King's Court Empty...??

Was listening to DawgCast last week and Ol' Dawg and Derek got into a brief, yet interesting discussion about our most experienced RB.

Caleb King was the prospect after his junior season at Parkview. After a very public switch to Greater Atlanta Christian before his senior season, he spent most of it on the sideline with a hip injury. Despite the eye-popping stats, Dawg fans were ecstatic when he chose Georgia over Florida, Tenn, USC, Notre Dame...among others.

Fast forward to two plus weeks ago and King was the RS Soph who was stepping up and seemed ready to fill his role on a team needing some able-bodied skill players. A few days later he came down with a bad hamstring.

Coach Richt initially said he'd be out at least seven days. It's been twice that and counting. In fact, Hale is now reporting that there is a chance King misses the trip to Stillwater.

Of course hamstring pulls can be especially bothersome and prone to linger. But what if King misses the trip? I can't help but wonder if that would spell the beginning of the end. It would be a long hard fall from grace for a kid who once was wondered aloud to possibly be the next Herschel. Maybe there are fans out there who can still see the potential brewing.

But going into his third season it's getting harder to be patient and natural to have doubts. Especially after this set back.

So...does King ever hold court 'tween the hedges? Does he throw his red and black jersey back into the TB by Committee?

After all, there could come a day when we really need him.

Lost in Translation

One of the nagging issues of being a hotshot blogger is dealing with spammers. I imagine the BIG DAWGS deal with this on a more consistent basis. Luckily my modest blawg with the occasional reader isn’t on the radar for most hot sexy fun singles looking for a good time.

So imagine my surprise when one of my posts kept getting hit with one of these…in Japanese.

After deleting it for the fifth time in four days I decided that I should at least try and decipher the m

essage that was so urgent for my reader. COPY, PASTE…SEND!

Yong is a big Korean sized Dawg fan out in Monterrey, CA. I knew he would help me because Fred and I once carried him from the parking lot to his bed when he was ….incapacitated late one evening.

I had made the assumption that I was attempting to read Korean, but it turned out to be Japanese. If I’ve denied you the opportunity to take advantage of this offer from Tokyo, I apologize. Or…as I say in Japanese – Domo Airee Got Toe Mr. Roboto.

And thanks for the offer to play Pebble Beach Yong. But I'll have to pass this time. If I take off this weekend for California AND next weekend for Stillwater...well, that's a Dawg House I don't wanna be in.

Friday's Feedbag

• I took a sip of what Dawg Stephen was drinking and it tasted real good.
• Exhile really has his finger on the pulse out west. First he was interviewed and now he has dug up some commentary on Stillwater's plans to roll out the welcome mat.
• Bryce Brown Saga update: In the end the NCAA decided he can strap on his overalls.
• Mark Bradley asks if Coach Willie is a good DC. BUI asks if he will wilt.
• ESPNs Low has the SEC secondarys rank'd up. Personally I think his piece ranks worse. If it were a neighborhood pool, we'd be about ankle deep in the kiddie end.
• Hale the Rockstar got a chance to dissect Rennie's words and it made him smile. I think I smiled wider when I read this: You can't be a leader without being a servant and being able to help your teammates and just really bring up the ability of the guys around you, raise that attitude and set the tempo."
• Now if you're just reading that for the first time...I'm honored you got it here. But if you're a Dawg fan, get your priorities in line. It's one of Hale's best posts. And make sure you check today's Telegraph for the full story.
• Speaking of a DamnGoodDawg, Owens has a new post. Now you can learn a little more about Ben Jones. And if you're not following 95 on Twitter, he's desperately trying to get more followers. Click over now and you could be his 1000th.
• Rex has warmed up to Samuel.
• And my SEC West preview is out. I like that I remained objective, despite the way my freelance journalist was treated at SEC Media Days.

In just eight weeks on the air, @BPMackie had tilted the playing field of ThursdaysRTrivial by taking home over a third of the hardware. No real surprise that it took a woman to put him back in his place.
Yesterday, @allyugadawg successfully tweeted that it was indeed a massage that @MikeMoore82 received at 8:40 am. The self-proclaimed Scott Norwood of Twitter @ClintThomason as well as another DawgLady @ugagirl88 also tweeted in.
And this week's prizes put the Fab in fabulous. When you all get to Stillwater, hail a cab (or a horse) to The Spur N Saddle Luxury Spa. Hopefully Sven and Helga are working next weekend. And tell 'em to send the bill to Bernie.
Well...Reader...knock out that honey-do list and lower the blade on that mower this weekend. It'll be mid-January before we get anything constructive done...you know, other than barking! : )
Bernie

Who Plays the Dawgs in the Dome?

I'm gonna divide my own SEC Preview into two parts. We'll look at the West today...and the title to this post should give you an idea of how the East should prognosticate. Speaking of which, before we begin with the western chumps....let's join together in song:

Gators...Gators...how'd ya like to bite my ass?

Ok. Here goes.

Cellar Dweller - This is pretty easy. AwwBarn is gonna be awwwful. Even if the Great Chizik experiment eventually pans out (altogether now...BWAHAHAHA!!) he's got some ground to make up. A look at the WarTiger roster is like me spending an afternoon at the museum with the six year old: a lot of questions and maybe an answer or two by the end of the trip. Lowder's most recent hire is still off the Chizzang! But for now they'll save LOTS of TP on the plains.

Potential Chicken Dinner - I'm gonna miss Croom. I really liked the way he rocked that cap to the right just enough for you to notice and left enough of the shirttail untucked so you didn't have to wonder if he had indeed indulged in the Banana Puddin' after lunch. Mullen will enjoy beating the Chizz and one other team, but MSUs season is still just a Winner Winner.

They Still Got the Groove - Ole Missy is the sexy team with the regional and national media. Everyone thinks they've got a shot at the big boys. Should Snead go down to injury I guess Eli's coming home. In Oxford they're actually trying to figure out how to take the legendary Grove to the ATL for the first time in the history of the SECCG. But methinks the regional and national media are squinting hard through a hard core pair of beer goggles. They're gonna get stuck with Nutt in red lipstick by the time this plays out.

Petrino Finishes a Season - Things are nearly as optimistic in the Ozarks. People keep saying Petrino's a fantastic coach and this could be the year he makes a move...in the standings, not residences in the middle of the season. Others say he'll win because he made a deal with the devil. I just remind them that Mallett is his QB. Even when he's not drunk he's throwing below a 50% clip. But cheer up Piggies...at least you still have Nolan's 40 Minutes of Hell...oh wait, nevermind.

Day Late and a Hat Short - LSwho will be close. In fact I could probably be convinced either way here at the top. But I'm not convinced Jefferson is good enough to win that one or two games in the season that will fall on his shoulders. Sure, I've read the lit that says their defense will be vastly improved. New DC Chavis I agree is the big hire of the off-season in the SEC (and yes, I did factor in Knutsville's village idiot). But this crew was torched last season. An improvement would be holding my old intramural team to two TDs and a FG. We still tackle in this league, right? This isn't the ACC.

Saban Keeps his Footstool - Saban rose Tuskieloosie back into the nat'l picture last season. How did he do it just one season after losing to La Monroe...at home? Well, he found a footstool so that he could yell directly into his players' earhole. Communication improved so dramatically west of the 21st century that Alabama denizens were enjoying the internets freely...until Utah pulled the plug. This season I think Bama does it the old fashioned way - with defense. Is the offense gonna suck? You can't lose a QB with that much hair and not take a step back. And after checking, there's no truth to the rumor that Joe Willie has any eligibility left.

Quinton says he doesn't understand the pre-season #5 ranking...and I agree. Looks very Sabanflated. And inflated expectations should still be dashed by two losses. For instance, right outta the gate Beamer's Hokies will give the Sabanators all they can handle and more in the Dome next weekend. But the pachysperms will find just enough yards and points to keep their defense happy. Everyone in a houndstooth cap will be ecstatic...until they get to the Dome.

For a much more coherent look at the West, try Exhile's.

If you've already finished that spreadsheet and are looking to kill some more time by checking in on the enemies, keep these links close.

Joe Cribbs Carwash

InsideMississippiStateSports

HottyToddyBlog

RazorBloggers

And the Valley Shook

RollBamaRoll

Humpday Headers

I was scrolling through this piece at CollegeFootballNews which looks at the Top 30 questions this season for college football. Of course I wanted to see if CMRs squad had even garnered a mention. As I sifted through the Is Bowden done? and Is Bama still cheating? questions...there we were at #15.

I'm sure we've all seen plenty of SEC previews that have floriDuh in BOLD with Georgia tucked conveniently just below the reptilian media darling. But it says a lot about just how far under the radar we are when the projected starting tailback isn't mentioned.

If he wasn't already, I'm sure Samuel is licking his chops to make a name for himself now.

• Speaking of Samuel, Rex is a man who can admit when he's wrong.
• Bryce Ros' playing career is over. But he's still a Dawg.
• Mackie gives us a rough draft for his agenda next week.
• KiffyBaby has chosen his first sacrificial lamb. Word is Crompton celebrated by crying softly in a corner.
• Sports Illustrated has evidently grown so tired of me ignoring them that they have decided to take a step towards legitimacy. FWIW - I'm still not subscribing until Catherine Zeta-Jones is the Swimsuit cover.
• And Mike isn't afraid to hunker down in the trenches.

Remember Reader...this will be your last weekend to complete that honey-do list. Use a sick day to get it done if you have to.

What's a Little Intimacy Between Reptiles?

Caught in a little game of Gator Grab Ass (...just couldn't resist...)

Bracing for IMPACT

Three players, three phases of the game. Here are my impact players on offense, defense and special teams. I've tried to narrow this down to one single player I see as having the biggest impact on that phase of the game in the upcoming season.

I know this could generate some interesting discussion and I've been wanting to post it for a couple weeks. But truthfully, I've had some trouble narrowing this list down. But as Kramer would say, GiddyUP!

Offense - Joe Cox

Pretty easy right? Cox has gotten a lot of press. And when you take over the huddle from the number one draft pick...that's understandable.

His one career start was one to forget, but his career numbers in Athens at least show Bobo's not handing the keys to the car to some guy named Clausen.

33/58 432 yds 5 TDs 1 INT

Throw in the fact that he's hasn't lost a football game as a starter since the Clinton administration and Dawg fans begin to feel much better.

Perhaps most importantly, Cox's been super impressive since Stafford's announcement. He's used his actions and words to lead his teammates while reminding Dawg fans that there are a number of intangibles to being a signal caller.

Special Teams - Drew Butler

With the recent performance of Richard Samuel having all but sewn up the starting spot at TB, the speculation over who kicks off in Stillwater is probably the most intriguing. So this one I thought would go to Walsh...or Bogatay. I've even considered giving it to Fabris in hopes he might crack a smile.

But whoever is named to placekicking duties will have had ample experience doing it. Butler was used sparingly last season as a redshirt freshman punter. The words from Woodruff recently are just south of glowing for Kevin's son. Unfortunately his career stats add little to the discussion:

3 punts for 107 yards, 35.7 avg, 1 inside the 20, and a long of 40 yards

Not a lot to go on. But it's hard to make an argument that any other special teamer would have a greater impact than the punter in my mind. Butler will be the one charged with controlling Big XII burner Dez Bryant's knack for returning punts on Sept. 5th. If you disagree, take a moment to envision the offense stalling out from the shadows of a Stillwater goalpost.

Yeh...definitely going with Butler here.

Defense - Marcus Washington

There are a number of other players I could have put here, but Washington's move to end truly gives Martinez a nice opportunity to change some things up. Couple that with the utter lack of production at the position in '08 and this turned into a no-brainer for me.

Washington's nose for rushing the passer will create some not so happy feet in opposing backfields. I was a little surprised when I only saw two career sacks to his credit, but the 13 TFLs and 10 QB hurries look awful nice. He knows his way around an opposing backfield.

And with his experience as a LB, he can drop back into zone coverage if needed to really get into the QBs head. Think Reggie Ball trying to read a zone blitz...

The asterisk with this one of course is health. Washington is coming off a shoulder surgery that forced him to miss 2008. But if #44 can come back and avoid the nagging injuries I really think he can be a difference maker for this defense in both a direct and indirect way.

So, who would you substitute? Or add...?

Monday's Meatloaf - Wiping the Spittle From the Irish Eyes

You know how when your wife's yapping...AHEM!...talking to you and you're late tuning in. She gets to the end of the diatribe and your husbandly senses tell you she was telling you a joke so you start laughing hysterically. Then as you wipe the tears from your eyes you slowly realize she was serious??

That's how I felt Saturday when I heard this...Lou Holtz has NotHer Dame playing for the BCS title. Understand, he doesn't just have them playing their soft underbellied way into the BCS conglomerate. He has them playing floriDuh IN the big game.

In related news, SMU had an outside shot at the 1987 Nat'l Championship.

Sure, stranger things have happened. The lil' leprechauns have a schedule feared by thousands of intramural volleyball teams. It's a well known fact that 33% (that's a third for any South Carolina "graduates" who wandered in here) of AARPs membership is sports journalists who still think Knute Rockne is coaching in South Bend.

But Lou's prognostication came with more than it's usual fair dosage of spittle. He panders to the Irish like pimp with one lady left at 2am. He's relentless. He's pitiful. He's pathetic.

Thanks for the laugh Lou. And by the way...that horse is dead.

Today's Ingredients

• If you missed MaconDawg's Free Form Friday, you are behind in gettin' to know the Bulldog Beat's official RockStar...David Hale.
• The AJC has a pictorial feature at Newnan HS's twin barrels - Alec and Zander Ogletree.
• PWD has a look at the Mutha's Okie State preview. I hope those 'pokes are soaking up this attention fully. Heads swollen with false bravado are so much fun to pop.
• Dean Legge is brave enough to ask...what if (shudder) we start the season 0-3 ($)? I agree with Dean that it's pretty unlikely. But he adds some historical references that make it an interesting read.
• According to these two jackholes, Georgia shouldn't even bother practicing anymore (h/t Senator). Seriously, not even a brief shout-out to the Dawgs.
• Exhile has five things for you to think about.
• Hale looks at the brotherly relationship between Aaron and Josh Murray, a walk-on safety. On the blog he provides the deleted scenes where we get down to the nitty-gritty...has older brother intercepted younger?
• Thanks to Mackie's tip, I finally got my Orson Charles jersey yesterday. For a profile on the hybrid TE, check out Georgia Sports Dawg's latest.
• Weiszer has a nice piece on the lone constant in the Dawgs' backfield this fall, Chap Daddy Dollas.
• 
  
• That previous bullet was reserved for Jeff Owens latest blog post, which I was sure might come last night. Give him a pass though. According to his tweet, he spent some time outside shooting hoops with the neighborhood kids. Watch THE knee kid! We need this guy...

Yesterday I asked if you were ready. The overwhelming response has been YES!!

I feel ya. In the mean time, heat those up and serve em with a heaping side of smashed taters. Maybe that'll tide us over a while.

Bernie

A Ready State of Mind

For me it happened Thursday. I was driving home from work and had GnRs Welcome to the Jungle crank'd pretty loud. I was aware that the 2009 college football season would start in exactly two weeks. I was even more aware that while I would be watching that Thursday night game I would also be packing for my flight the next day.

Axl wailed about the green grass and suddenly it hit me. It started in the pit of my stomach and raged through me until my fingers tingled eagerly. Yes! I finally had the feeling that I was ready.

Understand, I'm not talking about wishing the Dawgs '09 campaign through the SEC would get here already. That started back on January 2nd, right? And I'm not suggesting that I didn't get really pumped up when I watched this a few weeks ago.

No, I'm talking about the confluence of both eagerness and proximity; enthusiasm meets a moment on the calendar when you can both see and feel the electricity of toe meeting leather.

It's time. It's Saturday in Athens. It's about hunkering down and it's about hobnails. It ain't always easy, it ain't always pretty. But it's all work that has to be done. The team has toiled especially hard, the coaches have punched the clock mercilessly. To not be ready yourself is to let the fan sitting next to you down. It would be a slap in the face to players like Owens who have worked so damn hard to get back to 100% and play again 'tween the hedges. It would be a dishonor to the legends who have worn the silver britches and the Georgia G in eras gone by.

Sure, there are the mundane tasks all fans must do before the start of the season. The car flags dug out of the garage, the cornhole renewed into gameday shape. Beer must be iced. Menus must be set. If the satellite dish is in the attic, it needs to come down damnit.

But those just scratch the surface. There will be times when not just your voice is needed, but your heart. There will be times when it won't be enough to just have 92,746 on their collective feet, they all must hunker down just ONE more time. There may be a time on September 5th, maybe in the 3rd quarter when the Cowboys need 3 yards and WE CAN NOT GIVE IT TO THEM!! There may be a time in early October when the Hat implores his Tigers to keep us out of the endzone and WE HAVE TO HELP P U S H CHAPAS ACROSS THE GOAL LINE!! There will be a time when the hated Gators punch us in the face and WE HAVE TO RISE UP FROM THE AllTel TURF TO PLAY ANOTHER DOWN!!

We must because that is what Dawgs do. You know. You remember. It's time.

It's not about me. It's not about you. It's not about Cox starting as a fifth year senior. It's not about excuses for embarrassing losses in the past and it's not about what class of player is covering kicks. It's not even about Munson watching without a microphone in front of that glorious, desperate voice. It's certainly not about which tailback has slipped in the depth chart or which defensive back nearly left early for the NFL.

It's about red. It's about black. It's not which Dawg is in the fight so much as how much fight is in the Dawg. It's about taking your place among the sea of red and black and barking until your ears fold back. It's about being a part of something bigger than each one of us can manage individually. We ARE the BullDawg Nation.

One Team One Goal....One Nation One Voice. We must be ready when our team is. And the time is now....

So I ask you Reader...are you ready?