Monday's Meatloaf - A New Season

My feeling, instincts and prognostications (as usual) may have been off. But like I said Friday...we learned a lot about our program Saturday. Today a new season begins that's gonna require introspection, evaluation and a lot of hard work.

This isn't the beginning of a new season that brings the excitement and the anticipation that we feel each August. This isn't the beginning of a new season in which we have all of our goals in front of us.

This is the beginning of a new season in which difficult answers must be found while grappling with the questions that we are currently drowning in. Today a new season begins and the decisions made in the next 70 or so days will determine how soon it will be before we experience jubilation in early November again.

For University of Georgia Athletics, there is no game bigger than the annual cocktail party. The road to Atlanta goes through Jacksonville for the Dawgs...And now that 2007 has become a (very) distant memory, the road back to respectability goes through Duval County as well.

You can't ask for any amount of respect when you're 4-4, you must earn it. Whatever foundation for success that has been built during the Richt era is now washed away. Call it square one, call it a drawing board...whatever it is, we're back at it.

Coach Richt may have enjoyed success at FSU under Diddy with players who ate penalties as if they were Dorito's, but we are not that team. And the SEC is not that conference. Yesterday the wife asked me to verify for her that we had turned the ball over 21 times this season. I looked at her and in all seriousness asked, "Is that all...21 times?"

As bad as it is, it has seemed infinitely worse. We all have differing opinions about what has got us here and what needs to be done to get us (far) away from here. But we all share at least one thing...we all hurt. From the casual fan to the head coach, we hurt down deep.

We had hopes of watching a miracle on the St. Johns and then praying for a way into the Georgia Dome. But today, instead of wondering who else can beat the gators, we're wondering just how we ever won four.

It's a new season Reader...better roll up your sleeves.

Today's Ingredients

• Do we have to concede that our actual record is now 4-5? Cuz obviously the bye week also whipped us.
• There's no excuse for having two weeks to prepare only to watch as a struggling offense runs up and down the field in the first quarter.
• I understand why the media might pressure CMR this week for some clarification of the QB depth chart. But I for one hope he's more concerned with why his good friend is failing his comrades, his fanbase and worst yet, his own players.
• And I've got a novel idea...when a player draws one of those yellow flags from the refs pocket, kindly yank him from the field. Tough love, truth and consequences...whatever. Moving backwards ain't helping anybody do their job and reach their goals.
• In his Teleconference Notes, Hale confirms for us that Rogers Redding will once again be at the forefront of conversation this week thanks to Gayturdsville's greatest gangsta thug, Brandon Spikes.
• Turns out, Ealey's eyes may not have been the only ones Spikes gouged this week.
• ABHs Ching sees little in the near future to look forward to.
• PWD is past tired of the costume gimmicks, but naturally rates the issue pretty low on the list of problems. Exhile agrees and would rather attend to the Dawgs' effort.
• And Rex just wonders...Who Dey?

I know that's a smaller helping than usual Reader. But truth is, I've got more thoughts than I know what to do with this morning. If I can manage to sort through them at some point this week, I plan to have more. It's just not an easy feeling to help your arch enemy into the SECCG.

But I'll leave ya with one thought to ponder, and I'll think you'll agree...

Roll Tide!

Bernie