New start for Dogs’ defense: ‘In a sense everybody is a freshman’
Athens — Georgia’s defensive players seem excited and energized –- but still pretty much in the dark –- about the transformation to new coordinator Todd Grantham’s 3-4 scheme.
Some defensive tackles are wondering if they’ll become defensive ends, and some defensive ends are wondering if they’ll become linebackers.
“All we know is, we are putting on an audition for everything,” Cornelius Washington said. “So we do the best we can and let the coaches make the coaching decisions.”
Washington appeared in all 13 games (and started one) at defensive end last season, showing a knack for pressuring the quarterback. He seems to have the makings of an outside linebacker in the 3-4.
But he said he hasn’t been told what position he’ll play or when a determination will be made.
He added that such uncertainty could be good for the team right now.
“I feel like it lets everybody have an audition, lets everybody at least be able to show what they can do,” Washington said. “I don’t feel like this season there is such a thing as a freshman player because everybody has an audition and I guess in a sense everybody is a freshman.”
His guess is that a number of players will get looks at a number of different spots during spring practice, which will begin March 4 and run through the G-Day Game on April 10.
“I feel like we got a lot of guys who can do a multitude of different things, so I’d say [Grantham] is going to try us out at a whole lot of different things and see who fits the best,” Washington said. “We have a whole lot of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes. I just feel like we got to get the job done, and [the coaches] will make the decisions they have to make.”
Whatever his spot in the 3-4, Washington is a fan of the alignment. “It makes it harder for the quarterback to see what’s coming,” he said.
Washington, by the way, said his weight is up to 256 from the 224 at which he arrived in Athens.
——————-
A few other things:
– 99Dawg asked on the blog yesterday for an update on offensive lineman Trinton Sturdivant, who for the second consecutive year is rehabbing from season-ending knee surgery. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels said last week that his understanding is that Sturdivant’s rehab is “coming along great” and that he’ll be “ready to go” in the fall.
– Wednesday night’s 82-63 basketball loss at Auburn dropped Georgia to 0-8 in true road games this season. If you missed it, Travis Leslie had a double-double in the first half and finished with 19 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. But Trey Thompkins, who entered the game as the SEC’s second leading scorer and fourth leading rebounder, had more fouls (5) than shot attempts (4), fouled out with 8 ½ minutes to play and finished with just six points and four rebounds in 13 minutes of action. The Dogs won’t win many games, if any, with Thompkins on the bench.
– From earlier today: New linebackers coach Warren Belin’s salary.
- And please follow me on Twitter for the latest UGA news and notes.
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104 comments Add your comment
Another Dawg
February 11th, 2010
8:18 pm
It would also help UGA not to have to waste a non-conference game every year on Tech.
Dostoyevskiy???
February 11th, 2010
8:20 pm
Dostoyevskiy,
If you’re going to post with a moniker like that at least spell the man’s name correctly. It’s spelled Dostoyevsky… At least you spelled Rembrandt correctly… Answering your own posts??? Strange… But your post is pointless… UGA will never leave the SEC… And UNC would be worse than Vandy in the SEC…
Louie
February 11th, 2010
8:48 pm
Well, where do I start.
jackhammer, where the hell are you?
Get your arse in here.
Sounds like Chinese Fire drill in Cow Town.
Nobody seems to know what to do or where they will line up.
Typical mutt day.
CPJ seems to be VERY happy with the hire of one Andy McCOLLUM at GT.
Ah, the wheels are in motion.
And good to see Louie Jr. earlier today.
Keep em coming,son.
STILL L M F A O
Okie Dog
February 11th, 2010
8:51 pm
The 2009 and 2008 Dawg D lacked aggressiveness; I think that will change
now. The passive defensive style of the previous D coord. did not fit the personnel we had.
Dawg Nadz
February 11th, 2010
9:31 pm
You UGA rednecks just crack me up……Georgia will SUCK OUT LOUD again this year but here you are flapping your toothless gums about how good they will be this fall. I cannot wait til the annual beatdown UT will deliver to the leghumpers in October between the hedges. Kentucky may kick your azz again. Now that will be funny. Then you morons will be calling for Richt’s and Grantham’s firing!
PDawg
February 11th, 2010
9:36 pm
And I bet our defense plays like a bunch of freshman come September!
stw
February 11th, 2010
9:40 pm
SUGGESTION: Try deleting all those idiots who want to be FIRST, etc. a few times and perhaps they’ll get off their mother’s computer…
UT Degree = High School Diploma
February 11th, 2010
10:01 pm
Kiffin Droppings,
There is not a being in the state of TennUHsee that would be admitted to UGA. Truly Tennessee is a brain dead state. You are a pathetic hillbilly. Little Dooley will not live up to his name.
Dostoyevskiy
February 11th, 2010
10:06 pm
Ignoramus at 8:20, Dostoyevskiy is the correct, official, transliteration of the cyrillic “достоевский”. You most closely resemble his most famous character, you “бесы”, or so you can understand it, “Idiot”.
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:11 pm
A$$clown at 10:06… You need your pompous a$$ kicked.. This is the USA you commie… That is the English spelling of the Russian author… You communist pu$$y…
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:17 pm
By the way, I’ve met too many people from your country… Mostly criminals…
Dostoyevskiy
February 11th, 2010
10:22 pm
You have not called a Russian a criminal to his face. Meet me and say that to me.
Wicked Willie
February 11th, 2010
10:25 pm
Mr Johnson and his swarm of Yellow Jackets gonna kick UGA’s keester betwixt the bushes this year!!
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:29 pm
Eastern Europeans are thugs… Looking to steal or looking for violence… Name the place and time and bring your clean police report… Or else you’re just a criminal…
Dostoyevskiy
February 11th, 2010
10:33 pm
Come to the Russian bookstore on Buford Hwy and ask for Vasya. If you don’t, you are big chicken.
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:34 pm
Why don’t you go back to that communist piece of $hit country of yours if you’re so proud of it?
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:36 pm
Whats the address? What day and time pu$$y?
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:38 pm
Wait a minute? You work in bookstore? Hahahaha… You big bada$$…
Dostoyevskiy
February 11th, 2010
10:40 pm
843 Buford, Chernoye Morye Bookstore, come right now. If you don’t. everyone on this blog will know you for what you are.
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:42 pm
Oh wait a minute… I forgot that’s how you guys run your criminal enterprises… You set up a legitimate looking business to cover up the criminal business you’re running behind the scenes…
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:52 pm
I googled “Chernoye Morye Bookstore Atlanta GA” and the first result was to a gay bookstore… So you’re working in a gay book store?
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Chernoye+Morye+Bookstore+atlanta+ga&aq=f&aqi=&oq=
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
10:55 pm
Just want to point out that you’re surfing the web on company time… Typical Russian.
CatsFly
February 11th, 2010
11:13 pm
Last time I was in a bar in Atlanta where Ruskis hang out, I saw one knock a guy’s eye of the socket.
Maybe you would be smart not to ID yourself to Dostoyevskiy. But if you do, I want to come see this.
Top Dawg
February 11th, 2010
11:15 pm
Dostoyevskiy= Owned!!!!
Dostoyevsky
February 11th, 2010
11:26 pm
Catsfly,
The Russians couldn’t even take Afghanistan… They’re just a bunch of drunks and thieves…
CatsFly
February 11th, 2010
11:35 pm
The Russian guy I saw in the bar must not have served in Afghanistan, because, I promise you, he could have taken those suckers out. I’ve never seen a badder dude in all of my life, and I spent 4 years in the Army during Viet Nam. I was afraid he had killed the other guy.
SamoanDawg
February 11th, 2010
11:55 pm
I ain’t worry about our DTs/DEs. We have guys already in place.
DT:
DeAngelo Tysom.. quickness/balance
Kwame Geathers.. massive, will take up 2-A-Caps
Mike Thorton.. perfect.. low leverage, quickness
Derrick Lott.. quick and balance, could play DE too
AJ Harmon.. move back from o-line, good fit for AJ.
DE:
Demarcus Dobbs.. speed/quickness
Kiante Tripp.. strong/massive
Brandon Wood.. speed/quickness
Arbry Jones.. perfect fit.. could be another Richard Seymour
Garrison Smith.. quickness/latterally.. could be another R. Seymour
I’m ready for spring practice and G-Day.
Go Dawgs!
hugedawgfan
February 12th, 2010
12:57 am
Can’t believe this blog turned into another cold war. We UGA fans need major help.
Tide Rising
February 12th, 2010
1:12 am
Don’t want to get in the middle of this big tift here but the single baddest man on the planet is indeed a Russian. Fedor Emilianenko is the baddest man I’ve ever seen fight. If you don’t watch mma or only watch a little of it you would have to see this guy fight. A true master at work and I don’t think this guy can be beaten. By anyone. Would loved to have seen him fight an Ali or Mike Tyson in their prime. If its anything goes of course Fedor whupps both dey asses.
D Fence
February 12th, 2010
6:32 am
Personally – I think Nikita Koloff was the baddest Russian of all time, well he and Joe Stalin.
Kinda reminds me of all that vodka I drank after we beat Tech’s sorry a$$ AGAIN this year. 30-24 comrades.
JB
February 12th, 2010
7:10 am
I say if we just had the GA’s this year and line up and tell them to stop the offense it would be better than last year…..a couple of the players have spoken up since Willie left and said they were actually ‘over coached”. There was too much thinking and not enough GATA.
Buckhead Bulldog
February 12th, 2010
7:18 am
We need some mean Russians on the Junkyard D! Heck! We had a bad azz Frenchie, Richard Tardits, who created havoc on the front line. Why not some mean Russians? Maybe the former USSR state of Georgia could give send us some players, eh?
Dostoyevsky
February 12th, 2010
7:32 am
I have lunch time special today at Chernoye Morye Bookstore. Buy 1 BJ for $5 and get 5 free for your friends. Yes that is right 6 of you beautiful American men can get your pipes cleaned out by me for only $5. And please NO TIPPING. We male Russians are proud of the “Jobs” we give and guarantee your satisfaction. Men only….please no women! YUCKSKI.
Jax Dawg
February 12th, 2010
8:06 am
So glad CWM is in the rear view mirror.
Hey Nostradomus
February 12th, 2010
8:12 am
Two comments about UT:
1.) Vince Dooley was only a fair coach. I know because he was coach while I was at UGA w/ 1 Sugar Bowl, 1 Sun Bowl, 1 Liberty and 1 Gator. We only won the Gator vs NC. Sad he was for the most part. VD was vastly over rated. Why will his boy do any better? UT will be “hapless”.
2.) Blame Kiffen laid a recruiting nightmare on you all with punks, thugs and the like and the NCAA is a coming to call. You all will not see any post season action and Dooley Jr. was brought in ONLY to show a squeaky clean image to the NCAA enforcement guys. What has he ever done as a big time coach??? UGA folks are LOL.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
takedowndawg
February 12th, 2010
8:13 am
Nostro…mus. “An imagination is a terrible thing to waste”(almost sounds right, doesn’t it?). You sir, obviously are not wasting yours! The Vols will get thumped hard in Athens this year.
Eaasssyy
February 12th, 2010
8:14 am
everyone knows ivan drago is the baddest russian to walk the plant. “i must break you.”
dan
February 12th, 2010
8:20 am
I’m totally fine with having open auditions for positions. Nobody on defense was consistently great last season anyway, so why not. As for the actual scheme, my underderstanding is that Grantham will run a multiple 3-4, which means his base will be a 3-4 but that the defense will feature quite a few blitz packages. Playing in a 3-4/5-2 defense in high school you need big down lineman, speed at the outside LB positions to generate a pass rush, and a versatile Rover/Strong Safety. Grantham may have to get creative with his blitz packages his first few years since he may lack the size on the line to shut down running lanes. I’ve always felt that the Dawgs were always better suited on defense when they blitzed and I never understood why Willie never did it enough. Grantham also needs to work with this defense on generating turnovers. UGA was something like -18 in turnover margin and that’s terrible. Dominant football teams like Florida and Alabama are able to generate turnovers for their offense. Like any defense, the 3-4/5-2 can work if the players buy in and are willing to make plays. I think the players on defense will give Grantham a chance this season and will paly for him until he proves he’s incompetent. The Offense on the other hand…..well that’s another story.
What??
February 12th, 2010
8:26 am
Kimbo Slice thiught that he was a bad A$$ until he met some guys in the MMA that demonstrated differently.
Cvillefan
February 12th, 2010
8:27 am
Any word on a new mascot?
Stats Don't Matter
February 12th, 2010
8:39 am
We need our new defense to hold teams to 250 yards of offense, 80-100 yards rushing, 150-175 passing. We need to hold teams scoring to under 14 points per game.
Do that, and UGA goes 14-0.
Bride of Chucky Knapp
February 12th, 2010
8:48 am
Vols fans: what model liquor-cycle do y’all recommend?
JB
February 12th, 2010
9:04 am
Rivals has put out their 2010 top 25 pre season poll since signing day and coach’s are settled in. My Dawgs are not on the list. We are off the radar from all……I think that is good. I looked at our Schedule yesterday and I feel we can win 10 of them.
Paddy
February 12th, 2010
9:05 am
What?? Is there really a person named Kimbo Slice? Great handle! If he could ever get on TV the fans would love him. What is MMA by the way?
Two SEC losses might still ......
February 12th, 2010
9:09 am
The SEC East Champ could have two losses this year. #$#@^%$ This year will be one in which for the most part, there is no perfect team. SC with a proven QB seems to have that edge but will their new running back be the real difference maker? Garcia is or was unpredictable with his nightlife but now as a senior, he ought to have calmed down somewhat.
Florida? Who knows but with all the talent, they will probably be THE team to beat and they could end up with ONE loss and still win it. Meyer’s um, ah “issues” will be THE DECIDING FACTOR and true Fororida grads know this to be true. You can only consume so much Prozac and remain cogent.
UGA? The new staff will have to come in and make their imprint asap and that also might be the difference. Any causal observer of UGA for YEARS now, knows that they have not played top notch D and THAT has been their Achilles heel. Fumbles,pics and penalties too. If UGA gets all of this settled with their O line and AGGRESSIVE STYLE ON D ………..talented running backs, wide outs and tight ends …………… UGA just might sneek in the title game and maybe, maybe even with two losses.
One key fact ……………the current UGA soph, red shirt and red shirt sophs were highly regarded and with playing time UNDER their belts ( Orson, Rontavious, Marlon, Tavarres, Wahuan, Brandon, Brandon Boykin, Bacarri, A.J., Aaron White, Abry Jones, DeAngelo, etc) UGA has the players. THIS IS WHY UGA did not land many instant stars this year. Incoming FROSH kids knew in advance who is gonna be starting,etc. UGA is FULL of impact players with experience and most SEC coaches will tell you that. The incoming D linemen will provide fabulous back ups.
I see UGA having two losses with Auburn and SC and still winning it. This means that they defeat Florida and then Florida stumbles through the season with an LSU or a UT or an Alabama or SC. UGa and UF tied, then UGA with two losses goes to the Dome to play Bama.
Food for thought and it could easily happen. NEW attitude is the key to success and in life. Maybe th new D coaches can instill that in UGA’s kids.
Time will tell. This should be a fun year for UGA faithful. The East will be fun to follow.
Go Dogs.
Florida Faces Four Top 25 Ranked Teams in 2010
February 12th, 2010
9:23 am
A good year for Florida will be getting through the 1st 7 weeks without 3 losses. Bama, LSU, South Carolina, etc. Florida will lose 3 to Georgia, Bama, and LSU. Florida will lose 1 to either South Carolina, Tenn, or FSU. It’s a brutal schedule, Florida will not have a good 2010.
But they’ll be better in 2011.
Pre-Season Rankings Don't Matter
February 12th, 2010
9:27 am
ESPN’s last SEC pre-season rankings were wrong on 11 out of 12 teams.
ESPN’s recuriting ranking winners over the last 25 years were losers on the field in 2009.
Best defense will win the SEC. It will be either Georgia, Bama, South Carolina or LSU.
Joe
February 12th, 2010
9:35 am
I hope the ENTIRE team gets a makeover. Someone needs to get the point across to these guys. Our team is always ready to dance, fight or talk smack. Can someone get them ready to PLAY the game??????? If I see one person dance this year I think he should be sent to the showers and kicked off the team. GET SOME DISCIPLINE>> LOOK AT THE CLASS PROGRAMS. They dont dance and smack.
Jona
February 12th, 2010
9:43 am
I agree. I don’t ever remember seeing any AL players dancing except at the NCG. Can we act like mature college football players this year?
Which is Dogs’ bigger concern, QB or defense? | The Junkyard Blawg
February 12th, 2010
10:34 am
[...] Cornelius Washington said this week, “I don’t feel like this season there is such a thing as a freshman player because everybody [...]