Last night kicked off the college football season, happy days are here again. I LOVE the start of college football season, not only to watch UGA but just to watch football games that MATTER. The NFL has 4 exhibition games that don't matter, what a bore. Granted in my house, football has been going on since July with my son's team, and we have already opened our season, but last night kicked off my favorite sport of them all, college football. There were several games on last night but I found myself glued to one game in particular because it involved two divisonal rivals from the SECe, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The game was like many first game of the years end up being, sloppy offense, pretty decent defense, mistakes, penalties, and yes, even the refs make glaring mistakes as well-ok, SEC officials make mistakes consistently throughtout the season but last night late in the game, WOW. Credit to the South Carolina defender for getting away with it-thing is, he made the right decision-he was beat and rather than give up a TD pass, grab the WR's arm and keep him from making the catch. Worst case, 15 yard penalty, best case the ref doesn't see it and game is over.
My take on that game last night is that SCarolina is going to need to find a better passing game or they will be in some serious trouble. Lattimore is a fantastic RB, I love watching him play-except against UGA. He looked pretty darn good last night, even though I do not believe he was at 100%. Shaw is a QB that has good wheels and you have to account for his running ability, but I am not overly impressed with him passing and SCarolina does NOT have a Jeffrey on their roster this year-who was the closest thing SC had to AJ Green. Vandy I thought did a pretty good job of shutting down the SCarolina offense, they applied a lot of pressure to Shaw, they held Lattimore in check MOST of the time. On the flip side, Vandy's QB Rodgers is pretty good, but certainly not great. The Vandy OL I believe got tired as the game went along because at the end, they were having a very hard time containing the SC DL. Granted the strength of the SC defense without question is the DL, especially their DE's. The secondary did NOT look very good to me, the LB's pretty average but the DL is very good. Vandy is not a pushover any longer, and I think they proved that with close losses last year to us and Arky-especially at home you can no longer expect to walk into Nashville and collect and easy win. SCarolina found a way to get the W and they survive and move on. A loss in that game, considering the schedule they still face, would have been deadly for them.
This weekend features a few games of interest to me personally. First is tonight with NCST playing UT. The reason this one is interesting to me is because UT is in our division and many think Derek Dooley is on the hot seat. NCST is supposed to be a pretty darn good team for ACC standards, but this is a game that Dooley really needs to win to get this season off to a good start in Knoxville. This is also a SEC-ACC matchup of course and this game combined with my next game of interest-CLEM vs. AUB, will be interesting for the fans of both conferences to look at. On one hand, UT and AUB are NOT expected to be contenders for the SEC title this year, while the two ACC teams, especially Clemson is a potential champ of the ACC this year. I personally hope both SEC schools win the games at the dome but those games are both toss ups in my mind. I think if UT can get any sort of running game going, with Bray and his wideouts (yes even missing Da'rick, Vols have a good pass game), UT can beat the Pack. As for Clem-AU game, Van Gorder is back in the SEC along with Free Willie Martinez-when they last worked TOGETHER, they put a very good D on the field in Athens. That being said, I think Clemson has more offense than does AU, even without Sammy Watkins playing for Clemson. I still think Auburn can win this game because I expect them to be more physical than Clemson but this is really a toss up for sure.
Tomorrow night of course is the Alabama-Michigan game. I do NOT like either team and certainly the SEC pride in me comes out with this one-that being said, I really can't stand Bama right now. There are too many Bama fans around me on a day to day basis, of course I can't stand Nick Saban nor Kirby Smart, so I would not mind in the least if Bama got beat, I just wish the opponent was say Oregon or USC or even say Oklahoma/Texas, because I really don't like Michigan at all. But, I think I will be a maze and blue fan on Sat night.
On Monday night, the battle of the Tech's up in Blacksburg. This figures to be a very interesting game because GT has the oddball offense but VT is bringing back almost their entire D. Meanwhile, VT lost their top RB and several top WR's but still have the big QB that beat up the Insects last year. Also, the Tech defense still remains a mystery, they have not been good in years and it doesn't matter who the DC is. Also keep in mind, typically teams that have a LOT of time to prepare for the gimmicky Tech offense tend to stop that offense much better than teams that only have one week to prepare. This is why Tech under Johnson, aka the offensive genius, has never won a bowl game. Teams that have time to go over how to defend this option crap, if they have the atheletes, can and will stop it. VT has plenty and thus them playing at home I see them winnnig this game by 10-14 points.
Finally of course the UGA game. The depth chart came out earlier this week and maybe there were a few surprises, but not really to me. The starting FB is Merrit Hall-I admit I don't remember the kid from the spring game but sounds like he can do the job. Of course on the OL, Theus starts his first game as a true FR-he sounds a lot like Sturdivant to me in that regard, on defense Ramik Wilson earns a start and also Mitchell is starting ahead of Swann at CB. I think everyone is interested in seeing the two FR backs, Gurley and Marshall. I also think everyone is interested in seeing some of the new kids on defense-Jordan Jenkins, Josh Harvey Clemons, also in getting a look at the new punter and kicker. It is really hard to get a read on the OL going against Buffalo, but you HOPE that they are paving the way for our backs in this game, if not there is a cause for concern as we move into next week. Also of course you really hope to get out of this game without serious injury. One more interesting thing to keep an eye on is will Rambo or Ogletree play. I don't believe either will play, but I am very hopeful that at least 'Tree will be back for Missouri. I keep reading Chip Towers and others say this is Tree's second drug test failed, but I am not following that. It is the second for Rambo from what I can remember, last year he missed the Boise game because supposedly he was with someone that had drugs on them-again just what I have heard. Tree did have the bike helmet deal back before his FR year, but that would not be the same as a drug related issue-in that case, Tree would sit out ONE game and be back for Missouri. Anyway, only time will tell for the suspensions, we will have Branden Smith but Commings and Vasser are both out.
Also, it was announced yesterday I believe that Russ will no longer be the fill in mascot, he will officially become UGA IX during a pregame ceremony in two weeks. I am very happy this happened. I do hate that Russ is already 8 years old, and the life expectancy for Bulldogs is not probably much more than 8-10 years, but Russ has always been one of my favorite dogs. He just has a great look about him and he is featured at the top of my blog page. He will help bridge the gap the next couple years and give the Seiler family more time to get the next UGA ready for the job. Congrats to Russ, and great job by UGA for doing what many fans have been saying for a while, giving the permanent gig to Russ who started as a replacement but did a fine job filling in and "earned" the spot. He was like a walkon player that earns a scholarship, Russ truly earned his title and great for the folks at UGA for giving him the gig.
Ok, and to close an update on the 8 year old Grayson Rams. We enjoyed our off week last Sat with a trip to the Ga Dome to watch the HS Rams. Tonight I will be at Grayson to watch them play against a very highly regard team out of the sunshine state, Miami-Central HS. Miami-Central is nationally ranked as is Grayson, should be a great game and one of the ESPN networks is broadcasting. As for our 8 year old team, we carry our 1-0 record into a game with the Shiloh Generals tomorrow. Yep, David Pollack was once a Shiloh General. Shiloh enters the game with a 2-0 record, they have shut out both opponents on the season but have yet to face a powerhouse offense like we will throw at them. Also, our D pitched a shutout in our first game, and as good as our offense is, our D might be better. Yes, I am a confident assistant coach but I see the Grayson 8's rolling to an easy victory tomorrow, I will say 26-6.
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, as always Go Dogs and Rams!!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
As we get really close to kickoff, let's take a look at Buffalo
I think most UGA faithful are not really thinking much about the 1st game opponent. Fans are thinking about watching Todd Gurley, or that big Theus kid at right tackle, maybe watching Mitchell play both ways or various other positions or players but most of us, myself included, are not talking about our first opponent. Most I am sure have moved past that and are talking about our first SEC contest the next week at Missouri. So, for those loyal readers of this blog (yes, that means you Mom and Dad), I figure I should do a little research about our first opponent of the season, Buffalo. First of all, let's clear something up really quick, this is NOT the Buffalo Bills we are playing, rather the Buffalo Bulls who play in the MAC. They finished last season 3-9 overall, 2-6 in the MAC eastern division. They are coached by Jeff Quinn who will be entering his 3rd season at the school (he followed Turner Gill who won pretty big at Buffalo and then departed to coach at Kansas and has since been fired). So far Quinn, who came to Buffalo after a successful run at OC at Cincinnati, has not had much succes as his first year he was 2-10. Buffalo will have a new QB starting for them this year as recently Quinn name JR Alex Zordich his starter for the UGA game. Zordich was the backup last year. Buffalo does return 16 starters from last year, including RB Brandon Oliver who is the only MAC player nominated for the Maxwell award-which is given to the top player in college football, as well being nominated for the Doak Walker and Walter Camp awards. Last year Oliver ran for nearly 1400 yards and 13 TD's, he appears to be THE offense. As I mentioned a new QB, all new WR's, it would appear the key for UGA will be shutting down Mr. Oliver. On defense the top player is without question Khalil Mack, on the preseason lists for the Nagurski and Lombardi awards. Only one problem though, Mack has been suspended idefinitely for violating team policy-not sure what that means but we can certainly relate to player suspensions. As for Georgia connections, looking at their roster, they do have a few kids from the state playing for them-
5 Tony Daniel QB from Hiram
12 Cordero Dixon WR from Suwanee
22 Najjia Johnson CB from Atlanta
92 Kendall Roberson LB from Decatur
A few more tidbits about the school itself in case you were wondering, per wikipedia-
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo, or UB, is a public research university with multiple campuses located in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. There are 28K+ students with over 19K undergrads. As for famous alumi, I would say the most popular would be Wolf Blitzer!! But the 13th president of the US Millard Fillmore (I hate to admit it but I can't remember that name when I think of US presidents), also attended as did current Green Bay Packer James Starks.
Ok enough on Buffalo, I still think of the Bills when I think of Buffalo but I just had to look at that program a little bit so I was not totally in the dark when the visit next Saturday.
As for UGA, I think the depth chart is really pretty much settled, the coaches are not saying so but in the little bit of news we do get, I think it is pretty clear the direction we are moving here. So, here is the Haney starters for game one, based on who I think will be eligible to play that is.
QB-Murray
FB-Hall, followed closely by Samuel and then Hicks
TB-Malcome, followed closely by Marshall and Gurley-will be interesting to see who comes in second.
WR-King and Brown
TE-Lynch, Rome will play a lot as well
RT-Theus
RG-Burnette
C-Andrews
LG-Lee
LT-Gates
DE-Abry Jones
NT-Jenkins, followed by Geathers
DE-Garrison Smith-I think Washington will start at OLB
OLB-Jarvis Jones
OLB-Washington
ILB-Gillard
ILB-Robinson, I think Tree sits out game one
CB-Swann
CB-Smith
S-Williams
S-Moore, although Norman could get the nod as I think Rambo sits out at least game one
I think Mitchell will play nickel, I think Harvey-Clemons will be in the rotation at safety, Jordan Jenkins will get serious look at OLB with Vasser out, Herrera will get serious time at ILB as will Ramik Wilson at one of the LB spots, Ray Drew will get plenty of time at DE as well.
I also believe the two FR kickers will win those jobs as kicker/punter. Now as for what players in the 2012 class that I see NOT playing this season, based more on depth at their positions-
John Atkins-didn't enroll so easy call here.
Faton Bauta-will provide a good athletic QB for the scout team this year.
James DeLoach-he still could end up playing, Grantham has said publicly he really likes this kid but it appears to me Josh Dawson has passed him and I think that means this kid will redshirt.
Lenoard Floyd-see Atkins above.
Greg Pyke-I still think the coaches would like to RS this kid, get him bigger and stronger but it appears he could earn his way into playing this year-especially if we have injurires on the OL.
Jonathan Taylor-it appears due to depth issues, this kid will redshirt.
Blake Tibbs-he could see the field but I believe ONLY if one of the WR's go down. Remember, we awarded scholarships to a walkon WR Rhett McGowan.
So, out of a 19 player signing class, (17 of which are actually on campus), I will go on record as saying 7 will not play this season. I can't believe we are a week and one day away from kicking off the 2012 season. I look forward to seeing if this team can finally take that next step. I am SOOOO sick and tired of everyone picking Bama/LSU every year in the SEC, I want UGA to bust through and take it from those boys this year. We shall see if we have enough to get it done.
All for now, hope you all have a great weekend. My 8 year old Grayson Rams will enjoy the off week in our schedule to go watch the HS Rams play at the Georgia Dome tomorrow, as part of the Corky Kell Classic. Game schedule sets up like this-
9a-Kell vs. Chattahoochee
11:45-Grayson vs. McEachern
2:45p-North Gwinnett vs. Colquitt County
5:30-Peachtree Ridge vs. Camden County
8:30-Brookwood vs. Walton
Go Dogs and Go Rams!
5 Tony Daniel QB from Hiram
12 Cordero Dixon WR from Suwanee
22 Najjia Johnson CB from Atlanta
92 Kendall Roberson LB from Decatur
A few more tidbits about the school itself in case you were wondering, per wikipedia-
University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo, or UB, is a public research university with multiple campuses located in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. There are 28K+ students with over 19K undergrads. As for famous alumi, I would say the most popular would be Wolf Blitzer!! But the 13th president of the US Millard Fillmore (I hate to admit it but I can't remember that name when I think of US presidents), also attended as did current Green Bay Packer James Starks.
Ok enough on Buffalo, I still think of the Bills when I think of Buffalo but I just had to look at that program a little bit so I was not totally in the dark when the visit next Saturday.
As for UGA, I think the depth chart is really pretty much settled, the coaches are not saying so but in the little bit of news we do get, I think it is pretty clear the direction we are moving here. So, here is the Haney starters for game one, based on who I think will be eligible to play that is.
QB-Murray
FB-Hall, followed closely by Samuel and then Hicks
TB-Malcome, followed closely by Marshall and Gurley-will be interesting to see who comes in second.
WR-King and Brown
TE-Lynch, Rome will play a lot as well
RT-Theus
RG-Burnette
C-Andrews
LG-Lee
LT-Gates
DE-Abry Jones
NT-Jenkins, followed by Geathers
DE-Garrison Smith-I think Washington will start at OLB
OLB-Jarvis Jones
OLB-Washington
ILB-Gillard
ILB-Robinson, I think Tree sits out game one
CB-Swann
CB-Smith
S-Williams
S-Moore, although Norman could get the nod as I think Rambo sits out at least game one
I think Mitchell will play nickel, I think Harvey-Clemons will be in the rotation at safety, Jordan Jenkins will get serious look at OLB with Vasser out, Herrera will get serious time at ILB as will Ramik Wilson at one of the LB spots, Ray Drew will get plenty of time at DE as well.
I also believe the two FR kickers will win those jobs as kicker/punter. Now as for what players in the 2012 class that I see NOT playing this season, based more on depth at their positions-
John Atkins-didn't enroll so easy call here.
Faton Bauta-will provide a good athletic QB for the scout team this year.
James DeLoach-he still could end up playing, Grantham has said publicly he really likes this kid but it appears to me Josh Dawson has passed him and I think that means this kid will redshirt.
Lenoard Floyd-see Atkins above.
Greg Pyke-I still think the coaches would like to RS this kid, get him bigger and stronger but it appears he could earn his way into playing this year-especially if we have injurires on the OL.
Jonathan Taylor-it appears due to depth issues, this kid will redshirt.
Blake Tibbs-he could see the field but I believe ONLY if one of the WR's go down. Remember, we awarded scholarships to a walkon WR Rhett McGowan.
So, out of a 19 player signing class, (17 of which are actually on campus), I will go on record as saying 7 will not play this season. I can't believe we are a week and one day away from kicking off the 2012 season. I look forward to seeing if this team can finally take that next step. I am SOOOO sick and tired of everyone picking Bama/LSU every year in the SEC, I want UGA to bust through and take it from those boys this year. We shall see if we have enough to get it done.
All for now, hope you all have a great weekend. My 8 year old Grayson Rams will enjoy the off week in our schedule to go watch the HS Rams play at the Georgia Dome tomorrow, as part of the Corky Kell Classic. Game schedule sets up like this-
9a-Kell vs. Chattahoochee
11:45-Grayson vs. McEachern
2:45p-North Gwinnett vs. Colquitt County
5:30-Peachtree Ridge vs. Camden County
8:30-Brookwood vs. Walton
Go Dogs and Go Rams!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Depth chart starting to shake out, only two weeks to go!!
I simply can't believe how quickly time is passing. Two weeks from today is August 31st which means one day until the 2012 season kicks off. Earlier this week the Dogs had their second scrimmage and although it is very difficult to really know what happened without watching the scrimmage, you can figure out a few things. For one, it appears the OL rotation is pretty much set in stone with us having 6 guys in the regular rotation-would be nice to have 8-9 or even 10 ready to go and hopefully that happens-certainly getting Kolton Houston back would add another to the list. But, as it stands now the starting five will be-
LT-Gates
LG-Lee
C-Andrews
RG-Burnette
RT-Theus
Top reserve for either G or T is Watts Dantzler. Houston would add another G or T as well, and Burnette and Lee both can play center. I had hoped JUCO OL Beard would be in this rotation but it appears he is not as far along as hoped-and the true FR Pyke might actually make the rotation which is amazing because he is coming off shoulder or some sort of surgery in the spring. What is disappointing is that Zach DeBell is NOT progressing, he came in pretty highly touted from Florida. It does appear Xzavier Ward is getting better and better coming off his injury/surgery. So, I will be pretty happy if Houston is cleared and then maybe Beard or Pyke come along to provide one more body, let us not forget the Long brothers as well. Hunter is out for 6-8 weeks after breaking his ankle in practice but Austin can provide some depth as well. Bottom line, we have made it through two of our 3 preseason scrimmages and only one reserve lineman has been lost due to injury. If we can survive the next scrimmage, I will feel really good about our top 6 and hopefully 8 rotation this season because the OL is certainly my position of most concern as we enter the season-games are won and lost on the LOS, I LOVE our DL but the OL is a bit of a concern.
Next up is special teams, where we had two great kickers last year but a horrible special teams in general. A big part of that could be placed on the SR kickers themselves. Walsh flat out stunk last year when compared to his previous 3 years. He had a chip shot miss against SCarolina, a game we lost by 3 points, he flat out killed us in the bowl game, but again as bad a season as he had, I personally blame Coach Richt for settling for the FG there instead of going for it all. With Butler, it is not that he did so bad, I just believe he didn't do as well as he had done previously, he did SAVE us in the Vandy game after his punt was blocked, recovering enough to make the tackle and prevent the go ahead score was huge. But, too often last year it appeared he out punted his coverage or he would shank a punt. I hope both these guys make the NFL but certainly last year was not their best. From all indications at least, our new punter Colin Barber is doing GREAT-averaged almost 50 yards a punt in the last scrimmage and Richt has commented several times about his incredible hang time-I would rather a punt travel 40 yards with NO RETURN than one to travel 50 and get returned for 20 because you have out kicked your coverage. As for place kicking, it appears Marshall Morgan is doing pretty well and has a pretty strong leg, made a 42 yarder in the last scrimmage is made all PAT's, it is good to have a solid kicker and hopefully he can kick the ball out of the endzone on kickoffs. BUT, I am really hopeful that Richt/Bobo have a little less confidence in him than they did in Walsh last year. Except in the UF game where they went for it twice on 4th down instead of kicking FG's, both were TD catches as well, with Walsh around it just seemed more often than not Richt/Bobo would get consevative when in FG range-not willing to roll the dice when they felt sure we had 3 points on the board. If you don't have the in the back of your mind, or at least have a little more doubt, I think it allows you more freedom on 2nd and 3rd down to not be so conservative and play for 3.
Next up the running backs, and wow, it does appear that a certain FR RB is drawing rave reviews from his teammates, and obviously looking at the stats, it is easy to pick him out. Todd Gurley has been been the leading rusher two scrimmages in a row, Keith Marshall also had a good scrimmage this week. Samuel and Malcome are doing fine as well but certainly the talk out of Athens clearly centers around Gurley. It is funny really when you think about UGA, in a state that produces a ton of quality running backs each and every year, reached up to North Carolina to grab a few special backs. Some might question this but hey, when the last three feature backs, all from the state of Ga, have left the program-all of which had problems with the law, not a bad move to try somewhere else. With these two guys, Marshall was the guy that got the most ink coming in, he was the more highly thought of back but as the recruiting season started to play out, you started hearing more and more about Gurley. It appears to me that Gurley has continued to improve day in and day out-not that Marshall has not-and he is just hitting his stride now. Not a late bloomer because everyone knew about him in HS, but just a lot more highly rated than maybe he got credit for being in HS. He is a bigger back than Marshall but has a great burst from what I have heard, he brakes tackles and makes things happen. I am excited to get a look at all our backs in the Buffalo game.
On defense, well, what can you say except we all expect greatness from this unit. When you have backups like Geathers, Garrison Smith, Ray Drew, Christian Robinson, Herrera, Corey Moore, etc etc, well, that speaks volumes for the starters you have. Of course I am always looking forward and thinking about how many of these great players we will lose after this season but let's take a closer look at this shall we-
Next year along the DL, assuming we don't lose Geathers early, you have Drew, Geathers, Smith on the DL-that is two SR's and a JR. At LB, you have Jordan Jenkins, Ramik Wilson, Herrera, and Vasser (or another LB), secondary you have Swann, Moore, Mitchell-maybe, Harvey-Clemons. We also have some good talent coming in this recruiting class-so yeah, we lose a lot of talented players and will miss them, but the job Grantham and company have done in recruiting top quality defenders should really keep this team rolling along.
Last thing today, tomorrow our Grayson 8's open our season against the Lanier Longhorns. We should win this game easily but you never count your chickens before they hatch. What I enjoy the most is spending quality time with my son and his friends, win or lose those are the memories you remember for a lifetime. So, everyone have a great weekend and Go Dogs and Go Rams!
LT-Gates
LG-Lee
C-Andrews
RG-Burnette
RT-Theus
Top reserve for either G or T is Watts Dantzler. Houston would add another G or T as well, and Burnette and Lee both can play center. I had hoped JUCO OL Beard would be in this rotation but it appears he is not as far along as hoped-and the true FR Pyke might actually make the rotation which is amazing because he is coming off shoulder or some sort of surgery in the spring. What is disappointing is that Zach DeBell is NOT progressing, he came in pretty highly touted from Florida. It does appear Xzavier Ward is getting better and better coming off his injury/surgery. So, I will be pretty happy if Houston is cleared and then maybe Beard or Pyke come along to provide one more body, let us not forget the Long brothers as well. Hunter is out for 6-8 weeks after breaking his ankle in practice but Austin can provide some depth as well. Bottom line, we have made it through two of our 3 preseason scrimmages and only one reserve lineman has been lost due to injury. If we can survive the next scrimmage, I will feel really good about our top 6 and hopefully 8 rotation this season because the OL is certainly my position of most concern as we enter the season-games are won and lost on the LOS, I LOVE our DL but the OL is a bit of a concern.
Next up is special teams, where we had two great kickers last year but a horrible special teams in general. A big part of that could be placed on the SR kickers themselves. Walsh flat out stunk last year when compared to his previous 3 years. He had a chip shot miss against SCarolina, a game we lost by 3 points, he flat out killed us in the bowl game, but again as bad a season as he had, I personally blame Coach Richt for settling for the FG there instead of going for it all. With Butler, it is not that he did so bad, I just believe he didn't do as well as he had done previously, he did SAVE us in the Vandy game after his punt was blocked, recovering enough to make the tackle and prevent the go ahead score was huge. But, too often last year it appeared he out punted his coverage or he would shank a punt. I hope both these guys make the NFL but certainly last year was not their best. From all indications at least, our new punter Colin Barber is doing GREAT-averaged almost 50 yards a punt in the last scrimmage and Richt has commented several times about his incredible hang time-I would rather a punt travel 40 yards with NO RETURN than one to travel 50 and get returned for 20 because you have out kicked your coverage. As for place kicking, it appears Marshall Morgan is doing pretty well and has a pretty strong leg, made a 42 yarder in the last scrimmage is made all PAT's, it is good to have a solid kicker and hopefully he can kick the ball out of the endzone on kickoffs. BUT, I am really hopeful that Richt/Bobo have a little less confidence in him than they did in Walsh last year. Except in the UF game where they went for it twice on 4th down instead of kicking FG's, both were TD catches as well, with Walsh around it just seemed more often than not Richt/Bobo would get consevative when in FG range-not willing to roll the dice when they felt sure we had 3 points on the board. If you don't have the in the back of your mind, or at least have a little more doubt, I think it allows you more freedom on 2nd and 3rd down to not be so conservative and play for 3.
Next up the running backs, and wow, it does appear that a certain FR RB is drawing rave reviews from his teammates, and obviously looking at the stats, it is easy to pick him out. Todd Gurley has been been the leading rusher two scrimmages in a row, Keith Marshall also had a good scrimmage this week. Samuel and Malcome are doing fine as well but certainly the talk out of Athens clearly centers around Gurley. It is funny really when you think about UGA, in a state that produces a ton of quality running backs each and every year, reached up to North Carolina to grab a few special backs. Some might question this but hey, when the last three feature backs, all from the state of Ga, have left the program-all of which had problems with the law, not a bad move to try somewhere else. With these two guys, Marshall was the guy that got the most ink coming in, he was the more highly thought of back but as the recruiting season started to play out, you started hearing more and more about Gurley. It appears to me that Gurley has continued to improve day in and day out-not that Marshall has not-and he is just hitting his stride now. Not a late bloomer because everyone knew about him in HS, but just a lot more highly rated than maybe he got credit for being in HS. He is a bigger back than Marshall but has a great burst from what I have heard, he brakes tackles and makes things happen. I am excited to get a look at all our backs in the Buffalo game.
On defense, well, what can you say except we all expect greatness from this unit. When you have backups like Geathers, Garrison Smith, Ray Drew, Christian Robinson, Herrera, Corey Moore, etc etc, well, that speaks volumes for the starters you have. Of course I am always looking forward and thinking about how many of these great players we will lose after this season but let's take a closer look at this shall we-
Next year along the DL, assuming we don't lose Geathers early, you have Drew, Geathers, Smith on the DL-that is two SR's and a JR. At LB, you have Jordan Jenkins, Ramik Wilson, Herrera, and Vasser (or another LB), secondary you have Swann, Moore, Mitchell-maybe, Harvey-Clemons. We also have some good talent coming in this recruiting class-so yeah, we lose a lot of talented players and will miss them, but the job Grantham and company have done in recruiting top quality defenders should really keep this team rolling along.
Last thing today, tomorrow our Grayson 8's open our season against the Lanier Longhorns. We should win this game easily but you never count your chickens before they hatch. What I enjoy the most is spending quality time with my son and his friends, win or lose those are the memories you remember for a lifetime. So, everyone have a great weekend and Go Dogs and Go Rams!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Why are UGA faithful so upset about our numbers??
Yes, I admit sometimes it angers me when I hear that we have 67 or 68 kids on scholarship when we are allowed 85. On the surface it could appear that our coaches, most notably Rodney Garner (recruiting coordinator) and Mark Richt, don't know how to manage the numbers correctly. They don't know how to manage for attrition, and they don't OVER sign kids to compensate for what they know will likely happen each spring-players leave the program-either due to NFL, grades, playing time, breaking the law etc etc. I simply don't buy that, and I honestly don't want a program to run like Alabama, Ole Miss or countless others that make it practice to over sign, then they have to figure out who they CUT from the roster.
Here is my take on this, first of all, our coaches are recruiting many of the same players that other schools are recruiting. Our coaches I believe do serious research on these kids in regards to work ethic, grades, behavior, and playing ability. That being said, a kid can and will act a lot different when Mom and Dad are not around and they have a lot more freedom. Our coaches can't babysit, players have to be held accountable for their actions and this is one area that you can't knock UGA. We DO hold our players accountable and they are punished. Other schools chose to sweep their problems under the carpet but not in Athens. Thus, our kids sometimes end up out of the program where if they were somewhere else, they would still be around. So, the amount of kids that we have lost for example just off the dream team recruiting class of 2011, take a look at it-
Crowell-failed a drug test, carrying a concealed weapon
Harrow-grade issues
Sanders, Seay and Marshall-involved in stealing in dorms-kicked off team.
Turene-was flagged for grades and never enrolled.
Mayes-didn't qualify out of HS, hopefully will enroll this Jan.
That is 7 kids right there not in Athens today. Take a look at class of 2010.
Baker-kicked off team for DUI
Benedict-left school due to dispute over injury rehab
Fields-never enrolled
Lonnie Outlaw-never enrolled
Hamilton-left team over lack of playing time.
Owens-see Hamilton above.
Another 6 kids there, so 13 kids out of the last two signing classes. You can throw in the loss of Washuan Ealey in there, Caleb King left after failing out, I mean the list goes on and on. Now, the only thing you could argue is why do we recruit kids that never qualify. That being said, often times kids are REALLY close to qualifying out of HS and so you feel they are worth the risk.
What our coaches will not do is offer a kid and then turn him away or offer more kids than they know we have a space for, then wait and see how things pan out-ie the Nick Saban way of manipulating a roster. I think many UGA faithful deep down want our program to be run like Bama's program is run and I just disagree with that. I like the way Mark Richt runs his program, and I firmly believe our numbers problem will take care of itself with what will be a very large class of 2013. We are recruiting a lot of kids that plan to enroll early, meaning as many as 8-9 kids in our class with come to school in January. That number will count toward class of 2012 totals. This means that we can sign our full 25 for the class of 2013 and then with those 8 or 9, we are at 33 or 34 total. That number should then get us VERY close to the 85 max limit.
So, what does that mean for this upcoming season-well, it means a couple of things, we don't have a ton of overall depth in the program. This likely means fewer kids in the class of 2012 will redshirt. Keep in mind though, we have two coaches on our staff that spend MANY years working in professional football, where you basically have a roster size of just over 50. 11 play at a time on offense, 11 on defense, a punter, kicker and snappe. 25 players right there. You add second string O and D, another 22, your total now sits at 47, we have 20 more than that, not including walk on players-we have enough depth in other words. Granted, we can't afford a lot of serious injuries, that much is a given but let's be honest here, even a team with 85 kids on hand, if they lose a top player to injury they are not going to replace them much or any better than we do with our 67. Yesterday it was reported that we awarded 7 walk on players a scholarship for this football season-these kids are all kids that help us in one way or another-either via special teams or in some cases, actually get snaps with the 1st or second teams. I for one applaud our coaches for doing this, reward these kids that might not have the WOW factor coming out of high school or be the best athlete on the field but they WORK HARD and they are dedicated to TEAM. Give those kids a free ride if for only one season to help out their parents financially, let those young men know that you value their contributions to the program. Eventually the numbers will work themselves out and we will get back to 82-84 total but for now I am just not one that is overly concerned about our numbers and honestly I am tired of all the negative talk about it on message boards, chat rooms etc. It is what it is, there is nothing that can be done about it right now so let's just stay positive and realize that we have a good football team preparing for what could be an incredible football season in 2012. I know everyone has a right to their opinion, that is fine and good but I get really tired of reading all the negative about our football program when this should be a time of great excitment and anticipation. I guess it just comes with the territory, there will always be a group of people that are not happy regardless of the situation at hand.
On a personal note, my son's GFL football team is off to a great start. We have scrimmaged now 4 times and the regular season starts this upcoming Saturday. We scrimmaged a team a year older than us and while we lost that one, we more than held our own against a much larger group of boys. Next up was against the other 8 year old team from our association-we beat them by two TD's, next up was Mill Creek a pretty good and talented team we jumped them early 20-0 but then had a bit of a letdown but still won 25-18. Finally on Saturday was what is called jamboree, full field, cheerleaders but half a game. We scored 26 points in 12 minutes, winning the game 26-0 in a game we could have probably scored 50 or 60 points. Each quarter is 10 minutes, we scored 26 points in just over a quarter of a game, course we don't run up scores and would never score that many but obviously so far we are very excited about or team. If you read this blog, sorry but you will have to read Grayson Ram 8 year old updates from time to time. I LOVE UGA football but I love my son and his team too, I am on the coaching staff and so I spend a lot of time with these boys and their families, including 3 practices a week, game on Saturday and then coaches gather on Sunday to watch film. SOOO, again if you read this blog be prepared to read my thoughts on UGA football but also Grayson 8 year old football. Go Dogs and Go Rams!!
Here is my take on this, first of all, our coaches are recruiting many of the same players that other schools are recruiting. Our coaches I believe do serious research on these kids in regards to work ethic, grades, behavior, and playing ability. That being said, a kid can and will act a lot different when Mom and Dad are not around and they have a lot more freedom. Our coaches can't babysit, players have to be held accountable for their actions and this is one area that you can't knock UGA. We DO hold our players accountable and they are punished. Other schools chose to sweep their problems under the carpet but not in Athens. Thus, our kids sometimes end up out of the program where if they were somewhere else, they would still be around. So, the amount of kids that we have lost for example just off the dream team recruiting class of 2011, take a look at it-
Crowell-failed a drug test, carrying a concealed weapon
Harrow-grade issues
Sanders, Seay and Marshall-involved in stealing in dorms-kicked off team.
Turene-was flagged for grades and never enrolled.
Mayes-didn't qualify out of HS, hopefully will enroll this Jan.
That is 7 kids right there not in Athens today. Take a look at class of 2010.
Baker-kicked off team for DUI
Benedict-left school due to dispute over injury rehab
Fields-never enrolled
Lonnie Outlaw-never enrolled
Hamilton-left team over lack of playing time.
Owens-see Hamilton above.
Another 6 kids there, so 13 kids out of the last two signing classes. You can throw in the loss of Washuan Ealey in there, Caleb King left after failing out, I mean the list goes on and on. Now, the only thing you could argue is why do we recruit kids that never qualify. That being said, often times kids are REALLY close to qualifying out of HS and so you feel they are worth the risk.
What our coaches will not do is offer a kid and then turn him away or offer more kids than they know we have a space for, then wait and see how things pan out-ie the Nick Saban way of manipulating a roster. I think many UGA faithful deep down want our program to be run like Bama's program is run and I just disagree with that. I like the way Mark Richt runs his program, and I firmly believe our numbers problem will take care of itself with what will be a very large class of 2013. We are recruiting a lot of kids that plan to enroll early, meaning as many as 8-9 kids in our class with come to school in January. That number will count toward class of 2012 totals. This means that we can sign our full 25 for the class of 2013 and then with those 8 or 9, we are at 33 or 34 total. That number should then get us VERY close to the 85 max limit.
So, what does that mean for this upcoming season-well, it means a couple of things, we don't have a ton of overall depth in the program. This likely means fewer kids in the class of 2012 will redshirt. Keep in mind though, we have two coaches on our staff that spend MANY years working in professional football, where you basically have a roster size of just over 50. 11 play at a time on offense, 11 on defense, a punter, kicker and snappe. 25 players right there. You add second string O and D, another 22, your total now sits at 47, we have 20 more than that, not including walk on players-we have enough depth in other words. Granted, we can't afford a lot of serious injuries, that much is a given but let's be honest here, even a team with 85 kids on hand, if they lose a top player to injury they are not going to replace them much or any better than we do with our 67. Yesterday it was reported that we awarded 7 walk on players a scholarship for this football season-these kids are all kids that help us in one way or another-either via special teams or in some cases, actually get snaps with the 1st or second teams. I for one applaud our coaches for doing this, reward these kids that might not have the WOW factor coming out of high school or be the best athlete on the field but they WORK HARD and they are dedicated to TEAM. Give those kids a free ride if for only one season to help out their parents financially, let those young men know that you value their contributions to the program. Eventually the numbers will work themselves out and we will get back to 82-84 total but for now I am just not one that is overly concerned about our numbers and honestly I am tired of all the negative talk about it on message boards, chat rooms etc. It is what it is, there is nothing that can be done about it right now so let's just stay positive and realize that we have a good football team preparing for what could be an incredible football season in 2012. I know everyone has a right to their opinion, that is fine and good but I get really tired of reading all the negative about our football program when this should be a time of great excitment and anticipation. I guess it just comes with the territory, there will always be a group of people that are not happy regardless of the situation at hand.
On a personal note, my son's GFL football team is off to a great start. We have scrimmaged now 4 times and the regular season starts this upcoming Saturday. We scrimmaged a team a year older than us and while we lost that one, we more than held our own against a much larger group of boys. Next up was against the other 8 year old team from our association-we beat them by two TD's, next up was Mill Creek a pretty good and talented team we jumped them early 20-0 but then had a bit of a letdown but still won 25-18. Finally on Saturday was what is called jamboree, full field, cheerleaders but half a game. We scored 26 points in 12 minutes, winning the game 26-0 in a game we could have probably scored 50 or 60 points. Each quarter is 10 minutes, we scored 26 points in just over a quarter of a game, course we don't run up scores and would never score that many but obviously so far we are very excited about or team. If you read this blog, sorry but you will have to read Grayson Ram 8 year old updates from time to time. I LOVE UGA football but I love my son and his team too, I am on the coaching staff and so I spend a lot of time with these boys and their families, including 3 practices a week, game on Saturday and then coaches gather on Sunday to watch film. SOOO, again if you read this blog be prepared to read my thoughts on UGA football but also Grayson 8 year old football. Go Dogs and Go Rams!!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Happy Monday, first day in full pads for the Dogs today
Back to blogging today, first day of pads for the Dogs (and first day of school for my kids) and that is truly when coaches can make better guesses on depth charts for the season-especially in regards to new players. It is one thing to look great in helmets, shorts, shoulder pads but when you go full pads, and the true hitting starts, it separates the men from the boys. As good as our young FR class might be, today I feel sure will be learning experience for them as they prepare to get ready for the 2012 season. See below for some great articles from the Columbus Ledger-Herald newspaper. I like to provide links to papers I personally think cover UGA athletics much better than the AJC does-
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/bulldogs-blog/
There are some interesting articles within the above link. I think the most interesting topics would include the OL rotation, the TB's, the three OLB's that Grantham really likes-one DL that he seems to basically indicate will redshirt, also a star recruit moving to a position that may or may not be a surprise.
First of all the offense line, which is a position of concern. We lost three starters from last year, all 3 got drafted in the NFL and the 3 helped formed the famous, "largest OL in the country, college of pro football" in terms of height/weight. Now, I do think Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones will be missed greatly but I was never a big fan of Bean Anderson. He got his NFL shot to me based on one thing, he is MAMMOTH and as such, an NFL team says hey, maybe we can work with this kid and make him a star. I mean you can't coach size for an OL, that is something he is blessed with or some could say cursed with. Kind of like speed, you can't coach speed, a person either has it or doesn't. You can help to make a person faster, you can help to make a person stronger, but you can't make someone grow taller or get that much bigger-as in OL bigger. A guy at 6'5" simply can hold more weight on him than a guy 6'0". So, as for the OL this year, I actually think in time it might end up being BETTER than last year. They key will be how well David Andrews can handle center-he struggled a bit during spring ball. That being said, he has the advantage or disadvantage of going against two of the best NT in the country every day in practice, and of course in GDay. He will be given every opportunity to win that starting C job, because then it allows our G's to stay where they are in Burnette and Lee. Right now Gates and Dantzler/Theus are working at tackle. I hold out hope that Kolton Houston will soon be allowed to play (read the article in the link I provided about Houston's situation), then you also have JUCO transfer Beard, along with the Long brothers Austin and Hunter to provide depth. Bottom line with this OL is it seems they might not have as much experience but we have more game ready depth this year, which I hope translates into have a good and productive OL.
Course those guys up front will be blocking for one of 4 possible backs this season in Samuel, Malcome, Marshall and Gurley. We know what the first two can do, unfortunately Marshall was hurt in the spring and we didn't get to see him but coaches raved about his play, and of course the famous video of him racing Malcolm Mitchell and beating him. I am not a big fan of RB by committee but that might be the case at least early on this season, until someone simply takes the job based on game performance-it could happen in the scrimmages but just have to wait and see. I think Samuel and Malcome have the edge now because they have actually done it previously but I look for one or both of the new kids to have a major impact on the running game this year. The fact we have a pretty young/less experience OL, these RB's might be more involved in the passing game than maybe Crowell was last year for example-although he did catch some passes last year. Marshall in particular, even though he has bulked up to nearly 220 from what I have heard, is a guy we need to get in space and let him use that speed. Gurley is a bigger/thicker back so he might be more in line with the two we already have-Marshall appears the more change of pace back.
Coach Grantham is already raving about the OLB Freshman class of Jordan Jenkins, Josh Dawson and James Deloach. Course Jenkins was VERY highly regarded and heavily recruited, more so than the other two, and I admit I personally thought both the others might very well redshirt this year but that does not appear to be the case. If you look at our OLB depth chart, considering Chase Vasser is out for two games to start the season, we have Jarvis Jones and Ramik Wilson as starters but behind that you have TJ Stripling, Reuben Faloughi, and Dexter Morant so I think it is pretty clear these three guys have a legit shot to get a lot of snaps this fall. I look for Jordan Jenkins to get the most PT this year, I think he is going to be superstar before all is said and done. One surprise to me is that Jonathan Taylor seems headed for a redshirt. The reason this surprises me is because we know John Jenkins is gone after this year, we don't know about Geathers but of course family history dictates there is at least a 50-50 shot he leaves after this year. I would have thought they would throw Taylor in there to get a few reps late in games but perhaps he is just not ready to contribute and thus they want to get him up to speed this fall so that by spring he can be a player.
Finally, Josh Harvey-Clemons seems to have found a home at safety. Course with Rambo possibly out for a few games, with us not signing any other safety help in this class, I can see where he would fit at this spot. We have two seniors in Williams and Rambo but after that we have Corey Moore and then Connor Norman on the depth chart. Harvey-Clemons is still too skinny to move to LB but he has GREAT ball skills, I got to see him play in person last fall against Grayson, the kid was all over the field-he will hit you but what stood out to me was the way he could catch the ball, his speed as well. He was a very impressive kid to watch on the HS level. I have no doubt he can help us at safety and if his body allows him to add more weight to go on 6'5" frame, he could eventually move to the LB spot, like Ogletree did but this year I think safety is great for him-and I would put him some at WR in the redzone-throw it up to him and let him get it-he has great hands and speed.
On the recruiting front, the latest verbal pledge is from OT Trenton Brown from GMC, he will hopefully enroll early and provide even more quality depth on the OL for next season. Kid is HUGE at 6'8" and 350lbs, I am always happy taking more and more OL. That is now 4 OL in this class, I am hoping for at least one more, I think OL and DL we need to always try to get 4-5 every year personally. Line of scrimmage is so important in football and let's face it, UGA never seems to have a lot of issues find skill offensive players, LB's or saftey/corners, where we have the biggest problems is having enough talent along the LOS.
All for now, hope you all have a great week. I will probably blog again late this week. Go Dogs!
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/bulldogs-blog/
There are some interesting articles within the above link. I think the most interesting topics would include the OL rotation, the TB's, the three OLB's that Grantham really likes-one DL that he seems to basically indicate will redshirt, also a star recruit moving to a position that may or may not be a surprise.
First of all the offense line, which is a position of concern. We lost three starters from last year, all 3 got drafted in the NFL and the 3 helped formed the famous, "largest OL in the country, college of pro football" in terms of height/weight. Now, I do think Cordy Glenn and Ben Jones will be missed greatly but I was never a big fan of Bean Anderson. He got his NFL shot to me based on one thing, he is MAMMOTH and as such, an NFL team says hey, maybe we can work with this kid and make him a star. I mean you can't coach size for an OL, that is something he is blessed with or some could say cursed with. Kind of like speed, you can't coach speed, a person either has it or doesn't. You can help to make a person faster, you can help to make a person stronger, but you can't make someone grow taller or get that much bigger-as in OL bigger. A guy at 6'5" simply can hold more weight on him than a guy 6'0". So, as for the OL this year, I actually think in time it might end up being BETTER than last year. They key will be how well David Andrews can handle center-he struggled a bit during spring ball. That being said, he has the advantage or disadvantage of going against two of the best NT in the country every day in practice, and of course in GDay. He will be given every opportunity to win that starting C job, because then it allows our G's to stay where they are in Burnette and Lee. Right now Gates and Dantzler/Theus are working at tackle. I hold out hope that Kolton Houston will soon be allowed to play (read the article in the link I provided about Houston's situation), then you also have JUCO transfer Beard, along with the Long brothers Austin and Hunter to provide depth. Bottom line with this OL is it seems they might not have as much experience but we have more game ready depth this year, which I hope translates into have a good and productive OL.
Course those guys up front will be blocking for one of 4 possible backs this season in Samuel, Malcome, Marshall and Gurley. We know what the first two can do, unfortunately Marshall was hurt in the spring and we didn't get to see him but coaches raved about his play, and of course the famous video of him racing Malcolm Mitchell and beating him. I am not a big fan of RB by committee but that might be the case at least early on this season, until someone simply takes the job based on game performance-it could happen in the scrimmages but just have to wait and see. I think Samuel and Malcome have the edge now because they have actually done it previously but I look for one or both of the new kids to have a major impact on the running game this year. The fact we have a pretty young/less experience OL, these RB's might be more involved in the passing game than maybe Crowell was last year for example-although he did catch some passes last year. Marshall in particular, even though he has bulked up to nearly 220 from what I have heard, is a guy we need to get in space and let him use that speed. Gurley is a bigger/thicker back so he might be more in line with the two we already have-Marshall appears the more change of pace back.
Coach Grantham is already raving about the OLB Freshman class of Jordan Jenkins, Josh Dawson and James Deloach. Course Jenkins was VERY highly regarded and heavily recruited, more so than the other two, and I admit I personally thought both the others might very well redshirt this year but that does not appear to be the case. If you look at our OLB depth chart, considering Chase Vasser is out for two games to start the season, we have Jarvis Jones and Ramik Wilson as starters but behind that you have TJ Stripling, Reuben Faloughi, and Dexter Morant so I think it is pretty clear these three guys have a legit shot to get a lot of snaps this fall. I look for Jordan Jenkins to get the most PT this year, I think he is going to be superstar before all is said and done. One surprise to me is that Jonathan Taylor seems headed for a redshirt. The reason this surprises me is because we know John Jenkins is gone after this year, we don't know about Geathers but of course family history dictates there is at least a 50-50 shot he leaves after this year. I would have thought they would throw Taylor in there to get a few reps late in games but perhaps he is just not ready to contribute and thus they want to get him up to speed this fall so that by spring he can be a player.
Finally, Josh Harvey-Clemons seems to have found a home at safety. Course with Rambo possibly out for a few games, with us not signing any other safety help in this class, I can see where he would fit at this spot. We have two seniors in Williams and Rambo but after that we have Corey Moore and then Connor Norman on the depth chart. Harvey-Clemons is still too skinny to move to LB but he has GREAT ball skills, I got to see him play in person last fall against Grayson, the kid was all over the field-he will hit you but what stood out to me was the way he could catch the ball, his speed as well. He was a very impressive kid to watch on the HS level. I have no doubt he can help us at safety and if his body allows him to add more weight to go on 6'5" frame, he could eventually move to the LB spot, like Ogletree did but this year I think safety is great for him-and I would put him some at WR in the redzone-throw it up to him and let him get it-he has great hands and speed.
On the recruiting front, the latest verbal pledge is from OT Trenton Brown from GMC, he will hopefully enroll early and provide even more quality depth on the OL for next season. Kid is HUGE at 6'8" and 350lbs, I am always happy taking more and more OL. That is now 4 OL in this class, I am hoping for at least one more, I think OL and DL we need to always try to get 4-5 every year personally. Line of scrimmage is so important in football and let's face it, UGA never seems to have a lot of issues find skill offensive players, LB's or saftey/corners, where we have the biggest problems is having enough talent along the LOS.
All for now, hope you all have a great week. I will probably blog again late this week. Go Dogs!
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