Richt remembers the glory days

This had a tone of deep longing for the good ol' days didn't it?

Richt had plenty of success as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Florida State running uptempo offenses.

“We started going fast at Florida State in 1992 and then ’93 we were going at breakneck speed as fast as we could until I got to Georgia,” he said.
ACC officials, he said, put the ball on the ground and got out of the way.

“It wasn’t quite happening that way in the SEC,” Richt said. “Who knows what the reasons were?”

A decade and a half later and he still ain't got over adapting to SEC referees' incompetence ...differences. I feel ya Coach. But if Penn Wagers' off season mat drills haven't helped he and his cohorts to keep up with your preferred snap count by now, it might be time to let that one go.

Careful what you wish for Ekeler

There was much to take away from the Ekeler presser yesterday. The guy sounds about as intense and excited to be in Athens as you could expect. But as the wife and I rehashed it last night, this snippet stuck out:

“They’re gonna have to take me out of here at gunpoint,” Ekeler said. “This is where I want to be.”

Exactly what you want to hear from a new coach. And as an Athens native I can echo that sentiment for my favorite city on the planet.

But we've got some crazy high expectations, do we not? We're so starved for competent and consistent special teams play (something Ekeler even pointed out in his interview with Richt, which produced a hearty and appreciative chuckle for sure), but we can temper those expectations out a bit and harness our anxiety enough to let the man work...

Right?

Dropping like flies

Moose Johnson won't be back in Athens after redshirting this past season.

Freshman defensive lineman De'Andre Johnson is not expected to return to Georgia's team this season for reasons tied to health concerns, Dawgs247 has learned.

Johnson has not been taking part in recent team workouts and intends to continue studies at UGA for the time being in the hopes of going on medical scholarship, according to an assistant coach at Johnson's Northgate (Ga.) High School who has spoken directly with the player.

I seem to remember him having some back problems. Wish him the best.

And his name ain't Opie neither.

Saw this over at Blutarsky's spot last night...

A skilled player at a need position with intimate knowledge of law enforcement procedure?  Sign that man!

...and it got me thinking.

First, what a shame that Lonnie Outlaw kid didn't stick a couple years ago. If we had him going up in practice against this sheriff's kid (potentially)...well, that would've equated to at least a blog post's worth of material each week.

Then I wondered, what position would Opie Taylor have been? (If I just lost you with the reference and somehow you're still reading, well....bless your heart.) And how many stars would Opie have coming out of Mayberry High?

My guess? Glad you asked. Let's see, a ginger that's been skipping rocks and chasing his grade school teacher's skirt since he was old enough to finish a whole helping of Aunt Bea's fried okra...so he's got some natural athleticism and speed. I'd say a four star middle linebacker known for cutting practice to wander down to the fishing hole a spell. As well as helping the deputy sheriff out of various precarious predicaments.

The Senator's right. This would be a breath of fresh air. Although I bet Jimmy Williamson still gives Otis hell.

Coaching quotes - on fumbling the football

"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble this football."
- Coach Heisman, Georgia Tech

The Harvey-Clemons dismissal is a positive step for all involved

First. While watching the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago, I couldn't help but think of how Josh Harvey-Clemons could so easily develop into the type of player we were seeing out of Cam Chancellor for the Seahawks. That dude was big, fast and was laying some serious wood. There wasn't a single Peyton Manning target that had an answer for Chancellor's athleticism and preparedness.

In his last game as a Bulldog, Harvey-Clemons made quite an impact.

I genuinely and truly hope JHC finds the level of success that his body was built for in the game of football. I know he will get plenty of opportunities to redeem himself. But I'm very glad his next chance will come somewhere other than Athens.

Why am I glad of that? Well, to enter another season with the safety/nickel/star/hybrid position in limbo would only play a similar tune to one we've already heard in late summer/early fall. And we should all remember how it played out.

Rhythmless. Aimless. Inconsistent.

I just have to believe that releasing a player that, despite his God-given talent, feels he's bigger than the team and giving someone else a chance to prove they can be the starter from the moment toe meets leather in Athens GA on August 30th is nothing but a step in the right direction. Sure, Pruitt's hiring likely means a fresh start for the defensive depth chart as soon as spring practice begins. But having Harvey-Clemons and his three game suspension hovering around would've only created lingering questions.

On one hand Georgia loses a clear five star talent with a penchant for making the wrong kind of headlines. On the other, having been burned by Harvey-Clemons' poor choices twice before, the coaches have been preparing for this day. How? Well, the move of Tramel Terry to safety was a clear sign that the coaches felt confident in the young player's skills as a defender if they were to give up his potential as an offensive threat. Now there will be some tight competition between Terry, Mauger and Moore to start alongside Tray Matthews. And it will happen without the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the practice fields.

Because yesterday that question mark was eliminated. So it's a fresh start for one talented football player. And an even cleaner slate for a secondary that should be very eager to improve.

Humpday Hilarity - new golf book

(h/t Mac)

New Golf Book

You may not know it but I've been very busy over the past 2 years putting my thoughts and ideas together in a book about Golf.  

I am very proud of the results and in order to market the publication, I am asking friends and family to be the first to own a copy. 

I believe my book will give the reader valuable playing tips and insider information that I've gained through my own years of experience in the game and observations of my golfing  partners.

Here's the Table of Contents from my new book, "Winning Golf Strategies."

                                                         Table of Contents

Chapter 1 How to properly line up your Fourth putt.

Chapter 2 How to hit a Nike from the rough when you hit a Titleist from the tee.

Chapter 3 How to avoid the water when you lie 8 in a bunker.

Chapter 4 How to get more distance off the Shank.

Chapter 5 When to give the Ranger the finger.

Chapter 6 Using your shadow on the Greens to confuse your opponent.

Chapter 7 When to implement Handicap Management.

Chapter 8 Proper excuses for drinking beer before 9 a.m.

Chapter 9 How to urinate behind a 4" x 4" post ...Undetected.

Chapter 10 How to rationalize a 6 hour round.

Chapter 11 How to find that ball that everyone else saw go in the water.

Chapter 12 Why your spouse doesn't care that you birdied the 5th.

Chapter 13 How to let a Foursome play through your Twosome.

Chapter 14 How to relax when you are hitting three off the Tee.

Chapter 15   When to suggest major swing corrections to your opponent.

Chapter 16   God and the meaning of The Birdie-To-Bogey Putt.

Chapter 17 When to re grip your Ball Retriever.

Chapter 18 Use a strong grip on the Hand Wedge and Weak Slip on the Foot Wedge.

Chapter 19 Why male golfers will pay $5.00 a beer from the Cart Girl and give her a $3 tip, but will balk at a $3.50 Beer at the 19th Hole and stiff the Bartender.

Hopefully you will find my book intriguing and purchase a copy. Please send this on and hopefully more golfers will buy copies!!!

Thank  You!

And that's all I have to say about that.

Happy BDay Big Dawg!

@MarkRicht, hope the cocoa is warm and the hotdog delight is especially delightful.

Tuesday's Meatloaf - of fees and Fezziks

[Half of this post has been sitting in the oven for awhile. And I just didn't quite finish it (again) Sunday night. So to keep it from being terribly overcooked for yet another week, you get a very rare edition of Tuesday's meatloaf. Enjoy!]

-------------------------------------------

Hello this is Bank of American Corporate Greed in America, how may I direct your call to someone who can actually pretend to give a damn?

Well, what happened was I was going to the grocery store on Christmas Eve to get some last minu...

via

One moment...[insert Nickelback muzak]....[it's actually better this way I think]....[wonder if muzakians are Canadian too..] ...

Good afternoon. This is Chalonda. How can I disappoint you today?

You charged me a fee for someone else's bad check. I'd like that money credited back to my account.

I'm sorry sir. It's ours now and we're keeping it. You should be more careful who you take checks from in the future. Can I interest you in a Money Market accou...

He was a kid! Stranded on the side of the road with no gas. I gave him a ride to the gas station and gave him some money. Did I mention it was Christmas Eve?!!?

Sir, he didn't have $20 in his account to cover his reimbursement. Maybe you can be charitable with your cash, but we're going to bill his bank for every cent we can. Now, how about that...

It was Christmas Eve DAMMIT! I was being nice and now you're penalizing me for it?

Yes. Is there anything else I can not help you with today sir?

Okay. I guess just one thing. How much is the fee for closing my accounts?

...[insert Nickelback muzak]....

Yes. It's definitely better this way. Here's a plate reader. No fees added.

Today's Ingredients
- First up, Emerson covers a wide variety of red and black topics in this post, hopefully the first of many On the beats.
- Not a great start this weekend for the Diamond Dawgs, especially the pitching staff. But this is a nice preview to the season and its expectations by MaconDawg.
- After the latest NCAA tune-up, Blutarsky revs the HUNHcycle engine.
- Speaking of slowing the game down, if you haven't already, be sure you catch Spencer Hall's A Very Bielema Valentines Day before the roses wilt.
- Over at Georgia Sports Blog, PWD runs down the odds of Fox's re-energized team making the NIT. And Tyler looks at just how Fox out-coached the guy that'd rather placate Marshall Henderson's ego than his wife's libido.
- Hoop Dawgs looks at the player at the center of this hardcourt resurgence - Charles Mann.
- Bulldawg Illustrated has a nice Q&A with new Georgia Bulldog offensive lineman Dyshon Sims' mother.
- Kimberley looks a little closer at the defensive end that flipped his commitment to Georgia over the weekend.
- Good weekend for former UGA golfers. Congrats to Bubba, Harris English and friend of the blog Brian Harman!
- Lastly, just wanted to make sure you caught this Valentines Day themed post by Garbin. Just another great read you will not want to have missed.

Heard about this pic (or one similar to it) on the latest 1Beer1Song podcast. Being a longtime member of the Brute Squad fan of the movie The Princess Bride I felt compelled to catalog it here.

That's just fantastic. Unfortunately, they don't sell this shirt any more. Which is clearly not fantastic. Oh well.

But if there's another thing Fezzik taught me other than how to rhyme away the time, it was that it's important to encourage one another. Whether you're futilely throwing punches at a man twice your size or wiggling your finger after being mostly dead all day, it's important to recognize good effort and good progress. And here in the middle of February, when the height of the off season is still nowhere in sight and the journey seems to only get longer with each passing day, I just want you to feel you are doing well.

Keep it up! I believe in you! At least you didn't get your 

degree form Auburn! You look great in that Halocaust cloak dude!

It's also a time when a college football heavy blog can get pretty difficult to keep afloat. But you should know I've got some exciting developments on the horizon. And I've also been compiling a list of important off season topics we should discuss at length and ad nauseam and to the nth degree as well.

So stay tuned. And until then, here's you fork Reader. Have a great Tuesday!

Bernie

How long.....has this been going on?

That's just a long damn time.

Is the water turning brown in Tuscaloosa? - UPDATED

UPDATE - this morning news broke of another arrest - Dee Hart. One of the 36 running backs Saban has on staff, arrested for possession and not knowing his middle name providing false information. What?!?

------------------------

Just posing a question. But ever since November things have been consistently different over in the house that Saban the Bear built. Don't get me wrong. Not saying things are crumbling to dust. Just some weird and unusual happenings that may or may not add together as much.

• Doug Nussmeier leaves for a lateral position as Michigan's offensive coordinator.
• He's quickly replaced by Lane Kiffin. Although that could be enough to light a fire under an offense that will replace AJ McCarron, it's hard not to focus on the fact that every stop on Kiffin's resume has turned into a raging dumpster fire.
• Weeks later, Chris Rumph leaves for a lateral position as the Longhorn's new defensive line coach.
• Defensive backs coach Greg Brown resigned last month. Then he took a spot on Louisville's new defensive staff.
• Saban was able to hold onto Kevin Steele, albeit by the skin of his teeth. Steele accepted the defensive coordinator position at Louisville before having a change of heart.
• This all follows a 2013 off season that saw Saban replace three assistants -something he consistently does very well. Just not this often.
• Ha Ha Clinton Dix sat out a game last season over an NCAA rules indescretion. There's also problems/accusations of a booster that likes to make some money off the local professional franchise.
• Not to mention football players are getting arrested (!!!!) in Tuscaloosa...and we're actually hearing about it (!!!!!!!!!).

It's a lot of mostly little things. Sure. And I certainly doubt there'll be much to come out of the booster stuff. Still. I mean, maybe it's the fact that the Tide is enduring a two game losing skid that will last at least until August 30th. But things have a different feel over yonder.

Lane Kiffin? C'mon man. I still can't get over that one.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

See also:
- From last summer, Go for it on Fourth and Multiply. Good read on "The Process". (h/t AHD)

Georgia's nepotism law is no match for Mark Richt

Wonder if Grantham's brother that he was so eager to work with ever considered volunteering.

Jon Richt has joined the program as a volunteer quality control assistant working with the offense, a team spokesman confirmed.

There are Georgia state nepotism laws which prevent the hiring of family members, hence Jon Richt's status as a volunteer under his father Mark, who will be entering his 14th season as head coach.

 I'd prefer a volunteer anterior cruciate ligament control specialist, but whatever.