"The way they’re going to talk about you in the future is for what you do now."

Nice sit down with Coach Grantham by Towers. Even the most avid and educated Georgia football reader is bound to learn something new about the defensive coordinator. Here's a couple good ones:

Football and family

Grantham is a certified workaholic and rarely goes a day without analyzing some football video. But if he's not up to his neck X's and O's, he's probably at one of Oconee County's ballparks. Son Corbin, 11, "loves anything with a ball" and is playing one sport or another every season. Daughter Olivia, 8, also plays softball and enjoys equestrian. So and Paige carry their Georgia "G" fold-out chairs everywhere they go so they can sit back and watch their kids.

"I enjoy watching them play more than anything," Grantham said. "It's fun. Both of them like to fish, too, which is something I like to do. They like to fish because I like to fish."

This reminds me of seeing Grantham after the Missy State game last season. He had a cold beer in one hand, was talking on his phone, all while refereeing a 2-hand touch parking football game with the coaches' kids. It's one thing to be a workaholic, it's something else to be able to multitask.


Reserving judgment

Grantham sounds very Saban-esque when the conversation turns to Georgia’s 2012 defense. The Bulldogs return 10 full- or part-time starters from a unit that finished fifth in the nation in total defense a year ago. But Grantham is very careful to not let the cart get in front of the horse when asked to handicap the team’s ability.

“I think we have good players,” he said. “But the way I’ve always looked at it and this is what I’ve told our guys, ‘Never forget where you come from.’ The reason people are talking about us now is basically because of the things we did last year. But this time last year, they weren’t talking about us.

"I told them, ‘The way they’re going to talk about you in the future is for what you do now.’ So what’s really important is what we do now. Once the 2012 season kicks off, this team has no wins and no losses. It’s what we do in the next 12 weeks that will determine this team’s success.” 


Like I've said before, last season was really good. But it had it's flaws. Our last memory of those returning starters was letting the Spartans take the lead easily in the Outback Bowl's waning moments. Although the coach didn't mention that specifically there, I still think it's sticking pretty uncomfortably in his off season craw.