More Leonard Floyd sexy quotes

Today's scrimmage - what to (hope) for

A man can dream. Sure. But let's get realistic.

• No injuries. None.
• At. All.
• Todd Gurley - one carry, 60 yards and the rest of the afternoon on the stationary bike. Or just holding his helmet. Or curing cancer. Maybe all of the above.
• clean exchanges between Andrews and Mason.
• None. No injuries. Not even a cramp, son.
• just enough chill in the air for Richt to have some hot chocolate.
• Tim Kimborough with a handful or more tackles.
• a picture of Leonard Floyd palming an intercepted football, sacking the quarterback, responding to yet another ignorant Kirk Herbstreit tweet, and escorting Gurley to a stationary bike all at the same time.
• Marshall Morgan kicks an 83 yard field goal. From a jet ski.
• a very bored post-scrimmage Ron Courson. Like, amateur Sudoku bored.
• Greg McGarity directs Redcoats during intermission. KRYPTON FANFARE UP IN HIS PANTS!!
• Brendan Langley, a pick six....that Quincy Carter somehow throws.
• Not even a Bobo hangnail from flipping the playbook pages to a late scrimmage flea flicker. Welcome to Athens Pruitts!! SECSECSECSECSECSEXXXXXxxxxxxCCCCCCC!!!!!111!!
• Gwyneth Paltrow babysits all the coaches' kids.
• a punt return.

I'm out. Go Dawgs!

The Junkyard Dawg Podcast #5 - Dawgs on the Road

Sooooo....this is a great episode, but for some reason it won't download to many mobile platforms. It plays just fine from the Libsyn website - http://thejunkyarddawgpodcast.libsyn.com/the-junkyard-dawg-podcast-5-dawgs-on-the-road-0 - but not so much on my phone, iPad, etc. Therefore, I recommend following that previous link to the actual website. You can play the original recording below, or you can wait until Libsyn gets back to me about what the problem is. Those are your other options. Until I get this fixed.

Sorry. I suck at podcasting. That's why I do it from the Junkyard. Sue me.

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In this episode my buddy Nama joins me in the Junkyard to talk about away games. We discuss road trips we've been on that we're awesome, unique, fun, rain dampened, dry heated, and also the ones that we're glad are over.

Did you know that the Dawgs will spend over a month away from Sanford this fall? It's time to think about where you're going to spend your fall Saturdays this coming October. Why not in Missouri or Little Rock? Maybe even Lexington KY. Regardless, Nama and I are here to help! Go Dawgs!

Thanks again to Nama for joining me this week. I mean, do you know someone that actually went to Gainesville for GA/fla weekend? If so, buy them a beer. Damn Good Dawgs! No doubt.

Links from this episode: - Georgia Bulldogs schedule for 2014 - Our Okie State video, feat The Wrangler, the infamous Ann, and even "Mackie" - The "Mystery on the Mountain" trailer shot from Boulder - email your feedback to TheJunkyardDawgPodcast@gmail.com

The Junkyard Dawg Podcast #5 - "Dawgs on the Road"

Sorry. Ran into some technical difficulties with the upload. I'll have it up later today or in the morning.

"A step forward..."

There's a lot to sift through from yesterday's ruling. And from reading this reactionary piece by Emerson (be sure and follow the link for the video), I could immediately tell Chris Conley has spent a lot of time reading up on the subject of the suit against Northwestern, as well as its ramifications for private schools and student-athletes. Much more so than I have.

"I know they do a great job of it here (at Georgia), but there's no mandate for it across the board with institutions, and how they deal with injuries, when players leave, and ailments that they have," Conley said. "That's a big issue that's on the table. Quite frankly student-athletes want to know that they're going to be taken care of after they've committed so much to a university. They think a university or the NCAA should look after their interests."

Conley emphasized that he doesn't know if a union is the right mechanism to fight for student-athletes' rights. But he called it a "step forward."

Admittedly, there are parts to yesterday's news that are unsettling for me as a fan. But as a Georgia guy, I'm glad Coach Richt's players have someone like Conley in the locker room to speak on the issue.

Ramik talks differences between Pruitt and Grantham

Sure, most are probably talking about Wilson's comments about players unions. But I was drawn more towards these:

Careful there Ramik. You might get called for targeting.

Heisman Hopeful + Game Manager = ???

I was re-reading over Barrett Sallee's rundown of new SEC quarterbacks last night and naturally savored this portion for a spell:

Whoever wins the quarterback battle at Alabama will have a deep and talented corps of running backs and wide receivers to fall back on. New Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason has four years in the system, Heisman hopeful Todd Gurley at running back and depth at wide receiver and along the offensive line to help him out and the combination of South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson, head coach Steve Spurrier and running back Mike Davis is nothing short of scary.

It may be a down year in the SEC, and it may jump back to the top of the college football pack and win the national title. If it does struggle, don't point only to the quarterbacks. 

They're only one piece of the puzzle. As recent history shows, having a padded resume heading into the season isn't a prerequisite to success.  

via

The key to making a successful transition to a new starting quarterback is having him as close to mistake free as possible. There was a lot of talk last season of AJ McCarron being a "game manager", sometimes at the expense of him being considered "elite", ergo a serious Heisman contender. But the guy had a knack for keeping the game under control, at least as much as one player could. In fact, when McCarron took over for Greg McElroy in 2011 he only had five interceptions on the season.

The former Alabama quarterback aside, Georgia doesn't need Hutson Mason to blow the doors off each and every game. And while he'll surely see his share of moments when he has to make a play to help the team, for the most part he just needs to manage the huddle, get the offense out of bad plays and into good ones, hand the ball to Gurley and Marshall, and avoid costly errors.

I just made that sound much easier than it is in reality. But the truth is that Todd Gurley should drive the bus for Bobo's offense in 2014. That's really no secret as long as #3 can stay healthy. And if he does, then the odds of there being a Heisman hopeful, a game manager and a championship team being 'tween the hedges this fall will increase exponentially.

The Once and Future Quarterback

Emerson's feature on the emerging quarterback battle between the guys behind Hutson Mason is both comforting and unsettling. Comforting in that it is good to hear that Bauta is aimed at staying ahead of Ramsey by pushing Mason as much as he can. Unsettling in that there are more questions there than we are used to this time of year.

And since it appears that the 2014 job is Mason's to lose, I read it all while continuing to worry wonder what the quarterback depth chart will look like next year this time.

Well, if you are to go along with everything we've read between the lines, then we should have junior Faton Bauta as the front runner to start the 2015 campaign with a redshirt sophomore in Ramsey and a redshirt freshman in Jacob Park following behind. So whatever lack of intrigue this spring's competition under center is giving you will be made up for tenfold next year. Especially considering the losses of other supporting players like Todd Gurley (almost certainly), Michael Bennett, Chris Conley and David Andrews.

(I just spontaneously shuddered at the thought of losing those players and having to replace a senior quarterback for the second time in as many years.)

(And I also feel a little weird about completely practically overlooking this year's changes under center. But we'll continue to come back to Hutson Mason, as promised, and look more closely at what's in store this season. But for now...)

What do we know about Faton Bauta? 

Faton Bauta warming up. (via)

Well, I thought I knew how to pronounce his name until I heard Coach Richt say it is actually . I don't know. Whatever. I miss the days when we had Munson to tell us how to (not) pronounce players names.

Regardless, I like Bauta and admit to being more than intrigued to what he could bring to both the pocket as a passer and the backfield as a dual threat type. So much so that I'd like to see more of him this season in certain situations. He's got good size at 6'3" and around 220. Last season when he entered the game it was to run the ball (played in four of last five games with four rushes for 30 yards).

So we don't know about his arm strength and accuracy. It's good to hear from the coaches about his progress and development. But GDay should set the stage for his coming out party as a true second stringer and eventual 2015 starter to be...or continued questions about what the guy can offer.

What do we know about Brice Ramsey?
Nothing.

At least nothing definitive. Ramsey was highly recruited out of Camden County and sought after by a number of programs, including Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Ohio State. He committed to Georgia early and never wavered. Big get for Coach Bobo and this offense.

However, Camden County didn't pass the ball all that much, at least as compared to what would be expected of Ramsey at this level. In fact, he had just 137 attempts his senior year and 287 for his high school career. In comparison, Hutson Mason had 110 attempts in just five games played last season.

Still, this breakdown by recruiting analyst Chad Simmons shows that there is plenty to work with in terms of Ramsey's skill:

Ramsey has the tools you look for in a pocket passer. He has good size, he has a smooth release, he has great arm strength, and he can make any throw asked of him. He sees the field well, he is a player teammates follow, and he is as cool as they come. He does need to work on his feel in the pocket and reading defenses and those things will improve with experience. 

What do we know about Jacob Park?
Even less than we know about Ramsey, of course. He's the only early enrollee of the 2014 class and is a surety to redshirt this fall. So his hat being thrown in the ring next spring as a possibility depends on his ability to absorb the playbook and know what defense he's looking at before the snap of the ball.

But like Bauta, the youngest scholarship quarterback on campus could add an intriguing dimension to Bobo's offense. Even presuming that Gurley's declares for next year's draft, there will still be a stable of running backs chomping at the bit to tote the rock. That doesn't set up as a situation to revamp the offense towards one that features a dual threat quarterback; not with the likes of highly valued running backs Keith Marshall, Sony Michel and Nick Chubb at the ready. But a quarterback that, in Richt's words, "will definitely keep people honest with some of the QB runs" is a viable contender for sure.

Where does that leave us?
Time will tell. I like that these young quarterbacks are said to have good leadership skills and a coolness under pressure. If the Spring of 2014 is setting up to be the era after Aaron Murray, 2015 could very well be the era after Gurley. And that's a transition that will require a quarterback on solid footing.

To close, I think it's fitting to go back to something I wrote on the situation last month:

But the quarterback position in Athens is seemingly going through a transition period. And that's not just a statement about a fifth year senior in Murray moving on. We might see "business as usual" with Mason this spring and likely the fall as well. But with a guy like Bauta and Park, there's going to be some emphasis on running the football from that position.

That's something I thought Bobo should've done more with Murray, at least early in his career. With the depth appearing to be restored to the way Richt likes it, I can't help but think the reins are about to be turned loose.

Replacing an Aaron Murray is no easy task. Should Mason hold onto the starting spot this spring and into the fall, replacing Murray's replacement just one year later also has an uneasy feeling. One we've not felt in quite some time.

SEC sLOLgans

Was talking with the wife about Florida's new slogan for the offensive line. As we laughed and laughed, I commented that as bad as that was, it's now here nowhere no where near as bad as Tennessee's gaffe a couple years ago.

Which got me thinking - what would be some other slogans of failure around the southeast? Here's my stab at some:

• Arkansas - #karma is a bitch
• Auburn - War Damn Rent a Quarterback
• Georgia - Finish the License Renewal
• South Carolina - Not just for gas pumpers anymore
• Vanderbilt - Anchored down

I mean, nothing will ever top this...

...but it doesn't mean we should stop trying. Add your ideas in the comments.

Mike "Meatball" Thornton planning to finish on top

The fifth year senior has everything to earn in his fifth season of eligibility, including a starting role on Tracy Rocker's defensive line, a college degree, and a shot at the NFL next year.

It turned out the 6-foot-1, 290-pound Thornton still didn’t get on the field much for Georgia last season.

The now fifth-year senior played in 11 games, making five tackles with one sack.

via

“The younger guys were pushing hard, and I guess they just beat me out,” Thornton said.

There’s a new defensive coaching staff, but Thornton doesn’t sound overly concerned about trying to pass Chris Mayes on the depth chart this spring.

He talks about helping to “coach up the young guys as best as I can.”

He’s getting his reps but he’s trying to set the example for his teammates moreso than trying to land a starting job.

Thornton says he “knows it’s my fifth year and they have younger guys that they need to develop. Whatever role they want me to play, I’ll play it. I just want to give it all to the team and get my degree and hopefully pursue the NFL after that.”

Conley to miss practice today

Chris just doing Chris Conley things:

Congrats to our favorite Jedi Wideout. Well deserved.

(btw, Meanwhile Herbstreit entertains a choir of crickets....)

The curious case of Watts Dantzler

Going into his last season as a Bulldog, Watts Dantzler's best known for a Greyhound bus trip he took on spring break a couple years ago. He's yet to start a game and has battled through some injuries. But last season he played some meaningful snaps as well as logging time on special teams in every game. And now he's competing at both tackle and guard on an offensive line that is reinventing itself to some degree.

Richt has said Dantzler's best shot is at guard. He thinks. Dantzler himself has complete trust in Coach Friend and is more concerned with helping the team win a championship. But fellow lineman and best friend David Andrews has the money quote:

"Watts and I are roommates and best friends, and I think this could be his year if he wanted it to be. At the end of the day, it comes down to him wanting it, and I am kind of liking what I'm seeing."

Mitchell gets bit by the injury bug again

He won't miss any playing time. But he'll miss the rest of spring practice.

Mitchell, who missed basically all of last season after tearing his right ACL, sustained a left leg injury on Tuesday and will be withheld from the rest of spring practice.

The redshirt junior is expected to make a full recovery for preseason practice in August, according to UGA head athletic trainer Ron Courson.

"The good news is we think he’ll be ready by the summertime to be working and be 100 percent by the time camp starts," head coach Mark Richt said after Saturday's spring practice. "A lot of times the big question is are that going to happen or not. We don’t think it will cost him the season at all or even any camp for that matter."

Junkyard Podcast #4 - Stipends and "Summer ball"

Episode four where we talk about some actual football news and some disorderly football news. We listen in on an old Ekeler press conference as well as Coach Richt addressing the player arrests and how he handles things The Georgia Way.

New email for the podcast. Send any and all feedback to TheJunkyardDawgPodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for tuning in!

Links from this episode:
- Ekeler press conference in Indiana
- Groo on Coach Bauerle
- My post on the arrests
- Garbin's post on the arrests
- Logan Booker's video on Richt addressing media