Gray Day, You Be The Judge

We have pretty much all heard about the possibility of Logan Gray transferring to another program. I figured I might as well join the rest of the Dawgnation, and put in my two cents.

The selfish Dawgfan side of me says that Logan should definitely stay put here at UGA. I think that Logan should stay put and make the request to move to receiver. The part us fans don't know yet is whether or not that is what Logan is trying to do. Surely the coaching staff would not give him the option to stay only as a quarterback? Right?

Sure, Richt and company are going to be put into a major pickle if Logan says he doesn't want to be the back-up, but I for one don't want to lose such a dedicated athlete because we refuse to let him move positions. This is a tough one!

The logical side of me says "go Logan go". If I was Logan Gray, I would probably be on the next bus to Ga Southern. The only problem with that, is he would be competing against Jaybo Shaw (transferred from Tech) for that qb spot. I personally think he is a much better athlete than Shaw (even though Shaw was one hell of a high school QB).

Either way Logan, I support you because you have done everything that has been asked of you as a Bulldawg! Logan, you are a Damn Good Dawg even if you do decide to pick up and move on!

Special Teams Key To Championships

I love to read statistical analysis of all things football. While many statistics may not have a real bearing on win/losses, most of them do tell a story of why a team is successful or not. Turnover margins are virtually always directly related to the success of a team. The same can be said about yards allowed per game. I could go on and on.

Our dear friend David Hale is one of my favorite statistical reporters. He is one of the few reporters that gives us numbers that link to meaningful football happenings. This rambling leads me to my point for today, special teams. I am not going to spend hours compiling statistics and being a nerd (Sorry Hale). I am just going to simply state my opinion, and base that opinion on facts and things I have researched in the past.

First off, most knowledgeable college football fans know that Frank Beamer put Virginia Tech on the map playing "Beamer Ball". Beamer Ball was based around the fact that VT had some of the most domiating special teams play of any college in the nation over the past 10-15 years. VT realized that there was a lot of benefit to putting offensive and defensive startets on special teams so that the best athletes were covering and returning kicks, as well as, blocking punts and field goals. The number of kicks that VT blocked during the late 90's and 2000's is pretty unbelievable.

It's not as true today as it was 5 years ago, but too many teams were leaving special teams units to be fielded by back-ups and walk ones. Beamer helped make that a thing of the past by proving what a benefit you could get by putting the best man on the field during special teams. You might be shocked to see how high the percentage of plays in a college football game are special teams plays (kickoffs, extra points, punts, field goals, etc.). These plays can be game-breakers.

Too many times, a teams level of success is based on how they did during the special teams portion of a game. Getting a kick blocked can be devastating; missing an extra point can change the complexion of a game; how many games are lost by less than 3 points by a team that missed a field goal?

I know I just went on a bit of a rant, but this morning as I was deciding what I should talk about today, I realized that this Dawg team has the opportunity to be REALLY special on special teams. To quote a fan that had season tickets directly behind me for several years; "Let's Go Special Teams"!

GATA

Coach Richt Is Standing His Ground

I am probably one of the more vocal bloggers out there when it comes to agreeing or disagreeing with the coaching staff at UGA. I am probably one of the more vocal fans when it comes to shouting "I love Coach Richt".

After my post this week calling for details on the Mettenberger dismissal, I caught a HUGE amount of flack from readers of this blog. I am in no way whining because if I make bold comments, I deserve whatever I have coming to me. Some fans, like Ben Dukes, S. Fla, etc. even cause me to re-think some of my positions on things. Like releasing details on Mett; I realize there is most likely some legal issues with releasing details, so point taken. I still think we should have been given a little more.

All this aside, I want to say that I am very encouraged to see Coach Richt standing his ground on the issue of violating team rules. Richt just dismissed the 3rd player in two weeks from the program. He is making a stand. This program is going to clean up, or you are gone!

Keep on doing your thing Coach Richt.

Moreno and Tebow, Together At Last

So, now that he will not be donning the disgusting orange and blue any longer, I can admit that I like Tim Tebow, right? I was glad to see a team like Denver take a chance and draft Tebow. After all, he is probably one of the best college football players of my lifetime.

Now in Denver, you have arguably the best running back of the decade from the SEC along with the best quarterback of the decade from the SEC. Most likely Tebow won't get much playing time in his first season, but you never know.

I for one, would have to give a guy like Tebow a chance. The guy knows how to win a football game, and bring a team together like nobody else I know of.

Now, let's get some Dawgs on the draft board baby!

Decade Of The Dawg

I have used this term Decade of the Dawg quite a few times in the past month here at UGABlog. I'm not sure if anyone own's the rights to it or not, but I haven't heard of it before I started posting it.

Yesterday, a very insightful reader (Ben Dukes) suggested I elaborate on the concept just a bit more. I'll start off by linking you to a few posts I have made that were tagged with my Decade of the Dawg catch phrase:

-Team Feeling
-Thirteen Reasons
-Bulldogs Post 2009 Season
-Top 10 Team
-Todd Grantham

After reading through those posts, you may be bored to death, so I will try to sum up this post with just my top reasons of today that this is The Decade of The Dawg!
1) The foundation has been set by a great coach, and he has made the necessary changes to begin this decade.
2) UGAs recruiting is solid, was solid, and seems to be getting even more solid.
3) We have a fan base that supports our coach even when we may not exactly agree with him (yikes, at least 100 of you thought I hated Richt yesterday, but I LOVE HIM).
4) We are over due for a few National Championships, so the players and coaches are hungrier than I have seen them in years!

If You Thought My Mett Story Was Controversial...

...then you are in the majority of people that read these blogs.

Let me start by saying that I usually deserve any criticism that is given to me, so keep it coming. This blog is nothing more than my opinion, and my Dad always told me "opinions are kind of like a-holes; we all have them, and most of them really stink"!

I've enjoyed my first 3 months writing this blog. Not only does it give me the chance to voice my opinion, but I get to hear what a whole bunch of people think as well. Plus, I get to spend a few hours each day reading any and everything there is to do with the University of Georgia.

let's get things straight: I LOVE UGA FOOTBALL & MARK RICHT. I wouldn't trade the coach for 10 Bear Bryant's (here come the Bama fans). I know he hasn't won us a national championship yet, but it's coming boys (that's for you, Kevin)!

"The old lessons (work, self-discipline, sacrifice, teamwork, fighting to achieve) aren't being taught by many people other than football coaches these days. The football coach has a captive audience and can teach these lessons because the communication lines between himself and his players are more wide open than between kids and parents. We better teach these lessons or else the country's future population will be made up of a majority of crooks, drug addicts, or people on relief."
Bear Bryant

Why The Details Should Come Out On Mett

I'm going to try and make this as to the point as possible so that I can start talking about some football again! Don't forget people, I LOVE UGA FOOTBALL, MARK RICHT, and almost everything else that surrounds this great program.

Yesterday, I posted a blog with a simple call for some details on what warranted Zach Mettenbergerr's dismissal from the UGA football team (Things Still Are Not Adding Up). Little did I know, it would piss off a lot of people, and many of them labeled me as someone who thought I was "entitled". Hell, I HATE ENTITLEMENT!

What I want is a few answers. Am I going to push for laws forcing those answers? Hell no! Am I still going to voice my opinion? Until I'm dead probably!

The main motivation for the post was when I got a call from one of my closest friends. His immediate reaction to the dismissal was that he couldn't believe Mettenberger had been kicked off the team for the spring break incident when other players had been given chances for things seemingly worse than underage drinking and lying to the police. My response to him was that he needed to calm down because surely there would be more details to come. Surely Mark Richt, being a level-headed man, knew something that we were not privy to. I know Mark Richt would only dismiss a player if he truly deserved it. The comment from my friend was "if it would have been one of UGAs thugs, Richt would have given them at least two more chances". I told "friend" that he was being ridiculous, and just wait until Monday for the "real story".

By Monday, we still knew nothing more. That prompted me to write Tuesday's blog. And DAMN, that blog got more negative comments than I have received in the 3 months I have been writing this blog.

Let me close with a few points:

1) In no way am I entitled to know what happened; but Mark Richt should tell the public in my opinion.

2) Without knowing what really happened, it does seem extremely unfair to Zach Mettenberger when you look at the actions of other players that were simply suspended.

3) The truth will eventually come out, so why doesn't it come from the head of the program as soon as possible.

4) If the case is still open, wait for the dismissal.

5) I am extremely glad that so many of you feel free to give me your opposite opinions. Especially when they are valid, ala Ben Dukes (I have deep respect for the opinion of a former Dawg).

6) Let's hurry up and get the Decade of the Dawg going so we can see some football!

Things Still Are Not Adding Up

I have been holding back my thoughts on the Zach Mettenberger saga for hopes that Mark Richt and the University of Georgia would shed a little more light on the situation about the dismissal of the freshman quarterback. Here we are a few days later, and we still know the same thing we did Sunday afternoon, NOTHING.

I understand a person's or organization's right to privacy, I really do. But, I also understand that much of that privacy is forfeited when you rely on the public to fund almost all things you do that require financial backing. As a donor of the UGA Athletics fund, I feel that I am owed quite a bit more of an explanation than just "the player has violated team rules". There are many players that violate "team rules" and remain on the team.

From day one, I have been an Aaron Murray supporter for the starting quarterback spot. That being said, I think that Zach Mettenberger was holding his own in the competition. Did Mett do something that warranted dismissal? I have no clue because my beloved school will not give me the straight facts! Is it something that is still being investigated? Obviously so, but why not suspend Mett indefinitely or something like that.

I could rant and rave about the secrecy of this matter, and the seeming injustice that has taken place, but the only real thing I have to go on is the fact that the Dawgnation is being completely held in the dark. And I, for one, do not think it is the right thing to do. Give us some answers UGA!

Mark Richt And The Case Of The Depth Chart

A lot of us in the Bulldawg Nation are eagerly awaiting this QB depth chart we have been hearing about all week. It's not making me as anxious as I was when we were waiting to find out who our next defensive coordinator would be, but it's still up there on the "I can't wait" Dawgometer!

Sometimes I wonder if Mark Richt sits back and cracks up at us overly anxious Dawg fans. I have a pretty good inkling that Richt, Bobo, Gray, Murray, and Mett all know who the starting quarterback will be.

Will we find out today? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, GOOOO DAWGS!

Trust In Stinchcomb, Attitudes Win Championships!

Jon Stinchcomb absolutely hit the nail on the head in this(AJC) article telling the way to win championships!

My favorite line from the article: "Coach Jim Donnan told the team that “if you can’t win a national championship with talent like that, you should get out of coaching,” Stinchbomb said, pausing for a moment before adding: “That was Coach Donnan’s last year as coach.”"

I have told the story one hundred times to players I have coached about my junior and senior year high school baseball team. Junior year - 2nd in the state, Senior year - State Champions! I KNOW the difference in those two teams was attitude and team togetherness. Most of the players and coaches from that team would probably say we had more overall talent the year we lost the state championship. The big difference in the championship year was the fact that we all loved each other like brothers!

Attitude can get you everywhere! Do you need talent? Of course! But, the most talent in the world is nothing without a great attitude! I have mentioned it before, but I get a good feeling about this year's Dawgs when it comes to having a GREAT attitude!

Hey Bobo! Let's See Some Of This Please!

I've heard some mention of the Dawgs running out of a two tight end set some this season. I thought I would take a minute to draw up the formation, and think about what it could potentially do to defensive match-ups when we trot out our personnel.

There are several ways to line up against this formation, but it can potentially cause a whole lot of mismatches if Kris Durham continues his great comeback, Washaun Ealey shows up as we expect, and whoever wins this QB battle is as good as advertised. We all know that #8, AJ Green, is going to give anybody that lines up against him fits.

You're probably going to put Orson Charles in a lot of good situations. And more so, I think that with 3-4 legitimate choices at receiving positions, Ealey may have the opportunity to run the ball like a mad man! I love all the things that can be done out of a 2 tight set when you have a great receiver and tailback to go along with it!

Sports Media Has Love Affair With Florida Gators

After reading this article yesterday (Mr. College Football), I couldn't help but think of how a big portion of the sports media has a love affair with the Florida Gators. This is eerily similar to that love affair that the majority of mainstream media outlets have with Barrack Obama.

Florida gained the bulk of attention within the college football media over the past few years, and it was much deserved due to the fact that they dominated almost every game they played. Then, low and behold, those crimson pacaderms from Alabama came in and proved what hard-nosed SEC football is really all about. I will admit that I lost a few c-notes on that game because I had bought into the "Tebow won't be beaten" hype as well. Now, we sit here only a few months removed from that domination, and I am reading articles left and right that proclaim Florida to be the greatest team in all the land once again.

I may be wrong, stupid, or both, but did they not lose virtually their entire offense, and almost the whole defense? Plus, losing Tim Tebow cannot even be measured by shear numbers alone. If I were a betting man, and I am, I would say that Florida loses at least 4 games next season. Obviously that bet doesn't mean much since I have a hard time breaking even at college football's season end every year. But, I still like to run my mouth!

Obama took a temporary hit in the media when the country realized he was going to have his "boys" force socialized medicine down our throats whether we liked it or not, but it didn't last long! The liberal media is back on that bandwagon for the time being. Much the same, Florida lost a lot of its luster when Bama went into the Georgia Dome and completely dominated those horrendously uniformed Gators. Now, the whole sports world is boasting about how John Brantley is going to throw for 10,000 yards after that amazing spring game last weekend.

I say...Dawgs 34 - Gaytors 17...come next fall in Jacksonville!

Did Saturday Really Tell Us Much About The QB's

I have been away from the blogs for the better part of last week, except for a couple of superficial posts. So, for that, I apologize to all readers. I have read about everything under the sun concerning Saturday's G-Day game in Athens.

Deservedly so, a lot of praise and attention has gone to Zach Mettenberger for his outstanding performance in the spring scrimmage game. A big factor I have seen little mention of though is the circumstances surrounding Mett's performance. By that, I mean the fact that he was playing against 2nd and 3rd stringers the whole time he was in the game. A few of his big completions even came against former walk-ons. No, to his defense, Mett wasn't throwing to AJ Green or Kris Durham because he was mostly with 2nd string offensive guys.

I'm not trying to defend Aaron Murray's sub-par performance, or degrade Mett's. The whole point of my rant today is that it would have been nice to see Murray and Mett battle it out with the same first team offense.

I failed to mention Logan Gray so far, right? Well, I think that it has been made pretty obvious that he can be a solid backup with his own package of plays, but he does NOT have an SEC caliber arm, or the poise to lead this team. I think he could help us somewhere, but not as our starting QB. I tend to join the folks who are scared that Coach Richt is going to follow in the tradition of giving Gray the job because he has paid his dues. Will it be another Joe T/Joe Cox story?

Let me continue to trust in Coach Richt, and hope that whoever wins the job doesn't even come into play all that much in 2010. Why do I say that? Because I have a DAMN GOOD feeling that Todd Grantham's defense is going to start to dominate once the bugs get worked out! I may be jumping the gun because it is not totally realistic to expect this defense to click right off the bat, but the talent is SOOOOOO there!

GATA GATA GATA

Best Seat In The House For G-Day

Unfortunately for me this year, that seat is not going to be inside my beloved Sanford Stadium. I came to the conclusion in the wee hours of Saturday morning, that I would not be a very good daddy to my little birthday girl if I made her spend 3 or 4 hours of her birthday driving back and forth to Athens instead of giving her the birthday wishes that a 4 year old deserves!

Therefore, the best seat in the house for me on this glorious day will be sitting right beside the two loves of my life, watching ESPN 360's live coverage of the game. If you didn't already know, the game is going to be covered live by ESPN on their online channel. Click here to watch.

The way I figure, if I open the windows, put on my gameday gear, and bark with my daughter a few times. Sitting at home on Lilly's birthday will be the best time a dad could ask for watching his Dawgs with a future UGA cheerleader!

Excitement Is Buidling For G-Day

I failed to make a post earlier today, and I have felt a bit obligated to make up for it all day long. I am on my spring break this week, so my schedule is such that my normal routine has been thrown off. Beside that, my wedding is coming up, and this week has been designated to finish the things that are the "Groom's responsibility".

Tonight I find myself getting all wound up for Saturday! I just read the AJC's posting of G-Day rosters, and boy am I ready to watch the RUMBLE!

Go Dawgs! GATA

Will Alec Ogletree Move To Backer

Alec Ogletree is probably the prize recruit out of the 2010 class for UGA, but what position will he play for the Red & Black? I tend to agree with Coach Grantham's analysis when he said the coaches would just have to wait and see the kid on the field. That's a no-brainer, but I still think we will most likely see Ogletree turn into an outside backer much like Thomas Davis did when he turned pro.

I have already read the comparisons between the two players, and many recruiting services already have Alec at 6'3", 220lbs. I'm sure he could be near 230lbs by the time next season rolls around. If UGA is only going to have three scholarship players at a hugely important position like outside linebacker, I vote we make the switch if the kid looks like he can help us at that position.

Safety or linebacker, it gets me all giddy inside just thinking about the prospects coming in this summer, and I can't wait to see what kind of product Grantham puts on the field in this 3-4 scheme.

Links that mention Ogletree at linebacker:
-Under Armor Allstar
-Yahoo Sports
-Athlon Sports

The Perfect G Day Game For 2010

I tried to envision what the perfect G Day game would be like yesterday, and I had a change of heart mid way through my fantasy. Most fans want to see touchdowns. I was no different than the typical fan when I started thinking about the things I want to see happen on the field Saturday afternoon.

I was eager to see Aaron Murray light up the scoreboard; throwing for 3 or 4 touchdowns, running for 1 or 2 more. Something like 14-18, 250 yards, with another 50 or so rushing yards to go with it. I had visions of the 3/4 offense (Ealey & King)breaking off a few long runs as well. Then, we all know that AJ Green is going to do his thing! At least 2 touchdowns from that beast.

Then, it hit me! We all know the offense is going to be stellar this year anchored by one hell of an offensive line. Barring some sort of disaster at the QB position, we should always be able to put points on the board. What I REALLY want to see this Saturday in Athens is a defense that flies all over the field like a bunch of wild banshees! I want to see a 14-3 type of game with sacks galore.

Do I think it will happen? Probably not, but I still would like to see that defense dominate at least some portion of the game. There is too much talent on that side of the ball not to put a product out on the field that QB will fear!

Go Dawgs!

The Final Countdown

Finally, the week is here where we all get to go experience another "Saturday in Athens"! Of course it will not be the same as seeing the Red vs. Orange or Red vs. Yellow, but watching the Red vs. Black will do for now.

I can't wait to see live and in person the:

-battle for quarterback...
-new speed laced 3-4 defensive attack...
-blitzes coming from all over the place (even if it is vanilla for the scrimmage)...
-Aaron Murray running around in the pocket...
-the best receiver in the USA...
-a running game with a one-two punch like no other...
-that beautiful green grass with the power G in the middle!

G-Day is within site, and April 10th is my little girl's birthday as well. How awesome is it that she wants to spend it watching the boys between the hedges (even if she was persuaded a little bit by pops)!

3 Decades Later, The Third Time's A Charm

The 2010 season will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Dawgnation's last national championship. If you're the ultimate optimist about our potential every season, like me, and you like to dabble in the whole luck/faith/superstition thing; you are eager for this season to start so that we can make the third time a charm. Let's say that UGA's championships come in 3's. Every third decade that is! If that is the case, it is more than fine with me, I just hope we shorten the span between the next two!

Go Dawgs! Only 8 more days til I get to see some Red & Black jerseys!

Tebow Announces He Will Enter Draft As Tight End!

In a surprising announcement this morning, Tim Tebow seems to have finally come to his senses. Tebow announced at a Thursday morning press conference that he will enter the 2010 NFL draft as a tight end instead of quarterback. The decision comes after much speculation and expert analysis of Tebow's crappy throwing motion. Draft experts have told Tebow that throwing like a girl may work when you play for the Gayturds, but not so much against the big boys. Now, as a tight end, Tebow can really focus more on his star status, and less on the play book.

GO DAWGS!