Thursday, April 11, 2013

Game slowing down for Harvey-Clemons

He's likely to be the starting strong safety but is also Grantham's "star" in the nickel package. And this spring things finally started to slow down for sophomore Josh Harvey-Clemons.
"Last year, I was the guy who was out there lost and didn't really know anything," Harvey-Clemons said. "Now that I'm on the field and learning, the game is slowing down to me. I was a guy who was used to being close to the ball, and I would run up when I would see a play-action and they would throw it over my head.
"Now I feel more comfortable on the field than I ever have, and I just want to keep building on that."

Bennett tests knee out

Sorry for the light posting of late. Some home improvement projects and then a little trip over to Augusta have kept me busy. So I'm sure many of you have seen this already, but it was encouraging enough to me to post it in case you hadn't. Looking forward to seeing 82 back out there this fall.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Humpday Hilarity - Grizzard on Clempson

This would've been a good one to post a few weeks ago. But it's just as funny today I think.

h/t Porter



Tuesday, April 9, 2013

How Many Bulldogs Will Go In The First Two Rounds?


The 2013 NFL Draft is quickly approaching, and once again quite a few Georgia Bulldogs are expected to go fairly early in the draft. While it appears as though no one will be in contention for the #1 pick, there are a few who will be off the board fairly early. Here is a look at the top prospects from Georgia, with a projected range.


Jarvis Jones

If it wasn’t for a so-so pro day, Jones would be among the first few players drafted this season. As it stands, the outside linebacker will more than likely go around the middle of the first round. Those in fantasy football leagues will be very interested in a guy who led the nation in sacks for the Bulldogs, combining an impressive motor with superior skill. He is the type of player who can step in and provide help, especially on the pass rush, right away for a number of teams.

Projected Pick Range: #11-#15

Alec Ogletree

Fans of Georgia already know what Ogletree brings to the table, and scouts have figured it out as well. He is great at attacking the line of scrimmage and getting into the backfield against talented opponents. Since he will go later in the first round, chances are a team that will be in the playoff hunt in 2013 will pick him up. That means he might not start right away, but he will get playing time.

Projected Pick Range: #20-#25

Cornelius Washington

It is not every day that you see a SEC school have three linebackers projected to go very high in a single draft, but Washington has the tools to be a special player in the pros. He is a physical specimen at 6’4”, 265 pounds, and if the right team brings him in, he could really emerge as a steal. He does not have the skill yet, which is why he will drop to the second round, but he has enough raw talent to go in the second.

Projected Pick Range: #45-#50

John Jenkins

Not many 359-pound people in the world have as much athletic ability as John Jenkins. The defensive tackle with a bit of a mean streak should sneak into the end of the second round just because of his raw numbers. There are questions about his motor, but that might have more to do with his conditioning than he will to win.

Projected Pick Range: #55-#60

Monday, April 8, 2013

Monday's Meatloaf - debts as yet unpaid

So today's a guy's birthday. It's a guy I know. He might even dwell among some of you that read the words that are posted here. He definitely resides amongst those of you that have an address within the DawgNation.

When I first met Joe Waterloo he spoke a different language. Although we were both in the process of matriculating at the University of Georgia he was from somewhere far to the north. Like beyond Charlotte. Even past Richmond. Yeh, way up there.

Shoulda played Preston
Jones more...
But we took him in and showed him what grits were, we explained to him how to talk right (even though he didn't listen) and we gave him one of the greatest gifts a college football fan could ever receive...Ray Goff.

You see, love of southern college football can sometimes be earned too easily. But at other times it must be given sacrifice after sacrifice before it is earned and given back. And this was the case with my southern Maryland friend. He suffered. He fumed. He waited for his time to be repaid. Much like many of us. Except that many of us had understood and had the faith instilled in us at a young age.

But Joe Waterloo only had hockey, frozen tundra dog-sledding...and the occasional crab boil.

Today's Ingredients
- Once again, congrats to the men's tennis team for finding their way to the top of the SEC!
- Lots of GDay reactions today.
- One of the rising stars is James Deloach.
- Ching talks defense.
- Here's Blutarsky's observations from GDay. I wonder if that first play from scrimmage was one a fan sent in.
- Leather Helmet Blog finds Chris Mayes is a big dude.
- The offensive line is taking shape, but still faces challenges says Paschall.
- And Emerson takes a shot at the remaining questions of the spring.
- Garbin reminds us that those Gators, they do like to embellish.
- Run Home Jack is ambivalent about Joker Phillips having Photoshop.
- And vineyarddawg updates us on the Corvallis regional for the GymDogs.

So, my favorite Joe Waterloo story (that I can share) started innocently enough. T-Bones on Baxter was having a special on beer. You bought a mug and got as many refills as you could drink. If you had been privy to the discussion prior to our arrival you would have surmised that it was just going to be a nice dinner with a steak on the plate and a couple of cheap Killians Irish Reds.

Warning: not conducive to
billiards, or wagering.
But something happened between the time in which we were seated and the time at which the check arrived. It seems Joe Waterloo and I had not only been over-served, but we also had enjoyed one, two or three mugs more than our companions. So since we were not able to control our mouths no more than we would be able to control a motor vehicle, we were rescued by Smitty, who lowered his truck's tailgate so that we could stumble in for the ride back to campus.

But before we even crossed Milledge we had a great idea. Tate Center was open and would surely have several tables open since most students were busy preparing for their finals the next day. It was the kind of idea that brought both excitement and joy to our feeble and addled brains. The kind of idea one can only grasp once he's had a few too many refills in the course of a couple hours. And not surprisingly our friends were fully supportive. Although perhaps they were just anxious to get rid of us.

So we found ourselves surrendering a couple of bucks and our student IDs and then stumbling to the table we had rented. Shortly thereafter it was easy to realize that everyone that was at the Tate Center pool hall that evening was watching us - two drunk fools trying to coordinate pool balls into a rack all while attempting to talk trash. You know, saying things like "Imgonna phlish u sunzbitch...hjulp."

The rest is rather...fuzzy. But I do believe we managed to finish one game in which we bet $1000 on the outcome. And it only took an hour and 28 minutes to finish. About four minutes into it was when we both realized how bad of a decision it was. I mean hell, we still had to walk back up Baxter. And study. Evidently.

Joe Waterloo won the game. And I never paid him the money. Which is why today I'm wishing him a happy 21st birthday!! You're finally legal bro! And the next time we won't have to translate for the waitress whenever you order.

Go Dawgs! So..which of the rest of you bastards is next? Rack em up!

Bernie

Men's Tennis is SEC Champs...again!

Once again, Coach Diaz's Dawgs are on top!
The fourth-ranked Georgia men's tennis team used a road win over Arkansas Sunday to clinch at least a share of the 2013 Southeastern Conference regular-season championship. The Bulldogs defeated the No. 53 Razorbacks 4-1 at the Billingsley Tennis Center in Fayetteville, securing a 35th overall conference title and the program's 27thregular-season crown - the most of any SEC school.
For Manuel Diaz, it is the 22nd SEC championship in 25 seasons as Georgia's head coach (14 regular season, eight tournament). Diaz also won four titles as a player and three as an assistant coach for a total of 29.
Georgia has won eight SEC championships in the last eight years counting both regular-season and tournament crowns.
"The guys did a great job of coming out refocused in singles," Diaz said. "[After we lost doubles] they did a great job and have shown that they have tremendous focus when it's needed most. While we need to do a better job in some areas, we also know three of our guys were sick today and I'm proud of them for coming out and competing the way they did. This is tremendous for our team."

Sunday, April 7, 2013

GDay marks end of spring, almost

So over 45,000 fans gathered at college football's most beautiful landscape yesterday and suddenly a scrimmage broke out. It was a beautiful day by all accounts and no significant injuries. Just some bumps and bruises, which is exactly the way you want a scrimmage to be. Unless you're Florida.

I was neither able to go nor able to watch thanks to a blackout (no, not that kind) for anyone who wasn't joined at the hip with both Comcast and ESPN3.com, so I hunkered down with Scott Howard and Zeier for much of it.

Since I wasn't able to take it in firsthand, I'll leave the real analysis to those that were. However I will add that I'm pleased we had a receiver with a big day, some freshmen had a solid afternoon, and that the defense did well. As I pointed out the other day, kind of a bummer we didn't get to see much of Gurley and some others. But we know what we have there. The opener for the season and the opener at home loom much larger than the game yesterday.

And I think we're heading into the summer with our feet firmly under us. That's a good thing. With just two more practices to go the team should be able to enter August camp with more answers that lingering questions. Which is why yesterday was such a great day for Georgia Football.

And yet it was Nebraska that had the best scrimmage of all. (Warning, dust is in the air and may cause an eye to tear up.)