As ugly as it was, damn it feels good to be bowl eligible. As Tech was driving to try and tie the game at 35 in the fourth quarter, I began to imagine how long the wait until next season was going to feel without a bowl game to look forward to. It made me feel sick to my stomach. But the Dawgs were able to salvage a victory to close what has been the strangest football season during my years as a Georgia fan. In the coming weeks, I'll take a look back at the 2010 season and examine what needs to be fixed before the Boise State game next fall. But for now, here are my thoughts on the victory over Tech.
- One of the biggest responses from Tech fans I have seen is that if Tech had Nesbitt, they would have easily won the game. In most cases, I would agree but Tevin Washington actually played a great game. He was perfect at timing his pitches and turned a couple of broken plays into long runs. He is certainly not the reason Tech lost but actually one of the main reasons they almost won.
- The only thing that could stop the Georgia offense from continuing to score points was Georgia. Georgia had 11 drives in the game, six resulting in touchdowns, one ending with a fumble inside the Tech 10, two turnovers on failed fourth down attempts, and two punts. Both of the fourth down failures were inside the 25. even if we only get field goals on those and the fumble, that is 9 more points on the board.
- The efficiency of the Georgia offense was amazing. Despite running about 50 plays less than Tech, the Dawgs racked up over 415 yards. Aaron Murray continued his brilliant season completing nearly 80% of his passes and adding 3 more touchdowns. With one more touchdown pass, he will tie the Georgia all-time record for touchdown passes in a season. He is now ranked 9th in all of college football in passing efficiency. Pretty damn impressive for a kid that some Georgia fans were questioning after G-Day (and calling for Mettenberger as starter before he was booted).
- If Caleb King and Washaun Ealey could fix the fumble issues, they really could be an amazing duo in the backfield. Both run extremely hard. Caleb can make special things happen, but continuing to put the ball on the ground makes him a liability.
- AJ Green and Justin Houston - if this is it, what a way to end it. Both were beasts.
- Grantham, you get a pass for this season. When we roll into Tech next fall, this better not happen again. 500 yards against a Tech team with its back up quarterback is unacceptable. When they run a fullback dive, they should not get 6 yards every time. And one more thing, when they run an option to one side, don't leave a corner back alone on a wideout as the only person to cover the pitch man.
In the end, the Dawgs won and that is what really matters. Thought I just say, Washaun Ealey running into the end zone when all the Dawgs needed to do to take a knee might have been the worst play I have ever witnessed. It is unacceptable that Richt got out coached by Johnson on that play. I have never had any doubt about Coach Richt's decisions on the field, but that was horrible.
Memphis, Nashville, or Birmingham here we come! In honor of Samuel L Jackson being on the sideline Saturday night, I leave you with this:
WE STILL RUN THIS STATE!!!
Showing posts with label Bad Coaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Coaching. Show all posts
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thoughts on Kentucky: Epic Fail Part Two
6-5. 5 losses. Since I started at the University of Georgia in 2000, that is something I have never heard in relation to the Georgia Bulldogs football team. Every thing that has been talked about as an issue this season reared its ugly little head on Saturday night. On a night where you out gain the opponent nearly two yards to one and you hold the ball for significantly more time, you should never expect to lose.
First a couple of birght spots:
- Orson Charles and Rontavious Wooten had their best games at Georgia. The play action was working great in the first half, where the hell did it go in the second?
- Running the ball with King and Ealey continues to be successful. A dash of Branden Smith is a nice change too.
- Rennie Curran's stop of Randall Cobb on second and goal from the 1. An amazing play, even if Kentcuky did score on the next snap.
Okay, that's for the good. Now onto the bad.
- Joe and Bryan. Hope you enjoyed your years at Georgia. You may have had some talent, but you cost us more than helped us. I wish you the best in the future, but I am glad I will nto have to see you play at Sanford again.
- The fumble by Washaun was bad, but who calls a freaking toss sweep on third and goal from the 1?!?!? I miss Brannen Southerland.
- Branden Smith is fast, but not ready to get killed on kick-offs. If Boykin can't go, at least put someone out there who we know can hold the ball.
- Which leads into the major problem with the game - Coaching. Worse coaching effort I have seen at Georgia. Let's count the mistakes:
1. What the hell was the deal with kickoffs? Squib kicks, pooch kicks, and bad coverage. We need a full time special teams coach now.
2. The blocked punt - Yes, we ended up getting to punt again, but the guy who blocked it was totally open. I said to my wife before the ball was snapped that the kick was going to get blocked.
3. Why did the running game disappear in the second half? We had nearly 150 yards rushing by half, but only 30 or so in the second. Caleb and Washaun were running well but Cox was pretty inaccurate. I just don't get it.
4. The play action worked great in the first half and it also suddenly disappeared in the second.
5. Two trips inside the opponents 2 = 3 points. The first time, on a second and 1 from the 2 (we could have got a first down!) they call play action when Ealey could have easily ran it in. And then there was the toss sweep at the end. Bobo, this is on you.
I could go on for a lot longer, but I won't. The coaching was pathetic and changes need to be made. We all know what is coming next week. At this point, I am just ready for the season to be over.
GO DAWGS!!!
First a couple of birght spots:
- Orson Charles and Rontavious Wooten had their best games at Georgia. The play action was working great in the first half, where the hell did it go in the second?
- Running the ball with King and Ealey continues to be successful. A dash of Branden Smith is a nice change too.
- Rennie Curran's stop of Randall Cobb on second and goal from the 1. An amazing play, even if Kentcuky did score on the next snap.
Okay, that's for the good. Now onto the bad.
- Joe and Bryan. Hope you enjoyed your years at Georgia. You may have had some talent, but you cost us more than helped us. I wish you the best in the future, but I am glad I will nto have to see you play at Sanford again.
- The fumble by Washaun was bad, but who calls a freaking toss sweep on third and goal from the 1?!?!? I miss Brannen Southerland.
- Branden Smith is fast, but not ready to get killed on kick-offs. If Boykin can't go, at least put someone out there who we know can hold the ball.
- Which leads into the major problem with the game - Coaching. Worse coaching effort I have seen at Georgia. Let's count the mistakes:
1. What the hell was the deal with kickoffs? Squib kicks, pooch kicks, and bad coverage. We need a full time special teams coach now.
2. The blocked punt - Yes, we ended up getting to punt again, but the guy who blocked it was totally open. I said to my wife before the ball was snapped that the kick was going to get blocked.
3. Why did the running game disappear in the second half? We had nearly 150 yards rushing by half, but only 30 or so in the second. Caleb and Washaun were running well but Cox was pretty inaccurate. I just don't get it.
4. The play action worked great in the first half and it also suddenly disappeared in the second.
5. Two trips inside the opponents 2 = 3 points. The first time, on a second and 1 from the 2 (we could have got a first down!) they call play action when Ealey could have easily ran it in. And then there was the toss sweep at the end. Bobo, this is on you.
I could go on for a lot longer, but I won't. The coaching was pathetic and changes need to be made. We all know what is coming next week. At this point, I am just ready for the season to be over.
GO DAWGS!!!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thoughts on South Carolina
That was one of the most painful, gut wrenching, exciting, competitive, and all out strange games I have ever witnessed. Georgia and South Carolina put up a 78 points and the game still comes down to the final seconds. While there were plenty of things that were completely wrong with this game, the most important thing was right and that was the final score. We're back to 1-1, 1-0 in the SEC and all of our major goals are still in front of us.
Let's start with the things that went bad. Two turnovers in the first quarter led to 14 Carolina points and more importantly left the defense on the field for almost the entire quarter. While Branden Smith did have a nice return later in the game, for now he needs to be taken off of the return team. On the fumble return, the ball was kicked about 5 yards into the end zone and despite making the same mistake against OSU, he still brought it out. He is playing both offense and defense and I think that is enough for a freshman to handle.
Penalties were also once again a major problem for the Dawgs. While I think the call against Reshad was completely crap, most of the other penalties were the proper calls. After looking much more disciplined last week, the Dawgs fell back into some bad habits from last season.
But of all the things that went wrong last night, I think the biggest problem was coaching. The defense played fairly well but I did not see an adjustment to the South Carolina passing attack after they threw nearly 20 times in the first quarter. I know that the zone is designed to prevent long plays, but Carolina essentially ran short outs and passes to the tight end unchallenged all night. When the opposing team throw 53 passes, your linebacker should not have 15 tackles (as Rennie Curran did). We also failed to get any type of pressure from our defensive ends. It will be very nice to have Justin Houston back next week at Arkansas (and we need him more than ever with the announcement that Rod Battle will now miss the remainder of the season with a knew injury).
For the second week in a row, I also am left wondering what Mike Bobo is doing with the offense. Richard Samuel was running the ball great, but for some reason he disappeared for nearly an entire quarter. Then, we finally get Logan Gray in the game for a grand total of one play. And once again, Marlon Brown and Rontavious Wooten went unused (other than appearing on two plays after the Joe Cox sack and fumble that put the Dawgs at second and 30). Another thing that really bugs me is how we handle short yardage situations. In the past, it was a no brainer that we would turn around and hand the ball to the fullback. Last night on a second and 1, we run a stretch play with Carlton Thomas that loses 3 yards. Chapas has some ability, lets use him.
For all the things that are wrong, the Dawgs did a lot of things right in this game. Brandon Boykin, often overshadowed by highly touted Branden Smith, made a name for himself with the huge TD return for the toughdown, another 50 yard return, and a big interception. If Boykin can keep this play up, we may forget the loss of Asher Allen quicker than I thought. Branden Smith also had a nice game after his horrible fumble early in the game. The 61 yard run was a thing of beauty and he may be one of the fastest players in the SEC already. It should be a fun next few years watching this guy mature.
Joe Cox and Richard Samuel also played much better this week than they did against Oklahoma State. Samuel ran hard all night, breaking tackles and learning from the mistakes he made in week 1. He scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and I have a feeling we may see a lot more this season. Now, we just need to keep his running consistent throughout the game. Cox also came back strong, putting up some nice numbers. The interception was horrible and even he admitted to seeing Norwood. AJ Green had a phenomenal night and saved Cox's tail on a couple of occassions. Any person who thinks AJ Green is not the best receiver in the country should watch the replay of those catches he made last night.
While Boykin's play was amazing, a lot of credit also needs to go to Georgia's other MVP of the night, Rennie Curran. With South Carolina throwing short passes all night, Curran had 15 tackles, repeatedly preventing short gains from turning into big plays. And for the second year in a row, Rennie came up with a huge play to prevent a South Carolina touchdown. This guy played his heart out last night. I can't imagine what our defense would be like without him right now.
This was one of those games that hopefully teaches the team a lot about themselves. They have now faced two tough games, one a loss and one a win. If the Dawgs can take what has worked the last two weeks and cut down on the turnovers, the results should turn out in our favor in Fayetteville next week.
GO DAWGS!!!
Let's start with the things that went bad. Two turnovers in the first quarter led to 14 Carolina points and more importantly left the defense on the field for almost the entire quarter. While Branden Smith did have a nice return later in the game, for now he needs to be taken off of the return team. On the fumble return, the ball was kicked about 5 yards into the end zone and despite making the same mistake against OSU, he still brought it out. He is playing both offense and defense and I think that is enough for a freshman to handle.
Penalties were also once again a major problem for the Dawgs. While I think the call against Reshad was completely crap, most of the other penalties were the proper calls. After looking much more disciplined last week, the Dawgs fell back into some bad habits from last season.
But of all the things that went wrong last night, I think the biggest problem was coaching. The defense played fairly well but I did not see an adjustment to the South Carolina passing attack after they threw nearly 20 times in the first quarter. I know that the zone is designed to prevent long plays, but Carolina essentially ran short outs and passes to the tight end unchallenged all night. When the opposing team throw 53 passes, your linebacker should not have 15 tackles (as Rennie Curran did). We also failed to get any type of pressure from our defensive ends. It will be very nice to have Justin Houston back next week at Arkansas (and we need him more than ever with the announcement that Rod Battle will now miss the remainder of the season with a knew injury).
For the second week in a row, I also am left wondering what Mike Bobo is doing with the offense. Richard Samuel was running the ball great, but for some reason he disappeared for nearly an entire quarter. Then, we finally get Logan Gray in the game for a grand total of one play. And once again, Marlon Brown and Rontavious Wooten went unused (other than appearing on two plays after the Joe Cox sack and fumble that put the Dawgs at second and 30). Another thing that really bugs me is how we handle short yardage situations. In the past, it was a no brainer that we would turn around and hand the ball to the fullback. Last night on a second and 1, we run a stretch play with Carlton Thomas that loses 3 yards. Chapas has some ability, lets use him.
For all the things that are wrong, the Dawgs did a lot of things right in this game. Brandon Boykin, often overshadowed by highly touted Branden Smith, made a name for himself with the huge TD return for the toughdown, another 50 yard return, and a big interception. If Boykin can keep this play up, we may forget the loss of Asher Allen quicker than I thought. Branden Smith also had a nice game after his horrible fumble early in the game. The 61 yard run was a thing of beauty and he may be one of the fastest players in the SEC already. It should be a fun next few years watching this guy mature.
Joe Cox and Richard Samuel also played much better this week than they did against Oklahoma State. Samuel ran hard all night, breaking tackles and learning from the mistakes he made in week 1. He scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and I have a feeling we may see a lot more this season. Now, we just need to keep his running consistent throughout the game. Cox also came back strong, putting up some nice numbers. The interception was horrible and even he admitted to seeing Norwood. AJ Green had a phenomenal night and saved Cox's tail on a couple of occassions. Any person who thinks AJ Green is not the best receiver in the country should watch the replay of those catches he made last night.
While Boykin's play was amazing, a lot of credit also needs to go to Georgia's other MVP of the night, Rennie Curran. With South Carolina throwing short passes all night, Curran had 15 tackles, repeatedly preventing short gains from turning into big plays. And for the second year in a row, Rennie came up with a huge play to prevent a South Carolina touchdown. This guy played his heart out last night. I can't imagine what our defense would be like without him right now.
This was one of those games that hopefully teaches the team a lot about themselves. They have now faced two tough games, one a loss and one a win. If the Dawgs can take what has worked the last two weeks and cut down on the turnovers, the results should turn out in our favor in Fayetteville next week.
GO DAWGS!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Chan Gets a Pink Slip
Former Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey was was fired by the Kansas City Chiefs as their offensive coordinator. You must be doing pretty bad to get fired during the preseason, when guys like Curtis Painter and Samkon Gado are stars. I guess the Chiefs finally realized that Chan's inability to utilize Calvin Johnson while at Georgia Tech was not a fluke and that the man has no business running an offense.
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