From the Mailbag: Nicknames, Redshirts and Pancakes

After a week off due to technical difficulties, we'll be back chatting once again this week. I'll be answering your questions live on Thursday at noon at Macon.com/UGAchat. You can head over there now to post your questions, and check back any time after noon tomorrow for the answers.

In the meantime, I already had a bunch of questions posed this week, so let's crack open the mailbag...

Anonymous writes: This is a different topic but do you know if any of the incoming freshmen are planning on enrolling in January? I would guess the safety from GMC.

David: I spoke with Bert Williams, Jakar Hamilton's head coach at GMC, who confirmed that, indeed, the plan is for the JuCo safety to be on campus at Georgia in January.

As for the rest of the signing class, that's up in the air. Coaches are not at liberty to comment on it, and from what I understand, few (if any) have stated an intention to be there early. Much of that is usually not decided for a few more weeks, but I'll keep you posted on what I hear. Georgia, historically, has been very good about bringing players in early.

Anonymous writes: Saw your story on Brandon Wheeling's scholarship last week. I thought I read a story from Loren Smith about Zach Renner getting a scholarship, but I haven't seen a press release or anything from other media outlets. How come?

David: Two things on this...

First, it was actually Tyler Estep's story on Brandon Wheeling. Which I could take credit for it -- and, actually, I guess I did -- but they simply posted the wrong byline on the story when it originally went to the Web. It was Tyler's work of genius, not mine.

To answer the crux of your question, however -- yes, Zach Renner was put on scholarship this year. The reason you didn't hear about it is because that information never was released to the media, and quite honestly, I never thought to ask. It's not a whole lot different than Mark Richt's "announcement" of Neland Ball's departure from the program, which came last week, despite the decision being made back in September. Sometimes the coaches pass along news, sometimes they don't. And when it doesn't involve every day players, the media general doesn't think to inquire.

Macon writes: Closing comment: David, turned around a few times and looked up into the press box. Every time I saw you, you were eating something! How does the press box food at UGA rank with other institutions?

David: Wow, that's embarrassing. I need to make a point of keeping to the back row when snacking from now on.

In terms of press box fare, however, Georgia ranks above average. The pregame meal isn't always a winner, but it's at least a legitimate meal. Lasagna day is always good, and if the Dawgs happen to play on a Thanksgiving weekend, you know you're in for a treat. But that's also mixed with a few not-so-enjoyable feasts, too.

On the plus side, however, Georgia does make sure you're well fed. Hey, a hungry blogger is an angry blogger, right? There are hot dogs, cookies and chips available at halftime, and sandwiches and chips available postage.

The problem, however, is that the hot dogs are usually barely cooked and never sit well. If you're expecting an exciting fourth quarter and don't want to miss any action, it's best to pass on the dogs. The post-game sandwiches are pretty plain-Jane, but surprisingly tasty. Still, I'm usually far too wrapped up in making deadline that I don't grab one.

On the whole, I give the spread a B-, not great, but solid. The best I've come across was definitely Tennessee, which has upgraded significantly over years past. Not only are there flat-screen TVs in the press box now, but the pregame meal was excellent, they had pastries throughout the game, wings at halftime, and pizza postgame. I may have added about 12 pounds on that trip -- which still would make me more attractive than most Tennessee fans.

My press box all stars, however, are:

LSU -- which has a great variety you won't get other places and serves beer and liquor after the game.

South Carolina -- All very run-of-the-mill except for the banana pudding, which almost makes up for how much of a pain it is to park.

Atlanta Falcons -- They're pros. Desserts like you wouldn't believe.

The worst offenders? Jacksonville (which is just awful all the way around) and Arizona State (the only time I've ever used my own money to go buy concession food because the press box fare was so bad).

And after writing all this, I think I need to go to the gym.

Greg writes: on one of cox's last throws, he threw it in the direction of Marlon and Orson and it went over Orson towards a defender and probably could have been picked.. I have a suspicion that ball was for Marlon whom I believe ran the wrong route. Do you know if that may be the case?

David: Well, it may have been, but no one is calling Marlon Brown out on it. The bottom line, however, is that Brown is clearly not at the level he needs to be to earn serious reps. His knowledge of the offense is still behind and his fundamentals aren't at par with Rantavious Wooten at this point.

In truth, that probably shouldn't be surprising. Mark Richt praised Glades Central High School, where Wooten played, as producing SEC-ready players. Brown's high school, however, was pretty low-level comparatively, and the leap from Harding Academy to Sanford Stadium was a pretty big one.

rbubp writes: I don't know why anyone continues to try to pick ACC games at all, much less against the spread. It's like banging your heard against a wall.

David: Have you seen the rest of my picks? If the ACC is like banging your head against a wall, the rest of my picks are the equivalent of banging your head against a wall while wearing frozen boxer shorts, listening to Cat Power and watching that new Robin Williams/John Travolta movie. But hey, at least my fantasy football teams are both in first place.

Van T writes: if you get the chance, please let Trinton know that Dawg nation is keeping him in our thoughts and prayers. I never read anywhere about how his surgery went, but if we could get the word out and keep his spirits up I think that would be awesome. Gotta be tough to keep your head up after another injury like that.

David: Glad you mentioned Trinton -- who, by the way, we aren't able to talk to, as per Article 6.3 of The Searels Treaty of 2007. I saw Trinton walking off the field after the Tennessee Tech game, and while he had a noticeable limp, he appeared to be moving around really well. It was good to see less than two months removed from surgery.

Randy H. writes: Being a football player who excelled in high school, why haven't we seen much of Israel Troupe this season. Is it another example of our coaches not knowing who is on first?

David: Israel Troupe's status is pretty clear at this point -- he's not even on the coaches' radar. I'll admit, I'm surprised by this. I covered Troupe in high school a bit, and I was certain he had star potential. Talking to the coaches and other players, it doesn't seem like he has an attitude problem either. But he's been in the program for three years now, and he couldn't break into the WR rotation when only three other players were getting snaps, so I think it's safe to say that it's going to take a miracle for Troupe to ever live up to the hype he arrived with.

Brad writes: As far as the conference strength, I agree with you, but only to a point. Yes, the SEC is definitely not as good this year. But what conference is? While saying the only victory over a current top-20 team is LSU, which is true, if Va Tech beats alabama (or they don't play), where is Va tech ranked now? College football is really interesting this year because teams really haven't separated themselves all that much. 1 loss (in most cases) drops you pretty far (see Iowa). Put more succinctly, only 1 other top 10 team has an out of conference victory over a top-20 team: Boise. And then they didn't play anyone else.

David: Man, it's so true. What do we really know about any of these guys? I like Alabama because they actually have two apparently decent wins -- LSU and Virginia Tech. But then again, who have LSU or Virginia Tech really beaten to validate the notion that they're that good? The dark horses have nice records, but it's hard to take teams too seriously when they're playing cupcakes most weeks. Florida hasn't looked special, Texas has played no one, Oregon seemed like it could be the answer before getting thumped by a smart-kid school… Is it fair to say there really just isn't a great team this year? That probably makes the season more interesting, but it certainly doesn't make the games any better.

Korey N. writes: Is their any chance Coach Garner will be considered for the DC job. Of course, I'm assuming Willie is gone. Which might not be the case(please dear god no). Thanks again for the hard work and GO DAWGS!!

David: Fans are clamoring for Willie Martinez to get canned, and after two dismal seasons, it may be best for all parties for a change to occur. But as Korey touches upon, there will be greater ramifications to that decision.

If Martinez leaves, then where does that leave Rodney Garner, who clearly has coordinator potential and probably needs a job like that to land a head-coaching gig. Garner interviewed for the HC job at Auburn last year and interviewed with both Auburn and Tennessee for assistant positions. He's clearly a hot commodity with other programs, and given that he has 10 years in as Georgia's point man in recruiting, his loss would be severe.

But does offering Garner the coordinator job make sense?

Well, maybe. But that would mean bringing in a new secondary coach and then likely leaving the rest of the staff untouched. I'm not sure if that's exactly what many fans were hoping for.

But bringing in a completely new DC might mean a complete overhaul, and that has an impact on recruits, too.

In truth, the Garner situation is probably the stickiest issue when it comes to overhauling the defense, and it's a good reminder to fans who thinking firing a coach is the simplest solution to Georgia's problems. Sometimes you patch one hole only to see three more pop open.

Carter writes: Back in August Makiri Pugh was getting a lot of praise, and there was talk of him getting work at nickel and safety. However, the only time I have heard his name mentioned since the season started was when he had the swine. Is he not getting playing time, injured, or have I just been overlooking him?

David: He's gotten some work on special teams, but that's about it. Pugh's lack of upward mobility on the depth chart is puzzling, and I know it has been incredibly frustrating for him. He's a very smart kid and has a lot of talent, and I'm not entirely sure what's missing.

Perhaps things change next year as Bryan Evans and Prince Miller will both be gone, and Reshad Jones could certainly follow in their footsteps. But Georgia also has a couple of very high profile recruits joining the secondary next season, along with Jordan Love's return to health. So the road to playing time may not get much easier for Pugh, which is a shame.

Michael C. writes: can we get an update on our redshirts? are any of them generating significant buzz similar to Knowshon in 2006? obviously, the progress of #11 is top of mind. Since his return, is he "lighting" it up with the scout team?

David: Ah, the forgotten freshmen. Here's what I know:

Chris Burnette -- Coaches and players have been impressed by his work ethic and smarts and there's a chance he's in the mix for a starting job next year. It won't be easy though, as Georgia's top seven linemen return along with several other older players who have been in the system longer.

Kwame Geathers -- Came in extremely out of shape and really never stood a chance of playing this year. His status is probably a bit higher than his ability warrants due to the fact that he was a late signee and his family legacy is an impressive one. Still, he has some potential, and with four of Georgia's top six interior linemen graduating, Geathers is going to be counted on to perform regardless.

Dallas Lee -- Struggled through spring practice and got hurt along the way. He has some potential, but he sort of reminds me of a Daniel Inman type -- a chance to be an impressive late bloomer, but still has a long way to go.

Austin Long -- Has yet to practice following back surgery. If I don't get you an update on him by Georgia Tech week, someone please shoot me an email and remind me.

Derrick Lott -- Came on toward the end of fall camp but was never a threat to play this season. An ankle injury in September ended up requiring surgery, and he's not likely to be ready until the spring.

Jordan Love -- Coaches planned on playing Love this season, but a toe injury he suffered in high school never fully healed and he underwent surgery on it last week. He'll be ready to go by spring, and given his size and athleticism, could turn into a nice option at nickel next year.

Chase Vasser -- Honestly, haven't heard much about him since preseason, and with at least seven other linebackers already ahead of him on the depth chart, I'd say it's safe to call Vasser more of a project at this point. But he's another one you should remind me to ask about in the near future.

Zach Mettenberger -- Just talked with Mike Bobo about him Tuesday. If Vasser is a "project" then Mettenberger was an extreme makeover. He came in very raw, but also very talented. Here's what Bobo said: "In January, he came out and did a nice job and improved dramatically. He was a little bit ahead of where we thought he was going to be as far as mobility. He did a nice job in the spring. I think fall camp, he came back and was a little heavy, and that kind of hurt his mobility. He really wasn't as fast as he was in the spring, and that set him back. But he's done a nice job of working it back off, and he's back in shape where he should be. He's got to do a good job of keeping that off. He's never going to be a guy that's going to run around and make plays, but he can still move in the pocket if he keeps his weight down." That said, Mettenberger has a cannon arm, and if you asked me who the top 10 NFL prospects on Georgia's roster were right now, I might have to throw his name in the mix. He's got a ways to go to get there, but his potential is pretty impressive.

Aaron Murray -- And now we get to the guy everyone wants to know about… Murray has been every bit as impressive as advertised. He was set back by an injury that kept him from practicing in full for more than a month. In a few years when we can get an honest answer, I'll be interested to know if that injury kept him from having his redshirt pulled this season. He's exceptionally athletic, has a surprisingly strong arm, and has all those intangibles you want in a QB. His mechanics aren't exactly what you'd probably teach a typical quarterback, but there have been plenty of college and pro QBs that have succeeded with quirky mechanics. The best part of Murray's development, however, has been his mental approach. I've spoken with him numerous times this season, and I've been incredibly impressed with his knowledge of the offense and his overall demeanor. More importantly, however, the coaches have raved about his preparation. Bobo said that Murray prepares for each game with essentially the same approach that Joe Cox and Logan Gray have. Murray acts as if he's the starter now, despite having no shot at playing time. That's a great thing to see from a freshman, and I'm as excited as anyone to see what he'll be capable of next season. The job won't be handed to him, but from my discussions with him, he'd rather earn it anyway.

Noyle writes: I would love to see your thoughts on a conference power ranking at this point in the '09 season. The national media seems to be ignoring the question of which conference is most dominant, likely because it's really difficult to tell but it appears as though the SEC, Pac-10 and Big East all have strong arguments with a top heavy argument for the Big 10 (gross) which I would argue is largely a result of attrition and precipitous drop off after the top 4. Still it's an interesting question to me and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

David: OK, I'll bite…

1. Pac-10. This will be controversial, I'm sure, but I just feel like, top to bottom, this league might be the most consistently good. Washington played LSU close, Arizona State played Georgia close and UCLA beat Tennessee. And those are the middling to bottom teams in the Pac-10. USC isn't what it has been in years past, but they did beat Ohio State and Notre Dame, and Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona and Stanford all look pretty solid.

2. SEC. It's top-heavy with Alabama and Florida, but any time you have two of the three best teams in the country, that has to count for something. LSU is a perfect B+ type of team, and Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee all compare favorably to the middle-of-the-pack teams in other conferences. Add to that decent seasons from Mississippi State, Kentucky and South Carolina, and even the bottom of the conference is competitive, which is really what makes the SEC so tough.

3. ACC. The whole conference is good but not great. Miami played a gauntlet to start the season and knocked off Oklahoma in the process. Virginia Tech played Alabama tough and beat Nebraska. Clemson might have the best player in the country, Georgia Tech is pretty clearly a top-tier team at this point, and even the middling teams like Boston College, Wake Forest and Florida State, which dominated BYU in Provo, remain competitive. Of course, Virginia and Maryland bring down the median a good bit. Those two -- plus Duke -- really don't add much, and North Carolina and NC State aren't a whole lot better. It's the bottom of the conferences that keeps the SEC ahead at this point.

4. Big East. OK, this will probably be extremely controversial, but there are at least five decent teams in the conference -- West Virginia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, South Florida and Connecticut -- which is probably more than I can say for any of the remaining leagues. I think there's a chance Cincinnati is a legit top-five team, and its win over Oregon State at least provides some non-conference credibility. Syracuse and Louisville are brutal, and Rutgers isn't at a top-30 level this year.

5. Big 12. I considered putting the Mountain West here, but I just couldn't do it. I think Texas is legit, but we won't find out for sure until the national championship game. Oklahoma State has a win over Georgia to its credit, but also lost to Houston. Oklahoma failed to win either of its big non-conference games (Miami and BYU), Texas Tech fell to Houston, too, and Kansas State, the North Division leader, fell to UCLA. Really, OSU's win over the Dawgs is the only impressive non-conference victory the Big 12 has this season.

6. Mountain West. TCU, Utah and BYU are all legitimate top-30 teams nationally, with TCU potentially being a national-title candidate. The middle and bottom of the conference don't stack up, but Colorado State does have a win over Colorado and UNLV has a two-point loss to Oregon State, while BYU knocked off Oklahoma and TCU has a good win over Clemson. But man… New Mexico is the worst team from any of these conferences and Colorado State isn't much better.

7. Big Ten. Penn State plays no one out of conference. Ohio State loses its only big non-conference game at home to a down USC team. Minnesota needed overtime to get past an awful Syracuse squad. Michigan State lost to Central Michigan. Purdue lost to Oregon and Notre Dame. Illinois lost to Missouri. Only Iowa, with wins over Arizona and Iowa State, has shown much of anything out of conference, and they just lost to Northwestern (who actually did lost to Syracuse). Essentially the only wins worth noting came within the conference, which means your evaluation of the Big 10 essentially boils down to what you thought of the conference to begin with. I thought very little of it.

Noyle also writes: Ignoring momentarily all the negatives about the dawgs performance so far this season, I wonder if there isn't a tiny glimmer of 'maybe we're okay' in our 5-4 record. We've lost to the #1, #8, and #19 teams and, depending on who you ask, a top 30 team. … I could be wrong but I don't think Bob Stoops is facing the sort of criticism CMR endures and his circumstance isn't much different except that his QB returned and was injured instead of heading for the motor city kitties.

David: For the sake of brevity, I left out the part where Noyle mentions that two of those four losses were blowouts and I'll add that the other two were games in which Georgia's offense went six quarters without a touchdown.

But the truth is, Georgia lost to good teams and has beaten the ones they were supposed to beat. Is Georgia a good team this year? No, not by the standards Mark Richt has set over the past nine years. But the Dawgs aren't a bad team either. It's a down year, but it's a down year in which Georgia is still a completive football team.

The analogy to Oklahoma is an interesting one, too. I mean, why do the Sooners get credit for losing their QB when Georgia did, too, just in a different manner. And the Dawgs lost their All-SEC tailback, too, while Richt actually won the last BCS bowl he went to. And yet, something tells me that Oklahoma fans aren't ready to run Bob Stoops out of town. Maybe it's because he's not as nice a guy as Richt.

But where Noyle's comment really makes some sense is in regards to this week's opponent. Yes, Auburn is 7-3 and ranked in the top 25 (in one poll at least) and is largely being lauded as a real success story this season. Which is why win-loss records are so meaningless.

Georgia has won five games and lost four. Only one victory was against a pushover team, while three losses came against top-20 opponents.

Auburn has won seven games, but three have come against pushovers. The Tigers have also lost to Arkansas (which Georgia beat), were pounded by LSU (which needed an official's help to get past Georgia) and dropped an ugly game to Kentucky (which Georgia will be favored against next week). Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have played No. 1 Florida, while Auburn doesn't see the Gators this year and won't play Alabama until the final week of the season.

I'm not saying this to knock Auburn, and we'll certainly find out one way or the other which team is better on Saturday, but if you gave Georgia the Tigers' schedule, there's absolutely no reason to believe they wouldn't be at least 7-3 or better right now, too.

Noyle also writes: In perusing the blawgosphere Monday, I saw a story about other negative rushing yard performances by the hairy dawg D and noticed that in the days of old lots of players had pretty awesome middle/nicknames like "lightning legs" etc. I would love to see that trend renewed for present-day dawgs. Great nicknames are the sort of silver-lining that doesn't disappear with one bad game.

David: Noyle was productive this week, eh? But this last point is a good one -- what happened to all the great nicknames? And you know what makes me the angriest? LaDanian Tomlinson being called "LT." First, calling someone by their initials is not a nickname. It's a cop out. Second, I'm a huge Eagles fan and I loathe the Giants with every fiber of my being, but even I admit there is only one "LT" and until Tomlinson breaks Joe Theismann's leg and snorts the equivalent of Pablo Escobar's annual spring crop, that isn't going to change.

DevilDawgNC writes: A.J. Green needs a nickname. A super-sweet nickname. Do his team members have anything for him?

David: See, this is what I mean. How can a guy like A.J. Green not have a great nickname yet? I actually tackled this subject last year after A.J.'s breakthrough performance against Arizona State, but came up empty.

So let's get the ball rolling again. We need a good nickname for A.J. I'm open to suggestions.

Kathleen writes: I was so sure Kentucky would be an afternoon game, so now I’m trying to find a good place for Sunday brunch… We’d decided where to go for Saturday dinner, but now…? So I’m collecting recommendations. Where would YOU go for Sunday brunch in Athens?

David: Now here's a great question.

I've been living in Athens for the past 18 months, and by far the best part of it has been exploring all the great restaurants in town. For a city this size based almost entirely around the college, it's astonishing how many great places there are to eat.

But brunch is a unique question, so I can't just throw out the standard answers. But I've been doing some research over the past few months, and here's what I've come up with:

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) -- It's vegetarian, so if you're looking for steak and eggs, it's probably not your kind of place. But the food is exceptional, and you can get anything from a tasty omelette to some exceptional french toast plus a pretty wide selection of outside-the-box fare.

5 & 10 (1653 S. Lumpkin) -- You'll spend a good bit more scratch here, but the food is superb and if you're in the mood for a Sunday cocktail, they've got a great selection. If you're looking for the basic brunch staples like omelets and french toast, you'll find it, but with a twist of sophistication. If you're looking to explore a bit, you'll find that, too, with souffles, oysters, pig-belly meatloafs -- really pushing the envelope of what you might define as "brunch." Again, it's not easy on the wallet, but if you're a food aficionado, it's definitely a place you'll want to check out.

Five Star Day Cafe (229 E. Broad) -- Southern cooking for breakfast. Usually not much of a wait, good menu, great coffee.

Harry Bissetts (279 E. Broad) -- Cajun fare that's a great place to eat any time, but they have some awesome brunch items that you won't find other places, including egg dishes with crab, shrimp and andouille sausage. The only problem is they don't open until 11:30 a.m. on Sundays, so you're pretty well starving by the time you get your food.

Last Resort (274 W. Clayton) -- Upscale food at college town prices, Last Resort is probably one of my two or three favorite restaurants in Athens (and probably in Georgia). Lunch is a cheap and delicious treat there any day of the week, but the bunch menu on Sundays is exceptional. You can't go wrong.

Porterhouse Grill (459 E. Broad) -- If you're looking for buffet style brunch, this is your place. The food is great and there's plenty of it. They have traditional Southern fare like biscuits and gravy but also feature a full omelette station and freshly prepared pancakes, and if you're in the mood for lunch, they have a full carving station with three types of meat. My only complaint is they give you very small coffee cups, and I need large quantities of caffeine on Sunday mornings.

But as I said, I'm still a relative newcomer to Athens. Anyone else have some good suggestions?

OK, that's it for the mailbag this week. But if you still have questions, don't forget you can get them answered during our weekly live chat at Macon.com/UGAchat. You can head over there now and enter your questions, and I'll be online live at noon on Thursday to provide answers.