Here, as promised, or threatened depending on how you look at it, is the second edition of the mailbag. It ended up being a little more nuts-and-bolts than the first one, although we did address "Citizen Kane" one more time, as well as Mumford and Sons and some other musical selections.
Enjoy. Or don't:
What were the coaches trying to gain from having a draft of teams? Seems like all the #1's should play together and against each other. Builds more cohesiveness and provides better competition. If you can indulge me a 2nd question..Any word on the replacement Uga?
- CalifDawg
As I just wrote for my G-Day preview (it’ll be online later today) letting the players draft could be taken as another sign that this wasn’t the most intense spring practice there’s ever been at Georgia. Most position battles are on hold until the recruits get here. There’s been some movement through practice, but for instance the secondary will depend heavily on which guys (Damian Swann, Nick Marshall, Corey Moore) can play right away. So I guess the coaches didn’t feel that dividing up the team’s strategically would accomplish a lot.
No word on the new Uga yet.
Right now there is a JT-2 fund to help pay for medical costs, and a similar one for Chance Veazy. Does the Athletic Department insurance not cover medical costs for these young men? It seems strange that we only hear about this for the baseball team and never for the football team (never heard about a fund for all the ACLs and should injuries on the football team). Just a point of clarity I believe would be helpful.
- Greg
That’s a good question, and thankfully it was addressed by the AJC’s Chip Towers in this piece on Thursday. Essentially, catastrophic injury policies by UGA and the NCAA will cover Taylor’s medical bills for the next 30 years, and the Johnathan Taylor Fund will cover any additional expenses.
I keep reading all of this about the defense being in the 2nd year under CTG and this is why they were having early success against the offense. Could you ask how many years the offense has been under CMB and why haven’t they had a year where they were dominating over the defense like the defense was to the offense?
- Anonymous
I suspect I know what you’re getting at. Honestly I didn’t get much into the “defense beat the offense today” or “offense beat the defense today” angles from practices, because a) I didn’t get to see it myself to judge, and b) much of the key personnel has been hurt or not on campus yet.
For all the Bobo haters, let’s see what happens in the fall.
What would be the biggest difference you see in Grantham vs Martinez in the choosing/recruiting of players?
- Silver Britches
I’m not the best guy to answer that since I got here after Grantham was hired. But from what I can tell, Grantham prefers bigger players at all positions. Look at this year’s recruiting class: No defensive players under 6-0, and in fact the smallest player in the entire class is Crowell (5-11). That doesn’t mean that Grantham wouldn’t have signed Branden Smith or Brandon Boykin. But they went really big in the secondary, a trend I would expect to continue. Even Quantavious Harrow, whom a lot of people consider a “throw-in” to get Crowell, is listed at 6-2 and 200 pounds.
There's a lot of talk about Crowell being "the man" at RB when he shows up this summer, but what is he (and our other big recruits such as Drew, Rome, Jenkins, Marshall, etc) doing to prepare themselves to play in the fall? Are they given playbooks, workout routines, nutrition guidelines? Are the coaches calling them every few days to check in on their progess? Or maybe even the coaches themselves are traveling down to the players' high schools to work with them? I'm not sure if any of this is allowed by the NCAA, but it would seem that if we're relying on them to contribute significantly next year that the coaches are keeping a close eye on them. Just wondering what happens with these guys between the time they sign and the day they show up on campus.
-Destin
The coaches are in pretty close contact with the players. Bryan McClendon said a few weeks ago he talks “a bunch” with Crowell. And a lot of the recruits are visiting Athens on weekends. I’m sure they already have playbooks, and the coaches are telling them what will be expected as far as working out and nutrition, and suggesting they start on it right now. But we’re talking about teenagers; they may SAY they’re doing it, but how many are? Some probably are to the hilt, some are doing it a bit, and some may be enjoying their senior slumps.
Seth, out of the QB's competing in the halftime competition (plus Bobo and Tarkenton), who would you take to lead your team to the BCSNC, and your reasoning why?
Also, with TS now lost, which freshman (if any)do you expect to make an impact on the offensive line?
And finally, Chipper hit RBI #1500 last night. Does this lock him into the Hall? I certainly think so.
- P-44 Haynes
Chipper Jones was a Hall of Famer like, what, six years ago? Especially once he moved back to third base. I remember doing a story on him in 2005 and talking to his father Larry, who was making the case for his son for the Hall. That was six years ago, and Chipper hasn’t done anything to hurt himself – and doesn’t have any taint of the steroids era. At least not now.
Oh, as for your actual UGA-related questions …
I covered David Greene, and he just had that winning aura, similar to Aaron Murray. But if you went by pure talent, Matt Stafford was a No. 1 overall pick and Fran Tarkenton is an all-timer. Then again, Tee Martin won a national title at Tennessee, not Peyton Manning. So who the hell knows.
As for the offensive line, if you mean true freshmen, my suspicion is they will all redshirt, but the most likely to play right away would be Zach DeBell or Watts Dantzler. I also wouldn’t rule out David Andrews as a backup center if Chris Burnette is moved full-time to guard.
The Spring Game is usually #1 offense against #1 defense. Why a draft this year? Are the coaches conceding that nothing is really learned from the G-Day game?
On the movies, good choices, but best of all time? I gotta go with Animal House and The God Father with Jeremiah Johnson a really close third.
- NC Dawg
Obviously I addressed the G-Day draft earlier, so let’s tackle the movies: I like your first two choices – I make sure to watch Animal House once every six months, and The Godfather movies once every year. You could make a good case for each as respectively the best comedy and best drama of all time.
How is Ken Malcome progressiong?
- PI0we
He had kind of an “eh” spring because of injuries. I thought he had a chance to jump in there, and he still could. But Caleb King appears to be the only tailback who has truly helped himself, and he will still have to beat out Crowell.
Much has been spoken about our current scholarship situation with the basketball team and signing hopefuls such as Kevin Ware or John Cannon. While 2011 may be somewhat of a transition for the team, it seems that the recruiting class of 2012 could be the key for continued success in Basketball during the Fox Era. With a number of departing seniors from the team next year, do you know if Fox has made good strides on recruiting the wealth of talent in state for 2012? How many prospects would we expect to sign? I also hear were are making good strides with several Oak Hill prospects as well as a player from Alabama. Just wanted to see if you had any good information.
- Barb
The No. 1 target for 2012 is Tony Parker (not the former husband of Eva Longoria), who is also being recruited by Duke and North Carolina. Parker is a power forward from Miller Grove High School. But that’s going to be a tough get for the Bulldogs, considering the competition. Right now, the other main targets also appear to be post guys, but I’m sure they’ll sign some perimeter players too.
Citizen Kane is crap. I realize it was ahead of its time but I actually saw a documentary about Citizen Kane that was more enjoyable than the movie, that is automatic disqualification for best movie of all time.
It seems like a large portion of the defense has been concussed this spring. I know in past years Richt said they took it too easy in practice because of injuries and that showed up on the field in the fall with weak blocking and bad tackling. In your experience, does it seem like coaches are always “training to fight the last war” or is UGA more likely to be reactive vs. innovative compared to other programs?
- NewYorkDawg
First off, you can’t call a movie “crap” while also saying it was “ahead of it’s time.” If they made “Gone with the Wind” now it would probably bomb because it was too long and the cinematography wasn’t good enough. But they’re both considered great movies for good reason.
I think they’re being cautious with concussions this spring, and that’s a good idea. Brandon Boykin has been in there drafting a G-Day team, and seemed perfectly lucid when he spoke to the media, but he may not play because of a concussion. So really, I wouldn’t draw too many conclusions from that. Plus, they began practicing more physical halfway through last year.
Alright Seth, lay it out there......what's your prediction for G-Day? I'll say Red team, 17-14.
- Regular Guy
I liked the Black team when I saw it, because it had more starters, and it has Murray and Orson Charles. But they are weaker at tailback. Still, I’ll go with 28-14, Black. As Wesley Snipes would say, “Always bet on black.” (A free subscription to the blog to whoever names what movie that’s from.)
Seth- A lot of quotes from Bobo and Richt refer to 'the system' as in Murray 'learning the system.' I understand what this means only as a rather nebulous principle, so I was wondering if you could sort of explain our offensive 'system' in a couple paragraphs with regards to the specific personnel at UGA (coaches and players) and the goals of 'the system' within a single game or possession? Elucidate our offensive strategery for me, please.
- Anonymous
Well, it’s basically a pro-style offense. The system is the playbook, and when they talk about “learning the system,” most of what they mean is what reads to make on individual passing plays. You have to, as a quarterback, be able to decide in a matter of seconds whether the first read (say, the flanker) is open, and if not you go down to the second read (say, the other receiver) and on down the list. And you only really get used to that with experience.
That’s putting it very basic, but it’s the best I can do in one paragraph.
Could you write a brief summary of where our Baseball team now stands? I'd like to know overall record, SEC record, record over the last 10 games, how many games are left (presumably all conference games), and anything else you feel is relevant.Thanks!
P.S. - best movie line ever has to be "It's the one that says BMF on it" from Pulp Fiction.
- Bulldawg
Entering this weekend’s series against No. 4 Florida, the Georgia baseball team is 18-16 overall and 8-4 in the SEC. And with a current RPI rank of 17 (according to Boydsworld.com) the Bulldogs are actually in good shape to make the NCAA tournament. If they can pull that off, that would be a huge success for a team that didn’t have very high expectations.
Here's one for ya. You have mentioned hailing from Maryland, so you must have an opinion on the 2nd greatest college sports season of the year (after college football, of course). So who takes the college lacrosse title this year? Who wins the UMd/Hopkins game this weekend?
- Anonymous
Wow, I honestly have no idea. I’ve been gone too long, and don’t keep enough track of lacrosse. But did you know the official state sport of Maryland is actually jousting? True story.
One question comes to mind, especially with our OL depletions. Do you see CMR looking to find snaps during the season for Mason or LeMay should either (or both) show promise? We have been down this road before with other QBs waiting in the wings.
As a fellow Mumford and Sons fan, you have not lived until you have listened to their entire Pukkelpop performance on YouTube: five videos listed in sequence, great sound quality, phenomenal performance. No better background music while you're typing out the mailbag answers, you carpetbagger.
- Oberg
Increasingly, it looks like Mason will be the backup and LeMay will redshirt. Don’t hold me to that, but right now they like how Mason has looked in spring ball. But with only three scholarship quarterbacks, especially with Logan Gray gone, even if they decide to try to redshirt LeMay, he’ll get reps throughout camp and the season, just in case.
Thanks for the tip on Pukkelpop, I'll put it on the Youtube list. Even if you did have to nail me with that carpetbagger line at the end there. Who are you, Paul Feinbaum?
Seth,
Would it have been more beneficial for the basketball program to have made a longer run in the NIT (like Alabama) or go one and done in the NCAA?
I feel like tournament experience and winning could have outweighed the buzz of being in the NCAA (although the taking heads were giving us a lot of love prior to the selection), but with the bulk of that team now gone, maybe not.
- Joel
No, you always want the tournament bid. These days, that’s how most programs are judged. The only way a long NIT run would have helped more is if they had known Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie would be gone, and they played guys like Marcus Thornton, Donte’ Williams and Sherrard Brantley extensive minutes. And in that case, I doubt they would have made a long NIT run.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Spring practice honors
Aaron Murray, Orson Charles and Kwame Geathers head the list of spring practice performers, according to the awards announced on Friday.
Head coach Mark Richt announced the honors in the run-up to Saturday's G-Day game. Here's the full list:
MVP (offense): QB Aaron Murray; TE Orson Charles.
True Grit Award (Offense): C Ben Jones.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Offense): T Kolton Houston.
Most Improved Player (Offense): FB Alexander Ogletree, QB Hutson Mason.
Outstanding Walk-On (Offense): TB Brandon Harton, WR Taylor Bradberry.
MVP (Defense): NT Kwame Geathers.
True Grit Award (Defense): CB-KR Brandon Boykin, FS Shawn Williams.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Defense): ILB Christian Robinson.
Most Improved Player (Defense): CB Jordan Love, CB Branden Smith.
Outstanding Walk-On (Defense): CB Connor Norman.
Head coach Mark Richt announced the honors in the run-up to Saturday's G-Day game. Here's the full list:
MVP (offense): QB Aaron Murray; TE Orson Charles.
True Grit Award (Offense): C Ben Jones.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Offense): T Kolton Houston.
Most Improved Player (Offense): FB Alexander Ogletree, QB Hutson Mason.
Outstanding Walk-On (Offense): TB Brandon Harton, WR Taylor Bradberry.
MVP (Defense): NT Kwame Geathers.
True Grit Award (Defense): CB-KR Brandon Boykin, FS Shawn Williams.
Coffee County Hustle Award (Defense): ILB Christian Robinson.
Most Improved Player (Defense): CB Jordan Love, CB Branden Smith.
Outstanding Walk-On (Defense): CB Connor Norman.
Jarvis Jones finds a home with the Bulldogs
Here's the opening excerpt of my story in today's papers on Georgia linebacker Jarvis Jones:
Don't worry, that part of the story ends there, and we get to football. Including some interesting quotes from defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and defensive end Derrick Lott.
Please read the full story here (for those of you in Macon) or here (for those of you in Jones' hometown of Columbus.
ATHENS - This was probably the best sign that Jarvis Jones, the pride of Columbus, didn’t quite fit in at Southern California. The now-Georgia linebacker was asked the other day what celebrities he remembered seeing during his one year at USC.
Jones labored.
“The dude, who sang -- what’d he sing -- ‘Lean on me,’ on ESPN. Who else? The coach on ‘The Waterboy.’ ”
Henry Winkler?
“Yeah, him.”
Then Jones thought some more.
“The dude that does the night show. He has a little night show that comes on.”
Jay Leno?
“I think that (was) Jay Leno.”
Don't worry, that part of the story ends there, and we get to football. Including some interesting quotes from defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and defensive end Derrick Lott.
Please read the full story here (for those of you in Macon) or here (for those of you in Jones' hometown of Columbus.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
G-Day injuries and details
Georgia head coach Mark Richt said “at least 10” players were likely out with injuries for Saturday’s spring game. Most prominent is tailback Washaun Ealey (hamstring), who has missed most of the past few weeks.
Cornerback Brandon Boykin, a captain who helped draft the teams, is also “iffy” with a concussion, according to Richt.
The other players expected to be out include cornerback Jordan Love (hamstring), Garrison Smith (strained neck), and cornerback-safety Sanders Commings (concussion). Safety Bacarri Rambo was ruled out a couple weeks ago with a sprained knee.
As for the game itself, it will include four 12-minute quarters, with “pretty close” to a normal game clock, Richt said. There will be no kickoffs or punts: kickoffs will be automatically spotted at the 25 and punts will be 35 yards. They will kick field goals and extra points, but there will be no rushing the kicker.
Richt also wants the coaches to limit their play-calling to only blitzes and plays that were shown last year.
“I don’t want our coaches to show anything new that might give Boise State or South Carolina a hint,” Richt said. “If it’s a blitz they ran all last year I don’t care if we run it. If it’s an offensive play we ran all last year. If it’s something that they can get off of our game film. … I’m not excited about showing anything new.”
Also, Alec Ogletree, who had previously been announced as being on the Black team, has been flipped to the red team.
Officially Richt said that happened because of injuries. But if you looked at the rosters - picked by the four player captains - you knew the Black team was stacked at inside linebacker: Ogletree, Richard Samuel, Mike Gilliard and Brandon Burrows.
So now Ogletree moves to the Red team, where he will be teamed with fellow starter Christian Robinson.
Cornerback Brandon Boykin, a captain who helped draft the teams, is also “iffy” with a concussion, according to Richt.
The other players expected to be out include cornerback Jordan Love (hamstring), Garrison Smith (strained neck), and cornerback-safety Sanders Commings (concussion). Safety Bacarri Rambo was ruled out a couple weeks ago with a sprained knee.
As for the game itself, it will include four 12-minute quarters, with “pretty close” to a normal game clock, Richt said. There will be no kickoffs or punts: kickoffs will be automatically spotted at the 25 and punts will be 35 yards. They will kick field goals and extra points, but there will be no rushing the kicker.
Richt also wants the coaches to limit their play-calling to only blitzes and plays that were shown last year.
“I don’t want our coaches to show anything new that might give Boise State or South Carolina a hint,” Richt said. “If it’s a blitz they ran all last year I don’t care if we run it. If it’s an offensive play we ran all last year. If it’s something that they can get off of our game film. … I’m not excited about showing anything new.”
Also, Alec Ogletree, who had previously been announced as being on the Black team, has been flipped to the red team.
Officially Richt said that happened because of injuries. But if you looked at the rosters - picked by the four player captains - you knew the Black team was stacked at inside linebacker: Ogletree, Richard Samuel, Mike Gilliard and Brandon Burrows.
So now Ogletree moves to the Red team, where he will be teamed with fellow starter Christian Robinson.
Jenkins and Geathers on the same line? And more defensive notes
The assumption has been that if Kwame Geathers had a good spring, he could have a chance to push incoming recruit John Jenkins for playing time at nose tackle.
As it turns out, Geathers is playing so well that he and Jenkins could end up playing together.
“We play with three (on the defensive line). There’s nothing etched in stone that those guys have to be at nose,” Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “We’ll see how it goes. We’ve got a couple different packages.”
So the 340-pound Geathers or 361-pound Jenkins could play end.
“There ain’t a rule against it, is there?” Grantham said, smiling.
Geathers played sparingly last year, and the team pushed hard to sign Jenkins to fill the much-needed nose guard position. But with Jenkins not due to arrive on campus until May at the earliest, Geathers took advantage of all the snaps in spring practice.
“His arrow is up,” Grantham said of Geathers.
Defensive line coach Rodney Garner said Geathers has improved his use of hands in the trenches, and is “playing stouter.” The competition with Jenkins may have spurred Geathers, but Garner thinks a natural progression was in order.
“Obviously he’s a year older. The kid’s just a redshirt sophomore.”
A few more notes from the defensive coaches after Thursday's final spring practice:
- Secondary coach Scott Lakatos said a decision will be made later on whether Sanders Commings will play safety or cornerback. That could depend also on how the incoming freshmen look.
“We’ll sit down some point after recruiting and go through position by position and see what our depth looks like at that time and see what the best crew (is) we could put out there,” Lakatos said.
Commings only spent one day at safety in spring camp before suffering a concussion. He's likely out for the G-Day game.
Entering camp, Shawn Williams had the edge at the other safety spot over Jakar Hamilton, and due to Hamilton's injury, that hasn't changed.
- Abry Jones seems to have solidified his first-team spot at one end spot, opposite DeAngelo Tyson. As far as the backup end, Garrison Smith is a bit ahead of fellow sophomore Derrick Lott.
“Garrison is a little bit more comfortable in knowing what to do,” Garner said. “That’s probably him playing last year in the system a lot more than Lott did. We’ve got to continue to improve Derrick’s knowledge in what to do so we can turn him loose and play him faster.”
- At inside linebacker, it appears Richard Samuel and Brandon Burrows are ahead of Mike Gilliard for the backup spots. Christian Robinson and Alec Ogletree seem entrenched at the starting spots.
As it turns out, Geathers is playing so well that he and Jenkins could end up playing together.
“We play with three (on the defensive line). There’s nothing etched in stone that those guys have to be at nose,” Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “We’ll see how it goes. We’ve got a couple different packages.”
So the 340-pound Geathers or 361-pound Jenkins could play end.
“There ain’t a rule against it, is there?” Grantham said, smiling.
Geathers played sparingly last year, and the team pushed hard to sign Jenkins to fill the much-needed nose guard position. But with Jenkins not due to arrive on campus until May at the earliest, Geathers took advantage of all the snaps in spring practice.
“His arrow is up,” Grantham said of Geathers.
Defensive line coach Rodney Garner said Geathers has improved his use of hands in the trenches, and is “playing stouter.” The competition with Jenkins may have spurred Geathers, but Garner thinks a natural progression was in order.
“Obviously he’s a year older. The kid’s just a redshirt sophomore.”
A few more notes from the defensive coaches after Thursday's final spring practice:
- Secondary coach Scott Lakatos said a decision will be made later on whether Sanders Commings will play safety or cornerback. That could depend also on how the incoming freshmen look.
“We’ll sit down some point after recruiting and go through position by position and see what our depth looks like at that time and see what the best crew (is) we could put out there,” Lakatos said.
Commings only spent one day at safety in spring camp before suffering a concussion. He's likely out for the G-Day game.
Entering camp, Shawn Williams had the edge at the other safety spot over Jakar Hamilton, and due to Hamilton's injury, that hasn't changed.
- Abry Jones seems to have solidified his first-team spot at one end spot, opposite DeAngelo Tyson. As far as the backup end, Garrison Smith is a bit ahead of fellow sophomore Derrick Lott.
“Garrison is a little bit more comfortable in knowing what to do,” Garner said. “That’s probably him playing last year in the system a lot more than Lott did. We’ve got to continue to improve Derrick’s knowledge in what to do so we can turn him loose and play him faster.”
- At inside linebacker, it appears Richard Samuel and Brandon Burrows are ahead of Mike Gilliard for the backup spots. Christian Robinson and Alec Ogletree seem entrenched at the starting spots.
Mailbag, primero parte
Thanks for all the questions, and feel free to keep the coming: Like most recent mailbags, this one will be broken into two parts.
I’ll get to some of the ones you submitted on Friday. In the meantime, here you go:
So, basketball, rebuilding or reloading? I see back to old days. Wrong?
- Joe McCollum
My guess: somewhere in the middle. Basketball is such a star-driven game, that the addition of an elite recruit like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope means you still can’t rule out an NCAA tournament run. Especially when you have two senior guards in Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware.
The key will be whether Caldwell-Pope lives up to the hype, and whether the Bulldogs can at least have a serviceable post game. None of the incoming recruits sound like immediate impact players, so it’s on Marcus Thornton and Donte’ Williams to make big leaps as sophomores.
Keep hearing vague references to Orson Charles tearing it up this spring. Are they flexing him out more, is this all from the standard TE spot, or what's the plan to get him more involved in a post-AJ passing attack?
- Jeff
That’s one of the problems with closed practices and scrimmages; you’re only going on what you hear. Players and coaches have said the same thing about Charles, but that’s what you’d expect out of him.
I do feel that Georgia NEEDS to make Charles more of a focal point, as he was in a few games last year. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Georgia will flex him out a bit more, especially if they don’t like what they see out of the other receivers. When you have Charles, White, and recruit Jay Rome at tight end, and uncertainty at wideout, why wouldn’t you try to do that?
If you're a fan of Mumford, did you go to one of the Avett Bros shows? They played SAV, AUG, ATH and a Braves game. Great band.
- Howmuchyoubench
I’ve heard a lot about Avett Brothers, and heard one of them interviewed on Tony Kornheiser’s radio show. They do seem like a cool band. But I’m always behind on music trends, so it’ll probably be at least this summer until I hop on that bandwagon.
Seth, glad you listen to Mumford and Sons. Try listening to "feel the tide" great unknown song by them.
Here is my Question: How much would you spend to go see them in concert June 12th at the Fox Theater?
Also Civil War related: Did you like the movie "Glory"? Seen it?
- Matt Cheij
They’re coming to the Fox? I’m there, unless I have to take out a small loan.
“Glory” is probably the best Civil War movie ever made, with great performances from some of the best actors of their generation (Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher.) I also liked “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals,” but those tend to cater more to the buffs and war nerds like me.
I watched Clemson's Orange and White game this past weekend. Both offensive and defensive lines are very very athletic and are mammoth in size. Have you noticed so far if UGA is making strides in the S&C program?
- Anonymous
Honestly, while the word of mouth from players has been great, I haven’t really sat there at the start of practices and said, “Wow these guys are huge now.” We’re just going to have to wait until real games in the fall to find out for sure, especially since conditioning – playing well in the fourth quarter – is such an emphasis.
One thing from talking to players is that it’s a more targeted approach: For instance Caleb King has dropped pounds, but says he feels stronger.
Is Marc Weiszer your mortal enemy, as Newman was to Jerry, or Android is to Apple?
- Andy
Marc and I are fellow Maryland alums, and grew up in the same county. But yeah, we hate each other. … No, seriously, I’ve enjoyed working alongside Marc, and competing with him. He’s a very good reporter, a pro and a true journalist – which you can’t say about everyone in sportswriting these days.
With Butler's recent sucess, Do you think Georgia should go after Blue for the position of UGA IX? He'd bring a winning attitude. The lure of playing in the SEC just might be enough to pry him away.
- Russ for Uga IX in ‘011
Wait, are you jumping off the Russ bandwagon? As for Blue, you mention the lure of playing in the SEC, but that hasn’t been enough to pry Brad Stevens away yet. Maybe Georgia and Butler could come to a dog-sharing agreement, where Blue goes to Georgia during football season, then goes back to Butler for basketball.
Seth - your predictions for the Clasico series? Barca will play Real Madrid 4 times in the next 18 days with three trophies on the line - league, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. With the four matches so soon and across competitions, it can make for strategic intrigue in each game. Barca has a pretty hefty lead in the league standings so in theory Real could wreck Messi's knee in Saturday's league game and knock him out of the other trophy matches.
- Anonymous
Sadly, while I spent about half my childhood living in Spanish-speaking countries, I never quite picked up soccer as a sporting love. That’s my excuse for all the soccer snobs who say I’m an ugly American: I saw it up close, I appreciated it, but I stuck with the American sports. Got a problem with that? Well then time for me to sic Toby Keith on yer latte’-sippin, pencil neck … (The rest of this sentence has been deleted by editors because it became too laughable attempt at looking tough.)
Two Questions - 1) Don't know that I have ever understood the logic of always trying to redshirt offensive linemen because they are "not ready" What is the thought process behind this ? Seems to me being a big ugly just involves lots of blocking and tackling , while skill positions ( we will not redshirt Crowell for example) seem to require more knowledge of routes and overall schemes.
2)Any news on Butts Mehre locker room thefts ? Was there a video surveillance of the area where the thefts occurred ?
- Robert K. Burnham
1) Coaches can talk about the learning curve, but most of the time the redshirting is done based on whether they need the guy to play. As for offensive linemen, the desire to redshirt them early has more to do with trying to get them bigger. The strength programs at the college level are just so much more sophisticated than high school.
2) My understanding is there was a video surveillance, but the police haven’t made any arrests yet, so who knows what was gleaned.
Has your coverage of Georgia's football team allowed you any access to any other SEC team's spring news? In essence, how do you and/or other beat writers view Georgia as compared to our SEC brethren? I realize that I'm a Georgia homer, but I just believe that UGA is more talented than many other teams in the league and I just haven't heard the same level of "buzz" surrounding any other programs. Your thoughts?
- Harold
I’ve been pretty busy keeping up with Georgia, so my insight on the other 11 teams has more to do with comings and goings. For instance Ole Miss, which Georgia plays in September, just had quarterback Nathan Stanley decide to transfer, and lost perhaps its best defensive player, linebacker DT Shackleford. And of course there’s Stephen Garcia’s suspension at South Carolina.
Spring practice can be so hard to gauge. At some places there’s real progress – well there should be real progress everywhere, because practice shouldn’t hurt. But how much progress? How do you gauge that? How do you quantify that?
Let's get a bit more broad and then narrow to specific: How about your favorite quote from a movie? No matter what your answer is, it should be "I Drink your Milkshake!"
OR
Best hero character flaw for any movie? Answer should be Outlaw Josey Wales. He spits his tobacco juice on dog heads, gotta love it. If I ever start chewing tobacco people better keep their dogs away cause I will Josey Wales 'em. My own dog will naturally learn to enjoy being Josey Wales'd.
- BigT
I have no particular comment on the latter portion, but I felt your effort shouldn’t go unnoticed.
As for favorite quote, you can pretty much pick out a half-dozen from “Blazing Saddles.” I just can’t quote many of them here.
Seth, can you give us your take on Coach Friend? Does he come off as competent and confident? Do you think he's ready for the big-time in the SEC? Thanks.
- Anonymous
I haven’t really seen enough of him to have a well-formed opinion yet. He doesn’t seem in over his head, put it that way. As for whether he’s confident, I’m sure he’s fine in that department, though compared to his predecessor, Stacy Searels, a lot of people would seem humble.
In your opinion, who is making a case to grab the number two receiver spot behind TKing?
If you're listening to Mumford and Sons you should definitely check out The Tallest man on Earth. Also, keep in mind that Umphrey's McGee is the greatest actively touring band on the planet.
- The Fussy Dawgman
Noted on the second part. … As for the first, it seems Marlon Brown is getting every chance to be the No. 2 receiver – but he hasn’t grabbed it yet. That’s a competition that’s going to carry well into preseason camp, especially with Malcolm Mitchell around.
Have you heard the new Foo Fighters ablum Wasting Light yet? If not I suggest you give it a listen. Dave Grohl is a rock God!
- Anonymous
Grohl has had one of the longest, most interesting careers in rock and roll. He was one of the “lesser-known” guys on one of the most groundbreaking groups in history (Nirvana, if you needed that). Kurt Cobain’s death could have sent him into obscurity, but instead he became a front man and has flourished. That just doesn’t happen much in music. Grohl is also a fellow Washingtonian, so I’ve always imagined we could be buddies.
Have you heard anything about Bobo adding some new plays or formations to the playbook? It's ok to lie to me.
Dougie Fresh
I’ll be truthful: With practices being closed, it’s hard to know. Coaches add plays every year, though, so I assume there will be a few new ones. I don’t know about formations, though. We’ll see at G-Day, perhaps.
How does Georgia's "injuries" in the spring stack up to other programs you have covered? It seems every spring we have loads of non-contact jerseys being handed out. Seems like it is usually the same players too.
- Roba300
Pretty normal. A lot of times fans and media will think the program they root for or cover has more than the usual share of this and that, but the opinion is skewed by being around them too much. It seems the rash of injuries at Georgia’s camp has been just that, and nothing to worry about – until Trinton Sturdivant. And that could happen anywhere.
What's going on with Christian Lemay? Looks like they're preparing to red shirt him, is this the plan? Lemay ok with it if so?
- Anonymous
It looks like Hutson Mason is the clear No. 2, so there’s a good chance LeMay gets redshirted. That’s probably a good idea considering he didn’t play high school ball last year. I’m sure LeMay is fine with it, especially if it helps extend his career later. Aaron Murray could be the starter for three more years.
Seth, I've seen listings for G-Day that have the CSS telecast starting at 1:00PM but the ESPN3 start time is 2:00PM. Whut up wit dat? Tape-delay?
- Carter
Hmm, no idea on ESPN3, I just know that the game is due to start at 1 p.m. and will be on CSS.
Any update on Ealey? Expected to play? Any chance of transfer from what you're hearing, sure hope not?
- Anonymous
It doesn’t look good for him playing on Saturday. He’s still here, even after the suspension, but I don’t think anyone would be shocked if he left.
Seth, are you a video gamer? If so, what are your favorite genres? Fighting, First-Person Shooter?
Also, are you looking forward to any particular movie this summer?
Finally, did Logan Gray get a fair shot to be QB the year Joe Cox was named the starter?
- Mr. Bixby
1) I play sports video games, not so much the action variety. 2) Any movies I should be waiting on? I haven’t looked. 3) No idea on Gray vs. Cox, that was before my time.
Seth! The first time you watched "Citizen Kane" what did you think "Rosebud" meant before they finally revealed it at the end of the movie. I like hearing all the different predictions people had.
- TripAces1
Who knew there would be this much discussion about “Citizen Kane”? I won’t spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t seen it – including a certain friend of mine, who I’ve ordered to put "Kane" on her Netflix queue. But the first time I saw it, when I was in college, I didn’t guess what it was. And I prefer to be surprised by things like that: Back in the day I knew there was a major twist at the end of “Sixth Sense,” and was happy I didn’t guess it before it was revealed. It’s just more fun that way.
What is your perspective on the recent tax battle in the state legislature. Are you in favor of lowering your income tax 1.4% and having to pay taxes on services such as cell phones and auto repairs?
- Dawgfan1307
We have a state legislature?
I’ll get to some of the ones you submitted on Friday. In the meantime, here you go:
So, basketball, rebuilding or reloading? I see back to old days. Wrong?
- Joe McCollum
My guess: somewhere in the middle. Basketball is such a star-driven game, that the addition of an elite recruit like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope means you still can’t rule out an NCAA tournament run. Especially when you have two senior guards in Gerald Robinson and Dustin Ware.
The key will be whether Caldwell-Pope lives up to the hype, and whether the Bulldogs can at least have a serviceable post game. None of the incoming recruits sound like immediate impact players, so it’s on Marcus Thornton and Donte’ Williams to make big leaps as sophomores.
Keep hearing vague references to Orson Charles tearing it up this spring. Are they flexing him out more, is this all from the standard TE spot, or what's the plan to get him more involved in a post-AJ passing attack?
- Jeff
That’s one of the problems with closed practices and scrimmages; you’re only going on what you hear. Players and coaches have said the same thing about Charles, but that’s what you’d expect out of him.
I do feel that Georgia NEEDS to make Charles more of a focal point, as he was in a few games last year. And I have a sneaking suspicion that Georgia will flex him out a bit more, especially if they don’t like what they see out of the other receivers. When you have Charles, White, and recruit Jay Rome at tight end, and uncertainty at wideout, why wouldn’t you try to do that?
If you're a fan of Mumford, did you go to one of the Avett Bros shows? They played SAV, AUG, ATH and a Braves game. Great band.
- Howmuchyoubench
I’ve heard a lot about Avett Brothers, and heard one of them interviewed on Tony Kornheiser’s radio show. They do seem like a cool band. But I’m always behind on music trends, so it’ll probably be at least this summer until I hop on that bandwagon.
Seth, glad you listen to Mumford and Sons. Try listening to "feel the tide" great unknown song by them.
Here is my Question: How much would you spend to go see them in concert June 12th at the Fox Theater?
Also Civil War related: Did you like the movie "Glory"? Seen it?
- Matt Cheij
They’re coming to the Fox? I’m there, unless I have to take out a small loan.
“Glory” is probably the best Civil War movie ever made, with great performances from some of the best actors of their generation (Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Andre Braugher.) I also liked “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals,” but those tend to cater more to the buffs and war nerds like me.
I watched Clemson's Orange and White game this past weekend. Both offensive and defensive lines are very very athletic and are mammoth in size. Have you noticed so far if UGA is making strides in the S&C program?
- Anonymous
Honestly, while the word of mouth from players has been great, I haven’t really sat there at the start of practices and said, “Wow these guys are huge now.” We’re just going to have to wait until real games in the fall to find out for sure, especially since conditioning – playing well in the fourth quarter – is such an emphasis.
One thing from talking to players is that it’s a more targeted approach: For instance Caleb King has dropped pounds, but says he feels stronger.
Is Marc Weiszer your mortal enemy, as Newman was to Jerry, or Android is to Apple?
- Andy
Marc and I are fellow Maryland alums, and grew up in the same county. But yeah, we hate each other. … No, seriously, I’ve enjoyed working alongside Marc, and competing with him. He’s a very good reporter, a pro and a true journalist – which you can’t say about everyone in sportswriting these days.
With Butler's recent sucess, Do you think Georgia should go after Blue for the position of UGA IX? He'd bring a winning attitude. The lure of playing in the SEC just might be enough to pry him away.
- Russ for Uga IX in ‘011
Wait, are you jumping off the Russ bandwagon? As for Blue, you mention the lure of playing in the SEC, but that hasn’t been enough to pry Brad Stevens away yet. Maybe Georgia and Butler could come to a dog-sharing agreement, where Blue goes to Georgia during football season, then goes back to Butler for basketball.
Seth - your predictions for the Clasico series? Barca will play Real Madrid 4 times in the next 18 days with three trophies on the line - league, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. With the four matches so soon and across competitions, it can make for strategic intrigue in each game. Barca has a pretty hefty lead in the league standings so in theory Real could wreck Messi's knee in Saturday's league game and knock him out of the other trophy matches.
- Anonymous
Sadly, while I spent about half my childhood living in Spanish-speaking countries, I never quite picked up soccer as a sporting love. That’s my excuse for all the soccer snobs who say I’m an ugly American: I saw it up close, I appreciated it, but I stuck with the American sports. Got a problem with that? Well then time for me to sic Toby Keith on yer latte’-sippin, pencil neck … (The rest of this sentence has been deleted by editors because it became too laughable attempt at looking tough.)
Two Questions - 1) Don't know that I have ever understood the logic of always trying to redshirt offensive linemen because they are "not ready" What is the thought process behind this ? Seems to me being a big ugly just involves lots of blocking and tackling , while skill positions ( we will not redshirt Crowell for example) seem to require more knowledge of routes and overall schemes.
2)Any news on Butts Mehre locker room thefts ? Was there a video surveillance of the area where the thefts occurred ?
- Robert K. Burnham
1) Coaches can talk about the learning curve, but most of the time the redshirting is done based on whether they need the guy to play. As for offensive linemen, the desire to redshirt them early has more to do with trying to get them bigger. The strength programs at the college level are just so much more sophisticated than high school.
2) My understanding is there was a video surveillance, but the police haven’t made any arrests yet, so who knows what was gleaned.
Has your coverage of Georgia's football team allowed you any access to any other SEC team's spring news? In essence, how do you and/or other beat writers view Georgia as compared to our SEC brethren? I realize that I'm a Georgia homer, but I just believe that UGA is more talented than many other teams in the league and I just haven't heard the same level of "buzz" surrounding any other programs. Your thoughts?
- Harold
I’ve been pretty busy keeping up with Georgia, so my insight on the other 11 teams has more to do with comings and goings. For instance Ole Miss, which Georgia plays in September, just had quarterback Nathan Stanley decide to transfer, and lost perhaps its best defensive player, linebacker DT Shackleford. And of course there’s Stephen Garcia’s suspension at South Carolina.
Spring practice can be so hard to gauge. At some places there’s real progress – well there should be real progress everywhere, because practice shouldn’t hurt. But how much progress? How do you gauge that? How do you quantify that?
Let's get a bit more broad and then narrow to specific: How about your favorite quote from a movie? No matter what your answer is, it should be "I Drink your Milkshake!"
OR
Best hero character flaw for any movie? Answer should be Outlaw Josey Wales. He spits his tobacco juice on dog heads, gotta love it. If I ever start chewing tobacco people better keep their dogs away cause I will Josey Wales 'em. My own dog will naturally learn to enjoy being Josey Wales'd.
- BigT
I have no particular comment on the latter portion, but I felt your effort shouldn’t go unnoticed.
As for favorite quote, you can pretty much pick out a half-dozen from “Blazing Saddles.” I just can’t quote many of them here.
Seth, can you give us your take on Coach Friend? Does he come off as competent and confident? Do you think he's ready for the big-time in the SEC? Thanks.
- Anonymous
I haven’t really seen enough of him to have a well-formed opinion yet. He doesn’t seem in over his head, put it that way. As for whether he’s confident, I’m sure he’s fine in that department, though compared to his predecessor, Stacy Searels, a lot of people would seem humble.
In your opinion, who is making a case to grab the number two receiver spot behind TKing?
If you're listening to Mumford and Sons you should definitely check out The Tallest man on Earth. Also, keep in mind that Umphrey's McGee is the greatest actively touring band on the planet.
- The Fussy Dawgman
Noted on the second part. … As for the first, it seems Marlon Brown is getting every chance to be the No. 2 receiver – but he hasn’t grabbed it yet. That’s a competition that’s going to carry well into preseason camp, especially with Malcolm Mitchell around.
Have you heard the new Foo Fighters ablum Wasting Light yet? If not I suggest you give it a listen. Dave Grohl is a rock God!
- Anonymous
Grohl has had one of the longest, most interesting careers in rock and roll. He was one of the “lesser-known” guys on one of the most groundbreaking groups in history (Nirvana, if you needed that). Kurt Cobain’s death could have sent him into obscurity, but instead he became a front man and has flourished. That just doesn’t happen much in music. Grohl is also a fellow Washingtonian, so I’ve always imagined we could be buddies.
Have you heard anything about Bobo adding some new plays or formations to the playbook? It's ok to lie to me.
Dougie Fresh
I’ll be truthful: With practices being closed, it’s hard to know. Coaches add plays every year, though, so I assume there will be a few new ones. I don’t know about formations, though. We’ll see at G-Day, perhaps.
How does Georgia's "injuries" in the spring stack up to other programs you have covered? It seems every spring we have loads of non-contact jerseys being handed out. Seems like it is usually the same players too.
- Roba300
Pretty normal. A lot of times fans and media will think the program they root for or cover has more than the usual share of this and that, but the opinion is skewed by being around them too much. It seems the rash of injuries at Georgia’s camp has been just that, and nothing to worry about – until Trinton Sturdivant. And that could happen anywhere.
What's going on with Christian Lemay? Looks like they're preparing to red shirt him, is this the plan? Lemay ok with it if so?
- Anonymous
It looks like Hutson Mason is the clear No. 2, so there’s a good chance LeMay gets redshirted. That’s probably a good idea considering he didn’t play high school ball last year. I’m sure LeMay is fine with it, especially if it helps extend his career later. Aaron Murray could be the starter for three more years.
Seth, I've seen listings for G-Day that have the CSS telecast starting at 1:00PM but the ESPN3 start time is 2:00PM. Whut up wit dat? Tape-delay?
- Carter
Hmm, no idea on ESPN3, I just know that the game is due to start at 1 p.m. and will be on CSS.
Any update on Ealey? Expected to play? Any chance of transfer from what you're hearing, sure hope not?
- Anonymous
It doesn’t look good for him playing on Saturday. He’s still here, even after the suspension, but I don’t think anyone would be shocked if he left.
Seth, are you a video gamer? If so, what are your favorite genres? Fighting, First-Person Shooter?
Also, are you looking forward to any particular movie this summer?
Finally, did Logan Gray get a fair shot to be QB the year Joe Cox was named the starter?
- Mr. Bixby
1) I play sports video games, not so much the action variety. 2) Any movies I should be waiting on? I haven’t looked. 3) No idea on Gray vs. Cox, that was before my time.
Seth! The first time you watched "Citizen Kane" what did you think "Rosebud" meant before they finally revealed it at the end of the movie. I like hearing all the different predictions people had.
- TripAces1
Who knew there would be this much discussion about “Citizen Kane”? I won’t spoil the ending for anyone who hasn’t seen it – including a certain friend of mine, who I’ve ordered to put "Kane" on her Netflix queue. But the first time I saw it, when I was in college, I didn’t guess what it was. And I prefer to be surprised by things like that: Back in the day I knew there was a major twist at the end of “Sixth Sense,” and was happy I didn’t guess it before it was revealed. It’s just more fun that way.
What is your perspective on the recent tax battle in the state legislature. Are you in favor of lowering your income tax 1.4% and having to pay taxes on services such as cell phones and auto repairs?
- Dawgfan1307
We have a state legislature?
Johnathan Taylor update
Georgia baseball player Johnathan Taylor has partial paralysis, and it's unsure whether he'll be able to regain use of his legs. That's according to an update provided today at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where Taylor is rehabilitating.
I wasn't able to attend today's press conference in Atlanta. Here's the Associated Press report:
Here's also a link to a comprehensive report from ESPN's Mark Schlabach. It includes quotes from Dr. Leslie and Georgia head coach David Perno.
I wasn't able to attend today's press conference in Atlanta. Here's the Associated Press report:
ATLANTA (AP) - Injured Georgia baseball player Johnathan Taylor has the use of his arms and is regaining strength after breaking his neck in an outfield collision, though doctors are unsure whether he'll be able to regain the use of his legs.
Dr. Donald Peck Leslie, medical director of the Shepherd Center, said Thursday that Taylor is "breathing completely on his own and making progress every day.''
Taylor was hurt on March 6 and transferred to the Shepherd Center from St. Mary's Hospital in Athens on March 11. He's expected to stay at the rehabilitation hospital for about another month before beginning outpatient treatment.
The junior left fielder was injured when he collided with center fielder Zach Cone in the third inning of a home game against Florida State.
Here's also a link to a comprehensive report from ESPN's Mark Schlabach. It includes quotes from Dr. Leslie and Georgia head coach David Perno.
Call for the mailbag
We're in the home stretch here, people. One more spring practice, and then G-Day on Saturday. So it's time for the pre-G-Day mailbag, as I promised you good people of the world last week.
As always, please post your questions below, or send me an e-mail (semerson@macon.com), or come up to me later this afternoon as I'm performing my weekly charitable endeavor. (Shoveling manure at the UGA equestrian center.)
Possible topics include:
- Personnel or other issues relating to the Georgia football team as it wraps up spring practice.
- The men's basketball team's future following the departures of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.
- The surging baseball team.
- What music am I listening to right now. (Hint: Mumford and Sons "The Cave" needs to be on your playlist. And a certain Georgia receiver just tweeted that he's listening to Avril Lavigne's "What the hell," adding "don't judge." We won't Israel, we won't.)
- Whether "Citizen Kane" is the greatest movie of all time, or "Pineapple Express."
- On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, any topic that is not related to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. (I'm actually a history buff who's greatly interested in the subject, and read the Shelby Foote trilogy, but my years in the deep South have taught me that broaching the subject isn't quite a good idea.)
- And finally ... earwax: Pro or con?
I'll try to post a mailbag today, and if not Friday, or perhaps even one per day. In this ever-changing world, who knows what the future holds.
Fire away.
As always, please post your questions below, or send me an e-mail (semerson@macon.com), or come up to me later this afternoon as I'm performing my weekly charitable endeavor. (Shoveling manure at the UGA equestrian center.)
Possible topics include:
- Personnel or other issues relating to the Georgia football team as it wraps up spring practice.
- The men's basketball team's future following the departures of Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie.
- The surging baseball team.
- What music am I listening to right now. (Hint: Mumford and Sons "The Cave" needs to be on your playlist. And a certain Georgia receiver just tweeted that he's listening to Avril Lavigne's "What the hell," adding "don't judge." We won't Israel, we won't.)
- Whether "Citizen Kane" is the greatest movie of all time, or "Pineapple Express."
- On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, any topic that is not related to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. (I'm actually a history buff who's greatly interested in the subject, and read the Shelby Foote trilogy, but my years in the deep South have taught me that broaching the subject isn't quite a good idea.)
- And finally ... earwax: Pro or con?
I'll try to post a mailbag today, and if not Friday, or perhaps even one per day. In this ever-changing world, who knows what the future holds.
Fire away.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Fourth recruits signs with UGA hoops, which may not be done yet
Nemanja Djurisic is officially on board to the Georgia men's basketball program. The forward from Montenegro sent in his letter-of-intent on Wednesday, the first day of the late signing period.
Djurisic becomes the fourth signed member of the Georgia signing class. He's listed at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds.
"He's a terrific shooter with good size and a great feel for the game," head coach Mark Fox said in a statement.
(Personal note: I've been to Montenegro, which has a very good national swimming program. If nothing else, you've now learned that. Call it a productive day.)
The Bulldogs have now signed three post-oriented players: Djurisic, John Florveus (a 7-footer from Fort Myers, Fla.) and Tim Dixon (a 6-10 forward from Columbus.)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a 6-6 guard from Greenville, is the linchpin to the class. He's a McDonald's All-American who is likely to take Travis Leslie's spot in the lineup.
Georgia is also still in the hunt for Kevin Ware, a 6-5 guard from Conyers who originally signed with Tennessee. Ware got his release and is also considering Louisville, UCLA and Central Florida.
The Bulldogs have eight scholarship players returning, after the early departures of Leslie and Trey Thompkins. That leaves them with one open spot remaining, but Connor Nolte and Matt Bucklin could always return to walk-on status.
Djurisic becomes the fourth signed member of the Georgia signing class. He's listed at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds.
"He's a terrific shooter with good size and a great feel for the game," head coach Mark Fox said in a statement.
(Personal note: I've been to Montenegro, which has a very good national swimming program. If nothing else, you've now learned that. Call it a productive day.)
The Bulldogs have now signed three post-oriented players: Djurisic, John Florveus (a 7-footer from Fort Myers, Fla.) and Tim Dixon (a 6-10 forward from Columbus.)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a 6-6 guard from Greenville, is the linchpin to the class. He's a McDonald's All-American who is likely to take Travis Leslie's spot in the lineup.
Georgia is also still in the hunt for Kevin Ware, a 6-5 guard from Conyers who originally signed with Tennessee. Ware got his release and is also considering Louisville, UCLA and Central Florida.
The Bulldogs have eight scholarship players returning, after the early departures of Leslie and Trey Thompkins. That leaves them with one open spot remaining, but Connor Nolte and Matt Bucklin could always return to walk-on status.
No one's 'the man' at tailback yet ... or at least no one currently enrolled
In case anyone needed one, here’s another sign that Isaiah Crowell will be given every chance to start at tailback once he arrives for summer camp.
Practices and scrimmages have been closed, but players have said that Caleb King, the rising senior, has looked great this spring. Meanwhile Washaun Ealey has hardly practiced because of a hamstring injury, while Ken Malcome has been slowed too.
Despite that, when offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was asked on Tuesday if King had done a lot for himself, Bobo demurred.
“Caleb has shown flashes,” the assistant coach said. “Caleb had a decent day the other day running the ball, and then today he did OK. But I wouldn’t say anybody’s stepped out and said, ‘Hey I’m the man.’ But we still have another scrimmage, which is the G-day. (That’s) another opportunity to get better.”
Translation: Nothing much has changed on the Crowell front. The day the Columbus tailback signed, Mark Richt said Crowell had a good chance to start against Boise State if he did everything right. And that still stands.
Bobo sounded a bit more positive about the spring performances at the other skill positions.
The top two quarterbacks, Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason, have played “extremely well,” according to Bobo.
“Murray it’s his third spring, and Mason it’s his first spring but he’s got a year under his belt. They understand a lot of what we’re trying to do and able to make plays within the system,” he said.
As for the receivers, Bobo said they’ve made some plays but have to be more consistent. (“We’ve had too many drops,” the coach said.) Specifically, Marlon Brown wasn’t very good early in camp but has improved. Michael Bennett, Tavarres King and Taylor Bradberry earned positive mentions from their coach. And tight end Orson Charles “has made a tremendous amount of plays,” according to Bobo.
“I feel good about the energy level of this football team,” Bobo said. “I feel good about the camaraderie of the group and how they went out and competed hard every day and tried to get better. Every day hasn’t been what we like but I’ve seen improvement and strides in that area.”
Practices and scrimmages have been closed, but players have said that Caleb King, the rising senior, has looked great this spring. Meanwhile Washaun Ealey has hardly practiced because of a hamstring injury, while Ken Malcome has been slowed too.
Despite that, when offensive coordinator Mike Bobo was asked on Tuesday if King had done a lot for himself, Bobo demurred.
“Caleb has shown flashes,” the assistant coach said. “Caleb had a decent day the other day running the ball, and then today he did OK. But I wouldn’t say anybody’s stepped out and said, ‘Hey I’m the man.’ But we still have another scrimmage, which is the G-day. (That’s) another opportunity to get better.”
Translation: Nothing much has changed on the Crowell front. The day the Columbus tailback signed, Mark Richt said Crowell had a good chance to start against Boise State if he did everything right. And that still stands.
Bobo sounded a bit more positive about the spring performances at the other skill positions.
The top two quarterbacks, Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason, have played “extremely well,” according to Bobo.
“Murray it’s his third spring, and Mason it’s his first spring but he’s got a year under his belt. They understand a lot of what we’re trying to do and able to make plays within the system,” he said.
As for the receivers, Bobo said they’ve made some plays but have to be more consistent. (“We’ve had too many drops,” the coach said.) Specifically, Marlon Brown wasn’t very good early in camp but has improved. Michael Bennett, Tavarres King and Taylor Bradberry earned positive mentions from their coach. And tight end Orson Charles “has made a tremendous amount of plays,” according to Bobo.
“I feel good about the energy level of this football team,” Bobo said. “I feel good about the camaraderie of the group and how they went out and competed hard every day and tried to get better. Every day hasn’t been what we like but I’ve seen improvement and strides in that area.”
'Bean' is rusty, but back in the limelilght
Tuesday was "check on the offensive line day" for the media after practice. I spent a few minutes with Justin Anderson, better known as "Bean," who was pretty blunt about where he stands right now:
You can read the full package of notes at this link. It also includes a bit more on the injury to Sturdivant - players didn't think it was serious at first - and Brandon Boykin and Aaron Murray talking about the drafting of the G-Day teams.
My tease: Boykin had a surprising name when asked who his team's best value pick ended up being.
ATHENS - Suddenly, Justin Anderson is in a more prominent role. First, by the Georgia football player’s own admission, he has a lot of catching up to do.
The injury to Trinton Sturdivant has thrust Anderson, who was working at right guard, onto the first team at right tackle. After playing last season on defense, and then getting hurt to boot, Anderson admitted he is “just rusty right now.”
“I’ll play either (guard or tackle). I just want to be comfortable,” Anderson said. “Right now I’m just a little frustrated, because I’m not comfortable with either.”
You can read the full package of notes at this link. It also includes a bit more on the injury to Sturdivant - players didn't think it was serious at first - and Brandon Boykin and Aaron Murray talking about the drafting of the G-Day teams.
My tease: Boykin had a surprising name when asked who his team's best value pick ended up being.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Anderson at right tackle (for now), Glenn at left tackle (probably for good), and more
The nitty-gritty from our interview with assistant coach Will Friend, who discussed the state of the offensive line after Trinton Sturdivant’s knee injury:
- Senior Justin Anderson is working first team at right tackle, with redshirt junior A.J. Harmon behind him. Friend also wants to take a look at redshirt sophomore Austin Long, who was having a good spring prior to getting hurt.
Still, it’s no guarantee that Anderson, who played last season on defense before getting turf toe, will end up at right tackle. Anderson admitted he was still feeling “rusty” on the line.
“He may be that (starter) at guard, he may be that at tackle,” Friend said of Anderson. “You gotta go with your best five.”
Friend didn’t want the situation at the guard spots to be overlooked. He indicated that sophomore Kenarious Gates and redshirt sophomore Chris Burnette are in good shape there, but Anderson could still be a factor there.
- Senior Cordy Glenn seems a good bet to start at left tackle. Glenn himself said he hadn’t been told anything, but said he was getting more comfortable in general at tackle. Friend basically indicated that Glenn would be the left tackle barring something unforeseen. But Friend also wants Glenn to lose some more weight.
“He could be a real good player,” Friend said. “And he’s gotta be good for us.”
- Brent Benedict has “a ways to go,” according to Friend. Benedict, a redshirt freshman, has been getting back from his own knee injury.
Of all the inexperienced linemen, Friend seemed the highest on Long.
“We’re counting on him, and he needs to come through,” Friend said.
- So could the incoming freshmen now be a factor with Sturdivant’s injury. Friend said the situation hadn’t changed.
“No matter what would happen there, if guys were ready to play, they were gonna play,” friend said.
- Senior Justin Anderson is working first team at right tackle, with redshirt junior A.J. Harmon behind him. Friend also wants to take a look at redshirt sophomore Austin Long, who was having a good spring prior to getting hurt.
Still, it’s no guarantee that Anderson, who played last season on defense before getting turf toe, will end up at right tackle. Anderson admitted he was still feeling “rusty” on the line.
“He may be that (starter) at guard, he may be that at tackle,” Friend said of Anderson. “You gotta go with your best five.”
Friend didn’t want the situation at the guard spots to be overlooked. He indicated that sophomore Kenarious Gates and redshirt sophomore Chris Burnette are in good shape there, but Anderson could still be a factor there.
- Senior Cordy Glenn seems a good bet to start at left tackle. Glenn himself said he hadn’t been told anything, but said he was getting more comfortable in general at tackle. Friend basically indicated that Glenn would be the left tackle barring something unforeseen. But Friend also wants Glenn to lose some more weight.
“He could be a real good player,” Friend said. “And he’s gotta be good for us.”
- Brent Benedict has “a ways to go,” according to Friend. Benedict, a redshirt freshman, has been getting back from his own knee injury.
Of all the inexperienced linemen, Friend seemed the highest on Long.
“We’re counting on him, and he needs to come through,” Friend said.
- So could the incoming freshmen now be a factor with Sturdivant’s injury. Friend said the situation hadn’t changed.
“No matter what would happen there, if guys were ready to play, they were gonna play,” friend said.
Hot off the presses: G-Day rosters
The good folks at Georgia sports information have just passed out the official rosters for Saturday's spring game.
The notables on the Red team (picked by Christian Robinson and Ben Jones:
- Secondary: Sanders Commings (listed at safey), along with safety Mark Deas, cornerbacks Jordan Love and Derek Owens.
- Outside linebackers: Cornelius Washington and Jarvis Jones. The inside linebackers, besides Robinson, are all walk-ons.
- Defensive line: Derrick Lott, Mike Thornton and Abry Jones.
- The offensive skill spots: Receivers Israel Troupe, Tavarres King and Michael Bennett. Quarterbacks Hutson Mason and Greg Bingham. Tailbacks Caleb King and Carlton Thomas. Fullback Zander Ogletree and tight ends Aron White and Arthur Lynch.
- Offensive line: LT Cordy Glenn, LG Kenarious Gates, Ben Jones, RG Ben Reynolds, RT A.J. Harmon.
- And the specialists: Drew Butler (punter) and Brandon Bogotay (kicker).
The coaches: Tony Ball, Will Friend, John Lilly, Todd Grantham, and Kirk Olivadotti.
The notables on the Black team (drafted by Brandon Boykin and Aaron Murray):
- Secondary: Branden Smith, Boykin, Jakar Hamilton, Shawn Williams,
- Linebackers: Alec Ogletree, Richard Samuel, Mike Gilliard, Brandon Burrows and Reuben Faloughi.
- Defensive line: Kwame Geathers, DeAngelo Tyson, Garrison Smith.
- Receivers: Marlon Brown, Rantavious Wooten, Chris Conley, Orson Charles at tight end.
- Christian LeMay backs up Murray at quarterback.
- Tailbacks: Washaun Ealey, Ken Malcome and walk-on star Brandon Harton. Fullback: Bruce Figgins.
- Offensive line: Justin Anderson, Dallas Lee, Chris Burnette, Brent Benedict, Kolton Houston.
- Specialists: Blair Walsh (kicker), Adam Erickson (punter.)
The coaches: Mike Bobo, Bryan McClendon, Rodney Garner, Scott Lakatos.
The first impression is that the Black team is a bit better, or at least it has more starters. Then again, it also has two players who sat out the spring with injuries (Dexter Morant and T.J. Stripling), another who has retired with injuries (Jeremy Longo) and Trinton Sturdivant.
NOTE: The original list provided by UGA had the coaching staffs mixed up; they were transposed. It's been fixed and what you see above is correct.
The notables on the Red team (picked by Christian Robinson and Ben Jones:
- Secondary: Sanders Commings (listed at safey), along with safety Mark Deas, cornerbacks Jordan Love and Derek Owens.
- Outside linebackers: Cornelius Washington and Jarvis Jones. The inside linebackers, besides Robinson, are all walk-ons.
- Defensive line: Derrick Lott, Mike Thornton and Abry Jones.
- The offensive skill spots: Receivers Israel Troupe, Tavarres King and Michael Bennett. Quarterbacks Hutson Mason and Greg Bingham. Tailbacks Caleb King and Carlton Thomas. Fullback Zander Ogletree and tight ends Aron White and Arthur Lynch.
- Offensive line: LT Cordy Glenn, LG Kenarious Gates, Ben Jones, RG Ben Reynolds, RT A.J. Harmon.
- And the specialists: Drew Butler (punter) and Brandon Bogotay (kicker).
The coaches: Tony Ball, Will Friend, John Lilly, Todd Grantham, and Kirk Olivadotti.
The notables on the Black team (drafted by Brandon Boykin and Aaron Murray):
- Secondary: Branden Smith, Boykin, Jakar Hamilton, Shawn Williams,
- Linebackers: Alec Ogletree, Richard Samuel, Mike Gilliard, Brandon Burrows and Reuben Faloughi.
- Defensive line: Kwame Geathers, DeAngelo Tyson, Garrison Smith.
- Receivers: Marlon Brown, Rantavious Wooten, Chris Conley, Orson Charles at tight end.
- Christian LeMay backs up Murray at quarterback.
- Tailbacks: Washaun Ealey, Ken Malcome and walk-on star Brandon Harton. Fullback: Bruce Figgins.
- Offensive line: Justin Anderson, Dallas Lee, Chris Burnette, Brent Benedict, Kolton Houston.
- Specialists: Blair Walsh (kicker), Adam Erickson (punter.)
The coaches: Mike Bobo, Bryan McClendon, Rodney Garner, Scott Lakatos.
The first impression is that the Black team is a bit better, or at least it has more starters. Then again, it also has two players who sat out the spring with injuries (Dexter Morant and T.J. Stripling), another who has retired with injuries (Jeremy Longo) and Trinton Sturdivant.
NOTE: The original list provided by UGA had the coaching staffs mixed up; they were transposed. It's been fixed and what you see above is correct.
Travis Leslie to forego senior year, stay in NBA draft
That didn't take long. A week after announcing he would "test the waters" of the NBA draft, Travis Leslie announced through UGA on Tuesday that he would be staying in the draft. He will not return for his senior year at Georgia.
The decision, along with the same one last week by Trey Thompkins, puts the Bulldog men's basketball team in a bit of a transitional year in 2011-12.
“After talking it over with my family, I have decided that I will forgo my senior year and enter into the NBA Draft,” Leslie said in a statement released by UGA. “I would like to thank UGA for giving me the opportunity, as well as Coach Fox and the staff in helping me to improve my game. Last but not least, I’d like to thank the Georgia fans for their support over the past three years.”
Leslie, a junior, averaged 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds last year, second to Thompkins on the team in both categories.
The 6-foot-4 Leslie is attractive to NBA scouts because of his athleticism. But he's no guarantee to be a first-round pick. His outside shooting ability is a concern.
“It was my pleasure to coach Travis,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said in a statement. “It has been a real joy to see him develop as a player the past couple of seasons. He has made a decision to pursue his dream and we wish him nothing but the best.”
The decision, along with the same one last week by Trey Thompkins, puts the Bulldog men's basketball team in a bit of a transitional year in 2011-12.
“After talking it over with my family, I have decided that I will forgo my senior year and enter into the NBA Draft,” Leslie said in a statement released by UGA. “I would like to thank UGA for giving me the opportunity, as well as Coach Fox and the staff in helping me to improve my game. Last but not least, I’d like to thank the Georgia fans for their support over the past three years.”
Leslie, a junior, averaged 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds last year, second to Thompkins on the team in both categories.
The 6-foot-4 Leslie is attractive to NBA scouts because of his athleticism. But he's no guarantee to be a first-round pick. His outside shooting ability is a concern.
“It was my pleasure to coach Travis,” Georgia head coach Mark Fox said in a statement. “It has been a real joy to see him develop as a player the past couple of seasons. He has made a decision to pursue his dream and we wish him nothing but the best.”
Smorgasboard time: Updates on G-day, Taylor, the football thefts and more
A few mid-afternoon notes from the home base in Athens:
- Halftime of the G-Day game on Saturday will be very interesting. Georgia has announced that four former Bulldogs - Matt Stafford, Eric Zeier, David Greene and D.J. Shockley - will participate in a quarterback skills challenge.
The competition will help raise funds, via an online auction, for Jonathan Taylor, the injured Georgia baseball player.
You can read about the details here.
- Speaking of Taylor, who is rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, there will be a press conference updating his condition on Thursday.
Donald Peck Leslie, medical director of Shepherd Center, will be the main speaker at the event, which will also be attended by baseball head coach David Perno and the doctor who initially treated Taylor in Athens.
- I'm a little late on this, since I was on the road on Monday. But as you've probably heard by now, seven current Georgia players reported having items stolen from their lockers in the Butts-Mehre Building over the weekend.
The players, according to the police report, were Kenarious Gates, Abry Jones, Shawn Williams, Jordan Love, Alec Ogletree, Jamel Allen and Rhett McGowan.
The stolen items had a total value of around $1,300, according to the report. Most were iPhones and iPods. Jones had an Apple iPhone 4 stolen, which was valued at $500.
Not just anyone can get in the facility: It requires a fingerprint to get in the building. But police aren't indicating there's any reason to suspect any players.
- As expected, former Georgia quarterback/receiver Logan Gray is going to end up at Colorado, according to this report. Gray, a native of Columbia, Mo., has a younger brother who attends Colorado.
(This also continues the freaky nature of the Georgia-Colorado connection in the past calendar year. They played in football and men's basketball, Mark Richt's name was briefly linked to the Buffaloes job, they were both on the NCAA tournament bubble, and now this.)
- Finally, the teams have been chosen for the G-day game, and we should find out Tuesday how the sides are being split.
There was a player draft on Monday night, conducted by the two appointed captains for each team: Christian Robinson and Ben Jones for one team, and Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin for the other.
Robinson, Boykin and Murray engaged in a good bit of trash-talking via Twitter before the draft. Boykin claimed he would pick a team like the Patriots, to "fit the scheme." Robinson, it was pointed out by one intrepid tweeter, is a sport management major, so if he screws up and picks a bad team, well, what does that say?
Would it be fair to say it would undercut the entire foundation of the sport and management program, and lead to it losing its accreditation? Why yes, I think it would. No pressure, Christian. No pressure.
- Halftime of the G-Day game on Saturday will be very interesting. Georgia has announced that four former Bulldogs - Matt Stafford, Eric Zeier, David Greene and D.J. Shockley - will participate in a quarterback skills challenge.
The competition will help raise funds, via an online auction, for Jonathan Taylor, the injured Georgia baseball player.
You can read about the details here.
- Speaking of Taylor, who is rehabbing at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, there will be a press conference updating his condition on Thursday.
Donald Peck Leslie, medical director of Shepherd Center, will be the main speaker at the event, which will also be attended by baseball head coach David Perno and the doctor who initially treated Taylor in Athens.
- I'm a little late on this, since I was on the road on Monday. But as you've probably heard by now, seven current Georgia players reported having items stolen from their lockers in the Butts-Mehre Building over the weekend.
The players, according to the police report, were Kenarious Gates, Abry Jones, Shawn Williams, Jordan Love, Alec Ogletree, Jamel Allen and Rhett McGowan.
The stolen items had a total value of around $1,300, according to the report. Most were iPhones and iPods. Jones had an Apple iPhone 4 stolen, which was valued at $500.
Not just anyone can get in the facility: It requires a fingerprint to get in the building. But police aren't indicating there's any reason to suspect any players.
- As expected, former Georgia quarterback/receiver Logan Gray is going to end up at Colorado, according to this report. Gray, a native of Columbia, Mo., has a younger brother who attends Colorado.
(This also continues the freaky nature of the Georgia-Colorado connection in the past calendar year. They played in football and men's basketball, Mark Richt's name was briefly linked to the Buffaloes job, they were both on the NCAA tournament bubble, and now this.)
- Finally, the teams have been chosen for the G-day game, and we should find out Tuesday how the sides are being split.
There was a player draft on Monday night, conducted by the two appointed captains for each team: Christian Robinson and Ben Jones for one team, and Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin for the other.
Robinson, Boykin and Murray engaged in a good bit of trash-talking via Twitter before the draft. Boykin claimed he would pick a team like the Patriots, to "fit the scheme." Robinson, it was pointed out by one intrepid tweeter, is a sport management major, so if he screws up and picks a bad team, well, what does that say?
Would it be fair to say it would undercut the entire foundation of the sport and management program, and lead to it losing its accreditation? Why yes, I think it would. No pressure, Christian. No pressure.
Washington aims to keep the "newbie" behind him
Cornelius Washington is doing his best this spring to put some distance between himself and Ray Drew, the highly-touted recruit who will compete with him at outside linebacker.
Here's the opening excerpt from my story today on the rising junior outside linebacker:
You can read the rest of the story here, including some interesting comments from Washington - who is never afraid to say he's going to stand up for his position:
Here's the opening excerpt from my story today on the rising junior outside linebacker:
ATHENS - Last year, Cornelius Washington was competing with a fifth-year senior for a starting spot. This spring, he’s competing with a freshman who hasn’t even arrived yet.
When you look at him, however, it seems Washington shouldn’t be competing with anybody.
“Cornelius made a big hit in practice,” defensive end Derrick Lott said last week. “And I talked to him, and I (said), ‘Cornelius if you do this every time, every practice, every day, you’ll be real good.’ ”
So why hasn’t he been yet?
You can read the rest of the story here, including some interesting comments from Washington - who is never afraid to say he's going to stand up for his position:
“I’m not the type of guy that’s gonna let a newbie come in and take anything from me,” Washington said. “The coaches don’t give away any positions. You have to earn everything you get. So I’m just gonna go out and earn it and then let my actions and my playing speak.”
Monday, April 11, 2011
Analysis: What now for the offensive line?
Trinton Sturdivant was a great story for the Georgia football team. He was one of the few positive, uplifting angles that came out of the dreary 2010 season.
But the senior tackle was more than that to the 2011 team: He was to be one of the keys to a revamped, improved offensive line.
For both reasons, the news of his third ACL tear has to be a shot in the gut to the program.
We’ll find out later what Sturdivant plans to do; he would be a likely candidate for a sixth year if he wants it. In the meantime, the North Carolina native will begin rehab.
As for his team, new offensive line coach Will Friend almost has to go back to the drawing board.
At a minimum, it will be a patchwork line. Maybe by the time they trot out a starting five against Boise State they’ll feel confident about the unit as a whole.
But for the moment the most likely starting tackle, Cordy Glenn, was a guard the past few seasons. The only other returning starter is Ben Jones, who’s a center. There doesn’t seem any way to avoid having a couple inexperienced starters, perhaps even a true freshman.
Friend, who should be available to the media after Tuesday’s practice, appears to have three options:
- Kenarious Gates can shift from guard to tackle. That would take away the team’s chance to have a returning starter at guard (Gates played there as a freshman last year) but it would at least give the team experience on both ends of the line.
- One of the returning linemen – likely Brent Benedict, Kolton Houston, Austin Long or A.J. Harmon - could get a shot at right tackle. Benedict (6-5, 301) and Houston (6-5, 291) are redshirt freshmen, Long is a redshirt sophomore who hasn’t played yet, and Harmon (6-5, 320) is a redshirt junior who has appeared in seven games in his career. There’s also Dallas Lee (6-4, 300), a redshirt sophomore who played three games at guard last year.
- Friend could wait for one of the incoming freshmen. Zach Debell (6-7, 285) and Watts Dantzler (6-7, 315) would seem the most likely candidates, followed by Hunter Long (6-3, 293). Xzavier Ward is seen as more of a project, and David Andrews is projected at center.
Ideally, a team doesn’t want to play true freshmen on the offensive line, and especially not right away. (Gates earned his spot midway through the year.) But I suspect this staff, given the importance of this season, will burn a redshirt or two if they have to, then worry about getting it back later.
This also puts a lot more pressure on Glenn. He was an NFL prospect at guard – which could still be his eventual position in the pros – but now he may have to anchor the line and protect Aaron Murray’s blind spot.
“He’s rusty there,” Friend said of Glenn earlier this spring. “The biggest thing he’s got to do – he’s got a lot of potential. … He could be a dominant player. We need him to be one.”
Especially now.
It also may be a bit tougher for Friend to make personnel decisions, being a new hire. He wasn’t around to see how Benedict, Houston and Austin Long did on scout team. He didn’t recruit Debell, Danztler and Hunter Long.
Then again, maybe a fresh approach helps. Plus, Mark Richt, Mike Bobo and other staff members can also provide some perspective on the available linemen. Richt and Bobo have their own problems to settle, but the offensive line is so paramount that I’m sure they’re huddling with Friend these days.
Friend has said he’ll start the best five. Of course, everyone says that. But if he truly means that, based on the word that’s seeped out of spring practice, it would mean Option 1: Justin Anderson and Chris Burnette start at guard, allowing Gates to shift out to tackle.
But there’s a long way between now and the opener. There were already going to be a few unknowns on the front five. The Sturdivant news means the uncertainty now extends to almost the entire line.
It doesn't bode well.
But the senior tackle was more than that to the 2011 team: He was to be one of the keys to a revamped, improved offensive line.
For both reasons, the news of his third ACL tear has to be a shot in the gut to the program.
We’ll find out later what Sturdivant plans to do; he would be a likely candidate for a sixth year if he wants it. In the meantime, the North Carolina native will begin rehab.
As for his team, new offensive line coach Will Friend almost has to go back to the drawing board.
At a minimum, it will be a patchwork line. Maybe by the time they trot out a starting five against Boise State they’ll feel confident about the unit as a whole.
But for the moment the most likely starting tackle, Cordy Glenn, was a guard the past few seasons. The only other returning starter is Ben Jones, who’s a center. There doesn’t seem any way to avoid having a couple inexperienced starters, perhaps even a true freshman.
Friend, who should be available to the media after Tuesday’s practice, appears to have three options:
- Kenarious Gates can shift from guard to tackle. That would take away the team’s chance to have a returning starter at guard (Gates played there as a freshman last year) but it would at least give the team experience on both ends of the line.
- One of the returning linemen – likely Brent Benedict, Kolton Houston, Austin Long or A.J. Harmon - could get a shot at right tackle. Benedict (6-5, 301) and Houston (6-5, 291) are redshirt freshmen, Long is a redshirt sophomore who hasn’t played yet, and Harmon (6-5, 320) is a redshirt junior who has appeared in seven games in his career. There’s also Dallas Lee (6-4, 300), a redshirt sophomore who played three games at guard last year.
- Friend could wait for one of the incoming freshmen. Zach Debell (6-7, 285) and Watts Dantzler (6-7, 315) would seem the most likely candidates, followed by Hunter Long (6-3, 293). Xzavier Ward is seen as more of a project, and David Andrews is projected at center.
Ideally, a team doesn’t want to play true freshmen on the offensive line, and especially not right away. (Gates earned his spot midway through the year.) But I suspect this staff, given the importance of this season, will burn a redshirt or two if they have to, then worry about getting it back later.
This also puts a lot more pressure on Glenn. He was an NFL prospect at guard – which could still be his eventual position in the pros – but now he may have to anchor the line and protect Aaron Murray’s blind spot.
“He’s rusty there,” Friend said of Glenn earlier this spring. “The biggest thing he’s got to do – he’s got a lot of potential. … He could be a dominant player. We need him to be one.”
Especially now.
It also may be a bit tougher for Friend to make personnel decisions, being a new hire. He wasn’t around to see how Benedict, Houston and Austin Long did on scout team. He didn’t recruit Debell, Danztler and Hunter Long.
Then again, maybe a fresh approach helps. Plus, Mark Richt, Mike Bobo and other staff members can also provide some perspective on the available linemen. Richt and Bobo have their own problems to settle, but the offensive line is so paramount that I’m sure they’re huddling with Friend these days.
Friend has said he’ll start the best five. Of course, everyone says that. But if he truly means that, based on the word that’s seeped out of spring practice, it would mean Option 1: Justin Anderson and Chris Burnette start at guard, allowing Gates to shift out to tackle.
But there’s a long way between now and the opener. There were already going to be a few unknowns on the front five. The Sturdivant news means the uncertainty now extends to almost the entire line.
It doesn't bode well.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Trinton Sturdivant suffers another ACL injury
This is pretty tough news from the Georgia football team: Trinton Sturdivant tore the ACL in his right knee in Saturday's scrimmage, the team announced on Sunday evening.
It's the third torn ACL for Sturdivant, who had fought back to health after twice having surgery on his left knee.
Head athletic trainer Ron Courson said, through a team spokesman, that Sturdivant will "undergo surgery sometime this week to repair the knee ligament and is expected to conduct his rehab at UGA."
Sturdivant began his career in 2007 by starting every game at left tackle. Then he tore his ACL and missed the 2008 season. When he returned to start the 2009 season, he once again tore the ACL and missed the rest of the season.
He worked his way back slowly last season, eventually getting back into the lineup and making seven starts at left tackle.
Sturdivant and Cordy Glenn, who was switching from guard, were working at both tackle spots this spring. The pair were expected to anchor the line, along with fellow senior Ben Jones at center, so the news is a major blow to that unit.
Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict, who himself is returning from shoulder surgery, could be a candidate to replace Sturdivant. The team could also shift Kenarious Gates, a sophomore guard, to one of the tackle spots.
The Bulldogs also have redshirt freshman Kolton Houston, junior A.J. Harmon, and incoming freshmen Zach DeBell, Watts Dantzler and Hunter Long.
The injury doesn't necessarily mean Sturdivant's career is over. He could apply for a sixth year on medical grounds, and would appear to qualify since he would have missed two seasons because of injury.
The week before the Liberty Bowl, Sturdivant spoke publicly for the first time since the second surgery. He admitted the rehabilitation process was “real tough,” especially after going through it the first time.
“To have it happen the second time, knowing the ultimate goal for every college player should be the NFL, to for that to be tarnished because of the injuries was tough,” Sturdivant said. “And being that you won’t be able to play with your teammates, and you don’t know if you’re going to be able to come off and play well. It was a serious struggle of mine.”
Sturdivant briefly considered entering the NFL draft, but decided to come back upon hearing that he could improve his draft stock by playing a solid, healthy senior year.
"Hopefully it will," Sturdivant said in announcing his return. "You never know what God has in store for you. But that's what a lot of people are telling me."
It's the third torn ACL for Sturdivant, who had fought back to health after twice having surgery on his left knee.
Head athletic trainer Ron Courson said, through a team spokesman, that Sturdivant will "undergo surgery sometime this week to repair the knee ligament and is expected to conduct his rehab at UGA."
Sturdivant began his career in 2007 by starting every game at left tackle. Then he tore his ACL and missed the 2008 season. When he returned to start the 2009 season, he once again tore the ACL and missed the rest of the season.
He worked his way back slowly last season, eventually getting back into the lineup and making seven starts at left tackle.
Sturdivant and Cordy Glenn, who was switching from guard, were working at both tackle spots this spring. The pair were expected to anchor the line, along with fellow senior Ben Jones at center, so the news is a major blow to that unit.
Redshirt freshman Brent Benedict, who himself is returning from shoulder surgery, could be a candidate to replace Sturdivant. The team could also shift Kenarious Gates, a sophomore guard, to one of the tackle spots.
The Bulldogs also have redshirt freshman Kolton Houston, junior A.J. Harmon, and incoming freshmen Zach DeBell, Watts Dantzler and Hunter Long.
The injury doesn't necessarily mean Sturdivant's career is over. He could apply for a sixth year on medical grounds, and would appear to qualify since he would have missed two seasons because of injury.
The week before the Liberty Bowl, Sturdivant spoke publicly for the first time since the second surgery. He admitted the rehabilitation process was “real tough,” especially after going through it the first time.
“To have it happen the second time, knowing the ultimate goal for every college player should be the NFL, to for that to be tarnished because of the injuries was tough,” Sturdivant said. “And being that you won’t be able to play with your teammates, and you don’t know if you’re going to be able to come off and play well. It was a serious struggle of mine.”
Sturdivant briefly considered entering the NFL draft, but decided to come back upon hearing that he could improve his draft stock by playing a solid, healthy senior year.
"Hopefully it will," Sturdivant said in announcing his return. "You never know what God has in store for you. But that's what a lot of people are telling me."
Christian Robinson: Front and center
Is Christian Robinson one of the new main faces of the Georgia football team? For now, yes, as we explain in this Sunday feature. The opening excerpt:
You can read the rest here, including quotes from Akeem Dent, Aaron Murray and Robinson.
ATHENS - A few weeks ago Christian Robinson was walking through the Georgia football team’s training facility when he was stopped. Jeff Owens, a former Bulldogs defensive lineman now with the Philadelphia Eagles, wanted a quick word.
“It’s your ship now,” Owens said, according to Robinson.
Owens meant the defense, that the responsibility for guiding it on the field -- and in the locker room -- now rested with Robinson.
But when it comes to the outgoing rising junior from the Atlanta area, Owens could have meant much more.
Robinson may not be the tallest inside linebacker on the team. It remains to be seen if he’s the most skilled. But when it comes to intangibles, the coaches have seen enough.
You can read the rest here, including quotes from Akeem Dent, Aaron Murray and Robinson.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Gates swings into his opportunity
Kenarious Gates doesn’t feel like a veteran yet. It’ll take more than three starts to consider himself one.
Still, in a year that the Georgia offensive line was disappointing overall, Gates was one of the few bright spots. Once a candidate to redshirt, he played well enough in seven games at guard to enter this spring first on the depth chart.
“That starting experience gave me a lot of confidence,” Gates said this week. “So this season I’ve kept my head straight. Just keep working hard, keep working hard, and keep my starting job.”
The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Gates was a three-star prospect coming out of Grantville High School in Greenville, according to Rivals and Scout.com. Gates was fully expecting to redshirt last year, especially with five proven linemen returning to start.
But the unit’s struggles saw Gates getting the call the week of the Tennessee game.
“I was shocked. I didn’t think I would get a chance to play in the season. I was just gonna work,” Gates said. “But when they told me I was gonna start that week, I knew I had to start working hard that day. When I first got out there it was a bit … But once I got in the game, I had fun and they kept me in there.”
Gates started the next three games at right guard, then came off the bench when Trinton Sturdivant entered the starting lineup at left tackle. (Cling Boling, who had started there, shifted to right guard.)
Now Boling is gone, and with Cordy Glenn shifting from guard to tackle, both guard spots are up for grabs. Gates appears in the most secure position, with three others – Justin Anderson, Chris Burnette and Kolton Houston – getting work at right guard.
Any of those three, and Brent Benedict, could move over and push Gates at left guard. But for the moment it appears Gates’ spot to lose.
“I’m gonna work real hard, knowing that spot could go away any day,” he said.
Still, in a year that the Georgia offensive line was disappointing overall, Gates was one of the few bright spots. Once a candidate to redshirt, he played well enough in seven games at guard to enter this spring first on the depth chart.
“That starting experience gave me a lot of confidence,” Gates said this week. “So this season I’ve kept my head straight. Just keep working hard, keep working hard, and keep my starting job.”
The 6-foot-5, 307-pound Gates was a three-star prospect coming out of Grantville High School in Greenville, according to Rivals and Scout.com. Gates was fully expecting to redshirt last year, especially with five proven linemen returning to start.
But the unit’s struggles saw Gates getting the call the week of the Tennessee game.
“I was shocked. I didn’t think I would get a chance to play in the season. I was just gonna work,” Gates said. “But when they told me I was gonna start that week, I knew I had to start working hard that day. When I first got out there it was a bit … But once I got in the game, I had fun and they kept me in there.”
Gates started the next three games at right guard, then came off the bench when Trinton Sturdivant entered the starting lineup at left tackle. (Cling Boling, who had started there, shifted to right guard.)
Now Boling is gone, and with Cordy Glenn shifting from guard to tackle, both guard spots are up for grabs. Gates appears in the most secure position, with three others – Justin Anderson, Chris Burnette and Kolton Houston – getting work at right guard.
Any of those three, and Brent Benedict, could move over and push Gates at left guard. But for the moment it appears Gates’ spot to lose.
“I’m gonna work real hard, knowing that spot could go away any day,” he said.
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