Saturday, August 15, 2009

Owens No Match for Watermelon Queen


By now you've heard yesterday was the annual Ramsey Center high dive assault, followed by watermelon cutting. Don't know if I'm violating the new SEC media rules by embedding this...but ...I'll give it a try...here goes...


Some thoughts:
  • Was that a smile on Coach Garner's face?...yeh, prolly not.
  • Jeff Owens shows chivalry isn't dead.
  • Nick Williams ain't ashamed to flirt a lil'...
  • Baccari Rambo looks like someone done pissed him off!
  • I'm off to Franklin County to pick up some of Miss Linda's watermelons...

Friday, August 14, 2009

Happy Birthday Timmy the Tool


Didn't know today was Teblow's B-day (h/t Bubba N Earl). To commemorate...


BIG props to @DawgfanTC...Just proof Hitler was as big a douchebag as the birthday boy. The Dawgs will wipe their Dawgly arses with #15 jerseys this Halloween.


Sex, Lies...but no Videotape



In the '70s Simon and Garfunkel (emphasis on the funk right?) sang of 50 ways to leave your lover. Ben Burney has added a 51st.

[CORRECTION - props to C-Fisk...50 Ways was just a Simon song, sans Funk. Research staff has been docked some folding money. I'm keepin' the pic to the left tho. Cuz they look too cool.]

When his dorm alarm clock buzzes him awake for the beginning of fall practice in Boulder, Burney (no relation) is forced to leave behind whoever is laying in his bed. The dude gets sad. Real sad. Then uses the Athletic Office's blog space to relive the moment, shed a tear and ...click...Submit!

Evidently the coaches were so emotionally drained after reading about Burney's heart-wrenching dawn escape, they pulled the plug on his creativity. Talk about a bad day!

So no longer will Colorado football fans be able to read about Buffaloes in the buff. I know Jeff Owens hasn't posted to his blog in a while, but I'm glad he's sticking to football. Leave the creative crap to the art majors...and the journalism department....(chuckle).




Friday Feedbag
  • CollegeFootballNews has the top offenses ranked for the upcoming season. Surprised the 'Pokes are #1? Not as surprised as when I found Cox's Crew was #6. Dancing in the Endzone has our full rankings if you don't wanna be subjected to the other teams' colors.
  • Barnhart has the top trap games in the SEC for the upcoming season. PWD sorts through it and picks some nits....albeit pretty good sized nits if you ask me.
  • Battle Hymn Notes is gettin' giddy over Orson.
  • Post of the week, month and the entire summer. Teh awesome!
  • Last week's news that video tape must roll from approved cameras when within the realm of SEC sports took a turn of silence in Butts-Mehre.
  • The Lady Sportswriter asks if this season should really be compared to 2005, the year of Shock! And speaking of DJ, Hale caught up with him in time to exert a little more man crush. Hello Envy, my name is Bernie.
  • While we're talking pro athletes, Staff brings his Lions to the ATL this weekend for some preseason NFL action. May tune in to see how he does. But I'll stick around to see how Shockley does as he battles to be a Ryan backup. No plans...wanna go? Click HERE.
  • DaugMan brings news that former Dawg Ben Watson is being challenged.
  • And which would the Pope have more of a problem with: that Pitino was involved in an abortion...or that he once had adulterous sex in a restaurant...on a table?

Hold the nacho platter. I'm good, thanks.

The record clearly reflects our announcement that ThursdaysRTrivial would air its 7th episode in primetime came in plenty of time for any convicted felonious dog killers to plan accordingly. For six episodes I've been juggling through work related crap, vacation twittering and even one episode that aired on the road.

Finally, the FCC gave the go ahead and I planned to lounge leisurely while the drama and excitement played out in Neon Deion time. At 8:32 tweet was sent. But at 8:31 @mortreport's blackberry went rabid.

In the end though, lucky 7 didn't relent. By a mere four minutes, @namaman edged out @Stuff_of_Legend for the fabulous prize...a year's worth of MilkBone Dog Biscuits. As a consolation, @Stuff_of_Legend takes home an autographed Ron Mexico AquaFina "water" bottle. And for buzzing in at just after 10:00, @uga009 gets a slightly used TV Guide.

You just can't trick these DamnGoodDawg fans. They all knew that the combined total of tackles between Curran, Dewberry, Dent and Gamble in Thursday's scrimmage was ZERO.

Tune in next week Reader, when we give the home fans the finger. 'Til then, keep your daughters away from winning basketball coaches dressed only in Italian leather loafers, Buffalo d-backs in the buff and (as usual) any asshat in a pair of 'jorts.

Good, Bad or Ugly...Have a Weekend!


Bernie

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Coaching Continuity, a dichotomy


Picture two college football programs facing each other at opposite ends of a spectrum. One program the very definition of class, success the hard way and well-dressed fans.

The other resides in gayturdsville.

Of course, the differences don’t stop there. In fact TeamSpeedKills looks in depth at the coaching changes for floriDuh. Many categorize Slurban’s offense as a machine that can replace a few parts and still generate yards, points…girlish histrionics from a freakishly divine QB.

The biggest question mark is how Addazio (new OC and play-caller) will do in

his dual roles now. It took half a season before last year's offensive line to gel, and that was with both him and Hevesy (the assistant O-line coach) working on

it. Will this year's line take as long come together now that Addazio is juggling both being the only offensive line coach and offensive coordinator?

Back in December, we waited on word from Stafford and Moreno re: their futures. But in truth, we worried about the decisions of Garner and Searels more as they were courted. In the end, both chose the security of Coach Richt’s staff. And despite some tweeks and title changes, the Dawg staff is the same.

Stafford left. Timmy the Tool stayed. Moreno hurdled the hedges. Spikes pissed his jorts thinking about being an NFL rookie.

Sure Percy Harvey is now smokin’ Viking-sized joints instead of amateur mary-jane. But overall, the Dawgs took the bigger personnel hit with early departures; especially when you factor in Asher.

So which is the bigger issue? Coaches getting used to new roles with players who are used to a different position coach, play-caller….OR, new starters who’ve been coached by the same coaches during their collegiate tenure…?

There is the matter of play calling too. The offensive game planning has been a team effort among all of the offensive assistants under Meyer, with the head coach interjecting too. That much hasn't changed, though Loeffler (new QB coach, from winless Detroit Lions) brings a distinctly new and different voice that will need to be assimilated wisely into the system. Addazio will have the role of choosing what to do when, something he's done in just one season prior, and there's no doubt there will be some learning curve to it.

Good thing the reptiles only have to slither through Charleston Southern and Troy before they enter SEC play. You can bet if his offense doesn’t put up more than a hundred by the end of the second Saturday, Slurban’s not gonna wait for Shane Matthews to clear his throat.

Corch may just steal a play from his Heisman winner and…snip, snip!


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Samuel Tested, Battle...READY


The headlines just after lunch have been lauding Richard Samuel, with good reason. According to CMRs stats, the sophomore tallied over 170 yards with just over a hundred of that on the ground. The qualifiers - he ran behind the 1st team OL, against the 2nd team D....he had a fumble.

I'm not quite ready to rename the clumsy turnover a "Samuel", but the kid evidently made a great play through the line and was into the secondary when he coughed it up. It's becoming the kid's MO. And if I expect it to end, you can bet McClendon and Coach Richt do as well.

That being said, CMRs description of Samuel's long run is impressive:

“We were running off of the right side of the line and it kind of got congested," Richt said. "He broke it back across the grain and got vertical. He either made a safety miss or stiff-armed him and then made the last guy miss."

Most importantly, I think we can all recall that our first opponent is a self-proclaimed offensive juggernaut. To be fair, they've got some stats to back that up.

And that's why the official BDB Stellar Stat of the Day was "Lightning" Rod Battle touching up the QB 3.5 times. Couple that with the fact that Marcus Washington scrimmaged almost exclusively at D-end and I feel better about this defense turning a corner....and gaining some momentum before Stillwater.

Just my two pennies. Gimme yours if you got em.


Sources and Linkage:

From the Shadows


First scrimmage is today. In a few hours as a matter of fact. This blawgger (and about every other Dawg fan) is anxious to hear how the tailbacks do without the training wheels.

We've seen some of what Caleb can do in actual games. Samuel as well. Thomas looked sharp at G-Day. Guess that makes Jackson and Ealey the wildcards.

Look how far we've come in just a year.

Last August the 5'11" Knowshon's shadow was large enough to swallow any RB behind him on the depth chart. The view from the sideline was surely quite choice for King, Samuel and Jackson as they watched the star juke, jive and hurdle.

But did it make them HUNGRY?!?

Many fans are eager to see one man step forward from the darkness the Broncos' newest Dawg left behind. Personally, I see the competition at TB as a good thing. If no one rises heads and shoulders above the others it could just as easily be a testament to how well we've recruited at the position as it is a strike against King.

I would once cringe at the idea of a committee. However, if different backs bring different skills and talents to the huddle, I think our offense can accomodate.

Where you at? Are you comfortable with the committee? Or would ya rather see one stud emerge to cast his own shadow? If so, who do you expect it to be?





UPDATE: Hale has the Scrimmage Stats up if you wanna take a more educated approach to your vote or comment.


Only One Soviet Tank was Harmed...


...in the filming of this episode.

To my knowledge the three have never met, you know....in an old school kinda way. But even a land as vast and populous as the DawgNation can prove to be a small world. All three are twits in their own right, yet true Dawgs.

Unfortunately, there could be only one.

Last week's ThursdaysRTrivial produced a confluence of correct answers to the What is Greg Blue's favorite surf stop? (Althogether now...DawgBone) Darren the Intern consulted the BDB bylaws and it turns out the matter had to be settled in a poll.

One contestant was the lone entrant to mention the epic motion picture of Blue taking on the Soviet tank. He's the proud owner of his own blog and is a commenter extraordinaire. @MikeInValdosta has internets!


Another contestant also has a blog, but is famous for putting fear into the hearts of a full commonwealth of wildcats back in '78...with but one kick of the pigskin. By the time Mr. Marietta was through in Athens he was as beloved as TK Hardy's on a Friday night. @RexRobinson5 didn't even need a Ti-85 to show the Nerds of North Avenue how Dawgs do Physics when he connected on a 57 yarder in '80.

But @BPMackie knows no fear....and has no pants. He took an early lead in said poll and never really looked back on his way to SIX total votes!! Enjoy the autographed copy of Webster's Mack. I can't think of a single blogger who could use it more...


And with that, the sixth episode of ThursdaysRTrivial comes to an anti-climatic close. We now have our first two time winner in Mackie. We here are very proud to announce that tomorrow's seventh episode will be the first to air in prime-time.

Will another former winner step up to show the Pantsless Guy his way back to Losersville? Is there another winner out there among @BernieDawg's followers?

Sign up Reader. It could be you!



Side Note - Other Dawg Bloggers on Twitter


Who'd I miss?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Tuesday Headers


Know thy enemy...
  • Okie State freshman safety Joe Mitchell may not make it to the opener as aStillwater resident. Turns out he graduated from a high school with a surplus of white-out (h/t DawgfanTC). I figured as a true freshman at the safety position, he wouldn't be seeing much of the field come 9/5 anyway. But I ventured over to the Pokey Boards anyway...
  • Jeese...I wonder if Coach Gumby is man enough to cut ties with a player who still considers Algebra a foreign language?
  • And this is supposed to scare me? It is interesting to me though how the newly castrated Visor now supports Free Shoes. Just sayin'...
  • Scout's CollegeFootballNews has a close look at LSwho QB Jordan Jefferson. Solid analysis by Gomila, but I still wonder if this kid has an extinguisher for his own team's secondary.
  • NATS evidently has multiple players who weigh less than a buck-eighty.
  • Ever wonder if floriDuh's QBs were connected a little too closely? This was all the proof I needed. You're on your on for the barf bag. I'm all out.

But give the friends a shout!
  • Dooley likes it when I smile....and when his Japanese Maples turn.
  • Hale says King's coming on strong.
  • At 6'9" and full of Dawg heart, John Isner is a star who has already risen. But following another strong showing in LA, he's now turning heads on a national scale.
  • And Dawg Stephen states some facts about CMR that this Dawg hopes are more than obvious.

Dabo WINS!!!


New Clempson coach Dabo "Sweaty" Swinney has won his first contest, despite some cheap shots below the waist. I guess this is the type of stuff that happens when Alabama is actually behaving...

“The NCAA gave further review to this situation and informed us this afternoon that

we can have the full compliment of practices during the preseason,” Clemson Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips said Monday afternoon. “We are pleased with this decision.”

Let's back up to catch up. The NCAA had previously ruled that the Tigers tighty whities (with the urranjah paws on the seat of course) were not in compliance, and...all together ugly. As a consequence for wearing Athletically Challenged and Constricting underwear, Clempson was docked two practices.

It was a move so shocking that you could hear John Deere's all over Pickens Co. rev to life.

In the end, cooler and more fashionable heads prevailed. The NCAA must've realized that Reggie Bush and USC's image was being harmed in some way. But I bet Dabo regrets referring to the whole mess as Girdle Gate.

Girdle Gate. Really?

What a froot of the loom. Go touch that rock Dabo!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Monday's Meatloaf - Fully Padded and Ready to HIT IT!!






OK. So it's Monday morning and you're feeling pretty sorry for yourself. Maybe you're at work and thinking life just bites pretty hard. Maybe you're reading this while you commute and you just slammed into the BMW in front of you. Or maybe you're reading this from your mom's basement off of wireless signal snaked from a neighbor who's as unsecure as a glock in Plax's waistband.
(Get a life!)
But don't feel too sorry for yourself. You could be the poor bastard who's lining up this morning across from Jeff Owens...after he shredded his knee...in the first quarter of the first game...last season...going thru surgery...and a painful season from the bench...rehabbing for 10 months...waiting...just waiting, for a chance...to...strap em on...and...BULL RUSH AT THE SNAP OF THE BALL AND TAKE SOME PEEWEE RB TO THE GROUND!!


Yeh...thought that would shut yer trap. Here's@JeffOwens95 own words:

“I love when guys come out and want to hit,” Owens said. “That makes me want to get out there and hit somebody – especially for me because I haven’t tackled anyone to the ground in a year. When I get back out there, I’m going to feel like I’m a kid again, like it’s Christmas. I just want to hit somebody.”

So it could be worse Reader. Your last name could be Burnette.



Today's Ingredients, Mix and Heat at 400 degrees
  • Looks like Ealey is gonna be out for a little while. But Georgia Sports Dawg has the spotlight on him nonetheless.
  • Communication is key. TE Arthur Lynch: Hey, youse guys! This playbook is wicked thick. Teammates: Hey y'all. I think #88 is tryna tell us somethin'.
  • While the rest of us continue to mourn the passing of Jacko, Prince Miller is focused on one person, and one person only...Dez Bryant.
  • I finally found something Rennie Curran and I have in common. No, not talking about the biceps. It's that having a daughter makes losses a little easier to swallow. Just a little
  • The AwwBarn and Hillbilly billboards in the state of Georgia have really pissed Rex off. But he sees no need to post Richt's visage in the hills of East Tennessee.
  • Exhile's new digs have their grand opening today. Make sure you head by at some point to catch the unveiling of his College Football's Bucket List.
  • Georgia's defenders have asked not to be asked about last year's disappointments. Hale I guess couldn't resist. And make sure you also catch the deleted scenes.
  • T Kyle King has his Preseason Blogroll Ballot's Top Ten out and ready for debate.
  • In the end, Lou Holtz's political career was a lot like his tenure in Chickumbia: a lot of spittle...over very, very little.
  • And lastly, Cousin Walter's Football on the Brain is celebrating. Go on over...I hear there's cake.

Things are looking up. The boys are entering two-a-days and there was an actual tackle football game on tv last night. An NFL preseason game wasn't quite enough to keep me from watching John McCLane Live Free instead of dying hard. But hey...it's progress.


And as you may have noticed, worked a little this weekend on the BDB lounge. Can't say I'm completely done tinkering yet. But the local Beverage Warehouse is supposed to come by later this week and install the official kegerator.

Hopefully, even if you hate the new format that will be enough to entice you back. The red Solo cups will be on the counter. Help yourself.

Until then Reader, grab a fork. Looks like lunch is done.


Bernie


Sunday, August 9, 2009

Feelin' the Logan Love


I felt comfortable (and reassured) during G-Day when Logan Gray performed as well as he did. It was apparent to most that he had not supplanted Cox as the #1 (as expected), but had shown enough of a different dimension that would lead him to the center of the huddle during certain situations this fall.


I'm even more encouraged now that we're hearing things like this:
“I think he’s (Gray) done a nice job of preparing himself,” Richt said. “You can just see there’s a lot more confidence in his ability to run the system than even in the spring probably. I think he had a great spring and took the momentum into the summer and has done a very nice job.”
While a starting job may not be up for grabs, Richt said the back-up quarterback will see significant playing time this year, and that’s all the motivation Gray needs.
“That’s what I’ve been thinking about this whole summer,” Gray said. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get on the field.” via Hale
It's nice to have a great Spring. It's even better to follow up a great Spring with an impressive Summer and impassioned August. A few weeks ago we assessed the shaven heads in terms of snaps in-season. In relation to the QB position, it seems Murray is ahead of roomie Mett in terms of readiness. Assuming that holds true, wouldn't mind seeing #11 play some against Tenn Tech.

But Logan Gray can play...he can move the chains, and he can put some points on the board. Points that may just make a difference between winning and losing.

GATA Logan!

Some other news and notes out of Woodruff Saturday:
  • From BulldogsBlog: Ealey has a hyperextended elbow; CMR says it'll be ok. Sanders Commings had a pick-six and the team had 22 players on the Dean's list, 79 to earn a 3.0; Casey Nickells earned a scholly after three years of walking on.
  • CMR has a sheriff's badge.
  • From Tyler Estep: Troupe left practice Saturday with an ice pack on his thigh; while Curran and Gamble impressed Jancek with their muscle memory.
  • We won't see him until Fayetteville, but Houston's got no problem.