Dawgs Lose to South Carolina

When you lose to a team that is as bad as South Carolina, you would think you could look at the box score and have something just jump off the page at you. Disparity in turnovers or shots taken or free throws. Something.  But...there isn't. Georgia just showed up and didn't play like it mattered if they won or loss.

We can blame poor ball management in the last minute for the loss, but it was an entire game of not being smart. We had two 7 point leads, yet still didn't do anything to stem runs by a team that isn't geared to make runs or score much for that matter. We again switched from an offense that was creating problems for them handle to one that they disrupted easily or we couldn't run (insert your own Bobo joke here). There is a stunning lack of outward care in Georgia basketball. I have no doubt these losses gnaw at the coaches and players, but from the outside, it looks like all anyone is saying is 'one of those basketball deals' [shrugs shoulders and walks away from the mic].

The last week was nothing but fools gold. Fools Gold, y'all. 
TD

PS. I feel for KCP, as he is shouldering the blame with the big turnovers in the last SC run and the cold day shooting, but he was hustling on defense the whole game. He took some ill advised shots, but often he was the only one that wanted to actually take open looks instead of passing the ball.

Not Good

When the only thing about the night that seemed to go right is not getting pushed onto the tracks waiting on the Marta train, it isn't a good night.  Obviously, I'll have more later, but I got to Athens at 2:30am, so the only thing I have right now is the recurring thought that this must be what it felt like being in the Johnson administration during Vietnam.  We are a power without the will or leadership to do what it takes to be a superior power

Right now, there is no end in sight, no hope of a resolution, and no signs any of those things needed fixed, will be.  Hats off to Boise State.  They came in, played their game, and dominated in the places where they had advantages.  I hope they are a really good team, a top 5 team, because if they are merely a good MWC team....well, it is hard to contemplate how mediocre an SEC team we are.

I won't have a chance to watch the replay until later today, so I am sure whatever rays of sunshine I can find will involve gallows humor about the fact that I didn't wake up in Boulder this morning.

TD

Frustration and a Welcomed End to 2010

WARNING: What you are about to read are the frustrated musings of a person who traveled 3,510 miles to only three games this season only to be rewarded with losses to Mississippi State, Colorado, and Central Florida.

First of all, I'd like to say that the Liberty Bowl isn't a bad trip. Memphis is a fun town if you stick to the right areas. The halftime show was the best halftime concert since Kenny Rogers at the 2005 game in Knoxville. My only complaint was that the stadium felt like it was at the center of the American transportation system with trains blaring by at regular intervals and an almost constant flow of low-altitude aircraft. Otherwise, I enjoyed the trip. Well, except for the actual play of my team.

I'm just at a loss on this one. It was the same stuff as all the early season losses, except we seemed intent on getting the ball to A.J. He returned punts. He caught quick passes. We tried to hit him deep. Despite that, the offense sputtered. UCF has a competent defense, but when your OL outweighs their DL by 50 pounds a man and two of its members are considering early entry to the NFL draft, you should dominate the offensive line of scrimmage. But, just like the rest of the year, our line looked weak, or tired, or just slow. UCF played a conservative defense that demanded good execution and methodical play. The Dawgs obliged on some long drives, only to sputter within sight of the goal line. The offense just never seemed in rhythm.

It's frustrating. A losing season is never acceptable. The University of Georgia places a high emphasis on its athletic programs, especially football. So, things have to change, right? Well, there won't be coaching change this season, so let's take that off the table. With that said, how exactly do you see the Georgia Bulldogs improving next season?

I've heard a lot of folks saying that recruiting is the key to next season. Those pleas just ring hollow to me. First, recruiting is important every year. We have to sign great athletes every year because our competitors sure are. Second, the chief deficiencies I see on this team are on the offensive and defensive lines. How many true freshman do you see making an appreciable difference on the line of scrimmage in SEC play? Crowell, Drew, Rome, and the rest of the Dream Team are important, but will they make an appreciable difference next year? I'm not so sure. Long and Benedict should be ready to contribute on the OL, but both those guys are coming off major surgeries.

Georgia will open the season against Boise in Atlanta. We'll be without our top play maker on both the offense and defense from this year. Why should I be optimistic about that game or any game next year?

I was on Beale Street Thursday afternoon before the bowl pep rally. Greg McGarity walked toward me, stopped, and thanked me for coming to support the team. He didn't know me, nor does he have any particular reason to. It was an appreciated gesture. I told him that I was sincerely grateful that he got the job and wished him luck. It seems that our administration is ready to support our program in any way, even thanking some yahoo on the street. We just need to figure out how to improve, and fast.

Quinton

Brutal but funny

The AJC's Mike Luckovich weighed in on Coach Richt earlier in the week. Gotta love the dark humor.

PWD

Lessons from Ray Goff's Tenure

Well...we've lost four games in a row for the first time since Ray Goff's 1990 team went 4-7 overall. If we lose to the Vols, it would be the first five game losing streak since the early 1950s when UGA was by far at it's absolute lowest historical point.

Given that you have to reflect back to Goff's tenure to find failure of this scope, it makes sense to look at some of Ray's good and bad moves in times of crisis.

Positive Lessons Learned from Goff:
An offensive turnaround can happen quickly. UGA lost 13 games from 1989 and 1990 on the strength of a dramatic collapse in the talent base and an offensive philosophy that was wildly out of date. Offensive Coordinator George Haffner's play calling was straight out of the stone age. Our QBs in 1990 were Greg Talley, Preston Jones and Joe Dupree, and the 1990 recruiting class which was ranked #1 in the nation with guys like Hearst and Hastings was still in diapers.

So how did Ray turn around the offense? He brought in Wayne McDuffie with an innovative wide open passing attack, and signed an elite QB in Zeier to run it. The improvement began immediately as the Dawgs went from 4-7 in '90 to 9-3 in '91 and 10-2 in '92.

Negative Lessons Learned from Goff:
Goff kept his "hunting" buddies on staff for far, far too long. His inability to hire a competent defensive coordinator to complement McDuffie on the other side of the ball created an imbalance he could never overcome. (that and being stupid and lazy...but that's another topic)

He also struggled with personnel utilization issues on both sides of the ball. Even McDuffie and his brilliance had issues here. Reflect back to the 1994 game at Alabama. The Tide went undefeated in the regular season, but the Dawgs were a whisker from beating them. Unfortunately, we had Hines Ward (Super Bowl MVP WR) at Running Back, Robert Edwards (Top 10 NFL Draft Pick RB) at defensive back, and Terrell Davis (Super Bowl MVP RB) on the bench.

Lastly, he let the strength and conditioning program fall behind the times. When Donnan came to UGA in 1996, he commented (paraphrase) that his Marshall offensive line was stronger than his UGA line when he arrived.

Where are we now?
Richt is shockingly making mistakes right out of Ray Goff's play book. He waited too long to replace Martinez. Our strength program may produce great "stats" but our guys up front are getting mangled at the point of attack.

We have a former WR coaching RBs who should've gotten his "big break" in Div I-AA. We have a RB coaching WRs who was a much better RB coach for us. Our offensive coordinator refuses to sit in the press box where he can have a complete view of the field.

Granted, Richt isn't watching soap operas in his office instead of game film unlike one of the really depressing Goff rumors. But holy hell the ox is clearly in the ditch.

Where Next?
This is STILL very fixable. There are innovative offensive minds all over college football who would KILL for a chance to coach Aaron Murray. They would kill to coach in the SEC. And it doesn't have to take forever to turn things around.

OR..Mike Bobo could prove that he's one of those people and this season has been a wacky mix-up of some variety. Which I'm fine with...but skeptical.

In the Shortest Term
At a minimum, Bobo should be back upstairs where he could see the entire field better...with instructions to get AJ Green the ball at least twice per offensive possession. We should make sure our best players are in the game -- like Kwame Geathers getting more snaps on defense. And Branden Smith should have more offensive touches than Carlton Thomas. Because...you know..that simply makes sense.

As for the defense...it takes time to implement a completely new system. However, it would probably be a shorter process if the playbook wasn't 12 inches thick. These are college kids with 20 hours to learn and absorb a scheme. Right now, it looks like the only team that's confused by our defense is our own. The brilliance of Bill Oliver, legendary defensive coordinator at Bama, wasn't his complexity or his aggressiveness...it was his ability to put guys in the right spot and tackle well. That's why he was the first defensive coordinator to handle Spurrier in the early 90s.

It's all still fixable. But...it's been fixable all season.

PWD

The Sick Man of the SEC

As prologue, I'll admit that I didn't watch the game closely.  I took my rambunctious toddler to Starkville and she made it impossible to adequately watch the play-by-play in an analytical way.  I haven't had the heart to watch the TiVo yet and I'm unlikely to have the desire to watch any significant portions of it.  More stringent observation, however, isn't needed for what I'm about to say.

Georgia shouldn't lose to Mississippi State.  Ever.  We have too many inherent advantages, from our fertile recruiting base to our superior financial wherewithal.   I've heard Jeff Dantzler talk about our lack of brilliant talent due to recruiting misses for the in-state elite.  But, no matter what you say about our talent level, it should be (and I believe is) above State's at all times.  What State can do, though, is make sure their athletes are well coached and that their effort is maximized.  That's exactly what they exploited Saturday night.  With inferior talent and resources, State beat a sinking Georgia program that appeared careless, undisciplined, and hopelessly unlucky. They did it with a well-coached, fired-up team that took advantage of its breaks and won a conference game.  It was an effort in stark contrast with their opponents.

For the first time in a long while, I agree with every line of a Mark Bradley column.  He makes most of the points that immediately ran through my mind on the long drive out of Starkville.  It's not a happy agreement, but it's difficult to argue any point he makes.  The issue is one of faith.  We, as fans, have kept our faith in Richt for the most part.  He's built a large stack of chits during his career in Athens.  Last night's game, however, may have exhausted Richt's supply.  Losing to Carolina and Arkansas isn't fun, but it's temporarily understandable.  Losing to State isn't understandable.

To borrow a metaphor from nineteenth century European history, Georgia is the "sick man" of the SEC.  A former power that has run into hard times due to repeated setbacks, relevant only because of its reputation, size and affiliation with other great powers.  Georgia is withering before our eyes.  When a team that has won championships in recent memory begins to lose battles with State, Kentucky, Arkansas, and South Carolina, none of whom have won a championship in longer than recent memory, the only conclusion is a degenerative, sustained illness.  An illness consuming the patient, who is condemned to a slow and painful death. 

The question for Greg McGarity is one of prescription, not diagnosis.  We know the program is sick.  The question is the cure. 

Quinton

OHHHHHH!-&-Two

First of all, congrats to the Hawgs. They did exactly what they needed to do for Petrino's first road win in eight tries. They protected the tall, power-armed Ryan Mallett on all but one drive and he picked Georgia's secondary clean. Mallett hit three absolutely wide open receivers for long touchdowns and engineered a efficient second quarter drive for a touchdown that showed why Arkansas was picked to challenge Alabama for the SEC West crown. Congrats to the Hawgs, enjoy your trip to Dallas or Orlando on New Year's Day. (Image: Kris Durham makes a play. Image by Jim Hipple)

On to the Dawgs. The defense was fundamentally better. There were fewer missed tackles and our defensive line was much improved on inside runs. The trouble was scheme execution. The Dawgs couldn't get to the quarterback enough, despite a variety of blitz packages. The defense registered only one sack and it was in the waning minutes of the fourth. Without pressure on Mallett, our DBs weren't able to keep up with Arkansas receivers in man-to-man coverage. When they could keep up, they couldn't make a play on the ball. On the few occasions that our pressure hurried Mallett, there always seemed to be a shallow crossing route consistently open for him. Grantham still has a bunch of work left to do.

On offense, I am just absolutely puzzled. How can an offensive line that experienced and who dominated at the end of last year be so mediocre? Last week, they couldn't run block. This week, they couldn't run block or protect. And when the line did protect, Washaun would completely whiff his protection assignment. On that last offensive play, I thought Ealey had gotten Murray beheaded.

I know a bunch of folks are getting all over Bobo, but I really think the problem is with the line. We have to be able to run the ball. Without it, our passing game isn't as effective. I don't know how many times I can say that. Bobo's offenses have put up points in prior years. The team has to execute. Look, Bobo made some curious calls on specific plays, but those didn't get us beat. The thing I can fault Bobo with was not giving more variety in formations in the first half. If we absolutely cannot run it, show some shotgun looks and run some swing passes and a few quick, horizontal passes to the wideouts. We never tried to mix it up much other than the Wild Dawg, which wasn't very effective without solid blocking.

Lastly, I'm really sick of the fourth quarter pep talk. It seemed to work, but why didn't we have that same sense of urgency and desire that we showed for most of the fourth quarter when we started the game? Richt publicly stated how important this game was to the program and we looked stuck in second gear for three quarters. Move the pep talk to the first quarter, please.

So here we are, fighting to cling to any scrap of national relevance. We aren't going to Atlanta. Adding to that, our head coach is facing a confidence crisis. The Bulldog Nation is about to become a very nasty place, divided between those who want a change and those who want to persevere. I'm still thinking about which side I'm on, but I'll say this: Since 2005, our program, when compared with our peers, is behind. Is it recruiting? Is it coaching? Is it discipline? I think it's a mixture of all of those things. Mark Richt is a great man and has proven himself a good coach. For many, the memories of past glories are forgotten and all that remains is the pain and aggravation of the present. Is all that Richt has accomplished enough to maintain our faith in him? The fact that I'm asking the question shows the problem.

Quinton

P.S. I know the TV announcers went on and on about A.J. missing the game. Get over it. We knew the default position all week was that A.J. would not play. Would it have changed the outcome? First, A.J. doesn't play defensive back. Second, Durham's no A.J., but he made his share of plays. Our offense can't be solely dependent on a single wide out. There's another team in the SEC who's been missing the Heisman Trophy winner and has still absolutely destroyed people. A.J.'s a great player and he would have made a difference, but he was suspended. We can't change that or use it as an excuse for a loss.

Some Initial Thoughts

I'm going to try to be measured here after a frustrating 17-6 loss in Columbia.  Some first impressions:

• Marcus Lattimore is deserving of his hype.  He's the next great SEC tailback.  That guy's powerful, he runs hard, and is difficult to wrap up.  SC is going to be able to do a lot of things on offense with a strong runner they can rely on to bail them out.  He looked like Cecil Collins today.
• Despite that, we still haven't learned to tackle.  I'll give Lattimore credit for breaking some tackles, but there were several critical plays where we didn't even make attempts to wrap him up with arms.  Instead we tried to knock him down, not take him down.  He's too good a back for that crap.  Can someone teach our defense the fundamentals of tackling?  
• Despite those problems, the defense played better than it feels like they played.  They were physically overpowered much of the day, but only gave up 17 points.  In the third and fourth quarters, they had some really nice defensive series and made Garcia look confused  and tentative.  The thing is, you just kept expecting SC to start feeding Lattimore and grind the game out and that's exactly what they did late in the fourth to ice it.   
• Our offensive line is way overrated.  Carolina has a good defensive front, but our running game was nonexistent after the first drive. Without a strong running game, our offense doesn't work.  It's that simple.  Searles has some work to do.  Chapas's injury hurt, but our best second half rush was for five yards.  We have to do better.
• Bacarri Rambo.  Ouch, buddy.  Flush this whole game and get ready for Petrino's passing schemes. 

The season isn't necessarily over with regards to the SEC Championship, but it's now teetering.  I expect both SC and Florida to lose at least one conference game.  Both have to play Bama and they have to play each other.  We can still get to Atlanta.  After today's performance, though, it's just too difficult to really conceive of this team playing for a championship.

Quinton

Non-Revenue Roundup

Georgia is used to a solid spring of athletic victory, but this year has seen mixed to no success.  Spring hasn't been all bad so far, but it hasn't been particularly enjoyable either.  Here's an update:

Baseball:  Ugh.  Where to begin?  The most obvious problem with the baseball team is that the pitchers can't get hitters out.  The team ERA is a titanic 8.52, three runs ahead of the the closest competitor.  When the opposition isn't hitting at the plate, they are walking.  We've issued 207 free passes this year, besting our closest competition in that stat by 40(!) walks.  You can't win with those stats even if you are hitting the ball well, which we aren't.  We're also last in the league in average and runs.  Our pitching coach, Brady Wiederhold, should take a long look at his work this year (and last).  Perno, in turn, should take a long look at Wiederhold. The numbers don't lie. 

Gymnastics:  After five straight national championships, losing one of the greatest college gymnasts ever, and the resignation of one of the greatest coaches in UGA history, a letdown was inevitable.  But this big of a letdown? The GymDogs didn't get out of their first round meet this year, much less to the Super Six.  

Men's Tennis:  The NCAAs are still upcoming, but the season ended with a wobble and thud.  The Dawgs were undefeated in conference before their final two matches against UF and UT, the best two teams in the conference.  Those matches resulted in two Ls.  It didn't help that freshman Bo Seal was suspended for the final leg of the season.  He stayed suspended for the SEC Tournament last weekend and the team fell 4-3 to Auburn in their first match.  It appears Seal won't be playing in the NCAAs either, which greatly limits the team's prospects.  Manny Diaz has signed two really good American prospects for next year, but we continue to get burned overseas by players who either go pro early or can't pass the TOEFL exam.

Women's Tennis: The girls fared only a little worse than the guys.  They lost in their first round match up in Athens at the SEC Tournament.  This isn't a championship squad, but the pieces are in place for an excellent team next year.  Gullickson and Gilchrist will be at the top of the line up, but Coach Wallace will welcome what should be the top recruiting class in the country.  He signed four bluechippers and the top prep player in Japan.  

Soccer:  Their season isn't until the fall, but the soccer program had some big news recently with the resignation of Coach Patrick Baker resigned abruptly to spend more time with his family.  It's a sad commentary when that stated reason leads you to suspect seriously malfeasance or perversion, but I haven't heard anything that would contradict Baker's stated reasons for quitting.  But, I wouldn't know anything about the soccer program other than scores.  Steve Holeman, formerly the HC at Ole Miss, will take over for Baker.  

It hasn't been a total loss, though.  We can all celebrate the equestrian team's national title in a sport that doesn't count in the Sears Cup and isn't recognized by the SEC. Hooray.  Maybe softball can brighten our prospects, but by all accounts, 2009-2010 has been a long year for athletics.

Quinton

One last thought on tailgating rules

I read hundreds of blog comments, editorials, articles and message board posts about the new tailgate rules over the past several weeks. Here's my only remaining question.

There were 70 tons of garbage left on North Campus after a single game last year. In reading all of those articles and comments, how is it possible that there wasn't a single post anywhere from a person saying, "You know what. I wish I had picked up my trash."

How can a group of fans make such a mess and that results in so much that they find important and fun being taken from them and not have a single one express any regret over their own actions or accept any responsibility for the outcome? That just blows me away. But I guess that explains the problem.

PWD

Diamond Dawgs Slaughtered

As a Georgia baseball fan, it pains me to write that the past weekend was a complete and total demolition of the UGA baseball team, a bloody execution too gruesome for your children to be admitted to watch.  Auburn swept us in the weekend series by a collective run total of 43-9.  If it were a boxing match, they would have stopped two of the three games in the early rounds for fear of Georgia's eminent death. "Quinton," you say, "that's a bit harsh isn't it?"  Here's Perno's quote after the sweep: 

"We’re not good and that’s my fault. There were too many expectations on this group and we’re not a good baseball team on any front — we don’t defend, we don’t pitch and we can’t hit. We don’t have a whole lot of grit or toughness, we don’t throw enough strikes and we sure have a tough time scoring runs."

So, if we can't do any of that stuff, what can we do?  Lose, repeatedly.  

To reinforce the point, Auburn is #29 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll.  They aren't in nor are they receiving votes in any of the other polls.  We just got destroyed by them.  Left on the schedule: #4 LSU in Baton Rouge, #6 Clemson, #8 Florida in Gainesville, #17 Ole Miss, #18 South Carolina, #20 Arkansas in Fayetteville, and #23 Vanderbilt in Nashville.  Plus #5 Tech a couple more times.  If Auburn got 43 in Athens, what could a really good team do?

We're young and we're hurt, but I doubt the team would make it to Hoover with everybody healthy.  Take your lumps, learn from it, recruit, and evaluate the assistants at the end of the year.  This season is done, folks.

Quinton

New Tailgate Rules for 2010 Season

This is a breaking story regarding new Tailgate Rules for Georgia Football games...particularly North Campus...but the big news is:

1. Tailgating on North Campus will only begin 4 hours before kickoff. There are also extensive restrictions on what can be brought on North Campus including a ban of:
Tents
Kegs
Generators
Televisions
Amplified music
Grills or cookers of any type
Tables larger than 4 ft. long
Household furniture (folding chairs not included)

2. A ban on pull behind trailers and cookers for all campus parking lots. Yes, Dawgnoxious, this totally and completely screws us.

To the students, young alumni and other people who completely made an a$$ of themselves on North Campus and the folks of all ages all over the rest campus who couldn't bring a damn trash bag or two to their tailgate to clean up their mess resulting in greater restrictions for everyone, I say. Nice work a$$holes.

PWD

Gut Wrenching

I was at last night's heart breaker in Nashville. What can you say other than we're very, very close very, very often. Damn. As Quinton texted me post game, when the best free throw shooter on your team misses two and the worst three point shooter on their team makes one all at the end, that's pretty much not your night.

On the bright side, I did talk to the extended family of one of our players who raved about Mark Fox and the progress the team is making week to week. On the downside, I also accidentally popped off about another player in ear shot of his mom. Doh. Been a while since I put my foot in my mouth with a player's parent.

Regardless of how last night went, I do love our chances against the Gators on Saturday, and I think we have a reasonable shot at beating LSU in Baton Rouge the following weekend. As a buddy said, that would put us as the #6 seed in the East with likely Ole Miss in Game 1 and Vanderbilt in Game 2.

Given that we smoked Vandy at home, and lost by 1 point in Overtime on the road...a neutral site battle looks like a manageable situation for us.

See Also:
-- Overtime Not Friendly - RnB
-- Vanderbilt's Rally - Tennessean

PWD

Damn

I was there. It was worse in person. I'm certainly no stranger to watching bad basketball, but the effort was a joke. The season overall is still an improvement, and we're still heading generally in the right direction.

We've generally done a good job of hustling in the losses. That's why the games were so close. This team isn't good enough to not hustle.

But last night wasn't a step forward. I have nothing positive to say about it. The effort was ridiculously poor. I will say that Trey got rooked on his last two fouls. Beyond that, what a wasted opportunity. Fox will have to move them forward from this, but it was a frustrating night to be a Dawg fan.

PWD

Learning to win ain't easy

The basketball team suffered another heart breaker against Arkansas last night losing 72-68. The Dawgs had a 15 point lead at the half after holding the Razorbacks to 22 first half points. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off defensively in the second half as the Dawgs surrendered 50 points. Without question, it was the worst defensive half of basketball of the season.

Offensively, the team struggled to break the Arkansas press as the game wore on. Some of that was due to the lack of ball handlers on the team, and some of it is due to a lack of depth. I thought Ricky McPhee was going to drop dead from exhaustion in the game. The depth problems were compounded by Ebuka sitting out the game due to a suspension of sorts from Coach Fox for "not doing what he was supposed to do on the first day of class."

Defensively, the problem was effort and intelligence. They played very badly. Not the sort of badly that you can entirely excuse away due to depth. The sort of badly that drives coaches to drinking. Fox was livid post-game regarding the effort.

The good news...they are competing in these games, and independent of the record they are playing dramatically better basketball than I thought they would be capable of playing this season. In 7 SEC games this season, they've been in a position to win it with 1 minute remaining six times. The other good news is that another SEC caliber guard is on the roster ready to join the team next year when Gerald Robinson is cleared to play from his transfer. The bad news...they still have to learn to win. And that's no small thing.

See Also:
-- Fading late - ABH
-- Box Score - Sportsline

PWD

More on Adams to NCAA rumors

Mark Bradley picks up where we left off regarding the rumor Mike Adams may replace Myles Brand as NCAA President. Bradley points out that Atlanta's own Parker Executive Search is spearheading the search to fill the position. Dan Parker is no stranger to personnel in Athens. His boutique was responsible for the searches to replace Charles Knapp, Vince Dooley, and Dennis Felton.

It doesn't take much imagination to see how Adams installment as NCAA president could be a fait accompli. Inside job or not, the ends totally justifies the means. His refusal to make a Shermanesque statement regarding his candidacy keeps hope alive.

I have no problem with Kirby Smart staying at Bama

Quinton and I both said numerous times throughout this search that we thought it was unlikely that Kirby Smart would come here. Not because of any mythical rift between Richt and Smart, but because it just made more sense for him to stay in Tuscaloosa. That's why, I don't have an issue with his decision to stay at Alabama.

What I most certainly do have an issue with is the way this was handled by Kirby. The job had been open since Dec. 2nd, and Kirby has known since at least Dec. 15th that Georgia was interested...if he was interested. That's the magic phrase in all of this.

UGA started the search process with Bud Foster and John Chavis because (A) they are more qualified for the job than Kirby, and (B) Kirby would be tied up until at least Jan. 7th. When the Foster and Chavis deals never materialized, Richt made his pitch to Kirby because he had reason to believe Kirby was legitimately receptive to the pitch.

If Kirby wanted to stay in Tuscaloosa, that would've been fine by everyone. He could've quietly and respectfully told Richt to move ahead with his search without him. There was positively no reason to wait 3-4 days to make up his mind when he had a month to ponder this scenario. Making Richt wait weakened the search process and took more shine off the position.

Bear Bryant was famously asked why he left Texas A&M for Alabama, and he responded, "Mama Called." Well, mama called, and as T. Kyle King said, "Kirby hung up." Georgia needed Kirby because of the timing and because of the prior rejects, and we went out on a limb for him. We were willing to make a 34 year old guy with only one year of defensive coordinator experience the third highest paid assistant in the country. In that scenario, you don't make us wait for almost four days to make up your mind.

So it's not the decision that pisses me off. It's the process and timing.

I respect his decision to stay with Saban. Professionally, I think it was the right move for him. It's lower risk, and as close to a frictionless path to a head coaching gig as you can find in college football. But he should also respect the anger and backlash that UGA boosters feel towards the way he handled this.

It's not just business when it's your alma mater. Not if you ever want to come back.

Where do we go from here?
The search was never about hiring Kirby Smart. The search was about finding someone better than Willie Martinez. That's the minimum threshold for success. And as I've stated before, the process from our end worries me less than the outcome. We can still hire someone terrific. Particularly, if we're willing to offer another viable candidate as much as $790,000 over three to four years.

Kirby wasn't Richt's soul mate for this job. There's more than one person that will work. We just need to move quickly to find them.

By the way....can we please stop with the "Damon won't pay anyone good" meme. The offer that UGA made to Kirby given his resume was wildly out of step with the broader marketplace. It was an incredibly generous offer.

Oh...and one last thought. Maybe it's Todd Grantham now. Maybe not. But what has Todd Grantham ever done to make you or I think he's the answer except have Pollack and Donnan throw out his name often enough to have Anthony Dasher start calling his agent?

If it's him, I'll be open minded, but I don't get the love.

PWD

LOOK AT THE WEEDEATERS FALLING FROM THE SKY!

You shipment of fail has arrived. Look at the weed eaters falling from the sky! I'm too pissed to type, and I'm too annoyed to read anyone else's rants either. Shreveport here we come.

Comments are open. Lay off the profanity. I don't have time to delete a bunch of that stuff.

PWD

Tailgating on North Campus...your days are numbered

It's one thing to empty a dumpster on your bitter enemy's front yard. It's another thing to empty one on your own yard. One makes you a mean prankster. The other makes you a stupid slob and a horse's ass. There's no excuse for leaving North Campus looking like this.

And this wasn't the work of hobos or homeless people post game. This was what it looked like because the students and recent alumni who tailgate on North Campus made it look this way. Sweeping changes are needed to protect North Campus. Some or all of the following options need to be on the table at this point:

• Banning tailgating on North Campus
  
  
• Pay for Play tailgating in a limited number of labeled spots with fines for littering in that spot. This is my favorite option.
  
  
• Banning Styrofoam Coolers on the Entire Campus. This is a no brainer The cost of buying one is so low, there's no reason to not just abandon it at the end of the tailgate. As you can see from the image above, North Campus is littered with Styrofoam Coolers.

The Athletic Department also needs to step up and invest in more trash bins. They are bringing the fans to town. They have a $28 million surplus. They need to help us keep the place cleaner. The University shouldn't be the one stroking that check. It should be the AD.

We had to go a long ass way out of our way on Saturday to get a trash bin for our very large tailgate. There just aren't enough bins. However, even without more bins fans can and should bag their own garbage. Just dropping it where you stand is completely unacceptable.

It's a damn joke what's happening on North Campus. And if you tailgate there, your days are numbered if the UK game ends the same way the Auburn game did in terms of filth. And even people like myself and Dawgnoxious who hate Mike Adams would stand behind him on his efforts to protect North Campus from what appears to be a massive group of idiots with no home training whatsoever who tailgate there.

See Also:
-- Slum Dogs - Augusta Chronicle
-- Time to Crack Down on tailgate Trash - AJC

PWD

So...about our talent

While I was stuck in traffic post-game that was so bad I got out of my car and argued with two cops about the situation...remarkably not going to jail and actually getting them to more or less do what I wanted...I was partially listening to the 750 am post-game show.

During the show, Dantzler and Mike Cavan were talking about our talent level. It sounded like they were pushing the theory that it's not the coaching. Or maybe they were basically just saying that all our "Top 10 recruiting classes" were overblown. Either way, it sounds like we have huge talent problems per their conversation.

Dantzler's comment was that we're currently ranked 8th nationally by one recruiting service, but that's still only 5th in the SEC in recruiting. His shockingly lucid point being, that talent rankings are all relative.

We'll ignore the fact that 2 of the past 5 seasons, we finished higher in the Rivals recruiting rankings than the Gators. And just let Jeff's point stand on it's own for a minute. From there, I'll just agree the rankings are all relative. Moving on...

I don't care what we are ranked by Rivals, Scout or anyone else. I simply want us in the same living rooms as our rivals/peers, and I want us protecting our home state's top talent as much as possible. I figure if we're recruiting the same guys as UF, UT, Bama, LSU, and/or Miami, then we're usually recruiting the right guys.

With the exception of Cox and Gray, most of our current peers and measuring stick programs wanted most of our starters on offense and defense. Most of the elite programs can be wrong about a few players. But everyone can't be wrong about all our players.

I am not saying that this roster is as talented as the 2002 unit. There are typically less than two teams per year in all of college football that are as loaded on both sides of the ball as that group.

Nor am I saying that our talent is where it needs to be. At QB, RB and DE, we had multple recruiting whiffs that will only sort themselves out with time. As the better players aren't so darn raw or young.

But this roster ain't chopped liver either. We are most certainly more talented top to bottom than Oklahoma State and Tennessee. As well as Auburn, Kentucky and Georgia Tech.

QB is it's own fiasco right now. And that's not a trivial matter. But we're better than our record would suggest.

Or said more briefly -- we ain't the best 4-4 team in America, but we are damn sure the most talented one. And there's no trophy for that.

PWD