Wide receivers: No A.J. Green, but plenty of options
We’re about one month away from the start of preseason football practices in Athens, so it’s time to start taking a closer look at Georgia’s 2011 football team. This is the second in a series of articles in which I’ll be breaking down each of the Bulldogs’ position groups to give you an idea who are the projected starters and what the expectations might be for this season. Then, as always, we’ll throw it open for your commentary and analysis. There are only 63 days until Georgia’s season opener against Boise State. Let’s get busy. . . .
Tavarres King hauls in one of his three TD catches last year in a game against Mississippi State. Georgia hopes to see more of this in 2011(AP photo)
WIDE RECEIVERS
- Projected starters: SE Marlon Brown (Jr., 6-5, 222), FL Tavarres King (Jr., 6-1, 192), FL Rantavious Wooten (Jr., 5-10, 185)
- Others to watch: Israel Troupe, Michael Bennett, Chris Conley and Malcolm Mitchell will likely get a chance to show their wares early as Georgia operates in a six-receiver rotation.
- Key losses: They don’t get any more significant than A.J. Green, who was snapped up by the Cincinnati Bengals with the fourth pick of the NFL draft after his junior season and left as arguably the Bulldogs’ best receiver of all time. Green and fellow NFL draftee Kris Durham were the Bulldogs’ top two pass catchers last season with 89 between them.
- Key fact: A fairly experienced group returns. King, Brown, Wooten and Troupe have played in 103 games between them, so knowing what to do and how to do it should not be a issue. King proved to be a solid secondary option opposite Green, hauling in 47 catches the last two seasons at a hefty 20 yards per catch. Brown, a former five-star prospect and No. 1 player in Tennessee, is poised for a breakout season. He had 11 catches and his first TD in 2010 and the Bulldogs named him Most Improved Receiver.
- Key question: Are multiple good options better than one great option? With Green on the field, quarterback Aaron Murray understandably had a tendency to throw the ball his way despite what coverages might have dictated. With no clear dominant force at wideout, Murray will likely need to be more reliant on his ability to read the defense and find the open man.
- Recent developments: Expect young players to have an impact as the Bulldogs search for a big-play threat during preseason camp. Conley, an AJC Super 11 selection out of North Paulding High School, enrolled early and impressed in spring practice. And the late recruiting victory for Mitchell, who had more than 1,400 yards receiving as a senior at Valdosta, could be a real X factor. He’ll be given every opportunity to prove himself and earn playing time.
- Outlook: Fair to good. Losing a mega-talent such as Green would seem to indicate an overall downgrade. But the Bulldogs have several players who have been toiling in his shadow and are eager to prove their worth. With a first-rate group of tight ends already in the fold, Georgia needs only two or three reliable targets out of this group to be effective and it says here it will have that and then some.
- Your turn: What do you think about Georgia’s wide receiver corps?
PREVIOUS POSITION BREAKDOWNS:
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
346 comments Add your comment
Teddy Roosevelt
July 4th, 2011
11:14 am
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnl5w2HmHd1qjbz5lo1_500.jpg
Directhit
July 4th, 2011
11:14 am
Everybody sees this but him, you know? it’s sad.
Rumble Bumble Tumble Fumble
July 4th, 2011
11:16 am
Boise St 58, UGA 0.
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
11:17 am
Bunch of cowards.
Eleanor Roosevelt
July 4th, 2011
11:17 am
Shut up Teddy.
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
11:18 am
well one coward, many names.
3rd down
July 4th, 2011
11:27 am
I think ga will miss a j green. He was pretty much the best receiver in the land.
Paulistall
July 4th, 2011
11:32 am
Receivers have never been a problem so there is no use trying to second guess everything. Murray will have lots of targets and there ain’t no way Boise St. beats the dawgs. Richt is a great coach and we are lucky to have him. I am tired of people whining and bitching about him. Could they do any better? I’m talking about folks like old time dog and those other weiners.
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
11:48 am
Snoop Dawg’s mamma once said that if you find yourself in a hole, then quit digging. Altamaha dog and his alias friend are in Richt’s hole, and it seems that they really dig it.
First, on receivers. AJ Green was an embarassment to UGA. He let down his team and was the direct cause of 3-4 losses last year. He’s also a diamond earring punk.
Listen up, folks. The AJC folks can pick a topic to talk about, but all of us without any fetishes over Mark Richt know that he is the weak link here. He’s a very expensive one, too. Hairy dog’s new propaganda about how Adams is keeping Richt down was hilarious, but a lot of the Richt zombies will eat it up. Let me give you ten reasons to pull the plug on him now
1. Cam Newton
2. Blackouts
3. 14 arrests last year
4. Bobo
5. Willie
6. Three Million per year times ten equals thirty million dollars of unearned income.
7. Coaching up 4 and 5 star talent to 1 and 2 stars consistently.
8. Uncanny knack to hammer square pegs into round holes.
9. Oakley cool man shades.
10 Buddha on the sidelines.
Next time I’ll list ten more. I’ve got a couple of hundred.
Here’s another thing. There’s a little group of bloggers–altamaha, itaintrocketscience, southgadawg88, hairydawg who all put out Richt’s propaganda constantly and make ad hominim attacks on anyone who questions our lousy incompetent coaching. They are probably multiple aliases for the same person–maybe even Richt or Water Girrrrl themselves. Maybe they are on Richt’s payroll–that 3 million per year could hire an entire PR team with pocket change. Anyway, these losers are the ones who are really not true to their school. Rise up and establish a zero tolerance for these stump brains.
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
12:34 pm
And YET, you can’t dispute a single thing I say.
I would be SOOO easy to shut up, if you have the wit, or stones, to do it. You got nothing but the same worn out cartoon character BS.
I’m sure you’ll have a great season.
old time dog
July 4th, 2011
12:34 pm
Lousy, incompetent coaching? Yeah, that is pretty much what eYe have seen too. Nickle return on the dollar from Richt and his staff. You are what you are and Richt has gone beyond that. He has clearly demonstrated what he isn’t. Snoop, those are some of the very reasons eYe feel this program can’t turn the corner. Bring on some more of the gospel truth and the Richtites will swarm. Richt may find he isn’t as smart long term as he first felt he was. He got the money and endorsements but can he keep them? eYe myself am sick of having to point out obvious roadblocks to those who try to keep driving straight ahead. eYe don’t think you go to an ear and throat specialist with a broken foot.
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
12:48 pm
altamaha dog, you are inebriated from Richt’s elixir of that delicious Koolaid. If you weren’t so brain dead you would know that not only I but most of the bloggers here have exposed you for the bag of hot air that you are. You are a traitor to the Dawg Nation and a promoter of low standards and loserville.
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
12:53 pm
Don’t fall for Bobo’s the problem propaganda. Red herring. Bobo works for Richt. Richt is the problem.
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
12:55 pm
Franklin Graham and Robert Schuller do not make $3M per year… They are probably better at leadership and the game of football than da Preacha Man Markt Wrecked…
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
12:56 pm
Drink up that Koolaid, Dawgnation… Your hangover will start in early September…
Snoop Dawg
July 4th, 2011
12:56 pm
…as usual…
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
1:14 pm
Other have? really? But YOU can’t. Is that how it is?
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
1:15 pm
….as usual….
Poopdawg
July 4th, 2011
1:50 pm
Snoop , “AJ was an embarrassment to UGA?” That statement proves your a large dumb ass!
old time dog
July 4th, 2011
2:01 pm
Poop, He was a distraction. C’mon now guys, cut Altamaha a little slack here. When one is addicted to Richtaide you can’t make them understand what is really best for the team. Anyway, we are stuck with him this year like it or not. eYe even hope we are wrong and he rights the course of things but in reality eYe don’t really think he can or will. Altamaha, eYe hope you have a better day. Seems like most here are sick of Richt and how much handle he’s been given.
mark
July 4th, 2011
2:04 pm
This team will win no more than eight games.
Mary Kastner Hulsey
July 4th, 2011
2:05 pm
Why do ya’ll want to fuss? I think mustard, slaw, naked, creole and chili dogs have cute names. My cousin, Billy Lothridge went to GT. I chose UGA and I am proud of it. So please stop biting at each other or I am going to cry.
polish sausage dog
July 4th, 2011
2:08 pm
Guess i’ll put my 2 cents worth into this conversation. UGA will get bH better when Richt is gone and that should be evident by now to any dawg fan. Hold the slaw,musstard,and other condiments.
HEBREWNATIONALDOG
July 4th, 2011
2:09 pm
Mark likes these.
OscarMeyerDog
July 4th, 2011
2:11 pm
I like AltamahaDog because he is so smart. His best friend is SSIGATOR>
Cheerio
July 4th, 2011
2:15 pm
This team goes the same direction as the year before and the year before that and the year before that. Old time speaks the truth on a nickle return for every dollar spent and I believe he is being generous at that.
Mary Kastner Pennington
July 4th, 2011
2:16 pm
I just got married.
old time dog
July 4th, 2011
2:18 pm
And people griped about Dooley, Goff and Donnan. Lord help us.
Narvie
July 4th, 2011
2:19 pm
What time do the Braves play?
old time dog
July 4th, 2011
2:21 pm
Narvie, This is a UGA football blog or what’s left of it. But to answer your question I think it is at 7PM.
altamahapuppy
July 4th, 2011
2:22 pm
Do I have a chance on here?
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
2:28 pm
It just didn’t work out.
Narvie
July 4th, 2011
2:29 pm
Who do they play tonight, is it the mets?
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
2:31 pm
Forget that dumb old baseball game Narvie. Why don’t you and I get together and for kicks we can see if altamaha puppy makes it in this cruel, old world.
AD
July 4th, 2011
2:33 pm
I see i’ve probably still got some work to do.
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
2:34 pm
AD, does that stand for athletic director? If so, i bet you make alot of money, don’t you? Want to go out sometime?
Poopdawg
July 4th, 2011
2:35 pm
OT DAWG AJ was only a distraction because of his suspension. He was a model teammate and all DAWG. If the NCAA Checked every player’s checkbook I would have no problem with AJ’s suspension. He should’t have sold his jersey but the NCAA will go to hell for their investigative methods.
Gadawg43
July 4th, 2011
3:29 pm
Uga won both of its most recent sec titles without a prolific receiver so I fill confident with the group we have.
grasseater
July 4th, 2011
3:44 pm
you better start worryin about your O-line, aka worst in the SEC. Not to worry; Birmingham on New Years Day vs. Syracuse won’t be so bad, led by interim head coach Mike Bobo. Write that one down!
moleman
July 4th, 2011
3:49 pm
@Gadawg43 …who cares about your most recent SEC titles; how long ago was that??? Let me remind you of this..National CHampionships since your most recent SEC title: Florida x2, LSU x 2, Bama x1, Auburn x1……just sayin…
moleman
July 4th, 2011
3:51 pm
correction…Lsu x1; LSU x2 since Lucky Dooley and half-wit Herschel won it in 1980…1980!!!! hell, BYU has won one since then…
Poopdawg
July 4th, 2011
4:13 pm
Grass eater the o line will be thin on quantity but not on quality. Too much grass?
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
5:02 pm
what, old dog, what is best for the team? Today as we sit, July, what is best for the team going forward?
Old Dog
July 4th, 2011
5:18 pm
Altamahigh dog, the best thing for the team going forward is to shut your pie hole…
SOUTHGADAWG88
July 4th, 2011
6:06 pm
AltamahaDawg I see you have been standing alone against the haters brother.lol…giving them hell as usual!Watch how they run and hide by the 3rd game.
It’s funny how old Snoop dawg’s true colors have finally come out too lol.
Happy 4th fellas…the Dewar’s is calling me….cheers…be safe on the roads.
AltamahaDawg
July 4th, 2011
6:34 pm
give em hell? on the contrary. I am rolling over, exposing my belly, and outright DARING any one them (to what degree it’s actually different people) to take thier best shot . You know, refute something I actually posted. You see the responses. Very disapointing.
Bob
July 4th, 2011
7:13 pm
Coaching preferences aside, the topic of this blog is wide-receivers; in my opinion, we have the best in the SEC. Brown and King should be awesome (Troupe will do well, too)…Wooten needs to be more than a third down, predictable receiver. I think our best weapons are Boykin and Smith as offensive rather than defensive players, and Justin S-W, who will turn some heads. Don’t discount Mitchell. Aaron Murray finally has some playmakers if our OL holds together to give him a little time. And, our running game will be fine if Bobo doesn’t screw it up. Don’t ya’ll think our defense has to be better, too?
Hairy Dawg
July 4th, 2011
8:04 pm
Nearly everybody here except Atlamaha is trying to hot sit Coach Richt as bad fans. Coach Richt leds us to SEC Champs more than any since Coach Dooley. And then the ungrateful bad fans come on here and dumps ion him. I sick and tired of distorting Coach Richt records when he won more than other Dawg coachs and he has to deal with Adams hancuffing and choking recruiting. Coach Richt is Christian that helps in recruiting and could cast out wicked servants that not using talents if nots for Adams restrictoins. To compete like Bammers and winning East repeated times we can’t have Adams choking recruiting but got to be free like Bammers to bring in talents and cut those that not panning out. That frees schollies for more talent.
As far as this year, we reloaded talented players and now learned how 3-4 works for having dominants defense. That plus Crowell and receivers with Murray experiences will makes us win East. Then just got to beat West and win BCS and Dawgs national champs again.
History could be a guide for UGA
July 4th, 2011
9:12 pm
This piece is about AJ Green. Will he be missed? History knows that answer.
Dominic WIlkins left UGA for the NBA and the next year UGA went to the Final Four.
Hershal Walker left ( i never learned to spell his name correctly) and UGA defeated Number 1 Texas in Dallas at the then very excellent Cotton Bowl and ended up like number 4.
AJ Green? He is not in the league of either of these two players and for sure, circumstances of each year always win out.
With Green being at UGA or gone, will not matter. Not one major game did Green win for UGA in his 2.2 year career.
Go Dogs.
Hairy Dawg
July 4th, 2011
9:33 pm
It spelled Herschel and all good Dawgs should know how.