Karma and the village idiot

So I asked you to complete an assignment for me over the weekend. I asked that you read this piece by Emerson on Richard Samuel. I've made no secret that the guy is a favorite here. However there's no getting around the fact that much of what I like about the guy is due to actions off the playing field: changing positions for the good of the team, doing everything he can to lead by example, staying out of trouble, changing positions for the good of the team, waiting his turn for however long behind others that create headlines for their behavior off the field as much as on it, changing positions for the good of the team...

I'm not going to get too lengthy about a history that we're all pretty much aware of when it comes to Samuel. Suffice it to say he'll go down as a Damn Good Dawg more for his visits to Coach Richt's office (<- - - probably one of my all time top five posts, IYAM) than he will the yards he accumulated and the tackles he never had a chance to make (except in Missouri, fistbump!).

Which leads me to one little story and one quick point. In Missouri we were right in the middle of the Georgia section. On the row directly in front of us were two Mizzou fans. Directly in front of them was a Georgia fan that was doing his best impression of a dumbass. I mean he had it down. Making fun of the hometown fans, especially a lady nearby that could've been old enough to be his momma. Telling them they're not worthy of being in the conference. Their stadium sucks. Their town sucks. It came to the point where I was wondering which village had given a plane ticket to their local idiot.

Finally he shut up long enough to make nice, disappeared a while and then came back in time to give a Richard Samuel impression. Pretending to run clumsily in place confirmed he was missing from a Georgia village somewhere, but really grated me the wrong way. We probably all have our own stories of embarrassing ourselves. Lord knows I once used twitter to rant my own dumb ass way over the line. But why pick on a guy that's done everything he can to help the team? Why call out a player at all for wearing the "G" and pouring their heart into the program? This guy struck me as someone who was probably upset when we cut Ealey loose.

And then it happened. Key point in the game and DICK SAM IV makes a key tackle. Since the 2006 Sugar Bowl the fake punt has slowly been becoming Richt's achilles heel. Facing three blockers Richard Samuel must have shouted, "Not on my watch!"

I don't know how the fan's serving of humble pie tasted. If it was anything like the slice I forced myself to eat year's ago, it was cold and humiliating. But I learned from it and moved on. And I hear there was a similar idiot across the stadium spouting off about Marlon Brown even as the receiver made clutch catches and scored points.

Don't get me wrong, I know I can't control people's behavior. And I learned long ago it only takes one bad apple to embarrass a group of fans. Deep down I know Karma will smile on people like Richard Samuel, who continually and quietly do the right thing even in the midst of abject stupidity. I know that she will reward him and those like him just as richly as she exposed this guy in the stands in front of me.

If not, I may just have to punch him next time. Just kidding. Not really.