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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > November
November 2008
Tech-Georgia rivalry is reborn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens — Time had elapsed, the sideline hedges were shrinking by the handfuls, and “To Hell With Georgia!” was still echoing in the craniums of numbed and stupefied Bulldogs fans when Dan Radakovich and Paul Johnson embraced on the field.
“We had them all the way,” said Johnson, smiling. And if that was meant even slightly as tongue-in-cheek, maybe it shouldn’t have been.
One game does not balance the scales in a rivalry. But Georgia Tech could not have made a louder or more impactful statement than it did Saturday about its program, both present day and future. Think of a giant footprint coming down and leaving a deep imprint smack on the “G” at Sanford Stadium.
Tech players jumped up and down at midfield following warm-ups, nearly inciting a pre-game brawl with Georgia players who were doing the same inches away. They jumped up and down after scoring 23 points in the first seven minutes of the second half, while Willie Martinez stared on like a wildebeest. They jumped up and down when it was over and the scoreboard read, 45-42, ending a seven-year streak of misery.
It was one win — much in the same way Mt. Vesuvius had that one eruption.
“This game is going to change everything,” Jackets running back Jonathan Dwyer said. “The way people look at us. The way people have to respect us now. The way we’re going to have a bigger winning record than we’ve had in a while. People can’t ignore us any more. This is how we play. This is who we are.”
When Radakovich hired Johnson last December, he wanted a coach who could create some excitement and energize a fan base that had become jaded under Chan Gailey. He wanted to raise the stature of a program that felt dwarfed and humbled by the relative Godzilla in Athens.
“I think we did that,” Radakovich said. He motioned to a Tech cheering section and the band playing at the other end of the stadium and added, “Look at all the folks up there. And there’s thousands of Tech alumni in their room right now just having a blast.”
Johnson did this with a lot of players he didn’t recruit. He did this with players meant to play in a different offense. He did this with a program that had gone 0-6 in this rivalry under Gailey — sometimes ugly (51-7), sometimes close (15-12), but never with a sense of belonging on the same field.
What was it Johnson said earlier in the week? “We’re not afraid. I’m not afraid. What’s the worst thing that can happen. We can lose? We’ve done that.”
Not often. The Jackets are now 9-3 and rising. They look hungry and passionate and well-coached. The other team on the field Saturday also is 9-3 — but they look shut out in those three areas.
Dwyer (144) and Roddy Jones (214) combined for 358 of Tech’s 409 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The Jackets trailed, 28-12, before scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half — two coming on one-play drives.
“You can’t do that with this offense — it’s three yards and a cloud of dust, right?” Johnson said, his words dripping with sarcasm.
Georgia and its maligned defensive coordinator, Martinez, had two weeks to prepare. But the triple-option offense made them look like 6-year-olds trying to find the magician’s disappearing rabbit.
This game was a defining moment — both for what Georgia has been this year and what Tech may be from now on. Players broke off pieces of hedges when it was over. Some waved the twigs to fans. Some walked with them in their teeth, as if attitude-dancing with long-stemmed roses.
Did Johnson grab any of the hedge?
“Naw — I figure I’ll be back,” he said. “I mean, act like you think you’re gonna win, right?”
If words were a gauntlet.
Virginia Tech won its game to clinch the ACC Coastal Division over the Jackets.
How often does losing a slot in a conference title game seem like an afterthought?
“That would’ve been the icing on the cake,” Jones said. “But without the icing, the cake’s still pretty good.”
A rivalry is reborn.
Permalink | Comments (214) | Post your comment | Categories: Tech/ACC, UGA/SEC
Dogs gonna get stung by Jackets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For as much the Japanese blew the United States away with plasma TV sets that slide on your ring finger and cars that get more than 7.4 miles per gallon (on the highway, downhill), they seem to be having issues with the basics.
I cite this week’s story out of northern Japan, where zookeepers were dumbfounded why two polar bears just wouldn’t mate. For six months.
At first, they figured it was the usual. She wanted to talk, he wanted a sandwich. She wanted to dance, he wanted a Barcalounger. She asked that one question that tends to end every relationship: “What do you think?”
But no, the problem turned out to be something far more significant. They were both females!
“Observing his behaviors, we got suspicious as to whether Tsuyoshi was really a male,” the zoo said in a statement. And you know, I really like it when I don’t even have to make this stuff up.
Zookeepers finally sedated “Tsuyoshi” and discovered his, well, polarhood. Following this moment of clarity, the zoo abandoned breeding plans. It’s believed the two female bears then got up at 4 o’clock that morning to save 37 cents on Play-Doh and dish towels.
Speaking of moments of clarity — aspiring journalists: this would be the transition — there have been a few about Georgia and Georgia Tech this season. The Bulldogs began the year No. 1 but turned out to be not that great. The Yellow Jackets began the year as a project but turned out to be not that bad.
The Dogs are the better team — when they care. But they struggled against Kentucky and Auburn, not long after Florida stole their polarhood.
The line has dropped to eight points. I’m not sure Tech has enough offense. But I’m pretty sure which team still has a pulse. Give me the eight points. In fact, give me an upset. And make me a sandwich.
Keggers
• Auburn at Alabama: Both teams are coming off byes, which gave Tommy Tuberville a week to paint the trim in his house and get it ready for the market, and Nick Saban time to conquer Austria and Liechtenstein. Bama ends the six-year nightmare — but won’t cover 14.
• Florida at FSU: Remember when Larry Holmes fought an old Muhammad Ali and felt so bad about pounding him in the corner that he turned to the ref and said, “Stop the fight”? Urban Meyer vs. Bobby Bowden. Gators cover 16-1/2.
• Virginia at Virginia Tech: It’s such an important game that Frank Beamer declined to let the media speak to his players. Remember when the Hokies were so good that they could answer probing questions like, “How do you feel, Bobby?” without falling to pieces? Still, VaTech covers 8.
• Kentucky at Tennessee: Three weeks after being fired, Phil Fulmer exits on “Phil Fulmer Appreciation Day.” Make sense? Is Johnny Majors going to give him back his knife during halftime ceremonies? Vols cover 4-1/2.
• LSU at Arkansas: Bobby Petrino made it 13 games as the Falcons coach before turning into an invertebrate. The good news about going 1-7 in the SEC is the Piggies aren’t bowl eligible, so the year won’t be so taxing, big fella. Tigers cover 4-1/2.
NFL Value Menu
(Sleight-of-Hand Dept: Falcons announced that they feel your pain and will start payment options for immediate season ticket renewals, but backdoor the news that prices will skyrocket next season.)
• Falcons at Chargers: LaDainian Tomlinson has run for 770 yards and five touchdowns. His former backup, Michael Turner, has run for 1,088 yards and 13 touchdowns. I figured this would go over better than recounting who made out better in the Michael Vick trade again. Take the gift 5, but Birds win this straight up.
• Steelers at Patriots: Matt Cassel, who is making the NFL minimum, has thrown for 815 yards and six touchdowns in the last two games. But Pittsburgh’s defense: not good for a free agent’s resume. Steelers win (take the 1).
• Broncos at Jets: I’m sure it made Mike Smith feel really good that Denver lost to Oakland the week after winning in the Georgia Dome. Waiter, another hemlock smoothie please. Jets win, but won’t cover the 7 1/2.
• Dolphins at Rams: Marc Bulger has a concussion. With any luck, he has forgotten whom he plays for. Fish win.
• Giants at Redskins: New York has scored 35, 36, 30 and 37 in the last four against pretty good teams (Dallas, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Arizona). Sorry for the research. Trying to fill my quota. The 3 1/2 is covered.
Financial ledger
(It was a good week. You may bow now.)
• Last week: 9-2 straight up, 8-3 against the line.
• Season to date: 88-42 straight up, 65-63-2 against the line.
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UGA could have had Paul Johnson, but …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nineteen years ago, Paul Johnson was just the offensive coordinator at Hawaii with an uncertain future.
He had just finished a recruiting trip in California. He was headed home to Charlotte for the holidays. But his head was on potential employment in Georgia until his wife greeted him at the airport and delivered some news.
“She said, ‘Did you hear? Erk turned the job down,’ ” Johnson said Tuesday. “She heard it on the radio. My first thought was, ‘Well, I just lost two jobs.’ “
Actually, one job in particular. In Athens.
Johnson, now the head coach at Georgia Tech, was closer to becoming the offensive coordinator at Georgia in 1989 — and the heir apparent as head coach — than we may ever know.
When Vince Dooley resigned and briefly considered a jump to politics, Erk Russell seemed like the obvious choice as his replacement. He had been the popular, snarling, head-banging, chief barker of the “Junkyard Dawgs” defense, and was winning I-AA championships at Georgia Southern.
But when Russell was hired — either because he turned down the job or never was offered it, depending on whom you believe — it had a ripple effect that could be felt at the baggage terminal of Charlotte International.
Russell’s intent was to hire Johnson — formerly of Georgia Southern and then Hawaii — to run the Bulldogs’ offense.
“I called coach Russell after I found out and asked what happened,” Johnson said Tuesday. “He said, ‘I turned it down. I didn’t feel like I could give them a commitment for four years, and it wasn’t fair to anybody.’ He said they offered him the job, or he thought they did. But I didn’t have any idea. I wasn’t privy to anything.
“I think if he was younger he would’ve done it, because the one thing he always said to me was that he would’ve loved to see what that offense could do over there.”
Johnson figured at worse, if Russell went to Athens and didn’t hire him, he would have been offered the head coaching job at Georgia Southern. But there had been enough conversations between the two coaches that Johnson had a pretty good idea what was going to happen: He and the triple-option were headed to Georgia in 1989 if Russell had been hired.
Instead, he got neither job. He stayed at Hawaii for five more years, before moving on to becoming the offensive coordinator at Navy in 1995, and then head coach at Georgia Southern and Navy.
Dooley recommended Russell to the search committee as his replacement. He presumed the triple-option would be coming with him. He projected Russell as a good coach “for the transition,” believing he would only want to coach “another four or five years.”
Logic dictates that would’ve opened the door for Johnson as Russell’s replacement — especially given how Dooley believes the offense would’ve fared in the SEC.
“How would it have gone over? In the same way it’s going over right now,” he said. “I mean, it’s good. It would’ve caused a lot of nightmares for a lot of defensive coaches in the SEC.”
Dooley’s version of the hiring process coincides with most — that the search committee and then-UGA president Charles Knapp never actually offered Russell the job.
“I think they made contact with him but didn’t really pursue it,” he said. “Perhaps they had another idea what they wanted to do.”
That other idea turned out to be Ray Goff.
Oops.
Georgia plays Georgia Tech on Saturday. Johnson will walk into Sanford Stadium and take his place on the Jackets’ sideline. He smiled when asked about the irony and how different things could have been.
“You can always wonder how things like that,” he said. “What if I had never gone to Hawaii [from Southern]? But it’s not something I dwell on.”
He will, however, get a chance to watch his offense at the Division I level in Athens.
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Falcons earning fans’ trust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And now for the Tuesday Countdown …..
10.Michael Vick is in court today. Remember when that really meant something around here?
9.Unscientific observation: I saw one fan wearing a Vick jersey while driving to the Georgia Dome Sunday for the Falcons-Carolina game. I saw 30 driving to the season opener two and a half months ago. That might be a more stunning transition than this team starting 7-4. Also, the Carolina game didn’t nearly have the phony-sellout look of other home games, when there were several thousand empty seats.
8.Quoth Lawyer Milloy of Sunday’s crowd: “We’re starting to get their trust and loyalty back. Everybody got burned last year and it showed early on this season with the empty seats. As we get better every week, we’re getting more and more fans in the stands and it’s paying dividends for us.”
7.And yes, Arthur Blank sees opportunity. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that the Falcons’ owner - coming off a significant financial hit in ticket and merchandising sales - senses the tide shift and has started the Falcons’ season-ticket renewal campaign and sales drive this week. That’s three months earlier than usual.
6.Wonder if the Raiders have a scout in Surry County today?
5.I don’t know if Georgia Tech can pull off the upset in Athens Saturday. But if Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno leave, how can you not like the Jackets chances next season?
4.I’m assuming that when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told Adam “Pacman” Jones that he’ll be banned from the NFL for life for one more slip-up, he took “10 days” in the office pool. Pacman’s resume: alcoholism, suspended 22 out of 28 days, criminal charges ranging from assault to obstruction of justice — this is going to be like watching Curly accidentally dump the blasting powder in the pancake mix and waiting for the first explosion.
3.Thrashers coach John Anderson (7-10-2) went from optimist to realist fairly quickly. His quote the other day, “We’re dealt a hand here a little bit,” was an obvious reference to the roster’s talent deficiency. He is accurate, of course, but what does it say when a coach admits that 19 games into his first season?
2.Last season, the NFC South was just this side of the Sun Belt. But today it has a cumulative record of 29-15 and is one of only divisions with four winning teams (the other: the AFC East). If it keeps up, the strength of schedule should help the Falcons get a BCS bowl.
1.Just saw the story where Vick arrived at the courthouse at 6:30 a.m. — more than two hours early. If he had that kind of discipline and work habits as a pro, he might not be in this mess.
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Convincing performance from Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This season already had seen its share of big wins.
The opener against Detroit, for the mere cleansing factor. The consecutive wins against Green Bay and Chicago, for the statement about hanging with playoff contenders. The shutout at Oakland, if no other reason than to prove they could smack down a hysterically dysfunctional team without laughing and hyperventilating.
This was different. Why? Because it’s almost December and the Falcons are still here. Because the Carolina Panthers are probably the second best team in the NFC, behind only the team that won the last Super Bowl. Because it’s 11 games into the season, and now you’re seeing things that would cause even a genie granting three wishes to owner Arthur Blank to balk and respond, “You’re kidding, right?”
Harry Douglas: secret weapon. Michael Turner: four touchdowns. Mike Smith: passing up an easy field goal with a three-point lead, going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line — and succeeding.
“It’s starting to get scary,” Lawyer Milloy said.
Yeah, that about sums it up. The Falcons dumped the Panthers, 45-28, Sunday. At this point, what else would you expect?
Six possessions into the game, the Falcons had a 17-0 lead and the Panthers didn’t have a first down. When Carolina closed to 17-13 in the third quarter, quarterback Matt Ryan engineered a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, smoothly operating out of a no-huddle offense.
Carolina cornerback Chris Gamble later said, “I can’t believe he’s a rookie,” and at this point we must assume he’s the last one who hadn’t said it.
This was the Falcons’ chance to go south. They were coming off a bad home loss to Denver, playing a team that drilled them, 24-9, in late September. They were facing the prospects of dropping to 6-5 overall and 1-3 in the division and 4-4 in the conference — numbers that doom playoff hopes.
A team wins a game like this, over an opponent like this, at a time like this — it gets everybody’s attention. If this were college football, the Falcons would be leapfrogging teams in the BCS.
“We knew there were playoff implications riding on this game,” center Todd McClure said. “Nobody really wanted to say that in the locker room. But we knew it. To come out and win this game in the division is huge.”
Ryan alone makes Thomas Dimitroff’s first draft a success. Douglas just made it better. The third-round pick out Jonesboro by way of Louisville, scored the Falcons’ first touchdown on a 7-yard reverse, set up the second touchdown with a 27-yard punt return, had a 69-yard reception to set up a touchdown and returned another punt 67 yards for a score and caught four passes covering 92 yards.
Next week, he splits the atom.
But it was Mike Smith, the first-year coach, who owned this game’s biggest moment. The Falcons led, 24-21. Douglas’s 69-yard catch moved the offense to the Carolina six. Three plays later it was fourth down from the one with 7:16 left. An easy field goal would’ve forced the Panthers to score a touchdown to win. Smith didn’t hesitate: he kept the offense on the field. Following a time out, Turner got the ball and blew through a hole over left tackle into the end zone.
“I like it,” Dimitroff said later of the fourth-down decision, smiling. “I like the call better than the toss in Philly.”
The reference was to Ryan’s decision in Philadelphia from the one-yard line to attempt a pass on a fade route to Roddy White. The pass was under thrown and intercepted, and the Falcons lost.
Sunday’s decision to go for the touchdown on fourth down — and to run — was more closely aligned with Smith’s personality. He wants a physical team, an aggressive team.
“It’s a message we’ve wanted to send from the very beginning,” he said.
Milloy watched from the sideline as Turner scored the touchdown, then walked up to Smith.
“After the play, I went over to him and said, ‘Way to let your bleep hang’ — you know?” Milloy said, employing a veteran’s self edit. “We’re a reflection of him.”
Eleven games later, they’re still here, and they’re getting better. Scary.
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Relax … the fairy tale hasn’t reached an ending
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It has been a very strange week.
The head of General Motors took a limo to a private jet and a private jet to Washington to beg for change in a $3,000 suit and then returned home to manufacture $80,000 SUVs with neon hubcaps that get seven miles per gallon and now sit on lots that look like Death Valley.
The head-elect of our country said for the second time that we need a college football playoff, and I’m starting to wonder now if the “B” in BCS stands for Barack. (Do Iraq and Afghanistan figure into strength of schedule?)
And finally, the head of Atlanta’s favorite fish tank apparently hates Democrats, or at least Republicans named Brutus. Yes, if Bernie Marcus suddenly decides catfish and other bottom feeders of the water world aren’t worthy of his aquarium, there’s a reason.
Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, not surprisingly is opposed to a bill in Congress called the “Employee Free Choice Act,” which would give workers the choice to form unions. In the midst of his fire-breathing rhetoric on the issue, Marcus said that any CEO who doesn’t financially back Republicans fighting for re-election “should be shot.”
He never mentioned if this might be part of a new exhibit, next to the elitist sea horses. Marcus also wants you to know that aquarium season passes make wonderful stocking stuffers for dockworkers. But please, use the back entrance.
Arthur Blank is happy to be a little lower-profile this year than his former partner. His football team has been free of felonies and can take a significant step in the playoff race this week against Carolina. When Matt Ryan overthrew receivers and Roddy White dropped a touchdown pass against Denver last week, you wondered: “What happened to the fairy tale?”
Relax. They don’t swim with the fishes yet. Carolina has won four straight. But the past two wins came over Oakland and Detroit, the I-AA of the NFL. Oddsmakers say you only have to give up 1 point. But look what you can gain! Workers unite! Falcons win and cover.
The Week Before
The Big Week
— Texas Tech at Oklahoma: Mike Leach said he’s “not paying any attention” to rumors he’s bolting, which pretty much translates to “I’m so gone.” But to Tennessee? No. The man went to Pepperdine Law School, which sits on the cliffs of Malibu. He’s in search of a better view, not a Captain D’s. But this view he won’t like: Sooners cover 7.
— Old Ms. at LSU: The Tigers needed a 30-point fourth quarter last week to beat Troy, which lost two weeks earlier to Louisiana-Monroe, which lost to Old Ms. 59-0, which I think means the Rebels win this game 197-2. Now isn’t that more scientific than breaking down blocking schemes? But LSU covers 41/2.
— FSU at Maryland: The Terps are 4-0 against ranked teams and 3-3 against unranked teams. Does the winner of the ACC title game get a trophy or electroshock therapy? ‘Noles win in a mild upset (but take the point).
— Tennessee at Vanderbilt: Vols players were so moved by Phil Fulmer’s resignation speech two weeks ago that they lost to Wyoming. What do they do for an encore — run over his dog? Vandy covers 3.
— Arkansas at Missy State: When Pig Snout U decided to hold a midnight news conference to announce the arrival of the new swine king, do you think they expected Bobby Petrino could become only the second Arkansas football coach in 56 years to win one conference game? State wins a pick ‘em.
Pros and Cons
— Bears at Rams: Jim Haslett is 0-4 since people started to think he could coach again. Chicago covers 8 1/2.
— Redskins at Seahawks: DeAngelo Hall is on one defense. Jim Mora runs the other. Anybody know what the over is? ‘Skins win, but take Seattle and 3 1/2.
— Patriots at Dolphins: Bill Belichick-Bill Parcells Global Thermal Nuclear War resumed with a 38-13 Miami stunner in Week 3. Yeah, but that was with the old Matt Cassel. Did I just say that? Pats fry Fish, but take the 2.
— Giants at Cardinals: Edgerrin James lost his starting job, so he asked Arizona to release him. Why? Is he looking to hook on with the Sun Belt? New York: an easy cover 3.
— Tampa Bay at 0-10: Detroit coach Rod Marinelli’s plan: “I’m going to go at this like I always do.” So much for change of direction. Bucs cover 8 1/2.
Portfolio
— Last week: 8-3 straight up, 5-6 against the line.
— Totals: 79-40 straight up, 57-60-2 against the line.
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Mr. President, college playoff can wait
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And now for the Tuesday Countdown:
10: And Mark Cuban probably assumed the Jason Kidd trade would be the low point of his year.
9: Anybody who read, “The Godfather,” should remember the Balzac quote in the prelude to the book: “Behind every great fortune, there is a crime.” So, with that in mind, let’s assume for a moment that Cuban is guilty of insider trading (because, like, duh). Take a cue from crooked celebrity predecessors, Mark: Admit guilt, don’t lie, act contrite. Then maybe you can end up avoiding temporary residence in the Martha Stewart home for wayward potholder makers.
8: Devin Harris is averaging 23 points and six assists for New Jersey. Kidd is averaging 10 points and eight assists for Dallas. Harris is 25. Kidd is 35. On second thought, Cuban might find solitary confinement therapeutic.
7: To President-elect Barack Obama: If I may speak for 303 million Americans. I think it’s really great that you want to take a sledgehammer to the BCS like the rest of us. But, really, Prez, before you strong-arm college football into a playoff system, can you do something about the economy? And maybe Iraq. And Afghanistan. And the stock market, health care, unemployment, energy, illegal aliens, the tax code, corrupt CEOs, golden parachutes, my 401ks and brain-cell-melting productions like the Real Housetwits of Atlanta?
6: The Braves’ Frank Wren says talks to acquire Jake Peavy from San Diego are dead. Folks, nothing is dead in mid-November.
5: The SEC obviously is more down this season than anybody realized. But the conference still has Alabama and Florida, two dominant teams that give it an identity and a great championship game. You know what the ACC needs? Miami’s return to greatness.
4: Oh, I can hear Tech fans now. “He’s pulling for Miami Thursday! I knew it!” Calm down. I’m not pulling for anybody or anything, except maybe everything in No. 7. But when the ACC decided to split into two divisions and create a championship game, it hoped for increased visibility. That hasn’t happened. Part of the reason is Miami’s decline and absence from the three conference title games. The Hurricanes once were a national power with national appeal, even if a bit slimy. If they make it to Tampa this season, it would be the best thing that could happen to the ACC.
3: The Thrashers can talk all they want about a star player trying to adjust to a new coach’s system. But when Ilya Kovalchuk has only six goals in 17 games, something is wrong.
2: The good news for Cuban: Even if he is found guilty and the NBA suspends him, he can always find a job in the NHL. They’ll take anybody. When Tampa Bay fired coach Barry Melrose after only 16 games, it named Rich Tocchet interim head coach. This is the same Rich Tocchet who last year pled guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling in connection with a nationwide sports gambling ring. He also played in the World Series of Poker last July. Seven months later, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reinstated him. Wonder if Tocchet is still giving odds on NHL games?
1: News: Arthur Blank lays off employees in his foundation office. Views: Blank to Obama: “College playoff can wait.”
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Don’t make assumptions about these Hawks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two years ago, when the Hawks jumped out to a 4-1 start, you would have thought within the ownership group that they had just clinched the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Then they lost four straight, 12 of 16 and 22 of 28. Lottery talk moved up to January. Again.
Such a collapse isn’t likely to happen with these Hawks. A deep talent pool should keep them from prolonged stretches of infamy. But if it’s quiet around the team, there’s a reason. They won their first six. Now they’ve lost three in a row.
The problem with projecting an immediate bounce back is the Hawks really don’t have a resume that screams, “Stay calm. All is well.”
As general manager Rick Sund said Monday, “We’re not a team like San Antonio. Whether they start 2-8 or 8-2, nobody there is going panic or say, ‘We’ve got it made.’ We’re a team of young veterans. Let’s face it, we made the playoffs last year with a losing record.”
So consider this the first test.
On Tuesday, the Hawks play at Indiana. It begins another difficult stretch: four games in five nights, seven games in 12 nights, eight of 13 games on the road. The Hawks also have eight sets of back-to-backs in five weeks.
Tired yet?
Fatigue, be it physical or mental, was evident in Saturday’s dreadful home loss to New Jersey. Teams are not defined by how they react during winning streaks, but rather how they react when it looks like the bottom might start to fall out.
“We have to get to playing defense like we were the first six games,” guard Mike Bibby said.
He was sitting in the locker room after practice at Philips Arena, looking up at the white board across the room.
“You see what that says there: 47 percent, 55 percent, 115 points, 119 points — that can’t happen,” he said, referencing New Jersey’s shooting percentages and point totals in consecutive games. “It seemed like they scored every time down the court. When you play 82 games, that’s going to happen sometimes. But you can’t let it happen too much.”
Bibby won at least 50 games in each of his first four seasons with Sacramento before things started to go south. He experienced mostly losing his first three years in Vancouver.
“Good teams bounce back,” he said. “When I was in Sacramento, my main talk was, ‘Don’t lose two in a row.’ String together as many wins as possible. Get to 50 before you get to 20.”
It has been 11 years since the Hawks had a 50-win season. If nobody is projecting a 6-3 start over an 82-game season, there’s a reason.
There is too much unknown about this team. How will the players react to each other as the season wears on? How will they react to coach Mike Woodson? Will leadership become an issue during conflict?
Woodson only knows that he didn’t like what he saw Saturday against New Jersey. The Nets scored 64 points in the second half of a 119-107 win. They hit 12 of 18 3-pointers.
“I don’t like the way we played,” he said, and he let players know as much in practice Monday after giving them a day off.
“The message is the same as it’s always been,” he said. “When you’re on the front end of a 6-0 run and you’re winning games, the energy level can’t go the other way.”
If the dragging continues Tuesday night or in the next few games, he said he’ll shorten players minutes. This will be a feeling out process. There can’t be any assumptions about how the season plays out because, well, as Sund said, these aren’t the Spurs. And to some degree, only nine games into an 82-game season, the Hawks still need to prove they’re not the Hawks.
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Dogs have talent, but lack coaching, discipline
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Auburn, Ala. — There is an saying in sports: What’s most important is not “how” but “how many.” Build a 9-2 record the way Georgia has built a 9-2 record — with twigs and a rabbit’s foot — and it follows that’s what players will cling to.
But if it’s true that polls and perceptions have generally reduced college football’s pecking order to a beauty contest, then the Bulldogs were eliminated in the early rounds with Miss Winnipeg.
They won despite committing another nine penalties covering nearly a full field (95 yards). They have elevated the personal foul to a mutant art form (committing six).
They won despite the rarely seen double-whammy on a punt return: roughing-the-kicker at one end, a fumble at the other.
They won despite seeing Auburn, the nation’s No. 102nd rank scoring offense, — a unit so miserable that it scored three points at Mississippi State and seven at Ole Miss — do silly things to them: a 90-yard touchdown drive; a 52-yard touchdown pass; a last-minute drive from its own 20 with only 1:44 remaining and no timeouts to the Georgia 14, only to have the final pass fall incomplete.
What did the Bulldogs do at the end of a 17-13 victory over the Tigers? Congratulate themselves. There must be something about the clock ticking down to 0:00 that causes amnesia.
Asked if he felt the team had escaped with a win, quarterback Matthew Stafford said, “Not at all. I don’t think you escape with wins. You earn them.”
The Capitol One Bowl had a representative in attendance Saturday. So did the Independence Bowl.
Sorry. But postgame spin notwithstanding, this nine-win team has a Shreveport feel to it.
Two weeks ago, the Dogs were drilled by Florida. They haven’t been the same since. They look like a team that has lost both its edge and its focus. And folks, they didn’t have much to start with.
They don’t play smart.
They sputter too often on offense.
They miss tackles on defense.
They commit so many infractions it’s a wonder no official has suffered a torn rotator cuff from throwing so many penalty flags.
They don’t look well coached.
Nine wins? They are more the residual of sheer athletic talent than actual performance, or discipline, or plan.
“I think we were kind of spent at the end,” coach Mark Richt said. He was alluding to the lack of great celebration when Kodi Burns’ final pass from the Dogs’ 14-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone.
Should it be that difficult?
Last week, a mediocre Kentucky team was driving for the potential winning score in the final seconds.
This week, a less-than-mediocre Auburn team was given a shot and nearly pulled off the upset.
The Tigers have won exactly two of their last eight football games. One came over UT-Martin, which most didn’t even realize had a football team. The other came over UT-Knoxville, which we all know doesn’t have a football team.
They will focus on the “how many.” Why? Because the “how” makes you want to cover your eyes.
Georgia accumulated 141 yards in offense on its first two possessions, but came away with no points. Of course. It fell behind 13-10 in the fourth quarter after Mario Fannin’s 35-yard touchdown run capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive.
Maybe the Dogs need another one of those cool player-only meetings.
Stafford’s 17-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Green with less than nine minutes left gave Georgia the lead. Give the offense points for resolve.
But Auburn’s offense, anemic against most, drove the ball deep into Georgia territory twice in the final minutes. The first drive stalled at the 21, where coach Tommy Tuberville decided against going for a field goal that could have closed the lead to a point. The Tigers’ final possession reached the Georgia 14. But Burns missed Rod Smith on third down in the end zone and was pressured into an overthrow to Ben Tate on fourth.
“We dodged a big bullet,” Dannell Ellerbee said. “But a win is a win. We’ll take it.”
Take it and run.
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Football Picks: Downgrading the SEC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a development without nearly the global ramifications of the SEC’s drop in stature behind the Big 12 and, yes, even China, the Auburn Fire Department responded to an early morning blaze Wednesday at an apartment complex near campus.
The fire apparently began in a clothes dryer, where investigators found the charred remains of two pairs of jeans, three shirts and Willie Martinez, which is interesting because usually he spontaneously combusts only on Saturdays.
It has been a difficult season for Martinez. Georgia’s defense has allowed 125 points in the past three games. Opponents have scored 38 or more points four times this season and — I actually looked this up — only one other SEC school (Arkansas) has done that even three times. If the Bulldogs really want to do some serious fundraising, they should build a roller coaster and a water slide in the end zone. Two more games and they’ll have enough for another weight room.
Mark Richt spent most of the week defending Martinez and putting out fires, at one point even commenting: “I’m sure there are a hundred teams out there who would like to be where we’re at now.”
Just a thought: When trying to appease only occasionally rational SEC fans with high expectations, it’s probably not a good idea to compare yourself to Baylor, UTEP and the other 98.
The Dogs’ march toward ego salvation continues Saturday in Auburn. Unlike Georgia, the Tigers got an early start on dousing expectations when they beat Mississippi State 3-2. Maybe Martinez has met his match.
No defense vs. No offense. The line says Georgia by 8 1/2. Sparks: not likely. Georgia wins but doesn’t cover.
School Daze
• Spurrier at Florida: Mixed emotions for Georgia fans: Weighing the potential of Steve Spurrier’s smug smile against Urban Meyer’s stare of despair should the Gamecocks wreck the Gators’ BCS hopes. OK, easy choice. But don’t count on it. South Carolina is better now. But Florida has outscored its past five opponents 243-57, give or take a major organ. Gators win. But take the points (21) for the scare.
• Missy State at Alabama: Sylvester Croom owns Nick Saban in this series. I figure that’s my last chance to say that. Bama covers 20 1/2.
• B.C. at Florida State: The Seminoles are having a “blackout” game. No word if the band will play, “Glory, Glory” or just go with a simple dirge. Despite the fashion faux pas: 6 1/2 is covered.
• Vanderbilt at Kentucky: You know how sometimes defensive coaches will look to see what worked against an opponent the week before? Not going to happen here. But good news for Vanderbilt: Kentucky’s gotta be tired. Upset: Commodores (but take the 4).
• North Carolina at Maryland: Some reiteration from Butch Davis: “I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in the University of Tennessee job.” He would, however, consider cleaning up radiation spills. Heels cover 3.
Pros and Cons
• Broncos at Falcons: The Falcons have won four of five, are 4-0 at home and, capping the hat trick of startling developments, suddenly making Rich McKay’s draft picks look very good. The Broncos just signed Tatum Bell. He must’ve looked fast on tape from the Lions’ surveillance camera that showed him stealing Rudi Johnson’s bag out of the lobby after being cut. Birds cover 6.
• Raiders Of The Lost Hope: Al Davis has stripped Greg Knapp of play-calling duties. Maybe he’s sane after all. Miami covers 10 1/2.
• Cowboys and Indians: DeAngelo Hall is now in Washington earning the NFL minimum, which at least means people can’t scream that he’s an overpaid blowhard. I think. And what wonderful timing for D-minus-Hall: Dallas gets Tony Romo back. Cowboys cover 1 1/2 on the road.
• Rams at 49ers: The Niners might not have been the smartest team in the final minute last week. But they played hard, and Mike Singletary kept his clothes on. Small steps. SanFran wins but take St. Losing and 6.
• Titans at Jaguars: Tennessee is 9-0, but then it has been an NFL state for a while now. When does Knoxville asked to be annexed by Nashville? Titans cer the 3.
Portfolio
• Last week: 7-3 straight up, 6-4 against the line.
•Totals: 71-37 straight up, 52-54-2 against the line.
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Why leave UNC for Rocky Top?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And now for the Tuesday Countdown:
10.Tennessee fans can’t figure out why the football coach at North Carolina wouldn’t jump at being the football coach at Tennessee. Question: How many reasons do you want?
9.Butch Davis has an easier path to success at North Carolina than he would at Tennessee. He doesn’t have to play Florida, Georgia and Alabama every season. Every game at Carolina is sold out. Scenery? I’ll take Chapel Hill over Knoxville. The old, “But it’s a football team at a basketball school” argument? So what? Billy Donovan seems to function OK with the reverse situation at Florida. It’s not like UNC has short-changed Davis with money or resources. Obviously, Tennessee has the tradition. But tradition hasn’t counted for much in Knoxville for the last 10 years. If Davis builds a winner at UNC, he would have his pick of jobs around the country. And if that happens, why would you pick Tennessee?
8.If you missed Chip Towers’ Q-and-A with Mark Richt the coach basically said the Bulldogs are running the same aggressive defenses under coordinator Willie Martinez that they ran under Brian VanGorder. OK, I’ll bite. But then isn’t that an indictment of Willie Martinez?
7.If the plays are the same, there really are only two other factors: 1) The talent; 2) the coach’s ability to coach and motivate. Georgia’s defense may lack the single player who can create mayhem. But it would be hard to believe the players on the roster have performed to their athletic level. That’s on Martinez. VanGorder excelled at bringing out the best in players and putting them in positions to succeed - just as he’s doing now with the Falcons.
6.Charlie Weis played mostly with Ty Willingham’s players for two years. He went 19-6 with Fiesta and Sugar Bowl appearances. He has played with mostly his own players in the last two seasons. He is 8-13 and may not go to a bowl either year. Either he can’t recruit or he’s coaching them down. Or both.
5.How is it that Evander Holyfield is nearing the end of his career and he gets to fight possibly his swansong in Zurich, Switzerland? I thought that’s what Biloxi was for?
4.The NHL claims it set an attendance record in October. Who counted the turnstiles - Bigfoot?
3.Look, if there was evidence to that effect, more power to the league. But when I walk into Philips Arena, I see crowds of 7,000 announced as 14,000. This count-inflation goes on in other cities as well, all in hopes of increasing the stature and marketability of the local franchise. Show me a spreadsheet with dollar signs. Then we’ll talk.
2.The Falcons’ Grady Jackson is suing the company that manufactures, “StarCaps,” the diet pill he claims caused him to fail an NFL drug test. I found video of Nikki Haskell, the head of “StarCaps.” Just wondering: Did Jackson get the “StarCruncher,” too, and will his face soon look like it was pulled back by the same crank that attacked Nikki’s?
1.The Hawks are 5-0 and the Thrashers have won four straight. If you’re the other owners of the Atlanta Spirit, shouldn’t you sell to Steve Belkin, like, NOW!
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VanGorder finally at home — with Falcons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Having gone from Georgia to Jacksonville to Georgia Southern to the Falcons to South Carolina and then back to the Falcons in seemingly seven minutes, it’s easy to understand how Brian VanGorder became known as a coaching nomad.
If he wasn’t mentioned in the same breath as Bobby Petrino, it’s only because VanGorder actually seemed to care and never jumped on a passing train during the season, while leaving disingenuous “Dear John” letters on players’ lockers.
So in the midst of this wondrous ride the Falcons are on, one thing should comfort management, players and fans: their defensive coordinator isn’t planning on leaving.
“If I could coach in Atlanta the rest of my career I’d be very happy,” VanGorder said Sunday.
He is 49. He has a wife and five children. There comes a time when a coach reaches a comfort zone in his life and career. VanGorder doesn’t want to move any more. A head coaching offer isn’t the end-all, be-all any more. This is what he should be doing — creating defensive mayhem.
“He knows the game of football better than anyone I’ve ever been around,” Keith Brooking said.
“I really believe that if he could, he would get out there and fight with us,” Lawyer Milloy said.
This is why teams win football games. It’s not just because of the brilliance of a rookie quarterback, or a power running game. Teams win when players want to fight for their coach and believe they’re better because of them.
The Falcons defeated New Orleans, 34-20 Sunday. The Saints accumulated 521 yards in offense and quarterback Drew Brees threw for 422. But statistics can say one thing and hide another.
The Falcons led, 27-6. They held one of the NFL’s highest scoring offenses to two field goals until only 9:54 was left in the game. The rest is window dressing. New Orleans’ final touchdown came on a Hail Mary as time expired.
VanGorder generally has been doing this with mirrors and mid-level talent. The Falcons give up yards but they make plays (three interceptions, 15 passes defensed and a sack Sunday). They came into the game ranked ninth in scoring defense, with a depth chart that numbers only one real star (John Abraham).
They’re doing this with the passion and aggressiveness reflected by their VanGorder, who is one of the few coordinators that coaches from the sideline.
“I’m an emotional guy,” he said. “I need that contact during the game, in case we need to change the momentum.”
He understands his reputation as a vagabond, but believes it’s “a little unfair.” He left Georgia for Jacksonville in 2005. He felt he needed NFL experience on his resume in order to eventually get a head coaching job.
But leaving the Jaguars after one season for the Georgia Southern head job he now concedes “was very questionable.” In Statesboro, they would agree. He went 3-8.
He bolted to become linebackers coach under Petrino last season. But when Petrino quit after 13 games, VanGorder was left in limbo. He said he wanted to remain in Atlanta, but management couldn’t promise anything. (Neither Thomas Dimitroff nor Mike Smith had been hired.)
Then Steve Spurrier phoned to offer the coordinator’s job at South Carolina. VanGorder took it on Dec. 13. But a few weeks later, he received another call — this from Smith, who was preparing to interview for the Falcons job and wanted VanGorder as his potential coordinator.
“I was unsure what I wanted to do at that point,” VanGorder said. “I have a lot of respect for Steve, and I told Mike I would only do it with Steve’s blessing. He understood. But it was hard. Sometimes in this business, we try not to read the papers and listen to what you guys say. But you get a reputation out there that you’re looking to move every year, and that just wasn’t the case. I’ve gotten opportunities. They were good opportunities. For whatever reason, it just got a little crazy for a few years.”
He called this season “a blessing.” He spoke with a calm that suggested he had finally found a home — and he isn’t waiting for the phone to ring again.
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Tech plays worst game at worst time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chapel Hill, N.C. — If it was early September, this game actually goes down a little easier. Because in early September the plan seemed limited to setting a tone, implementing structure, establishing direction — all of those things new head coaches do with young and fragile football teams.
Problem is, this isn’t early September, and so much had changed in the last two months. That young Georgia Tech team already had won more games than most could have imagined. That young team was overachieving with a 7-2 record and had raised expectations.
That young team just experienced its market correction.
The Jackets picked the worst time to play their worse game. One week after defeating Florida State, which launched the team back into ACC contention, the Jackets landed with a thud. They had two fumbles in a span of three and a half minutes in the second half that led to touchdowns, missed two field goals, frequently broke down on offense and lost to North Carolina, 28-7.
In early September, you expected this.
In early November, it was easy to be convinced they were past the possibility.
“It’s hard,” said quarterback Jaybo Shaw, whose early fourth-quarter fumble led to a North Carolina touchdown that blew the game open at 21-0. “We knew what was at stake and we knew we had a second chance to get to the title game. But we came in here and we kind of killed ourselves.”
The Jackets will go to a bowl game. With games left against Miami and Georgia, they still have a chance for two significant wins, which would take them to a very good bowl game.
But when a team plays its way into an unexpected opportunity to win its division and compete for the conference title, it just isn’t dreaming about the Music City Bowl.
“We were excited,” defensive end Michael Johnson said about the atmosphere that followed last week’s 31-28 win over FSU. “We felt like we got a second chance, and you don’t get many of those. We’ll see if we get a third.”
It has been a strange year in the ACC — but not that strange.
The Jackets finished with 326 yards rushing, but they never really got into a flow. Only Jonathan Dwyer’s 85-yard touchdown run with six minutes left prevented them from being shut out. Aside from that score, they never got closer to the goal line than the North Carolina 23 (which resulted in a missed 40-yard field goal attempt).
They trailed 7-0 in the third quarter and were moving the ball well. But after a 21-yard run by Roddy Jones set them up with a first down at the Heels’ 29, the next three plays looked like an offensive coordinator’s tragic opera:
• 1) chop-blocking penalty for a 15-yard loss.
• 2) holding for another 10 in the red.
• 3) sack.
So Tech went from first-and-10 at the Carolina 29 to second-and-36 at its own 45. End of threat.
The young-team-meltdown followed. Jones fumbled a punt return at the 30. That set up a touchdown that made it 14-0. Two plays into the Jackets’ ensuing possession, Shaw fumbled at the 32. That opened the door for another touchdown.
Some quick analysis from coach Paul Johnson: “Lights out.”
Georgia Tech has an extended break before its next game against Miami on a Thursday night (Nov. 20). The players will need it. They’re beat up, particularly on the offensive line. (Two guards were knocked out of the game, after tackle Andrew Gardner was lost for the season to a shoulder injury during the week.)
Mentally, this also represents the mother of all letdowns, given last week’s results and what suddenly was at stake. But Johnson tried to down play that.
“You guys created all of that,” he said of elevated expectations. “Like I’ve said, we have a very young football team that, from one week to the next, is very fragile.”
Two months later, it showed.
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Winning opportunity knocking for Tech
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chapel Hill, N.C. — Opportunity wasn’t expected to come this early. Opportunity wasn’t expected to be this pronounced. A voice in the conference, hope in the BCS, anything more than a minor diversion on the local college football landscape — not supposed to happen.
“Honestly, if you asked me before the season, I would’ve said I hope this could happen but I never put a number on it,” Dan Radakovich said. “People talk about good seven-win seasons and bad seven-win seasons. This would be a very good 7-2.”
Georgia Tech has opportunity like it hasn’t had in several years. The program in Athens, the one that generally dwarfs the Jackets in stature and visibility, has been crushed by its two signature opponents this season, Alabama and Florida. For many Georgia fans, the remainder of the season isn’t about opportunity. It’s about limiting the bitterness.
But for Georgia Tech players and coaches and certainly its ticket-selling, sponsor-hawking athletic director, opportunity for something great is staring them in the face.
With at least four games remaining, the Jackets have a chance to hit double digits in victories for the first time in 10 years. After last week’s 31-28 win over Florida State, they have a strong pulse in the ACC. Win their final two conference games against North Carolina (today) and Miami (Nov. 20), and there’s a good chance of advancing to the conference title game — the winner of which goes to the Orange Bowl.
It’s November. The one local team that figured to be in the BCS mix was the one ranked No. 1 in the preseason. Tech? It was projected by many to finish just north of Duke.
The fact that Tech’s resurgence coincides with Georgia’s disappointment gives the Jackets an unexpected opportunity to alter the local landscape.
“Raising the awareness of Georgia Tech is always important,” said Radakovich, the athletic director who started all this with the hiring of coach Paul Johnson. “We don’t have the circumstances the University of Georgia has, where the stadium is sold out each week. Paul has his goals moving the team forward, and we have our goals from an administrative standpoint. This gives us an opportunity.”
Resilience leads to opportunity.
The Jackets have won at Boston College and Clemson. They held on to defeat an FSU team that had won four straight and climbed to 15th in the rankings. They came within three points of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
Can they do something today that the Bulldogs couldn’t — win the conference game that matters?
The Jackets are good. They weren’t supposed to be within a zip code of good.
Johnson inherited a strong recruiting class from Chan Gailey. But expecting success in year one with a spread-option offense seemed as plausible as taking a 30-day course in Latin, jumping back in time and mixing at a dinner party in Ancient Rome.
There have been the expected hiccups, but the surprise is that the Jackets have been able to overcome them. They have lost 15 fumbles in nine games. No other ACC team is even in double figures. Only one Division I team in the nation (Army) has lost more fumbles (18). And yet, Tech is a plus-six in turnover differential, thanks to a defense that has forced 25 turnovers (first in the ACC and tied for third in the nation).
There is a toughness about this team, a sense of accountability and discipline and confidence that had been missing in the program.
“Paul has done a lot to change the attitude about things,” Radakovich said. “Even early on, when he talked to players about going to class, he didn’t just tell them. He would follow up and if they didn’t do as he told them, there would be a little jog. Well, more than a little jog. They understood early that when he asked them to do something, he’d follow through.”
Now, they’re here. Win this game, the next one becomes even bigger. Opportunity awaits.
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T.O., Amanpour, Obama and guaranteed locks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before unveiling this week’s absolute financial locks, 100 percent satisfaction guaranteed, if my name isn’t DeAngelo Hall, wait, what happened to my other $62 million, hello, Canton, are you on the line, hello … ?
Where was I? Oh yes. Before this week’s forecast, Weekend Predictions Significantly Below $250,000 Annum, Inc., wishes to congratulate Barack Obama on being elected President of at least 49 of the 50 United States. We can’t be certain about Georgia. The vote-counters in Fulton County keep running out of fingers and toes and like, there was a Kohl’s one-day sale Tuesday and, you know, there’s lunch breaks and stuff, and, really, since the Florida game, I mean, is it going to make a difference in the BCS? Stop rushing us!
About the election: Nobody summed things up better than CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, who said Obama, “has inherited the inbox from Hell.” This should not be confused with the box-head analysis of Terrell Owens, who actually said: “There was a change, and hopefully that can trickle on down to our season.”
Because, really, when the NFL makes the turn for the back eight, isn’t that more important than collapsing banks, government bailouts and the future of the free world?
The Falcons are 5-3. One more win, and I swear I stop drinking.
They play New Orleans, which has won all four meetings since Sean Payton took over. The Saints have one of the league’s best offenses with QB Drew Brees, but they’re actually kind of a mess. Reggie Bush is out. Deuce McAllister is a walking HMO disaster. Four players reportedly have failed drug tests and may be suspended. They’re on their third kicker and third punter. The defense? Feh.
The line says Falcons by 1.
By the time all the precincts are in, it’ll be more than that. Falcons cover.
B(ulldog-free).C.S.
• Trembling Chihuahuas at Kentucky: You can sum up this stage of Georgia’s season in one word: Raycom. With those pesky prime-time and national TV games out of the way, the Doggies will schlep to Lexington, toting what’s left of their self-esteem and a bag of Tony Robbins tapes. The Cats are not very good. But 10 1/2? Too rich. Dogs win but don’t cover.
• Tech at North Carolina: It turns out that the Jackets are still a roller coaster — just a far more interesting one. They held on to beat Florida State a week after bobbling a home game to Virginia. That kept Orange Bowl hopes alive, which basically means they’re closer to a BCS bowl than Georgia. That should go over well in Athens. Tech’s beat up, but — why not? Take the 4 and Jackets in a straight upset.
• Saban at LSU: They’re still upset that Nick Saban could leave such a garden spot as Baton Rouge for the NFL. So I guess this shouldn’t come as a surprise: Alabama’s Luther Davis claims Les Miles called Saban “the devil” while he was being recruited. A Bama spokesman said Saban was busy filing souls and could not be reached for comment. Tide wins, but take LSU and 3.
• Wyoming at Tennessee: What’s worse than being 1-4 in the SEC? The Volunteers just got turned down by the Duke coach. Gladys: Are we out of arsenic? Vols cover 26 1/2.
• Clemson at FSU: The Seminoles are coming off a last-second loss to Tech, and Bobby Bowden is playing the school that fired his son. You don’t suppose Tommy is helping break down film in Tallahassee this week, do you? Noles cover 5 1/2.
NFL Snack Pack
• Giants at Eagles: New York is better on offense, better on defense and 10-1 against the spread in its past 11 road games. Facts cloud the decision-making process, don’t you think? Eagles cover the 3.
• Titans at Bears: I’ll see your bet against Tennessee moving to 9-0 and raise you a Rex Grossman. Titans cover 3.
• Niners at Cardinals: If Mike Singletary is going to get caught with his pants down, shouldn’t he be playing in the 49ers’ secondary? Arizona wins but take SanFran and 9 1/2.
• Panthers at Raiders: In hopes of improving ticket sales, the halftime show will feature Al Davis doubling his dose of Thorazine and analyzing a list of free agents. Carolina covers 9 on the road.
Accounts payable • Last week: (Despite slight miscalculation in Jax.) 5-4 straight up, 4-5 against the line.
• Totals: 64-34 straight up, 46-50-2 against the line.
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Has Matthew Stafford already made up his mind?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens — If it seems like the post-Florida, poll-sliding, second-tier-bowl level of doom is even more pronounced than usual at Georgia, maybe it’s because of this: The belief that the Matthew Stafford/Knowshon Moreno window is about to be nailed shut.
Seldom have two recruits at the highest-profile positions arrived with such high expectations. So imagine the scenario of both leaving without so much as playing in an SEC title game.
Stafford is trying not to think about that right now. But he understands why the issue is out there. He also said that anybody assuming that the three-and-out has long been the plan is mistaken.
“Those people are wrong,” he said Tuesday when asked of prevailing opinions that he already has decided to turn pro after the season. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I think I’ve done a pretty good job not thinking about it too much and worrying about it this season.”
When asked if the absence of at least a conference title is something that would pull him back for his senior season, Stafford: “Good question. I don’t know if I’ll feel that way or not. There’s still a lot of football to be played this year. It’s just one of a bunch of factors.”
He is 20 years old. Most of us can’t possibly relate. So few are in the position of making such a significant life-changing decision, at this age and on such a public stage.
It hasn’t been an easy year. Stafford is 24-6 as a starter. But the Bulldogs, who began the year with championship aspirations, now are viewed as second-tier bowl material. Stafford had three interceptions in an embarrassing loss to Florida. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 12-8: not great.
Is it all Stafford’s fault? Of course not. But as the quarterback, he understands how this works. His high school team, Highland Park in Dallas, lost only three games during his tenure, but: “We lost in the first round of the playoffs in my junior year. That wasn’t very accepted.”
He seems unaffected by critics, even saying: “I guess they’re right — we haven’t played for the conference championship since I’ve been here.”
What does that mean to the NFL? Nothing.
NFL teams don’t critique quarterbacks the way cross-eyed fans do. Scouts see the whole package, the things that can’t be coached: arm strength, release, pocket awareness, escapabilty. They see interceptions and think, “We can fix that.”
Stafford will go high.
But if you were 20 and owned Athens, would you be in a hurry?
“It’s a job,” Stafford said of the NFL. “Do I want to live on my own now?
“I’m enjoying the experience here. It’s a good place to go to school and a good place to play. There’s a ton of things to think about. Whether or not you feel like there’s something else to prove. Whether or not you feel mature enough and ready to make that jump. Whether or not you want to get your degree right away or later.”
A more difficult decision than he thought?
“Yeah. Definitely. It will be extremely tough.”
Other underclassmen have delayed turning pro. The most extreme examples were members of Florida’s championship basketball team two years ago. Georgia coach Mark Richt once had former Bulldogs running back Robert Edwards talk to players about coming back to try to win a championship.
“When I was at Florida State, Warrick Dunn came back,” Richt said. “Even Chris Weinke, who had won a national championship, came back to try to win another.”
Some college athletes turn pro out of financial necessity. That isn’t an issue for Stafford. His parents are leaving the decision to him.
“When you go to a university, the plan is to go for four years,” said John Stafford, Matthew’s father. “I don’t think that plan has changed, but with the caveat that it’s something you have to look at.”
If Georgia wins out, Stafford will finish 28-6 as a starter. That may not be enough for some. But for what it’s worth, the NFL isn’t preoccupied with the Florida game. • More coverage: Matthew Stafford page
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Fulmer’s good, other SEC coaches great
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
And now for the Tuesday Countdown:
10: I feel so much smarter after watching Chris Berman interview Barack Obama and John McCain. Too bad the election is today. I was kind of hoping Lauren and Heidi from The Hills could moderate the next round of debates.
9: Phil Fulmer is out. I feel a little bit like a talkshow host after Richard Nixon resigned. Weekend Predictions lost its chief lampoon-ee.
8: Seriously, though. About Fulmer: He is no worse a coach or recruiter today than he was when Tennessee won the national title in 1998. He didn’t suddenly get dumber. Problem is, everybody else got better.
7: You’ve probably heard that Fulmer was 11-16 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia since 2000. But the bigger issue is that the SEC is home to the greatest collection of football coaches this side of the NFL — and no other conference is close.
6: Think about it: Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier, Tommy Tuberville and Mark Richt represent an astounding top tier. Bobby Petrino, for as much as he is justifiably despised in these parts, probably will revive Arkansas eventually (though, please: feel free to join me in mockery until then). There isn’t a bad coach in the conference. Fulmer just no longer ranked in the upper tier — and that’s not good enough in Knoxville, which was upper tier for so long.
5: The BCS is seeking a six-year, $800 million deal from Fox for rights to the four major bowl games, according to the Sports Business Journal. Wow. Imagine what this would be worth if this was actually pro sports. (That was a joke.)
4: You might think Joe Dumars is taking a risk dealing Chauncey Billups (and spare parts) to Denver for Allen Iverson. But think about it. Iverson is still one of the top scorers in the game and, at this stage of his career, he’ll embrace being on a championship caliber team. He is in the last year of his contract. He wants a title. I remember when Jerry West was criticized for bringing in Bob McAdoo. The Pistons did something similar with Rasheed Wallace. Dumars might be executive of the year when this is over.
3: Evander Holyfield, 46, is moving closer to a title fight against WBA champion Nikolai Valuev. A ring will be set up between the goat boy and the bearded lady.
2: Georgia Tech is suddenly only seven spots being Georgia in the BCS rankings. I wonder how the Bulldogs would rank the possibility of being passed with the loss to Florida?
1: I don’t supposed anybody cares if Tennessee beats Wyoming, Vanderbilt and Kentucky, the Volunteers will be bowl eligible.
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Florida delivers reality check to Dogs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jacksonville — There must be something about annihilation that shocks the system. There must be something about getting hammered in a team’s two biggest games of the season that causes amnesia and makes everybody forget what this year was supposed to be all about.
An SEC title. A national championship. Maybe a little more ammunition for getting cut out of the title game a year ago. What happened to all of that?
Getting drilled at home by Alabama. Getting humiliated by Spurrier-esque proportions by Florida. Does it do things to the mind, other than severely dent the ego?
“I think with the expectations the media put on us this season, anything short of a national championship was going to be disappointing,” Georgia tight end Tripp Chandler said.
So now it was somebody else’s expectations. Perfect.
If Alabama and Florida are seeking a bonding moment SEC title week, they can share memories from what each did to Georgia this season. One handed the Dogs their first loss. The other affirmed that game wasn’t an aberration and exposed them for what they really are: a talented but deeply flawed team and prone to self-immolation.
Overrated or underachieving — it doesn’t really matter. The Dogs never belonged. Faster than you can say Outback Bowl, Georgia watched Florida score five consecutive touchdowns in the second half, lose 49-10, end up six feet under in the BCS and certainly restored any sense of superiority in Gainesville that might’ve eroded a year ago.
What were we thinking? Georgia allowed 90 points in its two biggest games of the year. It never competed. There can be no louder or clearer defining statement about this team.
There were no exaggerated end zone celebrations this time, just more end zone meltdowns.
Florida coach Urban Meyer managed to restrain his players but not himself. He called two timeouts in the final minute to prolong Georgia’s agony.
If he hoped to rub it into the faces of Dogs’ fans, the joke was on him. They had already left.
Meyer wouldn’t concede the timeouts were payback for the Dogs’ bench-emptying hug-a-thon last season. He didn’t have to.
Asked if the opposing coach was sending a message, Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran said: “No question. They played hard. They capitalized on their opportunities. They earned the opportunity to send that message. Anybody in their right mind would know they were trying to prove a point.”
They proved several. They proved it so many times that the scoreboard operator lost control of his faculties. Florida led, 49-3, when the Dogs scored a meaningless touchdown with three minutes left. The scoreboard official, presumably out of habit, pushed the same button he had been most of the day and initially changed the score to 56-3.
The correction was minor window dressing. Georgia fans hoped last year’s win had altered the landscape of this series. Instead, it made everybody recall the worst. The 39-point deficit was second only to a 47-7 loss in 1996.
There wasn’t anything the Dogs didn’t do wrong. They had three red zone possessions in the first half — when it was still a game. But the result was three field goal attempts — two bad, one good. Matthew Stafford missed a wide open Tripp Chandler in the end zone. Then he had a would-be touchdown pass bounce off Knowshon Moreno’s face mask.
At times, it wasn’t the limbs that failed to function, just the brain. Prince Miller had an interception nullified by teammate Jarius Wynn’s personal foul, leading to the Gators’ first touchdown. A nonsensical onsides kick early in the second quarter backfired, giving Florida a short field and leading to another TD.
The second-half? The World’s Largest Outdoor Grease Fire. The first five Georgia possessions went interception-punt-fumble-interception-interception. Three of those turnovers led to touchdowns.
The strangest thing about all of this? Georgia players would have you believe it wasn’t that bad.
“The game was closer than what the scoreboard said,” Moreno said.
“The score didn’t at all reflect how the game was played,” Mohamed Massaquoi said.
“I thought we were better team this game — just a few turnovers held us back,” Curran said.
The better team?
“Definitely.”
Some would say they’re in shock. Or deluded. Or in denial.
Regardless, this much is clear: They never belonged.
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