ball Randy, in the rain, just not that day.
AJ Green is UGA’s greatets wide out? No way …………….he made some nice catches but he only played about 2.2 complete years of 3 and with his clothing sale and the injuries here and there, he did NOTHING FOR UGA. NOTHING. He will be soon forgotten and even I would never urge him to skip the NFL for the Red & the Black. Who needs him anyway???
There will be others like Terrence Edwards and Brice Hunter ( RIP ) and Jimmy Orr and Leonard Pope and KRIS DURHAM, who was UGA’s BEST wide out in 2010.
Merry Christmas!!
PS sorry to hear about those Yellow Jackets that are academically ineligible.
AJ was snake bitten at UGA
December 24th, 2010
11:56 am
I recall the 2009 LSU game and to his credit, AJ Green made a fabulous TD grab with about 145 seconds left on the clock in Sanford Stadium. He celebrated and was called for it and we were penalized for that crap and then we kicked off to LSU from our 15 ? and in typical UGA form, we lost of focus and let LSU return that ball to our 45 or 40 yds line.
Next play, toss sweep to Charles Scott and TD over lil Rennie Curran. UGA LOST THAT GAME.
By the way, Orson Charles also celebrated a nice catch vs LSU and he ALSO was penalized and THAT cost UGA a TD and we possibly did not even get a FG out of that particular series. Blame for that 09 LSU LOSS can be spread around but AJ was prominent late in the game and it hurt UGA more than it helped UGA.
AJ did nothing ………………..nothing ………………..for UGA.
Let us get past this guy ……………..he did nothing for UGA.
Go Dogs.
Caleb King
December 24th, 2010
12:04 pm
Caleb did nothing but HURT UGA vs Colorado and in the GT game he was nothing.
He AND Washuan Ealey can leave …………….who needs them? What have they done ???? Thier fumbles this year and alst year led to UGA LOSSES. Get rid of them.
If Urban kids like that younger Berry kid do not like UGA ……………..who cares?
BobbyDawg
December 24th, 2010
4:03 pm
There is a simple solution to this whole thing. The NFL could just change the rule. If college players didn’t have the NFL draft to get into after their junior year they’d stay put and finish school or at least get their 4th year of play in.
SEC Fan
December 24th, 2010
7:03 pm
Mark, missed your article regarding the 4 GT players being ineligible for their Bowl game. You are going to write about that aren’t you?
realdawg
December 25th, 2010
8:00 am
By far AJ is the best we will se in a long time.Come back one more year and you will heisman and most all awards.Merry Christmas AJ make mine merry
Furman Bishop
December 25th, 2010
10:03 am
A.J. Greene’s legacy?…….for better or worse?…with no comment from me one way or the other…Mark Richt. Let everybody have their own opinion about it. Merry Xmas to all and to all a good day and year. Selah.
mashdog
December 25th, 2010
1:25 pm
AJ NEEDS TO STAY
A.J.’s legacy at UGA: A great player who didn’t go great places – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | affiliatesintraining.com
December 25th, 2010
10:20 pm
[...] at Georgia. He’s the best-ever Bulldog receiver, and his surpassing has taken Georgia, in … mark joyner – Bing News Posted in Internet [...]
BoWeevil
December 26th, 2010
2:07 am
He is the same AJ Green who said, when the NCAA came a calling regarding illegal benefits 3 months ago : “I have never been in Miami.”
You don’t have to be in Miami, I replied then, to be Guilty of taking illegal benefits.
AJ Green knew that, then, too.
Only he – like Mark Richt – are liars.
Proven habitual liars.
AJ Green gets injured, on the average about every 5 games.
He is going to turn down the # 3 pick in the NFL Draft.
Yeah, right – Morgan Fairchild – that’s it, she is my wife.
That is like saying with 20 Losses the last 5 years, averaging a 4-Loss season over the last entire 5 years now, that Mark Richt is the best Bulldogs’ football coach of all-time with his 3-9 record vs Top 10 Final AP Poll teams and with his 10 other games lost as well against not even Top 25 Final AP Poll teams.
Mark Richt cannot beat the great football teams in the 10-Year Mark Richt Era. Mark Richt did beat a Top 10 Final AP Poll team in 2001 beating # 4 vols but he lost 4 games 2001. Mark Richt did beat a Top 10 Final AP Poll team in 2005 beating # 6 LSU but lost 3 games 2005 as well. And, Mark Richt did beat # 9 Auburn in 2006, but lost 4 games 2006 as well.
How the frig is that great, with Mark Richt’s 10 Losses in 10 years to teams not even ranked in the Top 25 of the Final AP Poll.
8 of the 10 Mark Richt Era seasons were in fact 14-game seasons; yet, he isn’t even averaging 10 wins a season – while 25 other teams are averaging 10-win seasons over the last 5 years.
It’s his coaching staff hires; and, that of course is Mark Richt’s own personal fault. He is a Christian lest we forget, first and foremost : Not Unit, Corps, God, Country.
BoWeevil
December 26th, 2010
2:21 am
4 Georgia tek football players who all 4 signed up for enough credits to be eligible, only they
FLUNKED out, FLUNKED off the football team.
AJ Green is supposed to come back and play for a team who averages 4-Loss Season over the last entire 5 years now, and a team who faces a lot tougher SOS than SOS # 45 we faced this season with no even reasonable win : 6 cupcakes Aaron Murray beat, only.
DISNEYdawgs.com – damn it that does not follow that even before the bowl game, you begin bragging anew for 2011 how AJ Green is going to win the Heisman Trophy. He is not. We lost 3 games without him this season, and we lost 3 games WITH AJ Green.
Yellow Fuzz
December 26th, 2010
8:05 am
Merry Christmas to every AH dog fan out there!
Dean Tate
December 26th, 2010
11:00 am
“Yet another nondescript bowl?” The correct usage would be “another nondescript bowl.”
“Yet another” suggests more than two. Let’s not make it worse than it already is.
Florida Dawg
December 26th, 2010
12:12 pm
AJ is gone………
Columbus Couret
December 29th, 2010
12:35 pm
yeah,I just thought you might want to know that your blog is messed up when you view it on my iphone. I?m not sure if it has something to do with my phone?s browser or your website? just saying…