Seal Team 6 GATA!

Is it just me or am I the only one who's been waiting for a bin laden YouTuber set to Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red White and Blue...?? You remember the song...

Have I missed a YouTube creation of this nature? If so, please let me know. But in the mean time, I thought you might enjoy this funny as hell video (h/t @jamar78). Without getting too political, I've never been an Obama fan. But my approval rating just did the Dougie...just a little.

Some Erk Russell news to share

Below is a letter from a good Georgia Southern friend of mine. He let me know they are currently trying to get the funds for a statue of Erk at Paulson Stadium. Whether you have the cash to lend or a moment or two to pass this info along to others, please take a moment to read about the plans as well as Coach Dooley's endorsement.

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Come Together,
    Hey friends in red and black, most anyone who ever gave two glances to college football in the south knows the name Erk Russell.  Ninety-nine percent of those also realize that the man transcended any one team.  He loved the game, loved the athletes, he loved the competition, and he loved the simple timeless principles of life that he shared with us and instilled in his players.  The stories are the same from Grady High School, to Auburn, to Georgia, to Georgia Southern.  I don't think the man had an enemy.  There are some exciting things happening in Statesboro, and like Erk, I wanted one special opportunity to transcend schools.  At Paulson Stadium, there will be a statue of Erk built to welcome guests and remind them of the life lessons he taught many of us.  To complete the project, we need to raise $80,000 (Eighty Thousand Dollars).  Fund raising efforts are off to a good start, but I'd like to offer the opportunity for Georgia fans to join us in this tribute to a great leader and a great man.  

We are very thankful for the kind donation from Erk's long-time boss and friend, Vince Dooley.  Vince added these kind words in a letter with his donation.

To Friends and supporters of Coach Erk Russell,

I was very excited to learn there is a movement to have a lifetime statue erected at Georgia Southern in memory of my long time good friend and coaching associate, the late and beloved Coach Erk Russell. It will be a fitting tribute to one of the great all time football coaches and one of the great all time people that I have ever known. I never knew a coach that was more loved and respected as Erk Russell. His record as a coach speaks for itself.

I am very happy and totally supportive of this effort which will be a fitting tribute not only to Coach Russell but to his family and to all of the supporters of Georgia Southern and the University of Georgia. God bless his legacy and the wonderful memories he left for us all.

Sincerely Vince Dooley  

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Donating has been made pretty easy. You can use the widget at the top left of the blog there or you can use THIS LINK to a Chip-In site where you can make a contribution to the Erk Russell Statue fund. Please donate if you're able. And please email, tweet and share this post with others to help spread the word for our Eagle friends...and one of our legendary former coaches.


GATA y'all.

On Rankings and Boise...

Personal duty called yesterday, so I was away from my blogging desk. Don't know how much I'll be getting to in the coming days, but here's a couple things of particular interest.


1. Pre-season rankings rank right up there with communism and spilled bourbon for me. But ranking teams after spring practice...that I don't see any harm in since the practice itself practically embraces the speculative nature that is inherent within. So...Schlabach has Georgia in at #17, which sounds about right since we can now say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Aaron Murray's ankle was indeed not broken. Here's the rundown:

17. Georgia Bulldogs (Previous ranking: 18)
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt probably isn't on the hot seat, but his program definitely needs to regain momentum in 2011. Georgia lost star receiver A.J. Green to the NFL draft, and then starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant suffered a season-ending knee injury during spring practice. Quarterback Aaron Murray returns for his second season as a starter, but the Bulldogs left spring practice still searching for a No. 1 tailback. Incoming freshman Isaiah Crowell will have a chance to win the job during preseason camp. The Bulldogs should be better in Year 2 of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's 3-4 scheme, especially if JUCO nose tackle Jonathan Jenkins is as a good as advertised. Tackle Kwame Geathers' improvement during the spring was a big surprise. Georgia plays only four true road games (at Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech) and plays Boise State in Atlanta and Florida in Jacksonville, Fla.

First off, I wish Schlabach would explain why he thinks Coach Richt isn't on the hotseat. Especially since everything the coach has said and done this off-season has been about making changes and getting things back on track. But more importantly, I think he hits all the highlights of where the program is heading into Summer. We're a program of promise, facing a favorable schedule and waiting on some stars we hope can contribute early.


Food for thought...which loss do you think is bigger? Trinton Sturdivant to another knee injury, or AJ Green to the NFL? Right now I have AJ by a close decision.


2. Boise State has suggested a self-imposed practice and scholarship reduction in response to an NCAA inquiry with a fairly broad scope. Of particular interest to Dawg fans are the three practices Peterson's team will miss in preparation for their return to Georgia this September 3rd. The practices themselves are less of an issue than the fact that they have to be ones that are in pads. Coach Peterson always has his team ready to play football. The question becomes will they be ready to play 60 minutes of football against a Coach Richt squad that will surely be ready to prove its toughness once again?


I think the Vegas line just swung a little more towards Georgia.


Go Dawgs!

As the St. Johns flows

I'm enjoying Chris Low's journey through the SEC schedules. Yesterday was Georgia's turn, here's his final analysis:

After the first two weeks, this doesn’t appear to be the most daunting of schedules for Georgia. Spending three of four weeks on the road during the middle of the season won’t be particularly fun for the Bulldogs, but the road trips will be at schools with losing records from a season ago. Still, it’s the SEC, so nothing is a given. The rematch with Florida just before Halloween should be full of emotion after the Bulldogs fell to the Gators by an overtime field goal this past fall. Georgia finishes with three straight home games and one at Georgia Tech -- all of which the Bulldogs should be favored in.

Reading through the full examination brings to mind recent discussion about what Richt needs to do this season to save himself as our head coach. I still don't think of it in terms of a specific number; this is one time it's going to be more subjective for me. I'm more interested in "qualifiable" proof that the team has improved than quantifiable data of such improvement.


To clarify, much is made of the first two games of the season. But in truth, an 0-2 start against Boise and South Carolina no more seals Richt's fate than a 2-0 start cements his tenure. Instead I think the focus will be on answers to these: 

• Does the team play sound fundamentally?
• Does the team show both a desire and an ability to play 60 minutes?
• Is the team more or less susceptible to being fractioned apart than last season?

Starting the season with two losses will make for an ugly beginning. But as always, Georgia's season hangs in Jacksonville's balance. With a favorable schedule, if the answers to those questions can swing our way...then the season should fall into place.

Monday's Counter-terrorism Meatloaf

Just as he's starting to get that char around the edges as he meets his fate in Hell, Bin Laden's body is now shark bait somewhere deep in the Arabian Sea. Fitting.


It provides perspective to think that while I enjoyed an afternoon with friends watching the kids play in the yard on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, our top ranking military personnel and the United States Navy Seals helped bring this bastard to justice.


As Justified's Deputy US Marshall Raylan Givens would say, "He pulled first, it's justified."


Today's Ingredients

• I think the Senator found the most appropriate picture to tie the two biggest news events in the last 9 and a half years together. We'll always remember.
• Ok, I give BookFace a lot of grief. But this is a good use of it's web space: pictures of things found in the tornadoes' aftermath.
• Former Dawg Bubba Watson continues to play good golf and picked up a win yesterday in the Zurich Classic.
• Six more Dawgs in the NFL now after the 2011 draft closes out. That ties LSU for most in the SEC this year.
• Cone takes one for the team and the Diamond Dawgs take another weekend series, now 13-8 in the SEC.
• Fletcher Page has a Q&A ($$) with Coach Fox's latest commit, John Cannon. PWD has more on Cannon and Hoops recruiting as a whole.
• Chris Low peels the wax paper from Florida's cupcakes.
• Evidently Tech's $7.2 million buyout isn't enough coin for Paul Hewitt. He's signed on with been promoted to George Mason's head coach.

That's it for today Reader. Please spend what extra time you have thanking someone in the US Military for their service. Today I am especially in awe of their dedication, selflessness and the peace that they provide for my family.

Bernie

"Teaching" his critics

I couldn't be happier for Kris Durham. I don't give a crap what Todd McShay says, Durham will be the steal of the draft and the Seahawks are playing the role of caper.

Then he opened eyes as a senior by becoming a playmaker last season while A.J. Green sat out due to a four-game NCAA suspension.

He was still not among the more than 300 prospects invited to the NFL combine in February, but scouts noticed when he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at Georgia’s pro day in March.

There was buzz about him. During a three-week stretch, he took pre-draft visits to what his agent said were 14 different teams.

His stock had risen. Maybe as high as the fifth-round some draft analysts projected.

Seattle didn’t wait that long, grabbing the 6-foot-5, 216-pound Durham with the 10^th pick of the fourth round Saturday as the 12^th receiver taken.

“I was speechless when it happened,” Durham said from his home in Calhoun less than an hour after talking to Seahawks’ brass including coach Pete Carroll. “Right now I’m still kind of shaken a little bit. I’m just really happy to get out there and get to work.”

 A year ago Durham was preparing for his future as a teacher. No he's preparing to teach his critics a thing or two about clutch, dependable receiving.


GATA Kris!