State of the Dawgs

If you a die hard fan of the Dawgs like me, Saturday was probably the worst loss you have ever had to take. Sure, you can blame it on the worst penalty call in football history,which the SEC has apologized for, but Georgia still had plenty of chances to win the game. I have waited a couple days to pass before I made any comment on the game. The defense played very good, collecting 6 sacks and an interception. Made a huge stop on a 4th and 1 to prevent LSU from possibly going up 13-0 before halftime. They played like a unit that we have been looking for since 2007. Yet, again the offense was dreadful. They had no running attack and no blocking from the o-line to create holes. Alone from Washaun Ealey's runs, nothing was made from Richard Samuel and Caleb King. Cox looked tentative and missed receivers on what could have been big plays for the offense. Point is this program is way to talented not to put itself in contention to win these type of games. You look at this roster and it cries talent. Good enough to compete with anyone is this league. So , if its not talent then it has to be coaching. Don't get me wrong, Mark Richt is a very good coach but what prevents him from being a great one is who he has surrounded himself with. I'm a firm believer in that assistant coaches help define a head coach. The quick successes of Urban Meyer and Nick Saban is not due to them just walking in the locker room and demanding wins or just relying on good recruiting. Those two have surrounded themselves with experienced, fundamentally sound assistants. Guys who have come in with experience in there backround. Some in the NFL and some at other big programs in college. Which leads me to call out a few coaches in the UGA staff.

• Mike Bobo- We all know his play calling has just been down right dreadful. Too many inconsistencies in the ability to either put games away or trying to make a comeback. Bobo was a great QB coach, where he lead David Greene, DJ Shockley, and Matthew Stafford. He became the OC back in the fall of 2006. The game totally changes when you have been put in position to make a choice on what your offense should do. With no experience at the helm, Bobo has struggled. In part of Georgia not being able to win big games lately is because the offense has sputtered. Big games against Florida, Alabama, and LSU the past two seasons have lead to critical losses.
• Willie Martinez- He has received a lot of criticism throughout the fan base for having opponents run up and down on the defense far from Richt days of early. He has had experience but Central Florida, Grand Valley State(real school, don't ask me where) and Central Michigan are no where near the talent he sees in the SEC. He is a good recruiter for the team but again, game planning? not so much.
• Jon Fabris- No problem with him as far as defensive ends but his ability in special teams is very puzzling. Saturday, he decided to kick to the fastest man in college football and tried a new kickoff formation that only gave LSU 5 more yards to the long run they had. Don't even get me started on kickoffs, it never fails that we at least kick a ball two or three times out of bounds a game. We need someone to coach special teams full time. Just ask Urban Meyer how important they are.

I'm not saying this is the end of Georgia football but I'm coming to a realization that if we continue with these same trends, were not gonna get anywhere. Mark Richt seriously needs to reevaluate what he is doing assistant wise before its too late. Get this team some emotion also, every big game we have played we look lethargic and play scared. Go out there with no fear of anyone or any team. Please change the mindset before its too late.To me, you demote Willie and Mike back to there old positions. Make Rodney Gardner the job he has wanted as defensive coordinator, hire a special teams coach full time and let Coach Richt go back to play calling. After all, he did win two national championships at FSU for that job. Just my honest opinion of things...but I will always be loyal to the Dawgs no matter what. GO DAWGS!

SEC Rewind Week 5

It was a rough weekend, so were just gonna have a quick wrap up of the weekends game.

SC State @ SC- No Surpise here as the Gamecocks win 38-14. Next up, a home game vs Kentucky.

College located in Atlanta @ Miss St- Bulldogs turnover the ball to which the opponent capitalizes on. Dogs lose again. Next up a tough one vs Houston.

Arkansas @ Texas A&M- Razorback roll, Aggies never came close. Arkansas gets Auburn next

Alabama @ Kentucky- Bama sleepwalks through this one but was able to pull away. Bama heads to Ole Miss next.

Ole Miss @ Vandy- Rebels struggle again but picked up a win. Vandy heads to Army.

Auburn @ Tennessee- Tigers roll in this one. Vols could be in for another long season. Vols get set to host UGA next week.

LSU @ UGA- Tigers score late second touchdown to win in Athens. They host Florida in what could be the game of the year next week.

Later on I will be addressing my thoughts and concerns about the UGA football program. After two days of thinking about it, I still feel strong about it.

SEC Preview and Predictions Week 5

Man o man, this is the type of weeks we live for. Got some good games on the dock and I'm looking to continue my streak. I hold a 20 and 3 record but the games are starting to be harder to predict starting this week. So here we go.....

South Carolina St. @ South Carolina : The Head Ball Coach has spent all week talking about how good South Carolina State is, even though he doesn’t know any of the players’ names. “We’re not a team that tries to learn all the names of the players we play against,” he explained. He just knows the FCS Bulldogs look good on tape. That may be, but the Gamecocks have come too far to lose one like this. They have a great chance to be 5-1 going into that Alabama game on Oct. 17. The only way I could see them losing is by having a Ole Miss "hangover". Gamecocks win.

College located in Atlanta @ Miss St- I will not refer to the school that the Bulldogs are playing Saturday night. You may say "There are alot of schools located there" but you know which one I speak of. Anyways, The No. 25-ranked "team" is coming off their most complete performance of the season in a 24-7 win over North Carolina, while the Bulldogs are trying to put a bitter 30-26 loss to No. 4-ranked LSU behind them. This is an improved Mississippi State football team under Dan Mullen, but taking on a second straight nationally ranked foe is too tall a task for the Bulldogs, especially going up against the "teams"triple-option offense. As bad I wanna say no, I think the college in Atlanta wins.....ugh....

Arkansas @ Texas A&M- Now that I have picked the worst game ever, we move to this one. I think the Hogs are in almost in a free fall after losing back to back games. A third one would definitely make a total free fall happen. I think they will bounce back and this maybe a game where whoever has the ball last wins. Hogs win it.

Alabama @ Kentucky- Even though Kentucky played Alabama within a field goal a year ago in Tuscaloosa, the Wildcats simply haven’t proven that they’re good enough on offense or disciplined enough across the board to beat a team the caliber of Alabama this season. Turnovers and mistakes have haunted the Wildcats. They turned the ball over on three straight possessions in the win over Louisville and then got off to a horrid start last week in the loss to Florida. Playing like that against the Crimson Tide is a recipe for a two- or three-touchdown loss. Tide rolls.

Ole Miss @ Vandy- The Rebels still have nightmares of the six turnovers they lost last season in the 23-17 home loss to the Commodores. If Ole Miss is for real, this is a game Houston Nutt’s club will find a way to win after last week’s disappointing loss at South Carolina. Nothing is ever easy against Vanderbilt, though, and the Commodores will certainly come after Jevan Snead. They just haven’t shown they can score enough points to pull out the win. Ole Miss wins a squeaker.

Auburn @ Tennessee- The Vols have been a difficult team to read this season. They looked average at best in the UCLA loss and lackluster win over Ohio last week, but played Florida straight up in a hard-fought loss in the Swamp. Going on the road for the first time won’t be easy for Auburn, which has played a pretty soft schedule to this point. But the Vols are so banged up in key spots, namely at middle linebacker and on the offensive line, that the Tigers should be able to capitalize and go to 5-0 on the season. Based on what we’ve seen so far, Tennessee is going to have a hard time scoring 20-plus points against anybody in the SEC. Tigers win

LSU @ UGA- This is the big daddy game of the week. These two teams combined for 90 points last season, and remember that two of Georgia’s touchdowns came on interception returns. Neither defense has played great this season. Both have had some key plays and some key stops, but the talent on both defenses is better than what they’ve shown to this point. LSU needs to find a way to revive its running game after being stopped in its tracks last week. But, then, Georgia hasn’t exactly stopped anybody’s passing game this season. The difference will be A.J. Green, who’s red hot. The Bulldogs are finding ways to get him the ball, and he’s delivering. Going up against Chad Jones will be Green's first big test this year as far as going up against an individual. Look for the X-factors of both squads. LSU has true frosh phenom QB Russell Shepard, while Les has used him sparingly through the year, he could be on showcase this week. For UGA, I think the TE's Aron White and Orson Charles will be key. Look for their numbers to be called especially since AJ will see the double and possibly triple team coverage. Should be another good one Between the Hedges. Dawgs win a close one.

Well there it is, tough games to chose on and I'm still trying to feel confident in all of them. Will see how it goes. Have a great weekend and Go Dawgs!

Top of the Tide

Greg McElroy for Heisman? Barely a month into his career as a starter, No. 3 Alabama's quarterback is putting up strong enough numbers that Heisman Trophy talk is starting up. At least at his own Sunday night cookouts with buddies."They were giving me a hard time about it, saying 'Oh yeah, New York' and all that stuff," McElroy said.Playing for a national title contender helps any player's chances of getting to New York for the presentation.McElroy's numbers have been impressive if not dazzling, too. His 175.2 rating is third nationally in passing efficiency. Since a rough opening half in his first career start against Virginia Tech, McElroy has thrown for 844 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions while completing 76 percent of his passes.While he is flattered by the Heisman buzz, McElroy says that's not his focus."It's nice to get recognition for an award like that, but we're here to win championships not individual awards," McElroy said. "I think the only way that your name can get mentioned for a thing like that is having your team play well around you. ... It's not something I'm going to be thinking about or consciously worrying about." Such is life for the man they call "big bird", sure the heisman hype is probably out of control but if Alabama keeps rolling, he could be picking up a national championship trophy instead.

Player Profile: AJ Green

This week we profile Georgia BullDawg phenom wideout AJ Green. You might be saying I'm just posting this because I'm a homer but in reality anyone who thinks he is overrated or says that Julio Jones is better, they should go check their temperature. Don't get me wrong Julio is a good player but AJ is a very special player. I'm talking about the special that can lead you to being one if not the greatest of all time in the program. The kid just has a cool and calm demeanor and all he wants to do is win. From day one, he has always been loyal to the red and black. He committed to UGA two years before he even stepped on campus. Never wavered or swayed to any other school. He played the majority of his freshman year with a groin injury but still was able to put up numbers that made him SEC freshman of the year. He has been compared to Randy Moss since high school and while he has a ways to go, he has not disappointed in the comparison. AJ has saved UGA in a couple of games including this past weeks against Arizona State, where he picked up SEC honors for offensive player of the week that included a TD catch where he side stepped the defender, which made the poor boy fall, a blocked field goal that would have put the Devils in front with 2 minutes left and a final catch that set up the game winning field goal. AJ is truly is amazing and I could write all day about him but I do have a job to do(which I prefer to be on here) I think when its all said and done Green will be up their with Herschel Walker..and maybe a little higher....maybe

I have to many videos to post so I figured, why not just see the whole page...Enjoy!

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&source=hp&q=aj%20green&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

Tigers on the prowl?

Much is still to be made of the 2009 Auburn Tigers but one can't help but notice that the War Eagles have made some serious strides in their quest to return to glory. First year head coach Gene Chizik has gotten the Plainsman offense rolling up yards on offense like the days of old.Only 27 teams in Auburn history have started a season 4-0. Eight of those occurred after 1974. Of the eight teams in the last 35 years that started 4-0, only two failed to win at least ten games. The 1994 Tigers reeled off nine before a closing with a tie and a loss. Auburn started 2000 with five consecutive wins before fading to 4-4 down the stretch.A lack of quality competition over the first four games is a valid criticism. None of the four teams Auburn defeated in 2009 were ranked at the time. That doesn't impact the trend, however. Of the eight Tiger teams that started 4-0 since 1974, only two beat a ranked opponent during the four-game streak. The 2009 Auburn Tigers have a long way to go before they can start considering double digit win totals. At some point during the SEC season, Auburn will run into a team that will put the clamps on the offense and the Tigers will need to lean on the defense to earn a win.

The Tiger stopping unit has so far shown no indication it is capable of holding up its end of the bargain. The next stop will be a visit to Tennessee this week, which we should get a better grasp of what both teams should be like for the rest of the year. Auburn has impressed me with the dual duo of running back Ben Tate and Onterio McCalebb. As we know, the Tigers seem to have potent offenses when they have two legit backs(see Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams). Quarterback Chris Todd seems to have his confidence grow from week to week. He is coming off a 5 touchdown passes game and seems to really grasp the offense better than last year when he was benched in favor of Kodi Burns(who is now a wide receiver) The defense is still needing improvement as Ball State out up good numbers including 30 points. This seems to be the only factor of the Tigers really being back. The special teams have been terrific with a few blocks and touchdowns. All in all, we figure the Tigers to make it to a bowl this year and pull maybe one or two upsets along the way. We will be keeping check on the Tigers, Plainsman, and War Eagles.

Major contenders suffering from the injury bug

Alabama and Florida seem to still be on a collision course for a rematch for the SEC Championship in December but both suffered some major blows in the injury department over the weekend. While both teams have looked the real deal in every game so far this year, Injuries can derail dreams of a title quickly. Just ask the Georgia Bulldogs who were succumb to there own last year.

The Gator nation is in somewhat of a frenzy due to the injury of quarterback Tim Tebow. As he fell backward, his helmet struck teammate Marcus Gilbert's leg, violently bending his neck forward.Teammates and trainers rushed to Tebow's side, but several minutes passed before the quarterback sat up with help and then slowly made his way off the field. He eventually was carted off. My question for this is why was he playing anyways? They were up 31-7 midway through the 3rd quarter. Jeff Brantley is the future anyway so he might as well be getting in some work. Also, middle linebacker Brandon Spikes has been bothered by a Achilles problem and wide receiver Deonte Thompson missed his second game with a hamstring pull. Florida will have a much needed week off to get rested up for probably their toughest game of the year at LSU.

Alabama was not also safe from the bug as head coach Nick Saban confirmed the injury of sophomore linebacker Dont'a Hightower, he will undergo knee surgery to repair ligament damage, and Hightower is expected to miss the remainder of the season. It's a big loss for the Crimson Tide, as Hightower had been extremely versatile. He was one of their best pass-rushers and was lining up at the hybrid jack linebacker spot on passing downs. After he was injured last Saturday in the Arkansas game, he was replaced in the lineup by sophomore Courtney Upshaw. Here is Saban's statement on Hightower's injury:
“Dont’a Hightower’s MRI confirmed that he has ligament damage in his knee that will require surgery. Dont’a is a fine young man, has been an outstanding player for us, and we are confident he will make a full recovery.”(How weird is it that I could find a picture of both Hightower and Tebow in the same game)

Anyways, the lesson here is if the Tide and Gators can hold on to the top spots in the division. These teams are extremely talented and well coached, so it will be a great challenge for both coaches. As usual, a championship never comes without adversity and so far it has arrived for both squads.

Lets see what there made of...