Bleacher Report - Articles by Kimberley Nash

A Georgia Bulldog Fan's Thanksgiving Wish for 2010

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:20:40 -0500

As the first official holiday approaches, I find myself wishing, hoping, and wanting more for my beloved Dawgs next season. The 2009 version of my great Georgia Bulldogs has left me concerned and disappointed as to what the future may hold. However, I am also optimistic that I am not the only one who sees a need for change. You see that smile on the gentleman to the right? That fella looks like a man with a plan—a winner. I suspect that he is on vacation at the moment as his current embodiment is still trying to understand how his team lost to Kentucky—AT HOME! Yet, I digress. The point of this article is to say that 2009 may have been dismal but 2010 offers something very hopeful. So, as I sit down to my Thanksgiving table on Thursday, I shall let the memory of a broken 2009 fade away as I look forward to a 2010 that shall, hopefully, bring the following.

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Quarterback Signees of 2006: Did They Become NCAA Studs or Duds?

Kimberley Nash — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:36:33 -0500

Many of the members of the class of 2006 will be exiting stage left at season's end. A couple of them, Matthew Stafford and Nate Davis, have already done as much and are no longer repping their respective universities with pride. While others are still churning out yards and blazing trails of their own for the new breeds to follow. As the 2009 college football season comes to an end, it seems fitting to see how the highly, and not so highly, touted high school boys of 2006 have done. Some have excelled beyond their wildest dreams—Tim Tebow. While others have found it hard to make any true impact at all—Mitch Mustain. All were at one point or another, considered to be one of the best at their respective position but Friday Night Light glory does not always translate into Saturday success.

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R.I.P: A Georgia Bulldog Tribute To UGA VII

Kimberley Nash — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:41:24 -0500

The Georgia Bulldog nation got a shock to their collective system on Thursday evening as the news trickled slowly through the Twitter and AP news wires that Uga VII, also known as Loran's Best, had passed away. The beloved white english bulldog was only four-years old and was finishing his second-season at the helm as Georgia's mascot—he took over on August 30, 2008. He may now hold the sad distinction of being the Georgia Bulldog mascot with the shortest tenure but in his short stint as our trusty wearer of the 'G', he made us proud and sat watch over some very memorable moments on the football field. In his memory, I have lifted a few of those very games so that we might not only reminisce on the greatness that was this little beauty from the Coastal City, but also remind us Dawg fans of just how wonderful a thing it is to be a Georgia Bulldog.

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Did The "Music City Miracle" Alter the Course of the Buffalo Bills?

Kimberley Nash — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:53:12 -0500

The Buffalo Bills used to be a very respectable team out of New York with Hall of Famer's lining their roster. Today, they are less that than a team still trying to find it's way. Wide Receiver Terrell Owens was brought in to right the ship, make Lee Evans and Trent Edwards better, balance the run game brought by Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson with a passing game that all had to respect. In truth, Owens hasn't had a chance to shine, Edwards is still not the guy Buffalo needs him to be, and Marshawn Lynch screwed his franchise from the start of the season by just being stupid. Buffalo has not been able to catch a break. Everytime things look promising—they get snatched back. It's amazing to think that this is the same franchise that once went to four consecutive Super Bowls! Say what you want about never having won the big one but I challenge any team of today to match that kind of consistency—it's simply not possible. The Bills were able to recover from the "wide right" debacle of 1991. They remained a playoff caliber team despite the heartbreak of that missed 47-yarder against the Giants—making seven more playoff appearances between 1991 and 1999. Three of those appearances led to Super Bowl title chances. No. Buffalo's achille's heel has been one play that not only has seen them mired in mediocrity since it's outcome but has seemingly destroyed the very ability of that franchise to find any success. That play was....

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Georgia Bulldogs Have No Margin for Error Against Kentucky

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:52:32 -0500

The Georgia Bulldogs sit at 6-4 right now and, after a nice come-from-behind win over the Auburn Tigers, the scrappy little team from Athens has to be feeling a bit better about finishing the season strong.

Two teams are left on the slate, one is sitting pretty in the BCS top 15—Georgia Tech. While the other is in much the same boat as the Dawgs—looking to close out strong and make a statement for the goodies that next season will bring.

No one is looking for Georgia to drop this home game to Kentucky. The Wildcats may be 6-4 but their last SEC game was a 24-13 sleeper against a Vanderbilt team that, to put it lightly, has had some troubles stopping the run this year.

The Wildcats ran amuck all over Vandy to the tune of 308 net yards and three scores.

That said, Georgia isn't Vandy.

The Dawgs defense may have it's share of issues in the secondary but they sit third in the conference in rushing defense and I seriously doubt that either Derrick Locke or Randall Cobb can be placed in the same category as Ben Tate of Auburn.

Georgia held the talented and shifty Tate to a mere 67 yards on Saturday and gave him his lowest yards per carry total of the season thus far.

Both Derrick Locke (741 yards and five scores) and Randall Cobb (410 yards and seven scores) have to be accounted for in this offense, no question, but Georgia has proven that it is up to the task where the run game is concerned.

As for that struggling secondary, it sustained quite a blow last week when backup safety Bacarri Rambo went down after a collision with an Auburn receiver. However, Rambo is just a backup and Bryan Evans did manage to show some signs of life last week as the starter.

Which is to say he didn't get burned for a score and defended the passes thrown his way with better competency than he has all season.

Kentucky has one key wide receiver in Randall Cobb—the converted quarterback has 384 yards receiving on the year. Second to him is Chris Matthews with 299 yards.

Neither of the two have been able to benefit from the inconsistent play of quarterback Newton Morgan—Morgan took over the reigns from junior Mike Hartline at midseason and has shown some skills but is still not yet the true leader he needs to be to lead this offense.

It may seem cocky or too self-assured to say so but the Dawgs have no business losing to Kentucky, at home, on Saturday. Period.

Georgia may be inconsistent and hard to figure on most game days this year but the talent level is there and some of the freshman players are starting to find their rhythm.

The Dawgs are 3-1 in the last four weeks and the run game that was so hard to find early in the season has started to come on late—the kickstart was Vandy and the train has been chugging along quite nicely ever since.

Freshman Washaun Ealey has 328 yards and three touchdowns since his poor outing against the Vols—a yards per carry average of nearly six (5.96).

Caleb King has bounced back from his jaw injury and concussion quite well and has 137 yards to go along with three touchdowns in the last two weeks (6.22 ypc).

Both guys are playing their best football of the season and their contributions have taken a little bit of the pressure off Joe Cox who hasn't thrown an interception in the last couple games.

This season isn't over. A win against Kentucky will set up a showdown against the hated Tech Juggernaut from Atlanta and the Dawgs would like nothing better than to decimate the Yellow Jackets while securing a more favorable bowl in the process.

Despite how mediocre Georgia has looked at times this season, they are still currently second in the SEC East and have a chance at getting a nod in one of the more respectable bowls if they can finish the season on a high note—the Chick-fil-A Bowl is the best Georgia is likely to net this season and that would be okay with many fans who were beginning to think the Dawgs wouldn't bowl at all.

If nothing else, this game against Kentucky is the last hurrah for guys like Joe Cox, Geno Atkins, Bryan Evans, Prince Miller, Michael Moore, Jeff Owens, Vince Vance, and, likely, Reshad Jones and Rennie Curran.

All would like nothing better than to close out their last home game with a win for the Georgia faithful.

It's a game that we should win and I have total faith that we WILL win. It's time to hunker down Dawg fans—this one's for all of us.

Go Dawgs!

Georgia Bulldogs Beat Auburn, but Net Key Losses In the Process

Kimberley Nash — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:32:02 -0500

Bacarri Rambo makes big play but gives big scare...

Georgia Bulldog safety, Bacarri Rambo, gave fans quite a scare on Saturday night after a routine hit turned into some cautious moments on the field post-play.

Rambo lay motionless for several minutes after he laid a huge fourth-quarter hit on Auburn wide receiver Mario Fannin. The play jarred the ball loose inside the red zone and ultimately sealed the Bulldogs' victory.

However, as fans looked on with obvious dread and concern, it was clear that Rambo's ball-jarring hit meant more than just stopping Auburn on 3rd-and-11. Rambo could likely be out for the remainder of the season.

As of now, Rambo has been assessed and all tests are normal. He will be reassessed on a daily basis by the Georgia medical staff after being released from St. Mary's Hospital in Athens, GA. His status for the two remaining games is still uncertain.

Georgia will face Kentucky next and that means the return of Bryan Evans. Evans has been unimpressive for the majority of the season and was in on the final play of the game by Auburn—teams have not been shy about throwing to his area of the field this year.

Hopefully, he will be focused and ready next week against the Wildcats, who are also 6-4 this season and coming off a 308-yard rushing performance against Vandy last weekend.

As for Rambo, the hope is that he will be back in time for the season finale against Georgia Tech (fingers crossed).

A.J. Green on the mend...

A.J. Green's return to the field on Saturday was short-lived as he took a hard fall in the 2nd quarter and missed the rest of the game for the Dawgs.

Green has been the bread and butter player for Georgia this season and it is hoped that this current injury will not slow him down any further.

He is unlikely to return for the Kentucky game this weekend but the Tech game is a possibility.

On the positive side, if there is one to be had, both Rantavious Wooten and Israel Troupe are likely to see more time if Green is not able to make it back this season. Troupe looked good on Saturday, making two catches for 62 yards and a score.

It would be nice to see Green return before we face the Rambling Wreck, but if he's unable to go, the experience will be invaluable for the younger guys who are likely to be making more waves next season.

Georgia Bulldogs: A Few Thoughts on Some New Rumors

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:41:52 -0500

As the Georgia football season starts it's slow descent towards the end, there is a lot of speculation as to what 2010 will hold for this 2009 team that has seen it's share of ups and downs.

Some of the questions won't find answers until bowl season is in the books while others will find some resolution prior to the end of the season.

Either way, coach Mark Richt is sure to find that this offseason will not be nearly as pleasant as in year's past—too many big decisions need to be made and some of his staff is not likely to make it to spring drills next season.

I don't much like contributing to rumors but there are plenty of them to be had even if you aren't paying close attention.

1. Willie Martinez is Heading to Memphis in 2010

Apparently, former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue was heard to have said that coach Willie Martinez may be in line for the now-vacant Memphis Tigers job.

If you are a Georgia fan, this is likely to be music to your ears, but keep in mind that this is just a rumor and Willie Martinez is one of many names being tossed around for that job.

That said, it is looking more and more likely that Martinez won't be patrolling the sidelines at Georgia next season as the heat on him hasn't cooled all that much following the 38-0 shutout of Tennessee Tech last weekend.

Many still feel he is hardly qualified to do the job and want some fresh blood to light the fire under our talent next season.

2. Rennie Curran is Bolting For the NFL

There is a very good chance that Rennie will be leaving Georgia after this season. A look at some of the 2010 draft prospectus' show that Rennie could go as early as the second round if he chooses to forgo his last season of eligibility.

As it stands, he is the heart and soul of an otherwise beleaguered defense and would likely be willing to try his hand at the next level if he sees an opportunity to get picked up early.

As a Georgia fan, you would hate to lose his tenacity and toughness on the field but would be hard-pressed to fault him if he did decide to make the jump.

His biggest downside is his height. At 5'10", he's hardly the ideal size you wish to see at linebacker but his speed and ability to get to the ball can more than make up for that deficiency in a scout's eyes—especially if Rennie manages to skim another tenth of a second off that 40 time.

Curran will likely evaluate his options more closely once the season is done but the possibility of his departure looms with a big degree of uncertainty.

3. Dick Bumpas Will be the Next Defensive Coordinator at Georgia

This rumor gains more ground every day. Dick Bumpas is currently the defensive guru behind the TCU program that currently rests comfortable in the BCS' top 10.

Bumpas is well-respected and has done more with less than any other defensive coordinator out there over the last eight seasons.

Many feel that he could do wonders in the SEC having more money and an even deeper well of talent to pull from in the fertile grounds of the south.

That said, the knock on him would be how well his methods translate to a much more challenging SEC schedule. TCU isn't playing Florida, South Carolina, or Tennessee on a yearly basis and it is unknown if Bumpas' success is due to coaching prowess or schedule softness.

Most signs would point to the former, but Georgia needs to be certain if they are seriously entertaining this coach as their next coordinator.

Top 16: A Few of My Favorite Georgia Bulldog Players

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:03:00 -0500

You know how you have those "all-time", "greatest ever", "best of the best" lists filled with stats, historical notations, and what-not? Well, this isn't one of those kinds of lists. My history of loving Georgia football isn't as long as some or as short as others but I've seen enough Bulldog football in my short lifetime to make this list. The criteria is quite simple: the players on it made me love Georgia football even more. That's it. Nothing more. I will miss a few of your faves no doubt but don't blame that on oversight. Better still, add a few of your faves in the comment section. That should balance it out just fine. Many of the guys you will see here are from the early 90's and onward, but that is because that is where my working memory spans. I was a toddler when Herschel played so you can do the math on why I may miss a few of the all-time great ones. These guys are ones I either actually SAW play or have enough video archive history that I could relive some of their key moments on film. It's not stat-driven, it's heart-driven, and in light of this 2009 season, we can all appreciate a little more heart where Georgia football is concerned.

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Georgia Bulldogs Face More Questions and Challenges at Quarterback

Kimberley Nash — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:36:15 -0500

After the travesty that was Georgia-Florida 2009, heads began to slowly roll in the Bulldawg Nation.

The simmering seat of Willie Martinez mushroomed to a full boil. The constant faith that was had in coach Mark Richt turned to seething disdain. The la-di-da attitude that was had about coach Mike Bobo became a "git er' done" firestorm of "why is this guy still here?" and "send him back to Jacksonville State."

It wasn't pretty.

However, unless you live in a bubble, you already know at least two things for sure: 1) No changes in the coaching staff are likely to be made before the end of the season and 2) Coach Mark Richt isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The certainty ends there.

The coaching staff can only take so much of the hammering before you get to the players wearing the jerseys on the football field.

The coaches can't make plays. The coaches can't make on-the-fly mental adjustments. The coaches can't block or make tackles. All the coaches can do is send the guys on the field with the plays and the schemes and say "execute." If they don't, well, you get another round of "what's wrong with Georgia football?"

Most recently the talk has centered around whether or not a quarterback change is needed. Joe Cox looked awful on Saturday as he just chucked passes up at will and managed to put more of said passes into the hands of Florida's defensive backs than he did Georgia wide receivers.

This has been a common issue with Cox lately as his weekly decline has continued and he becomes more inept by the minute. Even worse is the fact that coach Richt is holding so firm to the line of "this is OUR starting quarterback."

Really, coach? This is the guy you want to go down in flames with this season? This is the guy you want to rest your reputation on? Cox? Seriously?

Now, if there is anything that we know about coach Richt, it is this: He's loyal to a fault.

It is both his best and his worst trait, as he never seems to know when enough is enough. Sometimes a spade is just a spade and it's time to ask the dealer for a better card to play your hand.

The next "option" at quarterback is Logan Gray. Well, Gray showed that he may not be any more qualified to play than Joe Cox. His short series against Florida netted three passes—one of which was an interception.

Some might say that you have to account for the stellar Florida defense and the overall youth on the offensive side for Georgia. It was just a case of a better team kicking the tar out of a rebuilding one—nothing more.

Maybe, but, Gray has been unimpressive all season. In his one-play mode, he has accounted for more yard losses than gains and has caused some negative momentum shifts in his team's favor whenever he has made an appearance.

Yet, he is the only other quarterback on the team with knowledge of the playbook—which after what we've seen this year may as well be set on fire.

That said, would a quarterback change really net that much of a difference? Joe Cox has gotten progressively worse but Logan Gray hasn't proven to be that much better so it's kind of like saying, pick your poison: slow and accuracy challenged, or quick and full of questions.

Maybe coach Richt isn't exercising loyalty so much as he is just keenly aware of exactly what Georgia is working with, and Cox is the best of the bunch—that is a scary thought in and of itself.

At this point, it does seem necessary to begin playing Logan more since he is the next guy on the hot seat come 2010. We don't need him looking like a spring chicken come next fall.

Some are considering getting Aaron Murray into the mix as well but it is not a given that he is as ready as the romantics believe him to be. He looks good because of his top recruit status, but we don't want to throw him into the fire this late in the season with nothing to play for except a low-level bowl and perhaps a win or two.

Leave Aaron on the bench.

Georgia's season has been a disappointing one but it may have been premature to expect more than seven or eight wins when you considered the relative youth and inexperience on both sides of the ball.

As for the question of who to start, Gray or Cox, well flip a coin—doubt it makes much of a difference at this stage.

That's not negativity, Dawg fans, I still love my red and black. That's just saying that at this point, neither guy is likely to be all that different from the other.

Georgia-Florida: Keep Hope Alive, Dawg Fans, That's Why We Play the Game

Kimberley Nash — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:26:09 -0400

Unless you live under a rock...deep in the ocean...in another hemisphere...you aren't likely to have missed the fact that the Georgia Bulldogs seem overmatched in their upcoming game against the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators.

The statistics for each team are daunting at best and only a few of them seem to offer the slightest glimmer of hope that the Dawgs can or will win.

So, this article is not about statistics and matchups—there are plenty of good ones out there already if you really just want to know the "facts." Here are a few if you like punishment. Just click here , here , or here for an eyeful.

No, this is about will...the will to win.

Under coach Mark Richt, this Georgia Bulldog team has been able to have and impose that will even when the opposition seemed prepared to stomp on it and render it useless.

Oct. 6, 2001—Knoxville, Tenn.

The Dawgs went into Knoxville to play the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers and not many thought they would win. After all, the last time the Georgia Bulldogs had gone into Neyland Stadium and won was more than 20 years prior when a young man named Herschel Walker led them to a 16-15 victory.

Add to that the fact that this was coach Mark Richt's first SEC road game and there were still doubts lingering about his ability to move from a well-known offensive coordinator to a head coach in the SEC.

The Dawgs fought hard and with less than six minutes to go, it seemed the game was all but locked up with Georgia having a 20-17 lead and Tennessee having shown no offensive signs of life during the second half.

Tennessee managed to get the ball back and score to take the lead, 24-20, with 41 seconds left in the game.

If you were a Vol fan, you had to have figured that this was the end of the game. Well, where there's a will there's a way.

Unless you have lived under the previously referenced rock in the deepest part of the ocean, you already know how this one ends.

The freshman—and as yet, unproven—quarterback David Greene took over at the Tennessee 41 and led the Dawgs down the field to the Tennessee five. Once there, he tossed a touchdown pass to a wide open Verron Haynes—sealing the Georgia victory and ending the Neyland advantage.

Oct. 5, 2002—Tuscaloosa, Ala.

"Alabama is gonna line up and run the football and they're gonna play defense and I don't believe Georgia is man enough to beat that."

The above was a direct quote from former Auburn head coach Pat Dye when asked about the Dawgs' chances of winning against the Tide in Bryant-Denney Stadium back in 2002.

Dye's reason was simple and to the point: He surmised that even though the Dawgs had beaten both Clemson and South Carolina in close contests, those teams "ain't close to what Alabama is...'' and Georgia was going to have a hard time handling the Tide.

The Dawgs took offense to that statement, obviously, and the quote became bulletin board fodder for the team.

The game ended up being a nail-biter as David Greene threw two interceptions while Bama's run game struggled to find its footing against a tough Georgia defensive front.

A Fred Gibson miscue on a throw from David Greene shifted momentum to the Tide—giving them a 25-24 lead following a pick six.

The Dawgs regrouped and found a way to move the ball within field goal range, where Billy Bennett would seal the win with a 43-yard field goal.

Even though we were the higher-ranked team coming into this game (Alabama was ranked No. 22 by USA Today ), the odds were still stacked against us as we had not won a game in Tuscaloosa since 1982—again, not since Herschel Walker.

We were not supposed to win. We were not "man enough" to win. Yet we did win...where there's a will ...

Nov. 11, 2006—Auburn, Ala.

The Auburn Tigers were rolling in 2006. Despite an early loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Tigers were still in the national title hunt with a 10-1 record and a No. 5 ranking.

Georgia didn't look all that dangerous as they limped into Jordan-Hare sporting a 6-4 record, coming off back-to-back losses to Florida and Kentucky, respectively.

The Tigers were favored (+11), naturally, and were thought to be able to handle this little Georgia team with no problem.

Someone forgot to tell the Dawgs that as they proceeded to hand the Tigers their tails en route to a 37-15 victory—killing any shot Auburn still had at competing for a championship that season.

Georgia was leading 30-7 by halftime on a team that was ranked No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense—bulldozing the Tigers for more than 400 offensive yards.

Strangely enough, coach Richt had questioned how potent his game plan would be against Auburn—he didn't feel that it was going to give his freshman quarterback much confidence, calling it "awful".

He was wrong and his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, found a way to play his heart out against all likelihood. The young quarterback stepped up to the plate and delivered an outstanding performance, along with tailback Kregg Lumpkin, to lead the Dawgs to the win.

The Dawgs finished 9-4 on the season and would win a thriller against Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl—another game in which they were not favored to win...but where there's a will ...

Final Thoughts

The Georgia Bulldogs aren't strangers to adversity. They have faced it on more than one occasion under coach Mark Richt and they have managed to come out fine most of the time.

Sure, this is Florida and we have a history of being on the losing end as of late and we look decidedly overmatched and painfully incapable of winning against them this time as well—no way a team as inconsistent and poorly performing as Georgia can beat a Florida team led by Tim Tebow!

No way can they stand tall against a Florida defense ranked No. 1 in the nation!

No way will they be able to keep up with a Florida offense that can beat you in so many ways!

This game may as well be a given because no one expects us to do anything more than show up and get our helmets handed to us.

To those people, there is only one thing to say: That is why we play the games.

On paper, Florida is better.

On paper, Florida is more skilled.

On paper, Florida has the better quarterback.

On paper, Florida has the best defense.

On paper, Florida is a 16-point favorite over a team that should be nothing more than a speed bump on their way to another national title.

Well, here's what I know:

The game is 60 minutes long.

There is one winner and one loser.

Sometimes the best team on the field, statistically, isn't the best team on the field that day.

It isn't always about the numbers.

The numbers are the measure everyone else uses to tell you "why" this team will win and "that" team won't—nothing more. Nothing less.

This is still Georgia and if you bleed, cry, and love the red and black, then you have to believe there is a chance that these Dawgs can win.

Forget the numbers.

Forget the cockiness of the Florida fans and followers.

Forget the talking heads and the media blitz.

Forget it all and focus on the only thing that truly matters: the players on the field.

Joe Cox, Caleb King, A.J. Green, Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Rennie Curran, Justin Houston, Clint Boling, Brandon Boykin, Branden Smith, Blair Walsh, Mike Moore, Drew Butler....those are our guys.

Our Dawgs!

I expect every last one of them to play their Bulldawg tails off on Saturday and I don't expect them to go in the losers that everyone else is calling for them to be.

Eschew the numbers and get amnesia where recent history is concerned—it's about who wants it more and proves that better.

So, this Saturday, in the face of what many see as insurmountable odds, remember these four words:

Where there's a will....

Cheer on and support the red and black for what they are...your team.

Go Dawgs! Go Dawgs! GATA! And Glory, Glory...

Top 10 Reasons I Want to See Georgia Beat Florida in 2009

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:40:23 -0400

The annual trek to lose your lunchville will commence this week as the Georgia Bulldogs travel down to Jacksonville to face the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators. It's a trek that has been made by many a red and black devotee over the years and it's definitely a party worthy of it's weight in gold. However, the 5-15 record posted by the Dawgs over the last twenty years has not made this journey a pleasant one to behold—believe it or not, I seldom can bring myself to watch the game live. My chosen method is to DVR the event, listen for the outcome and then watch the game according to how badly we lost—needless to say, last season's 49-10 whuppin' has never been seen. Curiously, it was deleted from my unit. However, this year will hopefully spring forth a good return for the Dawgs despite the way things look on paper. What follows is a list of reasons that I hope this year brings forth the 'W' now more than ever.

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Should the Georgia Bulldogs Consider Scrapping the 4-3 Defense?

Kimberley Nash — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:46:13 -0400

The 2009 Georgia Bulldogs have been much maligned and highly criticized for their sudden inability to play good defense—many attribute that to the current defensive coordinator.

Coach Willie Martinez was given the defensive reigns at Georgia after Brian Van Gorder left to take a position with the Jacksonville Jaguars to be their linebacker coach.

The Dawgs didn't appear to have any problem continuing their defensive prowess at first but over time their defensive numbers have dipped substantially and this season they have become an SEC laughing stock for their inability to defend the pass successfully.

However, playing devils advocate for a moment, what if the problem isn't the coach but the scheme?

Brian Van Gorder left the team prior to the installation of a true spread offense in the SEC. Urban Meyer replaced Ron Zook in 2005 and brought with him the spread offense that he used so successfully at both Bowling Green State and Utah—the latter use of it netted him an undefeated season, a Heisman winner, and a Sugar Bowl victory.

Many felt that the SEC would be a poor choice for the spread because of the defensive speed of the conference—the talent pool of the Southeastern Conference would be better than what Meyer was leaving in the Mountain West.

To the critics credit, Meyer did struggle in his first season against the better defenses. However, that had more to do with his personnel than his playcalling—former Florida quarterback Chris Leak was a pocket-passer.

Once Tebow took over, all bets were off and the spread has led the Florida Gators to two national titles and a Heisman trophy for their quarterback.

Today the SEC is littered with teams that have dual-threat quarterbacks—guys who are not only good runners but adequate passers as well.

Take that into consideration and the question is this: Can Georgia continue to run a 4-3 scheme and keep up with the evolving SEC offenses?

The 4-3 requires four down lineman and three linebackers. on the line of scrimmage (LOS), each guy has a responsibility.

The defensive ends (DE) are pass rushers and run stoppers. Their primary job is to put pressure on the quarterback and make it difficult for running backs to get to the edge and pick up yards.

The defensive tackles (DT) are there to seal the gaps and negate any running plays that might come up the middle. Typically the weak side defensive end is responsible for sealing the 'A' gap as well as applying pressure to the quarterback on passing downs.

The linebackers in a 4-3 have different assignments as well.

The middle linebacker (Mike) is supposed to defend the run—he is also asked to fall back into zone coverage on passing plays but his primary duty is to make certain that he keeps all runs up the middle to a minimum.

The strong side linebacker (Sam) lines up opposite the tight end and is a pass rusher. He covers the edge rushers and guards against passes out into the flats—he also covers the tight end on obvious passing downs.

The weak side linebacker (Will) has a little more flexibility. He safeguards against any runs coming toward the weak side while also being aware of the short-range passes. You will often see the Will around the ball on screens, curls, and any pitch-outs towards his side of the field—this is the position that Rennie Curran plays at Georgia.

The secondary, at least in Georgia's case, plays zone coverage. The corners are asked to keep the receivers from getting ahead of them while the safeties are expected to help with anything over the top.

This is different from man-to-man coverage where the corners are responsible for the man directly in front of him.

The problem with the 4-3 defense as it applies to the spread or the option offense is that there isn't enough team speed.

Spread offenses aren't usually relying on the run game to pick up yardage. There are a lot more three, four, and sometimes even five receiver sets employed—the tight end is generally a hybrid (meaning he is listed as a tight end but has the speed of a wide receiver).

If a spread offense is utilized with the right personnel it can be effective against a 4-3 because the 4-3 will have obvious weaknesses against team speed. Add in a dual-threat quarterback to boot and you can see the endless possibilities afforded by its coaches.

The spread just introduces lots of mismatches because of the multiple looks if offers to a defense.

Consider the job of the defensive tackle, although they are pass rushers, their primary job is to contain the run. They are not likely to be as quick as the guards or tackles they will face so it leaves them at a disadvantage if he can't blow his man off the LOS.

Spread offenses will typically have a faster, smaller, and more athletic offensive line. and that could somewhat negate the size of the defensive tackle because it will be harder for him to consistently outmuscle the opponent.

The quick-pace of the spread offense often leads to defensive fatigue—most SEC defenses do not have a Terrance Cody on their defensive line so they don't have the ability to simply run over double teams and dominate opposing offensive lineman.

Even more, the Sam linebacker for as fast as he is likely to be, will have a problem keeping up with a hybrid tight end who can probably run a 4.5 or even a 4.4 forty.

Georgia is taking notice, however. Their recruiting has begun to focus more on speed and less on size but the scheme hasn't changed and that has meant that the skills of Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith are not being maximized.

Willie Martinez is still relying on the defensive scheme of Van Gorder because it worked. However, in 2001 when Van Gorder took over as coordinator, the most mobile quarterbacks in the SEC were Tyler Watts and Corey Phillips—neither of whom operated in a spread system.

Now, the Dawgs see the spread at Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Auburn. LSU and South Carolina both have incorporated variations of the spread into their offenses.

It's a changing league and the Dawgs need to start making some adjustments.

The 4-3 can be effective, obviously; look at Alabama.

However, Georgia has to be more astute about who they recruit and what their skill level will be. The spread can be defensed against if you have good team speed, sure tacklers, and discipline—too many players have the 'big-hit' mentality at Georgia.

Would a new scheme be just as fruitful? Perhaps employ a 3-4 defense instead.

Maybe, experiment with a 3-3-5 where you have three lineman on the LOS followed by three linebackers and five defensive backs—this scheme would seem to make teams more susceptible to the run. However, that is where the defensive coordinator comes in with his creativity. The 3-3-5 can work if players are used correctly.

The spread offense will continue to proliferate the SEC so long as defenses are powerless to stop it.

The Dawgs need to start finding better ways to guard against it's success or they will continue to be challenged by teams who are able to implement it in a disciplined fashion.

2009 Georgia Bulldog SEC Report Card: Bottom Line—We Need Improvement

Kimberley Nash — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:58:35 -0400

The 2009 Georgia Bulldogs have spent a lot of time being dissected, debated, and doubted by fans and critics alike.

It isn't that they have been an awful team so much as they have been a victim of their own prior successes.

No matter what anyone has to say about the coaching ability of Mark Richt, the stats simply don't lie—he has put this Georgia Bulldog team in the upper echelon of Division I football and that is nothing to scoff at if you are a die-hard fan.

However, this season has been a major disappointment because of the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the team on the field each week. We can't seem to find our identity and when we come close, we digress into poor play, bad effort, and lackadaisical output on the field.

That said, sitting at 4-3 on the season, it's time to give the Dawgs a midseason progress report.

This isn't the first of its kind for our beloved Bulldogs. Fellow Dawg fan Mike Foster has already put forth a solid effort of his own that you can see here if you are interested.

This article is just another report from a different angle.

The 2009 Georgia Bulldog Progress Report

The Defensive Line

The 2009 campaign started with so much hope for the defensive line. Our front four was supposed to be fierce with Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Justin Houston, and Roderick Battle leading the charge.

Well, Justin Houston was suspended for the first two games and Roderick Battle was lost for the season during the South Carolina game—there went the possibility of the defensive end spots being dominant.

The tone of the defensive line was set from that point forward and, so far, the production from each spot has ranged from decent to average as our guys have proven to be more stout against the run than the pass.

We are still struggling to find a consistent edge rusher but Justin Houston's return has been a boon—he has recorded three sacks since his return.

However, neither Jeff Owens nor Geno Atkins have been the terrors that we hoped.

They have performed well but not as expected. Owens' return was thought to elevate the play of Geno Atkins. However, neither has found pay dirt this season and both have made only quiet contributions at best.

Moving forward it would be nice to see more aggressive play from our line and increased pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Defensive Line Grade: C+

SEC Sack Rank: 6th

SEC Tackles for Loss Rank: 7th

The Linebackers

There's Rennie Curran and then there's everyone else. Rennie again has shined at the Will (Weakside Linebacker) spot, making sure tackles and keeping runners honest.

The remainder of the linebacker corps has played fairly well overall despite injuries to key players.

Both Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent have missed time, but freshman Christian Robinson has played well in their absence and will likely continue to get playing opportunities even after they return.

Sophomore Marcus Dowtin has played exceptionally well this season and is the seventh leading tackler on the team—behind Justin Houston. He has been slowed in recent weeks by injury, but his performances in the first five weeks of the season have proven that he has the goods.

Overall, the linebackers have performed well and could be better if the front four were able to bring about a better pass rush and force more of their opposition to be balanced offensively. At this point many teams are comfortable passing the ball on Georgia.

That said, the Tennessee game did expose some weaknesses in tackling and technique. If there is an area of improvement that needs to be made it's in the mental aspects of our linebacker play. They have to be more focused on every play, know when to stay home, and when to pursue.

Moving forward, consistency and focus will be key.

Linebacker Grade: B+

Defensive Backs

Our corners, Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith, are young and still in a learning phase. Both have done a better than average job of using their speed to make up for deficiencies in their coverage ability.

Georgia is still playing a lot of zone coverage. That has been a good deal of the problem this season as it has meant that our safeties are typically caught out of position on the deep ball, as was the case against Arkansas.

Further, there have been total lapses of concentration on the field leading to poor tackling or poor angles taken on the ball by our safeties, particularly Bryan Evans. He has been on the receiving end of a good many plays that have resulted in a score or big yard gain.

Nice spot performances by Bacarri Rambo have given Dawg fans hope that we do have talent waiting in the wings, but overall the secondary has been just as poor and inept as many thought it would be coming into the season.

Moving forward it would be nice to see less zone coverage and more man coverage. That would allow us to use the team speed we have at the corner spots while taking some of the heat off the safety positions.

Overall Grade: F

SEC Pass Defense Rank: 11th

SEC Passes Intercepted Rank: 8th

The Offensive Line

We suffered a loss early as Trinton Sturdivant went down again in the first game of the season. However, we were not in panic mode because it was not a situation we hadn't been in before. We figured we'd be fine doing the o-line shuffle again in 2009.

However, it should not have been understated that the loss of Sturdivant happened later this season than the last. It happened after many of our guys had settled into their spots both physically and mentally. None of those guys were looking for Trinton to go down again.

There is an excellent interview with ex-Georgia offensive lineman, Matt Stinchcomb, that goes into the mental aspects of run blocking as they apply to the loss of a key player. Find it here.

That said, there is an obvious marriage between the ability of our running backs to pick up yards and the inability of our offensive line to produce adequate gaps and lanes for those backs to run through. Currently the marriage is a poor one.

Offensive line coach Stacy Searles did a fine job last week of coaching the line up and allowing for some success on the ground against a Vanderbilt team that is ranked last in the SEC in rushing defense. Again, though, the line only did what it should have done in that instance by blocking well against an inferior opponent.

Moving forward it would be nice to see more consistency from the line and more effort from the running backs in general.

Pass Blocking Grade: B- (but steadily falling with each lackluster performance by Joe Cox)

SEC Rank: 2nd

Run Blocking Grade: D- (with signs of life after the Vanderbilt game)

SEC Rank: 12th

The Quarterback

Joe Cox has been in a free fall over the last several games as he has seen his numbers drop across the board.

He was efficient early on but has not been as reliable of late as opposing defenses have been able to disrupt his timing and key in on A.J. Green, Joe Cox's primary target.

It is beginning to become clear that Joe Cox will only go as far as the pass protection will allow. If it's not there, he does not have the ability to make plays with either his arms or his legs.

He is dangerous when placed under the pressure of a pass rush and doesn't read defenses quickly or well enough to make adjustments on the fly.

Moving forward it will be interesting to see how much the move of coach Mike Bobo from the booth to the sidelines will help in evening out the play of Joe Cox. He definitely needs to adjust the game plan a bit in order to limit costly turnovers.

Overall Grade: C+

SEC Pass Efficiency Rank: 6th

SEC Pass Interception Rank: 8th

The Wide Receivers

There is A.J. Green. Period.

Where are Michael Moore and Tavarres King? Both have been largely absent from the passing game with little to no impact on the outcome.

A lot of the problem lies with Joe Cox and his total dependence on Green. He has 41 receptions this season for 682 yards and six scores.

The next most receptions comes from Michael Moore with 19 followed by Tavarres King with 11. Orson Charles chips in another 10.

It doesn't take much to see who needs to be shut down if any team wants to throw the passing game off it's kilter. A.J. is a phenomenal player, but the passing game needs more balance to be effective.

Both Moore and King have been the victim of some key drops this season, and that has likely caused a lack of confidence in them by Joe Cox.

Moving forward there needs to be a more even distribution of the football by Cox and more consistency by the other receivers on the team. Bad route running and dropped passes cannot be tolerated.

Overall Wide Receiver Grade: B+/A- (mostly due to the stellar play of A.J. Green)

Other Wide Receivers: C+

SEC Passing offense rank: 2nd

Take away A.J.: 11th

The Running Backs

It's difficult to assess the run game due to deficiencies in the run blocking, but it is clear that there aren't many guys on the roster who are capable of making big plays on their own. Our guys are young and inexperienced.

What will need to happen is the line play will need to get better in order to compensate for the inexperience and youth of our rushers.

Richard Samuel needs to work on his technique. His upright running style is killing him in the yardage department as it does not allow him the leverage needed to get key yards on the ground.

Caleb King could be more balanced in his attack but has issues staying healthy. His best offensive output of the year came against Vanderbilt last week. Many hope that is a harbinger of things to come.

Carlton Thomas can be an excellent third down back if he is used correctly. He has tremendous speed off the edge and can make plays in space, not to mention he has a nice set of hands with which to catch the ball.

Washaun Ealey is the total package but needs more game experience to become polished.

In all of their cases, the offensive line will be key to giving them the proper running lanes to make something happen offensively. That in turn could do wonders for Joe Cox or whomever is chosen to call the signals.

Moving forward it would be nice to see more maturation on the part of our runners. They have to become more savvy and intelligent in their approach.

Overall Running Back Grade: D+

SEC Rush Rank: 12th

The Special Teams

Both Drew Butler and Blair Walsh have been exceptional this year. Walsh has been panned a bit by the coaching staff for his inability to successfully perform the directional kick, leading to too many footballs sailing out of bounds.

However, the decision to continue utilizing the directional kick is one that has come under scrutiny by many fans and critics alike since it really has done nothing more than ensure good starting field position for the opposing team.

Brandon Boykin has returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this year, and we have been solid as a punt return unit overall with both Prince Miller and Branden Smith leading the way.

If there is a weakness in our special teams it is our coverage unit. Poor tackling and inappropriate formations on kickoffs have led to big yardage by teams with speedy return men.

Moving forward we need to get better tackling from our special teams players so we can limit the good field position gained by the opposition.

SEC Net Punt Average: 1st

SEC Punt Return Average: 3rd

SEC Kickoff Return: 9th

Thoughts and Accolades

Players who should see more playing time: Bacarri Rambo (S), Fred Munzenmaier (FB)

Players who should see less playing time: Bryan Evans (S), Shaun Chapas (FB)

Most surprising players: Marcus Dowtin (LB), Washaun Ealey (RB), Orson Charles (TE)

Rising Stars: Bacarri Rambo (S), Cornelius Washington (DL), Marcus Dowtin (LB)

Defensive MVP: Rennie Curran

Offensive MVP: A.J. Green

Special team standouts: Drew Butler, Brandon Boykin, and Blair Walsh

Ex-NFL Coach Mike Shanahan To Redskins Owner Dan Snyder—"No Thanks"

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:08:34 -0400

One thing is clear in Washington—the Jim Zorn era is over. Washington Redskins owner, Dan Snyder, has already tried to get ex-Denver Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan to take over this sinking 2-4 team; Shanahan is not willing to do so, stating: "there was little he could do in the middle of the season for them and that changing coaches during the season in the NFL rarely works".

Can you blame him? The Skins look broken. All that money paid out to get the big free agents has amounted to a whole lot of nothing for the Skins—that's par for the course for these Dan Snyder Skins .

Albert Haynesworth seems to spend more time on his knees, helmet in hand, than in his stance—anyone who is surprised by that should go back and look at the book on Haynesworth.

He had one truly stellar year in Tennessee and Dan Snyder pulled an Al Davis. He signed him based on what he thought he could do instead of what he has done. Haynesworth is lazy, undisciplined, and incapable of consistency.

$100 million paid to a guy that can't guarantee you success is a whole lot of money down the drain.

Add to that the signing of the truly overrated cornerback, DeAngelo Hall, and you have a defense that looks good on paper, but is actually just the pretty outside wrapping for a very cheap Christmas gift.

Rattle off their great defensive stats if you like, here's the true measure of their "greatness"—the only team they have played worth their salt was the New York Giants. Period.

Detroit? Tampa Bay? Kansas City? Carolina? Train wrecks.

The Redskins should be 5-1 at best and sitting pretty in the NFC East. Yet they struggled mightily against all of the above and any defensive superiority exhibited wasn't validation, but rather expectation.

Even more depressing is the fact that the offense is so bad. Clearly they have no idea what they want to do on offense and even if they did, they appear to lack the personnel to get the job done—Jason Campbell is obviously holding a grudge after the Cutler fiasco.

That kid can't seem to get his mind right long enough to be even a little bit consistent. He shows flashes of progress and then slips back into boring mediocrity. The Skins answer to that is to bench him for Todd Collins.

Wow.

If I'm a Redskins fan, I'm calling for Jim Zorn AND Dan Snyder's head.

No one is playing well for this team and it doesn't look like any of those high-dollar players are interested in being there.

Blame the latter on the poor coaching done by Jim Zorn, the obvious tension between Jason Campbell and the rest of the Redskins management, the inexcusable lack of offense, etc. The bottom line is this: the Redskins have a bunch of individuals running around in football jerseys—not a team.

Dan Snyder should get the NFL equivalent of a Razzie award for his truly awful management of this storied franchise and Mike Shanahan should take a permanent pass on this team—it's just too big of a mess to clean up.

As for Jim Zorn—just resign. The way the Redskins are handling you right now is so disrespectful—they bring in a "consultant" to call the plays ?

Huh?

How about they just fire you altogether since that is essentially what this move implies? That would be the right thing to do.

Or, here's a better idea. How about they hire a management "consultant" as well since it's clear that Dan Snyder has no idea what the heck he's doing either.

Just a thought.

NFL Week Six: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:03:04 -0400

The NFL is slowly becoming like college football. You have coaches running up scores (Belichick), players acting like thugs on the field (Dante Wesley), massive blowouts of perennial powerhouses (Tennessee Titans), Cinderella teams dancing and spilling punch all over your new shoes (Denver), and small schools beating the big bad Division-I team (Raiders).

Not for nothing, but, aren't these multi-million dollar players supposed to know what they are doing when they strap on their helmet?

Forgive the hangover and the possible crass nature of some of this rant but after watching the latest Monday Night offering, well, just had a few things to say about this ridiculous weekend of "pro" football.

Denver overtakes San Diego....again

San Diego will never, and I repeat, NEVER...never. Never ever. Never ever never. Never ever never ever win a championship with Norv Turner—period.

Norv Turner is the epitome of all that is wrong in pro football today; just because you were a great offensive coordinator back in the day when MC Hammer pants were fashionable and people thought it was cool to wear biker shorts as everyday clothing, doesn't mean that you are going to be a great head coach.

He doesn't have the instinct for coaching ticks to bite dogs much less for getting a team to play enough cogent football to make anyone take them seriously.

The man has managed to take a team who many thought would be the toasts of the AFC West and turn them into a sideshow joke. San Diego is sitting at 2-3 right now and there is little explanation for it except the fact that Norv Turner is not the man who should be wearing a headset.

As a matter of fact, he would be a much better head coach if he were standing outside the stadium—perhaps then he would be far enough away from the field to make the right call.

My god, what a train wreck. This is the team that many thought would win eleven games?

Please.

Who is this Denver team?.....No, Seriously

Denver appears to be this year's "feel-good" story. You know how it goes (cue voice-over): The young coach, once shat upon by the ENTIRE league, finds redemption with each new win....blah, blah, blah.

Listen....Denver is winning. Good for them.

Frankly, however, it would be nice NOT to see their twelve year old coach fist-pumping like a school boy on the sidelines after each win.

Tell the truth: is Denver really THIS good?

It's hard to imagine that a team that won on a trick play in their first game could now be 6-0 with complete command of the AFC West. They literally have no challengers and look like they will not only win the division easily but will do so before their head coach has lost his virginity—his playoff virginity that is—get your minds out the gutter.

Denver has sucker punched every team they have faced thus far and it's beginning to feel a little old. At this point, truly, it would just be nice to see what Josh McDaniels will do if he loses a game.

I vote he cries—who's with me?

Brett Favre wins....again

Favre wore out his welcome in 2008. Don't really give a flip that he's back. Never really cared about his "impact" on the Vikings.

Only a person with zero knowledge of the NFL would negate the importance of his presence on this Vikings team. All they needed was a veteran quarterback to get them over the hump and his leadership and passing ability immediately put them in the drivers seat for the NFC North.

All of that was a given.

That said, why do we have to hear the media boot licking every time he is on television or spoken of in print. You would think he is the second-coming of Johnny Unitas or Sammy Baugh.

Brett Favre is the same damn guy who holds every passing record that the Packers could conjure. He is the same guy that led said Packer team to two Super Bowl appearances and one win. He is the same guy who took a franchise from nowhere back to somewhere.

Is he older? Yes. Should we care? NOOOOOOOOO! stop talking about how he's 40! We all know he's a man—he's the same guy Ron Jaworski! The. Same. M-A-N.

Sorry, flashbacks of the Monday Night Farveball. I mean Football broadcast.

Let Brett Favre be Brett Favre without the media over-stroking. It's annoying and, frankly, makes many of us want to kick the crap out of somebody.

Tennessee....Tennessee....

After that 59-0 woodshed, mama caught me in the cookie jar, teacher caught me cheating on the test beating the Titans took on NATIONAL TELEVISION—they should never be allowed on TV again.

The last time I saw a whupping like that one, I was watching UCLA on the receiving end.

That game was literally more painful to watch than an episode of...of...well, seriously can't think of anything that was worse to watch than that game on Sunday afternoon. The Titans are dreadful.

Jeff Fisher needs to go to Oz and visit the Wizard.

He needs to see if there is anything he can do to get his mojo back.

He needs an exorcism cause something awful has taken over his coaching body.

Even more depressing was the unrelenting nature of the Pats playcalling even after it was clear that there was no way in haiti the Titans were gonna launch a comeback.

Still not sure if that was poor judgment by Bellichick or just poor taste—leaning a bit towards the latter since they still sent Tom Brady out after the half.

Tennessee doesn't look like it could beat a drum right now much less another NFL team. They may as well take that whole team down to the NFL office and forfeit the rest of the season because David Garrard, Kurt Warner, Matt Schaub, Peyton Manning, and even Shaun Hill are salivating to get at that pass defense—if you can call it that.

Funnier still, they actually put in Vince Young on Sunday. As if to say, we're screwed anyhow, may as well throw the head case in for some reps....way to build his confidence Jeff.

Some closing thoughts on the weekend

So much bad football this weekend. It felt like we all should have gotten a lobotomy to erase the sheer mediocrity of the so called "good" teams playing like chumps:

Philadelphia Eagles: great job making JaMarcus Russell look like a quarterback.

Buffalo Bills: you guys need prayer, and I mean that in the best way possible.

Baltimore Ravens: you should be 6-0. What the heck is wrong with you?

Washington Redskins: If Todd Collins is the answer, I see more Tom Collins in your future...Cheers!

Jacksonville Jaguars: There are no words for your utter ineptitude. Overtime? Against the Rams?...The Rams!

New York Giants: Wow...go sit in a corner.

Green Bay: Field goals against a Detroit team minus it's best players?....Really?

Cincinnati: Guess you were due to turn back into that pumpkin, eh?

And to the NFL—thanks for a whole lotta nothin' this weekend—I'll be back next week to be entertained all over again.

Georgia Bulldog Player Dilemmas: Who's the Best Man for the Job?

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:17:26 -0400

As the Georgia Bulldogs enter a bye week, they have time to reflect on a good win Saturday against the Vanderbilt Commodores. They also have an opportunity to finally begin to focus on what will truly be their most exciting game of the season against the No. 1 Florida Gators.

There is no love lost between these two teams in the Urban Meyer era as each has embarrassed the other at least once in the last three-seasons.

That said, the match-up this year is sure to be much anticipated by the Bulldawg Nation as the Dawgs would love to crush the BCS hopes of the mighty ones down south while regaining a little national respect in the process.

However, that is still another eleven days away and we have much to do in the meantime.

A couple of performances stood out on Saturday and brought to mind a bit of mental wrangling as to why we don't see these particular guys more often.

I would never profess to be a genius as far as player substitutions and readiness are concerned but there have clearly been some standout performances by both Fred Munzenmaier and Bacarri Rambo this season so it begs the question: Why aren't they getting more reps than their lesser-producing counterparts.

No answers can necessarily be given here but that doesn't stop the question from existing.

Bryan Evans vs Bacarri Rambo

Bacarri Rambo has played better than Bryan Evans at every juncture this year yet he is still relegated to spot duty.

Why?

Evans, for his part, played well against Vanderbilt on Saturday but was still at the embarrassing end of yet another huge gain by the opposition—he has been the whipping post of many an SEC quarterback this year and is rarely at the good end of a play for Georgia.

Evans has been burned countless times and it's frightening to think about the number of times he has either missed a key tackle or been caught grotesquely out of position on plays that either ended in six or resulted in a key first down for the other team.

Bacarri, for his part, has been exceptional. He's been a sure tackler, around the ball on every play, and has already recorded two interceptions on the season despite only having one true start under his belt.

No doubt the coaches know more than we do about why Evans still gets the nod but, given Mark Richt's tendency to be loyal to his senior players, you have to wonder if he is really putting the best man on the field at all times.

Player stats on the season:

Bryan Evans (six starts in seven appearances): 27 tkls, 0 interceptions, 2 passes defensed

Bacarri Rambo (one start in seven appearances): 15 tkls, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defensed

Shaun Chapas vs. Fred Munzenmaier

Fred Munzenmaier made his first start of the year against Vanderbilt and it likely made some in the stands as well as at home scratch their heads a bit as to why we haven't seen him more often—Munzenmaier finished the day with a touchdown and three very nice receptions that totaled 21-yards.

Chapas, for his part, has been largely ineffective following a 2008 campaign which saw him play a key role as a blocker for the now-departed Knowshon Moreno—he simply has not been as relevant as many thought he might.

By contrast, Munzenmaier has made two starts and has tallied as many touchdowns in those two starts as Chapas has for his career.

Add to that the fact that Georgia's best rushing game came with Munzenmaier starting and you begin to think that it might be time for a change at fullback.

Player stats on the season:

Shaun Chapas (six starts): 2 carries/2 yards, 8 receptions/46 yards, 1 TD

Fred Munzenmaier (one start in seven appearances): 6 carries/16 yards, 3 receptions/21 yards, 2 TD's

Joe Cox vs Logan Gray/Aaron Murray

Joe Cox has definitely fallen off a lot since the game against Arkansas. In that outing he went 18/25 for 375 yards and five touchdowns.

Since that game, he has hovered between mediocre and average. His completion percentage at Arkansas was 72.0. His completion percentage since is 53.8

He threw five touchdowns against one interception in that game. He has thrown five touchdowns and six interceptions in the four that have followed.

His QB rating against Arkansas was 137.1. His average QB rating since is 67.8.

Clearly, Joe has fallen off the wagon.

That said, it would be ridiculous to expect him to keep up with the standard he set at Arkansas. After all, the Razorbacks still sport the worst pass defense in the SEC—they are currently dead last in the conference.

Plus, it would be short-sighted to forget the fact that Georgia has no running game to speak of and wide receivers who, outside of A.J. Green, have not shown the surest of hands on the field—drops have been a bit of an issue this season.

However, the interceptions are all Joe. He seems clueless when it comes to read progression. His first option, as well it should be, is A.J. Green. If A.J. isn't open, he finds himself lost as to where he should go with the ball.

Much of the time he will throw it out into the flat or, if there is a decent pass rush from the opposing team, he may throw an errant pass that lands either in the stands or in the hands of an opportunistic defensive back.

He can be frustrating to watch but here's the thing....we don't have any other options at this point.

Logan Gray has seen more time in recent weeks but he is rarely, if ever, afforded the chance to throw the ball—no idea why.

He made an appearance in the final minutes against Tennessee and looked dead in the water as the Vols were all over him as soon as the ball was snapped. His ability to scramble was immediately taken away and, as with most of his plays this season, he lost yards.

In the Vanderbilt game he was mostly sticking the ball into the running backs hands, a la Buck Belue, during his Herschel Walker days.

Gray has a better than average arm so why hasn't he been allowed to use it yet?

Are the coaches not confident that he is game ready? Are they still searching for how to incorporate his skills into the offensive scheme? Are they still holding out hope that Joe Cox will come out of his funk? Questions....just lead to more questions.

Whatever the case may be, here is the bottom line: Joe Cox is not likely to lead Georgia to the promised land this season. Why not start giving a few more reps to Gray just to see what he can do? If he's not the future, better to know that now rather than wait until next season to find out.

Even more, is Georgia going to move towards a spread offense? One thing is very clear about Gray, he is an option-type quarterback and has a tendency to run before he passes. Last I checked, the Georgia Bulldogs are not trying to move towards becoming a full spread offense so Gray either needs to be more versed in the passing game or he is destined to be our "wildcat" option.

That said, Aaron Murray, despite his running prowess is still a passer first and is likely the future for the Dawgs.

He fits the system and should probably start to get some game experience in the near future—particularly if the Dawgs end up losing to the Gators. At that point, there would seem to be little reason to stifle him or Gray from any playing time whatsoever.

At the same time, if you do go with Murray, you waste a bit of his eligibility. Why do that for the equivalent of five or six games of action?

Georgia is definitely going to be in a peculiar spot depending on what happens in Jacksonville but one thing is certain: it's time to start looking towards the future at Georgia.

Georgia-Vanderbilt Preview: It's Time For The Dawgs to Show and Prove

Kimberley Nash — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:53:27 -0400

Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith is not the kind of player that strikes fear into the hearts of SEC defenses. In his two appearances versus SEC opponents this season he is 33 of 83 for 281 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.

He's as mediocre through the air as they come and he isn't the type of quarterback that any defensive coordinator is likely to be concerned about on any given Saturday.

That said, he will face Georgia on this particular Saturday. A team that, hate to say, has had a bad knack of making the mediocre look marvelous.

It makes you wonder if Larry Smith is thinking he can make a statement against this Georgia team too. Perhaps he can choose this game to get off the snide and reinvigorate the Vanderbilt faithful. Maybe he can suddenly find his accuracy and make it happen with his arm and his legs—have a game that is money.

If you aren't snickering at that scenario, that tells you precisely the place that Georgia football has come to this season—Larry Smith would have been a non-factor to us last season. This game used to be a given on our schedule. Now, we simply aren't sure, are we?

It has been said all week that the Dawgs are in a "must-win" situation. They have to go back to the State of Tennessee and play like gangbusters against a Vanderbilt team that, despite a better than respectable defense, has had it's troubles putting points on the board—losing 13-16 to Army last week.

Honestly, though, this isn't a "must-win" game for the Dawgs. It would be a must-win if anyone were looking for them to finish something other than 3rd in the SEC East. It would be a must-win if anyone outside of the Bulldawg Nation thought this Georgia team had a chance at finishing in the top 25. It would be a must-win if this team were playing for anything more than pride at this point.

This is hardly a "must-win" game. No, this is a "show-me" game. As in show-me what kind of fight you have left after last week's woodshed beating. Show-me that you are capable of showing up and playing your Bulldog tails off. Show-me that this is still the same red and black juggernaut that just last season was a pre-season No. 1.

Show-me that this is the kind of team that, like the 2007version, has the heart if not the talent to rally from a disappointing loss to Tennessee to run the table and finish better than anyone expects.

It's time for the Dawgs to show and prove what they are truly made of against a Vandy team that they should beat even though the Commodores are bringing the fifth ranked defense in the SEC to the table.

Three keys to victory:

Run, run, run, fast as you can...

The Vanderbilt pass defense is stellar. They aren't scared of any quarterback in the SEC so far this season and will play the passing game as aggressively as they have all season long. Why shouldn't they? All that has led to is eight interceptions for this team—good enough for second in the SEC (Alabama, Auburn, and LSU are tied for first).

They get after the ball in the secondary and senior defensive back Myron Lewis has started to heat up in recent weeks, taking over the top spot in the SEC with three interceptions in as many weeks.

This is not the game where we want to see Joe Cox chucking the ball down the field 30 plus times with nauseating results. Let this be the game that someone in our backfield starts to make it happen.

Caleb King is due back this week and he has an excellent shot to make a big statement in this game against a Vanderbilt run-defense that, quite frankly, is not good. They are near the bottom of the league in defending the run and are giving up over 170-yards on the ground per contest.

The counter to that is the Dawgs are last in rushing offense.

The Dawgs obviously have problems on the offensive line that need to be remedied before the run game can get any better but offensive line coach Stacy Searles needs to choose this game as the turning point for his guys this season—no time like the present.

Forget about sacking Larry Smith, just focus on keeping his receivers covered...

Larry Smith is not going to beat you with his arm—he's so insignificant as a passer, it would be a miracle for even the Dawgs to make him look good.

That said, he can still run with the ball. He has made his living trying to make something happen on the ground and has neared the 100-yard mark a time or two this season.

On the other hand, he also has lost at least that many yards through pressured scrambles—he's not the most elusive guy in the world and as the pocket begins to collapse, he becomes a liability to his team and that is the primary reason for his six interceptions this season.

The Dawgs needs to blanket his receivers. Abandon the soft zone coverage for a bit and concentrate on using speedsters like Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith to shut down his primary targets—Udom Umoh and John Cole.

Cole, for his part, may not be nearly as effective if he does in fact play since he is still recovering from a broken hand .

The Dawgs need to spend the bulk of their energy keying in on the run game of Vandy; the only real offensive category they have had any success in this season. They need to shut it down and force Larry Smith into making a decision.

Vandy is not the kind of team that can play catch-up once they are down by a score or more. They simply do not have the personnel or the experience to keep up with any team in the SEC—even Georgia.

What they do have is an opportunistic defense that has a knack for making good quarterbacks look bad if he underestimates their prowess—let's not play that game.

Forget about that other Tennessee game...

This is the most important thing the Dawgs can do this week. Leave the Saturday Tsunami of Neyland behind. That game is over. Done. Finished. The Vols got their win and the Dawgs and their fans have to live with that until they come to our house next season—a game that will be even more interesting in light of Lane Kiffin's post-game comments .

That said, that loss has nothing to do with this game. The Dawgs season needs to begin now and what most fans want to see is something that resembles change on both sides of the ball. The stuff that isn't working (zone coverage, poor run blocking, poor effort in the secondary, poor special teams coverage on kickoffs, etc.) needs to start getting phased out.

The Bulldawg Nation is ready to see progress. Period. It doesn't matter if the progress comes against a lesser-tiered opponent or not, it has to start somewhere.

We already know the Commodores are ready, they are even asking fans to "blackout" the Dawgs for this one—it's their homecoming game and they are not going to just hand over the "w" to the Dawgs.

Georgia cannot get caught sleeping and looking ahead to Florida post-bye. That would be a mistake—this game against Vandy is the only one that matters. This is the one that will bring about a better idea of where we are headed now that we have been embarrassingly exposed.

It's time for this Georgia Bulldog team to do what they didn't do last week and what they haven't truly done all season: "show-us" what you are made of guys....sic em'.

Final Score: Georgia Bulldogs 27, Vanderbilt Commodores 13

Georgia Bulldog Running Back Richard Samuel Has Yet To Meet Expectations

Kimberley Nash — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:49:57 -0400

There has been some chatter over the last few weeks about possibly moving Georgia running back, Richard Samuel, over to linebacker.

Many feel that he simply doesn't have the knack for the tailback position and, honestly, his numbers support their claims. On the season, Samuel has a total of 317 net rushing yards on 71 carries; that works out to a 4.46 yards per carry average.

That's not bad, right? Well, take away the 80-yard scamper he had against Arkansas in game three and his yards per carry drops to 3.38 per carry. Not bad, but it's certainly not the type of production we were looking for out of Samuel based on his progress in the spring.

His last three appearances have ended in total net gains of 25, 11, and 25 yards respectively. He has been a non-factor in all of those games—benched in favor of freshman players like Washaun Ealey and Carlton Thomas.

From the perspective of some fans, he needs a change of scenery. Better yet, a change of position. He played linebacker in high school and does have a bit of a nose for defense. That said, it would be a mistake to move him over based solely on a few mediocre performances this season.

For one, there haven't really been any standout performances in the Georgia run game this year.

Washaun Ealey showed flashes of brilliance against LSU but then fell flat against Tennessee the following week (10 carries, 18 yards).

Caleb King has been good here and there but can't stay healthy long enough to really be a dependable option.

Carlton Thomas is good in space but he's a liability when forced to run between the tackles. His small frame and lack of muscle mass leaves him open to injury and he's definitely not the guy you want out there in pass protection.

Which leads us back to Samuel, who, at 6'2", 222 pounds, not only has the size that you love to see in a back but also has the speed, durability, and technique to suit the Georgia run game.

His main roadblock to success right now is his inability to get yards after contact. He goes down a bit too quickly for a guy his size and needs to work on moving the pile along to pick up those crucial "hard yards" that his team needs to extend a drive.

That said, his success this season, can be laid somewhat at the feet of an ineffective and inconsistent offensive line—the guys up front simply haven't gotten the job done and the only game where Georgia seemed to have any success was against Arkansas.

Other than that, the running backs have found it difficult to make anything out of the gaps, lanes, and spaces being created by our guys up front.

We have too many deficiencies in other aspects of our offensive gameplan to be able to say with any confidence that any our guys are truly busts at this point.

Moving Richard Samuel to linebacker solves nothing. All it does is take a talented running back and force him to play a position that he, may not be any better suited to play.

As it stands, Richard Samuel is a talented running back who needs time to develop his technique. He's an upright runner and by choosing to approach the line of scrimmage in that manner, he exposes his upper body to a lot of needless hits—thereby stopping him from getting the leg drive needed to gain positive yards.

He's a strong guy that needs to learn how to lower his shoulders so that he is better able to get the lean he needs to power his way through tackles as opposed to getting stood up and pushed back behind the line of scrimmage for losses.

That is something that can be taught. After all, Samuel is only 18-years-old. He hasn't learned how to be a good runner yet—none of these guys really have and that falls squarely on the shoulders of the new running backs coach, Bryan McClendon.

Samuel needs time, training, and experience to get better. A more focused offensive gameplan and better coaching wouldn't hurt either—but a position switch is definitely not the answer.

It's just too early to give up on him.

Is Georgia's Joe Cox Becoming Coach Mike Bobo's Kryptonite?

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:15:19 -0400

Georgia Bulldog football is in a curious state right now. No one outside of the rabid fan base wants to point fingers, yet everyone knows that there are problems that need to be addressed quickly.

Coach Mark Richt isn't ready to make any significant changes, but he's aware that something needs to be done with his team—and soon.

While both the offense and the defense have struggled mightily this season, it is the offense that has been the most disappointing because, unlike the defense, there weren't as many questions about how successful it could be—thanks in large part to the presence of a healthy offensive line, two semi game-tested running backs, and a quarterback that many thought would be better for Georgia.

Joe Cox was not going to have the awe-inspiring arm of Matthew Stafford, but the red-headed young man from North Carolina would bring leadership, poise, and stability to the huddle. For many of us in the Bulldawg Nation, that was considered a good thing.

For the most part, at least in the beginning, Cox performed better than anticipated. Two standout performances in Weeks Two and Three boosted optimism for the remainder of the season and had many fans thinking that this Georgia team, bolstered by it's new resiliency, could overcome the deficiencies in the run game and be competitive on a national level.

That was before the heartbreaker that was LSU and the disaster that was Tennessee.

Now, as fans, we are trying to decide who needs to go first and when. The overwhelming opinion is that defensive coordinator Willie Martinez can leave just a few steps ahead of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

Neither has been effective this season and both have come under heavy scrutiny in Dawg Country for their playcalling mediocrity and overall inability to coach-up the talent that Georgia has on its roster.

Which leads to this question: How much of Mike Bobo's inefficiency can be blamed on Joe Cox?

Last season, with both Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford running the show, the Dawgs managed an offense that was ranked 22nd in the nation. This season, with Cox and a running back by committee (RBBC) approach, we have the 97th-ranked offense in the nation.

Clearly the offense was more negatively effected by their departure than we cared to admit or realize at the start.

Cox has a decent arm, better than many of us thought it would be, but he's only as good as his protection allows him to be. The offensive line has underperformed against better defenses this season and in the last two weeks that has led to sub-par outings by Joe Cox.

Add to that the total lack of a strong running game and you have a prescription for SEC implosion.

Where does coach Bobo come into all of this? After all, he can't coach the offensive line. That job falls squarely on Stacy Searles.

Well, for one, it seems that Bobo continues to keep the offensive playbook as minimal as possible for Cox. He is either not comfortable or not confident that he can execute all the plays called—honestly, no matter how effective Cox has seemed this year, it's obvious he cannot make every throw.

Secondly, Cox has developed chemistry with A.J. Green. That's great, A.J. can deliver the goods, but what happens when Green is shut down?

On Saturday, the Tennessee Vols held Green in check for the most part and rendered him ineffective—that left Joe Cox to find a second and, at times, a third option. He was unable to do so thanks to pressure from the edge by the Vol defensive line—the result was errant or ill-advised passes.

On a number of occasions he would simply go to his fullback, Shaun Chapas, which is fine, but again, the play became easy to snuff out and became yet another element of predictability in the execution of the Georgia offense.

Cox has become just as predictable as Mike Bobo. We know who his primary target will be (A.J. Green). We know who his safety valve under pressure will be (Shaun Chapas). We know who he goes to on screens and flats—we even can tell you who his first option will be on plays thrown in the middle of the field (Orson Charles).

If we know that...everyone in the SEC knows it, too.

The way to combat that is a good running game. If we had one, it would make it easier for Joe Cox to find some breathing room and perhaps Bobo could then find some wrinkles that everyone can't figure out after 10 plays.

The problem there, however, is our running backs are not performing well enough to be a factor. The o-line has a lot to do with that, but at some point you have to turn the spotlight on the guys toting the ball, too. Plain and simple, King, Samuel, Thomas...they aren't getting the job done.

Why?

The problem with Samuel is he is brought down at first contact and doesn't yet have the leg drive to continue to move the pile once he's been stopped—he may get better in time, but for now, he's just not ready to run well between the tackles.

King has the technique and is capable of absorbing and even running through tackles, but he is more effective if he can find some space after making his first cut. Once he does, he's gonna get the yards.

Washaun Ealey is the best combination of King and Samuel, but he doesn't have the game experience and needs more reps to be ready for continued play in the SEC.

As for Carlton Thomas, he's simply not built for the run game. He needs space to create plays and is much more valuable doing his thing on designed screens or plays out in the flat—between the tackles is not his forte.

All this said, none of these guys have been effective enough this season to allow for sustained success in the passing game. Joe Cox has had to be the heart and soul of the offense and he cannot carry this team on his shoulders.

Mike Bobo is certainly aware of this and has likely tailored the offense to suit the skills that Joe can bring to the table, but what that sets up is likely failure when everything else starts to fall apart (i.e. defenses start to catch onto what he is doing).

Bobo took over as offensive coordinator on December 16, 2006. He's only ever had great players to work with and those players made him look good.

The first true test of his coaching ability has come this season and so far he is failing with flying colors, as the Dawgs rank 51st in passing and 74th in scoring—he's been predictable and unimaginative in his play-calling and that has made it easy for opposing defenses.

To be fair, Joe Cox is the first Georgia quarterback in eight years that hasn't been blessed with either great talent or a great skill-set. Outside of A.J. Green, there are few, if any, current All-SEC players on the offensive side of the ball.

That said, fans and elite programs always feel that the talent can only go as far as the coaching allows them to go. Whether it is coach Bobo's fault or not, the proof of his value as a great coach comes with his ability to prepare his players for competition on Saturday.

If Bobo continues to rely on Joe Cox to bail out his mediocre play-calling, he will find himself exiting with the senior in 2010 and I doubt many Georgia Bulldog fans will find a need to buy him a parting gift.

Georgia Bulldog Coaches Feeling The Heat After Loss to Tennessee

Kimberley Nash — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:10:16 -0400

Last week, a fellow red and black fan from the great Dawg nation wrote a letter to coach Mark Richt. In that letter, he called for the coach to bench Joe Cox, fire Willie Martinez, and send coach Bobo back to coaching the quarterbacks instead of running the offense.

A level-headed few of us took to the web to say "be patient, have faith, and keep cool." We felt that the season was not yet done even though we were out of the top 25 for the first time in three seasons—the last time was December 3, 2006.

Well today the cat is officially out of the bag and this author is finally at the point where she can say that some sure-fire changes need to be made NOW. Not later. Now!

Of course, the level-headed analyst in me says that firing coaches at this stage in the season can only bring more problems. The first of which will be who do we replace those guys with if we do?

Assistant coaches Rodney Garner and John Jancek are both chomping at the bit for their shot at the defensive coordinator position. Neither would be too happy to find themselves passed over for an outside hire.

Last season Jancek turned down the University of South Florida Bulls (USF) who flat out offered their defensive coordinator job to him—Garner turned down his Alma Mater for a similar job with new coach GeneChizik.

That said, if Willie goes and we don't hire either of them, will both bolt?

Say what you want about "cleaning" house, we don't want to lose Garner—he's the reason for such great recruiting returns. His haul last season included Branden Smith, Montez Robinson, and Chris Burnette—in all he was responsible for five recruits rated four-star or better.

We cannot afford to keep coach Martinez at the helm but if we give him his walking papers, we need to be sure we have a plan in place for both Jancek and Garner that doesn't involve either of them being shafted or feeling cheated by the man who many feel is the classiest guy in the SEC—MarkRicht.

It's understandable that the Bulldawg Nation is feeling raw right now. The feeling is mutual because the Tennessee game was brutal.

Seriously, it seemed as if we didn't even show up to play.

Tennessee came into that game with a respectable ground attack and a strong defense but an unreliable passing game. Enter Georgia who did their best impression of a dying dog by letting Jonathan Crompton—a guy who prior to that game had been monumentally ineffective—look like he was Heisman material.

Crompton picked the Georgia secondary apart and made our defensive backs look like imbeciles play after play. Add to that the ground game by Montario Hardesty and you have a tandem that waltzed all over the Dawgs for 468 yards!

Tennessee scored 38-points in the second and third quarters of the game.

Crompton completed 74 percent of his passes. 74 percent! He hadn't been that effective since the Vols played Western Kentucky in week one.

That's not disturbing...that's pathetic.

Is it all coaching? it's hard to be sure but if our guys are undisciplined, unfocused, and unmotivated, well...that is all about coaching.

When Brian Van Gorder was here, we had guys who were disciplinary problems but they still managed to show up and play tough on gameday—case in point, Odell Thurman. Remember him? He was oft in trouble and even got kicked out of the NFL for his lack of discipline.

That said, when Odell showed up in the red and black uni, he was a player. Period.

The Dawgs are reeling right now and the coaching staff is in the spotlight yet again for the same exact things that have plagued this team since week one: predictable offensive play calling, ineffectiveness in the run game, poor coverage in the secondary, and questions about the offensive line.

How many different ways can any respectable Dawg fan say "they'll turn it around " or "give it time"?

It doesn't matter how much intelligence you bring to the table, the writing on the wall becomes harder to ignore as the weeks go by and today seemed to bring forth a chorus so loud that none of us could ignore it any longer.

The title of that chorus' song was: "We Are Headed In The Wrong Direction."

It's time for coach Richt to let go of his loyalty to Willie Martinez. All of his defensive "leadership" has led us down a road of mediocrity that has so far culminated in one of the worst seasons I, personally, have ever witnessed.

Just look at the numbers:

Georgia Defense Under Willie Martinez/Rankings from 2005-2009

2005:

total defense rank: 18th (313 ypg)
pass defense rank:7th (117 ypg)
rush defense rank: 52nd (143.8 ypg)
scoring defense rank: 8th (16.4 ppg)
turnover margin rank: 8th (-11)

2006:

total defense rank: 8th (258 ypg)
pass defense rank: 5th (150 ypg)
rush defense rank: 27th (108.2)
scoring defense rank: 20th (17.6 ppg)
turnover margin rank: 68th (-1)

2007:

total defense rank: 14th (323.2 ypg)
pass defense rank: 36th (213.3 ypg)
rush defense rank: 16th (109.9 ypg)
scoring defense rank: 18th (20.2 ypg)
turnover margin rank: 26th (+9)

2008:

total defense rank: 22nd (312.o ypg)
pass defense rank: 32nd (189.7 ypg)
rush defense rank: 27th (122.3 ypg)
score defense rank: 59th (24.5 ppg)
turnover margin rank: 73rd (+3)

2009 (through LSU):

total defense rank: 64th (358.2 ypg)
pass defense rank: 87th (236.8 ypg)
rush defense rank: 49th (121.4 ypg)
score defense rank: 85th (27.8 ppg)
turnover margin rank: 115th (-9)

Clearly, this year has seen the Georgia defense suffer it's worse season yet.

However, it would be unfair not to mention that having key players at skill positions didn't hurt—Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno were staples during the 2006-08' seasons and gave us more balance than we have at the moment.

However, that said, the ability to coach the talent you have on the roster is the job of the defensive coordinator. You expect fluctuations in categories as key players exit but it seems that Martinez has lost control across the board despite having talented players at his disposal.

This ties into the issues with coach Mike Bobo. Everyone knew it would be a monumental task to replace both Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford but he has done a horrible job of installing plays that play to the strengths of our current players.

For one, he is either not confident in Joe Cox or not creative enough in his play-scheming to develop a competent gameplan that the senior quarterback feels comfortable executing from week-t0-week.

By now everyone in the SEC knows that Joe Cox has A.J. Greene and.....*crickets*. See where this is going? Take away one guy from Cox's gameplan and he's completely lost. That should not be the case when you have so much talent at wide receiver.

Next, why do we have so many one-dimensional running backs? Washaun Ealey looked great last week but he struggled against a tougher defense scheme this week. Richard Samuel is a beast but he won't get you many yards after contact—he's not ready to be the power guy we want him to be right now.

Carlton Thomas is good in space but Bobo only seems to put him in on predictable screen passes and reverses—no diversity in the playcalling.

Finally, he continues to insert Logan Gray at times when he will be the least effective—what team isn't prepared for him to run a draw soon after he takes the snap?...Seriously?...Is this the best the Dawgs can do?

Georgia didn't score one offensive touchdown today. Not one.

Special teams scored 13-points and the heady play of Bacarri Rambo accounted for the other six. Outside of that, Joe Cox didn't have the time, protection, or ability to establish anything resembling a passing game.

He ended the day 19/34 for 146 yards and two interceptions. His receivers were inept and because neither Richard Samuel nor Washaun Ealey were effective on the ground, we became one-dimensional yet again.

This ain't Georgia people...this is...this is...shoot, I don't know what this is, but it ain't Georgia.

We need to get better. We have to get better. It starts at the top—coach Richt needs to start deciding what's more important: blind loyalty or maintaining the standard of winning we've grown accustomed to seeing him execute as Georgia's head coach.

All stats courtesy of www.NCAA.org.

Georgia Bulldogs Head To Knoxville Looking For Redemption

Kimberley Nash — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:06:36 -0400

Another week. Another game. Another round of questions to be answered about how good the Georgia Bulldogs can be versus how good they will be this far into the season.

Last week, the Dawgs suffered a gut-wrenching, possibly, season-changing loss to LSU. The loss set loose a flurry of questions that led to many a fan taking to radio, blog, and water cooler to say: "These Dawgs are NO good".

Well, sitting nicely at 3-1 in the SEC and still in it to win it, so long as they can keep their helmets fastened tightly, this Georgia fan says that come Saturday, Georgia will play its most important game of the season.

That's right...the MOST important!

Why?

Because the Georgia Bulldogs of 2009 have already been written off by many a fan, prognosticator, analyst, and casual viewer. They aren't in the top 25 and most are beginning to feel they'll be lucky to make a bowl game of any consequence, much less a major one.

Add to that, the firestorm that has yet again brought into question the validity of having coach Mark Richt remain the leader of this club—his seemingly blind loyalty to both his defensive and offensive coordinators is enough to make some want to set their "G" hat on fire.

However, even with all the vitriol and doubt going around about this team, there is a low-lying confidence that comes through when they are no longer in the headlines—they play their best with their backs against the wall and confidence waning.

So, as they head out to Tennessee to play in the big orange house, there is plenty of reason to be both concerned and content.

Reason to be concerned:

Tennessee has the fourth ranked rushing defense in the conference, allowing just under 114 yards rushing per game.

Georgia has had trouble running the football and is currently dead last in the SEC for rushing.

After last week's loss, it became very clear that the Dawgs will need to establish the run with a lot more authority if they expect to have continued success in the passing game.

Reason to be content:

Tennessee's run defense is less impressive in the SEC than it is against non-conference foes—success against Western Kentucky and Ohio helped to inflate their dominance just a bit, as neither of those teams were able to do a thing against the Vols.

However, the story is different against SEC competition so far this season, as the Vols have given up 208 and 224 yards respectively to both Florida and Auburn.

Reason to be concerned:

Eric Berry is a flat-out beast and will make his presence felt all over the field because coach Monte Kiffin most likely continue to use him in a hybrid role (playing linebacker/defensive back).

Berry hasn't been lights out much this season, but he has shown up in the big games—against Florida this year he recorded 11 tackles and an interception.

He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and if Joe Cox doesn't get any better at disguising his intentions on the field, Berry will easily eat him up all day and may even come up with a pick six.

Reason to be content:

Berry has been largely absent from the stat sheet this season; having recorded only one interception so far—by contrast, he had three by this time last season.

Much of that is due to teams choosing not to execute many plays in his direction.

That said, however, Brent Vinson is becoming just as relevant as Berry is, and Joe Cox needs to be careful not to get so caught up looking for Berry that he misses the other guys on the field who can do serious damage.

Reason to be concerned:

Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown offer a dangerous one-two punch for the Vols.

The Dawgs have played a lot of close, emotionally draining football games this season and may be vulnerable to some big runs due to defense fatigue. Both Hardesty (5.5 ypc) and Brown (5.0 ypc) are capable of making huge ground gains and eating clock.

If Georgia allows Tennessee to control the time of possession, they play into their hands and will have no shot at establishing any offensive rhythm. It is of the greatest importance that the Dawgs stop the run, and stop it often. If they can do that, the Vols will have to beat them through the air where Jonathan Crompton has been a model of inconsistency thus far.

Reason to be content:

Tennessee is not in the minority in choosing to run the ball on first down, the fact is, they have been pretty successful in getting significant yardage on first-down attempts (averaging 5.00 ypc).

However, that said, if Georgia can force Tennessee into 3rd-and-long, they can keep them from monopolizing the ball for too long because the Vols are not nearly as effective in converting on third downs (they've converted 25 of their 68 attempts).

It goes without saying that the Dawgs will need to protect the ball, limit mistakes on special teams, and play disciplined football on Saturday.

The Vols are not looking to leave Neyland 0-4 in the SEC on Saturday, and the Dawgs can expect them to be playing some very inspired football.

Georgia will need to come ready to play early and, hopefully, they can escape Knoxville with not only a win but with a little more hope that all is not lost.

Where Do The SEC Quarterback's Rank Using Strength of Schedule As Criteria?

Kimberley Nash — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:57:33 -0400

Revision made on 10/10/09: In light of some misunderstanding over the intention of this article, the original title has been amended and further explanations have been given regarding the overall goal of this analysis. In no way are these rankings meant to reflect the true value of each named quarterback to his respective team. It is meant to present another way of looking at them—please consider this point when making your comments.

The list was compiled based on four categories:

1. Strength of Schedule based on Past Opposition's win-loss records (future opposition is not considered in the formula).

2. The total average ranking of all defenses faced so far this season.

3. The total average ranking of all pass defenses faced so far this season.

4. The SEC pass efficiency rating of each quarterback thus far.

Once the above were calculated, each team was given a 1-12 ranking for each individual category. Their position in each category was then noted and averaged together to form a new list.

The new list is how each individual quarterbacks place was determined.

The wins and losses for each team were not taken into account because the main directive here was to target the quarterback's performance in the SEC based on their level of competition.

By approaching the list in this manner, no respect was given to public perception or media influence. Further, intangible qualities such as leadership, huddle presence, ability to read and react under pressure, mental toughness, etc., were not considered—this list is meant solely for analyzing quarterback play as it relates to their competition.

All rankings, stats, etc. were taken from the NCAA database.

Teams were not penalized for games played against Football Subdivision teams (FCS). The FCS rankings of those teams in the respective defensive categories were used in this formula and are a part of the overall median average.

If anyone is interested in knowing the final numbers entered into the formula after averages were calculated, please feel free to email me. Keep in mind however that all rankings are subject to change and they are only valid up to October 3, 2009.

Also, want to point out that rushing totals were not considered in the formula as not all quarterbacks play in a spread offense—some don't have a propensity towards running at all. That said, the rankings reflect passing attributes only.

Numbers were rounded up or down if they were fractional, for instance 64.2 would be rounded down to 64 and 58.6 would be rounded up to 59.

The rankings are as follows:

1. Ryan Mallett, University of Arkansas

Strength of Schedule: 3rd in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 69th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 58th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 4th in the nation
Overall Stats: 1148 yds, 11 TD's, 2 INT

2. Tyson Lee, Mississippi State University

Strength of Schedule: 1st in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 25th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 36th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 11th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 666 yds, 3 TD's, 4 INT's

3. Joe Cox, University of Georgia

Strength of Schedule: 5th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 53rd in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 43rd in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 5th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 1209 yds, 11 TD's, 6 INT's

4. Mike Hartline, University of Kentucky

Strength of Schedule: 53rd in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 29th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 34th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 10th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 653 yds, 5 TD's, 6 INT's

5. Jonathan Crompton, University of Tennessee

Strength of Schedule: 25th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 31st in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 55th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 9th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 900 yds, 9 TD's, 8 INT's

6. Jevan Snead, University of Mississippi

Strength of Schedule: 31st in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 32nd in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 55th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 7th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 728 yds, 9 TD's, 5 INT's

7. Jordan Jefferson, Louisiana State University

Strength of Schedule: 13th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 58th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 64th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 6th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 920 yds, 7 TD's, 2 INT's

8. Tim Tebow, University of Florida

Strength of Schedule: 68th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 42nd in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 68th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 1st in the SEC
Overall Stats: 643 yds, 6 TD's, 1 INT

9. Greg McElroy, University of Alabama

Strength of Schedule: 13th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 69th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 81st in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 2nd in the SEC
Overall Stats: 1086 yds, 9 TD's, 1 INT

10. Stephen Garcia, University of South Carolina

Strength of Schedule: 58th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 50th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 50th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 8th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 1035 yds, 6 TD's, 2 INT's

11. Chris Todd, Auburn University

Strength of Schedule: 18th in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 71st in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 71st in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 3rd in the SEC
Overall Stats: 1230 yds, 12 TD's, 1 INT

12. Larry Smith, Vanderbilt University

Strength of Schedule: 53rd in the nation
Average Rank of All Pass Defenses Faced: 60th in the nation
Average Rank of All Defenses Faced: 64th in the nation
Pass Efficiency Rating in the SEC: 12th in the SEC
Overall Stats: 702 yds, 2 TD's, 4 INT's

Georgia Bulldog Running Back Washaun Ealey Is On The Move

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:27:35 -0400

Unless you were hiding under a rock on Saturday afternoon, you would have been hard-pressed to miss No. 24 running hard for the Georgia Bulldogs. Washaun Ealey was the most explosive player on the field for the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday and put some fans in the mind of that other No. 24.

Ealey entered the game when the Dawgs needed something to light a fire into their offense. An offense that, for the better part of two quarters, had been mired in futility.

Once he got in the game, he wasted no time in showing the Georgia faithful why he was one of the most highly recruited running backs in the State of Georgia last year—breaking off eight solid yards on his first carry and shifting the momentum back into the Dawg's favor for a time.

At the start of the season, Washaun Ealey was a question mark for the Dawgs: It was uncertain whether he would be able to play at all. There was some concern that his SAT scores would disqualify him from enrolling for 2009—he looked like he was headed to Hargrave Military Academy at one point.

Hargrave Military Academy, for those that don't know, is where many of the academic non-qualifiers for Georgia go to get their SAT scores up so that they can play the following season—they are also allowed to play football there without the threat of losing their eligibility.

Ealey did qualify, but once he arrived on campus he found himself in a log jam behind spring stand-out Carlton Thomas, anointed starter Caleb King, and the uber talented Richard Samuel.

Making matters worse, Ealey hyper-extended his elbow prior to the start of preseason practice and was unable to participate fully in drills—the setback had many thinking that he would end up being redshirted for the season.

Ealey continued to work hard and hoped that he would get an opportunity to showcase his skills and play a part in helping this Georgia team win ball games.

Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing in at 205 lbs., Ealey has been clocked at 4.4 in the forty and was a punishing runner at Emanuel County Institute in Twin City, Ga. Some have said that he is the best back to come out of that area since that other Georgia Bulldog great, Herschel Walker.

His style is quintessential Georgia. He likes to run tough between the tackles and hits every hole with great speed and power. There is no wasted motion in his approach and he fights hard for every yard. You will not see this kid crumble after first contact—he's a pile mover.

Many think that his size puts him at a disadvantage because of his running style, but they underestimate his strength and his ability to run through tackles and make quick cuts into open spaces. Once he finds a weakness in the defense, he knows how to exploit it and his top-end speed makes him dangerous once he gets beyond the first level of defenders.

If Saturday's eight carry, 35-yard (4.1 ypc), performance is any indication of what Georgia fans have to look forward to in the future from Washaun, then things may begin to look up in the rushing department—a spot that is sorely in need of help.

Before his entry into the game, the Georgia offense was non-existent. Neither Caleb King nor Richard Samuel had done anything to warrant even a mention. Their rushing totals combined were less than Ealey's altogether.

Even more to the point, he invigorated the crowd and gave the sideline something to cheer about in a game that was largely a disappointment from an offensive perspective.

Wearing No. 24 is no easy task for the true freshman; he has already said that he truly wants no part of the number once worn by current NFL running back and, former Georgia stand-out, Knowshon Moreno. He has said he intends to vacate the number once the season is done but, for now, he is just excited to have his shot at making a difference.

2009 Georgia Bulldogs: On Second Thought, Maybe We Just Aren't There Yet

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:29:22 -0400

After Saturday's loss to LSU, the Georgia Bulldog nation seems to be split as to what needs to be done to make this team better. Depending on which side you fall on, you either believe we need to make major changes or you think we need to be patient and exercise caution before we consider placing coaches and players into the firing line.

Whatever side of the fence you fall on, though, it's clear that this 2009 Georgia Bulldog team has made an impression.

Saturday's debacle won't be recapped here, there are plenty of places to start if you truly want to relive the nightmare that was Georgia versus LSU—try here, here, and here if your constitution isn't too weak.

Or if you are a true glutton for punishment, the game will re-air tonight at 9:30 on CBS College Sports.

Honestly, though, it's time for all the Georgia fans to get a serious gut check about this team, our beloved red and black, because some of us have taken the resilient wins against South Carolina, Arkansas, and Arizona State to mean more than they should.

All of those games told us something about this team. Something that has nothing to do with their resiliency. Things that, when added together, should have prepared us for the LSU loss. Things like:

We have no rushing attack (ranked 105th in the nation)
Special teams coverage is poor (ranked 112th in the nation)
We aren't controlling the clock (ranked 96th in the nation for time of possession)
We give up too many big plays (teams are converting 62 percent of plays on fourth down)

The three wins Georgia collected are not to be pushed aside. They were tough wins and those are the ones you have to have if you are going to remain competitive in the SEC.

That said, it's time to address some of the issues that we, as fans, have placed to the side all season. Time to "face the music" and start looking between the lines—separate what you feel from what is real:

Joe Cox is not Matthew Stafford, DJ Shockley, or David Greene

This seems obvious enough, right? Well, one of the biggest problems for many of us, this author included, is we seem to want to throw Joe Cox under the bus for a bad performance and sing his praises for a good one.

Some might say that is the case with any quarterback on any team in the SEC, Pac-10, ACC, etc. It's what fans do. Is it? Really?

While Matthew Stafford was here, can you ever recall a Dawg fan calling for his ouster after a poor outing? How about Jacory Harris at Miami, when he went up to Virginia Tech and stunk up the joint, did the fans ask for his helmet? Don't think so.

Joe Cox isn't sexy enough for Dawg fans. He doesn't have the speed of Shockley, the allure or the arm of Stafford, and he doesn't have the winning way of David Greene.

That said, how much of Georgia's woes can be placed on the play of Joe Cox?

Is it just a little bit possible that offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has seriously adjusted the playbook for Cox now that Stafford's NFL-caliber gun is gone? Cox may be accurate, but anyone who believes his arm is anything close to what Stafford's was is delusional.

It seems as if coach Bobo has cliff noted the playbook, and by doing so, has handicapped the Georgia offense to being more predictable and less dynamic than it was last season. There are no surprises, no wrinkles, and zero oomph.

The obvious remedy to that would be to replace Cox with either Logan Gray or Aaron Murray, right? Wrong.

If Aaron Murray was ready, he would be out there taking snaps. Aaron Murray is not ready yet and he's not the guy you want in the game until he is familiar with the playbook and how to manage the game. Period.

Logan Gray is in the same boat. He may know the playbook a bit better than Aaron, but he's still not as proficient at executing the proper play calls as Joe Cox will be. It's naive of anyone to think that either of those guys are the answer because they simply aren't.

The Offensive Line Is Not Getting the Job Done

The offensive line for the Dawgs is under fire for not winning the battle up front and supplying the holes our tailbacks need to get the yardage we covet on first and second downs.

What we need to do is turn the spotlight around and shine it on the guys wearing the Nos. 22 and 8. Neither Richard Samuel nor Caleb King are getting the hard yards. They aren't churning it out between the tackles. They aren't keeping those legs moving long after the first hit.

The offensive line may need to get nastier, but Samuel and King need to take a seat in the class with them because neither guy has shown he is man enough to play in the SEC.

The thing that made guys like Thomas Brown, Musa Smith, Rodney Hampton, and Robert Edwards so good was that they got the hard yards. We haven't seen one player yet this season who can get us those yards.

If we can't convert on 3rd-and-2 or 4th-and-1, that's a momentum killer. Even more to the point, it puts the onus on our quarterback to make it happen every time. That's a ridiculous proposition to make to a guy who is only making his eighth start come Saturday.

Georgia needs to get back to running the football with authority on first downs. We pass way too much and we are often unsuccessful in gaining any significant yardage. That sets up a lot of 3rd-and-long plays for us to convert, which we often do not.

Joe Cox can't be anyone except Joe Cox. The coaches need to start doing a better job of balancing out the offense so that Cox is not expected to do it all alone.

We Have A Lot of Talent, But the Youth of Our Players Is Obvious

Our guys are young. Brandon Boykin (CB), Branden Smith (ATH/CB), Orson Charles (TE), Richard Samuel (RB), etc.

We are playing a lot of young guys at key skill positions this season and it has proven to be a detriment or a near detriment on several occasions this year:

Branden Smith ran out of the end zone twice versus Okie State. Both times he should have just downed the ball altogether.
Brandon Boykin chose to run out of the end zone versus LSU after an INT.
Richard Samuel fumbled the ball in two key situations against the Razorbacks.
Orson Charles' celebration after his big catch against LSU caused a nasty penalty that put a dagger into what was looking like a big possession.

Every one of the situations listed above led to a momentum shift in the opposition's favor.

It's nice to see coach Richt using his young talent, but the lack of leadership on this team is noticeable and hasn't proven advantageous.

A lack of discipline and focus on special teams has been a thorn in Georgia's side all season as guys have poorly executed tackles on kickoff coverage—this very thing led to the big gain by Trindon Holliday on Saturday afternoon.

Final Thoughts

This Georgia Bulldog team is good. Not great...but good. We have deficiencies in the secondary and question marks in the coaching booths.

Realistically, it may have been optimistic to believe that we could lose Asher Allen, Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, Mohammed Massaquoi, Brannan Southerland, and C.J. Byrd to graduation and the NFL and still be world-beaters in the SEC.

We have yet to find replacements for any of those guys and that may not happen this season.

We may have reloaded at Georgia, but it's still gonna take time for us to take aim at the rest of the league.

Is it time to give up on this season and accept that we won't get better? No. Absolutely not. However, it may be time to realize that the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs are young, inexperienced, and getting by more on raw talent than on focused skill.

Good, but not great.

Getting better, but still flawed.

The Dawgs are just beginning to find their bark...just give 'em time to mature from young puppies into Bulldogs. They will find their groove.

Until then, I'm still Georgia...how 'bout you?

Georgia-LSU: Bayou Bengals Come to Dawg Country with Something to Prove

Kimberley Nash — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:53:19 -0400

The Georgia Bulldogs will have another test of their mettle this weekend as they face the talented LSU Tigers.

Last season the Dawgs went to Baton Rouge and handed the Bayou Bengals a nasty loss of 38-52 as they marched up and down the field at will and scored points with little resistance. It was the nail in the coffin for the Tigers national title hopes and LSU didn't win another SEC game after that point.

That was then and this is now.

The Tigers will come into Sanford Stadium with a No. 4 ranking and a lot of questions about the kind of team they wish to be this season. Their first true chance to answer that call will come against a scrappy little Georgia team that has found ways to win in spite of themselves.

The questions about LSU's prowess are valid. Ask any LSU fan or player and you quickly get the idea that they know they are underachieving. This team has too much talent to be struggling against a team like Mississippi State and Les Miles is too good of a coach to not have these guys playing up to their potential.

It's just a matter of time before they bring it all together so the question is will it be this week or not?

So, as the Dawgs get ready for another big game, there are a few matchups worth taking note of that will likely decide precisely who wins this game on Saturday.

A.J. Green versus Patrick Peterson

It's doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that A.J. Green is the star of this Georgia Bulldog offense. Already this season he has amassed 428 total receiving yards—good enough for ninth in the nation.

That said LSU will look to take him out of his game early and force Joe Cox to find another way to beat them through the air.

Patrick Peterson will draw the job of shadowing the 6-foot-4 Green for the duration of the game and, even though he gives up a little bit in height at 6-foot-1, he has the speed and athletic ability to cover Green man-to-man with no trouble whatsoever.

Look for Green to step his game up in light of the high caliber of play that Peterson will surely bring to the table but it will be a lot more difficult for him to make the types of catches that he has made in weeks past.

Joe Cox vs. Chad Johnson

Joe Cox relapsed a bit last week against a tough Arizona State defense which gave him a number of different looks and forced him to make quick decisions with the football. This likely played a major role in the two picks he threw—one of which ended up in the endzone.

Cox is not very good at making reads when he feels the slightest bit of pressure and that could spell trouble for the Dawgs if the Tigers are successful in both shutting down A.J. Green and finding the consistent pass rush from the ends that has eluded them this season.

Wide receivers Mike Moore, Rantavious Wooten, and Orson Charles will need to do a better job of getting open and giving Cox a good look at his second and third options if the Dawgs hope to keep their air game in play.

If Cox is unable to find anything downfield, look for him to checkdown to his tight end or throw a quick screen to his running back.

We may see a little bit of Carlton Thomas this week as he has the hands and the speed to be good in space and make some plays if called upon in the right situations.

What Cox does not need to do, however, is try to force any passes into the middle of the field. LSU's Chad Jones has been dangerous in zone coverage so far this season and will be lurking in those small pockets that a QB like Cox will hope to find open.

Jones is coming off a stellar game against Mississippi State in which he not only ran back a 93-yard punt for a touchdown but also saved the game with a finger-tip deflection at the goal line which saved a likely score. He is a special player who is beginning to heat up with each week.

Cox will need to play more disciplined ball this week than the last and must be aware of all of his offensive options because A.J. Green is liable to be bottled up more effectively this week.

Special Teams

Georgia has two phenomenal forces in both their kicker, Blair Walsh, and their punter, Drew Butler. However, their kickoff coverage has been another story as the Dawgs rank 90th in punt return yards allowed (12.57 ypr) and 107th in kick return yards allowed (25.11 ypr).

A major culprit on the kickoffs has been the continued use of the directional kick. It simply has not worked and more than once this year has led to the opposition starting on the 40-yard line.

Georgia must not give the Tigers a short field this weekend as quarterback Jordan Jefferson is one of the more efficient quarterback's in the SEC and can beat you with one play if you aren't careful—no need to shorten his field even more through poor execution on special teams.

Georgia's defensive line vs. LSU's offensive line

Georgia needs to start finding a way to get more pressure on the quarterback. The return of defensive end, Justin Houston, seemed to be a step in the right direction but the offensive line of LSU will be significantly tougher to handle.

Jordan Jefferson has had a ton of time to stand in the pocket and deliver precise throws downfield to his wide receivers and will look to continue that trend against a Georgia secondary that improved last week but is still vulnerable to the big play.

The way to combat the LSU air attack is to get to Jordan Jefferson quickly and often. Force him to make decisions in the pocket and pressure him into making a few mistakes that can, hopefully, turn into some turnovers going Georgia's way.

Look for the LSU run game to emerge

LSU's run game has been relatively quiet this season when you consider the talent they have in both Keiland Williams and Charles Scott. Neither has hit his stride yet and it will be interesting to see if either decides to turn on the jets this week.

The Georgia front four has been vulnerable to aggressive offensive line play and that has led to some respectable gains by the opposition. Georgia is ranked No. 42 in the nation in run defense (allowing a little over 3.5ypc) and if LSU is able to eat up large chunks on 1st and 2nd down, they could get some great gains off play action.

If they do, the time of possession goes into LSU's favor and this Georgia team is already looking a bit weary after three straight games where they had to rally and win in the closing minutes. They may not have enough in the tank to do that again.

It is for that reason that it will be important for Georgia to be careful not to be complacent on the defensive side. Stick to their assignments and play just as mistake free on the defensive side as they will need to on the offensive.

X Factor

Coach Mike Bobo has yet to really show what this Georgia offense can do as his playcalling has been predictable to this point.

Here's what any Georgia fan knows:

If you see Logan Gray in the game, he's not passing. He will either run the ball on a keeper or hand it off to one of the tailbacks.
If Branden Smith is in the formation, it's likely going to be a reverse or a throw out in the flat.
If it's a goal line situation and you see Fred Munzenmaier in a single-back formation, look for him to try and power it in on a keeper.
Carlton Thomas is not a between the tackles runner so if he's in the game, look for a screen or something out in the flat.

If a casual fan can tell you this, how difficult will it be for a dyed in the wool SEC defensive coordinator to figure it out?

Bobo needs to be less obvious and more creative with his playcalling. Odds are he will look to do that this week as the Dawgs will want this game as much as they have any other this season.

This will be a good game and both sides have something major to prove by coming through with the win.

If the Dawgs expect to keep it close, they will need to eliminate the turnovers and continue to keep the penalties to a minimum.

It should be a great game between the hedges.

Michael Vick Isn't Every Man's Best Friend

Kimberley Nash — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:50:04 -0400

Michael Vick killed dogs. Michael Vick tortured and killed dogs. Michael Vick endorsed the torture and killing of dogs. Michael Vick is a despicable human being for having done all of the above...Period.

Today, Nike showed that character means nothing where the business model is concerned by resigning him to an endorsement deal. It is for this reason that there is new uproar over the Eagles quarterback and his right to prosper post-incarceration.

Here's the issue that most who support Vick's right to return to the NFL don't seem to understand: Not everyone embraces or believes that Vick is worthy of a second chance. Some actually feel that he should have been banned from the NFL for life.

They don't care that he "served his time". It doesn't matter that he "apologized". It makes no difference that he "is just trying to make a living". All they see is a man who used his money to support the torture, maiming, and killing of innocent animals.

In my opinion, it is their right to believe that and no one should have any cause to berate them for doing so.

Furthermore, the reason so many people are able to expatiate the idea of "he deserves a second chance" is because most of them don't hold animals in very high regard in the first place. They don't see dogs as having anything close to human value and therefore don't understand why Vick's crime was such a big deal in the first place.

Honestly, though, the majority of the public's inability to empathize with the animal lover's point of view on this is not really the animal lover's problem. That's a Y-O-U, the public's, problem and Y-O-U, the public, don't have to get it because T-H-E-Y, the animal lover, don't get Y-O-U either.

People have a right to their opinion and there exists a large contingency of people who don't buy into the apology tour that Vick gave prior to signing on with the Eagles. They don't wish him well in all his endeavors and they don't feel he deserved a second chance.

He's scum as far as they are concerned and he always will be. They have a right to that opinion. Just like you have the right to yours.

Michael Vick killed dogs. For some people that's the beginning and the end of the story and it's enough to condemn him and anyone who supports him for the rest of their life.

Y-O-U don't have to get it; sometimes it just is what it is.

NFL Week Three: Snap Judgments and Quick Reads

Kimberley Nash — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:51:47 -0400

At this point in the season, as early as it may seem, we are beginning to develop a definite opinion as to who is for real and who isn't.

Dallas played in last night's Monday Night Football event and nearly lulled their fans into a stupor with their mediocrity in the first half. However, the players saw fit to earn their million dollar paychecks by half number two and managed to limp away with a win over the not-so-good Carolina Panthers.

That said, there were a few teams this week who may need to call upon the ghosts of good teams past if they ever expect to be taken seriously in the future. Or, perhaps, they just need to accept the things they cannot change and embrace the fact that they won't be squat this season, no matter what they do.

Either way, time to throw a few more stones inside the NFL's glass houses.

JaMarcus Russell needs to be benched...immediately

The Raiders are a train wreck. Seriously. A. Train. Wreck. If they aren't trying to keep their head coach out of court, then they are trying to keep their owner from making any more personnel decisions.

JaMarcus Russell is Al Davis' guy. He was his pick. He wanted him. He wanted the big arm and the big play capability. The problem is, Russell is all arm with no accuracy. He makes bad decisions followed by even badder throws and the mystery to everyone seems to be why they continue to let him self-destruct on the field?

He is so awful that it's physically painful to watch him play. He not only ranks 30th in the league amongst starters, but he has the worst completion percentage (41.8) of any quarterback in the NFL; not to mention having a quarterback rating that makes you want to slap the crap out of somebody (39.8).

39.8?!? That's not for one game...that's for the season.

What is Oakland waiting for? Divine intervention?

Russell is not going to get better anytime soon and it matters not what the Oakland contingent may try to use as an excuse for his poor play, the fact of the matter is this: he's just not any good.

It makes you wonder if his backups are worse, because there is no other explanation for Russell still getting the nod. However, if Gradkowski and company are worse than Russell, then the Raiders need to just fire everyone on their staff, commit Al Davis to an asylum, and start from scratch, because things can't get much worse from here.

The time for naivete should be over at this point; Russell is not the man for the job. He likely never will be.

Quick read: As long as Russell continues to run the offense, Oakland will be lucky to win even one more game. Let somebody else play...ANYBODY else will do.

They say Denver is for real, but the Kool-Aid ain't temptin' yet

It's nice that the Broncos have been able to send a big "take that" to the rest of the league that basically stomped on them for the way they handled the Cutler situation. However, the 3-0 start is less a measure of greatness than a matter of "who have you played?"

Cincy was sleeping and obviously, like the rest of the league, didn't take the Broncos seriously in Week One. Cleveland is awful and has yet to win a game. Oakland is...well, Oakland.

So, it may have been premature to say that Denver would be a terrible team this season, but they haven't done anything to prove that they are a team worth being sold on, either.

As the next three games approach, we shall see just how seriously McD's crew needs to be taken. Dallas, New England, nor San Diego will be as easy as Cincy, Cleveland, or Oakland.

If the Broncos expect anyone to believe that this 3-0 start is because they have been good and not lucky, then win the next two out of three.

Snap judgment: Denver's winning streak is smoke and mirrors. The dust will soon settle on this hot start.

Raheem Morris is in way over his head

The Buccaneers were supposed to be in rebuilding mode. That is obvious from the fact that they have no playmakers on their team and have a stable of quarterbacks who are either too young, too old, or too inexperienced to be running an offense.

Newly inaugurated head coach, Raheem Morris, rolled the dice in the 2009 draft by taking his former protege, Josh Freeman. Well, that's all fine and good, but Freeman isn't ready to run a fruit stand, much less a football team.

Enter Josh Johnson, the other Tampa Bay project that wasn't supposed to hit the field until a year from now. He took over against the Giants after it became clear that Leftwich had already left the building (7-of-16 for 22 yds and an INT), but didn't fair any better (4-of-10 for 36 yds) against the Giants' stout defense.

The truth of the matter is this: the Bucs are young on both sides of the ball and are not ready to compete with any team in the NFL. Not a one.

Perhaps they can keep it close for a quarter or two, but beyond that, they will crumble like a house of cards because they do not have the personnel experience to go toe-to-toe with most defenses in the league.

Tampa Bay may be good once the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit like they should, but right now they are just not playing like a professional football team. It's disgraceful that it took them over two quarters to get a first down. That's just bad. Wasn't the offense supposed to be better without Jagodzinski?

The Bucs better do some soul searching in a hurry, because their next four games will be against a mad as hell Washington team, a well-coached Philly team, a Tom Brady Pats team, and a Carolina Panthers team with some serious splainin' to do about the kind of club they want to be.

The Bucs have no chance of winning any of those games if they continue to play like a Division I-AA football team with no clue how to execute plays on either side of the ball. They'll be 0-7 by their bye week and new coach Morris may be sending resumes out to college teams.

It's gonna be a long year in Tampa.

Quick read: The Bucs may actually be worse than the Lions this year. Just sayin'.

Terrell Owens can't buy a touchdown...or a catch one, for that matter

Owens is a little miffed about how people have criticized and berated his play over the last few weeks. Former NFL safety Rodney Harrison saw fit to throw him under a bus, run him over, back up, and do it all over again when he called him a "clown" on national television.

In Terrell's defense, he can't do any more than run the routes and catch the ball. It is clear that the offense the Bills are running at the moment isn't looking to do enough passing to make a playmaker like T.O. relevant.

Funny thing, though, is that everyone knew that before the start of the season. Trent Edwards is not Tony Romo and this ain't Dallas. Terrell Owens is not going to have another 1,000-yard season with a quarterback who has no desire to throw the deep ball.

The Bills are expected to get Marshawn Lynch back this week and you can bet that on the totem pole of receivers, Terrell Owens will fall even further down than he already has this year. Edwards is simply more comfortable playing dink and dunk than airing it out; just ask Lee Evans.

For Owens part, his days of being "the man" ended in Dallas last season, when they chose to dump him before he dumped them. Terrell's ego is still likely seething from that fact and he likely hoped to make a big splash this season in Buffalo so that he could send a big "ha ha" to the Cowboys.

Well, the reality of it is, Dallas is struggling to find a big-play guy like T.O., but they don't miss him or his antics one bit. They have moved on and T.O. is now struggling to find his place on a team that doesn't have a Pro Bowler as its quarterback.

He's in for a rude awakening as he slowly starts to realize how truly irrelevant he has become.

Quick read: Buffalo is no better with T.O. than they were without and they should have changed the quarterback and the coach while they were out shopping for improvements.

The Redskins were supposed to be better...right?

If Daniel Snyder isn't careful, he will end up becoming the Al Davis of the NFC. This team was supposed to be much better, right?

During the preseason, all the chatter was about how the defensive line was going to be a monster with Haynesworth added and Orakpo drafted. No teams were going to be running all over the Skins this season. No way.

Well, someone forgot to tell the winless in 19 tries Detroit Lions that, as they methodically and without much effort converted third down after third down on Sunday and kept control of the ball for the better part of 36 minutes.

Washington couldn't get anything going until it was too late to matter, and even then they looked like a team with no sense of urgency.

Who are these Redskins?

Those who try and say that Campbell played well are deluding themselves. He had over 300 yards, yeah, but a large chunk of those yards came once the Lions started playing prevent—a scheme that has no point whatsoever, but that's another story.

As for the run game, well, where is it? Is Portis disguised on the sideline, waiting to make his appearance at a later date? He must be, because he hasn't shown himself once this season.

The Redskins have been an underachieving bunch so far and they need to wake up before they find themselves permanently situated last in the NFC East with no conceivable way of climbing any higher.

Quick read: The Redskins are not who we thought they were.

Georgia's Bacarri Rambo Makes a Strong Case for Dawgs' Safety Position

Kimberley Nash — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:01:35 -0400

Bacarri Rambo made his claim for the starting strong safety position at Georgia on Saturday by playing a stellar game against Arizona State. Bacarri, a redshirt freshman, is 6'0", 210 pounds, and known for his athleticism, smarts on and off the field—he's an honor roll student at Georgia—and great work ethic.

Before Rambo got his first official start on Saturday, he saw some limited action in both the South Carolina and Oklahoma State games, amassing three total tackles.

Rambo has experience on both sides of the ball, and during the time he was being recruited, there was little doubt that he had the talent and ability to be a key contributor at almost any spot on the field.

Coming out of Donalsonville, Ga., Bacarri was a pretty good quarterback. Some compared his elusiveness and explosiveness with the ball to current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. He was that fast.

He also played some running back, and as a junior, he finished the season with 1,186 yards and 21 touchdowns. Truly a jack of all trades.

During his senior season, he ran for 692 yards and 17 touchdowns while passing for 615 yards and four scores.

Once at Georgia, the coaches often used him on the offensive scout team to mimic the play of such big-time SEC talent as Brandon LaFell, wide receiver out of LSU, and Tim Tebow, quarterback from the University of Florida.

It was a job that he took seriously, and he used the experience as a chance to better himself defensively. He took every opportunity given him by the coaching staff as a chance to continue developing and making strides so that once his number was called, he would be ready.

Now that he has a chance to shine and make a name for himself, he doesn't plan to shirk his duties. He will continue to work just as hard, if not harder, to keep his playing horizons on the up and up.

Saturday night's performance showed many in the Bulldog Nation that Rambo definitely has a future here at Georgia, and many are clamoring to see how much more this kid can truly do.

Against Arizona State, Bacarri finished the game with an interception, four tackles, and a key pass breakup late in the fourth that likely saved the game. He played very disciplined football, and he, along with the rest of the Georgia defense, held the Sun Devils to just 116 yards through the air.

One thing is for sure: He will be a welcome addition to a secondary that is currently ranked 90th in the nation for pass defense and giving up, on average, 243 passing yards per game.

Prior to this point, the job rested with senior Bryan Evans, but he has not proven to be effective at the spot, getting burned or caught looking the wrong way on many passes thrown his way.

Evans was moved from free safety to strong safety this season in order to allow Reshad Jones to play at the FS position. The transition for Jones has been a boon to his overall approach to the game, while Evans has suffered a continued decline.

The game against Arkansas last week was particularly brutal for Evans, as he looked severely overmatched and under-qualified trying to play against faster receivers. In Evans' defense, Arkansas made much of the Georgia secondary look bad, but it was clear that Evans was the worst of the bunch.

Rambo is not yet the sure-fire starter for the Dawgs, but if his play continues to be anything close to like it was on Saturday, it will be hard to keep him off the field.

As for Evans, it is uncertain what coach Willie Martinez will decide to do with him, but there is no doubt he will find a way to keep Evans involved despite his shortcomings on defense. Either way, it is clear that there will be a changing of the guard in the secondary.

It is truly about time.

On A Rainy Night in Georgia, Dawgs Win On a Wing and a Blair...

Kimberley Nash — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:00:57 -0400

As the Dawgs close the book on their fourth game of the year, one thing is certain: they are a resilient bunch. In three straight games the Dawgs have been tested, and in all three they have proven their mettle by coming through with a victory.

Last night proved yet again just how cohesive this team is as a unit. They don't shake or rattle. They hold steady and make the plays that need to be made in order to secure the "W." That is a team that any fan can stand behind and be proud to call their own.

This game went without huge offensive numbers, but what's more important than what the Dawgs didn't do is what they did do. A look inside the numbers shows some nice improvement across the board and, as more SEC play approaches, this is a very good thing to see.

So, just a few game thoughts to add:

Bacarri Rambo did a nice job at free safety

Rambo took over for the much-maligned and much-burned Bryan Evans this week, doing a fine job as he hauled in an interception and managed to be around the ball more often than not.

Rambo is a redshirt freshman with loads of potential. He was a dual-threat quarterback in high school, but also has the speed and the build to play running back. He is just beginning to find his sea legs at the safety spot. but has the talent to succeed once he gets a feel for the position's responsibilities.

It's a welcome change for a Georgia secondary that saw a lot of wide receivers take advantage of Bryan Evan's inability to get into position and make a key play when it was needed.

We can hopefully look forward to seeing more of Rambo in the future as this secondary continues to make strides towards getting better.

Coach Bobo continues to insert Logan Gray at curious times

Logan Gray made another appearance on Saturday and, just like in the game against South Carolina, it served more as a momentum changer than a boost for the Georgia offense.

Gray entered the game on a critical red zone possession late in the third. Arizona State had just taken the lead and made it a 14-17 game in their favor. Gray comes in on a 2nd-and-10 keeper that loses yards and sets up a 3rd-and-long. The question there is, why bring him in there?

Joe Cox was already not at his best, and prior to that series was frustratingly ineffective getting the Dawgs down the field. Why insert Gray into the game at that point and break the rhythm that was established in getting them there in the first place? It just seemed like a bad call at a critical juncture.

It is understood that Gray is a weapon that we want to introduce at different times, but better decisions need to be made as to when and where he makes his appearance.

The offensive line was not getting a good push

Georgia had quite a few short-yardage situations where the offensive line simply didn't win the trench battle.

Early in the fourth, we were on the Arizona State goal line and simply did not win the trench battle against the Arizona State front four. We had to settle for a field goal on that possession. Later in the fourth, we were stopped on a 4th-and-1.

The latter attempt was a bit perplexing because we were well within Blair Walsh's range and could have kicked a field goal to make it 20-17. But we opted to go for it, a la Les Miles, and came up empty.

Give credit to the Sun Devils' defensive front for being able to hold the line. but as a Georgia fan it does make you wonder why we weren't winning that battle.

Welcome back, Justin Houston

One very welcome sight was the return of defensive end Justin Houston. He made his presence felt all night long while also recording a sack.

Georgia still wasn't able to get a consistent push from the defensive line, but it was definitely a big difference from previous weeks as they were able to mix it up a bit and force the Sun Devils into a lot of 3rd-and-longs.

Overall, the defense was stellar on the night and offered some encouragement that coach Martinez is starting to make the necessary changes in personnel to ensure the right guys are on the field.

As for the offense, after two straight weeks of good performances by Joe Cox, he has to get the benefit of the doubt for this poor outing. The weather was less than cooperative and obviously played a role in the offensive gaffes suffered by the Dawgs.

Credit must also go to the Sun Devils for playing the Dawgs tough on their own field. They were up to the challenge defensively and were not the least bit intimidated by their surroundings.

Now the Dawgs will ready themselves for LSU, who is sporting a No. 4 ranking despite the fact that they barely got past Mississippi State—the Dawgs are ranked No. 18.

Let's hope we see the offense and defense arrive at the same time for what is sure to be one heck of a game next Saturday.

Another Week, Another Upset, Another Reason Why Preseason Rankings Mean Squat

Kimberley Nash — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:41:56 -0400

Last night the South Carolina Gamecocks "upset" the Ole Miss Rebels. It was a great win for the Gamecocks and a horrific outing for Ole Miss and Jevan Snead.

However, anyone who follows the Southeastern Conference (SEC) should not have been surprised by the Gamecock win. Personally, it would have been more of a surprise had Ole Miss gone in there and actually handled South Carolina the way some thought they would.

The problem with the rankings system in college football is that is gives too much credence to teams based on what they have done in the past. Football is played on a yearly basis—whatever any team did the prior year shouldn't hold water.

For example, the 2008 Georgia Bulldogs were ranked No. 1 in the nation last season based on a strong end to the 2007 season and the return of running back Knowshon Moreno and future first overall pick, quarterback Matthew Stafford.

However, based on the brutal schedule the Dawgs were facing the first half of the year, should they really have been ranked that highly?

The BCS has one thing right in that it doesn't release its official rankings until after week eight of the season. By that time, the contenders are likely known and the pretenders have been weeded out.

So, using last night's "upset" as a launching pad, let's take a closer look at a few of the upsets so far this season and see why they should not have been a surprise to anyone.

South Carolina defeats Ole Miss 16-10

Led by the beastly linebacker Eric Norwood and a very talented defensive line which touts Cliff Matthews at defensive end, this South Carolina team has looked more dangerous by the week and came into this matchup ready for battle.

Carolina had already been tested twice this season—a win at N.C. State gave a hint at how good this defense could be while the loss at Georgia showed that this offense has a number of weapons at its disposal, the biggest being quarterback Stephen Garcia.

However, that being said, the Rebels were playing with a few less warriors on both sides of the ball, starting with the all-important offensive line.

Jevan Snead, for all his talent, lost a key component to his success last season when All-American left tackle, Michael Oher, graduated into the NFL—add to that the loss of both starting guards and you have an untested line trying to hold its own against premier SEC talent.

Snead was never able to find his rhythm because he never had the time. South Carolina's front seven manhandled the Rebels' front four all night long—holding both Snead and McCluster in check for the majority of the game.

Cliff Matthews and Eric Norwood had two sacks each and when they weren't busting through to take Snead down, they were pressuring him into bad reads and off-target passes.

On the other side of the ball, Stephen Garcia played very well. Despite a couple sacks made by Ole Miss, one early in the game and one after it was well in hand, Garcia was able to manage the clock. He looked poised and unrattled by the magnitude of the game.

The Ole Miss defense played well but obviously will miss the gap penetration lost by the departure of Peria Jerry (former All-SEC DT).

Another factor worth noting is that the Rebels lost their D-line coach last season. Tracy Rocker, a longtime Houston Nutt assistant, left at the end of 2008 and is now coaching the defensive line at Auburn. Rocker is a well-respected coach in the SEC known for producing top tier talent off the D-line.

Ole Miss was not ready to have a top five ranking based on the facts of their team. They got precisely what many should have thought they would get last night: a loss.

Florida State takes down BYU, 54-28

BYU's record against the ACC since Bronco Mendenhall took the reigns in 2005 is 0-3 (two losses came to Boston College) with the third loss coming against the Seminoles last Saturday.

BYU earned a lot of respect from college football pundits last season despite the fact that they have never truly beaten anyone of merit under coach Mendenhall. Sure, they have beaten a few Pac-10 teams, but who else who have they beaten?

Since 2005, when BYU is matched up against BCS conference opponents, specifically the ACC and the Pac-10, they are 5-7 and 5-4, respectively—that's hardly any reason to shout their relevance from the rooftops.

Fast forward to the Florida State game. Despite the dismal performance laid out by the Seminoles against Jacksonville State in the week leading up to the BYU matchup, the Seminoles were still a talent-laden team with a lot of weapons heading into this game.

Florida State's Christian Ponder could very well be one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the ACC right now. He's as lethal with his arms as he is with his legs.

Further, Greg Reid, the true frosh who has played all over the field this season, looks like the real deal and very nearly helped lead the Noles to a win over the surging Miami Hurricanes.

Florida State should not have been underestimated entering this game, but they were, and that spelled sure disaster for a BYU team that has been told it's BCS worthy since they romped all over UCLA 59-0 last season.

The Noles didn't have to throw the ball to win the game because BYU couldn't stop them on third downs. BYU had no answer for the run game and Max Hall had no clue how to adjust to FSU's speedy defensive backs and talented defensive line.

Florida State beat BYU because they were the better, faster, and more talented team on the field. BYU is a good football team, no one can deny that, but they are not worthy of all the BCS hoopla because,quite frankly, they haven't done anything yet.

BYU bests Oklahoma, 14-13

It's not a coincidence that this is the game that follows the prior argument. It's the first one that comes the way of any person who denies the prowess of the Mountain West Conference.

Every MWC proponent and college football fanatic who adores the underdog starts railing about how "BYU beat Oklahoma...that means they, and by extension the MWC, are relevant."

Here's what that really means: Oklahoma is irrelevant. BYU beat Oklahoma. Good for them, but here's a question, in the last five years, who hasn't beaten Oklahoma when they've had time to prepare?

The Sooners are a powerhouse team. It's impossible to deny that Bob Stoops is a great coach and that the Sooners are a phenomenal program, however, if a good team has enough time to game plan for the Sooners, they can beat them—that's the M.O. of the Stoops-led Sooners.

The opening opponents for Oklahoma, like many other top tier teams with national championship aspirations, tend to be cupcakes. However, in 2005, a very talented TCU team came to Norman and beat the Sooners 17-10. Why? They had time to plan.

In the last five bowl games, the Sooners are 1-5—all those teams had time to plan.

There should have been little doubt that the Cougars had a good chance to upset the Sooners. After all, the Sooners lost four starters from their offensive line while BYU came in with the best defensive line in the Mountain West, sporting senior leadership at nearly every position in the front seven.

It doesn't matter that Sam Bradford went out of the game. BYU was dominating the game prior to his ousting and likely would have won regardless. Why? BYU had time to plan. Say what you want about this argument being shallow—the proof is in the win-loss department.

Oklahoma has been living off Bob Stoops' good name and Oklahoma's proud tradition but, let's be honest, they have been anything but top 5 worthy based on their BCS showing over the last five years.

Here's the preseason top 10 as determined by an overall concensus of the most popular polls:

Florida
Texas
Oklahoma
USC
Alabama
Ohio State
Virginia Tech
Oklahoma State
Ole Miss
LSU

See a team that doesn't belong? All of those teams have looked awful at some point this season. None have looked like national title contenders.

A ranking should be earned, not awarded based on the expectation of greatness. It's unfair to the other 109 teams who come to play on Saturday.

Scrap the rankings until teams have earned the right to be ranked at all; maybe then the performances will be more even and all the "upsets" won't be nearly as big a surprise.