FIND-A-WAY

There are enough articles out there complaining about (1) The unfair punishment that AJ received from the NCAA, (2) The bad decision that AJ made and how could he put the team in this predicament, or (3) the Chicken Little "Sky is Falling" people that say we are going to lose at least 2 out of the next 3 games without AJ.

Here's a few other ways to look at today's crappy news...

1. Aaron Murray is the real deal. He will have his coming out party over the next few weeks. There is a reason every school in the country wanted him. It would be easier with AJ on the field, but this kid can play. He does not have to win games for us, but he has the ability to make the play. And, from all reports, he has "it", whatever that means.
2. We are going to grow up fast as an offense without AJ out there. While it is true that AJ is the Playmaker on this team and the best WR in the country, we are not lacking for talent on the offensive side of the ball. Tavarres King showed signs last year and has supposedly taken the next step. Kris Durham is a solid option. Marlon Brown made an appearance last week and was almost as highly recruited as AJ. Everybody wanted Wooten-da-BallCarrier on their team when he signed 2 years ago. We have Ealey coming back this weekend. Carlton Thomas looked great last week (I kinda liked him better than King last week, especially if our line is not opening holes and the RB has to make something happen on his own). Orson Charles and the TE's get a bigger role in the offense now. I'm not saying AJ's production will be easily replaced, but we don't lack for weapons.
3. Bobo almost has to do what we did against Tech. We have a red-shirt FR QB that is missing his security blanket in #8. We have a stable of RB's in King, Ealey, and Thomas to go along with 2 great Fullbacks and a ridiculously deep set of TE's. Let's line up, pound the ball and keep it simple. And then run some play-action to TK to stretch the field.
4. Todd Grantham HAS to show up with a great defense without any holes. Something tells me that Grantham will enjoy having his back against the wall in a bunker mentality. I think he will thrive in this type of situation. We can not afford to get into shootouts looking for quick scores without the best player on the field for either team. We need some ugly wins - and playing great D is the key to that. We can not give up the quick score too often and Grantham knows this. The good news is I think we have the right guy running the defense to count on this to happen again. It's gonna be like the BVG days all over again. Unlike the last 5 years, we don't have to score 35 to have a chance.
5. AJ will be healthy for what will hopefully be the key stretch run vs. Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, the Tech-geeks and the GA Dome. We have never seen a healthy AJ Green at the end of the season vs. those opponents. If we can find a way to get through this suspension without a loss, we will be tough to beat with a beefed up lineup that returns AJ Green.

SEC Media Days

The unofficial kickoff to football season kicked off today in Alabama, where Nick Saban is still going off on the dirty agents that are trying to corrupt NCAA football players' eligibility everywhere. As much as I dislike Saban, I can't disagree with anything he said today...

A lot has happened since our last post here at UGA VIII, so we have a lot to catch up on. Here are 5 quick hits as we get cranked back up over here.

1. I am glad Aaron Murray is our QB1. He was the guy I had pegged since he signed with us out of Tampa 2 years ago. I never thought AM would win the job by default, but I also never thought Mettenberger was going to be the long-term answer.

2. Aaron Murray is the key to the 2010 season. I don't mean that he has to be exceptional or lead us to the promised land. I mean he just needs to be smart enough to get the ball to the playmakers and not lose the game for us. Hand off to Ealey, hand off to Caleb, throw to AJ, Orson, Tavarres King (after he returns from suspension), Durham, Wooten da Ball Carrier, a hopefully much improved Marlon Brown, etc. Actually, a whole lot of Murray's success will depend on Bobo's playcalling...

3. Richt is NOT on the hot seat. Not even close. If we win 7 games this year, then he will be on the hot seat next year. But, that is not going to happen. I expect a minimum of 10 wins this year. Our offense returns 10 starters and Murray replaces a turnover machine (no offense meant to Joe Cox - great kid, big heart). So, the offense should be pretty damn good with a healthy AJ and a much more experienced backfield in King and Ealey, all supported by a very deep, talented offensive line.

4. The off-season arrests are getting old, but they could be a lot worse. We don't have any armed robbery or beating of police officers, BUT these guys have got to get smart. Are they not paying attention to what CMR is doing to guys getting caught? It seems like the message is not getting through even though players are being booted from the team. I am not sure what else Richt and staff are doing for punishment, but I did read some good ideas after the latest DUI involving Dontavious Jackson. I like the idea of punishing the entire team for 1 player's mistake. Peer pressure is a powerful tool that can be used for good at times like this.

5. Our defense is going to be exciting this year. In a good way (turnovers, sacks, TD's) and in a bad way (missed assignments = big play quick TD's). I love everything coming from the defensive side of the ball - Grantham's intensity to Lakatos' new techniques. Unfortunately, I think it is going to take more than a spring practice and a fall camp to install the new defense.

Several more posts to come. Please follow us on Twitter here or become a fan on Facebook here.

Debate of the Day....Best Chance To Win Division?

With the Grapefruit League and Spring Practice both up and rolling, we thought we would throw out a new Debate of the Day to y'all - For 2010, who has the better chance of winning their respective division? The Dawgs in the SEC East or the Braves in the National League East? Both teams have plenty of plenty of potential and a few question marks. Read on and chime in below with your thoughts in the comments section.

UGA in 2010...

The big question marks for UGA are the QB position and how quickly can the D pick up Grantham's new 3-4 scheme? As to the 1st question mark... If Aaron Murray is as half as good as his hype, we will have the best offense in the East, hands down. We return 10 starters from last year's team that averaged nearly 29 points/game and the new QB will be replacing a turnover machine. While having a rookie QB is never ideal in the SEC, this might be the ideal situation to have a rookie QB. Think about it - we have a veteran offensive line, a dynamic tandem at RB and the best WR in the nation. To me (along with the rest of the Bulldog Nation), the big question is on defense. If CTG and the new staff can coach the players up and they are able to grasp the new system quickly, 2010 could be a banner year for the Dawgs. The special teams should be a huge strength for us as we enter into 2010. In Walsh and Butler, we have the best P/K combo in the country to go along with a record-setting return man and a new coaching staff running the unit.

As for the Dawgs' competition to win the East, they have to deal with (1) a rebuilding Florida team with a schizophrenic head coach, (2) a South Carolina team led by Stephen Garcia, and (3) a Tennessee team that is getting to know its 3rd coaching staff in as many years. The East is going to be down this year more than we have seen in a long time.

Braves in 2010...

The Braves are going to have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Lowe, Jurrjens, Hudson, Hanson, and Kawakami - pretty damn solid. So, the Braves have come back around and gone back to their successful model from the 90s. The other half of the battery is also about as good as you can get - McCann has become one of the best backstops in MLB over the last 4 years. After that, the Braves are loaded with potential - both good and bad. Chipper Jones could hit over .300 with 25 jacks and 100 RBI, but he could also miss 100 games. They signed a former AL Homerun Champ and he is only 32 years old. The problem is Troy Glaus could hit more than 32 HR or he could get less than 32 AB. The super prospect Jason Heyward probably provides all of us Braves fans with the the biggest question mark along with the most excitement. The Braves are really hoping for him to bust out this year and make a significant contribution. The obvious problem is you can't really expect a 20 year old to step in and start mashing in his first big league season.

As for competition, The Braves' big hurdles are the 2-time defending National League Champion Phillies, the big-spending Mets, and the Marlins, who seem to always have a good young lineup that could all break out at any time.

My Take......

The Braves need a bunch of old guys to prove their bodies can endure a 162 game season. Between Chipper, Glaus, Saito, and Wagner, we have a good chance that a major part of our lineup/team will miss significant action over the course of 162 games. The Dawgs, on the other hand, have a bunch of young guys that have to prove they can play at this level. I would much rather bet on young potential rising to a challenge than bet on old brittle bodies making it thought the 6 month grind of a MLB season.

The schedule/competition also favors UGA. I never thought I would say this, but the SEC East will be a little weak next year. Of course, it's all relative when I say that. But, Florida has a lot to replace, including all- world Superman (careful when you click here - it's an awfully bright orange and blue page) and a whole lot of underclassman that left early. Tennessee lost a lot of seniors from an average team last year and they will be getting to know their 3rd coaching staff in as many years. And until they prove otherwise, in my eyes, South Carolina will always be...... well... South Carolina. They just always find a way to screw it up. The Braves, on the other hand, have a tough field to compete against. The NL East will be as strong as any division in MLB in 2010. The Phillies will be going for a 3rd straight pennant, the Mets will get some superstars back from injury (Reyes and Beltran) this year, and the Marlins have been a thorn in the Braves' side since expansion in 1993.

I have gotta go with the Dawgs here. While both teams have the potential to have great seasons and win their East Divisions, the Braves' margin for success is just too thin. And their competition is just too strong and proven. At this point, I think UGA should be favored to win the East next year. But, that's another post for another day.

What do y'all think? I look forward to reading your comments below.

We're Still Streaking

Men's Tennis had a huge comeback upset win today over #6 Kentucky to keep the home winning streak alive. That means 70 straight home wins for the Dawgs and Coach Diaz is now one win shy of 500. He will become the 6th coach in NCAA history to surpass 500 career wins. After being down 3-0, the Dawgs stormed back with wins at #3, #4, #6, and #5 singles. The match was clinched by Junior Drake Bernstein. Bernstein was down 3 match points as he was serving in the 3rd set. Down 4-5, love-40, Bernstein stormed back to win the final 3 games as UGA continues streaking in dramatic fashion.

Next match is at home vs. #21 Vanderbilt on Sunday @ 1 pm.

Looking way ahead, the Dawgs will be hosting the NCAA Championships at the Dan Magill Complex, known as the "Mecca of College Tennis" this year. Dates are set for May 20-31 and tickets can be purchased here.

IF YOU LOVE SPORTS!!

DAVIS CUP UPDATE!!

John Isner, the former bulldawg great, has just entered into a 5th set with world #2 Novak Djokovic. The match is being played in Serbia and it has a college tennis vibe to it. The USA and Isner are down 2 matches to 1 , and we need Isner to pull through in the 5th set to give Sam Querry a chance in the final deciding match. Isner has shown the heart of a bulldawg the whole match, lets pull him through!! Live scoring here. And if you have Tennis Channel it is on NOW Live.

Spring Practice Links - Day 1

There are some great updates out there on the 1st day of spring practice. Enjoy...

David Hale's 1st report from a bunch of quick tidbits from spring practice - I think all Dawg fans will be glad to hear his initial reaction to Grantham's coaching style. Later on, Hale followed up with a full report on the practice. Finally, he has some video highlights up from Practice #1 of the New Defensive Era. Over at the Macon Telegraph, Hale does a piece on how excited the coaches are to be working together on the field.

Marc Weiszer has a live report from spring practice, and then he empties the notebook later.

Tim Tucker (AJC) reports on new jersey #'s, among other things.

The AB-H has a report on Grantham's 1st day, as well as a story on the 1st Day of the QB Race.

Scout has a story on the learning curve of the Dawg's new defense, and another story on the excited nervousness that some of the players had before getting back on the field.

Battle Hymn Notes leaves us with 12 questions heading into UGA's Spring Break.

The Hits Keep Coming...

Here's to hoping that Alec Ogletree will continue the tradition of huge hits from our safeties that we saw in CMR's early years with Thomas Davis and Greg Blue. Dude is laying people out here...

Just for the fun of it - here is one of Blue's biggest hits - I remember this like it was yesterday. I was sitting in the end-zone seats by the locker rooms and I thought #17 had decapitated that poor reciever from AU.