A hot start for the Dogs
Good morning from Athens, where the temperature is well into the 80s on the way to the predicted high of 96 by the time the Bulldogs take the practice field this afternoon.
Today’s the day, the long-awaited start of preseason camp. Thirty-two days ’til Stillwater.
I noticed that Jeff Owens, the defensive tackle, eager to get back to full-fledged football after missing all but the first eight plays of last season with a knee injury, tweeted this on Twitter last night: “I am signing off, got early wake up in the morning. . . . Practice will be great!!!!” Four exclamation points.
Practice begins at 3:35 p.m., with 104 players taking the field. There would be 105, but as you probably know by now, defensive tackle signee Kwame Geathers‘ eligibility hasn’t been certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse yet and thus he isn’t here. But everyone else is, including 19 incoming freshmen.
The Dogs will practice in helmets and shorts today and Wednesday, then add shoulder pads Thursday and Friday. The first of the dreaded two-a-day sessions will be next Monday, with full pads in the morning practice.
This type of practice phase-in was mandated by the NCAA five years ago in an attempt to to reduce injuries and heat-related incidents.
Before making their way to the practice field later today, coach Mark Richt and some players will meet the media around lunchtime at Stegeman Coliseum. I’ll get back with you from there this afternoon.
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55 comments Add your comment
Big Dan
August 4th, 2009
10:57 am
Go Dawgs!!!
Big Dan
August 4th, 2009
11:00 am
Thus begans A new era of owning tech…
AceDawg
August 4th, 2009
11:04 am
Play with fire and urgency from day 1 Dawgs. You can beat all of ‘em if reach your team potential.
Corrine Brown (D) FL
August 4th, 2009
11:16 am
go gatuh
HH
August 4th, 2009
11:16 am
Coach with fire and urgency from day 1, Willie. You can beat all of’em if (you) reach your brain’s potential—–I hope.
Thanks in advance to AceDawg for allowing me to plagiarize his prior post without permission.
Saint Simons
August 4th, 2009
11:24 am
((((( 45 42 ))))) hahahahahahaha
knoxdawg
August 4th, 2009
11:41 am
I am glad to see the heat. They need to practice in it to get use to it for the games. It will be hot in Oklahoma on Sept. 5th. They need to raise the level of intensity from the top down. I believe it is happening and will continue to happen and will show on the field. Looking forward to redemption time this year. Get your swagger back Dawgs!!
69 Dawg
August 4th, 2009
11:50 am
We’ll know soon about the 2009 Dawgs. The burning question is if Willie will put a defense on the field or not. I really question his coaching, his ability, his temperment, his desire and his intelligence.
I’ve said it the last two years … the weakest link on the entire Georgia team is Willie. It gets old but I still feel Willie needs to go. He’s had enough time … he either does it this year in the first three games or he’d be outta here. No room for another year with Willie like we had last year. Go Dawgs!
toph
August 4th, 2009
11:56 am
I’m excited to see this season get underway. I’m expecting big things from the Dawgs this year!!
Spike
August 4th, 2009
12:21 pm
GATA!!
Big Dan
August 4th, 2009
12:23 pm
69 Dawg you made some very valid points about the state of the defense. Remembering back to last year the D was left in a number of horrible positions by a mistake prone offense and a horrible kicking game. I think after this season we should all look at the state of the defense and hope for loads of improvement. With that said i’m not ready to jump on the ever growing fire Willie bandwagon…. At least not now..
Max
August 4th, 2009
12:29 pm
TEBOW WILL STILL DOMINATE UGA
toph
August 4th, 2009
12:30 pm
Give him at least the first game. If he can get through that Okie State offense, we should at least be competitive in the SEC. What if we pitched a shut-out in Stillwater. What would that say?
VADawg
August 4th, 2009
12:55 pm
Just beat Tech to get SaintSimons off of here.
I am very hopefull about the season, but there are lots of questions to be figured out in the next 4 weeks.
Go Dawgs!
BobDog
August 4th, 2009
1:00 pm
Who gives a rip about st simons. People reacting to him is what causes him to do it.
I agree that everybody needs to let up on Martinez. Coach Richt has decided he is the best man for the job and we should support the decision.
Dawg Lover
August 4th, 2009
1:06 pm
Tim Teabag…I mean Tebow goes down this year against the Dawgs. We may even get to see him cry in a post-game interview. Hopefully more than once. There, I said it!
Blind Side
August 4th, 2009
1:10 pm
Guys,
Saint Simons will be on here even after we destroy them this year. Last year’s 3 point victory was Tech’s signature win for this century.
L-Dawg
August 4th, 2009
1:13 pm
Let’s go guys!! Good luck and practice like hell!! 32 days til’ kickoff!!!
L-Dawg
August 4th, 2009
1:17 pm
Do not let the Tech “fans” get to anybody in here. College Football is so much more fun when you dedicate all of your energy to pulling for your team, as opposed to pulling against another. I scream it at the top of my lungs…… GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!
Straight Cash Homie!
August 4th, 2009
1:17 pm
One game stuck out in my mind for Willie:
After beating LSU last season in a track meet (52-38), he said he (paraphrasing) was really proud of how the defense played!
A little reminder for those who forget…LSU was a 7-5 team who gained 500 yards on UGA. For a supposed national title contender…that is unacceptable.
Blind Side
August 4th, 2009
1:26 pm
College Football News doesn’t have UGA flying under the radar. But Tech sure is. http://cfn.scout.com/2/883939.html
42-45 a fluke!
August 4th, 2009
1:36 pm
Mike T.
St. Simons GA
August 4th, 2009
1:41 pm
(((51-7))) hahhahahahahaha!!!!!
JaxDawg
August 4th, 2009
1:47 pm
BobDog is absolutely right. Look all the b**chin and moaning about CWM needs to stop. If he doesn’t perform change will come. If he does, then good we won’t have to make a change. Just consider a couple of things:
1. If he was as terrible a DC as everyone makes him out to be, we wouldn’t get some of the recruits on D that we have
2. Don’t forget recruits are more savvy these days, and I’m sure they read these blogs as well. All the complaining about something we can’t control could cost us a committment.
Let’s wait and see what happens now that he has a healthy compliment of players. In the meantime be a Dawg Fan and support the players AND the coaches and give CWM a chance to redeem himself.
Go Dawgs!
MDAWG24
August 4th, 2009
1:49 pm
Let’s hope these Dawgs get after it but stay healthy.. Saint Simons, for the past 8 months all that comes out your mouth is “45-42 hahaha” You must be proud of that 3 point win and it appears to have paid off. Sources say they have spray painted that all over the Tech locker room for this year’s motivation factor. Sad, very sad… Best of luck ( your pathetic Jackets will need it)
Once a Dawg, always a Dawg
August 4th, 2009
1:55 pm
**Tebow the clown, we owned him 2 years ago and will again. Oscar Meyer is gonna get phat sitting on all that mooooolah so all you woodwork gatuh fans can go back into the swamp for a few years cause the Dawgs will rule for the next five!**
Once a Dawg, always a Dawg
August 4th, 2009
1:56 pm
Oh, yeah and old Simon Says can go back into the woodwork with the rest of the techmites cause 10 years is a long time. (10 years = the number of years before another tech slip by Georgia)
"What if we pitched a shut-out in Stillwater"...
August 4th, 2009
2:31 pm
ROFLMAO – don’t think you have to worry about that, at least not for OK State – your comment should have been more along the lines of “what if WE get shut out in Stillwater – what would THAT say?
toph
August 4th, 2009
2:33 pm
Nope, not going to happen, just you wait. . . . . .
dawgstephen
August 4th, 2009
2:40 pm
With all the players who are BACK from injury along with the ones who played in their place, its a deeper dawg. The deeper dawg is more rested, the deeper dawg is more hungry, and the deeper dawg is dangerous. see my blog, with complete moderator approval and censorship. Come ON AJC, you can do it!!!
http://www.dawgstephen.blogspot.com
WBK
August 4th, 2009
2:50 pm
Why do all the commentators never mention WILLIE MARTINEZ when the Dawgs take to the field. Just wondering…..FIRE MARTINEZ!!!
biggerthanbigdawg
August 4th, 2009
3:02 pm
Who is wearing # 7 this year?
BurningRedBleedingBlack
August 4th, 2009
3:04 pm
Lets support each other rather than point fingers. Its a new year lets see what we can do together on this. If willie has are boys ready in the begining i bet alot of you will shut up!! As long as that G is on the helment we need to be Georgians and support are team and coaches.
GO DAWGS GATA
superDawg
August 4th, 2009
3:06 pm
THIS WILL BE ONE HELL OF SEASON.STAY HEALTHY AND GATA.
stoopid
August 4th, 2009
3:07 pm
Orson Charles will be sporting #7 this year.
Diamond Dave
August 4th, 2009
3:20 pm
Just block and tackle.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
August 4th, 2009
3:42 pm
To all the defense detractors………..just wait, you’ll like what you see this year, a focused, hard-hitting defense that will be danged tough to run against. Run the ball and stop the run and we’ll be fine. Last year was just that…..last year
Aj
August 4th, 2009
3:46 pm
I will tell you guys that over on the Ok state site at scout they are on the message boards every day saying they are going to kill us. they think cause they have a good RB and a good QB with a fast wide out that they will stomp us into the ground. I have tried to explain that we were in that postion last year and got beat three times, plus we had better players then they do (going by recruiting record) So i think opening day is going to be an eye opening experince for both teams good or Bad we only have 32 days to find out which one it will be for the Dawgs. Go Dawgs!!!
Saint Simons
August 4th, 2009
4:22 pm
(((((45-42)))))hahahaha and a great Tickle Pile
Loran, Whatayagot?
August 4th, 2009
4:25 pm
We got heart, we got players, we got top coaches, we got a winner! Back to you, Larry ( you’re there in spirit).
Saint Simons
August 4th, 2009
4:27 pm
32 days till uga gets a good a– beating!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
LizDawg
August 4th, 2009
4:42 pm
GATA, Joe Cox, Caleb King, AJ Green – easy to see why CFN has us ranked 5th in the nation.
Pulpwood Smith
August 4th, 2009
4:45 pm
Saint Simons is an Asian Tech fag.
The Walking Boss
August 4th, 2009
5:01 pm
Thank God we don’t have to pay “taxes” to the UGA Coddle the Athletes Fund in order to post here or we’d be all be doing a lot less reading, huh?
Long as I have my TV, you rich folks can keep right on writing the big checks in order to show up in person.
Pass me another beer.
Yup.
Blindog
August 4th, 2009
5:11 pm
All we need to do is ignore the idiots that just want anyone to respond! After a while they will go away!! The Dawgs will be great this year and shut a lot of them up anyway !! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Roadrunner
August 4th, 2009
5:18 pm
Tech fans, get a life. Any team who offers commemorative rings for their once-in-a-decade narrow defeat of their in-state rival has no right to poke fun at anybody!!! Maybe you can pick a fight with cross-town Georgia State and dominate them for the first couple of years before they build up a respectable team. Go Dawgs!!!
Dawghi
August 4th, 2009
5:50 pm
Tebow is like David Simms in the movie Tin Cup. He is fake and it will eventually all come out.
DesertDawg
August 4th, 2009
6:02 pm
Wow, Not sure what Scout.com sees in our Dawgs that nobody else does. They have the Dawgs ranked #5 in their preseason rankings. Very generous!
football fan
August 4th, 2009
6:25 pm
Tebow wears a girdle…
TampaDawg
August 4th, 2009
6:45 pm
This will be the year of the DAWG! We will shock the world! Tech will get back to normal winning only 6 games and the annual butt kicking by UGA will get back to normal. All those good numbers, 7-1, 51-7, and even the humiliation of tech by LSU of 38-3 are my favorite numbers.
45ACP
August 4th, 2009
6:45 pm
Gardner-Webb Georgia Tech
First Downs 14 9
Rushes – Yards 44-74 47-79
Passing Yards 153 120
Return Yards 16 53
Passing (Att-Comp-Int) 24-14-1 11-3-1
Punts – Average 10-45.8 7-47.3
Fumbles – Lost 1-0 3-2
Penalties – Yards 6-50 6-48
Time of Possession 32:37 27:23
I’m glad the Bulldogs don’t have that FOOTBALL POWERHOUSE Gardner-Webb on their schedule this year. A 3 point win against that team would really be a blessing.
ThisDawgHatesGT
August 4th, 2009
6:48 pm
To absolute hell with tech and the most obnoxious fans in all of college sports! That gimmick offense was figured out by LSU – 38-3.
where is Chip??
August 4th, 2009
9:04 pm
Tim has been a great writer for AJC for a long time and for sure has a role in covering the dawgs. But he is not doing a good job on the blog front. Tim – we want your personal take here on this space… what your “feel” was from talking to kids, CMR, etc… And create a discussion you can join, comment, etc… See DOB, S. Smith, Mark B, etc… If you do not, the blog becomes this non-sense you see above b/w immature tech fans and a few easily riled up UGA fans.
Chip did a good job of what I outline above. Can he be brougt back?
I will stop reading AJC.com if this board continues this way…
Fools Gold
August 4th, 2009
9:06 pm
Ok Its here ….the fall practices that is! Now ditch the battle cry “Finish the Drill” replace it ” It’s 45 – 42 , the DAWGS are now taking the Field” Will the Dawgs prove that they are not Fools Gold this year? We anxiously await…..
That was no fluke; Johnson let up!
August 4th, 2009
9:21 pm
Tech/UG 45/42
First half…dogs barking
Third quarter…dogs whining
Fourth quarter…dog fans home!