Mark Richt spent a few minutes talking about the potential of the offensive line this season should everyone stay healthy. He even noted that it had been a strong camp for sophomore center Ben Jones. But when asked about a potential injury Jones reportedly suffered during Wednesday’s practice, his answer was simply, “No comment.”
Jones was seen leaving Georgia’s football facilities with his foot wrapped and using crutches, but Richt would not discuss any apparent injury.
As a true freshman last year, Jones started nine games, all at center, and was one of the few consistent contributors during an injury-ravaged season.
This year, he is expected to be Georgia’s starting center, while freshman Chris Burnette has worked with the No. 2 unit. Junior Chris Davis, who had been working as the No. 1 left guard could also slide over to center, a position he played throughout the 2007 season.
UPDATE: Per UGA Athletics, the injury is just a sprain. X-rays were negative and Jones is considered day to day.
RETURN ENGAGEMENTS
A year ago, it was game day before Richt had a clear idea of who would return kicks and punts for Georgia. This season, the depth chart is already coming into shape, and it doesn’t look a whole lot different from last season.
Richt said Prince Miller, who racked up 191 yards and one touchdown on nine returns, would handle punt-return duty, with quarterback Logan Gray reprising his role as the standard fair-catch man.
Richt said Gray has worked almost exclusively on kicks inside the 10, where his primary responsibility is to decide whether to fair catch the ball or let it roll into the end zone. Although Gray is likely to be Georgia’s No. 2 quarterback, Richt said the special teams job has few drawbacks.
“It’s not a high-risk job back there,” Richt said. “Rarely do those kicks get returned. Most of the time they’re trying to pooch it. It’s high, so it’s usually a fair catch or let it roll.”
There’s a bit more competition for kickoffs, with a couple of new faces joining last year’s veterans. Richard Samuel remains a top choice, along with senior Bryan Evans, but Richt said sophomore cornerback Brandon Boykin and freshman speedster Branden Smith are also getting reps.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE
Despite his special-teams work, Smith said his primary focus this preseason has been on learning the ins and outs of the cornerback position. Along those lines, he said his offensive reps have been minimal, despite Georgia’s coaches suggestions that he could see a bit of action at wide receiver this season.
“I’m not really working at it,” Smith said of his offensive exploits. “I’m still trying to focus on defense, trying to get my technique down. I still need to improve there, so right now I’m not even thinking about offense.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean Smith is averse to giving offense a try if called upon – a situation that he admits is still a possibility.
“If they do need me, I’ll go over there in a hurry,” Smith said. “I’m here to help the team win, whether they need me at quarterback, running back, whatever.”
STARTING FROM BEHIND
Kwame Geathers spent nearly three weeks waiting for a phone call to say he could start his Georgia career. He said he would sit in his living room and jump for the phone, even when it was just his grandmother calling.
When the call finally came to let him know he had qualified academically and could report to fall camp, the rest of his teammates were already three days into practice, and it’s been an uphill battle for the freshman lineman ever since.
“The first couple weeks were pretty hard, coming in late and seeing all the other guys in pretty good shape,” Geathers said. “I was back at home trying to stay in shape, but I’ve found out you can’t be prepared for a college workout. It’s a different level.”
Geathers said he got some sage advice to keep his head up through the tough times from his older brother, Robert, who played at Georgia and is now with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Still the advice has been tough to follow through with, particularly given the demands of his position coach, Rodney Garner.
“He expects me to know all the plays right now,” Geathers said. “He looks at me just like all the seniors. He wants me to be the best, and the best have to do it fast and learn it fast.”
Geathers earned some action in Georgia’s scrimmages last week, however, and while he understands he still has a long way to go, he said that was a good first step in getting into shape for what lies ahead.
“I’m still trying to learn the plays. I got in there and tried to make some stuff happen,” he said. “It’s tough, but I’ve been taught to just keep going, keep striving for the best and keep working hard.”
THE WAITING GAME
After criticizing the team for a lackluster effort during Tuesday’s practice, Richt was a bit more upbeat about the Bulldogs’ play Wednesday.
“I judge those practices by how hard they’re working and how focused they are on doing what we ask them to do, and I thought today was a good day in that regard,” he said.
Richt credited the cooler weather and overcast skies with energizing the team and admitted that this is the time of year when keeping his players motivated becomes an issue, as the bumps and bruises of more than two weeks of practice add up and the excitement of the first game is still more than two weeks away.
“If we were less than a week away, we’d be like, man we need more time,” Richt said. “But now that we’re two-and-a-half weeks away, you’re anxious to get a little bit closer. You want to get the work in, but it’s a long time to wait for that game.”
Senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens said he’s as excited as anyone to get back to playing real football, but at the same time, he’s not ready to declare the Bulldogs ready for action just yet.
“We wish it was where you get through camp, and it’s the first game,” Owens said. “But I’m happy that we still have these two weeks to get better. I think we’ve got a long way to go to be great. To be at a championship level, we need to get to a certain point, and right now we’re not competing at that level. But we still have time and a lot of room to grow.”
That’s the primary concern for Richt, who said the dog days of fall practice are perhaps the best indication of what to expect from the team once the season actually gets going.
“I think it’s going to wear on us a little bit, but that’s where we’ve got to be strong and stay focused because that’s what’s going to still be there when the emotions are gone,” Richt said. “We just need to keep grinding right now – and it is a grind.”
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
If it weren't for injuries to veteran linebackers Darius Dewberry and Akeem Dent, freshman Mike Gilliard would likely be spending this fall working with the third-stringers, toiling in relative obscurity.
As luck would have it -- for Gilliard and perhaps for Georgia -- he's managed to work his way into the starting lineup for the past two scrimmages, and the Bulldogs' coaches have been impressed with what they've seen.
“He’s gotten a lot of work because of Dewberry’s situation," Richt said. "He’s progressing, and he’s gotten a lot of work with the No. 1 unit."
His progress has been so impressive that Richt is all but certain that Gilliard won't be redshirted this season, regardless of the amount of playing time that may be available.
"I don’t think there’s much doubt we plan on playing him," Richt said. "When everybody comes back healthy, I don’t know where he’ll end up on the depth chart, but I think he’s played enough to where we wouldn’t be afraid to let him play some scrimmage downs and I know our special teams coaches are trying to find every one they can get.”
SLOWED, BUT STEADY
Akeem Hebron hasn't enjoyed a lot of consistency in his career. He arrived highly recruited, but injuries and academic issues have plagued his time at Georgia.
So far during fall practice, there's still a bit of rust, but Richt said the reports from Hebron's coaches have been encouraging.
“I don’t know if he’s 100 percent healthy from what he was coming out of high school, so I don’t know if he’s really hitting on all cylinders," Richt said. "But he’s smart, instinctive, he’s made good open-field tackles, and coaches like him.”
Richt said Hebron has been working mostly at the Will linebacker position behind Rennie Curran and Nick Williams.
Showing posts with label Mike Gilliard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Gilliard. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Practice Notes: Samuel Impresses During First Scrimmage
The spotlight was on Georgia's tailbacks during the Bulldogs' first scrimmage of the fall Wednesday, and sophomore Richard Samuel didn't disappoint.
Samuel stole the show with a series of impressive runs, totaling 108 yards on five carries, two of which went for touchdowns, and adding another 70-yard reception for a score.
"He ran the ball well," head coach Mark Richt said. "He definitely had more space to work with than any other back, but he broke some tackles also. He finished strong."
Samuel saw minimal playing time in a backup role a season ago, showing flashing of potential, but had trouble picking up extra yards downfield at times.
While Richt said Samuel benefited from some big holes at the line of scrimmage Wednesday, a great deal of his production came on moves the sophomore made in the open field, including a few impressive maneuvers on a 63-yard touchdown dash.
"We were running off of the right side of the line and it kind of got congested," Richt said. "He broke it back across the grain and got vertical. He either made a safety miss or stiff-armed him and then made the last guy miss."
Samuel had the majority of the carries with Georgia's No. 1 offense, Richt said, while his primary competition for the starting tailback job, Caleb King, split time between the first- and second-team offense. King finished the day with just 18 yards on five carries.
Georgia's other running backs met with mixed results as well. Carlton Thomas tallied 60 yards on five carries, including a long run of 28 yards, while Dontavius Jackson ran four times and lost six yards. Freshman Washaun Ealey added just 13 yards on five carries, but Richt cautioned fans not to read too much into the final statistics.
"You can get a pretty good gauge of who ran with the No. 1 offensive line and who ran with the No. 2s," he said.
NOT ALL GOOD NEWS
As impressive as Samuel's scrimmage stats were, the sophomore is still having some problems holding on to the football.
One of Samuel's most impressive runs of the scrimmage came on a third-down play in which he darted through the line of scrimmage for a first down and a long gain. The play ended with Samuel coughing up the football, however, and that's something Richt won't tolerate in a starting tailback.
Richt said the fumble may have been the first of the fall for Samuel, but after the tailback struggled with the same problem as a freshman a year ago, it's an issue he needs to resolve quickly.
"Right now I would think the incentive of playing time would really help him hold on to the ball," Richt said. "That's probably the only thing that will keep him from getting a substantial amount of playing time is just being a guy who fumbles."
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
After Georgia's coaches have a chance to break down the film from Wednesday's scrimmage, Richt said he expects the depth chart at tailback to be reshuffled a bit, with two or three of the top performers to be moved to the front of the pack. Although Richt cautions that his evaluations won't be all about the numbers.
"When we evaluate, we will put more on a scrimmage than we do on any other grading system," Richt said. "This is as live as we can get, as real as we can get. So the scrimmages mean a lot, but we do understand when one guy's got a lot of space and other guys don't."
While the new-look depth chart will likely be a hot topic among fans, Richt said he's not overly concerned with who has earned starting jobs just yet. The bigger issue for him is finding enough depth that Georgia won't have to worry about employing a back-up from time to time.
"I don't particularly care who's No. 1 today or tomorrow," Richt said. "I'm looking for guys that are ready to play. I'm not even looking for starters. I'm looking for guys that, if we put them in the game, they could function at winning football. That's really and truly all I'm concerned about right now."
PASSING GRADES
Beyond tailback, the biggest position battle on the roster may be for the No. 2 quarterback job, a position to which sophomore Logan Gray continues to stake his claim.
Gray was the top performer among Georgia's backup quarterbacks Wednesday, completing 6-of-12 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, going mostly against Georgia's No. 2 defense. While Gray has continued to impress, however, Richt said the second spot on the depth chart is still an open competition.
"He's done a nice job, and I would say he's still a solid No. 2 but Aaron (Murray) has done some nice things," Richt said.
Murray finished the scrimmage 5-of-16 for 52 yards and a touchdown, while fellow freshman Zach Mettenberger completed just 1-of-10 passing.
Mettenberger's performance was as much a function of some problems with the No. 2 offensive line, Richt said, which has made it tough to evaluate the freshman's overall ability.
"I hate it for him because the great majority of his passes that were incomplete were batted at the line of scrimmage," Richt said. "When he got in there, he didn't get much help from the line at all. When Mettenberger gets time and space, he can really throw it beautifully, but he's just not getting that luxury right now."
While Murray and Mettenberger are both battling to move up the depth chart by the time fall practice ends, Richt said he still wouldn't write off the option of playing one of them this season even if they don't beat out Gray for the No. 2 job.
"If we felt one of those two guys was our No. 2 then we'd absolutely play them," Richt said. "One of them is going to be No. 3 if they're not No. 2, and we still may choose to play them, but I'd be hesitant to do that."
Starting quarterback Joe Cox completed nine of his 13 attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Wednesday's scrimmage.
BRINGING THE PRESSURE
Rod Battle missed four games last season and all of spring practice due to a litany of injuries, but Richt said his senior defensive end is making up for lost time.
Battle was a force during Wednesday's scrimmage, racking up three-and-a-half sacks. The senior's return to health – and to the starting lineup – will be a key for the defense this season, Richt said.
"He missed four of five games, some at the beginning, some in the middle, some at the end, and he never really got on track (last season)," Richt said. "He's excited he's healthy, and he's practicing well. It's good that we've got a bunch of healthy D ends right now, period. We will be better."
Fellow defensive end Demarcus Dobbs had half-a-sack during Wednesday's scrimmage.
NEW LOOK AT LINEBACKER
A number of Georgia's usual starters at linebacker sat out of Wednesday's scrimmage nursing injuries, but Richt said none were serious. Rennie Curran, Darius Dewberry, Akeem Dent and Darryl Gamble all missed the practice with soreness in their hamstrings.
The absences were likely as much about getting a closer look at the youngsters as it was about giving the time off to the veterans.
"I think that's partially to get those guys a lot of work and then we had some veterans that are a little banged up, and we wanted to just keep them from getting hurt unnecessarily," Richt said. "I think Coach (John) Jancek wanted to see his young pups play. He knows Rennie can play, he knows Dent can play, he knows Gamble can play."
In place of the veterans, Nick Williams, Marcus Dowtin and freshman Mike Gilliard ran with the No. 1 unit for most of the scrimmage. Dowtin tallied seven tackles and a half-a-sack at middle linebacker, while Gilliard had five tackles and a half-a-sack, as well, while playing the Sam position.
"(Gilliard) seems to be picking things up well," Richt said. "He lined up properly, and certainly he will hit you. I think he's gaining the respect of his teammates."
MORE BUMPS AND BRUISES
Receivers Marlon Brown and Tavarres King skipped Wednesday's scrimmage as well. Brown is recovering from a jammed finger, and Richt said King's back has been sore after taking a particularly rough hit during practice earlier this week.
While Caleb King and Washaun Ealey both played in the scrimmage, Richt said neither was at full strength. Ealey has practiced with a sore elbow after hyperextending it last week, and King had a sore hamstring, Richt said.
Tight end Aron White also missed the scrimmage with a sore hamstring, Richt said.
HAPPY RETURNS
The number of scratches from the starting lineup was extensive, but two returning veterans looked good in their first live action of the fall.
"Jeff Owens got to play today and came out of it outstanding, and Trinton Sturdivant played and came out of it just fine," Richt said. "So they were happy, I'm sure, to get that full scrimmage out of the way."
EXTRA POINTS
-- While Richt and running backs coach Bryan McClendon have insisted that blocking will be as important in deciding on a starting tailback as their rushing totals, Richt said his runners didn't have too many chances to show their stuff Wednesday.
"The defense didn't bring a lot of pressure," Richt said. "You usually have to bring a linebacker or a safety in order for the backs to get involved in the blocking schemes. ... The true test comes when they're bringing pressure where you have to recognize it, get in position to do it, then follow through on your block. We didn't (bring) much pressure at all."
-- Richt said the No. 1 units performed admirably, as expected, but he was disappointed with the performances of some of Georgia's backups.
"Our No. 1 offense did really well and our No. 1 defense did really well, but there's too much disparity between our ones and twos right now," he said. "There should be better competition when our twos go against our ones on both sides of the ball."
-- Georgia's coaches have worked tirelessly to eliminate penalties this season, and the defense seems to be on board. The offense, however, has been a slightly different story.
"It's not horrific, but we're still jumping offsides a bit too often on offense," Richt said. "The defense might have had one. The defensive line has been better this camp than the offense as far as just aligning properly and just not jumping off. The neutral zone penalties (for the offense) are a little bit of a bother right now."
-- Orson Charles had two touchdown receptions in the scrimmage and Richt said he has been impressed by what the freshman tight end has done in practice thus far. Arthur Lynch added a third touchdown reception during Wednesday's action, too, and Richt is hopeful the position could be a key weapon in the red zone this season. "We do have some good-looking receiving tight ends right now," he said.
-- Richt said Marcus Washington worked almost entirely at defensive end during the scrimmage. Sounds like that's close to being a full-time gig for Washington now.
-- For those of you who asked, no, I didn't get to watch the scrimmage. The stats were provided by Richt and were "unofficial."
-- One other note I meant to mention yesterday: Talked to A.J. Green for a story and the subject of Mohamed Massaquoi came up. He said he spoke with Mo earlier this week and that Massaquoi is working as the starting No. 2 receiver with the Browns alongside Braylon Edwards right now.
-- For full scrimmage stats, click HERE (or scroll down an extra half inch).
Samuel stole the show with a series of impressive runs, totaling 108 yards on five carries, two of which went for touchdowns, and adding another 70-yard reception for a score.
"He ran the ball well," head coach Mark Richt said. "He definitely had more space to work with than any other back, but he broke some tackles also. He finished strong."
Samuel saw minimal playing time in a backup role a season ago, showing flashing of potential, but had trouble picking up extra yards downfield at times.
While Richt said Samuel benefited from some big holes at the line of scrimmage Wednesday, a great deal of his production came on moves the sophomore made in the open field, including a few impressive maneuvers on a 63-yard touchdown dash.
"We were running off of the right side of the line and it kind of got congested," Richt said. "He broke it back across the grain and got vertical. He either made a safety miss or stiff-armed him and then made the last guy miss."
Samuel had the majority of the carries with Georgia's No. 1 offense, Richt said, while his primary competition for the starting tailback job, Caleb King, split time between the first- and second-team offense. King finished the day with just 18 yards on five carries.
Georgia's other running backs met with mixed results as well. Carlton Thomas tallied 60 yards on five carries, including a long run of 28 yards, while Dontavius Jackson ran four times and lost six yards. Freshman Washaun Ealey added just 13 yards on five carries, but Richt cautioned fans not to read too much into the final statistics.
"You can get a pretty good gauge of who ran with the No. 1 offensive line and who ran with the No. 2s," he said.
NOT ALL GOOD NEWS
As impressive as Samuel's scrimmage stats were, the sophomore is still having some problems holding on to the football.
One of Samuel's most impressive runs of the scrimmage came on a third-down play in which he darted through the line of scrimmage for a first down and a long gain. The play ended with Samuel coughing up the football, however, and that's something Richt won't tolerate in a starting tailback.
Richt said the fumble may have been the first of the fall for Samuel, but after the tailback struggled with the same problem as a freshman a year ago, it's an issue he needs to resolve quickly.
"Right now I would think the incentive of playing time would really help him hold on to the ball," Richt said. "That's probably the only thing that will keep him from getting a substantial amount of playing time is just being a guy who fumbles."
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
After Georgia's coaches have a chance to break down the film from Wednesday's scrimmage, Richt said he expects the depth chart at tailback to be reshuffled a bit, with two or three of the top performers to be moved to the front of the pack. Although Richt cautions that his evaluations won't be all about the numbers.
"When we evaluate, we will put more on a scrimmage than we do on any other grading system," Richt said. "This is as live as we can get, as real as we can get. So the scrimmages mean a lot, but we do understand when one guy's got a lot of space and other guys don't."
While the new-look depth chart will likely be a hot topic among fans, Richt said he's not overly concerned with who has earned starting jobs just yet. The bigger issue for him is finding enough depth that Georgia won't have to worry about employing a back-up from time to time.
"I don't particularly care who's No. 1 today or tomorrow," Richt said. "I'm looking for guys that are ready to play. I'm not even looking for starters. I'm looking for guys that, if we put them in the game, they could function at winning football. That's really and truly all I'm concerned about right now."
PASSING GRADES
Beyond tailback, the biggest position battle on the roster may be for the No. 2 quarterback job, a position to which sophomore Logan Gray continues to stake his claim.
Gray was the top performer among Georgia's backup quarterbacks Wednesday, completing 6-of-12 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, going mostly against Georgia's No. 2 defense. While Gray has continued to impress, however, Richt said the second spot on the depth chart is still an open competition.
"He's done a nice job, and I would say he's still a solid No. 2 but Aaron (Murray) has done some nice things," Richt said.
Murray finished the scrimmage 5-of-16 for 52 yards and a touchdown, while fellow freshman Zach Mettenberger completed just 1-of-10 passing.
Mettenberger's performance was as much a function of some problems with the No. 2 offensive line, Richt said, which has made it tough to evaluate the freshman's overall ability.
"I hate it for him because the great majority of his passes that were incomplete were batted at the line of scrimmage," Richt said. "When he got in there, he didn't get much help from the line at all. When Mettenberger gets time and space, he can really throw it beautifully, but he's just not getting that luxury right now."
While Murray and Mettenberger are both battling to move up the depth chart by the time fall practice ends, Richt said he still wouldn't write off the option of playing one of them this season even if they don't beat out Gray for the No. 2 job.
"If we felt one of those two guys was our No. 2 then we'd absolutely play them," Richt said. "One of them is going to be No. 3 if they're not No. 2, and we still may choose to play them, but I'd be hesitant to do that."
Starting quarterback Joe Cox completed nine of his 13 attempts for 158 yards and two touchdowns in Wednesday's scrimmage.
BRINGING THE PRESSURE
Rod Battle missed four games last season and all of spring practice due to a litany of injuries, but Richt said his senior defensive end is making up for lost time.
Battle was a force during Wednesday's scrimmage, racking up three-and-a-half sacks. The senior's return to health – and to the starting lineup – will be a key for the defense this season, Richt said.
"He missed four of five games, some at the beginning, some in the middle, some at the end, and he never really got on track (last season)," Richt said. "He's excited he's healthy, and he's practicing well. It's good that we've got a bunch of healthy D ends right now, period. We will be better."
Fellow defensive end Demarcus Dobbs had half-a-sack during Wednesday's scrimmage.
NEW LOOK AT LINEBACKER
A number of Georgia's usual starters at linebacker sat out of Wednesday's scrimmage nursing injuries, but Richt said none were serious. Rennie Curran, Darius Dewberry, Akeem Dent and Darryl Gamble all missed the practice with soreness in their hamstrings.
The absences were likely as much about getting a closer look at the youngsters as it was about giving the time off to the veterans.
"I think that's partially to get those guys a lot of work and then we had some veterans that are a little banged up, and we wanted to just keep them from getting hurt unnecessarily," Richt said. "I think Coach (John) Jancek wanted to see his young pups play. He knows Rennie can play, he knows Dent can play, he knows Gamble can play."
In place of the veterans, Nick Williams, Marcus Dowtin and freshman Mike Gilliard ran with the No. 1 unit for most of the scrimmage. Dowtin tallied seven tackles and a half-a-sack at middle linebacker, while Gilliard had five tackles and a half-a-sack, as well, while playing the Sam position.
"(Gilliard) seems to be picking things up well," Richt said. "He lined up properly, and certainly he will hit you. I think he's gaining the respect of his teammates."
MORE BUMPS AND BRUISES
Receivers Marlon Brown and Tavarres King skipped Wednesday's scrimmage as well. Brown is recovering from a jammed finger, and Richt said King's back has been sore after taking a particularly rough hit during practice earlier this week.
While Caleb King and Washaun Ealey both played in the scrimmage, Richt said neither was at full strength. Ealey has practiced with a sore elbow after hyperextending it last week, and King had a sore hamstring, Richt said.
Tight end Aron White also missed the scrimmage with a sore hamstring, Richt said.
HAPPY RETURNS
The number of scratches from the starting lineup was extensive, but two returning veterans looked good in their first live action of the fall.
"Jeff Owens got to play today and came out of it outstanding, and Trinton Sturdivant played and came out of it just fine," Richt said. "So they were happy, I'm sure, to get that full scrimmage out of the way."
EXTRA POINTS
-- While Richt and running backs coach Bryan McClendon have insisted that blocking will be as important in deciding on a starting tailback as their rushing totals, Richt said his runners didn't have too many chances to show their stuff Wednesday.
"The defense didn't bring a lot of pressure," Richt said. "You usually have to bring a linebacker or a safety in order for the backs to get involved in the blocking schemes. ... The true test comes when they're bringing pressure where you have to recognize it, get in position to do it, then follow through on your block. We didn't (bring) much pressure at all."
-- Richt said the No. 1 units performed admirably, as expected, but he was disappointed with the performances of some of Georgia's backups.
"Our No. 1 offense did really well and our No. 1 defense did really well, but there's too much disparity between our ones and twos right now," he said. "There should be better competition when our twos go against our ones on both sides of the ball."
-- Georgia's coaches have worked tirelessly to eliminate penalties this season, and the defense seems to be on board. The offense, however, has been a slightly different story.
"It's not horrific, but we're still jumping offsides a bit too often on offense," Richt said. "The defense might have had one. The defensive line has been better this camp than the offense as far as just aligning properly and just not jumping off. The neutral zone penalties (for the offense) are a little bit of a bother right now."
-- Orson Charles had two touchdown receptions in the scrimmage and Richt said he has been impressed by what the freshman tight end has done in practice thus far. Arthur Lynch added a third touchdown reception during Wednesday's action, too, and Richt is hopeful the position could be a key weapon in the red zone this season. "We do have some good-looking receiving tight ends right now," he said.
-- Richt said Marcus Washington worked almost entirely at defensive end during the scrimmage. Sounds like that's close to being a full-time gig for Washington now.
-- For those of you who asked, no, I didn't get to watch the scrimmage. The stats were provided by Richt and were "unofficial."
-- One other note I meant to mention yesterday: Talked to A.J. Green for a story and the subject of Mohamed Massaquoi came up. He said he spoke with Mo earlier this week and that Massaquoi is working as the starting No. 2 receiver with the Browns alongside Braylon Edwards right now.
-- For full scrimmage stats, click HERE (or scroll down an extra half inch).
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Weight Room Pays Big Dividends for Freshmen
While Georgia's freshmen aren't all ready to step into a starting job just yet, Mark Richt has been particularly pleased with how prepared they were when fall practice began last week.
Getting the rudimentary aspects of Georgia's playbook and practice style down was a key part of summer workouts for the freshmen, and the Bulldogs' veterans made sure there was plenty of studying done by the freshmen ahead of time.
But beyond simply know what to do, the biggest asset the newest Bulldogs brought with them was the ability to execute plays repeatedly under the demanding conditions of a Georgia practice on a hot summer afternoon. That preparation was even more arduous.
"The first we got here we went to the weight room and started running," freshman linebacker Mike Gilliard said. "That first day was a rude awakening."
While the playbook may be more complex, the basics of football tend to be the same from one level to the next. Conditioning at the college level, however, is one of the biggest adjustments a freshman has to make.
"When I came from high school, I really didn't lift weights a lot," cornerback Branden Smith said. "It's a real big difference. I'm just trying to get stronger. I like the weight room now. At first I didn't like it when I came in, but I see myself growing, getting bigger, getting stronger, so it's helped a lot."
It's a common refrain among all the freshmen, most of whom are amazed at what the right training program can do for their physique.
"I came in as a little guy, and I've gained 11 pounds," said receiver Rantavious Wooten, who had read the critiques of his small stature long before arriving at Georgia. "The conditioning wasn't too bad because I'm a runner, but the weights, that was intense. I really didn't get a break, and that was different for me."
The results are impressive at first, said Gilliard, who went from 212 pounds in June to 220 by the start of August. After hitting the practice fields for the first time last week, however, he realized how important the hard work he put in over the summer had been.
Sure, the pounds packed on quickly -- but they disappeared just as fast.
"It's real surprising to add that much weight, but you can lose it quick at practice," Gilliard said. "The other day I went in to practice at 220 and left at 215."
It's mostly water weight lost from sweating under the scorching Georgia sun, so putting the weight back on doesn't take long. Nevertheless, the importance of preparation for the grueling months ahead was a necessary step in their development -- even if the results were a bit surprising.
"I didn't expect it at all, but each week (the weight) just kept coming," Wooten said. "I thought I'd gain weight and then run and lose it, but that's not what happened. I've just continued to grow."
Getting the rudimentary aspects of Georgia's playbook and practice style down was a key part of summer workouts for the freshmen, and the Bulldogs' veterans made sure there was plenty of studying done by the freshmen ahead of time.
But beyond simply know what to do, the biggest asset the newest Bulldogs brought with them was the ability to execute plays repeatedly under the demanding conditions of a Georgia practice on a hot summer afternoon. That preparation was even more arduous.
"The first we got here we went to the weight room and started running," freshman linebacker Mike Gilliard said. "That first day was a rude awakening."
While the playbook may be more complex, the basics of football tend to be the same from one level to the next. Conditioning at the college level, however, is one of the biggest adjustments a freshman has to make.
"When I came from high school, I really didn't lift weights a lot," cornerback Branden Smith said. "It's a real big difference. I'm just trying to get stronger. I like the weight room now. At first I didn't like it when I came in, but I see myself growing, getting bigger, getting stronger, so it's helped a lot."
It's a common refrain among all the freshmen, most of whom are amazed at what the right training program can do for their physique.
"I came in as a little guy, and I've gained 11 pounds," said receiver Rantavious Wooten, who had read the critiques of his small stature long before arriving at Georgia. "The conditioning wasn't too bad because I'm a runner, but the weights, that was intense. I really didn't get a break, and that was different for me."
The results are impressive at first, said Gilliard, who went from 212 pounds in June to 220 by the start of August. After hitting the practice fields for the first time last week, however, he realized how important the hard work he put in over the summer had been.
Sure, the pounds packed on quickly -- but they disappeared just as fast.
"It's real surprising to add that much weight, but you can lose it quick at practice," Gilliard said. "The other day I went in to practice at 220 and left at 215."
It's mostly water weight lost from sweating under the scorching Georgia sun, so putting the weight back on doesn't take long. Nevertheless, the importance of preparation for the grueling months ahead was a necessary step in their development -- even if the results were a bit surprising.
"I didn't expect it at all, but each week (the weight) just kept coming," Wooten said. "I thought I'd gain weight and then run and lose it, but that's not what happened. I've just continued to grow."
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