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Profiling the Georgia Bulldog Defensive Line

Columnist Written on June 23, 2009

TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 22: Jeff Owens #95 of the Georgia Bulldogs moves on the field during the game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium September 22, 2007 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Georgia defeated Alabama 26-23 in overtime. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Let's be honest: the Georgia defense didn't strike fear into the hearts of any teams last season.

They were mediocre in wins (Vanderbilt and Kentucky) and painful in losses (Alabama, Georgia Tech, and Florida)

From week-to-week, they were mind-bogglingly inconsistent. And, it was hard to say for certain if defensive coordinator (DC) Willie Martinez was bringing the sledge-hammer or the rubber-mallet when he led the Bulldogs into battle.

Needless to say, frustration was a weekly emotion, and, after the loss to Georgia Tech, there seemed to be an ever-widening chorus of "Fire Willie Martinez" playing in Dawg Nation.

If you don't believe it, just check here, here, here, or here for confirmation of how fed up the fans were with the way Martinez was running the show.

Truthfully, it's hard to blame the Georgia fans for their ire, spoiled as they were by former DC Brian Van Gorder—Dawg fans became comfortable that their defenses would pummel every team they faced with an iron fist.

The great defensive teams of 2001-2004 saw national finishes of 17th, fourth, third, and eighth, respectively in scoring defenses.

Now, we're nearly last in the SEC in that same category!

Further, during Van Gorder's reign, the Dawg's produced a nice haul of NFL level defensive talent: Thomas Davis, David Pollack, Johnathan Sullivan, Sean Jones, and Boss Bailey just to name a few.

We still get defensive recognition, but it's nowhere near where it was a few years back.

So, what happened to the Dawgs on defense?

How on earth did we fall so far, so fast?

How did we become a defense that allowed 38 points to be scored against them on four different occasions?

One that saw woodshed level beatdowns from Alabama, Florida, and—holy crap—Georgia Tech?!?

Well, you can start with the loss of defensive tackle Jeff Owens and go from there to find a plethora of answers wrought from speculation.

However, this is a new season and that means we work from now:

No big-time ranking, no big-time stars, and no expectations of greatness.

That said, we start from the interior line:

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written on June 23, 2009 Preview/Prediction

Bleacher Report has a featured columnist opening for Georgia Bulldogs Football.

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