So Crow

If you are on Twitter, you don't mind swearing, and you appreciate a good laugh, you need to follow the fake Isaiah Crowell twitter account. It is awesome. They have even made a hype video! (WARNING: This is not SFW)



You may find it offensive, degrading, or whatever...but it sure is funny. Christian Robinson even posted a picture of the real Isaiah Crowell the tweets and laughing about it.

Fake Crowell

Even if the intent was good, the message was bad

Back in December, I wrote this post where I voiced my disgust with fans booing Isaiah Crowell during the second half of the SEC Championship game. Many people, both here on this blog and on another, were quick to respond saying they were booing at Ken Malcome. While that was definitely not the case in my section, I could accept this as an excuse. But then I read this quote from Arthur Lynch about that incident:

But when you play against LSU, let’s face it, they played in the national championship game, and in the SEC championship game they boo him? I thought that was, one, disrespectful, and two, I don’t think anybody understood the pain he was going through.

Whether your intent was good or not, clearly the players on the field though Crowell was being booed. I have said it before and I'll say it again, you should never boo a player under any circumstance.

I hope Crowell uses it as motivation this fall. From everything I have been reading, he has been tearing it up in offseason workouts. A backfield with a healthy Crowell paired with Keith Marshall could take a lot of pressure off the shoulder of Aaron Murray.

The One Thing You Should Never Do

Saturday night in the Georgia Dome was whirlwind of emotions. From the great defense and the early lead to the Honey Badger stealing our hearts and momentum. Despite the loss, I will have great memories of the night and of the 2011 season that saw the Dawgs get up off the deck and make it back to Atlanta for the first time since 2005. And while I was proud of the Georgia faithful for showing up and being insanely loud, I was not proud of one moment that occurred in the second half. At that moment, I saw (and heard) Georgia fans doing the one thing they should never do: boo a player.

Yes, that player was Isaiah Crowell. I am not going to sugar coat it, Crowell looked weak on Saturday. Rumors flew all last week about attitude problems and that only stacked the deck more against him on Saturday night. His 11 carry 15 yard performance was highlighted by a personal foul call that made Mark Richt look the maddest I have ever seen him. I was pissed, just as most of you were, but never did I consider booing him off the field.

Let's take a quick step back to the last time I heard a player individually booed by Georgia fans. The year was 2006 and Georgia was going through a tough season that included a loss to Vandy on homecoming. Georgia sophomore receiver Mohammed Massaquoi was struggling mightly in his first season as Georgia's #1 receiver. After a great freshman year, MoMass had a developed a case of the drops and with Sean Bailey out for the year, there was little other receiver fire power for freshman Matt Stafford to throw to. I can't remember which game it was, but after Mohammed dropped a pass at home late in the season, Georgia fans began to boo. I was ashamed and that is much the same feeling I felt on Saturday night.

Before you jump down my throat, yes, this was a much different situation. Crowell has been a problem, including suspensions and attitude issues. You may feel every bit justified in booing the kid for limping off the field. But my argument is not in favor of Crowell, it is more in that you should never boo a kid, period. The Georgia coaching staff has been very quiet in recent weeks about the status of Crowell's ankle. As fans, we actually have no idea how bad he was hurt. And if they knew he was not going to suck it up and bear through it, then why even play him? So he can be made to look bad? My point is, I would have never had him out there if he wasn't ready to go. Malcome is capable enough to carry the ball for 3-4 yards at a time.

Booing a player also looks incredibly bad to those outside of the program. This includes the television audience at home, other coaches, and most importantly, recruits. You don't think Nick Saban is going to call up a recruit and say, "Crowell could have come to Bama, but instead he went to Georgia and that ungrateful fan base boos him after a freshman season where he had almost 1,000 yards rushing"? Come on, you know he will.

In the future, I implore you to keep those feelings in. Remember, these are kids who give their time and their bodies to play football for your entertainment. If you don't like their play or their attitude, open a blog, vent on a message board, but don't try to humiliate them in public. The same thing goes for social media, if you don't want to support them, don't follow them on Twitter.

Make no mistake, I think Crowell is soft and if he can't change, he won't be long for Athens. But I will never justify the booing of a player on our team and you shouldn't either.

#1 On the Field and in the Depth Chart

Coach Richt has announced that Isaiah Crowell will be the #1 tailback against Coastal Carolina. Why he wasn't first string already is beyond me, but hopefully this means more carries in the coming weeks. Actually, I hope it means less carries this week since the Dawgs should be able to beat Coastal Carolina with a backfield consisting of only guys shorter than 5'8'' (Thomas and Harton).

The reason for the change was on field performance in addition to some injuries for Samuel. And supposedly Carlton Thomas will move to #2 if Samuel can't go. My question is, what the hell happened to Boo Malcome? Wasn't so impressive in practice last season that the coaches considered burning his red shirt when Ealey and King struggled. Now, he can't even take over the third string spot for little Carlton Thomas. Something just doesn't seem right.

Hopefully this is a permanent change. Getting 25 touches for Crowell a game could spell huge dividends for a Georgia team that appears to pass the ball much better out of play action than out of the shotgun.

The Effort Was There, Now We Need Results

What a tough game for a Georgia fan to watch. Saturday's 45-42 defeat at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks may be one of the most gut wrenching games I have seen at Georgia. There have been bad losses and close losses, but this is one game where I felt the team played pretty well, yet still ended up on the losing side. There are not many times can you say that 3 plays in a game make the difference between a loss and a blowout victory. The effort put forth by the team on Saturday was such a seismic difference from week 1 that I felt Georgia just deserved to win. But that didn't happen.

So let's start with what went wrong:

• Three turnovers lead to three touchdowns (including 2 defensive scores). Couple this with the fake punt and that is how the Dawgs lost the game. We can't lose the turnover battle. This felt a lot like a game from the 2009 season, in that respect.
• The passing game was almost non-existent in the first half. Murray was constantly on the run and receivers were not getting open. As a matter of fact, I think there were only two completions to receivers the entire first half. The interception was horrible, with Murray throwing it directly into a blanketed man. Murray's numbers look pretty good this year, but he has not been up to par with last season.
• The offensive line is still not providing proper protection. I know the play that ended with Clowney causing the Murray fumble was a screen, but you at least need to try and block a little bit. Justin Anderson still looks lost on pass coverage.
  
• The running game may have had a nice day, but why are we running out of the shotgun on 3rd and 1?!?
• Jordon Love's pass interference may be the play that cost the Dawgs the game. We got good pressure and it was a bad pass from Garcia. There was no need to hop on the guy's back. It gave Carolina new life and Lattimore scored just a few plays later.
• What is up with Walsh? The chip shot field goal he missed ended up being the difference in the final score!
• No receptions for Orson Charles. REALLY?!?
  

On the flip side, this game was filled with a ton of positives:

• Brandon Boykin is the best player we have right now. Solid on defense, makes things happen on offense, and is just amazing on kick offs.
• Rambo and Cummings had great games. It made me feel that we really missed Rambo against Boise. Garcia was basically a non-factor with the exception of the touchdown to Jeffrey.
• The receivers showed up in the second half and looked like they may be a good bunch. I said it last week and I'll say it again, Malcolm Mitchell should be starting.
• The defense overall played a hell of a game. Lattimore racked a ton of yards on a few carries in the 4th, but other than that the Dawgs did a much better job tackling him than they did last year. Garcia was held in check and we even got some sacks. It is a shame when a defensive effort like that was wasted with turnovers. If you take out the fake punt, the defense allowed 335 yards. Pretty damn good against a team with a senior quarterback and All-Americans at receiver and running back.
• The coaching was better. Definitely not perfect. Allowing the fake punt was all on the coaches. I mean, it was Spurrier after all.
• Michael Bennett has good hands. He may be the slot guy we are looking for.
• Marlon Brown and TK have talent, we just need to get them the ball.
• Isaiah Crowell showed on Saturday why he was the #1 running back recruit in the country. 158 total yards on just 18 touches and two scores. We have to get him the ball 25 times a game. His running on Saturday reminded me a lot of Knowshon Moreno. A number of times he got hit right at the line of scrimmage, but somehow ended up with a 3 yard gain. And if you watch the game, look for a play in the first half when a SC defender blows him up about 10 yards into a carry, he shrugs it off and picks up another 15 or so. The kid is that good, we just need to use him. (added video)

At the end of the day, this game should have been a victory. The team I saw on Saturday looked nothing like the one we saw in the Dome last week. If they cut just a few of the mistakes, they could begin to play great football. We should get an easy win on Saturday against Coastal Carolina and it would not surprise me to see us follow that with four more wins. The talent is there.

GO DAWGS!!!

The Countdown 2011: 83 Days to Go

Isaiah Crowell: High School Numbers and Predictions

Georgia has had many players with amazing high school statistics come to Athens to play for the Bulldogs. That case holds true for Georgia's top player in the class of 2011, Isaiah Crowell. Here's a look at the amazing stats he put up at Carver-Columbus.

2007: 22 carries, 219 yards, 3 TD

2008: 85 carries, 1,017 yards, 15 TD

2009: 175 carries, 1,915 yards, 25 TD

2010: 147 carries, 1,721 yards, 18 TD

Career Totals: 429 carries, 4,872 yards, 11.35 yards per carry, 61 TD

So what can we expect out of Crowell this fall? Marcus Lattimore rushed for 1,197 yards on 249 carries for South Carolina. This would be almost 100 carries more than Crowell had in any season during high school and with Caleb King and Ken Malcome around, I just don't see him getting more than 20 carries per game. Knowshon Moreno carried the ball 248 times as a freshman in 2007 despite splitting carries with senior Thomas Brown.

My prediction: 195 carries for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Why Washaun Ealey's Reinstatement is a Big Deal

When Washaun Ealey was suspended from the team three weeks ago, many of the Georgia faithful felt he should have been kicked off the team. While I expect Isaiah Crowell to be the feature back this fall, I think it is very important for the team that Ealey come back. Here are the reasons why.

1. Caleb King's status is still up in the air. He was suspended for the bowl game we have not heard much since then. Caleb is Georgia's best blocking back, so I truly hope he returns. But if he doesn't, Ealey will need to step up in the blocking department. Pass blocking is one of the hardest things incoming players have to learn and Crowell will only be on campus for a few weeks prior to the first game. Ealey was not exactly a good blocker (at all) last year, but another year in the system should make him better.

2. Depth is always an issue. In todays football landscape, rarely do you see one running back carry all of the load for a successful running program. Carlton Thomas is definitely not the answer and we are unsure what we have in Ken Malcome. But Ealey has been a bright spot at times over the last few years. Even if Crowell is RB1, we need a good complementary back.

3. Washaun Ealey is a talented player. Remember 5 touchdowns against Kentucky? Remember almost 200 yards against Tech? He may have issues with fumbles, but he still can make things happen on the field.


4. Competition for Crowell. Everyone expects Crowell to be the starter, but ask yourself if that makes sense. Georgia returns its leading rusher who will be a junior and scored 11 TDs last year. Without Ealey, earning the starting job could almost be "easy". Washaun Ealey on campus means strong competition, which usually brings out the best in athletes.

I am glad to have Washaun back on the team. Hoefully, his attitude is fixed and he is ready for a big season in 2011.

We Don't Just Give Out Scholarships

There has been a small controversy this week about the scholarship offer that Georgia recently gave to Quintavious Harrow. Harrow, listed at 5'10 and 180 pounds, played linebacker and safety at Carver Columbus. As we all know, Carver was also the home of mega-recruit Isaiah Crowell, one of the top running backs in the country who appears will pick between Georgia, Auburn, and Alabama on national signing day. Some in the media at labeling the offer to Harrow as a recruiting ploy to get Crowell. And while offering a close friend of another recruit never hurts a team's chances with a recruit, to say this is just a ploy to get Crowell is absurd. Here is why:

#1 - This is Georgia, not Alabama. We do not oversign our recruiting classes and unless a player makes a mistake (see Dexter Moody in 2009) we do not rescind scholarship offers. We don't just offer scholarships for the sake of offering.

#2 - The Ogletree boys. Last year, people claimed Georgia only offered Alexander Ogletree a scholarship to secure his talented brother. Alexander became a key special teams contributer in his freshman season and has the lead to be Georgia's starting fullback next fall.

#3 - We're not the only ones recruiting him. Harrow has shown interest from a number of schools, including Clemson and Alabama.

#4 - He just recently became eligible. Academics have been an issue, but he recently improved his scores enough to meet the requirements to play division 1. Georgia only offered a scholarship after he was eligible.

#5 - We have been recruiting him for a while, but we did not have the extra scholarship to offer. From the comments I have seen, the Georgia coaches have been talking to Harrow for a while. It just so happens the scholarship offer came last week, after AJ Green had announced his decision to go to the NFL (and thus opening another spot).

Throw in the fact that Harrow sports an impressive 40 time and we just lost another linebacker (Justin Houston) to the NFL and it is pretty clear this kid will be expected to contribute should he come to Athens. I'm not blind to think that the fact that he is Crowell's teammate played somewhat into the offer decision, but whether Crowell comes or not, Harrow is not just a throw away player.