Hear, hear! Dogs have a new kickoff philosophy (PLUS: practice notes)
ATHENS – I’m guessing most of you will be happy to read this: Georgia’s kickoff philosophy has changed.
Kicker Blair Walsh indicated Thursday night that the much-criticized directional kickoffs –- kicks aimed to a specific spot on the field –- will yield to more deep kickoffs.
“It’s not like it was here the past two years, directional-wise,” Walsh said. “It’s a lot more use of my talent, I would say. I was fine doing what they wanted me to do. I’m a team player. I can go along with it. But it’s a lot more use of the talent, and I’m happy about it. I don’t think there’s a restraint on me anymore.”
He stopped there, wary of “giving too much away.”
But you get the idea.
New assistant coach Warren Belin is in charge of kickoffs, a role previously held by Jon Fabris, one of three assistants dismissed in December. The directional kicks became a controversial topic the past two seasons, compounded when Walsh didn’t keep them in bounds or the coverage broke down.
Walsh also said there is an aggressive approach to kickoff coverage this spring.
“From what little I know about football, I know we’re going down there and trying to bust helmets up,” the kicker said. “We’re trying to beat the guy in front of us and go get the guy.
“It’s a lot of old-school football involved in our kickoff coverage. [Belin] doesn’t like me to talk too much about what we’re doing exactly, but . . . you’re going to see a lot of guys hustling, a lot of fast, fast stuff.”
Walsh, who had 17 touchbacks last season, has a goal of at least 25 this year –- or about one-third of his kickoffs.
Sound good, everyone?
—————————————
From Thursday’s practice:
- Mark Richt cut practice short by 20 or 25 minutes to try to keep the team fresh for Saturday’s scrimmage in Sanford Stadium. But before they left the field, the players had to do an exhausting punishment drill for excessive penalties.
- The practice was the hottest of the spring, with bright sun and temperatures in the mid-80s.
- Tailback Caleb King sat out with a combination of nausea and a sprained knee. The knee flared up from an old high school injury and is nothing serious, Richt said. “It just got a little irritated.”
- Jakar Hamilton was working at a first-team safety, but defensive-backs coach Scott Lakatos said not to read too much into that yet. He’s still trying various combinations in the secondary.
- Wide receiver Marlon Brown again was wearing a green non-contact jersey because of a sprained shoulder joint, but he participated in practice.
- I spent a lot of time after practice talking with Todd Grantham for a story I’ll do next week. He exudes enthusiasm.
- No practice Friday. The Dogs hold their second of three spring scrimmages Saturday in Sanford Stadium. The third scrimmage is the G-Day game on April 10.
Also: Richt “waiting to see” what comes of police report.
And: One year ago today — April 2, 2009 — Mark Fox was hired as UGA’s men’s basketball coach. Here’s a look at how he sees things a year later.
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193 comments Add your comment
Zed's chopper
April 3rd, 2010
12:04 am
Meyer is losing it. Must be either high blood pressure or brain cancer. Then again, as Barney Fife says, maybe “He’s Just Nuts!!!”
Zed's chopper
April 3rd, 2010
12:05 am
Handcuff Saban and Meyer together and put them on a deserted island together….and then take bets to see which one chews through his arm first to get away from the other. I think Meyer would bite Saban’s arm actually.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:07 am
The three white kids knew they were football players because their a$$es were painted white.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:07 am
Technically, you’re not really black if your a$$ is painted white.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:08 am
Plus, painted a$$ just smells better, tastes better.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:10 am
Coach Richt, Vince Dooley, Todd Grantham, and Willie Martinez were on their way to the late night “Blackface Quartet” finals when they were picked up by a cabbie who mistook Dooley for his son. The rest, as they say, is history.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:11 am
If the black players at UGA are going to show their a$$ in taxi’s, then they should at least have to paint them.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:12 am
Triumph, where are you when I need you? We both need to poop on the four sociopaths from taxigate.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:13 am
AFter Spring Practice the prediction for next season’s record has changed from 8-3 to “5 or 10 to life”.
Gators trouble with law
April 3rd, 2010
12:21 am
Good grief. Read this article about how many people have been in trouble with the law under URBAN MEYER’S watch. It takes 4 pages to get through the incidents. Raise the moral standard, this is out of control:
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20090614/ARTICLES/906149965?p=1&tc=pg
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:32 am
The good news is that the Bees are only projected to be 7-5 next year. The bad news is that we’re only projected to go 5-7, but we may get time off for good behavior.
The ugly news is that good behavior seems to something we are not capable of, even with our a$$es painted.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:33 am
Yeah, Urban’s players’ rap sheets are almost as long as Richt’s. One crime the Gators have never been guilty of is painting their mascots a$$!
Meyer goes off on reporter & player leaves practice
April 3rd, 2010
12:35 am
I think Meyer is tired of hearing about how Tebow’s throwing motion is so bad. It makes it look like Meyer didn’t care about Tebow’s future, like Meyer only used him to win a national championships, and whether that’s true or not, the fact is, after spending all those years at Florida, Tebow was not ANYWHERE NEAR Nfl-ready. Tebow has had to completely rebuild his delivery to try and get drafted in the 1st round instead of the 2nd or 2rd round, taking snaps under center, etc. It is hard to believe Florida did so little to help Tebow get ready for the NFL. Looks like Tebow’s gonna be drafted as a Slash type of guy or a wildcat guy. Very sad.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:35 am
Urban at least blows off steam at reporters. We know that one of these days “cool” Coach Richt’s head is just going to explode, leaving nothing but a well-tanned torso wandering headless down the sidelines, his a$$ painted white….or maybe just untanned.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:36 am
Tebow is rumored to have gone on mission to bring the gospel to the natives, and to paint their a$$es white.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:38 am
Before you complain about my obsession, try getting your a$$ forcibly painted.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:50 am
Derek Rich is a white kid, Tight End. Derrick Lott is black and big, about 6-5 and 300#, but he is also a Dean’s List and Honor Roll student. So whoever the cabbie’s homeboy “Derek” is, he’s not on the current varsity roster most likely.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:51 am
Just the facts, ma’am, and none of that a$$ paint.
Russ, the Painted Mascot
April 3rd, 2010
12:53 am
They seek me here,
They seek me there,
Ol’ Sonny seeks me everywhere,
His precious mascots will not be tainted,
So he caught me and my a$$ was painted.
Sonny
April 3rd, 2010
12:53 am
I had to paint half the cheerleader’s a$$es white last season, so don’t feel bad, Russ.
RED DOG 77
April 3rd, 2010
1:09 am
Love the stratagy of kicking the living hell out of the ball, the haulin butt down field and crackin some helmets…………DOG STYLE………Gotta love that Belin guy, gotta love the defensive attitude coach Todd Grantham has brought to Athens !!!…………………….Oh, Yeh, and the cab ride thing………that’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve heard in a long, long time……..happens 2am Sunday morning, but you don’t report it until Tuesday afternoon ? give me a dadgum break ! college kids are famous for doing stupid stuff, but if the so-called witnesses can’t back up their story with some credible proof……….then their butts need to do some jail time ! I’m damn tired of football players getting picked on because they play football……….this story is pure hogwash !!
Sonny
April 3rd, 2010
1:37 am
Yeah, damm right Red Dog. Our football players need to get away with anything they do! Those bothersome white couples need to stop picking on our itty bitty Black linemen. Are the Dogs and CMR soft? You just answered that question.
Sonny
April 3rd, 2010
1:38 am
This is nothing that discipline and some white a$$ paint couldn’t cure.
Sonny
April 3rd, 2010
1:40 am
The story may be hogwash, but the fact that everyone is holding their breath is evidence that CMR is still too soft on these kids. Kick’em off the team if they’re guilty, and suspend everyone who harbors them. And if one more incident like this happens in the next year, it’s time to punish CMR.
gp295
April 3rd, 2010
2:13 am
When it come to lying, who stands out in american. Not the pope they can do no wrong only big black guys going to Uga, The black athletic should recruit these young men to their school, no one will talk about how these kid are use for their talent. And get push aside when no longer needs, million of dollar are being made for their talent.
Jim
April 3rd, 2010
6:42 am
are these people over 21?
Rock E. Topp
April 3rd, 2010
7:37 am
Hey Marlon Brown…..did your Granny make you wear a no-contact jersey? Or are you just a scared little BOY who is “afwaid to get his wittle body hit”? Can’t wait until Janzen Jackson gets a shot at you in October then it will be LIGHTS OUT….your traitor! Go Vols!!!
Sad Dawg
April 3rd, 2010
7:43 am
UGA players = Street THUGS! Its a sad day in Athens. Richt has lost control of the team especially the THUGS. And YES take it the way I mean it.
Mark "Mr. Tan Man" Richt
April 3rd, 2010
8:31 am
I am holding a prayer vigil and Bible reading at 6:00 today for our players. Once they hear the gospel they will shape up and be good citizens on and off the field. Furthermore I have banned all players from riding in taxi cabs for a full month. On a side note, I will be signing autographs at SunTan City in Athens at 11:00 a.m. I will be in Dalton Monday to shoot a Carpets of Dalton commercial. Its great to be me!
Richt the genius...
April 3rd, 2010
8:49 am
Ahhhh remember last year when all the fans where screaming at people who questioned CMR’s coaching style…how could you, if you were a real fan dare to question why they didn’t kick deep, why they wouldn’t adapt the defense, why they would stick with a game plan that would put the weight of the team on Cox’s to make a play, etc., etc…those same knowledgeable fans who would kiss the feet of the almighty 10 win a year average coach by asking where you played football, where did you coach, and the blind trust to CMR that went on and on by these “FAN’s”…you aren’t a real DAWG fan if you didn’t blindly follow the Pied Piper of Sanford and march lock step with his brilliance…wellll, it appears that things that were questioned last year are being changed for this season, doesn’t it…discipline and consequence for penalties (what a novel idea)…the defense is being changed, the kicking team is being reworked, CMR is getting out of his CEO mode and actually getting involved, Bobo is getting the time to concentrate on the QB’s more, and list is going on…next you’ll see AJ in there during critical games returning punts when the DAWG’s need a boost…hey, he’s finally acting like a real head coach…apologies accepted
Urban says that patrick looks as stupid as he writes
April 3rd, 2010
10:12 am
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1158327737&ref=name
trailer park manager
April 3rd, 2010
10:14 am
These boys are just mis understood.
JAXDAWG
April 3rd, 2010
10:47 am
Get some original content. I read this yesterday on another site. Loser.
Boca Baby
April 3rd, 2010
11:24 am
Go to the grill and see who purchased those brats; see if a credit card was used. Check security cam footage. Get the GBI involved. And if civil rights were violated get the FBI involved. Homeland Security might have an angle in this one! Hey, they could be a disgruntled al-Qaeda sleeper cell flexing its muscle. Come on! I do not believe a word of this. 60 hours later? This sound like something the late Senator Kennedy would do visa-a-vis Chappaquiddick.
Boca Baby
April 3rd, 2010
11:31 am
Rock E. Topp: I tell you who ought to be afraid, that’s Da-Rick Rogers coming over the middle for a reception in Sanford Stadium. The personification of alligator arms. “No, No Coach Dooley! I told you that I wanted to redshirt this year!” Sorry Da-Rick, you ain’t gettin’ off dat easy. You see they ain’t got nobody else. If you dance you got to pay the piper.
Florida Rebuilding Year 2010
April 3rd, 2010
12:20 pm
Good article here about how 2010 is a year of MASSIVE change for the Gators. All key offensive positons were lost, and key defensive positions, and the key coach–Strong. Keep in mind, in 24 years of coaching, Meyer has never won a championship without Charlie Strong. Many think he got lucky, like Bowden did with Richt.
#1- No team that has been ranked #1 in recruiting by ESPN has ever gone on to win a National Championship
#2- No Gatorade Player of the Year QB, in 25 years, has ever gone on to win a National Championship
Good article on Florida’s tough 2010 season:
http://www.macon.com/2010/04/02/1080360/floridas-spring-includes-big-changes.html
Hendu
April 3rd, 2010
12:28 pm
I would HATE to have Blair Walsh set a goal more in line with most high school kickers and try to get 50% unreturnable. My friend has a son, who kicks here in Gwinnett, who is probably D2 prospect and he kicked 65% last year as a junior. Drew Butler kicked about 75% out of endzone while at the Ridge. Come on King, learn your football better.
hater
April 3rd, 2010
12:50 pm
Florida Rebuilding Year 2010, good article patrick. Its great when a cali marine complains about gators on uga blog
trailer park manager
April 3rd, 2010
12:50 pm
Who done it?
Soooo Busted
April 3rd, 2010
7:59 pm
April 3rd, 2010
10:12 am
Sulley…..it is YOUR day! Bawa ha ha ha ha.
BuLLdawg
April 4th, 2010
8:45 am
TV has “Cash Cab” while in Athens we have “Thug Cab”……kick their blackazzez off the team NOW!!
stw
April 10th, 2010
7:12 pm
dawgydawg47: How do you kick someone off the team who doesn’t even go to school. Nothing like jumping to conclusions.
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