Practice report: Dogs 19th, Crowell wows and uniform debate
UGA and Nike showed off the Bulldogs' Pro Combat uniform that the team will wear for its opening game against Boise State. (Brant Sanderlin/bsanderlin@ajc.com)
ATHENS – Online fan reaction to Georgia’s new Nike Pro Combat uniforms, publicly unveiled on Saturday, was generally negative. This came as no surprise to Bulldogs coach Mark Richt.
“I think there are a lot of people that just don’t want to get away from [tradition] and I don’t blame them,” Richt said. “That’s the reason we’re sticking it out there two weeks in advance, so everybody can get over it.”
The new design features a silver helmet with a wide red stripe down the middle, red jersey, red pants, llong black socks, all in the Nike “Pro Combat” style. UGA and Boise State both agreed to wear the specially-designed uniforms for one game only when they play in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Sept. 3 in the Georgia Dome.
Georgia has a 2-2 record under Richt when it has changed its uniforms. The Bulldogs famously beat Auburn 45-20 in their first-ever “blackout” in 2007. They also rolled Hawaii 41-20 in black jerseys and pants in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.
But the last two times it hasn’t gone well. Georgia lost to Alabama 41-30 – after trailing 31-0 at halftime – in 2008. Wearing black helmets and black pants in 2009, the Bulldogs fell to Florida 41-17.
“We’re due,” Richt said. “I doubt we’ll do any surprise uniforms anymore. At least everybody’s got time to digest it this time. If everybody just thinks about what’s most important and that’s playing the game, I think we’ll all be fine.”
Richt said it’s not about motivation or breaking with tradition.
“When the players saw it, they liked it and that’s the big thing,” he said. “And it’s a special game. It’s not what we would call a traditional uniform but it’s not a traditional game either. That’s kind of why we did it.”
Meanwhile, the players love them.
“I think they’re awesome,” junior wide receiver Tavarres King said. “We’ve still got to play so it’s not a magic potion or anything. But I love what Nike has done for us. We’re blessed to have those uniforms. I’m excited about them.”
Said linebacker Christian Robinson: “I do like tradition, but I think one game out of the year you can do something new. It’s not like we’re changing our whole style for the whole season. It’s one game. If it’s upsetting somebody that bad, I’m sorry.”
Dogs 19th in AP poll
The Associated Press Top 25 was released Saturday and Georgia was ranked 19th. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 22 in the coaches’ poll released earlier this month.
“That’s good,” Richt said. “It’s nice to be ranked.”
Said senior defensive end DeAngelo Tyson: “That’s pretty good. We can’t go anywhere but up starting at 19. We just don’t want to go down.”
Boise State, Georgia’s opening opponent, was ranked No. 5.
“Good. I’m very excited,” Georgia’s King said of the Broncos. “They should be 5, if not even higher.”
Crowell wows team at practice
Tailback Isaiah Crowell apparently is completely recovered from the groin injury that sidelined him for six days. In his second practice back, Crowell wowed his coaches and teammates in the scrimmage portion of Saturday morning’s practice.
“Isaiah went live today and he made some plays,” Richt said. “He had a couple of great runs and a great catch and run after the catch for a touchdown.”
Said King: “Isaiah Crowell came in and was just making plays all over. I was excited about that.”
It was the first time Crowell has gone full speed since injuring the groin on Aug. 12.
“He went a little yesterday and that was enough for him, I think, to realize he could go,” Richt said. “We had a great competitive day and he wanted to be a part of it. So I think his adrenalin took over and he competed and he competed well. It was great to see.”
Injury report
Crowell’s backfield mate Richard Samuel was not about to return. Richt said the junior will be out at least until “early next week” with a strained quadricep muscle.
Nose guard John Jenkins sat out after being sidelined with a mild hamstring pull on Friday. Fellow nose guard Kwame Geathers returned from an undisclosed injury that kept him out on Friday. Also, freshman wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell was out Saturday due to a pulled leg muscle. Freshman outside linebacker Ray Drew will be out at least another week with a separated shoulder suffered in a scooter accident.
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797 comments Add your comment
Drewski
August 20th, 2011
10:51 pm
Red. Out. The. DOME!!!!
NCDawg
August 20th, 2011
10:53 pm
These new diggs look better and better each time I look at them! If you don’t like them then to bad—you can’t please everyone. The important thing is that the players are fired up about them! Go Dawgs!
SuperB
August 20th, 2011
11:01 pm
“Sticking it out there (two weeks in advance) so everybody can get over it,” is the height of arrogance on the part of Mark Richt. If you go 0-2 and are lucky enough to coach at your alma mater next season you can wear any damn ugly, tacky, hideous uniforms you like.
But I (and all other lifetime Georgia alumns) will be here long after you have departed– wearing the traditional (and GREAT LOOKING) red jerseys and helmets and silver breeches that define Georgia football! Got it Mark?
dave
August 20th, 2011
11:02 pm
THEY’re AWESOME!!!!!!!! time to get past “tradition” and embrace new ones!!! These are perfect
UGA4EVER
August 20th, 2011
11:03 pm
Call me old fashioned but i do’nt like the new uniforms.Let’s stick with the old ones there’s a lot of history there.
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:04 pm
Nike has been the sponsor (and marketing) the Georgia jersey for years now. They and Georgia have made plenty big money together, ours going towards new sports complexes and stadium expansions, thier going to drive a capitalist company. Now all of a sudden, we all hate the corporate pigs?
BTW , UGA and Nike made some changes to the unis in 2005. And that change was permanent to the “traditional” unis. This is one game. Why the double standard?
bamaman
August 20th, 2011
11:06 pm
Anybody remember how Georgia fared wearing their black uniforms against Alabama several years ago?
Hunkerdown
August 20th, 2011
11:08 pm
Keep Richt, fire Nike!
DawgFan
August 20th, 2011
11:08 pm
All those uniforms need is a cape! God awful!
Dirty Dawg
August 20th, 2011
11:08 pm
Hey all you that claim to hate these unis so much you won’t even go to the game…how’s about you sending your tickets back to the Ticket Office and give others of us that are still interested in making money off ‘em some more shots…and it ain’t a white helmet, it’s silver.
And for those that are making a racial thing out of this and that say they’ve had enough…good riddance and don’t let the hedge hit you in the a$$ on the way out of the stadium.
DawgFan
August 20th, 2011
11:09 pm
BamaMan, I remember how Georgia looked the year before that beating Alabama in their white uniforms at Alabamy!
MS. Bully
August 20th, 2011
11:10 pm
One word, UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
poof!!!
August 20th, 2011
11:11 pm
Those unis are horrid. Tradition carries a lot of weight. You don’t have to change the unis in order for them to look up to date. All the equipment changes over time. Look at a Georgia uni from 1990 and the ones from today. The helmets are different the jerseys are different…….
dawggirl
August 20th, 2011
11:12 pm
I see the little boys on this blog have been whining all day long. How pathetic. It’s a uniform for one game. And it is actually designed to make the player perform better – “The redesigned base layer facilitates the uniform’s overall innovation, delivering the ultimate in lightweight protection for maximum speed. Strategically placed seams, pads and cooling zones also help minimize distraction and optimize protective coverage.”
And yet, here the majority of you still are whining. Grow up. If you don’t like the uniforms, go be a Tech fan or a Gator fan or an Auburn fan. We don’t need you.
UglyUni
August 20th, 2011
11:14 pm
Dawggirl, The uniforms are UGLY! All that is missing from this uniform is a prison yard.
dawggirl
August 20th, 2011
11:15 pm
I bet they’re not as ugly as you are.
Wade in the Water
August 20th, 2011
11:15 pm
Tradition? I would like to see us establish tradition…..not any Miami style garbage. It is time to stop being content and expect greatness through hard work and determination. No entitilements.
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:15 pm
except the gators have done this a few times too.
UglyUni
August 20th, 2011
11:15 pm
You are the one with the name dawggirl. I am sure the name fits you perfectly.
dawggirl
August 20th, 2011
11:18 pm
It’s not indicative of my appearance, I can tell you that.
dawggirl
August 20th, 2011
11:18 pm
But fine, what harm is there in the players liking the uniform? Please tell me that.
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:20 pm
Well, certainly the odds would say, it does not.
Return to Glory
August 20th, 2011
11:25 pm
The black jerseys looked good, this set up looks like crap, we ain’t Oregon were GEORGIA !
Glad it is only for one game.. kinda like taking a four wheel drive F-150 and putting spinners and curb finders on it !!
Go Dawgs hope we play much better than were gonna look !
Erk Russell's Dog
August 20th, 2011
11:28 pm
Dawggirl will the new uniforms help the Dawgs defense play better. Will it help the Cornerbacks with thier reads and the Safetys support the run and make clean open field tackles .Do the new uniforms provide some type of artificial intelligence factor to help our players make better decisions on the field. If this is true I am all in on the new uniforms.
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:40 pm
For a guy who doesn’t care about the unis…………..
HateTheLook
August 20th, 2011
11:42 pm
Nike deserves an “F-” and a swift, hard kick in the ass. The uniform is pathetic, ugly, and will never do………….DO-OVER!!!
dawgs66
August 20th, 2011
11:43 pm
Richt is giving us “2 weeks to get over it” That’s aokay, after the first 2 games of the season, the season will be over and we’ll get over having Richt around!
Colorado Dawg
August 20th, 2011
11:44 pm
All I’m hearing or shall I say reading is a bunch of complaining. I used to think the saying “the best thing about the south is it never changes and the worst thing about the south is that it never changes” just a saying. Now that this day has come I see that it’s true. CMR line them up in all pink and I’m still gonna scream for my DAWGS!!!! I love the unis just like the players do.
HateTheLook
August 20th, 2011
11:45 pm
If Nike was going to make them so ugly……and if it really didn’t matter what they looked like…..why not make them pink..with lace….with a dull light- grey “G” on the helmet?
Erk Russell's Dog
August 20th, 2011
11:49 pm
a river dawg .the last one was just too easy to pass on.Little ga dawg girl really thinks uniform is going to make a difference on how the players perform.Too damn funny.
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:50 pm
man, what is with you people’s problem with Richt and these unis? The head coach does not negotiate the uniform contract. Hello. The man all but apologized for having these things.
Richt is the one that brought BACK the more traditional look of the helmets when he got here. He has done more to revive old Georgia traditions since he has been here than any coach in a long time.
LakeDawg
August 20th, 2011
11:50 pm
AltamahaDawg
August 20th, 2011
8:50 pm
Yes I am aware that the TN game was a road game, but I was not aware they had been wearing them on a regular basis for road games. So thanks for that clarification. But frankly the fact that they had worn them a few times before is not the point. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that they changed Back to the silver pants for “tradition” sake, while trying to minimize my point that the Red Pants were a departure from tradition. One I doubt that the Bulldawg faithfull really thought was flying in the face of what is dear to them, about the time Bill Bates was getting run over
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Changing pant colors and changing the whole uniform is two different animals. Changing the helmet is the worst offense. BTW The current classic uni is the longest running uni in UGA history…31 years…and if you discount the pants its been 47 years. UGA has won a NC and 8 SEC titles with this uniform. Leave it be. You’ve also failed to address that this is a marketing gimmick for a corporation and a totally different animal to the red pants. Not to mention the NIKE unis represent everything that is wrong with our current society. They’re loud, garrish, cheap looking, and classless with no respect for what has come before. And last but not least, their sole purpose is commerce….getting the NIKE brand out there and selling more jersey’s. UGA is pimping themselves to NIKE.
HateTheLook
August 20th, 2011
11:57 pm
Ugliest, poorest uniform design, tacky, tasteless, poor quality….there’s only so many ways to say that these uniforms…totally suck. Hopefully the play on the field will far surpass Nike’s weak-as-hell uniform design. Does Nike make uniforms as a means of earning a business profit? With results like this, one has to wonder how in the hell they stay in business. It must have been “amateur week” at Nike when they were designing these “pathetic contraptions”. Is UGA obligated to pay for this trash? The UGA players will be ‘heros if they can win a game in ‘these’….ugly contraptions.
Deepdiver
August 20th, 2011
11:59 pm
Mark Richt might as well as said “screw you” to his team as he accepts money from Nike for wearing these gaudy uniforms and drawing attention to the team for something other than good play. How can a coach making millions of dollars tell a player not to accept gifts or cash while he is making millions of dollars and keep a straight face? That is the hypocrisy of coaches and the NCAA and school presidents.
Erk Russell's Dog
August 21st, 2011
12:00 am
Last comment on the uniforms. Hindsight is 20/20 but I think it would have been less of a distraction to the team,if Uga waited until game time Sept 3rd to spring the new uniforms.If you win the game no problem if you lose blame it on Nike.
Now everyone will have 2 weeks to argue pro or negatively about the uniforms,will have to bleed over and distract the players.
Glenn
August 21st, 2011
12:01 am
They are uuuuggggly
bobby
August 21st, 2011
12:03 am
i hate those darn uniforms they need to stick with their regular uniforms, shoot i love the black uniforms much better.
LakeDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:05 am
Does anybody find it curious that all off season the coaching staff has been emphasizing UGA’s “tradition” to the players. Telling them that it means something to wear the “G.” Even to the point of bringing in Herschel and former UGA players currently in the NFL to talk about UGA’s “tradition.” Now all of a sudden tradition is silly.
AltamahaDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:11 am
why WOULD I address it. The intention of a corporation has nothing to do with the fallacy that our uniforms have not changed plenty of tiems for special occations and even permanently (yes I understand you choose to draw hypothetical lines on the exact percentage change that is allowable). And I wholeheartedly commend Nike for producing a product and marketing it.
Alabama and Florida pimped themselves to Nike last yar. LSU will later this year. Army, Navy, both pimping themselves later this year. None of those program have any less respect for tradition than Uga, you, or I.
We’ll just disagree. The more you tell me whats behind your dislike of these, the more I find my original point was right, but obviously you aren’t going to see it that way.
As I have said, I think they are ugly. I think ugly unis is a small price to pay for what we are getting from it, and it’s far more than money can buy.
the altamaha dawg mark richt bromance continues
August 21st, 2011
12:13 am
removing a black stripe from a helmet does not a great restorer of tradition make…..bernie madoff donnan put the black stripe on there and then stuck his middle finger at all of us. we see where that got him….
playing as hard as you can every single down of every single game does more to restore the tradition of erk and vince. mark richt’s teams do not play that way. never have. and they never will.
but, the A-dawg can justify all of mark richt’s mistakes….so there is no use in intelligent discussion as he will just start bashing whoever questions him or his favorite coach.
Ga Dawg
August 21st, 2011
12:16 am
This is beyond awful…out with tradition…again! So now there is no more “Georgia Red” – I’m spreading the GA read on my facebook thread…PLEASE do the same!
AltamahaDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:17 am
I find it curious that you claim anyone ever remotely indicated that tradition is silly.
LakeDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:19 am
The point isn’t NIKE. Its UGA and college football in general pimping themselves to the highest bidder. I could care less about NIKE. And there is no “right” in this debate. Its a matter of what each of us value. So yes, we’ll just have to disagree. BTW There is near unanimous concent that the unis are butt ugly. I can handle the unis for this game only. A lot of my ire was in CMR’s comment this summer, where he pondered several uni combos ala Oregon. I’m glad he’s backed off of that for now. This will be my last comment on the unis. I’ve vented and now I’m going to turn my attention to the upcoming season.
LakeDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:22 am
AltamahaDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:17 am
I find it curious that you claim anyone ever remotely indicated that tradition is silly.
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Oh, its been implied by several venters. “old farts,” “times change,” “get over it,” etc.
AltamahaDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:23 am
How is this “Richt’s Mistake”. He doesn’t negotiate this kind of stuff.
And you look like a kid to use silly names and not the one that you always use in here.
please quote me “bashing” somebody for having an intelligent discussion. Sounds like you just disagree with something I have said, then just made up your little insult.. Here is a great chance to prove me wrong. .
Erk Russell's Dog
August 21st, 2011
12:25 am
A river dawg ,I thought you argued your point fairly and with out the usual bashing that takes place on the UGA blog. Good job!
UGAJD
August 21st, 2011
12:28 am
Geez! Stop whining! All that matters is that the players like them, and that they may have a positive affect on recruiting.
LakeDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:29 am
This is more than likely Adams and the Athletic Assoc.’s doings. I don’t get the impression CMR is against it though. Especially considering his remarks this summer.
dawg24
August 21st, 2011
12:34 am
Im a traditionialist but a realist. I dont care what the uniform but how well we play and kick their butts.
AltamahaDawg
August 21st, 2011
12:34 am
Thanks dog, dawg. You can bet that anyone accusing me of “bashing” is just somebody with a hurt ego. I’d bet anything that guy has a normal nick we all know.