Dear Georgia Bulldog Faithful: Fan Up

When I woke up Monday morning I had a decision to make. The decision existed in the form of five hats that hang on a rack next to my bed. I am a hat person. I am also, obviously, a sports person. Unsurprisingly my hat collection consists only of team caps. 

I needed to pick one hat out of the five to slap on my head and wear to class for the day. (And by needed, I mean it. Rarely will you ever see me not wearing a hat). My choices were as follows: Braves hat, Falcons hat, Kennesaw State Owls hat, Atlanta Hawks hat, or Georgia Bulldogs hat.

Considering I attend Kennesaw State, the Owls hat is always a wise decision. If not the KSU hat, the Braves or Falcons hat seemed like a trusty option considering both teams came off huge wins this past weekend. Both teams (so far for the Falcons) look pretty darn good. 

But instead I chose my wild card hat. No, not the Braves hat. I chose the Georgia hat.

I figured I was going to stick out like a sore thumb for the day, and I was embracing that possibility. Kennesaw State, after all, is basically the unofficial hub for all Braves fans between the ages of 18 and 25. You don't step on campus without getting a dose-a-minute of Braves apparel. And, considering how many people were sporting Falcons gear last weekend, following the win over the Saints, I figured the Dirty Bird's last minute comeback was sure to result in the unveiling of more Falcon fanatics.

Oh and whenever you go to school in a city that is smack dab in the center of SEC country, you are sure to get an extra dose of rival apparel as well. Alabama and Auburn gear is so consistent in the Atlanta area you sometimes forget that UGA is, in fact, the "hometown" team. (We aren't bringing Georgia Tech into this discussion. Sorry Techies, but it's not the same thing).

Sure enough, I was the lone Dawg on campus. At least it seemed that way. I'm positive that at a school with 23,000 students that there had to be at least a handful of other Georgia fans just as bold as me, sporting their red and black with no shame.

No shame whatsoever. 

As the day went on I kind of forgot what I was wearing, and became a little more focused on the fact I had six assignments to catch up on in the next 48 hours. So, I strolled into the library, sat down at a computer, and got to work.

All of a sudden I heard, "I'm sorry, man." I disregarded the voice at first, but then looked up. Some guy in a big blue and orange Florida Gators hoodie sat across from me. He continued to lay down his sentiments,

"1-4...I just can't believe it. Best 1-4 team in the country." 

That statement got a little laugh out of me. Was this guy making fun of UGA? Or was he serious? We embarked on a little college football-related conversation.

"Aaron Murray looks real good," he said. "Richt will turn it around. It's just going to take some time. The fans, right now, are going to be in worse shape than the team is, I think," was his final statement.

I made my nice-as-can-be efforts to close the conversation and finish my work. But as the dude, who left nameless as for as I'm concerned, left, I realized something. Florida had just been destroyed 31-6 by Alabama.

Granted, Florida is nowhere near as bad as Georgia, but I found it interesting that he brought up the mood of the Georgia fans. He seemed like he was in a pretty sprightly mood.

There is no doubt that every Georgia loss is followed by an endless wave of anger via message board comments throughout the Internet. Words like "suck," "embarrassment," "miserable," "helpless," and phrases like "Fire Coach Richt!" are displayed at a noticeably intense rate.

Is that fair? I mean we have put so much support into coach Richt and the UGA program, and yet it is seemingly failing in front of our eyes. Is it right to finally call for change, or do we need to have the entire program's back in this time?

So I began to think. What really warrants a fan the place to literally oppose a football team? A 1-4 record, perhaps? What if we ask, "Do the players care? Do the coaches care?"

Or, are the players and coaches working their tails off 24/7 to ensure they right the ship. Sure, considering the team has lost three straight, some assume that the team isn't doing what it takes to right the ship.

Or are they? Maybe righting the ship doesn't happen in one week's time. But can it still be done?

Obviously there is a lot of uncertainty hovering over the Georgia football program right now, but one thing I do know for certain is that the team and the coaches feel like they are losing support.

They are, in fact, losing support. It's obvious. And they feel it.

Demarcus Dobbs, Georgia's respected senior leader at defensive end, was quoted following Georgia's loss by Colorado by saying that the team just needs to stick together, because that's all they have.

Really? The team is all you have, Demarcus? A.J. Green and Kris Durham have said similar things. But each and every week, the players keep reinforcing that they are going to stick together until they get things right. 

I decided I am going to believe them and continue to support everyone involved in the roster and staff of the football team. Yes, I'm even going to support Coach Bobo.

A countless number of fans were screaming and yelling over Bobo's "flea flicker" call that caused Caleb King to fumble the ball in a crucial situation.

They called for Bobo's firing, stating no coach in football other than Mike Bobo would be dumb enough to call that play in that situation.

It wasn't a flea flicker, folks. The called play was simply a draw play. Bobo was nowhere at fault. As a matter of fact, Bobo called a heck of a game this past weekend. The offense quickly adjusted to Colorado and became a force down the stretch.

Georgia's offense was moving at will until King dropped the ball. Now, Bobo has had some questionable games in the past, but I thought he really improved in terms of play-calling. If I could sit down with Bobo right now, I'd tell him, "Good job, but you've still got work to do."

Georgia's defense had some bright spots, followed by just as many dark spots. Todd Grantham's new scheme has former defensive ends playing linebacker, former offensive lineman playing nose guard, and former safeties playing corner.

The improvement of Georgia's defense was supposed to come, and it surely could, but do we really need to expect that it happen so fast? If I could sit down with Todd Grantham right now, I'd tell him to keep working 'till the players get it right.

Who knows how good this defensive scheme could be after a year of existence? Who knows how good players will be once they finally pick it all up?

And I've got to feel bad for Caleb King. As a matter of fact, I've never felt worse for an athlete in my lifetime as a sports fanatic.

King looked great the entire day—12 rushes for 100 yards. Let's not forget the moves he was putting on people. He's finally starting to look like that five-star running back we recruited.

But he still dropped the ball when it counted. It has to feel bad when even when you play your you know what off, you still find a way to lose a game.

And, not only did he lose the game, but he sent an entire football program down another level in its fall from grace.

The truth is Georgia's football team has played their you know what's off, but they still have found a way to lose each and every game (except the opener of course).

But, they are playing hard. And they want to win. You can see it. Nothing was worse than seeing Josh Davis, sitting on the sideline with his head tucked under his shoulder pads. He sat there like that for a good five minutes.

He could feel the angry blog posts being posted, even all the way out in Boulder, CO. The truth is the Georgia players have come out to say they care. They have said they want to win. They have said they are going to stick together and work hard every day until they get things right.

Even A.J. Green, who is likely down to his last six college football games, said words along those lines.

We, as fans, have to remember that we aren't the ones out on the field. We may see every mistake made and every opportunity missed, but all we are good for is sitting in stands and making noise. 

All we are good for is cheering on our team. 

And I think we owe it to the entire program to keep showing up in our seats, waving our towels, and making ridiculous amounts of noise.

Heck, one thing we are good for is wearing that Georgia logo proudly outside of our homes.

That is what I thought to myself Monday morning when I woke. And, dog gummit, that's what I did.

This weekend I'm going to head up to the cabin to watch the Georgia-Tennessee game with my family. All of them, of course, are huge Bulldog fans just like me.

Even as a 20-year-old, I will have no shame in sporting my seven-year-old David Greene jersey, which I try to keep in pristine condition. And, win or lose, I will cheer on my Bulldogs down to the final horn!

I wonder how many other "Georgia fans" can say the same? How many Georgia fans actually exist? Before you doubt the Georgia program, make sure you don't have doubt in yourself.

Do not doubt your fanhood. Don't give yourself reason to. Wear those colors, red and black, proudly no matter where you go. Walk into Taco Mac or Hooters on Saturday morning with one, loud, obnoxious "Go Dawgs!! Sick em!"

Who cares if all of the Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, and Florida fans on their high horses laugh in your face.

Your loyalty doesn't rest in the perception opposing team fans have on you and your team. You should have no shame in sporting your Georgia gear.

And, you should have no shame in supporting Coach Richt, Coach Bobo, Coach Grantham, or the players on the Georgia Bulldogs roster.

The players go into each game to fight for you. They want to play to earn the respect of the fans. They want Sanford Stadium to be the best place in the world to be on a Saturday afternoon. They want their experience as a Georgia Bulldog football player to be as exciting and successful as possible.

Forget the arrests. The players who want to play and have a love for the game are the ones stepping on that field each weekend. Even Washaun Ealey, who has been in trouble, and Caleb King—both committing crucial fumbles this season—likely want to earn back our respect more than anything.

Yes. This program could very well be going down the tube. Change could very well be on the horizon. But don't let you be the first to initiate the chaos.

Be the best fan you can be for this team for as long as you can, and let the cards play out. Make the rest of this 2010 season enjoyable for you, other fans, and the team that walks onto that heralded Sanford Stadium turf.

I will be doing all of this. Simply because I've seen a team battle their tails off for four weeks in a row. Even the hardest fighters have faults. They just never ended up with more points than the other team.

As long as the Bulldogs are fighting hard and improving, I'll be behind the team. We've got games versus Tennessee, Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech left.

That is potential for four really fun Saturday nights full of enjoyment. 

But you need to realize you will be a part of that. It's time to forget about records and stats, and simply enjoy Georgia football. Support the team to the fullest.

And, who knows, maybe eventually, if your support goes far enough, this entire cast and crew could be holding up a crystal ball. 

So, here is a challenge for you this week. Think of a Bulldog. Whether it be Caleb King, Washaun Ealey, Demarcus Dobbs, A.J. Green, or some third-stringer who never sees the field.

Find that Bulldog on Facebook, or whatever, and send them a quick message telling them you appreciate them. Tell them how much you support them and the team. That's what being a fan is really about.

I'm not ready to give up just yet, and that makes me proud to be a Bulldog fan. Sometimes it's the character of the fan that counts. 

Just ask a player. It matters.