Somethins' Afoot at the Learning Curve

We've had Coach Grantham for a week now; still has that nice new DC smell, doesn't it?

Grantham and Coach Lakatos meet their charges today in the first team meeting since their hiring. If the anticipation was great among the Dawg Nation for a DC to be hired, you can imagine it could've been multiplied twenty-fold for the players. What's he like? Where will I fit in? What kind of shape do I need to be in? Wonder if he thinks I can play at the next level...

On a similar note, I was reading through this post by Tim Tucker yesterday and got the feeling of a controlled chaos; a lot more questions than answers and a palpable excitement brewing in Butts-Mehre. All of which should bring a smile to most Dawg fans' faces. The overwhelming feeling is that the learning curve is steep, but the energy is in abundance.

Media types, beat writers and yes, even bloggers are also facing a steep learning curve. For those who frequent this corner of the internets often, you know I'm not a big professional sports fan. And the 3-4 defensive scheme, while born in the collegiate ranks by the brain of Bud Wilkinson, is currently almost exclusively a professional defense. So for yours truly, I'll confess that my knowledge of the 3-4 base stems solely from those times I was leading by 30 in the 4th quarter of NCAA Football and wanted to try something different.

But hopefully you can tell I've done a little research to broaden that horizon...plus, the wife has apparently broken my PlayStation in an effort to make me more productive. Fat chance! 

And speaking of great girth, I listened in on 680theFan's interview of Grantham yesterday. Maybe you caught it too. Personally, I felt his enthusiasm all the way down to my toes. The dude is thoughtful, direct, genuine and energetic. I also learned that his 3-4 is a one gap and not a two, so having a 350 lb. behemoth as a plug isn't a necessity. As DeAngelo Tyson said, I just feel I need to get stronger rather than bigger.


Sounds like a good start to me.


the Friday Feedbag

• First and foremost, some mad props to Coach Landers and his Lady Dawgs for taking down the giant last night in Stegeman. It was a defensive battle that saw 16 lead changes. Epic win. HillBillyFail.
• And a lot of great reads on the Lady Dawgs' 18th win of the season: the Red and Black, Banner-Herald, AJC, Dean Legge and even the Mutha.
• It wasn't all smooth sailing last night however. Pretty sure I nearly ran over Orson Charles at the corner of Rutherford and Smith as I was looking for a parking spot. That certainly would have ended my blawgging career.
• And I was a little disappointed in the Stegeman crowd, especially since UGA Athletics was giving tickets to students along with pizza, cokes and a semester's tuition. But it was a loud crowd that definitely set a standard for Saturday evening...
• ...when Coach Fox tries to follow Landers' lead.
• Before we leave the hardwood, the AJCs Schultz has a great read on Coach Fox and the hurdles he's facing turning around the hoops program. And you know I don't link to the AllJackCrap very often...so take advantage.
• John Isner beat a french dude in Melbourne, advancing the former Dawg to the round of 16 in the Australian Open.
• Exile returns a favorite feature, From the Cornfield...including a little Carroll humor.
• Mackie plays off of a post from the Senator and together they scoff at the idea of Coach Richt feeling the heat.
• Rex thinks the special teams can return to glory without a complete makeover.
• Slurban is feeling much better these days. Word is he may even recover in time to salvage this year's recruiting class. What a miracle!!
• Speaking of recruiting, Scout has the final rankings for his year's class.
• Lastly, bed warmers? Really? I get bent out of shape when my own kids get in my bed...why would I want Nigel and his bad breath taking my pillow for a test run before I turn in?

Trivial Update

Q - Tonight at Stegeman the no. 3 Lady Vols meet Coach Landers' no. 8 Lady Dawgs for the 54th time. How many of those times have both teams been ranked in the top 10?

A - 18

Some tweeps really know how to dish the rock. @JeremyRoyAdams was the first to chime in, but his shot turned out to be more of a desperation heave. @alanashley was just ahead of @allyugadawg and newcomer @ChrisLewis25 with the correct answer. Alan takes home a box of signature Andy Landers stogies. And since there are no losers in ThursdaysRTrivial, the rest will enjoy a trampled urrrnnj and white pompom. A valuable keepsake in remembrance of another time when Rocky Flopped.

And let's hope it continues to flop. Tomorrow night in the Stegosaurus, on the diamond this spring and well into the fall. I never thought I'd see the day when a Dooley crying would make me smile, but that bed's been made. A day of HillBilly ineptitude is a great day in the Dawg Nation.

Enjoy your weekend Reader. It's here whether you like it or not.


Bernie