Ealey gone, good-bad-indifferent reactions??

As most probably know by the time you read this blog, Washaun Ealey and UGA have parted ways. Coach Mark Richt announced he was granting an unconditonal release to Ealey which means he is free to attend any school he wishes with no restrictions. Course if he transfers to a D1 program, he would have to sit out a year but he does have his redshirt season remaining. Most have speculated he would transfer to Georgia Southern since it is about 30 or so miles from his home. Whatever he chooses, I personally wish him the best. A lot of folks have been trashing the kid but I don't see why. He played pretty well most of his career-minus the two HUGE fumbles last year, he had the off the field problems yes but not like he is the only player we have with problems off the field. Hopefully he will find a home and prosper. I think this does mean, what I have said all along has a great chance to play out against Boise State-Isaiah Crowell will be on the field for the first snap.

There is no doubt a lot of pressure on Crowell to produce for us, a lot of our fan base will expect he will have a similar impact as Marcus Lattimore. While I am not ready to say he will blow up like Lattimore did, there is no doubt he will have a big impact because he is truly the most gifted running back all around we have had since Moreno. Some will say, what about the hype for Caleb King or Ealey-not the same. Had King NOT been injured his senior year, I think the case could be made that Caleb came in with just as much hype as Crowell because there is no doubt King was on that level-BUT, he suffered the broken leg in I think game 4 of his senior year. Ealey was well known within the state, broke Herschel's TD record but played at a very small school in the smallest classification in state. He was recruited but not a national recruit like Crowell was. Crowell in fact is probably the most hyped back to come to UGA since, well, possibly HW himself. Again though, I do NOT think he makes the impact of even Lattimore because we have some depth at the position-he is not going to get 30+ carries a game. He is going to get maybe 15-20 a game tops and probably will catch a few screens.

So the question really is, what do most UGA fans think about Ealey being gone? Are they happy he is gone, sad that he is gone or just fall somewhere in the middle. I say I fall in the middle. I never am happy or glad to see one of our talented players leave the program but, no doubt this kid had problems off the field, had some crucial fumbles last year, there were many rumors around that he was not the best teammate around, you just have to believe this move is the best for both parties involved. In the grand scheme of things, it means Crowell better come ready to play and better be in the best shape of his life, Caleb King needs to report to camp ready and focused. He is without question our most experienced back on campus and this is his final season-he can make a name for himself this year as he has talent and this is his last chance to prove to everyone that he was worth all the praise coming into school. He knows the offense, he has speed, good vision, he has it all but just needs to put it together. Ken Malcome will now get his shot-he redshirted and then had to deal with all the hype surrounding Crowell. The kid looked solid to me in the Gday game, he is a big brusing type back that could be the perfect compliment to the more elusive Crowell and King. Carlton Thomas is insurance in case of an injury but has a LOT of experience going for him as well. I think the fact that King is gone after this year, Thomas is a SR next year and not likely in the plans for the RB position, should help us land another elite back in the class of 2012. From what I understand, the kid up in North Carolina, Keith Marshall, is the back our coaches have put the target on. A lot of folks I have read on message boards (take it with a grain of salt) have said if we land Marshall, we will have the best TB tandem since Ingram and Richardson at Bama. We shall see but certainly with some of these latest moves, you can see where attrition ALWAYS plays a role on a college football roster. Our 2012 class continues to expand in numbers and will be a great class, provided we can win football games this fall.

I found this on the UGA blog from the AJC-

Over at ESPN.com, Edward Aschoff took a look at the biggest reasons for hope and concern for the Georgia Bulldogs this season. As you’d expect, the return of quarterback Aaron Murray was one of the reasons for hope, along with a talented linebacker unit, which he said “could be the most athletic in the league.”

Biggest reason for concern, Aschoff says, is Georgia’s unproven offensive skill players: “The Bulldogs have a ton of offensive talent, but only Murray, wide receiver Tavarres King and tight end Orson Charles have really made any sort of impact. Those three are reliable, but the rest of the group has yet to prove themselves. The Bulldogs haven’t found that elite running back. Washaun Ealey’s future is unknown and senior Caleb King was solid this spring, but has yet to really break out. Ken Malcome and Carlton Thomas struggled with injuries this spring. Incoming freshman Isaiah Crowell will have a ton of expectations to live up to when he arrives and he will immediately be in the thick of the running back competition. At receiver, King will be the go-to-guy, but after him there is a cloud of uncertainty. Marlon Brown seemed to come along at times this spring, but was inconsistent. Rantavious Wooten might be the most athletic receiver, but he, too, was inconsistent this spring and didn’t play in Georgia’s spring game. The rest of Georgia’s group hardly has any experience.”
Do you agree that the offensive skill players are the biggest reason for concern? Bigger than the unsettled secondary, where one of the safety positions is still a big question mark? Bigger than the reshuffling of an already suspect offensive line after the injury of Trinton Sturdivant?
What makes you the most nervous about the 2011 Dogs?

For me there is no doubt what I worry most about, the skill positions on offense. Sure, we have Murray coming back but who else that is proven? Charles is a stud TE but he was absent most of last season, save the Florida game and you know teams will plan to limit his touches. Tavarres King is a solid WR but he has never been the #1 WR, I think TKing is a good WR but can he be a great one? Do we have another WR or two that can step up? Durham and TKing were great #2 and #3 WR's last year, do we have anyone that can be as good as those two guys, to take some pressure off Charles and TKing. Of course already discussed is the RB position. We do have a SR with talent and of course a top rated RB coming in but will these guys provide us with enough of a run game to help out Murray? You could point out the OL and maybe I am a fool to say but I have more confidence about the OL this year than last year. I think highly of Glenn, Jones, Gates, and also look for Bean Anderson, AJ Harmon, Chris Burnette and some of the younger guys to step up-I really do have confidence the line is going to be improved. As for the D, I think getting Tree, Samuel, Jarvis Jones and company playing LB, having the big NG that can cause serious problems in the middle of the line, I really do think the D can be really good. The secondary I think will be fine with Smith, Boykin, Rambo, Commings and Shawn Williams back there. I personally think this unit will make a big splash this season and will really help get our offense going.

So what do you all think about Ealey, or what concerns you the most about the upcoming season? Comments are always welcome.