UGA safety Shawn Williams rants that Dogs’ defense is ‘too soft, playing wrong players
Georgia strong safety Shawn Williams, here tackling South Carolina tailback Marcus Lattimore, called out Georgia's defense and some teammates for not playing hard enough. (AP photo)
ATHENS – You figured somebody would say something eventually. Monday night, Georgia strong safety Shawn Williams obliged.
The Bulldogs’ senior and de facto defensive captain ripped into his unit for what he called “soft play” all season. And Williams wasn’t above calling out a few teammates, identifying a couple of linebackers he didn’t think were playing up to snuff.
Do you like that Williams spoke out?
- Yes. Somebody needed to give a wake up call. (86%, 1,144 Votes)
- No. He should have kept his complaints in-house. (14%, 189 Votes)
Total Voters: 1,333
Loading ...“We’re playing too soft as a defense,” said Williams, talking to reporters after Monday night’s practice. “That goes for the D-line, linebackers, corners, safeties, everybody. We’re just not playing with the same attitude we were last year. I don’t know what it is.”
Asked if he had communicated his frustration to his defensive mates, Williams said he did during the Kentucky game and he plans to again this week as the Bulldogs prepare for Saturday’s game against No. 2 Florida in Jacksonville.
“After the first series [against Kentucky], I told everybody we played too soft,” said Williams, Georgia’s leading tackler with 51 stops. “They got the ball at the 20 and went 80 yards right up the middle. I came to the sideline and said ‘y’all are playing soft.’ It gets frustrating because I’m sitting here and I’m giving all I got and I feel like I’ve got some guys that are not. I feel we’ve got some guys that are in a whole different place.”
Asked what he thought needed to be done, Williams said, “I don’t know. I’m trying to see if I have to take somebody’s helmet off and slap them and say, ‘what’s going on’? We’re not playing with any emotion right now. Period.”
Willliams then got into specifics.
“Personally, if I was the coaches, I can’t tell them what to do, but I’d have Amarlo Herrera in the game more,” Williams said of Georgia’s starting Mike linebacker. “I wouldn’t bring him out. . . . I want to see Amarlo (Herrera) and (Alec) Ogletree in the game at linebacker; I don’t want to see anybody else at linebacker. I feel like they’re two guys that are going to go out and give you all they got, no matter if they mess up or do right. I feel like they’re going to get to the ball and tackle. That’s what we need.”
As it stands, those two are playing the most at Georgia’s inside linebacker positions. Seniors Mike Gillard and Christian Robinson split time with Herrera at the Mike. But Herrera played less against Kentucky than he has in the previous six games. He came in averaging 7.8 tackles per game. Against the Wildcats he had three, tying his season low.
“I just feel like he’s better,” Williams said. “I don’t know what he’s doing that’s better than them, getting off blocks, getting around blocks. He just gets to the football, and that’s what we need, somebody who gets to the football and tackles.”
More than any specific individuals, Williams indicated it was attitude in general that has seen the Bulldogs plunge down the national defensive rankings. Heading into Saturday’s game against run-heavy Florida, Georgia is ranked 47th in total defense (367.43 yards per game), 72nd against the run (167.86) and 49th in scoring (24.14 ppg). They were top 23 in all those categories to end last season. Kentucky rushed for 206 of their 329 total yards in a 29-24 Georgia victory.
“Right now, Florida plays very physical and they’re going to come out and try to just manhandle you,” Williams said. “So I’m really looking forward to seeing what we do. Somebody’s gonna get punched in the mouth. It’s going to be us or them. Whoever gets punched in the mouth is going to have to decide, ‘what do we do now?’ You’re either going to give in or you’re going to fight back. Point blank that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Williams’ teammates – at least those available after Monday night’s late-finishing practice — concurred with his assessment.
“I understand where he’s coming from,” senior free safety Bacarri Rambo said. “He wants to win and he wants to be the best in whatever he does. I’m in the same boat with him. I see him as a leader and a captain of the defense. He just wants what’s best for the team and the defense. So if he feels like that I feel the same way. . . . That’s what we’re upset about, because we’re not playing the best we can play, not to the potential we have as a defense.”
Said Malcolm Mitchell, who played nearly half the season at cornerback before switching back to defense full time: “Yeah, we’ve got to amp it up. We’ve got to play harder.”
Williams was asked if he thought some players were worried too much about NFL and complacent because they’ve already proven themselves. Williams is among four Georgia starters that have been projected as first-round draft picks.
“I don’t know if it’s the NFL or worried about messing up or worried about a game down the road,” Williams said. “We’ve just got to do what we do and play physical football. And we’re not. That’s what you’ve got to do to win.”
NOTES . . .
Junior outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, who was nominated as a Butkus Award semifinalist on Monday, was not listed on Monday’s injury report. Generally that means he was able to practice without limitations. The 2011 All-American was unable to play against Kentucky due to right ankle sprain. Neither Jones nor any coaches were available to comment after practice… . Starting defensive end Abry Jones was listed on the practice report as “out.” He left the Kentucky game on the second defensive play with a left ankle injury… . Quarterback Aaron Murray was named the SEC’s offensive player of the week Monday for his 427-yard, four-touchdown passing performance against Kentucky. Murray was also tabbed a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s best quarterback on Monday.
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527 comments Add your comment
WDE
October 23rd, 2012
12:01 pm
DIT agreed the offense and defense have somehow switched in terms of performance vs expectations..
kerryb
October 23rd, 2012
12:05 pm
Chris Snow
October 23rd, 2012
11:59 am
@ Kerry, the problem is that was 2007, this is 2012. We all want to believe these Dawgs can get up for the big game, but it’s been 3 years since that has happened.
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It’s been 5 years. The point was that people are saying we are going to lose Saturday because of the way they played on Oct 6 and the way they played last Saturday. That is not true. The difference in 2007 and this year is that the talent level is better than it was in 2007. The talent level at UF is not. I believe you will see the UGA team that we thought we would see all year on Saturday. When a team has a second chance when they thought their chances were done it usually has a high motivation factor of it’s own.
Rick James
October 23rd, 2012
12:06 pm
@DAWG with two bags over head
As I said before, it’s embarrassing that a player had to call out his team instead of $5 million worth of coaching staff. Can’t CMR see the forest for the trees? The fan base has gone from polarized to overwhelmingly against him. He’s not even rearranging the chairs on the Titantic; he’s at the helm, in neutral thinking it’s a nice brisk night for a swim (or to be 6-1). I guess I shouldn’t be surprised though. This brain trust thought Scam Newton should be recruited as a tight end.
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The fanbase is overwhemingly against him??? News flash,these blogs dont represent the fanbase.Most of these people are Tech fans and Georgia fans who never set foot in Sanford stadium.When are people going to get over Cam Newton? We had Matt Stafford so what if Cam had to play tight end for a year or two. What position was Richard Samuel recruited to play? What position does he play now? What position was Malcome Mitchell recruited to play? Where did he start start the season? Please stop riding Cam Newton’s jock.Its and old ignorant argument.
Person capable of doing middle school math
October 23rd, 2012
12:12 pm
Great more gum bumping, exactly what we need. If he was worried about his teammates being soft, he should have said something last summer. You cant fix soft in 5 days. To all the coach haters,look we know MOST of you didnt go to UGA. Most alums are smart enough to not fire the coach with the highest win percentage in school history. Who exactly do you want to hire? I heard Gene Chizik or Derek Dooley will be available soon.
Dawg01
October 23rd, 2012
12:15 pm
It’s about time someone spoke up. Sonething is wrong and it needs to change.
dawg52
October 23rd, 2012
12:17 pm
So glad Williams is gettin this off his chest, but…….why does it take a 1/2 season of lack-luster play before our “attitude” is at the level it should be?? What are our coaches paying, or not paying, attention to???
North Georgia Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:19 pm
It’s time to put up or shut up, Richt. I’m still not convinced Muschamp is the greatest coach out there, but he is an incredible motivator. His guys always seem to play hard. Richt does not motivate his players the way he should and I hate that. Grantham had them playing with a ton of emotion last season and it showed. Even though they weren’t “dominant” last season, they played very hard and they almost always played solid run defense. And while they didn’t “shut down” the better teams, they weren’t bad at all. This year they are bad against even the weaker teams. Rambo needs to play harder in my opinion.
LHarding Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:19 pm
Watch out “middle school” or you are going to be in trouble with these sidewalk fans. No support, no tickets, and they don’t go to games.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 23rd, 2012
12:20 pm
Time to man up! Go Dawgs!
DarthDawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:20 pm
Funny, I posted on one of these blogs yesterday that the defense seemed to be focused on the NFL and not giving their all this season. Glad someone “on the ground” was willing to mention that something isn’t the same as last season, whatever the reason.
Real Talk
October 23rd, 2012
12:20 pm
WOW! It’s about time somebody showed growth and development and that’s what captains and team leaders are for, if coaches will not make adjustments. The D Line in general is very overrated or under developed. They have not put any pressure on the quarterback all year and dance at the line of scrimmage. If the D-line can change the line of scrimmage, we will see the defense play much better but if they can’t don’t expect much change. The D-line must play extremely better!
Reality
October 23rd, 2012
12:20 pm
You people talking about the talent level at Florida have no idea what you’re talking about. The Gators had at least two number one national recruiting classes after their 2008 NC. At least eight of their 1s on defense will play on Sunday. Driskel will probably be a Heisman candidate in his junior or senior year, and their tight end and two of the O linemen will play on Sundays.
How was Muschamp able to turn things around in less than two years? The same reason Meyer was: The cupboard was fully stocked when he arrived. They just needed strength and conditioning, cultural buy-in, and a year to learn the new defensive scheme.
Reality
October 23rd, 2012
12:23 pm
@North Georgia Dawg, I’ve got one word for you in response to your Muschamp comment: RESULTS.
North Georgia Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:25 pm
I have said this before, but I think Richt’s biggest flaw as a coach is not being aggressive enough and not motivating his players enough. I was hopiing Grantham being a fiery guy would help the whole team, but despite that, the guys still aren’t playing as hard as the guys on Florida and South Carolina.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 23rd, 2012
12:27 pm
Does anybody coaching or playing at UGA know how big this game is Saturday? If we win and beat Ole Miss and Auburn it puts us in the SECCG with a shot at beating the #1 team and possibly going to the NC game. That would stamp Richt’s career taking care of #2 then #1 teams in the country. Opportunity awaits. Of course this would be the year that Oregon and K-State go undefeated to play for the title.
Mobile Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:28 pm
Team just “quit” on Richt fairly early in the 08 game. Meyer coached a masterpiece that day, he played conservative early and let Richt and Bobo beat themselves. It started on the first series we had, driving the length of the field then trying to get cute with the playcalling. I look for Muschamp to take a page out of Meyers book, sit back and watch.
North Georgia Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:29 pm
Reality, the results have been solid this year, especially at the end of games. I’m just not sold on Muschamp just yet as an elite coach. He not only lost to Georgia last year (with a terrible quarterback and offensive line), but the major concern is penalties. Florida certainly looks like a better team than Georgia but in a neutral site, I have a hard time believing they could stay within two touchdowns of Alabama. The Tide don’t make careless penalties and personal foul penalties that are unnecessary.
bags on head's dad
October 23rd, 2012
12:32 pm
Its a good thing your mother had one on her head too, or you wouldn’t be here today.
Bully
October 23rd, 2012
12:32 pm
SC would like to trade places w/ GA right now I bet. At least GA still has a chance…….
watcher
October 23rd, 2012
12:32 pm
You need to look at the projected NFL draft boards now there is not 4 players on the defense getting drafted first round off this team. The only one that is listed as first round is Jenkins at LB 1st at his position thats it.
kerryb
October 23rd, 2012
12:34 pm
Bully
October 23rd, 2012
12:32 pm
SC would like to trade places w/ GA right now I bet. At least GA still has a chance…….
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They will be the hungrier team on Saturday.
Buckeye
October 23rd, 2012
12:35 pm
You dogs are so funny. Quick to boast (Feb-July) , even quicker to turn on your own.
What’s funnier is you cannot say “wait until next year” because after 5 games you will be 1-4.
And how’ bout the War Eagles? SEC! SEC!
Reality
October 23rd, 2012
12:37 pm
@Mobile Dawg, most teams go for big “tone-setting” plays on offense: e.g., throwing deep on first or second down in the first series. Muschamp tries to set the tone with big aggressive plays on defense.
In order to have any chance, Murray is probably going to have to weather a couple well-designed blitzes in the first couple series. South Carolina was just being careless with the ball last Saturday; they were all deliberate strips.
Reality
October 23rd, 2012
12:38 pm
@Buckeye, how’s that probation coming along?
kerryb
October 23rd, 2012
12:38 pm
watcher
October 23rd, 2012
12:32 pm
You need to look at the projected NFL draft boards now there is not 4 players on the defense getting drafted first round off this team. The only one that is listed as first round is Jenkins at LB 1st at his position thats it.
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The last time I looked McShay and Kiper had John Jenkins as a top 10 pick. They also had Shawn Williams as the 3rd best safety and Ogletree as the 3rd best LB. This was a list of eligible players for the draft.
steve
October 23rd, 2012
12:38 pm
They are not soft. They are undisciplined. They are too often out of position. And too many stupid 15 yard penalties for late hits or out of bounds hits.
Bdawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:40 pm
I hope Georgia wins this game, because if so they will be so fired up that they will likely roll over Auburn and Ole Miss (Or at least win). Unfortunately, I’m not sure Georgia has the coaching or offensive line to pull off the upset.
I have a news flash for you guys. Richt is not a national championship coach. He is not terrible and I would certainly take him over a guy like Gene Chizik, but he’s not going to lead us to where a lot of our fans want the team to go. Does that mean he should be fired? It depends on what you as fans want. If you want to beat Georgia Tech almost every year and always make a bowl game and be pretty good, but lose most of your games to the better teams but still win 9 games most seasons, then support him. But if you want teams that will be relevant almost every year in terms of the top 10 and national championship contention, he is not your guy. I love the guy as a person, but not as a head coach. I had a friend who met him and spent a short time with him. My friend said he was a great man who was just like my friend’s father, someone who you felt would be there for you. But my friend said he could imagine a player coming into Richt’s office and putting his feet on his desk and after skipping a class or misbehaving, Richt would probably say something like “You can’t do this, son. I want you to learn from this. But I still love you.” My friend felt that Richt would rarely chew a guy out even if the guy deserved it. I think this is the problem with Richt and guys getting suspended. The guys don’t see the consequences of their actions because they know Richt won’t put fear into them or be too hard on them. I’ll admit he has gotten better than at the beginning of his tenure at giving guys suspensions instead of just slapping them on the wrist. But the number of arrests speak for themselves.
kerryb
October 23rd, 2012
12:40 pm
steve
October 23rd, 2012
12:38 pm
They are not soft. They are undisciplined. They are too often out of position. And too many stupid 15 yard penalties for late hits or out of bounds hits.
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I agree with the first part of your post. I don’t think they’ve had that many personal fouls this year. I saw one face mask called on Williams on Saturday and that was it.
smitty
October 23rd, 2012
12:41 pm
Yes, Florida should win the game. They have a much better defense statistically, and a ground game that Ga lacks. Plus, GA has CMR. So on paper, it’s a mismatch.
Funny how some of those mismatches turn out when they actually play. Especially in rivalry games when motivation can be really important. That’s why I think GA has a serious chance Saturday against a team that deserves its high national ranking.
DarthDawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:42 pm
steve,
Rambo on that early deep pass in the South Carolina game is a prime example of soft. He was in perfect position for that interception and let the WR make a tougher play to take the ball from him.
Maybe they are soft and undisciplined.
UGA cannot beat the good teams
October 23rd, 2012
12:43 pm
Buckeye,
I would not say too much, from an Ohio State fan. Buckeyes cannot even go to any bowl at all, because of the stupid behavior of players and Tressel in the tattoo-gate scandal… Georgia pretty shaky this year, but at least they can go to a decent bowl game ( and probably lose).
kerryb
October 23rd, 2012
12:44 pm
smitty, I haven’t been that impressed with UF’s offense yet. Their defense is playing great but their offense is average. Driskell hasn’t proven yet that he can be a consistent passer. He runs a lot like Conner Shaw. I think UGA loads the line and makes him prove he can pass on them.
Contractor
October 23rd, 2012
12:48 pm
Sadly, Alec Ogletree is a problem in my eyes. Him and Rambo are full of blown coverages and personal foul penalties. Georgia’s defense has taken steps backwards since those two came back into the picture. Pretty good individual talents, but they don’t help the unit as a whole.
Bernie Matt
October 23rd, 2012
12:49 pm
Can somebody put out a search party for that lady “DawginLex”, she was full of insight about others lack of insight, but now that a player has gone public, she’s in hiding! I just want to make sure she hasn’t jump of a bridge or something.
Bdawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:51 pm
Driskel will be a much better passer eventually, but right now he is mostly a runner. He has not thrown the ball very well the last few games. Gillislee also failed to crack 40 yards rushing on South Carolina on 19 carries. So if we get penetration, their offense is not explosive. Florida’s receivers are average and have been average ever since Cooper and Hernandez went to the NFL after the 2009 season. Their tight end is excellent, but their receivers are solid, so I think Grantham should be aggressive and force Florida receivers to beat our guys deep because of their lack of talent at the receiver position. Reed will make some plays against anybody, but not their receivers. The Florida defense is loaded, so in order for Georgia to win, they are going to have to limit Florida offense, because that defense is not going to give that many points. I doubt we can win if we give up more than 21.
Party On
October 23rd, 2012
12:54 pm
WLOCP!!! Party time—-the parties at St. Simons and Jacksonville Beach are better than the game!! We’ll be playing golf, partying before and after the game and hopefully have some luck with some hot UGA chicks at the beach! Dogs will roll–take it to the bank!
Ronald aguilar
October 23rd, 2012
12:56 pm
I like what he says but fact is I watched several times this season him blow his assignment. At least 2 of the 5 touchdowns were his fault against S. Carolina. Lack of DISCIPLINE and SOFTNESS will ALWAYS plague my team. When will they play like LSU, Florida, and Alabama defenses of national champions? Looking forward to them whooping florida.
Mobile Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
12:56 pm
Reality, in big games, with two equally talented teams, my experience has been that both coaches start conservatively on offense, not wanting to make a mistake early. Once the players get into the rythym of the game they begin to open things up a bit more. That’s the smart play, let your opponent shoot themselves first if they will. That’s what Meyer did to us in 08.
SEC Fan
October 23rd, 2012
12:58 pm
I look for Florida to score enough points from Georgia’s offensive turnovers that they won’t need much of an offense themselves.
JFKDawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:02 pm
First off, Shawn “Mr. Personal Foul” Williams should STFU. You can go back to the bowl game last year and couldn’t count the number of personal fouls he’s committed on both hands. And Bacari, you need to STFU. At least the other players, who did play the first four games, were ingesting weed brownies or rolling dirty with weedamus in the car. They all look slow and out of shape, including Mr. Wonderful Herrera.
NCDawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:06 pm
You can’t fix soft in 5 days but you can fix effort. I don’t think soft is being used to denote weakness… it is being used to describe lack of effort. All it takes is a couple of guys not giving their all to effect a defense. If you have 1 lineman, 1 LB, and 1 DB not giving an honest effort then good teams stick it to you and the effort of the the other 8 guys is useless. I think some guys are playing to be heroes as well… they leave their assignments and are getting burned. Getting gapped is what Coach Richt calls it. So we need guys to play their assignments with everything they’ve got and not worry about their stats as well.
Bdawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:07 pm
Every year, Georgia (just like South Carolina) lays an egg in a game they should win. I mean by that they come out flat and unprepared. Sometimes it’s against a bad team and they still manage to win because of superior talent (Kentucky last year being a good example). Sometimes it’s against a great team (Alabama in 2009). I like Richt, but I don’t think he can win a national championship or even an SEC championship as long as Saban and Miles are both coaching in the SEC West.
Here are some examples to support me:
2002: Georgia loses to a Florida team they should have beaten due to an inability to play better on offense and convert third downs. Georgia still managed to win the SEC East thanks to David Greene’s good passing in the second half against Auburn.
2004: Georgia is coming off a big win over LSU and looks like one of the top teams in the country. ESPN is praising UGA for their win and the team is full of seniors. Despite having a great quarterback in David Greene who played pretty well in big games, a good running back in Thomas Brown, good receivers and offensive line and a solid defense, UGA commits over 100 yards in penalties and narrowly loses to a Tennessee team they should have beaten.
2005: After winning against a good LSU team to take the SEC title, Georgia came out sloppy on offense and turned the ball over. West Virginia got a huge lead on us and while we played great after falling behind, we came up just short of winning because we didn’t have enough time to get the ball back.
2006: Layed an egg against Kentucky and Vanderbilt and lost both game.
2007: We lost badly at Tennessee after falling behind big in the first half, then beat a Florida team that had destroyed that Vols team.
There are many games I could point out to. This is a coaching problem and the fact that it happens every year should show people that.
7576DAWG
October 23rd, 2012
1:08 pm
JvilleDawg
I totally agree, why did Richt agree to hire Grantham knowing he was a very emotional Coach and openly showed it on the field if he was going to then muzzle him. Richt doesn’t get it , when the players see the coach get real emotional and openly show it , the players then get fired up and when 20 year old kids get their adrenaline going great things can happen.
Disgusted Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:11 pm
Richt should be saying this stuff! Williams is spot on. Kudos for speaking the truth when Richt sugar coats everything.
I wish we had a COACH that would say this!!! CLASSIC!!! “I’m trying to see if I have to take somebody’s helmet off and slap them and say, ‘what’s going on’? We’re not playing with any emotion right now. Period.”
Joey
October 23rd, 2012
1:12 pm
How about that Penn St? big 10. big 10.
Strat Cat Dawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:16 pm
I wonder if the coaches gave him the green light- I hope so. He’s expressing the frustration the fan base feels about the underperformance of the D this year. The loss to SC was egregious but if the D snaps out of it and shows up, the remainder of the season could more than make up for it. Let’s do it!
WDE
October 23rd, 2012
1:19 pm
@JFKDawg just love to be in the room when you tell either of those young men to STFU…really really love to see that.
Jock Sniffer
October 23rd, 2012
1:21 pm
Vote for Obama.
It is easier than getting a job.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
October 23rd, 2012
1:25 pm
Can you imagine one of Lombardi’s players….or Bear’s players…or hell, even Erk’s players….talking like this?
What the hell happened to coaches who were real MEN?
This player’s comments say more about the COACHES than it does the players…he obviously has no fear of the coaches doing anything about his speaking this way to the media.
NCDawg
October 23rd, 2012
1:27 pm
Bdawg, by that description… laying an egg in a big game or a game they should win… you say SC does that every year. Does that mean that Spurrier is not an elite coach? Or a championship coach? Despite the fact that he has a National Championship and has made SC better than they ever have been? I’m just wondering if you should have left that part out of your post because it detracts from an otherwise good analysis.
Of course, it is the truth but some people will beat you up over it…LOL. Teams do it all the time. How about Utah tearing Saban a new one a couple of years back in their bowl game? No one can tell me Utah had more talent to work with. Even well coached teams have a let down or read their press too much. The issue is how often and what actually happens.
A loss to UF on Saturday pretty much adds the exclamation point to the trend for UGA. A win can go a long way to undoing that perception. That’s why I’ve been saying for 2 weeks now that the Dawgs MUST beat UF for CMR to keep his job. The trend is there. The question is whether this team can show an exception to that slide. We will see… that’s all I can say. No predictions out of this Dawg.