UGA practice notes: ‘Hard not to feel pressure’ in A.J.’s old spot, King says
ATHENS – Tavarres King, Georgia’s top returning receiver, is making the transition this spring from split end to flanker, A.J. Green’s old spot.
“It’s hard not to feel pressure when you’ve got big shoes to fill like that,” King said Saturday. “But I’m looking at it as a challenge; I’m challenging myself to be great.”
The change of positions, although not dramatic, is “a learning process right now for me,” King said.
“It’s a little different,” he said. “You got more space when you play flanker because it’s to the wider side of the field. Playing split end, I think you’ve got to be a little quicker and know how to operate in tight spaces.”
With the loss of Green, a projected top-10 NFL draft pick, and Kris Durham from last season’s team, one of the major projects of Georgia’s spring practice is rebuilding the receiver group.
“Guys are coming along,” King said. “Marlon Brown looks more and more like a great receiver every day. And Christian Conley [a 2011 signee who enrolled in January] looks real good, just coming in.”
Samuel update
Richard Samuel was Georgia’s No. 1 tailback at the start of the 2009 season, was moved to linebacker in spring practice last year and was redshirted last season partly because of a knee injury.
All of those developments have made his head spin at times, he admitted, “but I get focused back to what I need to do to get back on the field and get some playing time.”
This spring, he is settled in at inside linebacker, where Christian Robinson and former safety Alec Ogletree are the likely starters.
“If I practice well and show I can get the job done,” Samuel said, “I feel I’ll get a fair share of the playing time.”
He said he has only fleeting thoughts about his days as a tailback.
“I think about it every now and then when I look at the other running backs and compare [them] to what I would do if I was in their position,” he said. “But that’s about as far as it goes.”
Saturday’s practice
Georgia practiced for about 30 minutes in the rain in Sanford Stadium on Saturday morning before lightning cut the session short. The practice was the Bulldogs’ fourth of the spring and their first in full pads. The next practice is Tuesday. Coaches also were busy on the recruiting front Saturday with Georgia hosting its annual spring “Junior Day” for future prospects.
– Tim Tucker, AJC
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109 comments Add your comment
Leo
March 27th, 2011
7:58 am
Having great receivers last season led to a 6-7 season. It’s not a key to winning the SEC.
This is not the problem.
YardDawg
March 27th, 2011
8:11 am
I predict that Kris Durham is gonna have a more productive rookie season than AJ. I’ll bet he opened up some eyes last week with his size, hands, and speed (4.43 / 40).
Larry
March 27th, 2011
8:29 am
And sometimes teams lean too heavily on a “star” offensive player and one receiver or RB can always be neutralized by the great defenses.
Tennessee’s Peyton Manning graduates and the very next season they win the MNC with some guy named “Tee Martin” as their QB! Who bet on that one?
Leo
March 27th, 2011
9:06 am
Passing yards were best in SEC East and resulted in 6-7 season. Lost to teams with less passing yards like Auburn, South Carolina, Miss St, even Florida.
You can’t win the SEC passing the ball.
Sunday morning buffet | Get The Picture
March 27th, 2011
9:10 am
[...] Tavarres King is feeling a little [...]
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
9:27 am
LEO
That is what you get when you hitch your wagon to RICHT the QB minded coach. He didn’t do anything special to help get either of his QB’s the Heisman. Ward ran around until his speed receiver got behind the DBs and he just heaved the ball deep. Richt didn’t give Wienke a baseball pitchers arm and 26 years old.
Trojan
March 27th, 2011
9:43 am
Hey Bobo, establish the run and then all of the receivers will look good. PS: That does not mean Carlton up the middle.
davidinloganville
March 27th, 2011
9:58 am
TOILET TIDE ROLL if Troup was at Alabama Saben would already have him on medical hardship, not on the team.
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
10:02 am
I agree with Delta Stew. There needs to be coverage of more things female in this blog. I’m thinking pictures and stuff, you know, like calendars of hot co-eds would be appropriate. Great idea Delta Stew; it’s great to have a woman’s perspective for ideas.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
10:18 am
SupperTimeDawg
March 27th, 2011
9:43 am
AJ is just like Herschel, you can’t replace either one of them. Dawg be willing.
I think is shouldn’t be too hard to replace: 166 catches over 3 years(55/yr), 2619 yards(873/yr), 23 TDs(7.6/yr). There is nothing AJ did that should be that difficult to duplicate or replace.
DELTA STEW is right. The Lady Dawgs Basketball team deserves more coverage in the blogs.
SEC Observer
March 27th, 2011
10:39 am
Whatever happened with Marlon Brown? A year ago we kept hearing from the Dawg nation how great he was going to be.
Just asking……..
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
10:42 am
Julio Jones for 3 years: 187 catches(62.3/yr), 2792 yrds(930.6/yr), 17 TDs(5.6/yr).
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
10:47 am
Still@theBar: “DELTA STEW is right. The Lady Dawgs Basketball team deserves more coverage in the blogs.”
GREAT IDEA – Lady Dawg B’ball swimsuit calendar!!!!
Buckeye
March 27th, 2011
10:58 am
Clinch,
Mid-Major! Mid-Major!
Buckeye
March 27th, 2011
10:59 am
I will check in on Ann Marie and the women’s game today. Go Ann Marie!
Buckeye
March 27th, 2011
11:08 am
Still at the Bar,
Still the best name on the blog!!
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
11:09 am
So, Buckeye, who do you think the new OState football coach will be?
Glenn
March 27th, 2011
11:32 am
The Dawgs can be bad to the bone, they have the talent and there should be no excuses. If they use the wide outs like they should UGA will be a great team if they don’t have an offensive scheme to use the guys they have then shame on them. Steve, the old ball coach with UGA would win it all period. Good luck CMR we are pulling for you. I hope you don’t let Bobo cost you your job. It was your call so we shall see. Now tell me it isn’t so.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
11:34 am
Thanks BUCKEYE but it don’t help me type the longer I stay at the bar. RUFF on the BBall Court last night.
Glenn
March 27th, 2011
11:36 am
The new name in the big ten that will own it is CORNHUSKERS at least the buckeyes will drop out of the picture for the most part. They play two good games a year, what a wimp.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
11:47 am
GLENN
That sounds just like the Bulldogs in the SEC Least. UGA plays UF & AU, or UF & USC, or UF & UT. UGA never has too many TUFF games in the SEC. UGA usually has TWICE the talent of 8 or 9 of the teams they play.
Priscilla
March 27th, 2011
12:07 pm
Boise State 67, UGAy 13.
The beginning of another looooooooooooooooong season for St. Mark and his gang of thug wannabes.
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
12:12 pm
S@TB, the SEC schedules rotate and team strength is cyclical, so strength of schedule within the SEC changes from year to year. That was a really dumb post. If UGA really wanted to man up I guess they could schedule Wake Forest and Duke every year, huh?
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
12:16 pm
Boise State 67, UGAy 13 – Bet on it, please. Bet a really, really large amount.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
Gloria
and the Big 10 will be the same with a rotating schedule too.
And what teams does UGA regularly play that they don’t have 2 the Talent?
I mentioned the SEC East and the Teams UGA always Plays. I didn’t say UGA was weak for not playing BAMA & LSU. I know they rotate in and out. I have suggested more on the lines of Michigan, Notre Dame and East Carolina in Home and Home series.
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
1:06 pm
S@TB: This is the old argument that gets dredged up by fans of teams in weak conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Pac 10 etc). There is simply no reason to play those teams. Any SEC schedule is plenty tough and almost always includes teams at least as good as and usually better than those you name. Notre Dame? Seriously? Michigan can’t even beat OState. East Carolina?
IF, and that is a big IF, UGA has 2x the talent that teams they play have they obviously need a new coach. This year is being played with that understanding by all involved, including fans. The UGA fan base and powers that be are not going to continue to tolerate losing to Central Florida, OK State, Colorado etc. And they can and will do something about it. Some schools CAN’T do anything about it – not to mention any names.
But don’t worry, UGA will get it resolved one way or another and will always be relevant and always at least have the opportunity to compete for its conference title and major bowl games, National Championships, etc.
It is an enviable position, and it IS quite envied.
Boys
March 27th, 2011
1:15 pm
Enter your comments here
Boys Home
March 27th, 2011
1:16 pm
Why didnt this team go indoors to practice on Saturday due to inclement weather? Pathetic!
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
1:25 pm
Gloria The Teams I mentioned are BIG names and fans that are close or travel well. UGA fans would rather pay the Season Ticket prices to see these teams over Coastal Carolina & New Mexico St. Buying easy wins at the FAN’s expence is not good business. UGA is stuck with Vandy and Tech. So, why not Home-n-Home with Big Names people will travel to see and enjoy seeing at Sanford?
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
1:35 pm
S@TB – “So, why not Home-n-Home with Big Names people will travel to see and enjoy seeing at Sanford?”
If an SEC team wins the conference championship it is probably most years be in the national title game, and will almost certainly be in the top 3-4 teams and go to a meaningful bowl game, regardless. That is the goal. McGarity gets it. Evans did not.
Boys Home
March 27th, 2011
1:41 pm
Coach Richt was on the Walt Deptula show from Clemson on Friday. Richt was asked if he would like a home amd home series to continue with Clemson. He said no. What a wuss…… this is why Richt will never win the big one at UGA!
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
1:44 pm
Gloria no the BCS gets it. You don’t have to play the best to be the best and your fans can get screwed out of good money for a crappy product. The MNC is a Joke. People complain but are still paying for wins in the hope of getting a shot that will never come.
AltamahaDawg
March 27th, 2011
2:06 pm
Yea, it’s not scheduling Clempson in 2017. That is definitely the issue with not winning the big one. Spot on analysis.
Gloria Steinem
March 27th, 2011
2:12 pm
S@TB I agree in part. The BCS and the MNC are BS. I just think the typical SEC schedule is brutal and it is foolish to make it worse by flying all over the country and playing teams at the expense of jeopardizing your primary goals. It is not out of fear of losing to those teams, but rather the cost in energy spent that is needed for the conference schedule. As you are aware, the SEC wins its share of National Championships and always has. The top 4-5 SEC teams that go to bowl games usually win. I don’t see how anyone can question the strength or depth of the conference. I’ll sit through GA Southern or the equivalent while looking forward to Auburn, FL, TN, etc.
Speaking of playing out of conference, the Boise game is going to tell a lot about the state of UGA football. UGA needs to not only win that game, but to make a statement. We’ll see.
T.
March 27th, 2011
2:19 pm
AJ 166 catches over 3 years(55/yr), 2619 yards(873/yr), 23 TDs(7.6/yr).
Julio Jones for 3 years: 187 catches(62.3/yr), 2792 yrds(930.6/yr), 17 TDs(5.6/yr).
AJ would have even better stats, if not for the 4 games he sit out.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
2:28 pm
T I am pretty that is the point. AJ ain’t that good if he don’t play in the games. When he was in the games he didn’t do enough to get a win either. I am sure he wouldn’t have some of the stats from last year too. If the O-Line was worth a crap and UGA could have run the ball better AJ would have been used less.
Still@theBar
March 27th, 2011
2:31 pm
@T
Julio did all that on a team that is RUN FIRST option and with a Heisman Winner.
Stinger2
March 27th, 2011
3:10 pm
King made some modest comments about him replacing King which were admirable. Instead of sounding like he is full of himself, he came off as being very nice.
My commment is that all he needs to do is stay out of trouble and be ready to play in EVERY game (unless he is injured) and he will be a much greater contributor to his team than Green who missed 4 games. If I were a player, I would not worry about replacing a player who missed one third of the season because he wanted to make money by selling his jersey.
Stinger2
March 27th, 2011
3:11 pm
Make the first sentence “replacing Green”. Sorry.
You have to be kidding me!
March 27th, 2011
3:47 pm
AJ played about 2.0 FULL seasons at UGA and helped UGA win NOTHING. Is he a nice kid? Who knows? Good student? Who cares?
Replacing AJ is easy. You play all games, you actually make a catch or two vs BIG BOY SCHOOLS that WIN THE GAME …………………something AJ never did. If Tavarres King makes one TD grab vs ANYbody ……………. that wins the game, he has eclipsed AJ Green.
AJ was noise …………….. he made only some noise. He did nothing and he is the Dominic Wilkins of UGA football. Wilkins LEFT UGA and we went to the Final Four.
I am not saying anything here that is not true. Nice kid but WHAT did AJ do??
Goooooooooooooooooooooo Dogs.
SEC Observer
March 27th, 2011
5:01 pm
T.
March 27th, 2011
2:19 pm
“T.: AJ 166 catches over 3 years(55/yr), 2619 yards(873/yr), 23 TDs(7.6/yr).
Julio Jones for 3 years: 187 catches(62.3/yr), 2792 yrds(930.6/yr), 17 TDs(5.6/yr).
AJ would have even better stats, if not for the 4 games he sit out.”
More importantly, did AJ win a national title while at UGA?
Boys Home
March 27th, 2011
5:33 pm
@ altmaha kool aid drinker…….. Its called SOS… can you process that? No Im not talking about the guy who has UGA’s number.
CHDawg
March 27th, 2011
5:37 pm
I still think they should put Orson on a serious diet and move him to SE. We have a lot of potential, but we need some folks to see some serious improvement. Lynch was very impressive last spring game. I have always liked Troupe, but he has only seen short bursts, so either the coaches see something, or he is still waiting for his time to shine. I will just wait and see who steps up…could be anyone, even a freshman. Murray may have been overawed by Green, so the other receivers might develop more/be discovered as he throws more to them.
Injuries end Georgia defensive end’s career | UGA sports blog
March 27th, 2011
7:09 pm
[...] Saturday’s practice notes, including updates on Tavarres King and Richard Samuel. [...]
Go dawgs
March 27th, 2011
9:46 pm
You folks forget the two yrs green was a factor he missed almost half our games, so replacing him will be easy. Sure he was a star, and one of a kind talent, but 8 games in two seasons he was watching, not playing. Don’t forget the facts!!! Team will be fine. Sure wish we could have had him play more…..but he has gone and these kids will step up, look for king, orson, and wooten to be play makers.
hind tit
March 27th, 2011
9:49 pm
Green is gone, he is no more, he don’t work here, he don’t stay here so forget about him and quit trying to make these other guys play like Green it’s not going to happen. So get over it and quit putting pressure on these guys to be something they can’t be. They will be just fine if you people will stop living in the past.
Papadawg
March 28th, 2011
7:57 am
Green is gone, foget him King and go do YOUR thing and don’t press.
mcdawg
March 28th, 2011
9:48 am
our wide receivers will not be a problem for us
Samuels at safety-that is an interesting idea
ugaclassof2004
March 28th, 2011
12:53 pm
We’re not going to do much of anything if we don’t get better talent on defense, and that’s just all there is to it. I’m tired of seeing teams convert on 3rd long with little or opposition. I’m tired of seeing our players out of position because they don’t know their assignments. And I’m tired of our offense scoring over 30 points in games and still lose because we can’t count on our defense to live up to their end of the bargain.
I’ve given up the notion that we will ever have a dominant defense again 1.) because it clearly isn’t a priority to Richt & Co., and 2.) These kids today half a$$ so much and seem to give up a record number of points on a weekly basis. Be that as it may, can we not at least put a FUNCTIONAL defense on the field? One that doesn’t blow double digit leads and can tighten up when we absolutely need it to?
I mean Auburn’s defense was VERY mediocre: yet they were able to tighten up in the 4th quarter or generate a turnover when the team absolutely needed it. And they won a National Title. Can we not AT LEAST put a defense on the field that is comparable to Auburn’s??? Surely we can!
ugaclassof2004
March 28th, 2011
12:54 pm
We’re not going to do much of anything if we don’t get better talent on defense, and that’s just all there is to it. I’m tired of seeing teams convert on 3rd long with little or no opposition. I’m tired of seeing our players out of position because they don’t know their assignments. And I’m tired of our offense scoring over 30 points in games and still lose because we can’t count on our defense to live up to their end of the bargain.
I’ve given up the notion that we will ever have a dominant defense again 1.) because it clearly isn’t a priority to Richt & Co., and 2.) These kids today half a$$ so much and seem to give up a record number of points on a weekly basis. Be that as it may, can we not at least put a FUNCTIONAL defense on the field? One that doesn’t blow double digit leads and can tighten up when we absolutely need it to?
I mean Auburn’s defense was VERY mediocre: yet they were able to tighten up in the 4th quarter or generate a turnover when the team absolutely needed it. And they won a National Title. Can we not AT LEAST put a defense on the field that is comparable to Auburn’s??? Surely we can!