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?
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346 comments Add your comment
Preston
July 4th, 2011
10:11 pm
Hairy Dawg, how in the world has Adams “choked” recruiting? Recruiting hasn’t been a problem at UGA. I love CMR and I’m pulling for him, but he had better start utilizing the talent that he has at his disposal or he needs to go do mission work permanently. For me (and most other UGA fans I know), it’s win the SEC East, or good luck with your future endeavors. Thanks for the memories.
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
10:20 pm
That rat stood me up too!!! Can you believe it? I wish slaw dog or somebody would catch up with me.
Hartz Mtn Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:22 pm
You think you got troubles Mary, geez. My flea collar don’t work!!!
Old Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:22 pm
P-man – When my boss does my performance review, he is looking at the last six months, not what I did for the company 4 years ago. Same with Mark Richt, he should be judged for what he has done for us lately. He should stop resting on his laurels and try to put a winning team on the field. And for heaven’s sake, don’t try to throw a long pass in overtime again, and have it intercepted.
SSIcrocodile
July 4th, 2011
10:24 pm
Where you at AltamahaDawg??? Come out, come out wherever you are! Probably practicing carrying a SAVE RICHT banner.
Hairy Dawg
July 4th, 2011
10:28 pm
Preston it very simple and I surprised most other Dawg fans can’t notice it. When we winning SEC in early half of 2000’s we had plenty of Hargraves up and down lineup and now we got almost none. The only difference is Adams and the pointy heads now making Coach Richt play with hands tied behind backs. We can’t recruit players that Bammer signs and we can’t sign as many as Bammers each year cause pointy head Adams holding us back. It not fair for Dawgs to have to competes with Bammers on field and then Adams prevents signings some players and bringing in developed talent from Hargraves and getting as many new recruits each year as Bammers who cut players. That limits Coach Richt and it Adams faults.
Narvie
July 4th, 2011
10:41 pm
The Braves won ya’LL. Freeman hit himself two home runs. Sorry Mary. I got to watching the game and forgot we had a date.
Onion Dawg
July 4th, 2011
10:42 pm
You knew I was bound to appear sooner or later didn’t you?
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
10:43 pm
Stay away from me Onion Dawg!!! I hate men with onion breath!!!!
Cloret Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:45 pm
How bout me Mary? My breath is nice and minty.
Budweiser Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:47 pm
Leave them chumps alone Mary. My breath smells like a Clydsdale.
AJ
July 4th, 2011
10:49 pm
I thought this blog was supposed to be about how I couldn’t be replaced. Help me out Altamaha.
watson
July 4th, 2011
10:50 pm
Doesn’t matter how good the WR are.. If the O-line isn’t worth a flip again we could have 10 AJ’s out there and we’d still only win about 5 games..
Altamafucious
July 4th, 2011
10:54 pm
Altamafucious say if team looses lots of games then get new coach. SYONARA!
Corn Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:56 pm
Ya’ll better watch what you’re spreading. I’m all battered up!!!
Deep Fried Dog
July 4th, 2011
10:58 pm
&()((%^$#W#$%^&*()FC VKL
Mr. Kahn
July 4th, 2011
10:59 pm
Back in the pack boys!!!!
Clark Gable Dawg
July 4th, 2011
11:05 pm
Frankly Altamaha, I don’t give a ?/_-
Dog
July 4th, 2011
11:06 pm
Which way did they go? Which way did they go ya”ll?
fan121211
July 4th, 2011
11:09 pm
Look for T. Bradberry to become the next Durham… extremely sure handed.
Mary Kastner
July 4th, 2011
11:09 pm
Last chance here boys or I’m going to the Bama or Fla. blog. I know I ain’t going to the GT blog cause I bet they ain’t even got one!
Yeller Fuzz
July 4th, 2011
11:12 pm
That’s fine with us here at GT Mary. We wouldn’t know what to do with you anyway.
Mr. Kroger
July 4th, 2011
11:15 pm
Have any of ya’ll went Krogering?
chipper
July 4th, 2011
11:27 pm
Narvie, If you watched that game last night please tell everybody how far off the plate those last two pitches were.
Margaret Kastner
July 4th, 2011
11:31 pm
I’m Mary’s mother. Tell her she better have her little butt back home by midnight or my third husband will throw her stuff out of the trailer. He is a Gt fan with a tattoo of PJ frying fish on his arm.
frozen dog
July 4th, 2011
11:32 pm
Is it cold to ya’ll. I’m freezing.
steamed dog
July 4th, 2011
11:33 pm
Naw man, not to me. I’m burning up.
fan 3954
July 4th, 2011
11:44 pm
Can any of ya’ll tell me where the UGA football blog is? Thanks.
fan 3955
July 4th, 2011
11:47 pm
You’re on it 3954. It’s probably a little hard to tell but you’re on it. Hey, didn’t you date Mary Kastner back in the tenth grade? Seems like I even went out with her too. That Mary was special, huh?
unknown
July 4th, 2011
11:49 pm
UGA will be a better team this year……as long as Richt and his assistants do their required and expected jobs.
sand dog
July 5th, 2011
12:05 am
Goodnight.
Hairy Dawg
July 5th, 2011
12:18 am
Some of these bad fans that blaming on Coach Richt wouldn’t know good coaching if it’s jumped out and bit them on the patootey. Coach Richt know what he doing and just needs to cut the restrictoins to lets him recruit and stockpiles the talents. Then he has game plan to keep Dawgs always winning with more talent then other teams that coming to Dawgs to expose for NFL and Coach Richt being Christian. Those that don’t display talents for benefits of Athens ladies get sent packing as casted out and cut from team.
Tight ends: Led by Orson Charles, strong UGA legacy poised to continue | UGA sports blog
July 5th, 2011
6:02 am
[...] July 2 — Wide receivers [...]
Chip Towers
July 5th, 2011
10:24 am
bicalidawg: I thought Kris Durham stepped up in a pretty big way while A.J. was out last season.
Joe
July 5th, 2011
10:28 am
Let’s see…..take nothing away from AJ- he was great but the fact remains we didnt have him for 4 games last year- and when we did have him, we either 1. Didnt use him- ala FLA or he didnt make a difference and we lost anyway…..maybe having a few good players will be better than having a great one
note pads
July 5th, 2011
12:52 pm
Everyone loves to watch this type of game. May we always promote this type of game.
Zeke
July 5th, 2011
4:38 pm
No WR caught more than 2 td’s last year. No scorers here. Trouble at WR.
DAWGDAZ
July 5th, 2011
4:58 pm
Watched Murray in H.S. and he spread the ball all around. He had three guys his jr year who all got D1 scholarships (one kid had something like 95 catches Murray’s jr year and 90 the Murray’s soph year). Then came Orson and another kid Murray played peewee ball for all of their senior year. Orson and the human highlight Allen Sampson both got D1 scholarships. Keep in mind, Orson’s jr year he had all of 12 catches, 3 TD’s, but did have 400 yds on an average team. If the receiver’s coach at Plant had Orson for more than 1 year, he would have been even better running routes and catching the ball. I wouldn’t worry too much about Murray getting the ball to an open man, rather I’d be more concerned with the coaches opening things up and allowing him to do his thing.
dapperdanman
July 6th, 2011
4:24 am
Thunder Dome!!!!
This Sept. 3 in Atlanta, we Georgians (and Dawg Fans) have the opportunity to make a statement.
This may be the most pivotal game we play in deciding our outcome this season. Even if we were to win out the remainder of our schedule and win the SEC championship (the best you could hope for after a loss in the opener), we would not play in a National Championship if Boise remained undefeated, or anybody else for that matter, thus ending the SEC streak with the title game. Well this just can’t happen. We must win. Not because we think we should because we are the bigger program from the SEC and that should be enough to win. Not because we think we can play in a National Championship if we do. Our toughest games will be still to come. It is not because they think they will destroy us since they beat Va Tech last year right before James Madison did and “this isn’t the same team we beat in 2005”. It is because… THIS IS OUR HOUSE. THIS IS IN OUR STATE, IN OUR CAPITAL. THIS IS OUR COCA~COLA. THAT IS OUR DAMN CHICKEN SANDWICH. Do they even have Chic-fil-a in Boise?
When Boise St comes to the Georgia Dome to face us, we the fans have a responsibility to do our part to help our team. If you have ever been to the Dome you know how loud it can be. It is our job to make the walls crumble from our thunderous roar!!!!!!!!! Anytime the Boise offense is on the field it is our job to make as much noise as you’ve ever made. STAY ON YOUR FEET between plays still SCREAMING with all your might. STOMP THE GROUND and CLAP YOUR HANDS. SHAKE YOU KEYS. Bring those CRYING BABIES that you always bring to restaurants. Take off your belts, fold them in half, hold both ends, move your hands in then pull away making the belt pop. Try it, pretty loud. I don’t care if you wear tap shoes. We might take some heat for it if we all showed up in tap shoes, but that would make a ton of noise. Just sayin…
The point is we help win games too. We help motivate our kids to sell out body and mind for us and we strike fear and confusion into the other team. Though our part is nothing to what the players’ and coaches’ roles are, we must still show up prepared and ready to give our all, just like we expect from the team every Saturday. I don’t care if the score is 100-0, we don’t quit making noise or leave early. I want the TV announcers to show the noise meter at the Dome showing new records. Noise can cause miscommunication with play calling, unheard check-offs or audibles from the QB or sidelines, missed kicks, penalties, and turnovers. It can strike fear into the other team and kill momentum. We don’t need to take our feet off the gas, on the field or in the stands, till the game is over and we get that chicken dinner.
I WANT THAT CHICKEN DINNER!!!!!!!!
Then I want to eat chicken again the next week.
Don’t let me down Dawg Fans.
Don’t let our team down.
We will only become champions with each other.
Jim Bob
July 6th, 2011
9:08 am
WR’s will be fine — overall better than most schools we’ll line up against. Now, if we could just get a QB tall enough to throw over the middle –and be accurate, and an O-line to give him enough time to throw the ball.
D BAG TROLLS!
July 6th, 2011
11:36 am
The DAWGS will be strong at this position! Speed Kills and we have a lot of speed at this position. With AM being mobile they will have success moving the chains.
D BAG TROLLS!
July 6th, 2011
11:39 am
Great Post DAPPER!
Running backs: Competition between King, Crowell, others should translate into success | UGA sports blog
July 6th, 2011
12:46 pm
[...] July 2 — Wide receivers [...]
Drummer
July 6th, 2011
5:19 pm
WR is 1 of 2 positions on the team Richt cares about, other being QB. T King will have a decent year, maybe putting up Durham type numbers.
Rheemus
July 8th, 2011
8:37 am
I was watching the receivers warm up at the Tech game last year and Wooten threw every pass back to the QB for all the receivers. This guy might be a good option for a trick play since he can throw it well.
Defensive line: Massive changes give Bulldogs great expectations in trenches | UGA sports blog
July 8th, 2011
3:31 pm
[...] July 2 — Wide receivers [...]