5 things that could rain on my sunny forecast and undo UGA
These folks seem rather cheerful. Well, don't they? (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
I’m on record as having picked Georgia to go 10-2, win the SEC East and finish No. 11 in the land. I would say that qualifies me, just this once, as an optimist.
But I wouldn’t be gloomy ol’ MB if my every thought was sweetness and light. I’m willing to concede that this season could come undone … if all (or most of) this happens.
1. Isaiah Crowell is overrated. I don’t think he is. But not everyone can be The Next Herschel Walker. The Bulldogs have searched for three decades and haven’t quite found another. (Although Tim Worley and Rodney Hampton and Garrison Hearst and the pre-surgical Robert Edwards and Knowshon Moreno were pretty good. And Terrell Davis would have been had Ray Goff gotten him the ball.)
Since Signing Day, Mark Richt has acted if Crowell, borrowing from the soccer coach Jose Mourinho, is indeed “a special one.” When asked last month if he feared his backfield, without the washouts Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, would suffer, Richt said, “I don’t know there was a time last year when I thought our backs were playing lights-out.” The implication was that this season might be such a time. But that’s a lot to ask of any freshman. If not the new Herschel, Crowell needs at least to be the new Hearst.
2. A.J. Green and Kris Durham prove irreplaceable. Even if Crowell is great, we shouldn’t expect these Bulldogs to become the 1980 Bulldogs. Richt’s is a finesse offense. His quarterback will throw the ball a lot. At issue is whether Tavarres King and Marlon Brown and Malcolm Mitchell and Rantavious Wooten — all of whom are talents — can supply the production lost with Green and Durham.
Given that Green was the greatest wide receiver in Georgia history, the guess here is that there’ll be some decline. But let’s not forget Orson Charles, who’s technically a tight end but who often aligns himself as a slot receiver. He might be the best tight end in Bulldog annals. (And yes, that’s saying something.) He’s the key to the passing game.
3. Todd Grantham is overrated. He has a big reputation and gets paid a ton of money and gives expert (if ineffective) choke signs, but he hasn’t yet proved he’s a top-shelf collegiate defensive coordinator. (Then again, he has only been a college DC for one year.) His 3-4 looked good on occasion last season, less good on other occasions. Auburn ran through it, but Auburn did that to a lot of defenses, Alabama’s included. Georgia Tech ran through it without its starting quarterback, but Paul Johnson can have that effect.
There’s no reason Georgia shouldn’t have a big-time defense. It has seasoned defensive backs, gifted linebackers and the requisite nose tackle (in either Kwame Geathers or Jonathan Jenkins) it lacked last season. If the Bulldogs can’t stop people this season, it’ll be because Richt hired the wrong man to replace Willie Martinez.
4. It starts 0-2. Georgia could lose to Boise State this Saturday. It could lose to South Carolina the next week. (For the record, I don’t think it will lose either game.) Should that doomsday scenario occur, would the season still be worth playing? Or should Georgia just fire Richt and hire Kirby Smart on the spot?
Wait a second. Even at 0-2, Georgia would still have a chance to right itself. Its two toughest games would be behind it. Mississippi State has to come to Athens. Tennessee and Florida are in major flux. From 0-2, it wouldn’t be unthinkable to see the Bulldogs — who are a young team, and young teams tend to get better as they go — win nine or even 10 games. There might indeed be life after doomsday.
5. It has simply forgotten how to win. This is the biggest concern. Check Georgia’s stats from last season and you’ll get the drift. The Bulldogs outscored opponents by 130 points. They outgained opponents by 734 yards and had 10 fewer turnovers. And yet they finished with a losing record.
This happened because Georgia lost every game that was in doubt in the fourth quarter save Georgia Tech. (Another stat: Georgia outscored the opposition in each of the first three quarters on the season — but was outscored 92-68 in the fourth.) The Bulldogs shouldn’t have been 6-7, but they were. Was 2010, as Richt has suggested, just one of those bizarre years, or was it the clearest indication yet that Georgia is no longer Georgia? And if that’s the case, can even a Dream Team save this program?
By Mark Bradley
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256 comments Add your comment
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:00 pm
First?
Last year was bad from the start of the summer and carried right on through.
Arrests
No AJ
Suspensions
AD fired
Red panties
Confidence is a huge thing. That’s why Boise is dangerous. 38-2 means only 2 teams have figured out how to beat their success formula.
Here’s to 38-3
p-coal dog
August 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
did I read somewhere that georgia’s only practice in pads this week will be today. If so they will not be fundamentally sound or aggressive on Saturday. Blocking/tackeling will be horrible and the dawgs will lose.
Gbal
August 29th, 2011
2:04 pm
Hey Mark – Liked your last piece. Sounds like you are crawling back up on the fence here… leaving yourself an OUT!!! But hey.. It is your column.
This SMACK from the Boise paper ….
Georgia kick returner and cornerback Brandon Boykin (@BrandonBoykin2) posted a message to Boise State coach Chris Petersen on Twitter on Saturday:
“Dear Coach petersen, I DARE you to Kick to me…. Sincerely, Me and my #dawgs”
Boykin is the only player in Southeastern Conference history with three 100-yard plays in his career — all kickoff returns for touchdowns.
He might be in luck. Here’s what Boise State special teams coach Jeff Choate told me earlier this month about the Broncos facing three dynamic kick returners early in the season:
“We’ll have our hands full. But that’s why you do this. I don’t think we’ve ever backed down from a challenge. It should be fun.”
Mark Bradley
August 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
Kudos, DawginLex.
LHarding Dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:08 pm
You can also count me into the ranks of the optimist but after last year I might need some convincing. Beat Boise and I’ll be sky high, lose to Boise, then I just won’t know.
edumacated
August 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
Young team? How many years in a row have we heard that one. When do we get an old team?
Vance Duly
August 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
I would have added to the list with a 5a: Will Coach Bobo emphasize his offense’s strengths (whatever they turn out to be) and refuse to follow his recent trends of barf-inducing predictability in certain game situations and of dropping what IS working in favor of some weak attempt at “balance” or “spreading the wealth around”. If he grows into his OC job, we might win 10 games. If he does not, we WILL lose a game or 2 that we could have been won. GO DAWGS!
Re Boise
August 29th, 2011
2:14 pm
Didn’t Boise lose like 20 starters from last season?
Gator Mike
August 29th, 2011
2:16 pm
GO DAWGS,BEAT Boise ST. I believe that you will do it.
Hopefully both the GATORS and DAWGS will be in the hunt when we all meet in JAX.
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:17 pm
“Todd Grantham is overrated. He has a big reputation and gets paid a ton of money and gives expert (if ineffective) choke signs, but he hasn’t yet proved he’s a top-shelf collegiate defensive coordinator. (Then again, he has only been a college DC for one year.)”
Mark,
How can Richt’s 5th choice as DC, who was fired from his only other DC job be overrated? The only thing big about his reputation is his mouth. He may turn out to be as good as Van Gorder, but he hasn’t done squat yet, other than the infamous choke sign.
Herschel Talker
August 29th, 2011
2:19 pm
MB:
Here’s a 6th thing: Mark Richt continues to coach and run the ship like a boob. That will guarantee a one-way ticket out of town.
HT
Gbal
August 29th, 2011
2:21 pm
And Mark If we dont make your 10-2 prediction you know that this is truely making for the BRADLEY CURSE …. See 2010 prediction.
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2010/08/28/the-uga-season-game-by-game-nine-wins-coming-right-up/
Vance Duly
August 29th, 2011
2:21 pm
I would add one more to the list: Will Coach Bobo grow into the OC job, or will he hamper the offense with his barf-inducing predictability in certain game situations? As a part of this, will he continue to stop what IS working in favor of an ineffective attempt at “balance” or “spreading the wealth”…? Will he be innovative or get outcoached in the key games? Will he utilize the 2011 offense’s strengths (whatever they turn out to be) or stick to his tendencies? If Bobo does not grow into the OC position, Georgia may lose 1 or 2 very winnable games…… GO DAWGS!!!
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
2:21 pm
Addition through subtraction with Searles bolting as well. Was it last season that we had the most experienced O-Line in the conference for all the good that did us?
What happened with that guy? He went from being a miracle worker to a hack over the cours of a few seasons. Drinking problem? Trouble at home? Something happened.
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:22 pm
Mark,
How can Grantham be overrated? No one other than the Dawg faithful would rank him in the top 50 DC’s in the country. Heck, he was Richt’s 5th choice and he was fired from his only other stint as a DC. He may turn out to be good but he hasn’t done squat yet, other than make immature gestures from the sidelines at college kids.
John
August 29th, 2011
2:22 pm
How do you outscore opponents by 130 points, outgained opponents by 734 yards and had 10 fewer turnovers and still finish with a losing record? Run the points up on weaker Div. 2 schools and score points in “garbage time” against good schools to make the scoreboard appear respectable. Georgia scores nothing in the 1st and 2nd quarters when they need to score, then put together some scores when the opposing team goes into “prevent defense” in the 4th quarter. Go back and look at Murray stats in the 1st half compared to 2nd half against “prevent defenses”…it tells the story.
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
2:22 pm
Re Boise – I thought I read that Boise returns 13 or 14 starters from last year and that they’re almost all seniors.
David Granger
August 29th, 2011
2:22 pm
You make some good points, Mark.
I wish we weren’t making such a big deal over Isaiah Crowell. I think he’s a good player, and should be a very productive running back. (But then…I thought the same of both Washaun Ealey and Caleb King who were, respectively, 4 and 5-star recruits.) I wonder if the Georgia coaching staff is touting Crowell so much because running back is such a key position, and both our two experienced ones are gone? I think it would be much better if the only info we were getting on Isaiah Crowell is that he’s working hard, looks good at times, and we expect him to help the team…like we used to hear about Herschel, when he was a freshman.
I agree with you that A.J. Green is the best wide receiver in UGA history, but we’ve got some good ones to throw to…along with a very talented tight end. If our passing game is bad this year, I don’t think it’ll be because of the receivers.
I am still unconvinced about our defense. We were better last season, but far from good. I hope the improvement continues. At least our punting and kickoff defense was a little better.
I do worry about the team’s overall attitude. Personally, I think that Coach Richt has just let the team get away from him, discipline-wise. And when that happens, it’s hard for a coach to get it back.
The Spirit of UGA VII
August 29th, 2011
2:23 pm
I see dead people down there. No—wait!—I see coaches packing boxes at their houses and heading out of town behind moving trucks. I see fans desperately seeking Viagra and still finding no special motivation after games.
I hear huge crowds chanting—wait—yes, that’s what they’re chanting: “Fire Richt. Fire Grantham.”
I’m glad I’m up here and away from that mess. Poor Russ—he just can’t catch a break. All set to retire in Savannah, and I up and croaked on him. I hope they can strap some shoulder pads to each of his sides. There’s bound to be some kicking going on.
arx3dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:23 pm
3 non-quantitative reasons to believe that we will best Boise St.: 1. No arrests this summer. They were too busy practicing. First time since 2007…and look what they did that year. When CMR is dialed in, and he is, uga wins (mostly). 2. Everyone is basing their fear of Boise St. on that team’s performance against VT last year. It was a good win, to be sure, but they didn’t blow VT up. In fact, VT should’ve won. If we (yes, we) score 30, we win. and 3. We have better players. My biggest concerns ( Bobo and turnovers )are game time things. If we are well coached ( big if ) and we protect the ball, we win. My predicted score ( on Monday ) UGA 31, Boise St. 24.
I can't believe it
August 29th, 2011
2:23 pm
You man Mark B has overrated Georgia before? Say it’s not so!
matt r
August 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
I think #3 is the biggest concern, and very nice dropping the Mourinho reference
Just take care of business......
August 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
Just block better, run faster, and hit harder……and everything else will fall into place.
Go DAWGS!
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:00 pm
First?
Last year was bad from the start of the summer and carried right on through.
Arrests
No AJ
Suspensions
AD fired
Red panties
Confidence is a huge thing. That’s why Boise is dangerous. 38-2 means only 2 teams have figured out how to beat their success formula.
Here’s to 38-3
______________________________________________________________________________
Why is it when I bring those things up, I am a troll and moron? If you mention it, does that make you a moron too?…….Just asking.
Destin Dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
UGA was flat out of shape last year !!! lost all close games in 4th quarter… with hands on hips… corrected with new S & C and nutrition… had a few energy vampires…. gone now … Grantham and Lagatos will prove their worth… Junkyard Dawgs should be hungery Pissed off… awesome kicking game is a huge ++ … Go Dawgs !!
cantondawg
August 29th, 2011
2:24 pm
Baseball uses the terminology that momentum is only as good as your next starting pitcher. I’ll use this one for Football. Momentum is only as good as the players you have coming back and coming in. Looking at UGA, I see improvement everywhere except wr of course. QB should be better. I think RB will be better also because what we lost in experience we also lost in bad attitude and we actually gained in talent (Crowell). OL could be very good but not very deep. We just have to pray that there is no injuries. DL should see the most improvement with Jenkins and Geather stepping up. LB should also be improved and i think JJ will make people forget about Justin Houston. DB should also be very solid. In addition, this is year two of the 3-4 Todd Grantham defense and the players should be alot more familiar with it now. The first year of any defensive change is usually brutal even at Alabama.
What if?!
August 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
As a Dawg fan hate to even utter these words, but how does Murray getting injured not make the list?
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
2:25 pm
Beast from the East, if CMR didn’t think highly of Grantham, regardless of which choice # he was, he wouldn’t have gotten that fat contract. Unprecedented for a Georgia assistant to that point if I’m not mistaken. Coach Richt owns this hire, good or bad.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
2:26 pm
Here is my #6 – UGA is not the program it used to be. Something has happened and they are on a down turn.
Fish Bisch
August 29th, 2011
2:26 pm
Ga will be last in the SEC east.
Alabama | MrSEC.com
August 29th, 2011
2:27 pm
[...] in 2011.”7. Two Gators escaped injury in minor one-car accident yesterday.8. Here are five things for Georgia fans to worry about in Fall 2011.9. With the goal of getting things back to normal in Athens, Saturday’s game [...]
John
August 29th, 2011
2:27 pm
DawginLex…..Florida had a worse police record than Georgia through the Meyer era and look at their record. It’s the coaching, pure & simple….everything else is just excuses.
cantondawg
August 29th, 2011
2:28 pm
An old adage states that football is broken down into three parts….1) Offensive 2) Defensive 3) Special Teams
Coaches usually say that if you win 2 of the 3 phases of the game then you will win the game.
Our Special Teams are the best in the country so we should win that phase in every game.
Now all we have to do is win one of the other two in every game.
Athens Dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:29 pm
Boise has a new OC, lost Pettis & Young, lost some key secondary players, lost their kicker and punter…while UGA has a brand new outlook & attitude, no arrests, clean off-season, 2nd year in the 3-4…Kwame Geathers and Jenkins are the missing pieces, Crowell will shine…etc.
Somebody on here said UGA will forget how to tackle…that’s all they’ve been doing this offseason. Going full speed. It’s not like pre-seasons’ pasts where Richt used to not tackle to the ground in order to avoid injury. Richt is going all out and I think our team will too.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
2:29 pm
Number 5 on that list is my biggest concern. Do we have the leadership that can will this team to make that last drive or the heart to make that key third down stop. I t has been a few years since we have seen that.
I also remember UGA finishing games, a bad first half? Don’t worry we are a second half team, was the saying of plenty of my friends. Usually they proved right. UGA has to finish games this year strong.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:31 pm
John
Meyer goes 7-5 annually without Tebow
He left because he realized he was their Herschel
No Tebow=no titles
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:32 pm
GeoffDawg,
I agree that Richt owns the hire, but how can anyone could anyone call him overrated? Based on what’s he’s accomplished in the past? No. Based on national perception? No one outside of the region even knows who he is. Just a poor choice of words from MB in my opinion.
The General Feeling
August 29th, 2011
2:33 pm
Mutt fans are looking for anything to make them optimistic before the butt kicking come Saturday night.
5. It has simply forgotten how to win.
Well Mark, “it” is certainly a reference to Coach Richt as he has not only forgotten how to win, he no longer makes winning a priority. He has made millons of dollars and will live comfortably for the rest of his life building churches in Haiti or wherever his god takes him. Winning football games is further down his priority list.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:33 pm
Nebraska
You are labeled a TROLL because at the end of your post you would have stated
“It’s amazing how this university graduates anyone. A bunch of thugs and goons are going to beat a class act like Boise?”
The part about 38-3 would have been conveniently omitted.
See the difference?
Athens Dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:33 pm
Coach Searels leaving will be the biggest move this off-season. He had a zone blocking scheme and our players didn’t perform well at that. Will Friend is a more drive your man off the ball, straight ahead kind of coach and that’s his philosophy. Our players are built for that type of football. I can’t wait to punish Boise. I will repeat, Boise has not seen size, speed or athleticism that they will see on Saturday. They just haven’t seen it. Not from VT, not from Oregon, and sure as hell not from the WAC. They’ll find out.
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:34 pm
“No Tebow=no titles”
No Hershel=no titles.
Man, I’m glad Tebow only left 2 years ago……instead of 30!
Uga IV
August 29th, 2011
2:36 pm
Mark, you have used the word “finesse” on many occasions to describe Richt’s offense. Please define what you mean by “finesse.” Yes, the offense throws the ball, but not more than the run. Usually goes about 60-40% run to pass. Uga runs a lot out of the I-formation with some play-action, but that is not geared to finesse, IMO.
honky talkin'
August 29th, 2011
2:36 pm
Kellen Moore is going to light Georgia up for 400+ passing yds.
Boise St. 38 – UGA – 27
The General Feeling
August 29th, 2011
2:36 pm
Number 5 should be your Number 1. Richt no longer makes winning a priority. It will be his demise but not for another 2-3 seasons. But he’ll leave the team loaded with talent for the next guy.
The Reverend Baby Doctor Bedpan
August 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
4. It starts 0-2.
It?
It puts the lotion on or it gets the hose again……
You’re scaring me Bradley.
Bama In Atlanta
August 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
Here’s the reason that proper execution of Granthan’s 3-4 defense will play prominently in the outcome of UGA’s season.
From 1997 through 2009, Georgia won at least eight games every season. Bookending that streak were the 5-6 record of 1996 and the 6-7 2010 campaign.
So besides the losing records, what do the 1996 and 2010 seasons have in common for Georgia? The answer is the vulnerability of their run defense.
In 1996, the Bulldogs gave up 149.8 rushing yards per game. Last year, Georgia yielded 147.2 rushing yards per game, the most for the Bulldogs since the 1996 team.
To beef up the rushing defense, Georgia is moving last season’s starting nose guard, 6-foot-2, 306-pound DeAngelo Tyson, to defensive end to put 6-6, 350-pound sophomore Kwame Geathers in the middle of Bulldogs’ three-man line.
Shut down the Boise running game and MAKE the QB throw rather than letting him CHOOSE to throw. Yes, he’s a good QB and will make some completions but the more you force the throw the more turnovers and punts you will force as well.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:37 pm
We are going to score a lot of points. Murray is going to have quite a day. Run just enough to keep them honest.
Murray is the best offensive player we have. He has plenty of beef to protect him.
Big question is can we stop them? They spread you out and use a lot of misdirection. We have to shutdown Doug Martin. Take him out of the equation and make Moore throw it 50 times. Without a running game, we will sack him and he will fumble and throw INT’s.
Our defense is the key to this game and to our entire season.
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:38 pm
I would say that 15 or so of Georgia’s starters were wanted by every SEC powerhouse. Well, it comes down to coaching and schemes. Outsiders say that appears to be our problem. I would say this staff and team were embarrassed last year. They made a lot of changes. Some poked out lips moved on. We’ve got a chance, due to having the athletes to win them all. We’ll see.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
2:38 pm
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:33 pm
Nebraska
You are labeled a TROLL because at the end of your post you would have stated
“It’s amazing how this university graduates anyone. A bunch of thugs and goons are going to beat a class act like Boise?”
The part about 38-3 would have been conveniently omitted.
See the difference?
____________________________________________________________________________
And you glean that how?
I still fail to see how your insults are not considered trolling.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:39 pm
Beast
It’s the truth. You know it.
As each year goes by, you will agree with me more and more.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:40 pm
Because I’m in the Circle of Trust
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:42 pm
Beast……….way to bring us back to earth…As you know Florida really took off with the arrival of Sprurrier……and boy did it. We’ll give Boise all they want. We have the athletes to beat them . We’ll just have to see.
Curious George
August 29th, 2011
2:43 pm
After which of this year’s defeats with Coach Mark Richt submit his resignation?
Curious George
August 29th, 2011
2:45 pm
Due to the hideous nature of Georgia’s Nike “Pro Combat” uniforms and the betrayal of Bulldog Nations, is it really fair to compare Mark Richt’s relationship with Nike to that of Judas to the Roman Army?
Joey
August 29th, 2011
2:45 pm
So, Beast, Saban tried to hire the 50th+ best DC in ‘07? Yeah, he offered the job to Grantham, got turned down, then gave the job to Smart.
Speaking of Saban, anybody think Boykin would have pulled that Twitter BS if he played for Bama? I can’t stand that “ME” crap. Boykin might have scored a few TDs last year, but his team went 6-7.
How about win a big game before you talk smack . . .
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:45 pm
C Georgia, at about $275,000 per game, I’m sure resigning is not in his play book.
AltamahaDawg
August 29th, 2011
2:45 pm
I think the forgetting how to win is accurate for last year. But that’s different than never knew how, or can’t. It’s easy to remember. “oh yea, thats where I put it”. All you have to do is retrace your steps and focus. Not nearly as hard as having to learn or invent something new.
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:47 pm
Geathers,Jarvis Jones and Olgeltree will make a HUGH difference this year. HUGE.
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:48 pm
HUGE………..I don’t know who Hugh is….LOL
Ringleader
August 29th, 2011
2:49 pm
Terrell Davis had a bad ankle his last year. Got it in camp and never recovered. He was never able to tote the rock because of it. It was not something that Goff did.
As for Searles, he was forced to play a pass protection style of blocking rather than a straight ahead zone
blocking syle. It will be interesting to see what style we go to this fall. I do not think we should be a pass
first team, but should be more into the running game. We seem to continue to run the old FSU offense, with little to do with the power game.
Southside Dawg
August 29th, 2011
2:50 pm
Dawgs will win by 11
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:50 pm
Keep Moore running for his life all night, we win pretty easy. Let him sit back and survey the field, NFL DB’s have a tough time covering speedy wideouts.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
2:51 pm
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:40 pm
Because I’m in the Circle of Trust
_________________________________________________________________________________
?
You need to relax. Just because someone see’s the UGA program differently than you does not make them a troll. It’s possible that UGA may not have a great season. To offer that up in discussion does not make one a troll, it just means their perspective is different, and less delusional.
I’ve offered civil discourse, yet you prefer the insults. Again, way to represent UGA.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
Nice post Bama in Atlanta. Actual facts to support your argument. How refreshing indeed.
Nate the Great
August 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
@Nebraska:
1) You are not a UGA fan, so your opinion means jack squat to us. You are a Big 10 fan and they suck. You are a Nebraska fan and they are irrelevant. They haven’t been irrelevant since Osborne.
2) You never say anything positive about our program. You just throw stones and then talk about how great your Academic AAs are.
We don’t care about Nebraska and sure as sh*t don’t care about your opinion.
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
We better be able to open a hole this year. We couldn’t last year.
edumacated
August 29th, 2011
2:52 pm
Beast, your Gators have had a lot of things happen right for them over the last couple of decades, but common sense says that it can’t last forever. Just ask Florida State. Your day is coming, and Georgia will own you again. Count on it.
Curious George
August 29th, 2011
2:53 pm
Will Mark Richt be on the new season of “Dancing With the Stars?”
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:54 pm
Beast
It’s the truth. You know it.
As each year goes by, you will agree with me more and more.
DawginLex,
I disagree. I believe the Gators will have another NC this decade. I can’t say the same thing for UGA…..unless they upgrade the HC. Just my opinion.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
2:54 pm
Nebraska
Nothing about you has been civil. There are folks on these blogs who represent other teams who discuss things in a civil adult manner.
That ain’t you.
Joey
August 29th, 2011
2:54 pm
“They spread you out and use a lot of misdirection.”
***********************************
Cutting-edge football?
Hope we see some of that in our O this season. Richt promised . . .
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:54 pm
I’m thinking Orson Charles makes our young WR’s better. You gotta double Charles, which should leave a LB on a WR somewhere.
Dawg-a-licious!
August 29th, 2011
2:55 pm
Nebraska,
Have you watched “The U” 30/30 episode? Didn’t work out too well for your Cornsuckers!!!
Also, DawginLex is a true DAWGS fan. My point…..he can discuss the issues with our program. Plus….best I can remember from other folks who have tried to push his buttons….he’s a big ‘un!! You might just walk a little funny with that cornstalk up your @$$!!!!
Sic ‘em Dawgs….and DawginLex!
Boise in ATL
August 29th, 2011
2:56 pm
Good article:
1. Crowell the next Hershall – nope – never happen – there NEVER will be another Hershall Walker.
However, in the future – UGA should hope that they might find a back that might be the next I. Crowell. I think this kid will be very good.
2. WR’s could be an issue. Mitchell might be the difference maker – his speed and catching ability (if reports are true) could be just what the doctor ordered. Also – without AJ GREEN – Murray may be forced to spread the wealth – which could make the Offense more dangerous.
3. DC is overrated – time will tell. Year 1 was Year Zero – he had to install a system – and recruit players that fit the system. Just remember – SABAN went 6-6 his first year at ALABAMA – so I think UGA defense will be improved – if anything – maybe better against the run – which would be HUGE.
4.Starting 0-2 if a very real possiblity – as UGA has so many new players and issues that it may take some time to jell. USCe seems to play their best ball first half of the year – then fade or hang on as the season progresses. I think this is more probable than not.
5. Forgotton how to win? Possibly – I think the last two season were:
a. 2009 – UGA was in transition due to losses of Stafford, Moreno and others. Also, O-Line depth plagued UGA.
b. 2010 – with new D-Staff and 3-4 – the defense was in transition- and needed the offense to carry the team. problem was s&c, attitude and leadeship. the inmates were running the asylum. 13 arrests – two starting RB’s consistently in the Dawghouse and suspended various times during the season- (wonder why the fumbled or blocked poorley?) Losing AJ Green for 1st 4 games. O-Line coach not has good as advertised. I would say the program needed addtional attitude adjustments and changes – which Richt has done.
If UGA starts 0-2 – I woudl suggest Dog fans be patient and supportive. However, If UGA loses to Missisippi State, Tennessee and Florida – making a change in leadership of the program should be on the table.
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
They single cover Charles, it’ll be early Christmas. WR in a TE body. He’ll catch 15 passes for 2-3 TD’s.
Beast from the East
August 29th, 2011
2:57 pm
Beast……….way to bring us back to earth…As you know Florida really took off with the arrival of Sprurrier……and boy did it. We’ll give Boise all they want. We have the athletes to beat them . We’ll just have to see.
JB,
I have UGA picked to win Saturday and I’ll be routing for you guys! The only 3 games I want to watch are all on at the same time (LSU/Ducks, BSU/UGA and the Gators). Lots of channel swapping!
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
2:58 pm
Boise in ATL agree with you 100%
JB
August 29th, 2011
2:59 pm
Gut Check…….we ain’t starting 0-2.
Athens Dawg
August 29th, 2011
3:00 pm
Single covering Charles would be a mistake.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
3:02 pm
Dawg-a-licious!
August 29th, 2011
2:55 pm
Nebraska,
Have you watched “The U” 30/30 episode? Didn’t work out too well for your Cornsuckers!!!
Also, DawginLex is a true DAWGS fan. My point…..he can discuss the issues with our program. Plus….best I can remember from other folks who have tried to push his buttons….he’s a big ‘un!! You might just walk a little funny with that cornstalk up your @$$!!!!
Sic ‘em Dawgs….and DawginLex!
And this is civil?
You people are truly ill.
Curious George
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
Is there any truth to the rumor that Coach Richt’s mishandling of the UGA Football Team over the past year or there is due to him coming down with a severe case of “BIEBER FEVER?”
Smitty
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
There is only ONE reason why your pandering will be proven wrong. UGA is only good in one of the 3 aspects of football. When your biggest bragging spot is your kicking game, you gotta start to wonder. Put the same players in a Kentucky uniform and you would be saying they go 6-7. Name a single SEC school who has NOT improved more than UGA from last season to this season. I hear the fans’ delusional statements about new strength coach, recruiting, nutrition, Aaron Murray, etc. I just don’t see how any of that has improved enough to fill in the gaps from last season and the new ones (no AJ Green). Mark Richt has proven he can do less with more talent than any coach in the nation. As for Grantham, he’s Rex Ryan without the talent. He’s a fat loudmouth who hasn’t proven a thing. UF had a AWFUL offense last season and Grantham’s “junkpile dogs” made them look like the 2001 Rams.
Troll Power Ratings
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
@Nebraska: please see Boise in ATL for appropriate, well thought out discussion from an opponent. Yes, you are a moronic troll.
About those running backs ...
August 29th, 2011
3:04 pm
Mark, I’m not sure Richt was saying Crowell will be special. He was just saying that what they had last year wasn’t special — and that’s hard to argue.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
3:05 pm
Troll Power Ratings
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
@Nebraska: please see Boise in ATL for appropriate, well thought out discussion from an opponent. Yes, you are a moronic troll.
I can say the same for you.
Yellow Fuzz
August 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
DawgInLex:
You are such a know it all!
Hahahahahaha
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
Troll Power Ratings
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
@Nebraska: please see Boise in ATL for appropriate, well thought out discussion from an opponent. Yes, you are a moronic troll.
_________________________________________________________________________________
I can say the same for you.
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
3:06 pm
Enter your comments here
Gbal
August 29th, 2011
3:07 pm
GOOD BULETIN BOARD MATERIAL FOUND IN THE BOISE SPORTS SECTION THIS WEEKEND.
Georgia kick returner and cornerback Brandon Boykin (@BrandonBoykin2) posted a message to Boise State coach Chris Petersen on Twitter on Saturday:
“Dear Coach petersen, I DARE you to Kick to me…. Sincerely, Me and my #dawgs”
Boykin is the only player in Southeastern Conference history with three 100-yard plays in his career — all kickoff returns for touchdowns.
He might be in luck. Here’s what Boise State special teams coach Jeff Choate told me earlier this month about the Broncos facing three dynamic kick returners early in the season:
“We’ll have our hands full. But that’s why you do this. I don’t think we’ve ever backed down from a challenge. It should be fun.”
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
3:09 pm
Look who is back.
My old nemesis Yellow Fuzz
The only Tech fan who actually put up a tent outside Bobby Dodd Stadium and tried to start fights with UGA fans.
PRICELESS
5 Time National Champs Nebraska
August 29th, 2011
3:11 pm
Troll Power Ratings
August 29th, 2011
3:03 pm
@Nebraska: please see Boise in ATL for appropriate, well thought out discussion from an opponent. Yes, you are a moronic troll.
__________________________________________________________________________________
I can say the same to you.
The Reverend Baby Doctor Bedpan
August 29th, 2011
3:12 pm
Bunch of Bud Light drinking hillbillies.
Mobile Dawg
August 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
“Georgia kick returner and cornerback Brandon Boykin (@BrandonBoykin2) posted a message to Boise State coach Chris Petersen on Twitter on Saturday:
“Dear Coach petersen, I DARE you to Kick to me…. Sincerely, Me and my #dawgs””
Tell me this really didn’t happen, please. How ignorant can these kids be, were I CMR and this really did happen I guess we would be in Athens General getting my foot removed from his a$$.
Better yet, Mr. B wouldn’t get the opportunity to return kicks against BS.
ElephantEars
August 29th, 2011
3:13 pm
Well now, if I were an optimist, I’d say UGA could have easily been 9-4 or even 10-3, since UGA lost 3 games by 4 points or less (UCF, UF, UCF) and another by 7 in the last minute (Ark). Then again, Spurrier did that for YEARS at SC, and that was always his excuse.
But I’m not an optimist.
Mobile Dawg
August 29th, 2011
3:14 pm
Bud Light to classy for you Reverend?
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:16 pm
By Herschel, if you mean can we find a back who aerages better than Walker’s 5.3 yards per carry, and better than Walker’s 1 td per 20 carry ratio, yes we can, his name was Washaun Ealey.
JB
August 29th, 2011
3:18 pm
ElephantEars………Bama I assume……..Tell us about Bama between Stallings and Saban. Tell us about games forfeited……Tell us about Richt’s record against Bama while at Georgia……………….And please tell us those wins were why we were not any good…..LOL
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:19 pm
Bet Ealey’s laughin hard right now, since King left, Thomas got hurt. LB had to moved over to RB. And Richt letting Crowell play WITHOUT LEARNING PASSBLOCKING CSCHEMES.
Apparently, since Crowell’s a favorite of Richt’s, he’s going to have Aaron Murray tell Crowell what they passblocking schemes are for each passing down. (Hint defense: when you see murray talking to Crowell, it’s a pass play).
I bet Ealey wishes HE would have gotten to play without knowign the Pass Pro schemes.
Crowell’s a class favorite. Rules do not apply.
Troll Power Ratings
August 29th, 2011
3:20 pm
@BanjoBilly: Yep Washaun was awesome. Lots better than Herschel. What’s a few fumbles here or there, or an attitude problem? You nailed it. Wow, if only you were on the coaching staff.
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:21 pm
I do believe the team has forgotten how to win MB. Like D Pollack said on ESPN today, 11-10-8-6, that’s Richt’s win totals last 4 years.
that was easy
August 29th, 2011
3:24 pm
If true freshman Isaiah Crowell can come out the gate like Marcus Lattimore did at South Carolina, the offense should be good.
The defense needs to learn how to hit “real” hard all game long.
WDE
August 29th, 2011
3:24 pm
@BanjoBilly really Ealey better than HW…you just lost any credibility with anyone in the Bull Dog Nation……next troll please..
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:25 pm
Kind of thinkin Grantham just might be overrated. Key to 3-4 is NT. Had Geathers, all 6′ 5”, 345 lbs, all LAST SEASON, and OOPSIE, forgot to play him.
DUH!
JB
August 29th, 2011
3:25 pm
Big difference in knowing HOW to win and not caring if you win. That was last year. This ain’t last year. Florida and Bama in recent history returned loaded teams AFTER winning the National title. Guess what. New year. Didn’t win it again. My point, we were bad last year. Doesn’t mean so for THIS year!
Big Dawg
August 29th, 2011
3:25 pm
The General Feeling
August 29th, 2011
2:33 pm
Mutt fans are looking for anything to make them optimistic before the butt kicking come Saturday night.
5. It has simply forgotten how to win.
Well Mark, “it” is certainly a reference to Coach Richt as he has not only forgotten how to win, he no longer makes winning a priority. He has made millons of dollars and will live comfortably for the rest of his life building churches in Haiti or wherever his god takes him. Winning football games is further down his priority list.
The General Feeling,
Doing GOD’s will should be everyone’s number #1 priority and if it was there would be fewer problems in this world. As the Head Football Coach at Georgia, Coach Richt has as his first responsibilty is to teach these young men first how to be upright men, to grow into good citizens of this country by not only following after Jesus but becoming productive members of society and to set a good example. If they happen to win a lot of football games and championships that is icing on the cake so to speak. That is not to say that I don’t want these guys winning every game because I do but in the grand scheme of life in retrospect it is much more important that they become honest and trustworthy MEN of character. That is sadly missing in our society today. I wonder why, when all most people care about is winning and they don’t care how just that they do until they get caught cheating.
Go Dawgs
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:26 pm
Crowell will go up against 2 of the top 5 front 7’s in the NCAA. Good luck son, close your eyes before you get hit, it helps
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:29 pm
Marlon Brown? How many td’s at UGA? aGINST WHOM? Orson Charles–2 td’s a year—King–scores 3-4 a year. All combined don’t make up for AJ’s 9. Is Charles or T King was fo reel, why didn’t do much last year?
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
3:30 pm
BanjoBilly:
(1) “forgot to play him.” Kwame would be the first to tell you that technique wise, he didn’t know what the heck he was doing last year.
(2)”close your eyes before you get hit, it helps” Is this a Deliverance reference?
Gbal
August 29th, 2011
3:31 pm
“Georgia kick returner and cornerback Brandon Boykin (@BrandonBoykin2) posted a message to Boise State coach Chris Petersen on Twitter on Saturday:
“Dear Coach petersen, I DARE you to Kick to me…. Sincerely, Me and my #dawgs””
Smack is fine so long as you back it up on the 3rd.
Gbal
August 29th, 2011
3:32 pm
FIRST_____ Pg3
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:32 pm
MB, here’s a few more for you:
6- what if Murray STILL can’t beat a winning team this year either?
7- what if Bobo averages 15 points a game vs. ranked teams or worse (note: bobo has gotten worse there 3 years in a row, about a td a game worse, every year, for three years)?
8- what if we have 4 offensive turnovers against UF again? (note; have had 4 to’s in 2008, 2009, and 2010)
LawDawg
August 29th, 2011
3:34 pm
I’ve said it many times in comments: Terrible safeties = 3-4 is not getting a decent look until next season.
“He might be the best tight end in Bulldog annals”
Are you crazy? Captain T-Rex arms and Land-o-Lakes hands is better than McMichael (remember the hobnail boot game? Remember why we were in the red zone to begin with at the end?) and Watson and Pope? He’s barely better than Chandler and Millner at this point.
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:36 pm
MB, chance sof Crowell not being overrated is slim and none. How many RB’s under Richt at UGA? 25. How many rushed for 1000 yards? 2. Odds? 8%.
JB
August 29th, 2011
3:44 pm
Banjo silly……….you are someone that does a drive by shooting. Coming on here and slinging mud with no team attached. Tell us please what great team and coach you belong to.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
3:45 pm
JB
you are wasting your time
Don’t you recognize the stat posting TROLL?
JB
August 29th, 2011
3:46 pm
Who is he Lex?
Athdog
August 29th, 2011
3:47 pm
MB, I think the Dogs start out 2-0, as well. Agreeing with you kinda scares me.
27-14 Dogs. The WAC can’t run with us.
JB
August 29th, 2011
3:48 pm
Banjo, IF you ever watched Richt over the years, you would know he uses 3, maybe 4 backs.
Stuff that stat up you loose stool
fayncdawg
August 29th, 2011
3:48 pm
I really believe the Boise State game will decide Richt’s future. For the Dawgs to be outclassed by a team that may have two players per year getting an NFL tryout will not bode well for Richt. Hey nine months ago he lost to that kind of team and its highly doubtful that UCF is anywhere as good as Boise.
My conditional forecast for the Dawgs; loss to Boise equals no more than 6 wins! A win equal at least 9!
Swarles Barkley
August 29th, 2011
3:48 pm
BanjoBilly:
This is my one and only response to any of your comments:
You don’t know anything about football. Your stats show your fundamental misunderstanding of the mathematical principles that guide them. For instance, saying that only 2 of 25 running backs gained 1000 yards is pointless since 20 of them were never a feature running back that had enough carries to do it.
Also, as stated before, once you suggest that Ealey was a better back than Walker (or even in the same realm of running backs) disqualifies your opinion on all further matters. You don’t understand that football is more than cherry picking statistics.
Columbus
August 29th, 2011
3:49 pm
Bradley, it don’t rain in the Georgia Dome….
41-27 UGA
Bama Mike
August 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
1. Crowell will come out strong like most freshman but this is not the PAC 10 where defense is
considered flag football. How Georgia rest him throughout the season will be key. Example a
fresh Michael Dwyer for Auburn versus a physically worn down Marcus Lattimore.
2. Richts passing schemes have always been productive regardless the names of the receivers
3. Great technical line coach not sure coordinating the x & o ’s is his strength.
4. The Boise game has the same feel of Alabama vs Clemson. Bama came in very physical
and took the fight out of Clemson. First two series Boise has the ball you will know everything
about how physical the Georgia Defense will be.
5. Georgia never forgot how to win but instead created ways to lose last year. Dawgs will finish
10-2 with losses to Miss State and Tennessee.
6. Duron Carter big time transfer receiver from Ohio State cleared to play at Alabama
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
Why does Richt use 3-4 backs when his record is 40-4 when he has a back rush for over 100 yards? Did any of you watch Lattimore last year? Any of you heard of a fella named Herschel Walker? you don’t have to rotate backs, that’s dumb when your record is 40-4.
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:53 pm
MB, here’s another:
9- What if the UCF game was an indication that murray doesn’t get better wiht film study or experience?
BanjoBilly
August 29th, 2011
3:55 pm
10- What if underperforming the AP Preseaosn poll 80% years 2006-2010, yep, only 1 oout of 5 did Richt exceed expectations, ranked 4th most overrated program in the country, so what if that means Richt can’t figure out what’s wrong or else he can’t translate his solutions to the field?
WDE
August 29th, 2011
3:56 pm
@BanjoBilly who are you really your rant seems all too familiar but I’m having a little trouble placing you..well never mind it will come to me soon.
Columbus
August 29th, 2011
3:57 pm
Richt’s future does not hinge on the Boise game as far as being asked to leave. No way. Richt has one of the top 3 coachinn records in college history in the first 10 years. 6 10 win seasons OK?
As a matter of fact the Boise game will not mean anything muc hconcerning Richt’s future. Beating ALL the teams we should beat, that is what matters. McGarrity already said he want s to see improvement and that the team is heading in the right direction. After at least 9 wins this year, that will be significant improvement and the Boise game will not matter. The SEC games are the ones that matter most along with Tech and the non-conference sofites. A loss to Boise is understandable and realistic. They are # 5 in the country OK? LOL. You think Richt’s future depends on it? It would be a let down if we lost, but the team would come back focused and even if we lost the first 2, those were 2 tough opponents and no way we lose more than 2 more the rest of the way. No way.
9-3 at worst.
10-2 is very possible.
12-0 at best.
SEC East is in the bag if we beat SC. Bank on it.
Win the first 2 games and look for a 11-1 or 12-0 season.
First things first. Boise St.
41-27 UGA
joe
August 29th, 2011
3:57 pm
“continuous flux.” The definition of that word is “in a state of continuous change, passage or movement.” I’d say UF is in that category, not sure if they are moving forward or backward or both. UT on the other hand seems to be moving in the right direction under Dooley. They will be the surprise of the SEC this year…and should be a favorite next year with all those underclassmen. Best case scenario is UGA goes 1-1 in those games, but 0-2 more likely than 2-0.
Ted M
August 29th, 2011
3:58 pm
Mark,
Are you going to the game?
Alphare
August 29th, 2011
3:59 pm
Is it possible again Arron Murray cannot throw a TD? he didn’t in the last game he played.
O’Leary sure knows how to handle UGA. Peterson should watch that film again and again.
Blackberry Cobbler
August 29th, 2011
4:01 pm
We need to start at least 1-1.
And CMR needs a new hairdo.
That rooster tail up front ain’t cuttin’ it.
Columbus
August 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
6 10 win season in first 10 years as a head coach speaks for itself. Everyone has down years. Only Paterno has as good of a record in first 10 years. Not Dooley, not Saban, not Bryant, not Bowden. Saban was close but the rest were far behind. FAR behind. You guys are gettign all over what could be a college hall of fame coach. he is much better than those hall of famers in his FIRST HEAD COACHING JOB.
Get on BOBO, not Richt. Morons. UGA has as MANY SECH championship games in the last 10 years as LSU. NO other team has as many. Not Florida or Alabama. Only LSU. UGA has been in the best position with Richt than they have been since the early 80’s. Get your facts straight. look at the big picture, not the last picture. You guys think like women, in the moment, cant see the forest for the trees, and that is why you are all wrong. Richt is in the elite of coaches. How soon you forget all of the 10 win seasons. I am sure you will discredit them, but they are what they are.
AND UGA will be back on the top 10 every year the next 5 years. Write that in STONE. Little girls.
DawginLex
August 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
Murray is going to be fantastic
The blame to be cast will lie at the feet of one Mr Todd Grantham if we lose this game.
Boise in ATL
August 29th, 2011
4:09 pm
SWITCHING THE SUBJECT: It seems to me that GT should have been accepted back in the SEC.
1. If anything – it is the heart of the SEC and with the airport – very favorable.
2. With so many SEC schools represented in the Atlanta region – it would be great to catch a TN/GT game – or FL/GT or Auburn/GT or LSU/GT or AL/GT. Seems that these games would sell out.
3. GT has a storied history with SEC – and storied history with Heisman and Dodd – that’s college football royalty from tradition perspective.
I understand that Coach Dodd had issues with scholarships following players – and Alabama and Mississippi changing votes when GT/Dodd arrogantly stated they would leave the SEC if they did not get their way. From what I understand – they thought they could be another Notre Dame – being independent – but the Falcons soon arrived – and divided corporate support – etc.
So – If SEC expands – it seems B10 will follow – and going into the ATL market would be huge. (Ohio STATE/GT, Michigan/GT, Penn State/ GT, NE/ GT, WI/GT) follow my drift> This would open up the south to B10 recruiting and big time exposure.
Whats the deal – totally close off the ATL market to the SEC.
ATL is the hub and capital of college football – heck – the college football hall of fame is moving here.
Your thoughts – besides that you hate GT.
Blackberry Cobbler
August 29th, 2011
4:22 pm
Boise in ATL–
One goal behind expansion is to grow the conference market (TV, geographically, etc.) and financially.
Georgia Tech, a school that can’t fill a 45,000 seat stadium and a far distant second to the flagship institution in it’s own state, would do neither.
Bama Mike
August 29th, 2011
4:22 pm
For some reason this game has the same feel as the Alabama-Clemson game a couple of years ago.
Alphare
August 29th, 2011
4:23 pm
Boise, if Tech didn’t leave, can you imagine what Tech would be? So that’s a big mistake.
Tech still holds more SEC titles than UGA although they left 50 years ago.
Tell The Truth
August 29th, 2011
4:24 pm
5 things may derail UGA……
1. Injuries
2. Depth
3. Injuries and Depth
4. Depth and injuries
5. An 0-2 start.
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
4:27 pm
Alphare, you’re full of crap. Georgia has 12 SEC titles, behind only Alabama and Tennessee. Tech had 5 when they left.
UGA Insider
August 29th, 2011
4:27 pm
This team is going to have a nasty defense. Our speed and size are impressive. How do I know? I have seen a practice or two.
UGA 44 Boise 10 in a snoozer.
UGA is back on the map.
Paul in NH (formerly RDU)
August 29th, 2011
4:29 pm
Mark,
I am a little surprised that you quoted Jose Mourinho – that egotist was talking about himself. If he was going to call anyone the Special One he should have been talking about Leo Messi. And I can’t see anyone from UGA copying Mourinho in his latest escapade.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/aug/18/jose-mourinho-violence-barca-failure
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 29th, 2011
4:29 pm
Lose to Boise and you can guarantee a loss to S.C and then the coaches have lost the team and 7-5 will be at best what UGA does
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
4:30 pm
Everyone like to take a dig at UGA for the UCF game but plenty of schools lay eggs in bowl games that the kids have no interest in participating in. A 6-6 unmotivated UGA team playing a upstart UCF program that is coached by th eformer head of GT. That was the perfect storm of sorts for UGA to get beat as they showed. Sure UGA had issues last year but if you are not discerning enough to understand how that bowl game lose happened then you obviously cannot understand the psychology that football also intails.
Tell The Truth
August 29th, 2011
4:32 pm
Let’s make one thing clear. MSU is going to be pretty good. If they beat Auburn in Auburn they will be very confident team by the time they arrive in Athens.
Just trying to be a realist and not a biased homer.
cubs fans=dawg fans
August 29th, 2011
4:32 pm
this blog sounds like april on the north side of chicago.
PTC DAWG
August 29th, 2011
4:34 pm
still good to know how much the Rival fans care. You guys keep posting, it warms my heart.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
4:34 pm
Truth,
The MSU game is one I am worried about. Easy to point out that this team hasnt one in Athens since 1900 or whatever it is, but they also are keenly aware of that stat also. They are well coached by Mullen and he will have those boys highly motivated to end that streak. That is a danger game for sure.
4 whom the bell trolls
August 29th, 2011
4:35 pm
Clank
Xspot
August 29th, 2011
4:35 pm
Truly, if you look at the season, it comes down to 5 games, the ones against the ranked teams, specifically:
Boise, SC, Miss St, Aub, Fl
If you ocnsider how we did last year against ranked teams, here’s what you can expect from Murray:
0-1 td’s against 4 of the teams, and 3 against 1
That’s a ocncern.
Poor kid only threw 6 of his 24 td’s against ranked teams.
And yes, the UCF outght to have been his best game, with weeks to study, and lots of experience to draw on, but turned out to be his worst game.
perplexing to say the least.
fayncdawg
August 29th, 2011
4:38 pm
With all due respect Columbus;
If the Dawgs are on the wrong end of that 41-27 score (or worse), that’s just totally unacceptable! I’ll slightly understand a close loss, BUT NOT A BLOWOUT! Boise is a team of 2 and 3 star players that are a lot smaller AND slower than any decent SEC team! Only reason you get outclassed by this team is because the coaching is very sub par! My advice to CMR: don’t play this game like they did against UCF!
lowcountry bulldog = dr phil
August 29th, 2011
4:40 pm
you cannot understand psychology?
please, give us a break. i have inside knowledge that the entire coaching staff was telling the players this game was won just by showing up. what kind of deep seated psychological knowledge do we need to understand that? we dont.
your job as a coach is to make sure that your team plays every down of every game as hard as it can. there are no excuses. even field goal jesus should understand that it says in the bible he who is faithful in the small things will be given greater things….
but then field goal jesus’s bible also says “he that inventeth the perfect game plan shall be forgiven all sins and shall not be blamed should thy players fail to execute’
we are tired of the religious smoke screen and excuses. richt gets the job done, he should stay. if he doesn’t, he needs to go. it’s that simple.
techfan
August 29th, 2011
4:41 pm
So – If SEC expands – it seems B10 will follow – and going into the ATL market would be huge.
I think that is what most Tech fans would want. We fit much better in the B10 then we would in the SEC and we would make more money in the long run. Plus going to the Big House or the Horse Shoe for games would be awesome.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
August 29th, 2011
4:42 pm
I just love how Murray gets the blame yet a coaching staff that had 4 starters for the NFL on offense; Stafford Greene Moreno and Mo Mass couldnt even score a point against AL in the first half and was down 31-0
WOW
Yea Murray is to blame for 2-8 vs FL as well
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
August 29th, 2011
4:45 pm
Well sportsfans the talking season is over for the might UGA dawgs and now they have to play and that is a problem. You have the punkazz return man that has done nothing in his career running that dawg mouth much like the fans. Pitiful at best and shows the character of the HC. Las Vegas doesn’t see your dogs being the team you think but then again what can you say about the greates football team in America from March until August. USCe is going to spank your behind and make you like it. Start taking up a collection for the Rev Richt for his buyout because the guy is done.
Xspot
August 29th, 2011
4:48 pm
Well, most of the time, Bobo has done well in scoring, against ranked teams. Not so with Murray.
Xspot
August 29th, 2011
4:50 pm
Murray did have 10 starts back, the msot experienced O-Line in the NCAA, 2 future NFL receivers, and loads of expeirence and talent at RB, and he couldn’t really score against ranked teams (Auburn exception and their pass defense was about the worst in the country)
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 29th, 2011
4:50 pm
Your inside knowledge is a crock then. Also save us with the biblical quotes on a sports blog and take your Anti-Richt garbage somewhere else. Take your quarter and call someone who flippin cares. Inside info my butt.
Dawg-a-licious!
August 29th, 2011
4:50 pm
Nebraska,
It’s all in good fun! But we UGA fans are truly ill…..Dawg-itis!!!!!
GeoffDawg
August 29th, 2011
4:58 pm
techfan – that would be a weird conference geographically speaking. Would you really want to be in a position to travel that far for every conference away game? Your players would qualify for Delta platinum status by the end of the year.
Paul in NH (formerly RDU)
August 29th, 2011
5:00 pm
Columbus
August 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
6 10 win season in first 10 years as a head coach speaks for itself. Everyone has down years. Only Paterno has as good of a record in first 10 years. Not Dooley, not Saban, not Bryant, not Bowden. Saban was close but the rest were far behind. FAR behind
———-\
1st 10 years as HC
Mark Richt 96-34
Richt has a great record but he falls a little short of these 4 guys
Urban Meyer 104-23
Tom Osborne 96-24-2
Joe Paterno 94-18-1
Barry Switzer 96-17-3
GatorGus
August 29th, 2011
5:01 pm
Keep Richt & Murray, they’re both winners! Keep the faith UGA fans, you got yourself winners there!
fLRDAfAN
August 29th, 2011
5:03 pm
Stay with Richt & Murray, winners all the way! Don’t fire them, please.
atlvol55
August 29th, 2011
5:12 pm
Should be a great game. While that bowl game was about as ugly as it gets for UGA, I look for them to play well on Sat. I’m guessing the dome is going to be deafing come Sat. night. I’m not sure Boise is going to know what hit them. I’m think UGA comes out white hot, builds a lead, and then holds on late for a great game.
This is one time I will root for the dawgs. Go Vols
Thom Thumb
August 29th, 2011
5:12 pm
You forgot to mention if Aaron Murray loses his shoe lifts.
Thom Thumb
August 29th, 2011
5:13 pm
You forgot to mention what would happen if Aaron Murray loses his shoe lifts.
ga gator
August 29th, 2011
5:15 pm
Of the 5 I would fear only that Grantham could be overrated. He gave up over 30 to the worst Gator offense since 1990.
Craig Kimbrel
August 29th, 2011
5:17 pm
Why is there no buzz about UGA football?
MM
August 29th, 2011
5:21 pm
Exactly what I have been saying all along, BAMA, Fl, Auburn, and now maybe South Carolina expect to win, UGA does not.
ActuaryDawg
August 29th, 2011
5:25 pm
I’ve read where Herschel Walker and Jared Zabransky will be honorary captains at Saturday’s coin toss. My prediction, Zabransky throw the coin in the and before he can call it, Dannell Ellerbe comes out of nowhere for pick.
John
August 29th, 2011
5:37 pm
Crowell & the other members of the “dream team” will do well until he’s coached up by Georgia coaches, just like the many other players that are mediocre at UGA then go on to the NFL. O. Charles is a great talent, but your QB is 5′10 and can’t see over the middle, and you wonder why he is rarely thrown to? Charles will be a great late round pick, because his numbers will never be good at UGA but he’ll do well in the pros.
chickenman
August 29th, 2011
5:37 pm
CROWELL FOR HEISMAN
techfan
August 29th, 2011
5:41 pm
@GeoffDawg, I think it would work. We are nearing the end of regional conferences anyways. Ann Arbor and Columbus are closer to Atlanta then College Station and Fayeteville are to Athens. It’s really just the difference in flight costs which wouldn’t be that terrible a few times a year.
CHDawg
August 29th, 2011
5:42 pm
Mark, Mark, Mark…don’t chicken out on that forecast! You should have predicted Dome to Dome to Dome and Richt’s first NC! You would have gone down as the guy who predicted it all–now you are backtracking and covering 6 with this terrible piece. I am so disappointed at your backtracking. Also, remember that we have several capable TBs–Samuel isn’t the same player he was two years ago. This was your chance at stardom, Mark, especially since most of the talking sports heads are predicting another bad year for the Dawgs–Mark this post, Mark!
atlvol55
August 29th, 2011
5:43 pm
Really look forward to this game. While UGA really played poorly in that bowl game, I think Boise may be a little shell shocked come Sat. I think the dome will be deafening. I look for UGA to come out white hot, get a big lead, and hold on late.
This is once I will be rooting for the dawgs. Go Vols
CHDawg
August 29th, 2011
5:44 pm
Mark, Mark..this was your chance at stardom. You should have predicted Dome to Dome to Dome! They would have signed you to a million $$ contract at ESPN when we win it all. Mark this post, Mark.
Autiger83
August 29th, 2011
6:19 pm
Heres one thing that could undo the dawgs…Auburn shows up and whips that puppy arse.
SEC Facts Finder
August 29th, 2011
6:20 pm
************************This is to any fan of any school in the SEC*****************************************
If you are true fan of any school in the SEC, you should be hoping that UGA beats Boise St, or LSU beats Oregon. Why? Because removing those two schools from the overall national title hunt early allows other schools within the conference a better opportunity to get to the title game. The deck is already stacked against the conference with The former Big 12 minus Nebraska. Texas and Oklahoma have a much easier time getting there without playing any schools( outside of FSU for Oklahoma) that will impose a great challenge. Secondly, if UGA beats a Boise St, any school that plays UGA and wins or loses is aided in the computer polls with strength of schedule and built in dynamics. The same goes for LSU beating Oregon.
I had much rather see every school win every game outside the conference, and challenge each other during conference games. That will not happen but we can hope and pray that will happen.
The Boise St. fans, Oregon fans and those outside the conference have a right to talk smack. Let the play on the field do your talking for you and we can all sit back and just smile as the teams match up with the other conferences throughout the season and post wins.
Good luck to all your teams.
juice sourcer
August 29th, 2011
6:22 pm
I they lose to South Carolina which they will..season over…look at the past history when they lost to Carolina.
LakeDawg
August 29th, 2011
6:22 pm
What is this, “rain on the parade” day at the AJC?
Seriously #5 is my biggest concern. The concern is does CMR truly believe he can win again. Confidence is a funny thing. It can leave you and when it does you can’t hide it. If CMR isn’t confident, then the players will pick up on that, no matter the platitudes he mouths.
Nub
August 29th, 2011
6:26 pm
It’s go for broke time…. Win the east or start calling Chuckie after the cocks game!!!
juice sourcer
August 29th, 2011
6:29 pm
I take it back after looking at the schedule…only 4 road games against nothing teams….a bowl subdivision team…or whatever the stupid name is…could win 7 games with this schedule.
Destin Dawg
August 29th, 2011
6:29 pm
We have Hutson Mason and Christian Le May and even Nick Marshall all great QB.s
Destin Dawg
August 29th, 2011
6:32 pm
UGA 31. Boise State 17.. UGA 24. S.C. 17… project ” Dome to Dome “.. we’ll win 3 in Atlanta this season … Go Dawgs !!
Prozac Dawg
August 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
@Boise in ATL,
Good post @ 2:56 (I think). Nice observations and no badmouthing.
Tell The Truth
August 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
Are we going to be able to run the ball effectively against Boise and USC? That is the telling story to be told on saturday and a week from saturday.
Begin Construction
August 29th, 2011
6:56 pm
Boise State 55, Georgia 17.
The start of a looooooong season and the beginning of the end for Mark Richt, thank goodness.
Not the pause that refreshes
August 29th, 2011
6:59 pm
The UGA homers are keeping the Kool-Aid factories working 24/7, I see.
Old Gold and White Fan
August 29th, 2011
7:12 pm
Get ready all you fans of muttsville……your season well end no better than 8-4. Out of Boise, SC, Miss St and Tech you’ll go down on 3 of them and no doubt at least 1 other in there along the way. Yeah, yeah….I can hear you all now, “no way in HELL we’re gonna loose to the nerds”, or my all time favorite, “we run this state”. To which I say, “whatever”. A UGA team that went 6-7 last year ranked in preseason top 25???…..over rated as usual. Just how big is the still where you make all that Kool-Aid you folks drink?
Mr. Tater head
August 29th, 2011
7:15 pm
UGA will be burnt toast in their ghetto gear!
Prozac Dawg
August 29th, 2011
7:16 pm
I suffered through watching the 2010 BS – VT game a few days ago just to see if I could calm my nerves re: BS defense.
Their running back (Martin) seems to be the real deal. He’s got a good burst.
I can’t say that I was impressed with the BS O line as much as I was unimpressed with the VT defense. They looked lost and confused. The VT D line finally woke up in the second half and looked better.
The BS D line looked disciplined and played their positions well. Again the VT O line took time for their meds to kick in.
Last year’s game is only relelvant because so BS returns so many starters.
I see the weak spots in BS as the O line ends and the BS secondary.
@Insider,
Don’t give me false hope about our D. I only have so many meds I’m allowed to take.
I think after the first couple of series by each team I will have a much better idea of how many meds I really will need
oompa loompa dawg
August 29th, 2011
7:17 pm
will the midget wear the G gloves?
potato galore
August 29th, 2011
7:20 pm
Boise has a nasy t D. They swarm to the ball. Something UGA hasnt done in a long time. Granthams choke signs wont get it done Im afraid.
Prozac Dawg
August 29th, 2011
7:24 pm
@potato,
They did play their position well.I think I might be up for some kind of award for watching that whole game. I need some Kool Aid
dogdawg
August 29th, 2011
7:25 pm
Yea I agree CMR has forgotten how to win BIG.Could it be the rest of the league has figured out his game plan?The last 3 years it seems the players were not prepared.They came out got punched in the mouth and didn’t punch back!I’m going to the game hope that was one of his changes this year.We will see.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 29th, 2011
7:30 pm
% times Nebraska,
Just exactly why are you on this blog at all, if you are truely a Nebraska fan and not actually a Tech. fan as a lot of people of your ilk are?
The definition of a troll is below.
“troll” refers to an online personality that uses his/her anonymity to “bait” users or turn valid discussions into full-blown arguments.
That about describes you perfectly.
excuse # 9
August 29th, 2011
7:32 pm
Murray wore gloves.
DawgDad
August 29th, 2011
7:32 pm
“Given that Green was the greatest wide receiver in Georgia history”
Cough, cough. Great wide receivers DON’T GET SUSPENDED for stupidity. The team is more important than any one player. When his team needed him last year, he wasn’t there.
Win P
August 29th, 2011
7:33 pm
Lots of references to Boise’s #5 pre season ranking. I remember a pre season ranking of #1 for UGA (2008). That turned out to be a non indicator of the season. Have the “raters” improved…I doubt it.
Ray Goof
August 29th, 2011
7:34 pm
Can I come back now?
POOPDAWG
August 29th, 2011
7:38 pm
BC, it will not be as long of a season as YOUR long saturday night!
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2011
7:39 pm
“…could have easily been…”
If it was so easy, why didn’t it happen?
CHDawg
August 29th, 2011
7:43 pm
Oompa, Midget? Let’s see, Moore is an inch shorter and 20 pounds lighter, almost a half second slower in the 40. I think Murray can make it…gloves or no.
Sec fan
August 29th, 2011
7:51 pm
Uga will win this game by double digits and I hate uga.
Mr . Peterson
August 29th, 2011
7:59 pm
Richt will now face a real game day coach in Peterson. Richt will look up at the jumbotron and run his fingers through his hair while looking clueless. Richt cant adjust on the fly cuz its gonna get nasty!
CarefulNow
August 29th, 2011
8:05 pm
Prior to the season is no time to make “serious predictions”; it is time to have a little fun. One might as well use a flip of the coin for the first two games. The coin tossing is as likely to produce correct results as the “careful silliness” of trying to predict having never seen any of these teams play a single down. But it’s fun anyway. Some games, one doesn’t need a coin. For the ones that do, just assign each team a coin side and …flip away. You are likely to do no worse than merely guessing….
so here goes….Uga beats Boise State and loses to South Carolina.. That’s what the coin revealed.
Sorry…..but the coin doesn’t provide scores.
Worm
August 29th, 2011
8:08 pm
Ken Malcome to transfer.
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2011
8:08 pm
Before anybody is deemed to be the New Herschel, ask yourself these 2 questions:
Can he run 100 yards in 9.4 seconds?
Can he carry the ball 40 times in a game?
Fran who?
August 29th, 2011
8:15 pm
I just watched the 2001 Tennessee game at Knoxville. Tennessee scored on a screen pass with 42 second left to go up by four. Mark Richt didn’t change expressions. He didn’t change expressions 37 seconds later when David Greene hit Verron Haynes on the “Hobnail Boot” play. Nobody complained that he was not emotional enough then, or the next year when he won the SEC and finished 3rd in both polls. Georgia hit a plateau. Richt took steps to right the ship. Georgia will win AT LEAST 10 games this year–starting with Saturday night in the Dome. 37-24. DAWGS on top!
Fan of the Game
August 29th, 2011
8:21 pm
There will never be another Herschel. There are not many kids out there today that have the physical makeup with work ethic, mental sharpness, academics and mainly the great attitude that Herschel had.
Tech Buzz
August 29th, 2011
8:24 pm
grantham can’t coach a lick, but he’s good with the choke sign!! keep it up todd!!
Delbert D.
August 29th, 2011
8:26 pm
Fan of the Game – Thanks for that. I didn’t include all of those attributes because it would be demoralizing to the “New Herschel” awaitees who have been kneeling with their hands clasped for so long.
OldFan
August 29th, 2011
8:34 pm
Backing away nicely, Mark. Four out of five will happen. UGA better, but they ain’t 10-2. And, they will lose the first two.
bigcalidawg
August 29th, 2011
8:38 pm
Vance Duly
August 29th, 2011
2:13 pm
I would have added to the list with a 5a: Will Coach Bobo emphasize his offense’s strengths (whatever they turn out to be) and refuse to follow his recent trends of barf-inducing predictability in certain game situations and of dropping what IS working in favor of some weak attempt at “balance” or “spreading the wealth around”. If he grows into his OC job, we might win 10 games. If he does not, we WILL lose a game or 2 that we could have been won. GO DAWGS!”
ABSOLUTELY……there is a time to be a mathematician (statistician) and a time to have the gut instinct to just go for the jugular. How many times over the years has Bobo given the defense a chance to collect themselves when we clearly have the advantage in a given area?
That balanced attack worked extremely well with David Greene, or even with an abundance of talent at ones disposal, but sometimes you just need to be football smart and stay off the chart……….
Reminds me of when I have ubertalented teams in my PS NCAA dynasty. Hell…..I can run anything and be successful, but sometimes, you gotta do like that Mississippi State Coach that beat our as* last year and just figure out what’s workin’ and ride that horse all day……..
Dr. Phil
August 29th, 2011
8:45 pm
I just wonder how other players feel about “the special one?”
MarineDog
August 29th, 2011
8:46 pm
For any of those that are interested; they are replaying the Boise St./Virginia Tech game on ESPN Classic.
charl. dawg
August 29th, 2011
8:48 pm
Seems to me the negative fourth quarter stat regarding our defense shows our lack of size on the defensive line last year. Tyson played out of position. He play valiantly, but out of position. When the fourth quarter roled around UGA’s defense got destroyed up front. With a 3-4 defense our line operated like a good 1-AA defense. No depth. The addition of big beef in the middle should make a huge difference.
z
August 29th, 2011
9:03 pm
If UGA lose, it will be because of poor OL play. Their recent OL recruiting has consisted of begging hurt, small school linemen, and brothers of hurt, small school to show up in Athens.
Friend will reverse that, but it may be too late, At least the next HC will have something to work with.
Tom, Resident Georgia Fan
August 29th, 2011
9:09 pm
Key stat: We were outscored 92 – 68 in the fourth last year. Why? Because we were soft, out of shape. that has changed. We’ll surprise the hell out of the SEC. Book it!
Fro
August 29th, 2011
9:14 pm
Folks, say what you want to, but it comes down to your QB making big play sin big game sin the SEC EAST. That’s just the way it is. tebow delivered. Garcia delivered last year. Murray didn’t get it done last year. I wonder how many losses until Hutson Mason is put in to rescue the season. If you’re losing, look at your leadership. And take a close look at the guy who touches it most, the QB. Winless against winning teams, not near what UGA is all about. We can do better.
Frodo
August 29th, 2011
9:20 pm
It ain’t real hard to beat Herschel’s production, he got what 5.27 a carry, and scored bout every 20 touches. Washaun Ealey beat both of those in his time at Georgia. Herschel just got 2x more carries than Ealey. Only diff is Dooley knew where to keep handing the ball off to and rewarded results, Bobo, likes spreading it around to guys who can’t score. Ealey had 11 td’s folks on 157 carries. Only 4 RBs’ in the NCAA scored 11 td’s on @150 carries. Ealey was one of them. King? 2 td’s. come on man.
Samuel or Crowell together might get close to 11 td’s, hopefuly as a tandem they can replace Ealey’s 11 td’s (I doubt it since Ealey outscored te entire team of rb’s last year by 2x).
But, hey, when you waste your talent, it transfers to other managers.
KRod
August 29th, 2011
9:21 pm
Ain’t look sunny this year.
dap01
August 29th, 2011
9:29 pm
Jeff Schultz would celebrate UGA having a difficult year. He would spit out an article a day.
Paul in NH (formerly RDU)
August 29th, 2011
9:34 pm
Delbert,
You needed to modify your second question as to whether someone is the new Herschel.
Can he carry the ball 40 times in a game when everyone on the field is expecting him to carry it?
Dawg Whisperer
August 29th, 2011
9:39 pm
Aaron Murray is a gamer and he will be the difference. No, it’s not deep but the UGA defense and Murray will be the difference. Murray will “will” UGA to victory. Thanks, Tampa, Fl. You’ve been kind to Richt and UGA. If the gators had Murray instead of UGA, Bradley would have reversed his poll position of these two schools.
FLA DAWG
August 29th, 2011
9:42 pm
Hi Mark,
Well my friend another UGA season is at our throats!
I’m sorry but despite a relatively easy (overall) schedule I think The Dawgs lose a minimum of 4 games and here’s why – correlating to your well made points.
1. Even if Crowell becomes another Walker we don’t have the O Line that blocked for him. Please remember that Richt is a passing oriented HC which means the O Line is used to pass blocking and has shown its below average run blocking – a HUGE difference for UGA from Pre-Richt days.
2, AJ was an even greater talent than most realize but they will within the next five years. Durham was underused and underated and therefore a second set of experienced hands will be sorely missed.
3. Grantham. This guy had a great opportunity placed into his hands along with alot of money. Regrettably it appears he’s not been worth the money. One can argue about his gameplan but no one can dispute his D players were out of position and unable to tackle to the caliber of SEC D players. And how many points did we give up – Martinesque!
4. Mark, Mark, Mark……………you think The Dawgs will win both initial games……….but if they don’t they could still win the rest………!? Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhhh, no.
At best they will go 1-1 and certainly lose to UF. If we couldn’t beat them last year in the annual AWAY GAME then I see no reason why one should believe we’ll beat them this year.
5. Bingo! They have forgotten how to win and Richt has – by omission I believe, taught them how to lose. All one needs to recall is the last game The Dawgs played. The absolute resignation by most players on the field during the post season game against UCF was as profound in loss as the Masterful gameplan and player executionand Victory by The Dawgs against ND in New Orleans in 1980.
Of course the above is just my opinion and I’m just a ‘79 alum wanting to be able to wear my G hat again.
FLA DAWG
Class of ‘79
KRod
August 29th, 2011
10:01 pm
Th way i see it, if Murray could beat a winning team, why did he go 0-6 as the QB/leader last year?
KRod
August 29th, 2011
10:01 pm
How you figure Murray is a “gamer”? Against who? Idaho State?
IC Rules
August 29th, 2011
10:13 pm
IC will light it up for huge yards against that weak boise D—Murray throws a couple of TDs and the dawgs win easy—34-13.
Go Power Rangers
August 29th, 2011
10:16 pm
The last time we played in red pants we won a national title.
Najarian
August 29th, 2011
10:18 pm
6-7 last year and you expect 10-2. Good grief are you clueless. They will have 2 losses after week 2. Yeah rely on a freshman to run. That formula works about 10% of the time. Passing game will suffer and all that hype Murray has heard over the offseason will affect him. Sophmore slump. 6-6 again. Maybe with luck, 7-5
Dan
August 29th, 2011
10:19 pm
Wow so you pick uga to win 2 games they are underdogs in? Good luck with that.
Boise Bob
August 29th, 2011
10:23 pm
Yeah that boise d never faced any good running backs. VT didn’t have anyone drafted at that position last year in the nfl. Oh wait, they had TWO drafted!
KRod
August 29th, 2011
10:32 pm
Little tip for Mike Bobo:
If your QB is ranked LAST in th NCAA in passing accuracy in the 4th quarter, barely completes 50%, and only threw a 4th qrtr td 4x in 13 games, you might want to get a new QB or run the football.
Go Power Rangers
August 29th, 2011
10:33 pm
Boise Bob, it is foolish to compare games even within the same season. Let alone the first game you played last year.
bitter dawgs fan
August 29th, 2011
10:33 pm
bradley–you can make my good day seem glum–me————dude were 5 days away and your
——–negitive as—s has all hate–in trolls—bamma nation, nebraska nation–ect
————all the typical hate==ers love your site——————–your as bad as CRAVELL
———————–you should write for south beach———–there used to being kick lately
——————————-hahahahahah—-bradley take a hand full of viagra dude—learn to be positive
DAWGBONE
August 29th, 2011
11:20 pm
“Coach Searels leaving will be the biggest move this off-season. He had a zone blocking scheme and our players didn’t perform well at that. Will Friend is a more drive your man off the ball, straight ahead kind of coach and that’s his philosophy. Our players are built for that type of football. I can’t wait to punish Boise. I will repeat, Boise has not seen size, speed or athleticism that they will see on Saturday. They just haven’t seen it. Not from VT, not from Oregon, and sure as hell not from the WAC. They’ll find out.”
Athens Dog hit it right on…Boise is way over rated playing in a week conference and racking up big yet meaningless stats against the WAC. I remember 2005 Boise came to Athens and all I heard was how their high powered offense was gonna tear us up. Just in case you forgot what happened here is a five minute reminder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syu8jx_BA94
Fast forward to 2008 and hear the hype from Mark “I hate Georgia” May blah, blah, blah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJXR7QSWey0
Just tell me people, what did both opposing QB’s have in common? Yes, they both lost….convincingly! They also got hit so hard, so many times they were knocked out of the game.
Quit buying into the hype…again. Georgia will dominate and it will not be close. Their QB will not last through the 3rd quarter….
Now, playing SC the following week – that will be a slobber knocker and anybody’s game. Hoping for 2-0 but 1-0 is a lock!
DAWGBONE
AceDawg
August 29th, 2011
11:22 pm
The Dawgs have a strong team on paper. With good coaching and a bit of luck as far as injuries go, they could be a BCS team. Just ask yourself if Aaron Murray could be great this year. Ask yourself if the UGA defense will be strong. If you say yes to both, why not expect big things and leave it to the coaching to deliver? Richt, I am worried, but I’ll give you a new shot this year. Go Dawgs!
dan
August 29th, 2011
11:24 pm
So here is what I’m thinking for the upcoming UGA Football season:
The Dawgs will drop the first two games to Boise State and South Carolina to start season 0-2. Everyone will be losing their minds and calling for Richt’s immediate dismissal, which of course won’t happen. UGA will then go on a 9 game winning streak with one of those wins being over a crappy Florida team. There may be a chance that at this point in the season; South Carolina will have lost 2 conference games because they are South Carolina, and well… choking is what they do. So should the Dawgs clinch the East vs. Kentucky, they will probably be looking ahead to the SEC title game. This means they’ll probably slop around vs. an inferior Tech team and lose.
So with a dominant 9-3 record,the Dawgs will limp into the GA Dome with zero momentum for the SEC title game. They will then proceed to get the ever living tar beat out of them by either Alabama or LSU.The Dawgs will then finish the season with a meaningless win over a Big 10 team in the Outback Bowl for a final 10-4 record. This will no doubt convince the idiot UGA donors that Richt has righted the ship( which of course is nothing more than a temporary aberration). Richt may even getting a contract extension; further prolonging the agony that is UGA football.
KRod
August 29th, 2011
11:46 pm
There’s a few problems wit that scenario. Agree on 1st 2 loss’s to Boise/SC.
1- Richt’s record is 2-8 vs. UF, that’s an L for loss #3
2- Richt went 0-5 vs. ranked teams in 10′, 2-8 last 2 years, loss’s #4 to Aub or MSU
3- Assuming richt will beat Kentucky & Tech & Tenn and go 3-0, only beat all 3 once in 5 years, 4 out 5 season losses 1-2 of these 3
4- Richt loses more games than the yar before 7 out of last 8 seaosns, 87%
87% chance loses 7 games and goes 5-7. 13% chance Richt goes 7-5 or better.
z
August 29th, 2011
11:48 pm
Gee, Go Power Rangers, we really won a National Titile under Donnan?
Go figure, we wore ugly red pants in one of JD’s bowl games
gcs
August 30th, 2011
12:12 am
1. Isaiah Crowell is overrated. He is a fine player but he is a freshman and FAR from being Herschel. UGA fans are heaping too much hope on his shoulders.
2. A.J. Green and Kris Durham prove irreplaceable. Losing a once in a generation player like AJ is quite a blow. But losing Durham too might be a bit much to overcome.
3. Todd Grantham is overrated. Todd who?
4. It starts 0-2. Don’t scoff. It very well could happen.
5. It has simply forgotten how to win. I don’t think this team has the mindset or work ethics to win big. They are good at talking and pumping themselves up though!
Mike
August 30th, 2011
12:49 am
Mark,
there is only one reason your prediction could be undone and that is #3 on your list…the defense. UGA’s offense has not forgotten how to put points on the board over the last two seasons. They just couldnt put as many points up as Stafford and Moreno which is the only reason the 2008 team didnt end up with a 6-7 win regular season. Joe Cox’s UGA team in 2009 would have ended in a losing record if he wasnt able to outscore South Carolina, Arkansas, and Auburn. They scored over 30 against UK and still lost. Aaron Murray set an SEC freshman record last year, but the defense gave up a game winning play against Arkansas, 24 pts against a sorry Miss St. offense, 30 points to an even worse UF offense, and 30 pts to an even WORSE Colorado offense. Then they couldnt stop Cam Newton past the first quarter…not even once.
If Richt started his tenure with this type of defense, he would have been lucky to last longer than Jim Donnan did. The defense is what needs fixing. All else is media hype and just not looking at the facts.
Reality Dawg
August 30th, 2011
1:21 am
I’m back! I will be giving all Dawg fans he’ll again this year. Last year I actually made a guy cry on this blog.
MB:
Your predictive abilities are notable for how frequently you are wrong. My favorite Bradley forecast: “Braves in 6 and pitching is why”. The braves promptly lost the ‘91 World Series in 7. The Dawgs will be 8-4 thus year and Richt will still be in Athens this time next year.
tom
August 30th, 2011
3:41 am
Well, here we go with trying to make the Dog’s loss to Boise State ok kinda. Eric Z on the radio states the Dog’s winning would be great, but if they lose it is not a big deal since they are the underdog and it is not an SEC match. Gee-Golly what a wonderful way to paint a a—— whoopin about to happen.
John Clay's Sidelines
August 30th, 2011
6:27 am
[...] Bradley of the AJC says five things could wreck Georgia’s season. No. 5 would be if the Dogs have simply forgotten how to win. As Bradley points out, [...]
A Tale of Two Cities...err Football Programs
August 30th, 2011
7:01 am
Texas A&M vs. University of Georgia in the Shreveport, La. Independence Bowl two seasons ago…look where they’re at today…Texas A&M is ranked in the top 10 in most polls…does anybody think that Texas A&M is really getting the best players in Texas when they have to go up against the Longhorns…guess which team gets the best players out of the state of Georgia…which team gets one of the top 5 recruiting classes every year…can you figure it out on your own
Weather Channel Expert
August 30th, 2011
7:03 am
Let’s just let the season play out. How about that?
Atticus
August 30th, 2011
7:13 am
Mark, #3 is the one that is thebiggest issue. Either Grantham is the right guy or he isn’t. And no matter what happens, Kirby Smart is NOT the next UGA coach, mark it down.
hello
August 30th, 2011
7:33 am
Not a bad article. I really think the fans care more about this drama than the players. They just want to burn a few years in the college arena and get into the NFL. If UGA loses out this year Richt should be replaced but you have to wonder. They havent fired him yet. So, you have to say they may not want a national championship—they may just want to win 8 games a year and be ok.
Double Zero Eight
August 30th, 2011
7:43 am
The main factor to consider is the offensive line.
If it is not physical and effective. expect a
“torrential downpour”. Crowell and Murray will not
be “game changers” if the O-Line proves to be weak.
89Tex
August 30th, 2011
7:49 am
Full disclosure- I am no uga fan.
I have thought for some while that it was unrealistic to expect a 6-7 team that lost its all-world WR, its second-best WR, top two RBs, and would start a true frosh at TB with a seriously thin OL would be better the next year.
As for Isaiah Crowell, unfortunately if he turns out to be anything less than an all-world RB right out of the box, he is going to be viewed as a failure, which is unfair. I feel sorry for him. It may turn out that he can match the hype, but the hype has been ridiculous.
Not flaming, just trying to be objective.
Dogs Smell
August 30th, 2011
7:57 am
The only way Ga wins is if BSU turns the ball over 3 times or more.Otherwise BSU wins this one large.
Fair and Balanced
August 30th, 2011
8:24 am
Picking GA to go 10 – 2 is all heart and not much from the head. There is absolutely no reason to think that this team can do this! What do we really KNOW that makes anyone think this is really possible? It’s all going to be a surprise. Go Dogs!
Frank T
August 30th, 2011
12:48 pm
Problem is you guys get all hyped up on unproven stuff. Boinkens “swagger” aka big talk. Relying on trash talk to gain swagger?! Lets see how far that tanslates. Also, keep hearing about this dream team. Its just like putting all this hype into high draft picks in the NFL. Unproven guys deserve nothing until they earn it on the field. Playing games will determine “Dream Teams” not the number of stars you have coming out of high school or J.C.
Wednesday Morning Mullet Wrapper: Game On Edition « Jean Shorts Torture
August 31st, 2011
7:13 am
[...] bets a bit and I think it’s a perfect glimpse into the Bulldog Psyche. Thing number one of Five things that could rain on (Bradley’s) sunny forecast and undo UGA: If Isaiah Crowell turns out NOT to be the next Herschel Walker. Really? Georgia hasn’t had a [...]
5 things that could go wrong for Tech: One involves talent | Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
12:04 pm
[...] is coming off a 6-7 season. With such a team — and Georgia is also such a team — there can be no givens. I’ve picked the Jackets to go 8-4, and with NCAA winds [...]