What's up with this guy?

What's the feeling about Pelosi's replacement? I thought we were in line for some kind of upgrade. I guess not. And yes, personality matters in politics.

Music Posts Back With a Vengeance

This may or may not be a total disaster, but it's been in the works for a while so I'll go ahead and post it. You know I spend an inordinate amount of time listening to new records and I've got to talk about them somewhere.

In lieu of a bunch of lists for this year I made a top 25 in no particular order. I'm not about to get the blog shut down for music piracy, but if someone wants the album versions let me know and I can help you out since there aren't videos of some of the songs I listed. I doubt you will, but thought I'd put that out there.

Superchunk — “Digging For Something”
Drive-By Truckers — “Birthday Boy”
Scott Lucas and the Married Men — “Positively 4th Street”
Ryan Bingham — “Depression”
Justin Townes Earle — “Wanderin'”
Mavis Staples — “Wrote a Song For Everyone”
Joe Pug — “Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)”
Futurebirds — “Ski Chalet”
Old 97's — “Champaign, Illinois”
The Secret Sisters — “Why Baby Why”
Jamey Johnson — “Good Morning Sunrise” (Can't find this anywhere, so here's one from his album that sounds like a lost Gregg Allman song.
Alejandro Escovedo — “Anchor”
The Goodnight Loving — “Doesn't Shake Me”
White Mystery — “Respect Yourself”
Heavy Cream — “Watusi”
The Hold Steady — “The Weekenders”
Jenny and Johnny — “My Pet Snakes”
Best Coast — “Boyfriend”
Diamond Rings — “Wait and See”
Dum Dum Girls — “Baby Don't Go”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — “Say No To Love”
The National — “Anyone's Ghost”
The Gaslight Anthem — “She Loves You”
Titus Andronicus — “Theme From Cheers”
State Champion — “Just an Answer” (This isn't anywhere, just like most all of their songs. These dudes made the album of the year by a long shot, but they're still playing house shows in Little Rock. Hope that changes next year.)

Let's Keep This Party Going!!!!

Bitter Sweet for Sticky

Wins a title, but loses a boy.

DBD, see you in MAR's ville Benedict!

BTW, BC beat the crap out of Country Day tonight.

Change has come to Beach Bum

Safety is primary reason for changes but I honestly can't recall any significant incidents occurring on this day.

Back for year 8, a tradition unlike any other.

Holiday Haiku

Christmas time again.

Traveling to the Garden

To watch the King play.

Matt Diaz, one of the best Braves of the 2000's, has been let go.

at least Hinske's back!

Yes We Can

Reason No. 8,579 Why I Love Mike Leach

Leach on the Miami job: "We'd have an exciting brand of football. We'll fill the seats and we'll win games and we'll win ACC championships.

"If you look at the guys on NFL rosters, in the Big 12 Texas has 32, Oklahoma has 29, Nebraska has 28 and Texas Tech has nine. Still, my record against Nebraska was something like 5-1 and we beat Oklahoma three out of the last five times.

"There are lots of Hurricanes on NFL rosters. That gives you an idea of what you can draw there. If you base it on resources and production, the chances of my success along with my staff are remarkably high."

"They could hire me and we'd have one decade after another of success with students that graduate and don't get into trouble, or they can hire somebody else."

Top 5 bright spots of the the 2010 season:

1. Arron Murray- The best season ever by a Freshman QB at Georgia. The team MVP was not only solid but great. He ran and threw with very little help from his backfield both running the ball and protecting him. Before the season even the most positive Georgia person could have never imagined the season he had.

2. Justin Houston- He doesn't get the credit and won't get the credit he deserves. One of the five best defenders in the country, he was an all-american on a bad defense. He would be a starter on any Georgia defense but won't be remebered as fondly as Boss Bailey, Thomas Davis, or Rennie Curran because of the struggles of his teammates.

3. Kickoff Coverage- If this unit would've given up 10 Returns for TD's I still think Georgia people would've been okay with it just because directional kicking was no longer the philosophy. Making Fabris look terrible, Georgia had the best kick coverage in the SEC and top 5 in the country.

4. Blair Walsh- A big part of the kick coverage success was Walsh consistently putting it around the 1 with a lot of hang time. But the FG percentage, especially on long tries, was overshadowed as the season continued to lose relevance. Georgia was once known as Tailback U but now has to be Kicker U. Robinson, Butler, Kasey, Parkman, Bennent, Coutu, and Walsh to name a few, would be hard to match for any school.

5. Beating Georgia Tech- In a season where little went right, Georgia avioded complete failure by beating tech for the 9th time in the past 10 years and concluding the most dominat decade by either team in the series.

Top 5 Dark Spots:

1. AJ Green Jersey- Still feel we win 2 of the first 4 losses if AJ is eligible.

2. The Safety position- Rambo and Hamilton both entered the season with a good bit of hype and probably some unwarranted expectations. From the South Carolina game on they both struggled in run support and even moreso in pass coverage. Rambo started every game and got better but continued to have issues, while Hamilton is now trying out for left tackle. Olgetree shows a lot of promise and will be an NFL player but the speed of the game really got him on a number of occassions. I don't think Shawn Williams was ever a real solution and I don't know if Nick Williams is even real.

3. Offensive Line- Every national pre-season publication ranked this unit in the top 5. I don't understand how individually they all seem great but as a group they were the worst in football history.

4. Running Backs- Partially the O-lines fault but part of that line was blocking for Moreno when he was the best player in the country. When I watch them they look slow, not creative, and more than willing to help the defense bring them to the ground. I think it says a lot that neither ever got a firm grasp on the starting job and it wasn't because one was taking it from the other.

5. Not beating a team with a winning record- Tennessee, Kentucky, and Tech all finished at 6-6. ULL, Idaho St., and Vandy will all have new coaches next year. Colorado lost to a Cal team not going to a bowl 52-7 and Mizzou 26-0 a week after beating Georgia. The Florida game was the hardest loss to take but they were worse than any of the Zook Gators. JD had correctly predicted Georgia's record within one game for 8 years in a row. He missed it by 4 in 2010.

Barstool Is Right On Both Counts

I don't think that I've posted, or even commented, on anything related to Georgia football this season.

For one thing, it's been a busy fall for me. But mostly it's because the season has been so bad that I didn't want to make any knee-jerk reactions. When a team starts off 1-4, loses to the worst Florida team in six years, and pretty much squanders having the best receiver in the country and the SEC's best edge rusher, knee-jerk reactions are about all you can make.

Now seems like the perfect time to look at what happened this fall because there are a full 12 games to draw from, and because the Tech game seemed to sum up the season pretty well. These are some things I've been thinking about, many of which were probably discussed this weekend. Really, I'm just thinking out loud here.

So like I said, the Tech performance was exactly what you should have come to expect by now.

The running game was nonexistent early on, but that was okay because A.J. Green might be the best skill player in the country and words cannot describe how good Aaron Murray is. Yet Georgia did what it always seems to do, going away from what's working at times presumably for the sake of “balance.” I'm not one to rip specific play calls since I don't know what goes into a given situation, but this more of a philosophical thing. Then again, the offense has scored points. As long as the offense from the South Carolina game doesn't show up next year with Green in the NFL, I've got no major issues with Mike Bobo.

The offensive line is a different story. It struggled all year and did so again in short yardage against Tech. The defensive line was abused as well. I think the defensive issues can be addressed through recruiting because of the relative lack of size, but it doesn't look great in the short term. I can't even make an educated guess on the offensive line. Maybe Stick has been right to rip Dave Van Halanger all these years. I just don't get it.

This definitely was addressed before the game Saturday: the defense still could be fine given enough time. Defensive backs continue to look lost in coverage after 12 games, so that's either residue from the decline under Willie Martinez or maybe Todd Grantham hasn't perfectly translated his defense from the NFL to the college level. I think it's smart to reserve judgment until everyone gets a full offseason together. There was improvement in some areas, believe it or not.

Basically, no one is going to lose their jobs, and that's the way it should be. But I don't see how next year isn't make-or-break for everyone. It's not smart to put a number on anything, but Georgia obviously was not a very good team this year despite the few bright spots. I'd just hate to see what happens this time next year if we're saying the same things about the 2011 team. Anyone who has ever talked football with me knows I hate conjecture like this, but there are enough red flags that even I've got to say it.

Song of the Day: Justin Townes Earle -- Ain't Waitin'

Right or Wrong...

I had similar feelings walking out of Sanford Stadium last night. And Murray is unbelievably awesome.

Tech Fan Tuesday

None of these images have been doctored. It's really not even fair at this point. Prediction: Georgia- 48... Georgia Tech- 17

TODD

Graduate Assistants

Georgia Notebook

- Going back to the end of the 2009 Independence Bowl, if anyone would've said Georgia would be heading into this year's Tech game at 5-6 most would believe this would be Richt's final game at Sanford Stadium. The Evans happy hour and a complete change on the defensive side of the ball will give Richt at least another season. The events at the end of the Auburn game and the Auburn program as a whole also gave CMR a boost as a lot of Georgia people have rallied around the fact that Georgia is not that.

Comparing Richt and Donnan.....

-Last 4 years under Donnan: 35-13

-Last 4 under Richt: 34-16

-Last 2 under Donnan: 16-8

-Last 2 under Richt: 13-11

The obvious difference in the two is the entire body of work. Two SEC championships make a big difference. Maybe the biggest difference is their records against Tech. Donnan was 2-3 while Richt is 8-1 and with a win next week Georgia will conclude the most successful decade ever against Tech.

- Justin Houston was named one of the 5 finalist for the Nagurski award which goes to the best defensive player in the country. Pollack won it in 2004. Peterson or Fairley will win it this year but Houston quietly had one of the best seasons a Georgia defender has had under Richt. This coming on a defense that has given up 31 points a game in the 6 losses.

- The Basketball team is 2-0. Trey Thompkins has sat out both and may be out for another 2-4 weeks. Free throws and rebounding have been obvious deficiencies. Leslie has struggled from the floor and the freshmen have contributed very little. However, Price has had his best two game stretch of his career and Robinson has been very good. He might be the fastest player Georgia has ever had and is easily the fastest I have ever seen.

Georgia plays at St. Louis Saturday then 3 games in Orlando. They start with Notre Dame on Thanksgiving and the field also includes Boston College, California, Manhattan, Temple, Texas A&M and Wisconsin. With a good chance of not having Thompkins for any of that, 2-2 would be okay, while 3-1 would be ideal.

- The early signing period for sports other than football is wrapping up and basketball got one of the best players in the country in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He is rated as high as the 12th best player in the country and I have no doubt he will start from day one.

Baseball signed 20 guys and Perfect Game Magazine has rated it as the 2nd best class in the country, easily the best class in school history. The problem with having the 2nd best class is a lot of those guys should be drafted early which means a good portion of the class will never make it to Georgia. Dante Bichette's son was one of the signees. Dante Jr. played for Florida in the Little League World Series a few years back. I can't remember who was with me other than TP and my dad but a couple of years ago after a Sand Gnats game Dante and his son had a bullpen session in front of the right field bleachers and the kid was throwing at least 105 mph and he was like 14. Bichette was a roaming instructor for the Nationals at the time.

- Finally, Crowell and a number of other recruits will be present in Athens for the Tech game. The 7:45 kick will benefit recruiting more than anything. Mark it down, Crowell will come to Georgia.

Stuff>Barstool

Schivera wants more people to do their homework. For now, I'll oblige.

I just got a Droid 2. If you are with Verizon and want an iPhone, go with this phone. This is by far the best phone that I have ever had. I've never had an iPhone (nor do I want one because I hate Apple), but I would go out on a limb and say that this phone is as good or better than the iPhone (at least the old iPhone). It has all the perks of Blackberry's, and the internet is faster and the email (especially if you have a gmail account) is much more user-friendly. That is my plug for the day.


Yesterday I volunteer to build the house for the Extreme Home Makeover. I spent a little bit of time with this cast, which was cool, I guess. This guy was a douche, this guy seemed somewhat normal, this guy was most likely high on crack (and wore deep v-neck t-shirts), and this girl was pretty....

It got me out of work and there is a pretty good chance that I could be on TV, so I would say all in all it was a good day.

Speaking of work, I am thinking about bringing my talents to Port Wentworth. Not really, but Gulfstream did announced yesterday that it will be hiring 1,000 new employees. Take note, all you ATLiens.


In 16 days I will be going on a cruise to the Bahamas :)
I will be spending three days on a boat with Brandon and Sam :(
There will be a casino on the boat $

History

For the first time ever in Athens, Georgia and tech will kick it off at night.

Bobby Dodd after the 1st quarter of the Miami game.

Rick, Rick, Rick

Question For Anymouse or JJBA

Or anyone that knows the answer...

Say UGA loses this weekend and Cam Newton plays. If next week they determine that Cam Newton was, in fact, in violation of NCAA rules, would Georgia get credit for a win?

Could this affect what bowl they went to?

I'm a big fan of the Final 4 idea for crowning a college football national champion. It’s logistically logical, better than the current system, still creates quality debate throughout the season, and Phil Steele annually breaks down why the 5th ranked team, since the beginning of the BCS in 1999, has never had a valid argument to be included in the Final 4. But given the current system you only get a final 2.

Tonight, Robert Smith and Chris Fowler both stated they have TCU #2 on their respective ballots, ahead of Auburn. To me that is absolutely ridiculous but maybe they honestly feel as if TCU would beat Auburn. Craig James, who most people dislike strongly, laughed at both of them just as he’s done every week. They did later acknowledged that a 13-0 Auburn would definitely be in the final 2. The part that doesn’t make sense to me, and gives college football post season bashers more ammunition, is the different rules for different teams. Last week, on the same show, with the same analysts, all present agreed that if Alabama were to win out they deserved a spot in the national championship game. Tonight, all of the same analysts agreed that a one loss Auburn or LSU team would have no legitimate argument to be included in the national championship game even if they won the SEC. I'm betting that if Florida was sitting with one loss they would probably view them the same way as they did Alabama.

Makes no sense and brings to light the absurdity of rankings and general thought processes of some of the people who have a vote. A Boise-TCU national championship could actually serve college football for the better in the long run. But more than anything, I have no idea why ESPN has continuously shown overwhelming support for Boise all year and now TCU.

Statesboro Blues

About to head out to go to Statesboro, GA. I will be staying at the luxurious 'HomeTown Inn'. There is not a website and only one review for the hotel. Judging from the review, it may be a sister company of the Sand Castle Inn.

Anyway, from the Hometown Inn review...

...These people cant even speak English but they are here stealing Americans money.I would never give this place another penny of my American money.I would rather sleep in my car.RIP OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!ANYONE FROM STATESBORO,AVOID THIS PLACE!

Only In Greg's House @ Tanyard

Georgia Notebook

Now that Georgia is 13-11 since the '08 Tech game, they are left to play spoiler as well as beat Tech. Both games are winnable. Tech has just as many problems as Georgia but beating Georgia is a season maker for the Jackets anytime it happens and thats why I like Tech as we stand 3 weeks out. A win against Auburn wouldn't be a season saver for the Dawgs but it would be a win over a quality opponent, something that hasn't happened in '10.

My game plan against Auburn would be to line up in 4 wides with Green, King, Durham, Wooten, and Charles rotating and throw the ball 50 times. Some would say you need to keep the ball away from Newton and control the clock. I'd rather have a track meet and see what happens. Auburn's secondary is poor and has a bunch of injury issues. The Tigers' D-line is solid and our run game, for multiple reasons, is pitiful. So why not scrap the whole run game, do what we've done best, and see if A.J. can have a game for the ages before hes gone..... Defensively, play a 3-5 with one safety who plays tight and man to man coverage on the outside. No matter what formation Auburn comes out in, send Houston every single down and spy War Cam with Gamble. Let the D-line play very conservative. If Newton throws for 400 yards then so be it. But try something out of the box and see what happens because every decent offense has put up huge numbers against us and Auburn will double those if we stick to our guns.

As far as Idaho State, Dantzler thinks this is easily the worst team Georgia football has played since at least WW II. Idaho State is 243rd in this weeks RealTimeRPI National Rankings and last in the Big Sky Conference. They are 1-7 after winning 1 game last year. Charles White might even get to play.

Basketball season unofficially starts Thursday. Stegeman renovations will continue through at least Thursday. I'm starting to figure out that Georgia likes to make it interesting when it comes to construction. The upgrades from the outside look good and probably should have been done a decade ago..... The last time the program had these type of expectatons was 2002-03. A very reasonable goal for a team that finished last in their division the previous season would be an NCAA birth. My expectations are an SEC East title and a win in the Tournament. They have the best 1-2 punch in the league and the best transfer. They have experience, depth, and a core group that is now entering their 3rd year together. The 2 guys that I feel can get Georgia to the upper tier of the SEC are Jeremy Price and Sherrard Brantley. Price has shown glimpses of being great but also has gone through spells where he did absolutely nothing. He's a big body that has gotten in shape and could be a force inside that Georgia would otherwise not have. Thompkins will play the 4 but Price is the more traditional low post guy who needs to produce. Brantley is the new McPhee. By no means does he need to shoot the ball as well as McPhee but he does need to be a consistent threat. The starting 5 doesn't have a pure shooter like Brantley and it will be huge if he can come off the bench, stretch the defense and bring some instant offense. Then theres freshman Marcus Thorton. He's been praised by his fellow teamates more than anyone in practice and if he's a player than Georgia could be scary good. The road is still a major hurdle and Georgia needs to get over that quickly if they want to be a true contender. Fox won't say it but this football season has done nothing but help the basketball program as a whole. That is if the basketball program can help itself.

Finally, McGarity is doing things. The firing of Anymouse's coach shows that he likes to do business. Firing a coach mid-season this soon after being hired is a sign that he is not cool with mediocrity, no matter what the sport. He has already taken a hard stance on the GA-FLA game staying in Jacksonville and has done and said all the right things. I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Grantham has been called to ADGM's office for his embarrassing and juvenile display that might not even fly at T.A. Wright stadium. There's nothing wrong with being fiery and competetive but you can do that without being an idiot.

Same Old Song

Best Basketball Memory

My best basketball memory was from my Senior year in highschool when we played in the St. Pius X basketball tournament. We werent playing against 'ace' but we were playing against some other southern bumpkins. The way I remember is probably different than the way some people remember it but remembering details is for librarians and historians.

Nearing halftime, my best bud and fellow teammate Donnie III was jawing with some shmuck from Crackerton, Fl. I landed a clean shoulder blow on the douche as he was mid sentence telling D that he lo0ked like that fag that used to punk people. What should have been called an intentional foul was considered a "clean" play by the officials. This pissed off slackjaw.

Next time down the court, we were on offense so I hide in my corner waiting for an open three point shot. McFuckerstein got in my grill and before I could knock his lights out Donnie came and knocked the dude right in the chest. Donnie was not as fortunate (nor was he as good of a basketball player) as me and a foul was called. It ended up not mattering.

Can't remember how that game ended. I think we won. Who cares? Winning is important to some people.

A friendship that I know will last forever no matter what comes between people is way more important. Happy birthday, Donnie.

Do your Part

+

=

Name that Dawg, Apartment, and 1 past hard body champion.

Sticky was just waking up from his 2 quarter PGA nap in front of Michael Hyle

Sorry Barstool. I Was On the Phone With Your Roommate. If You Still Want to Talk You Can Call Me Now. I am No Longer Talking With JJBA.

Here is a picture of a Funny Looking Asian

Lock It Down

ODDS TO WIN THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP


October 23, 2010

20-1

Biggest game in Kentucky History?

Or at least of the last 20 years. Going into this weekend Kentucky has as much of a shot at the east title as anyone. I'll actually go ahead and say that if Kentucky beats Georgia, then goes on the road and beats Miss. State, they will play in the SEC championship. Kentucky would still have to beat Vandy and Tennessee, Carolina and Florida would have to lose. All those things are likely imo.

So as everyone talks about how Carolina must take advantage of this opportunity, I don't know if Kentucky will EVER have another shot like this season. Hopefully it won't happen for the Cats.

PMA In Vegas??!?!?

ODDS TO WIN THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP


Saturday, September 25, 2010 - UGA 1-2 (0-2 SEC)
100-1


Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - UGA 2-4 (1-3 SEC)
50-1

What's that Kris? 10 win season?

A Picture...

... is worth a thousand words.

Friday Haiku

Bad Boy Schwarz on Tybee Island: 4 July 2010

Rest in peace, Garret.

Go Dogs, Blazers, and Cadets.

Rushing Theta Chi?

Say it aint so, although I've received 3 separate texts telling me it is.

60 Minutes, Men

Yes Schiv, this is my second post of the day.

With most of us making the trip to Athens this weekend, I thought it'd be nice for all of us to meet up- just the guys- for at least a little bit. I know how busy and important we all have become, so I thought we could all meet up after the game Saturday around 9 at Firehouse. I figure that gives us all time to do the dinner thing, and it can serve as a nightcap for those who choose to call it an early night. Just an idea. I'll be there at 8:59.

Humpday Haiku

Goodbye New Orleans.

No more P-M-A for me.

God pray for BC.

Zinggggg!!!!

Now I don't follow recruiting too heavily and let's be honest, these 5 star recruits don't mean s*** if we can't coach them up but Isaiah Crowell had an interesting comment today. Crowell, a running back at Carver-Columbus, is a 5 star recruit and the #1 tailback prospect in the state. He mentioned he had narrowed down his choices to Alabama and Georgia but for the longest time it was believed Georgia had the lead because of more playing time. That is of course until this past weekend when he attended Bama's 31-6 clubbing of Florida in Tuscaloosa. He had a lot of good things to say about the visit but when asked about Georgia this is what he had to say:

“Well, they’re losing a lot of games and have a lot of people getting arrested,” Crowell said of Georgia. “There’s just a lot of things going wrong. I do want to play right away but I also want to be where it’s disciplined and they win championships.” (AJC.com)

Now if the kid doesn't want to play for Georgia that's fine but I can definitely see his point. I hope other recruits don't start bailing. Nice job Mark. WTF is going on in Athens nowadays?

We've Made It

10/5/10

Acceptance

To me, it's not so much the outcome as the fact that Colorado should never be in the game late against a respectable BCS conference team -- especially one that has reason to be motivated going in. Hold on to the ball, kick the field goal, and this is still a disappointment.

This game revealed two things: A.J. Green really is that good. Georgia really is that bad.

Good work Cubs

Magic number: 2

10 years ago tonight, BC recorded one of its greatest victories of all time. The Cadets defeated Camden County 9-7 on a last minute field goal in Kingsland. The game turned out to be for the region championship.

Camden coah Jeff Herron says that loss motivates him to this day. Since the defeat Camden has a record of 123-11, no region losses, 6 trips to the semi-finals, and 3 state Championships. They are currently ranked #6 in the USA TODAY National Prep Poll.

The 2000 BC team cemented itself as one of the better teams in school history going 9-1 in the regular season and winning the region championship.

Top 5 wins in my lifetime:

1. 1996 at #2 LaGrange 24-17

2. 2000 at Camden 9-7

3. 1996 vs. Northside 11-10 (OT)

4. 1994 at #5 Statesboro 21-7

5. 2005 at #5 South Effingham 7-0

He wasn't even the best player in the infield. 1 game and this would be a much happier post.

I'm sorry...

for the unending Georgia posts but I don't know what else to do.

Like someone said on Dawgpost, Ealey's performance and Spielman's comment on this play kind of sums up Georgia football right now:

A reason to Watch

Though I have little confidence in the program right now, I'm going to go in a different direction on this post.

- We can play loose with nothing to lose the rest of the way. 2007 shows we can go on a run when there is little to no hope. 2007 followed a 2006 season that was very similar to 2009.

-A.J. Green has to do a whole bunch to make up for what has occurred. Once again, I don't know if we win yesterday with him but we throw it to him on that last 3rd down and I like our chances. From Colorado on we will have the best player in every game.

- The coaches have to realize there is a problem. They will hear and see all the numbers and records that have been brought up in the last 24 hours. Though last year and Carolina should have been a wake up call, the Goff comparisons would really do it for me.

- The schedule from here on out looks great. Mississippi St. is more than losable though. Georgia can play with the nothing to lose mentality or go 180 degrees the other way and fold. Starkville will shed some light on that. A win and the schedule is not daunting with only 2 ranked teams.

- Murray is a gamer and will continue to get better. The offensive line can't play any worse. If nothing else the play of the O-line and secondary might force the coaches to try some guys they might otherwise have not. Might find some players.

- Finally, Florida is not a world beater and Carolina has a handful of losable games. Florida will lose to Bama and Georgia. Carolina will lose at least 2 but probably more. I'll be shocked if we only lose 1 more game the rest of the way. But contrary to what I said last week, we are not completely dead if we do find some magic.

The interesting thing to watch is the fan base. For the first time in a long time there will be some Georgia fans that pull against the Dawgs at times. Their theory will be the faster things get bad, the faster it will get better. There will be Georgia followers rooting for the opponent hoping for change at the top.

Georgia's Football Program

Women and children in the lifeboats first. More to follow later in the day. And yes it really is that bad:(

Play action

Blast from the past

Dobbs Needs To Improve Toughness? No Way!

David Ching has a nice little rundown of all the guys who redshirted this year in the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer today, with comments from the starters. A couple of highlights:

QUINTIN BANKS

Projected 2007 position: Safety

Height/Weight: 6-2/192

Teammate's comments: "Typical Georgia safety, I guess. The big-hitting safety that everybody says we're missing this year. He has learned the game extremely fast, the playbook. He can answer the questions that coach asks that most guys at that point don't usually know. He's learned the package extremely well." Georgia safety Tra Battle

DEMARCUS DOBBS

Projected 2007 position: Defensive end

Height/Weight: 6-2/270

Teammate's comments: "Great upside. A little quiet, needs to get more of a football mentality, a little more toughness. He has it, but he's a nice guy too, though. When he gets some of that jerk in him, then it's a wrap." Defensive tackle Ray Gant

RESHAD JONES

Projected 2007 position: Safety

Height/Weight: 6-2/188

Teammate's comments: "Reshad's just a natural athlete. Anytime the ball's in the air, he goes up to get it. He may not know the playbook and the scheme as well as (Quintin) Banks, but athletic-wise, he's with the best of us as far as covering and ball skills. He's just a natural at it, you can really tell." Georgia safety Tra Battle

KIANTE TRIPP

Projected 2007 position: Defensive end

Height/Weight: 6-6/272

Teammate's comments: "Perfect frame, perfect size. Big, strong, hard worker. He'll probably be an all-American before he leaves." ­ Defensive end Quentin Moses

Shock Value

A.J. Green Cost us an SEC East Championship!

UPDATE....

people not real happy with Bobo.

CMR Postgame

"Its not like we were playing the school for the blind, they are a great team..........I think we are starting to grow up as a team and thats a good thing."

- 9 of the 11 starters on offense have been in the program for 3 or more years. It would be 10 with A.J.

- 10 of the 11 starters on defense have been in the program for 3 or more years.

I hope they have enough time to grow before they graduate.

I will give him credit for this quote: "As of right now, our focus needs to be on winning a conference game."

Would've been a comeback for the ages and I would've had full confidence in Walsh to make anything inside of 55. However, Arkansas deserved to win the game with how they dominated the first 3 quarters. Get ready for the steady diet of our team never quit and blah blah blah.

JD on the call in show: "Georgia will be back, I just don't know when that will be."

Butler: "Whats a little disappointing to say is that there are some fundamental problems that don't seem to be getting fixed."

Last 3 SEC games:

Home loss to Kentucky

Road loss to Carolina

Home loss to Arkansas

In under 2 years Georgia has lost 10 games.

See yall in Starkville!

(Bump)

Also, here's a snippet from this week's "Gruff and Grump" article in Bulldawg Illustrated:

We ran the wildcat a couple of times. Or wild Dawg or whatever you chose to call it. Sloppy cat is more like it. The formation and idea is fine with us. We actually like it. Problem is it looks like we have practiced it for all of about six plays during the week.

We continue to wonder what happens in offensive practice. Do the running backs focus and work hard on fundamentals? We sure do fumble a lot. What about the tight ends. What is their story? Time to step up and be dominant like they can be.

Why do we need to call a time out four plays into the second half? And another four plays later? What did we talk about during half time? Four plays later and we can not line up correctly? Then, four plays later and we can not get the proper personnel on the field? (Editor’s note- the last paragraph is a retread from about twenty five games in Mark Richt’s career. Too many to note specifically). The Dawgs were faced with having to overcome a deficit with no timeouts and facing a very good rushing football team. All because of a keystone cops routine we practice several times every season. Coach Richt has been our coach for ten years. For ten years we have been doing this Mickey Mouse stuff. Man does it get old.

Must Win

September could be a fun month if Georgia wins Saturday. Losing would all but eliminate Georgia from anything important in a year where the window was as wide open as it could ever be in the east. Florida is not overwhelming. Tennessee is as bad as ever. Carolina has the toughest schedule. Don't sleep on Kentucky though, they probably have as much talent as ever. But the Dawgs have a manageable schedule with 10 starters back on offense! Need to take advantage.

Saturday was bad but not the end. Saturday at 4 could be the end. Georgia should get nothing but better as the season progresses but it might not mean a thing if we don't win Saturday. We can afford 1 more loss and still have thoughts of Atlanta. If that loss is Saturday, however, dreams are limited to Atlanta a month late.

The Bravos are not playing well but back in late April no one thought they would be anywhere in this realm. 18 games left and a game back in the east and 1 ahead in the wild card. Got to play better to have a chance and the 6 games with the Phils could be awesome. A wise man once said, there is nothing better than meaningful baseball.

*Also, JD thinks Branden Smith should be moved to offense. I heard a lot of people down on Smith after the game Saturday. Playing behind Cuff was an indication to me that he was not as far along as we thought he might be. Hes too explosive not to have the ball in his hands more. I'm not saying hes a bad CB, but I don't know if a permanent move to offense wouldn't be best for all parties.

Here's where we need to go

As his team raced onto the field, he gazed into the stands filled with screaming fans and wondered about the several thousand "cadets" from Texas A.&M. clustered in one end zone. They wear military uniforms and buzz cuts, holler in unison and stand at attention the entire game. "How come they get to pretend they are soldiers?" he asked. "The thing is, they aren't actually in the military. I ought to have Mike's Pirate School. The freshmen, all they get is the bandanna. When you're a senior, you get the sword and skull and crossbones. For homework, we'll work pirate maneuvers and stuff like that."

I'm of the opinion that yesterday could have been worse. Outside of Houston and Gamble I have never seen a Georgia front 7 look that overmatched. Not getting off blocks, arm tackling, and basically being physically dominated. On the other hand, our experienced and strength of the team O-Line was far from dominant. Yes, we were a non-fumble away from possibly being tied. Yes, we did not have arguably the best player in the country eligible. And yes, it was the first SEC game with a new QB and a new defense. But as Slic mentioned below, at some point you have to start winning again. Going back to the 2008 season Georgia has not beaten a "good" team outside of Tech. And as well as the ACC performed yesterday I don't know if being the best team in that conference makes you a "good" team. Losses happen, especially on the road in the SEC. However, its the big picture and the carry over from last year that makes this Carolina loss more aggrevating than any I can remember. Four thoughts fom players and coaches after yesterday's game helped in guiding my aggrevation.

Little Picture:

- Marcus Lattimore stating how Carolina knew they would have unbelievable success running the Zone Read if Georgia kept their DE's as wide as they were against ULL. Sitting with Denny, he picked up on our DE's rediculous width on the very 1st drive. Obviously we didn't feel as if we needed to adjust prior to Lattimore running for his 180th yard. What bothers me is that was such an easy and fundamental problem that Carolina basically based their entire offensive game plan around and never had to go away from it.

Big Picture:

- CMR stating that Lattiore is going to be a star not only on Saturday's but most likely Sunday's as well. The statement is not that rediculous because I was extremely impressed and without him Carolina probably doesn't win. However, the kid has played two college games and CMR wants to drive him to Canton. This is just more of what has become the CMR norm of deflecting attention away from our own deficiencies. A whole bunch of those yards were due to us missing 2 and 3 tackles or laying on the ground less than a second after the snap.

- A South Carolina Offensive Lineman being surprised by how quick they were able to wear down the Georgia front and how they seemed to be out of shape at times. The Georgia defense was on the field a whole bunch on a humid day. Most of that is their fault however for not getting off the field. Anyway, I'm going to bring up the S&CCDVH (thats a good one) subject again. He finally came under a little fire in the past year for the perceived lack of production from his department. From what I think because of certain things, this perception is not rediculous one bit. Not that this has any validity at all, but 2 different people who watched games all day yesterday both said it seemed as if Georgia looked small in a lot of positions compared to some other high profile teams. One saying, "it just doesn't look like we fill out our jerseys like they do." In person during pre-game Carolina looked a lot bigger. But maybe its just Under Armor.

- Spurrier commenting on how the 3 timeouts by Georgia early in the 3rd changed the outlook on the 2nd half. For some reason this as always been a problem for CMR teams. Even when Georgia has had greast teams we always seemed to find great ways to burn timeouts. Bobo, in reference to one of the timeouts, said that we really need to get the right personnel on the field. Very good point coach. Out of a timeout we came right back with the same formation (wildcat) and caught Carolina by surprise with a 2 yard run. Once in a while if a RB needs to ask the QB something there is no problem. Haveing to use 3 timeouts that wouldv'e been a little help down the stretch is. Unfortunately, same story, differnt chapter.

And Bobo has to like Vanilla ice cream. Fans have been voicing this opinion for a while now and its pretty hard to argue. He could have run the Wing-T with Stafford and Moreno and would have scored 50. Without those two guys, the play action pass on every single 3rd and long, when we haven't gained a yard all day between the tackles, just doesn't seem to be fooling them for some reason. I think the quick fix would be more designed pass plays to our FB's in the flats. Or just move back up to the box since that has something to do with anything.

If there was only one word I could use I'd have to go with soft. From the top down it seems present in one form or another.

On a happy note:

- Carrol Brown played at Delaney's in Columbia. If you are ever in the state capitol its not a bad place to visit.

- Delaney's is also the capitol of Poundtown.

- Speaking of Murray, he racked up a total of 2 points in the 2010 Mascot name challenge. You receive a College, give me the mascot. Not real hard. Alli had 14 points septubleing Murray, while Plowe won with 41.

- In a single thought, there was a link made between Doug, Jimmy, and Finch attack. Boy do we need a blog back.

WTF Happend in Columbia and Where to Go From Here

Let me preface this by saying I realize: the last time we lost to South Carolina we went to the Sugar Bowl and finished 2nd in the country; we are breaking in a new QB and defensive scheme; AJ green did not play; the SEC has gotten stronger; we cannot win every game; CMR has brought the Georgia program to an unprecedented level of success and prestige.

Having said that, here's what I know:

*Georgia is 10-11 in its last 21 games against the SEC East (if that doesn't scream mediocre I don't know what does)

*Georgia hasn't been to the SEC Championship since 2005 and I'll go out on a limb and say they are not getting back there this either. That will be 5 years. In that span, Florida has 2 National Championships, Alabama and LSU have 1. Realistically I think we should go once every 4 years at least. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Observations:

*Aaron Murray looked good he was just handcuffed by playcalling. I think he has a bright future.

*This is the most underachieving offensive line in Georgia history. There's about 10 guys with considerable experience and they've essentially been playing together the last 3 years. Things should've clicked by now. We shouldn't just see flashes of greatness. They got bullied by Carolina's front 7. It was embarrassing. WTF CSS?

*You can tell Florida and Alabama are bigger stronger and faster than Georgia just by doing the ole eyeball test.

*South Carolina's depth may suck and that's why they'll collapse at some point as usual but they've got playmakers all over the field. Georgia really doesn't. Or maybe they're not being put in position to make plays. Not sure.

*CTG seemed more toned down compared to last week. Rambo screws up in coverage and he jumps all over his ass last week. This week we miss 50 tackles and not really a peep. Did CMR have a talk with him about his sideline demeanor? Which brings me to another point, CSS. He used to considered the best o-line coach in the conference and mean SOB to boot. Now our o-line sucks. They look soft and I don't see the same intensity from him either. Has CMR worn this guy down or has he become comfortable with the Georgia "culture" or coaching?

*As bad as it seemed like we may have played yesterday we were still in the game and should've won. We lost 17-6 for Christ's sakes. We didn't get blown out and we should've been able to score 18 points on South Carolina regardless. The broken tackles are why Lattimore had so many yards and I think that's a result of a Willie hangover effect. CTG is trying to correct all that BS CWM taught them the last 4 years. It's gonna take time. Hell we had 5 sacks. Once again though Georgia settled for its moniker "Field Goal U." That Ealey fumble really hurt.

*CMR is in his 10th season and as great as he's been there's no doubt we are starting to see some negative trends. 10 years is a long time. Florida St. and Tennessee's programs suffered out of loyalty to head coaches with a successful track record who were clearly bottoming out. Everybody could see both teams withering away, being a mere shell of their former selves. Even the great CPC's juggernaut USC (the real USC for any South Carolina fans reading this and I believe I made that quite clear yesterday) program began to show some complacency in his latter years. It happens and it's understandable. Success breeds complacency which can lead to mediocrity. We have in no way come close to the level Tennessee and FSU have been on the last few years but with time who knows? Right now quite honestly I think Georgia is a little better than mediocre.

*Something tells me had Damon Evans not been fired another bad season would've resulted in CMR's departure but now McGarity has the unenviable task of assessing the direction of our football program and deciding what needs to be done.

*Now this obviously South Carolina has a leg up in the east but they still have to play Auburn and Alabama the next 2 weeks and they have to play Florida in the swamp at the end of the season so I still don't think they're going to win the East. In fact they will probably still end up with 4 losses somehow. Obviously this puts Georgia in the hole and they can really only afford one more SEC loss which sucks because every game looks tough from here on out.

*I watched some of the Arkansas-La-Monroe game and they didn't look great but I think it's because they've been looking ahead to Georgia since their bowl game last year. Thankfully their defense is nowhere near as good as South Carolina's so we should score but how many will we need to score is the question. If Georgia loses Saturday things get really interesting to say the least. Tennessee looked ok. They've got talent at some positions but no depth as well. I think if given the time Dooley will have that program turned around which is not good news for Georgia fans either.

This is not a post advocating the firing of CMR. I'm simply saying if this season heads the way it looks like it's heading, I think he should definitely be on the hot seat if he's not already. Maybe getting rid of Bobo's the answer. Maybe they just need new blood across the board to shake things up (excluding Grantham and Lakatos- I'm still a big fan of theirs). I don't know what this program needs but we consistently piss the bed in big games now and that's not good. In 2008 as the pre-season #1 team with the #1 NFL draft pick, one of the best runningbacks in Georgia history, and a future top draft pick in AJ Green, we lost arguably the 2 biggest games of season (Bama and Florida) by a combined score of 90-40. It wouldn't be as bad if it wasn't coupled with losses to teams we have ABSOLUTELY no reason losing to.

As a Georgia fan, don't just focus on yesterday, take the last few years into account. Are you satisfied? I can't say that I am. The rest of the league is getting better and I just can't help but think we have taken a step back in some regard. Maybe not a huge step back but one big enough to keep us in Chik-fil-a and outback bowls for awhile if something's not done. Are you ok with that level of success?