UGA blog finds new home
Morning all. As I’ve said a couple of times this week, we’re converting this blog over to a WordPress platform and it will be a permanent move the first of next week.
Those of you who are regulars probably know that I’m not what you’d call techno-wizard when it comes to these things. But from what I understand the technology offered in this new format should make the blogging and commenting experience better for all. Of course, I’ll be learning as we go along, too. But I’m hoping to provide more pictures and video and things like that which should bring the blog more to life.
Of course, this blog is nothing without all you guys so I want to heartily invite (read: beg) you to come over to the new site by CLICKING HERE ON THE NEW ADDRESS and save it in your browsers. As of Monday, Feb. 23rd, this will be the permanent home of the UGA blog you so love or, in the case of some of you, love to loathe. If you’d prefer to copy and paste or just memorize, the new address is: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/.
See at the new place!
AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2007 > October > 26
Friday, October 26, 2007
Should Dogs play Caleb King?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There is only one unanswered question left for the Bulldogs as they get set to tee it up in Jacksonville tomorrow — well, besides whether they can beat Florida for just the second time in seven years under coach Mark Richt — and that’s whether or not they’ll play Caleb King. As of today Georgia is saying it will be a “game-time decision.”
I know we visited that topic earlier this week but much has changed since the possibility was first broached. When Richt first revealed that King was indeed practicing with the varsity and would make the trip to Jacksonville, we didn’t know that Thomas Brown could be out until the Auburn game or possibly longer. Kregg Lumpkin is, of course, out at least until a bowl game. That changes things.
Any further discussion about King needs to be prefaced with this: None of us knows for sure how good he is or will be on the college level. Like most of you, I’ve seen his high school stats, I saw parts of a few of his games in high school and some very impressive highlight videos from YouTube and a couple of the recruiting sites. But here I must add that some of the most impressive highlights I’ve ever seen were to ones on Jasper Sanks. He wasn’t a total bust in college but he also wasn’t anywhere close to what everybody predicted he would be. And I can say that about almost every “five-star” recruit I’ve seen in recent years. So I’m skeptical.
From the outset I’ve been of the mindset that you redshirt every player you possibly can that can’t make a major immediate impact. It’s just smart business, in my opinion. And with two proven veterans and a dynamic redshirt freshman ahead of him in the Georgia backfield I didn’t think there was any need to consider anything other than redshirting King. I thought it an excellent way to help ease the transition and take away any pressure he have felt from a rabid and sometimes unrealistic fan base.
But now those three tailbacks have been reduced to one for at least a couple more weeks and Georgia is at an extremely critical juncture in its season. I have no doubts in the abilities of Knowshon Moreno because I’ve seen it for myself and I’m convinced he’s a special player. As he proved against Vanderbilt he’s capable of assuming a workhorse role and getting upward of 30 touches a game and doing a lot with them. That said, however, he can’t play every offensive play.
I still believe using Jason Johnson and others to spell Moreno is the best option. Other than Kalvin Daniels, they’re all scholarship players, which means the Georgia coaches must believe they’re capable of competing on this level. And I don’t think the Dogs would need to use them much anyway. The real dilemma to me comes if Moreno were to go down with any sort of injury, even temporarily. Again, that changes things a lot. Then the coaching staff — the only people with a very strong opinion with regard to King’s abilities — would have a difficult decision to make.
So my hypothesis is that running backs coach Tony Ball is just preparing King for that possibility but that they’ll try to get through with what they’ve got if everybody remains relatively healthy.
Am I wrong? Any of you guys seen or know enough about King to think I’m shortchanging him on his ability to make a major impact? Is six or seven games left in the season plenty enough time to consider pulling King’s redshirt?
Let’s hear what you think. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to get to Alltel Stadium and find out what the Dogs decide to do.
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