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Monday, September 12, 2005
In Buford lurks a big, bad Wolf
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
J.C. Clemons
1. Why is that dude playing tackle for Buford wearing No. 33?
Because, when you are big and bad as Omar Hunter, you can sport whatever uniform number you want. Plus, in Hunter’s case, if you spent as much time in the opponent’s backfield as he did against Central Gwinnett, you might as well sport a number that suits your running back fantasies.
Hunter was the best player on the field as the Wolves dominated a bigger Central Gwinnett team. That’s bigger as in classification (AAAAA to AA), and not in heart, or size. And no Buford player exhibited more spirit or heft than Hunter.
And they say he’s just rounding into form from a knee injury.
When Central botched a handoff on its first possession, Hunter was right there to take possession. He would go on to add another fumble recovery.
When Buford shifted to an unbalanced line, guess who helped clear the way for the go-ahead score?
When coaches from Louisville and Tennessee showed up to scout other Division I prospects, guess who kept forging his way into their line of sight? Yep. Big Omar Hunter, who in addition to the fumble recoveries, had two tackles for loss of yardage.
This, however, may not have been Hunter’s best game.
Against Union County, whom the Wolves held to 24 yards rushing, Hunter tallied five solo stops, eight assists and two tackles for losses.
Nevertheless, Hunter will not be signing a college scholarship anytime soon. Unfortunately for all the recruiters salivating at the thought, and for Buford’s future opponents, Omar Hunter is only a sophomore.
2. Has any good come out of Meadowcreek’s victory-less march through South Georgia?
Well, the Mustangs did make a nice bit of change for a program that can use every bit it can get its hands on. That said, let us hope those in charge at the school will never again subject their overmatched kids to such scheduling.
True, Meadowcreek does not get the necessary level of community and local business support, and coach Reggie Perry’s building effort is still at the foundation stage.
But the road to respectability for the Mustangs’ program should not take it down I-75 to be thumped by the likes of Colquitt County, Thomas County Central and Lowndes. Wiser souls must prevail, and I’m certain they will.
Now, here’s hoping Perry and Meadowcreek start to gain traction. It would do wonders for Gwinnett if the commitment to excellence being generated in the classrooms over there could spill over into the athletic arena. Somehow, I have a feeling that it is already doing so â€â€? reports of unflattering football scores to the contrary.
3. Why have those people in Buford banished Dexter Wood to the cheap seats â€â€? on the visitors’ side?
It’s not what you think.
Wood, who retired as football coach following a sensational run, has taken a classy approach to his new status as athletic director only. It’s called out of sight makes for peace of mind.
Ever mindful of other folks’ well-being, Wood does not want to be seen as looking over new coach Jess Simpson’s shoulder, so to speak. Each game, he camps as far away from the Wolves’ sideline as possible. Which is not always how it works out.
During Buford’s opener at Gainesville, it didn’t take long for him to be spotted by a Wolves fan, who asked to join the coach. Of course, Wood obliged. And last week at home, he couldn’t get a sportswriter from underfoot, and Wood dismissed the urge to do bodily harm. Actually, the ink-stained wretch was welcomed, which goes to show you why we always admired Wood.
There are no undesirables in Dexter Wood’s world.
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Andruw, Aaron and baseball inflation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
No offense to Andruw Jones or anything, especially since I’m a charter member of his suddenly crowded fan club. It’s just that when it comes to his surge into the Braves’ record book for most home runs during a season, he’s no Eddie Mathews, and he’s definitely no Hank Aaron.
This isn’t to say that Jones is operating as Eddie Haskell (you know, the sitcom character) or Hank Hill (you know, the cartoon character). Take it from Hank Aaron (you know, baseball’s home run king). “What Andruw is doing overall this season is just fantastic,� Aaron said of the National League’s could-be most valuable player who finally is combining prolific hitting on a consistent basis with his already gold glove in center field.
Just so you know, Aaron also is a charter member of Jones’ fan club, and he spoke on Sunday while taking a break from one of his favorite obsessions. That is, watching NFL games, particularly those involving his Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Added Aaron, “When you look at Andruw throughout his career, he always has done just enough to keep people’s eyes open enough to say, ‘Hey, one day, this guy is going to do what we all think he’s capable of doing.’ So by Andruw breaking this home run record for a season, no, I’m not surprised by this.â€?
What exactly is this, and what does it really mean?
Over here, you have 49 blasts and counting for Jones after his absolutely ridiculous binge over the weekend in Washington against the Nationals.He ripped two home runs on Sunday during the Braves’ 9-7 victory.
Anyway, over there, you have the Braves’ previous mark of 47 set by Mathews for the Milwaukee Braves in 1953 and matched by Aaron 18 years later in Atlanta.
Not impressed. Well, not by Jones’ numbers when compared to those of Mathews and Aaron. Even if you exclude baseball’s steroid mess, which has created artificially inflated sluggers, there are so many other reasons why it is easier to slam a bunch of tightly wound cowhide farther these days as opposed to the days of Mathews and Aaron.
I’ll yield to Aaron. Not only is he always the gentleman, but he is the disciple of that cliché about records being made to be broken. As a result, he was queasy about telling the truth regarding an accomplishment that is nice for Jones but deserves an invisible asterisk.
“Show me how many times that Andruw or anybody else who has averaged 40 something home runs in recent years have been knocked down or thrown close to,� Aaron said.
“I don’t want this to come off as me being bitter, because I’m not, but [knockdowns] just don’t happen as much as they did when I played. Plus, the pitching wasn’t as thin back then as it is today. We had fewer teams and more quality pitchers.�
True. All true. To be fair, though, you could say that Jones’ feat is more impressive than that of Aaron and Mathews in this regard: While Jones slammed his way into Braves’ glory for a season with a team rushing toward the playoffs in search of a world championship, Mathews’ record-setting thing came for a Braves team that finished 13 games out, and Aaron’s record-tying thing came for a Braves team that finished eight games out.
The point is, Jones had more pressure to conquer along the way to history than Mathews and Aaron.
Well, didn’t he?
“You have to consider that most guys now have contracts that are longer than three or four years, and when the season is over, they don’t have anything to worry about, because they’re going to get the same salary,� said Aaron, chuckling, recalling how he had a bunch of one-year contracts until the last four of his 23 seasons.
“In our case, we had to go on a salary drive every year, which meant we always had to fight like the dickens. You had to play as hard the last 10 games as you did the first 10 games.�
So there you have it: What Jones did was impressive for his time.
Not for all-time.
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Falcons now deal with being the hunted
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
The offensive line might be better, but there’s just as good a chance it won’t be. There are questions in the secondary and deficiencies at wide receiver, even if you count Peerless Price’s excommunication as an aesthetically appealing nip/tuck.
There’s the schedule: Five playoff opponents in the first seven games, including last season’s two Super Bowl teams. Three games on Monday Night Football. A Sunday night game. A Saturday game. Thanksgiving in Detroit, which is worse than even most days in Detroit. (This comes after a five-game preseason with a trip to Tokyo.)
Football is partly about structure, about rhythm. This schedule isn’t conducive to either. Depending on the week, the Falcons might go from rock to Bach.
Worried yet?
Tonight the Falcons open the 2005 season against the team that closed 2004. The Philadelphia Eagles might have had their summer camp on the corner of Discord and Dysfunction, but they’re still the best team in the NFC, at least until they end up surrounded by rubber walls.
The only certainty about the Falcons is things are peaceful. Last year, they went 11-5 and reached the NFC title game in Jim Mora’s first season as head coach. They’ve added a few pieces — Ed Hartwell, Matt Lehr, Ike Reese, Roddy White. Optimists scream Super Bowl. History screams they take a step back.
But Rich McKay, the general manager, knows perceptions and projections differ when you’re coming off 5-11 instead of 11-5. It’s that hunter vs. hunted thing. “The volume of the boo will be a little louder this year,â€? he said. “Last year we could somewhat sneak into town. People would say, ‘Ah, it’s just the Falcons.’ This year I’m not sure they’re going to say that.â€?
McKay has tried not to waste time analyzing whether the Falcons have closed the gap on the Eagles. He has focused on his own team, and even there says when asked if the Falcons are better: “It’s hard to say.� (Fortunately, the team is not dependent on McKay for walk-up sales.)
And as much as tonight’s game has seemingly mutated into an 800-pound, all-or-nothing collision — people, it’s September. You don’t plan parades or dirges when there are 15 games left in a 16-game season. Besides, if there is one franchise that can’t afford to look ahead, it’s this one. Thirty-nine seasons and never back-to-back winning records. That’s not merely a bad streak. That’s a statistical improbability along the lines of walking outside and having a piano fall on your head. In the middle of the desert.
There is more. Mora was only the eighth coach in NFL history to win at least 11 games in his rookie season. What the previous seven did in their second season is not as quickly publicized. Only two, San Francisco’s George Seifert and Dallas’ Barry Switzer, matched their win total from year one (Switzer also won the Super Bowl). The other five coaches all saw their teams take a step back.
McKay witnessed an early bump when he was in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers went from 6-10 in Tony Dungy’s first season in 1996 to 10-6 in year two. They were scheduled for three prime-time games in 1998 and built up as a Super Bowl darkhorse. Then they went splat, lost the first two Monday night games, started 4-7 and finished 8-8 to miss the playoffs.
“That ’98 team got swallowed whole,� he said. “We weren’t ready for it. But that was a younger team on the line. This team has more veteran starters. We have more guys who have been through it. We have more guys who understand the whole thing about playing on Monday night and Sunday night and Saturday. You can use all that as an excuse or you can play through it.�
So they will opt for the latter. But watch out for falling objects.
Permalink | Comments (14) | Categories: Falcons / NFL, Jeff Schultz
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