Working on the penalty problem
Athens – Last football season, Georgia ranked 115th out of 119 Division I-A teams in penalties. The Bulldogs were penalized 112 times for 938 yards, 72.15 yards per game. Atrocious.
That has not been forgotten in spring practice.
“Every coach has a systematic way of logging during practice any penalty that happens,” Mark Richt was saying Thursday. “And when practice is over, those coaches have some form of discipline – up-downs and that kind of thing.”
Moreover, Richt said, the emphasis this spring is on curing the cause of excessive penalties.
“We’re going back to the basics and trying to create habits,” he said. He thinks a superbly conditioned, fundamentally sound player who gets into proper position on a play is less likely to commit an infraction. “The better we are at fundamentals and the better condition we are in, I think the less chance we’ll have these kind of penalties.”
Even now, though, Richt admits he doesn’t know why last year’s team was more penalty-prone than his others. But he also knows it can’t happen again.
Thursday’s practice was an interesting one, with 250 or so high school football coaches – in Athens for Georgia’s spring clinic – gathered ‘round on a cool, damp afternoon. “Get as close as you want [to the action],” Richt told the coaches. “Just make sure you’re at a safe distance.”
After practice, Richt offered some opinions about the spring so far:
“Joe Cox has really been very good.”
“I think the most dominating player to this point has been Geno Atkins – not to anybody’s surprise, probably.”
“I think so far I’ve seen a team that doesn’t want to be just a coach-driven team. They want to drive themselves. That’s super important.”
Blair Walsh seemed to handle well the news that another scholarship kicker, Brandon Bogotay of San Diego, will arrive this summer. Walsh said coaches informed him in advance of the JUCO kicker’s signing, and “they have their reasons for it.” But he vowed to compete hard and hold on to his jobs handling field goals, extra points and kickoffs. Here’s my full story on that situation.
OK, so what do you think about what you’ve heard from spring ball? You think the penalty problem will be solved? And what do you think about spending another scholarship on a kicker?
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74 comments Add your comment
Oledawg
March 27th, 2009
3:48 pm
Aren’t two of the DEs green shirted? With the addition of two freshmen to that position, we may see it heat up a notch. Lynch and Charles aren’t players to trifle with I understand. These are two more of those quiet players looking to smoke somebody and earn a rep. My “wait and see” side is beginning to get antsy about the position.
FLDAWG
March 27th, 2009
4:11 pm
Oledawg, did you mean TE or DE for Lynch and Charles? They are TEs.
Jeff
March 27th, 2009
4:18 pm
Penalties are a LACK of FOCUS.It was a problem last year with D!! I think this is a priority this year…..I hope.
Right On Time
March 27th, 2009
4:36 pm
I am hoping that the penalties were part of a message sent to Richt for the celebration in Jax. The same refs worked that game and I know they were fuming in 2007. The penalties against the D were huge last year. I remember two in paticular: Illegal hands to the face of an O lineman(happens every play) overturned a penalty against bama and a penalty overturned a pick against fla. Both occured in the first quarter, both were huge emotional swings and both were questionable. Hopefully the SEC refs got their pound of flesh and the team is more disciplined.
I still say if Logan Gray was that great we would have heard lots about him by now: Carlton’s runs have been well documented so why would’nt Logan’s play if it was note worthy? I hate reading of people comparing him to DJ. I will always have a soft spot for Shockley, he and Hines. Also, Moore will be huge this year. He was great in the C1 Bowl and ready for a breakout in ‘09.
Right On Time
March 27th, 2009
4:38 pm
should have read “overturned a INTERCEPTION against bama”
FLDAWG
March 27th, 2009
5:00 pm
On another front Damon Evans and company had better find a quality coach and soon. UK is on the search now that Gillespie is out.
Cuz
March 27th, 2009
5:05 pm
Damon is not worried, what quality b-ball coach wouldn’t want to come to a program that is in such shape that it can only go up.
mcdawg
March 27th, 2009
5:08 pm
Surely Singletary violated some kind NFL rule for his comments besides being classless-that organization certainly has gone downhill
ButlerDawg
March 27th, 2009
5:21 pm
Yeah, and I remember when the receivers coach used a tennis ball machine to help the receivers concentrate on the ball and not drop passes…alot of good that did. I will believe it when I actually SEE the players show up and not commit bone-headed penalties. Until then I remain very skeptical.
Cuz
March 27th, 2009
5:38 pm
Now Dobbs is out with a foot injury which leaves us with three DE’s for Spring Practice and G-day. Which DE is going to play on both the Red and the Black team? I hope he gets his own trainer for shirt change time.
From CMR’s Twitter: Dobbs got hurt, bummer.
AltamahaDawg
March 27th, 2009
6:00 pm
I have gramatically perfect posts.
AltamahaDawg
March 27th, 2009
6:05 pm
I think they will resort to the same thing as during the past season and let a reserve DT fill in at DE just to be able to run drills. Probably already have been. What the hell is going on at that postion? Do you realize what a stable we have IF they could actually play?
Georgia Dawg71
March 27th, 2009
6:23 pm
SF Coach Singletary deminstrates a complete lack of professionalism, class, ethics and just plain character by discussing Matthew Stafford’s psychological assessment in such a specific manner. He must be a player favorite! This explains why SF is no longer the classy organization they were with Bill Walsh. Sad. Matt willbe fine.
Spike
March 27th, 2009
6:40 pm
Remeber Rex Robinson? He was Kevin Butler before there was a Kevin Butler.
Cuz
March 27th, 2009
6:42 pm
I would not feel like discussing my parents divorce with some self-righteous shrink who “knows” that I have not settled their divorce in my mind. Who is this cat, a mindreader? My image of Singletary, which was previously high due to his playing time, is now fairly low.
Oledawg
March 28th, 2009
11:24 am
FLDAWG- Sorry that I had to leave yesterday. Yes, I hit the “D” subconsciously when intending the “T”. I hate it when proofreading keeps missing the same mistake. I laugh many times on here when you know someone’s mistake was hitting the adjoining key. So goes it with us bliggers.
SamoanDawg
March 28th, 2009
2:05 pm
I can’t count how many times I threw the friggin football I had in my paws at my tv set.. plus my drinks, ribs, burgers etc. Everytime we made a huge play, a friggin yellow flags were covering the hash marks. It was one of the most frustrating season ever. But, I hope with all these back to the basic moves coach Richt is doing will reap some benefits.
murfdawg
March 28th, 2009
3:28 pm
Hopefully we have paid for our “celebration sin” in ‘07. I have posted a couple of time the numbers for the penalties before and after the celebration. Just something to look at one more time. In the 7 games before fl, UGA 43 penalties, opp 45. In 11 games after the celebration, UGA 104, opp 64. What can I say? Now that we have been humbled by Bama, fl and gt, maybe the officials will call an even game.
p.s. The penalty that overturned the int in the Bama game was big. Bama was a better team, but not that much better.
Jim
March 29th, 2009
12:15 pm
I was wondering if anyone here knows why Jamie Lindley walk-on kicker has not been in the mix for some play time? I remember the one sucessful onside kick we had was against Virginia Tech was by lindley unlike that horrible one by walsh during the fla game. I know he doesn`t have the leg power that walsh has but, at this point I`d take precision over giving the opponents the ball at their 40 yd line because walsh can’t control what he does hopefully this will be corrected byBlair Walsh he is a good kicker and I`d like to see him turn into that “ice in veins” guy we need. Also, has anyone heard a rumor about Logan Gray possibly running a form of the wildcat or, “wilddawg” (as I heard it called) this year on certain plays? as I said, just a rumor I heard from some fellow dawg fans I know.
FCK Georgia
March 29th, 2009
6:06 pm
Gators 49 UGA Leghumpers 10. Gators owns UGAY, You clowns know it and it’s killing you mutts.Make all your yearly predictions,they all fall flat every year.Come back to Jacksonville for your yearly beat down and flea bath. UGA PUPPIES = GATORBAIT!
Rolling-in-coleslaw
March 29th, 2009
6:11 pm
BOO HOO IT’S THE REF’S FAULT FOR UGA FAILURES!
Mike Bobo 17 INT
March 30th, 2009
7:14 am
What defense? What program? Most knowledgeable football fans in the state of Georgia know there is no football program in Athens…oh that’s right, we are talking UGA fans who bark and brag about nothing…LOL!!!
Your defense was pathetic and will continue to be the laughing stock of Div. 1 football until you gut that coaching staff, and get past CMR’s good looks with his new weekly Ray Bans. Your entire program lacks a level of intensity and focus, unlike Florida, USC and Texas who know who to get it done.
2009 will be more of a proving ground with a nice opener in Stillwater OK.
AltamahaDawg
March 30th, 2009
7:17 am
I have decided to let my season tickets go this year, and I have listed them on Craigs List under UGALOSERS@UGASUCKS.COM. I am asking $25 each for 4 50 yard line seats with a parking pass, and I have received no hits yet.
Please someone help me out and buy these tickets, because sister and I are looking to get hitched and could use the cash to buy our new double-wide in Clark County.
Mike Bobo 17 INT
March 30th, 2009
7:22 am
Amen FCK Georgia!!! UGA fans have no clue about football, but they make really good bloggers and it just chews their ass that they cannot get past the Gators, year after year.
2008 was a total beatdown in Jax, but they will never admit it. They will come up with some lame excuse and start talking about 2008 and their recruits as they exit the stadium.
UGA fans are always living in the future, because the present is too painful to tolerate with losses to UA, UF and those Nerds on North Ave. 2008 was suppose to the their year, and now their talent pool just dried up, so I suspect 8-4 at best for 2009.
Also, rumor has it that Joe Montana only brought Nick to UGA as a courtesy and has no plans to dump his son off in this mediocre program, when he could play for Florida or USC. Look for Nick to hang around CA.