Thoughts on G Day 2012

Usually, G Day has proven to be rather boring. So, while there were over 40,000 people at Sanford yesterday, I was the only member of my group of friends to go. But, I got to see a competitive game and I am very glad I made the decision to drive to Athens. Here are my thoughts on the game:

- Beast of the game - Garrison Smith. He was destroying the o-line, especially in the first half. It seems like his play late in the season last year was just a sign of good things to come.

- Our new defensive ends - Both Cornelius Washington and Ray Drew have made the move to D end and both looked good. Drew definitely looks better with his hand in the dirt. He recorded two sacks and showed some impressive speed chasing down Brandon Harton.

- Tavarres King showed off some major speed, taking a swing pass from Murray to the house after a nice block from Marlon Brown. I think T King is up to the challenge of being the deep threat while Mitchell plays corner the first few games of the season.

- Hutson Mason and Christian LeMay both had nice games. LeMay has come a long way from last spring and is really good at the play action fakes. But he needs to work on his down field accuracy an decision making. While those guys may have head better numbers, Aaron Murray is clearly still the best QB we have. He was under constant pressure from the #1 defense and still made some nice plays.

- Jarvis Jones is awesome. He only had one tackle, but was in the backfield consistently and looked as quick as ever.

- It was a good day for the running backs. I was really pleased with Crowell, who despite not having special numbers looked healthy, was quick to the edge, and was lowering his head and finishing runs. If the line comes together, I fully expect he will have a great sophomore year. Ken Malcome has also come along nicely and scored two touchdowns. Richard Samuel looked great in the second half as well. Even Brandon Harton may have found a spot, catching 6 passes out of the backfield. Running him up the middle may not be smart, but getting the little guy alone in space may be a nice wrinkle in the Georgia offense.

- Thank God we have a scholarship punter coming this fall. The walk-ons they had out there were terrible. With no rush, you should always be able to kick it at least 35 or 40 yards!

Overall, a fun spring day in Athens. Now we head to the dead period until summer practice. I have been busy lately, but hopefully I will get back into a regular writing schedule soon.

GO DAWGS!!!

Thoughts on: G-Day 2011

It was a perfect afternoon in Athens on Saturday for the 2011 version of G-Day. There were a ton of Georgia alums on hand to see the black team led by Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin defeat the red team, 18-11. Here are my thoughts on the game:

- Carlton Thomas had another good G-Day, but reaffirmed the reason why he does not need to carry the ball up the middle. Two fumbles, including one at the goal line, are not acceptable. With Crowell, King, Ealey, and Malcome expected to be around this fall, hoepfully we have seen the last of Carlton carrying the ball in goal line situations.

- Orson Charles is poised for a big year. The one thing I liked about the play calling was the emphasis on the tight ends. Charles, White, and Lynch all had multiple catches in the game (8 or 9 total, though I have not seen official statistics).

- Ken Malcome and Caleb King ran hard and looked quick. Caleb only carried a few times, but looked fast and lowered his head at the end of plays. Malcome, as we have heard, showed his ability to pick up extra yards. His game-winning touchdown run was especially impressive. I still think Crowell starts this fall, but a little competition is a good thing.

- Ogletree was everywhere. While he may have made more spectacular hits at safety, he is going to make a ton of plays at LB. Jarvis Jones also looked good and I am definitely glad to see Samuel back on the defensive side.

- Aaron Murray looked sharp and without two drops, would have had a big day. Marlon Brown looked okay, but he dropped what would have been about a 25 yard pass from Murray. And Christian Conley blew his first chance at a big play at Georgia missing one from Murray that could have gone for about 35.

- I was glad to see Christian LeMay lead the Dawgs to a score on that final drive. He had looked timid before, but finally got it together and made a couple of nice throws. He definitely has a ways to go, but you can definitely see the potential.

- And lastly, as others have written, the most impressive thing I saw on Saturday was Kwame Geathers. He looked in shape and was simply blowing people up at the line. At least twice, he blew through the line and took down runners in the backfield. It was impressive and the thought of him sharing a line with Jenkins is scary.

Despite a boring first half, it was a great day in Athens. It was great to see the former quarterbacks back in Sanford, but as expected, Stafford won the competition. One of the craziest things I saw was the AJ Green autograph line. A couple of former players, including David Greene and Jeff Owens, were signing autographs on the side when AJ walked up. It was like a wave of people leaving Owens and Green for AJ. Pretty crazy.

Now we've got about 20 weeks to wait until the next football game. It's going to be a long summer.

What's on my mind: G-Day, NFL Draft Sleeper, Rules Changes

Tomorrow is G-Day! Usually, I get a sense of excitement from the Bulldogs nation about the annual spring contest. Despite the fact that game usually ends up pretty boring, people tend to be fired up. This year...not so much. The new format of having the teams picked seems cool but there just doesn't seem to be much buzz. Maybe it is the 6-7 season, maybe its the injuries, or something else.

I'll be in Athens for G-Day tomorrow and I plan to take pictures and have a complete write up next week. Guys I am looking for tomorrow: Christian Lemay, Ken Malcome, and Kwame Geathers.

SI released its "Welker List" today, a list of some sleeper draft picks that could become great NFL players. Kris Durham made the list and I fully agree that he may become a successful NFL player. He has good size, hands and speed and it was a major mistake that he did not get invited to the combine.

The NCAA released some rule changes today, most notably the "Dooley Rule" and the new rules regarding taunting. No one will make a big deal about the taunting rule until it costs a media darling like Florida or USC a game.

Enjoy G-Day tomorrow, Dawg fans. Its the last Georgia football we get for the next 20 weeks!

Thoughts on G-Day

Another G-Day has come and gone and now we have over 4 months to wait until we see the Georgia Bulldogs take the football field again. This year's G-Day was definitely better than the 2009 snooze fest, but still lacked in the excitement department. Here are my thoughts on what took place Saturday:

- The weather was absolutely amazing and it felt great to be back in Athens. There was a pretty good crowd on hand, but it was really weird to see the entire North stands empty.

- Talk about vanilla - both offense and defense kept the game plan about as simple as could be. This was most noticeable in the blitzes and in the running game.

- The running game was pretty weak. Outside of Carlton Thomas's 30 yard scamper, I don't think there were any other rushes longer than 10 yards. The defense was not doing anything special, it was just regular up the middle running (often times with walk on fullbacks playing the role of tailback.)

- Washington and Houston looked very comfortable at outside linebackers. These two are going to put up monster years in Grantham's defense.

- Really glad to see Kris Durham back. Expect big things from him, particularly on third downs and in the red zone.

- Expect big things from Rambo, Dowtin, and Vance Cuff this fall.

- Georgia has the best group of tight ends in the SEC, if not the country. White, Charles, Figgins and Lynch would all be starters at most schools in the SEC.

- The QB Competition.

• Mettenberger was impressive, but he also played against the second team defense all day. His arm is strong and he is definitely improved, but he doesn't move well in the pocket. Some people are ready to anoint him starter but I still think he has a lot of work to do.
• Murray was off a bit and his numbers were not that good, but I thought he actually made some pretty good plays in the pocket. If he hits AJ in the end zone, how many people would have a totally different opinion of his day? Also, while throwing the interception was bad, the drive up until that point was impressive. I still like his pocket presence better.
• Logan looked good, but he was also not asked to do too much. He clearly has the weakest arm of the three and is more of a scrambler than a pocket passer. I would like to see him continue to take some snaps at QB simply for his running ability.

Overall, it was a nice game that ultimately means very little for the 2010 Bulldogs. The play of the day was the pass from Mettenberger to Wooten. I still expect Murray to be the starter against Louisiana-Lafayette and as long as he performs well in that game and against South Carolina, the job will be his.

GO DAWGS!!!

2010 G-Day: Roster Observations

David Hale has got the rosters for tomorrow's game posted over at his blog. You can check them out here. Here are my quick observations.

1. It looks like the first team offense is on the red team and the first team defense is on the black team.

2. All three quarterbacks are listed on the red team meaning they will all split time between both. It will be interesting to see who goes out there first when the red team goes on offense. My bet: Logan Gray, just based on experience.

3. Caleb King will not play, which means another shot for Carlton Thomas to put on a show. If only we could get him to do it on Saturday's in the fall.

4. I'm looking forward to seeing Rambo and Jakar Hamilton out there on the field at the same time.

5. The black team got shafted in the receiving department. Brown, Troupe, and Figgins against AJ, Wooten, King, Durham, and Charles - that just isn't fair!

6. With the lack of receiving threats on the black team, do you think we'll Branden Smith take some snaps on O?

7. I would love to see Aaron Murray throw a pick...to his walk-on brother. That would just be funny.

8. After coming forward as the "man in the cab", what kind of reaction will Dontavious Jackson get when he carries the ball for the black squad?

9. Remember how exciting it was to have Bogatay on the roster last year. Does anyone really care now?

2010 G-Day Preview - Part 3: "Don't Blow my Cover"

Todd Grantham’s complete overhaul of Georgia’s defense is not complete with just the shift from the 4-3 to the 3-4. Georgia’s secondary is also getting a complete overhaul in the former of new defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos. Lakatos has essentially been given a clean slate in the secondary this fall as the graduation of Prince Miller and Bryan Evans in addition to Reshad Jones leaving for the NFL leaves 3 spots in the secondary up for grabs.

Much has been written during spring practice about the complete change in coverage philosophy. Brandon Boykin, Georgia’s lone returning starter in the secondary, has raved about the technique and footwork the Dawgs have been taught already. On Saturday, I want to see the Georgia secondary holding coverage longer. I want to see safeties step up and prevent short dump passes to the tight end and running backs from going long distances. And I want to see improved tackling and fewer penalties.

The most interesting thing to look at on Saturday is the individual performance of the players competing for starting jobs this fall. I assume Bacarri Rambo will be the starter at one safety spot, leaving two positions open. Branden Smith and Vance Cuff are the favorites to win the other corner position. The remaining safety position is wide open, but I am excited to finally see Jakar Hamilton out on the field.

Two more days until football!

GO DAWGS!!!

2010 G-Day Preview - Part 2: “Bring the Rain”

The 2009 Georgia defense was a complete and absolute failure. A team once known for putting constant pressure on the quarterback was reduced to a team more famous for letting Jonathan Crompton look like an All-SEC quarterback. Georgia managed to win 8 games last year in spite of the defense and it was clear that regime change was needed. Georgia fans got their wish in the hiring of former Dallas Cowboys line coach, Todd Grantham.

Grantham brings with him the 3-4 defense, a departure from the traditional 4-3 defense that was run under Willie Martinez. The new defensive scheme means players in new positions, such as former defensive end Justin Houston now lining up at rushing outside linebacker. The defense is designed to get more pressure on the quarterback, which was seriously lacking last year. Hopefully, more pressure will not only lead to a lower third down conversion rate for opponents, but hopefully a few more turnovers to boot.

This Saturday, most of my attention will be on the linebackers. With so many guys in new positions (including Richard Samuel now at linebacker), it will look a lot different than it did in the Independence Bowl. A few sacks on Saturday would be nice as well.

G-Day Preview Part 3 – “Don’t Blow my Cover” – coming tomorrow.

Just 3 more days…

GO DAWGS!!!

G-Day Preview: Part 1 – “Less is More”

This Saturday marks the end of Georgia spring practice for 2010 and it culminates with the annual G-Day game. One of the most intriguing stories of the spring is the battle to see who will be Georgia’s new starting quarterback. Zach Mettenberger has looked strong in both scrimmages, but his arrest in early April has him facing at least a 1 game suspension and most likely a back up job to start the year. Logan Gray has shown improvement, but a poor showing in the first scrimmage hurt his chances at winning the job. The front runner continues to be Aaron Murray, who has looked impressive in both practice and the scrimmages. And while Coach Richt is expected to name a depth chart to begin fall practice (though he will not be ready to name a starter), the question I keep asking myself is does it really matter.

Georgia will return 10 starters on the offensive side of the ball this fall, including a veteran offensive line, a talented duo at running back, and the best receiver in the country. This year, the quarterback will be asked to do less in the offense, and I say that is a good thing. For all of his faults, Joe Cox was brilliant at times for the Dawgs last season. Take a quick look at these two statistic lines:

55.8%, 2588 yards, 24 TD
55.9%, 2584 yards, 24 TD

The first line belongs to DJ Shockley during the Dawgs 2005 SEC Championship season and the second line belongs to Joe Cox last season. The major difference between the two is DJ only threw 4 picks, Joe threw too many to count.

To have a successful season under center in 2010, the Georgia signal caller does not need to put up 2,500 yards and 20 scores. These are figures that are often only seen by experienced Georgia QBs. The running game of Caleb King and Washaun Ealey should provide the firepower to keep the Dawgs in the end zone on a consistent basis.

What I am looking for on Saturday is the quarterback who embraces the “less is more” mentality. We need a little less Stafford and a little more David Greene under center this fall. The player who can find the right balance between making the big play and also knowing when to take a sack will give Georgia the best chance at success this fall.

Only four days until football…at least for one day!

GO DAWGS!!!