Bulldogs buck football tradition, drop two-a-day practices
ATHENS –- Georgia will abandon a piece of football tradition this summer: two-a-day practices.
The Bulldogs have a tentative practice schedule that, for the first time anyone around the UGA program can recall, calls for no two-a-days.
Two-a-days -– the stuff of legend among generations of players –- have been on the wane with Georgia and most other college teams in recent years. Georgia had three sessions of two-a-days last summer.
NCAA rules limit teams to 29 practices before the first game, and Georgia basically decided that preparation for the season can be more productive with 29 one-a-days, allowing time between sessions for more film review and walk-throughs.
But it is a break with tradition, to be sure.
“The older you are, the tougher it was back then,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Wednesday. “Talk to the older coaches on our staff; they had four- or five-a-days. That’s how Coach [Stacy] Searels and Coach [Rodney] Garner would like to say they had it at Auburn.”
Georgia Tech will continue to have a limited number of two-a-days this year. The Yellow Jackets have three days of double practices on their preseason schedule, spokesman Dean Buchan said.
Bobo said that Georgia’s staff discussed the elimination of two-a-days and that coach Mark Richt made the decision “after visiting some places and talking to some other head coaches” who have dropped double practices in recent years.
“The good is you can teach a little better [with one-a-days], where you might not be able to get as tough as you would like them,” Bobo said. “But everybody is playing with a limited number [of players] now, and there’s a fine line with injuries. You can see what injuries do to a football team. … I think we’ve got a good plan.”
The players, you can be sure, will welcome the demise of two-a-days.
“In their minds, mentally, they’re probably going to think it’s a break,” Bobo said. “But we’re still going to have 29 practices to get ready for the first game, no matter how you break it down.”
And it’s still going to be hot.
Georgia begins practice July 31, about a week earlier than usual, for its Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Bulldogs are generally scheduled to practice six days per week throughout August.
Georgia Tech starts practice Aug. 5 for its Sept. 4 opener against South Carolina State.
Other UGA news today:
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Jackson decides to transfer from UGA after DUI arrest | UGA sports blog
July 14th, 2010
8:42 pm
[...] Dogs break football tradition, drop two-a-days [...]
Jimmy
July 14th, 2010
8:46 pm
The only reason they are doing away w/ “two a days” is because they now have more than 29 days to get the 29 practices in since they are beginning preseason practice earlier. I had never heard of it beginning before Aug 1st in the past.
This year they are beginning on July 31st and they dont play their first game until Sept. 4th.
In the past teams would have less than 29 days to get their 29 practices in, thus having to create “two a day” practices in order to get them all in. You can’t forget you have to give the team a few days off during the month long preseason.
This is a non story. Move along people. And use your heads.
AltamahaDawg
July 14th, 2010
8:54 pm
I know the staff visited some other progam around tha nation this year just to see how they ran S&C, so I assume this isnt out of the norm now.
Warhorse
July 14th, 2010
9:25 pm
And they are going to cut out all profanity on the practice field — to get ready for their savior (as anointed by some on this board, the Christian Mr. LeMay).
This will leave time for dance practice so that the poodles can raise the ire of the mighty Gators, leading to a serious thumping of the pups. Sounds like a girl scout event.
andrew
July 14th, 2010
9:36 pm
@VolzRule- no the guy he was with actually did have an athletic build although really lanky and white. it might have been kris durham but i didnt get a great look him.
Saint simons
July 14th, 2010
10:25 pm
Yes Its me and Im coming out of the closet. I had a long , long talk with mom. First she says at 46 years old its time I pay her rent for living here. Secondly she wants me out of my little computer room crying over the 30-24 posts at least 2 hours a day. And she says that I have to come to grips that Ga runs this state and we ( The bugs ) have lost 8 out of 9. Im seeing a therapist but it all seems so surreal.
Amelia Mike
July 14th, 2010
10:28 pm
Can I claim that last post ????
bkbroila4224
July 14th, 2010
11:46 pm
GDamnit…you nerds have no shame…lol
A...Blank
July 15th, 2010
12:52 am
NCAA limits to 29..you still get 29 practices whether it’s over 29 days or less days with more practices in a day..I think it’s smart..more teaching and film time.
BullDawgMike
July 15th, 2010
1:29 am
I’ve never participated in two-a days before. But if I had, it would be at UGA! Stay thirsty my friends………….
OrlG8r
July 15th, 2010
7:07 am
Does “one a day” mean they’ve twice as much time to be arrested ????
Dawg4life
July 15th, 2010
7:33 am
Tech is being sued for a student falling off of the Rambling Wreck. He says he was standing outside of the car, riding from the Lambda Lambda Lambda house, waving and cheering when he fell off because a rail broke… He holds Tech responsible for providing “a vehicle that is unsafe for student use”. And you guys want to talk about us…. Why don’t you go back to the Tech page and read about your epic battle with Middle Tennessee State? Or your season defining showdown with Virginia? Go mix some aluminum and copper powder….
Buzzer Now
July 15th, 2010
7:45 am
Richt’s main concern is getting the players done with practice so they can shower and get to the 2 for 1 drink specials at the athens clubs. He’s thinking ahead—being proactive!
KeithB
July 15th, 2010
7:53 am
They might as well practice less. The extra practices haven’t done them any good over the last 30 years.
How2fish
July 15th, 2010
7:55 am
Buzzer Now I have to disagree with your so well thought out comment..CMR’s main concern is to stomp mudholes in the Bugs azz and so far he is doing a GREAT job!
chazzo
July 15th, 2010
8:06 am
I keep reading posts about Richt’s coaching style being too soft or that he is too buddy, buddy with the players. Of course, I doubt if any of these posts come from anyone who has ever attended a practice. (I, too, have questioned Richt sometimes when he calls practice early or gives them a day at the pool.) All this criticism aside, I have watched him pull a true freshman aside and calmly talk to him and place him in a clutch situation and have the guy perform. There is a lot to be said for calm cool and collected when it comes to the players’ confidence and poise.
I read posts about Richt’s lack of discipline. Yet, I have seen him repeatedly suspend players or even expel players who are important to the team because those players broke the rules. What else would you have him do?
In addition to the fact that none of us (the observers) have any real direct insight into how the program is run, criticism of the man’s demeanor just plain seems inconsequential. You may as well talk about his wardrobe.
As far as this two-a-day stuff, my initial reaction was that it’s soft to get rid of it. But, then I thought, you know two-a-days are just a rite of passage more than anything else. Maybe there is not time for rites of passage in a preseason that involves a new QB and a new defensive scheme. After thinking about it, Richt is right on here. Spend the extra time in the film and fundamentals department.
How2fish
July 15th, 2010
8:33 am
chazzo well said great post! The fact is that we have only been running 2 a days for 3 days anyway its really not that big a deal..of course when some one cramps up in the 90+ degree heat of the 1st few games which kickoff is at what 12-1pm (like they always do) people start screaming its because we shed 2 a days…even with it happening every year to every team that plays football in the South in early Sept.
'94 UGA Grad
July 15th, 2010
9:28 am
Hey ScoutDawg,
well said about Bobby Johnson. He was a fine coach and a fine man and will be missed.
Tosh.No
July 15th, 2010
9:42 am
Flag Football? Did that guy really just proudly say how he played Flag football? I think there is an L in those words that is not needed… and it ain’t in the word football Hahaha.
UGA will reprint football media guides to edit out Evans | UGA sports blog
July 15th, 2010
9:45 am
[...] Dogs break football tradition, drop two-a-days [...]
Gatorbait 17-3
July 15th, 2010
10:14 am
Glad to see this latest blunder by Richt. He will never catch Florida
until he out coaches them and out works. This is a recipe for another 20 years of misery in J’ville, of course Richt won’t be around for most of that
Headlinin’: Recruits pull reverse race card on Savannah State | Sport News
July 15th, 2010
11:08 am
[...] • If you don’t have players wretching in a boot camp-style atmosphere, what do you have? Georgia will commit football blasphemy by foregoing two-a-days altogether in summer practices, denying its players such essential, character-building rites of passage as dehydration, cramping and heat stroke. UGA thinks it can get more teaching done if it spreads its allotted 29 preseason practices out. But a coach who doesn’t live to see his charges puking into clouds of dust before 6 a.m. isn’t a coach Bear Bryant would ever want to know. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] [...]
SEC’s lunchtime links | GameDay Weekly
July 15th, 2010
12:20 pm
[...] are a thing of the past at Georgia, Tim Tucker writes in The Atlanta Journal Constitution. In case you missed it, Bulldogs backup [...]
OneNationUnderDawg
July 15th, 2010
12:28 pm
Only time will tell if this is a good decision or not. I believe this is a bad decision. Two a days build mental toughness and weed out the weak. While I recognize the recent news headlines over the years about injuries and even fatalities due to heat, a properly run two a day program with proper hydration is still my preference.
SEC’s lunchtime links | theSPORTSpage Arkansas
July 15th, 2010
12:31 pm
[...] are a thing of the past at Georgia, Tim Tucker writes in The Atlanta Journal Constitution. In case you missed it, Bulldogs backup [...]
SEC’s lunchtime links | Rebel Country Online
July 15th, 2010
12:35 pm
[...] are a thing of the past at Georgia, Tim Tucker writes in The Atlanta Journal Constitution. In case you missed it, Bulldogs backup [...]
SEC’s lunchtime links | SportsTalk South
July 15th, 2010
12:49 pm
[...] are a thing of the past at Georgia, Tim Tucker writes in The Atlanta Journal Constitution. In case you missed it, Bulldogs backup [...]
EagleDown
July 15th, 2010
12:58 pm
Georgia fans can minimize this all they want but this is a story that confirms what a lot of us already thought, which is that Mark Richt is losing his grip on the team and losing his sense of what it takes to be a winner. Georgia’s problem last year (and indeed most years under Richt) was not injuries. It was that they were SOFT – physically and mentally. When things got tough, they didn’t push through it, they buckled. Making fall camp easier for them to get through is not going to solve that problem – it’s going to exacerbate it!
EagleDown
July 15th, 2010
1:01 pm
Perfect example of a Richt UGA team being mentally soft: the LSU game last year. Yes, the excessive celebration penalty was unfair, but it didn’t end the game. UGA’s defense still had a chance to win the game but they weren’t mentally prepared to handle that kind of adversity. They folded like the cheap lawn chairs that are no longer allowed on Georgia’s pristine campus on game days.
Anonymous
July 15th, 2010
3:24 pm
Flying a giant red panty around AllTell . . .
(snorkle)
Notso Fast
July 15th, 2010
4:40 pm
As long as they get in shape it should be no problem. Coach R can always buy some more black helmets when he plays the Gators & Bama
chazzo
July 15th, 2010
7:05 pm
EagleDown,
Speaking of soft, your initials are ED. LOL
There is going to be a lot of crow to eat this season. And, it aint the dawgs that will be doing it.
salparadise
July 15th, 2010
7:23 pm
Everyone knows the UGA squad the last two years was soft. The defense was soft and the passion to win was obviously lacking. The program is soft. Admit it. This news only reinforces the fact. We’ll see if it pays off.
CSRA Press
July 16th, 2010
12:33 am
Let’s talk about who really owns who in the SEC! Florida owns “The Dawgs” even with an excessive celebration penalty after that infamous Knosho first touchdown — those come soooooo few against the Gators, I guess it was fitting. How many is it now? Slowly so you can keep up — Georgia has won Three (3) of the last Twenty (20) — that’s what I call owning a team and total domination — and, it ain’t lookin’ very good anytime soon for you Dawgs to improve your record in that series. Strange how Coach Richt won’t count the Florida games as “Road” games in his sacred “Road Record” — since every other year Georgia is considered the “Visiting” team. Isn’t the “Visiting” team the one that has to travel on the road to get to the game? 3-17 — Can you count? — Gator Bait!!! And, Brantley can’t wait!!!!
chazzo
July 16th, 2010
8:28 am
CSRA.
You are right. No one really thinks otherwise. Now, slow, so you can understand it: WE DON’T CARE ABOUT THE LAST TWENTY YEARS. WE DON’T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK.
Go Gators
July 16th, 2010
11:46 pm
Is this excuse #594,392 when the Gators kick UGA’s butt this year?
chazzo
July 19th, 2010
8:27 am
Go Gators,
No excuses! There are simply no excuses for choking and gagging in games UGA should have pulled off. In a lot of other years, Florida simply had a better coach and a better team. No excuses. I am just saying that the last twenty years don’t matter. NO ONE CARES. 2010 remains to be seen.
BIG DAWG
July 19th, 2010
2:57 pm
Hey ATL Jacket I’ll send your check and a pink slip.
Georgia Bulldogs Tickets | Georgia Bulldogs Scores, News, and Georgia Bulldogs Information
July 20th, 2010
6:15 am
[...] the lead of many college programs around the country, the Dogs will ditch two-a-day workouts from the schedule for the first [...]
UGA moves back start of preseason practice; will reworked schedule include any 2-a-days? | UGA sports blog
July 20th, 2010
8:49 am
[...] The original schedule had none, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo talked in a meeting with reporters last week about the elimination of two-a-days — the stuff of legend among generations of football players — from the schedule. That story is here. [...]
Far Away From Home Dawg
July 20th, 2010
10:39 am
It is mentioned in this column that CMR visited other schools that have dropped two a days. Can anyone name any schools that have set this precedence?