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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 08
Monday, December 8, 2008
In Dawg Nation, reality bites
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We took my Dad to dinner Sunday at his favorite Athens cafeteria and a guy we didn’t even know came over to speak after noticing my brother Jon’s UGA windbreaker. As he walked away, he expressed what I’ve heard over and over the past week from Dawg fans: “Let’s hope we have a better season next year.”
Now, with Georgia having a 9-3 record and a New Year’s Day spot in the highest-paying non-BCS bowl and the fans still complaining and disappointed, it might sound like the Bulldog Nation is spoiled and in need of a reality check. But actually, it’s anyone who’s satisfied with that showing who’s in need of the reality check. Just aiming for a 10-win season isn’t enough any more for a program that aspires to the BCS elite, a point that hopefully is in the forefront of the minds of Mark Richt and his staff.
Of course, part of the general malaise among Dawg fans is the season-ending loss to the Yellow Jackets. Many if not most fans would have found an 8-4 record that included a win over Tech more acceptable than 9-3 with a loss to the suddenly delusional nerds who now think this triple-option gimmick is going to make them a dynasty.
Overall, I think we can all agree that while this wasn’t a bad season, it certainly didn’t satisfy anyone wearing red and black. So while we wait for exams to be over before serious preparations for Michigan State begin, here are a few random thoughts on the state of Bulldog football …
First, I can’t figure out whether Richt is blowing smoke on this kickoff situation or what. Poor Blair Walsh. He’s been thrown under the bus by his coaches and teammates and assumed a larger share of the blame for the Tech loss than he deserves. Those out-of-bounds kickoffs didn’t lose the game. The poor tackling and lack of focus on assignments on defense did that. But now we have Richt indicating he might look for a JUCO kickoff specialist or even a walk-on from the soccer team or student body who can “boom it” out of the end zone. Which makes it sound like they wanted Walsh to do just that, but he wasn’t capable. However, Kevin Butler, a man who knows something about the kicking game and whose son is one of Georgia’s kickers, has said repeatedly that Blair is capable of putting it in the end zone but has been told to kick it high and short and to the corner. Even Richt himself had indicated earlier in the season that the Dawgs were going for that sort of kick because he thought it was safer than trying to cover a kick down the middle that’s in the end zone but returnable. (Especially since we load up our coverage team with walk-ons.) Bottom line: There’s a lot more wrong with our special teams than just Blair Walsh’s leg strength, and Richt better take the problem seriously.
On the subject of the defense, a friend checked the record book and came up with this: In four years, Brian Van Gorder’s defenses gave up 30 or more points just one time: in the SEC championship against LSU. In four years under Willie Martinez, the defense has given up 30 or more points 11 times, including to such powerhouses as Kentucky and Troy. And they’ve given up 40-plus three times this year alone! Which raises the question: If it’s not the coordinator who’s the problem, then what is?
Meanwhile, speaking of the lousy defense against Tech, even the coaches singled out Reshad Jones for his failure to wrap up runners. So it’s a little disorienting to read that he’s submitted paperwork to the NFL to gauge how he might be drafted if he didn’t return for his junior season. Talk about someone in need of a reality check!
And on the subject of leaving early for the NFL: If Matt Stafford and Knowshon Moreno do go, it’ll be a shame in terms of their UGA legacy. Instead of being remembered among the all-time greats like Sinkwich, Trippi, Tarkenton and Walker, they’ll be relegated to the status of talented players who were on underachieving teams, like Eric Zeier and Robert Edwards.
Another thing I wonder about: Besides players’ families, just who exactly is likely to buy that DVD of highlights from the 2008 season? In future years will we really want to dig that out and relive the glorious win over Arizona State?
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