Mailbag time

As I stare out on yet another beautiful day in Athens, I belabor the fact that it can’t be sunny and in the 70s all year long. And I hope we’re not about to pay for this in the winter.

Before I delve into Ye Olde Mailbag, I thought I’d pass along a story that was sent to me by my predecessor in this job. The New York Times, continuing its tradition of fine journalism, reports that in a recent study only two-thirds of men washed their hands after leaving the bathroom at a recent Atlanta Braves game. This was the lowest rate of any place that was surveyed, including a couple New York City subway stations.

Then again, who knows what the results would’ve been if they’d surveyed any SEC football game.

(I will also refrain from naming the SEC athletics director whom I once noticed leaving a press box bathroom without washing his hands. It’s possible that his last name rhymed with Boley, but who knows.)

Now, having properly disgusted two-thirds of you, on to the mailbag:

Seth, is it just me, or is the NCAA one of the least professional organizations around. Doesn't it seem a little asinine that we never seem to have any idea when they are even going to consider an issue, much less make a ruling? How do they expect people to make plans around their random BS?
- Michael

I know people inside the Butts-Mehre Building have been pretty close to exasperated at how the process was dragged out. But I know they also understand the reasons why: The NCAA moves slowly almost all the time.

It does not have a huge enforcement staff, but starting in July they were suddenly inundated with a slew of major cases related to the agent probe. But as they proceeded in their investigations, they did it the slow, lawyerly way, not wanting to make any mistakes out of a rush to get players cleared or suspended by the start of the season.

When things have had a chance to die down, hopefully by next spring, I think you may see some of the conferences speak to the NCAA about measures that could expedite these cases. That could involve beefing up the enforcement staff, or having a more set timeline, or an overhaul of a lot of the agent rules – as Mike Slive suggested in July.

Where does Gamble #50 fit in on the stock assessment? I saw him lay 3-4 good hard licks on some folks but I dont know his overall numbers for the game? I vote to add him to the rising stock group.
- Bic Dawg

Darryl Gamble is indeed off to a solid start. He’s been a bit overshadowed by Justin Houston, and Cornelius Washington and Gamble are still rotating at the other outside spot.

Since the BCS determines our national champion, why do all media outlets put so much emphasis on the AP poll. Since the AP poll is no longer a component of the BCS, it seems so irrelevant. Yet, everyone seems to treat it as if it has the same relevance it used to have.
- Gary Merriman, Tallahassee, FL

It's a fair question. The AP actually voluntarily pulled itself out of the BCS equation, because it was uncomfortable with the conflict of interest. So it’s not like the BCS saw it as less relevant. I think a lot of people also see the AP as a transparent, independent ranking – with every voter’s ballot made public, unlike the coaches or Harris polls.

And most importantly, the AP still bestows a national title, and has been doing so for longer than anyone (since 1936). So while the AP may not be a factor in the BCS equation, a lot of people still see it on close to, if not equal, footing with the BCS championship.

You could solve all this by just having a playoff, but hey, let’s not open that can of worms.

Got a question regarding Boo Malcome. Is he expected to redshirt this year? I've heard that he runs the ball well but I guess we do have plenty of depth at the position. Still, might be nice to get him some reps. Or is pass-blocking holding him back?
- LeRoy Fung

Boo? Well, the plan is to redshirt Ken Malcome unless injuries force him into the lineup. The same goes for Michael Bennett at receiver. They don’t want to burn a redshirt on someone for a few carries. And while the Knowshon Moreno situation is still fresh in everybody’s memory, the coaches have said that Malcome has been a bit slower to pick up the offense.

Have you asked Richt about using two timeouts on 1st drive of 2nd half? Slowed a lot of momentum and seemed like poor coaching
- WJKent28 (via Twitter)

Richt and Mike Bobo were both asked about that after the game, and a day later. They blamed substitution confusion, and said that would be fixed. Clearly, it was not a good thing to use two timeouts early in the second half – and follow each without a good play.

Of UGA's incoming players for 2011 at the WR spot who can make immediate impact? Do you think Marlon can be that guy on deep?
- Jonah2285 (via Twitter)

It’s a legitimate concern, with A.J. Green almost certainly gone (barring a lockout), and Kris Durham graduating. I know they like Marlon Brown a lot, and he has a great combination of size, speed and blocking ability. But he hasn’t really done it in a game yet. As for incoming guys, having just joined the beat I asked Dean Legge over at Dawgpost.com, and here’s what he told me: “They do not have a game-changing receiver for the 2011 class coming in right now. They need to still find that, and I’m sure they’re eager to find that.”

Noticed the last two games there has been no dancing....Did coaches address that to the players?
- HunkerDownDogs (via Twitter)

We may find out Saturday. There were no chances to dance in the end zone at South Carolina, and do you really need to celebrate after scoring on Louisiana-Lafayette? I will say that the defensive players seemed pretty fired up every time they stopped Marcus Lattimore for “only” a gain of two or three yards.

Is it time for Bobo to go? He calls terrible plays, babies the QB, and seems to contradict the head coach.
- CBW (via Twitter)

I'll stay away from hiring and firing coaches for the time being. Obviously there’s been a lot of invective thrown Bobo’s way this week by some fans. I guess whenever things go wrong there always has to be a coach to blame. The past few years it was Willie Martinez, and for the moment it now seems to be Bobo’s turn. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Info on our injured fullback?
- AthensHomerDawg

Shaun Chapas almost certainly will not play this weekend.