Falcons Go After Kris Durham

So, much of the Bulldawg nation is aware that our beloved AJ Green was drafted 4th last night in the NFL draft. I was all giddy yesterday at the prospect of him possibly going to the Atlanta Falcons if Thomas Dimitroff could pull off the unthinkable. Understandably, Falcons fans are having to settle for the all so often comparable Julio Jones. Any Dawg fan will tell you that Jones is no AJ Green, but I still like the pick by the Falcons.

This brings me to the tricky little title of this blog. I am now in great hopes that one of our Dawgs can still become a Falcon before this draft is over. Kris Durham is a guy that may end up going in the late rounds, and I firmly believe he will be a steal in this year's draft. The guy has skills. And, with Roddy White and Julio Jones to worry about, he could absolutely dominate a third tier corner from time to time, with his height and tricky speed!

Are you listening Thomas Dimitroff?

What Happens If There Is No NFL In 2011

I just had a conversation with a co-worker about the ongoing possibility of an NFL lockout next season. The more I read and hear about the situation, the more it seems like a real possibility that the NFL may not go as planned for the 2011-2012 season.

The main question I pose is this: what happens to the guys that left the NCAA a year or so early to try their hand at the NFL? Are they just SOL, or will the NCAA give them a way back in? Boy, that UGA recruiting class would look awesome with two more guys added to it (Green and Houston).

As I always say, a boy can dream can't he?

The question to DeMaurice Smith was simple, coming from Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco, asking how serious he viewed the possibility of football not being played in 2011.

Smith did not hesitate.

"On a scale of 1 to 10," Smith said Thursday, "it's a 14."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4887844

Hey, Coach Richt, Run This Play

I was going through some of my old playbooks from when I coached, and came across one of my favs. I have seen the Dawgs run a variation of this, but I think it could be especially effective against the Gators if they try to man up on AJ.

The UF Defense Has Me Worried

After my daily reading this morning, I felt much less confident about our chances this weekend at the Cocktail Party. Do I think we will win? YES! I'm a Dawg fan aren't I?

My worries stem from the fact that UF has a very legitimate lock down cornerback in Janoris Jenkins. Will the Gators have him man up on AJ Green? If so, we will be seeing a whole lot more defenders in the box than we have over the last 4 weeks.

I hope that AJ Green is as good as I think he is, and will show Jenkins how hard it is to cover a phenom!

It goes without saying, but I HATE THE GATORS!

Tell Me The Play Calling Didn't Change...

Now that the Dawgs have scored 40+ points for 3 straight weeks, I have backed off good old Bobo the Dodo. Why? Because we have scored 40+ points, duh!

Does that mean that I think Bobo still deserves to lose his OC title? Probably, but, I will hold off until the end of the season before I harp on that point again.

It has been a no-brainer that the playcalling has changed drastically. Is this a product of having AJ Green back? Most likely. If that is so, shame on our staff for having not a clue when the best player is missing. I am just in awe that it took 4 straight losses to figure out that running play action on 95% of our pass attempts is kind of ridiculous, especially when the running game is stinking it up.

Why Not Let AJ Green Return Punts?

This subject has been the topic of several debates that I have read. Most of them came from the pre-season, when we thought we were a pretty decent team, and that we would have our best player for the whole season. Why not let AJ Green return punts since our season is a bust already? Let's get as much out of this special player as we possibly can. We all know it's probably the last year we'll have him.

Why should he?
Wes Welker - New England Patriots' best receiver/punt returner does it.
Julio Jones - Alabama's top receiver/punt returner does it as well. Don't tell me he's better at it than AJ!
DeSean Jackson - Philadelphia Eagles' top receiver/punt returner.
Like the Senator said, what do we have to lose?

Why shouldn't he?
There's the case of Reggie Bush - New Orleans starting tailback/punt returner (until he broke his leg...you guessed it, returning punts).

NCAA Player Compensation

A friend of mine, Jon, sent me an email last night about a blog I should write concerning player compensation. While I am on the fence about paying NCAA athletes, the idea is definitely something I have thought about. Jon's family immigrated from England, so he is a soccer fan by birth, but has a new found love for college football over the past few years since he has "seen the light". The email Jon sent is posted below:

You should write a blog on how the NCAA should allow a small position stipend that's the same for all colleges nation wide. Something like:

QBs:

1 on the depth chart - 5K a year
2 on the depth chart - 3K a year
3 on the depth chart - 1K a year

RBs:

1 on the depth chart - 4K a year
2 on the depth chart - 2K a year
3 on the depth chart - 1K a year

Whatever. Something along those lines. The numbers would be designed via a committee, and maybe you don't make distinctions between depth chart position. Maybe QBs all get 5k a year or something. Heck, maybe every player gets a few K a year.

Surely they can come up with some system that is better than the current one. AJ Green is gonna be a multi-millionaire in two years, but he feels he has to sell his freaking jersey now to get some extra cash? Meanwhile, UGA pulls in millions a year because of the players on that team. It's ridiculous.

I think he has a decent point here. How about Tyrone Prothro several years back? Do you think he was primed to make millions before his career ended in one sad play? What are your thoughts?

GREENOUT, Calling All Dawgs

Often times, I am behind the curve when it comes to getting my blogs posted, so I like to veer from the hot topic just a bit. The entire football nation is talking about AJ Green's suspension today, and rightfully so. Matt Hinton says it best when he explains why the NCAA is completely screwing AJ, UGA, and the Bulldawg Nation!

I propose a protest of sorts to the NCAA in response to the overly harsh ruling on our beloved AJ Green. Let's all wear green UGA shirts to the game in Columbia this Saturday! I am usually opposed to team shirts that aren't the right color, but for this, I will make an exception for the following reasons:

1) AJ's last name is Green!
2) The Cocks wear a shade of red, so green will make a nice contrast to show support.
3) AJ is suspended because of the green he earned off selling his jersey.
4) The NCAA makes me want to puke green sometimes.
5) The grass in Williams-Brice stadium is green.

OK, it's starting to get a little silly.

This Saturday, I will bleed RED, BLACK, & GREEN because I still love you AJ!

Get Behind Aaron Murray Bulldawg Nation

The stage has been set, the players are in place, now let's get behind the rising leader of this team and show him the support of the whole Dawgnation! Whether you like it or not, the job of leading this team has officially been won by redshirt freshman, Aaron Murray. Ask any good quarterback in college or the NFL, and they will tell you that they must be respected and seen as the leader of their team in order to be successful.

So, to all Bulldawg fans who truly want to see the team succeed at the highest level; throw all of your indifference's out the door and let's give this kid our full support. Aaron Murray, listen to Coach Richt and realize that the foundation is SOLID. All you have to do is go out there manage the game, and help limit the teams' turnovers! Don't be afraid to get in a running back's face and make sure he knows the importance of ball security. Don't hesitate to pump up the best receiver in the country and push him to his limits so he can make that HUGE 3rd down reception! Don't fail to point out the fact to your AWESOME O-line that we only need 3 inches on 4th & short down in Jacksonville.

Rise up Dawgnation! Let's start the DECADE OF THE DAWG!

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!

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

A.J. Green For Heisman! Why Not?

The last time a wide receiver won the Heisman trophy was 1991, when Desmond Howard took home the honor. According to Heisman.com, only one other receiver has won the award in the 75 year history. These facts lead me to believe that no matter how good of a year A.J. has this season, he is a long shot to even make the top 5 list.

That being said, most Dawg fans would say that Green should at least get a mention during pre-season talks about the Heisman trophy. Sure, his numbers saw a slight decline in 2009, but it was only because of a few nagging injuries that he is now fully recovered from. If Green can stay healthy for the entire regular season in 2010, he should put up some numbers easily comparable to Desmond Howard or Tim Brown (the other WR Heisman winner). A big factor that could come into play for Green to get looked at by the Heisman voters would be all-purpose yards. This might be the big negative because the UGA coaching staff will probably be hesitant to let AJ return very many kickoffs when we have others speedsters that can do the job. They are probably scared to death of him getting injured.

So, I say to you, A.J. Green, put up 1200 plus yards receiving next season, catch 15 touchdowns, and then you only have to block 3 or 4 field goals for us to see you sitting in New York on that glorious day.