GDay - what I saw

You win some. You lose some. But only in a spring game can you do both in one afternoon. Here are my casual observations from the Red vs Black scrimmage.


Gameday feeling. Great crowd is what Kirby wants and that is what he gets. The energy gives the young players a taste on what fall Saturdays are like when the games count. And it gives the recruits something more to think about for sure.


Justin Fields is a large dude. I don’t put much weight in spring performances, especially at quarterback. But Fromm sure gets a lot of tipped and batted down balls at the line of scrimmage. Or maybe I’m still just sore over the one that bounced off a Bama’s player’s helmet in Atlanta back in January. 

VIA

Mainly it was nice to see what Fields can eventually bring to the game when he does earn snaps. Lot of zip on the ball and such a fluid runner.


As for Fromm he had a few really nice deep balls. Ridley had one of them ripped out by McGhee on what would’ve been a very nice touchdown. But on a day that saw about 90% of the plays as passes, I thought the best pass came from Fields off his back foot when he lifted a beautiful ball to Landers in the corner of the end zone.


GDay 2018 definitely lived up to Kirby saying it would be a game for the quarterbacks. And since there were so many passes we didn’t get to see much of Holyfield. But I thought he and Herrien looked good in pass protect when they were needed.


Speaking of pass protect, how about Keyon Brown and Brenton Cox showing off that a simple tight end ain’t gonna be able to ward them off. Scary fast dudes with a nose for the quarterback!


Monty Rice definitely eased some of my concerns about losing Roquan. He was adding pressure up the middle and chasing down ball carriers all day.


Ahkil Crumpton had some nice catches, especially the one he caught across the middle in traffic but still snuck around the edge for some more yardage.


That’s some of what I saw. Hope you enjoyed some spring ballin’ as much as we did. Go Dawgs!

GDay - what I'm looking for tomorrow

First of all it will be interesting to see how many folks get turned away. With only 78,ooo seats available tomorrow and record crowds for this event thus far under Kirby’s watch, ain’t everybody gonna get a first hand look at Justin Fields arm and Holyfield’s legs.

Regardless of seating arrangements and availability, I think the first thing I want to see is how well the middle of the field is covered by our defense on passing downs.

VIA

You see, one does not just replace a player like Roquan Smith. It’s impossible. But I have great confidence that the coaches have recruited talent behind him. So I’m confident that we have someone that can blitz through the heart of the offensive protection. Afterall, the name Natrez Patrick comes to mind. And I’m confident we may have someone that can defend the field laterally from sideline to sideline.

But what made Roquan so very special was how well he defended the middle of the field in passing situations. He could cover a tight end. He could take away a slot receiver’s crossing route. And there was nary a team that would dare to throw a middle screen in front of Roquan Smith.

In other words, opposing quarterbacks had a lot to process at the line of scrimmage when they looked across and saw Roquan staring at them. Were Monty Rice and Nate McBride paying close attention? I hope so. And again, I have full confidence that the coaches have recruited the right players.

Because it’s been since before the disgraceful John Jancek linebacker coached era that we could defend that area of the field on any down that effectively. I miss Roquan a lot already. I’ll miss him a lot more if we see a lot of successful seam routes and crossing patterns.

Elijah Holyfield should have himself a day. The fans aren’t the only ones I suspect that want to see how he manages 20 or so touches in a game(like) situation.

Pass protection. Kirby says it is structured to be a quarterback’s game. As nice as it is to have a true sophomore quarterback that lead us within a breath of a National Championship, I think everyone would be thrilled if Justin Fields made some plays. Still, in a spring game it’s hard to gauge things like pass protection. However it will still be something to keep a close eye on.

And not just for the obvious reasons of seeing how the coaches rotate tackles and guards. We lost two absolutely amazing pass protection runnings backs in Chubb and Michel. Holyfield and Herrien have big shoes to fill as (probably) the only scholarship backs available tomorrow. We know Fromm can hurt teams with his arm as well as his legs if need be. And we suspect Fields will eventually be able to do the same to opposing teams’ defense. But we’ll need to have solid pass protection, and that sometimes means a small running back stepping up into the path of a blitzing monster.

Special teams are typically hard to truly evaluate, but Kirby had this to say yesterday:

“Our special teams, we think we’ve got some good competition going on, so we’ll be coming after punts, we’re going to do everything real on kickoff and kickoff return, we’re just not going to tackle live,” he said. “But everything is going to be as real as possible other than that. Same thing with punt and punt return, so we’ll be rushing them and we’ll have punt returners back there trying to return them. We’ve got great competition at punter, great competition at returner. I’d love to see some guys have some pressure on them and have to make kicks and catches.”

So perhaps we can at least see some of these punters under rushed conditions. And those are a few things I’m watching for, in addition to seeing some new guys that have supposedly stepped up big thus far, like Brenton Cox and Cade Mays. What’re you ready to see from some football in April?

GDay: Questions. Answers?

Stating the obvious, this spring game has a different feel. A buzz is in the air and I expect a record crowd tomorrow in Athens. Most everyone will try to crowd into Sanford for a glimpse at the rapper that bailed McG out, the pigskin slinger that should be at his prom in the northwest territories, and the coach that Mama called to come home.

Other than those new, shiny things, this will eventually be like any other spring game that provides more questions than actual answers. Unless Lambert takes a shotgun snap on first down and punts it into the Hedges while Ramsey wrestles Hairy in the northeast corner of the endzone, and Eason goes 10/12 for 250+ and a bomb to Godwin to win the game, we're not going to know who the starting quarterback against UNC will be until we hit Atlanta. (Pssstt, it'll be Eason...)

But, that doesn't mean there isn't much to glean from what we see tomorrow. Here's some things I'll be looking forward to observing on the field...

• Quarterbacks. Specifically how much of Chaney's playbook each one seems to carry into the huddle.
• Tight Ends. Do we have any on the roster this year?
• Defensive Ends. Barnett was making moves before a sprained knee slowed his rise in the depth chart. Rochester looked to be a worthy beneficiary until WalMart sold him a BB gun. Considering Rivers is suspended for the first three games, who steps up? 
• Running Back. Chubb is making inhuman strides, but we won't see him play tomorrow. We know what we have in Michel, so it will be interesting to see how Douglas and the younger ones pick up yards...and blitzes. (Pssstt, Crowder's number is 30.)
• The coaches. Past GDays have been a relatively laid back affair. I'm expecting more intensity to trickle down from the top tomorrow. You don't urge the fans to fill the stadium for a glorified scrimmage without wanting to give them reason to stand up and get loud.

And most importantly (to me at least), offensive line play. Catalina gets here this summer to add some depth. Is Ben Cleveland game ready? Have last years starters bulked up? Do we at least look like we can develop some quality depth heading into the Fall?

If you're heading into town, have a great day in Athens. It's always nice to see the campus in the spring time, especially when you can also hear the crack of the pads 'tween the hedges!

Go Dawgs!

Roundtable wrapup

Really appreciate Kevin at College Football Zealots setting this up. It was a fun way to pass some time in the off season.

Here are some parting thoughts after yesterday's conclusion.

If the season started today, which of our quarterbacks would you want under center (and why)?

I think Greg hit the nail on the head with his last sentence - "Leadership will go a long way toward making up for any for any athletic deficiencies that Bauta might have relative to the other candidates." He and I seem to be on the same Bauta Bandwagon. Ramsey adds a dimension we need in the offense; a vertical passing game is the perfect compliment to Chubb's chunks of yardage on the ground. 

We knew the coaches weren't going to name a starter this spring. The last thing we need is a quarterback or two transferring because they feel the competition is over. It's pretty evident, just from how the first team reps were shaking out the last couple scrimmages, that Park is the longshot. I think Bauta has the commitment off the field that the coaches like to see. The next few months gives Ramsey a chance to show some of that leadership Poole referred to. I'm sure Coach Shotty is watching carefully. 

via

Georgia must replace both of their leading receivers, Chris Conley (36 rec in 2014) and Michael Bennett (37 rec), this season. Barring injury, Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley should be able to contribute greatly in 2015 but depth is a big concern. Who needs to step up in this area and who do you see as the other top contributors?

Expectedly, the tight ends get a lot of mention in the responses. And both Greg and Tyler make mention of some of the talent coming in August that could add depth. But Kevin reminds us of the threats in the backfield, specifically Sony Michel. "One guy that didn’t show up in any of the other responses is Sony Michel. Yeah, he’s a running back but in his freshman season we saw that Georgia had the ability to line him up anywhere in the offense including quarterback and wide receiver. In the first four games last year before he started to get banged up, he had six receptions with one for a touchdown. With Michel and McKenzie, Georgia has two wildcards that can be play-makers from anywhere on the field and from any situation. When it comes to making a difference in 2015, keep an eye on both of those guys."

Then BassinDawg picks it up in the comments and on Twitter (make sure and click the link for video evidence):

#Dawgs How nice would that be? Chubb & Marshall in the backfield, Sony in the slot! #ThereGoesMichel #GoDawgs https://t.co/kE9kgOUOW8
— GATA Dawgs (@BassinDawg) April 21, 2015

Yeh. That'll do quite nicely.

What is your biggest concern on defense (and why)?

Perhaps I just wanted to keep the memory of the 2014 WLOCP in the dark recesses of my mind, but Blutarsky is dead on with this point - "Interior run defense. Georgia has to replace a lot of experience on the defensive line and at inside linebacker. And it’s not like last season’s run defense was all that stout at times. You wonder if Pruitt can find that happy balance between having lots of defensive speed, which generally means not having as much defensive mass, and being able to stop power running games." 

I really think the front seven will be much improved this coming season. But until we see that with our own eyes against the likes of the Gamecocks, Tide, Tigers, and Gators, this has to be the primary concern.

This could change but right now what is your gut feeling on what makes this season a successful one for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs?

This question was taken in a different direction by yours truly. And I agree with my colleagues on their responses. Winning the East should always be the standard by which seasons are judged. You can't win the SEC without taking out the garbage in your own division. And if you win the SEC then you stand a good chance of being in the national discussion.

But after all these years of watching the program come close here and there, the fact that the coaches have no excuses is what intrigues me most. As I said, "I’ve never disagreed with those fans that expect more from the program, just in where the blame lies ultimately. Now all that is just noise from years past. It’s time to put up or shut up. No excuses."

Whether you like Coach Richt or not...and whether you blame him or support him...he's the head football coach at the University of Georgia and deserves the full support, both vocal and financial, of the administration. I'm interested to see what he can do now that the bar has been raised.

Thanks again to Kevin and the other guys. That was fun.

CFBZ post-Spring roundtable questions

Kevin Causey at College Football Zealots asked some Dawg bloggers a few questions. If you've been reading here you probably know my feelings on the QB competition. But if you'd like more intelligent, well thought out answers to such questions, you can do yourself a favor by checking out Kevin's site the next few days.

1- If the season started today, which of our quarterbacks would you want under center (and why)?

2- Georgia must replace both of their leading receivers, Chris Conley (36 rec in 2014) and Michael Bennett (37 rec), this season. Barring injury, Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley should be able to contribute greatly in 2015 but depth is a big concern. Who needs to step up in this area and who do you see as the other top contributors?

3- What is your biggest concern on defense (and why)?

4- This could change but right now what is your gut feeling on what makes this season a successful one for Mark Richt and the Georgia Bulldogs?

Should be a fun way to wrap up Spring practices. Appreciate him giving me a seat at the table. Go Dawgs!

"Nobody out-works you today!" - Jeremy Pruitt

I know it was released to the official site last week, but...Spring practice ended last week. So we're officially in the never-ending doldrums. Which is why I'll just be sitting quietly in a corner watching this on a loop.

"Stomp your foot and let's go!"

What I heard (and then saw) from GDay

Wasn't going to post on the spring game as I wasn't able to attend. We actually just listened to it in the car on the way home from vacation. But then I found that my DVR had recorded it for me, so I checked the film to verify what I thought my ears had heard. Here's some thoughts.

From Coach Schotty's guys:

Faton Bauta, GDay 2015. (via GeorgiaDogs)

• The QBs. Pretty much verified where I thought we were here at the end of spring practice - a big arm and a big leader. If the big arm (Ramsey) is going to win the starting job, the big leader (Bauta) is going to make him earn it. The players have been saying for awhile that Bauta out works most everyone on the team. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of player I want under center. Time for the Ramsey to step up if he wants to be the quarterback for the University of Georgia. Being the backup makes you popular on message boreds. Being the starter requires a lot more than popularity.
• Speaking of stepping up, that's the big difference I see between the two guys right now. Bauta is quicker to react, knows where he wants to go with the ball, both more consistently and more accurately. Even on the long completion to McKenzie, Ramsey held the ball too long. It looked to me like he knew where he was going to go with it and simply held it another second to fit the ball in there. That may work in mid-April, but in a few months, not so much.
• The RBs. Not much to say here. Schotty clearly wanted to give his quarterbacks some live plays to air it out. The running plays were very vanilla, between the tackles type runs, and they didn't challenge the corners much if at all. What was great to see was how definitively Turman accelerated with the ball. His first 14 or so carries went for a total of less than 30 yards I think. Then boom! After a few seasons of piecing together this unit, I still pinch myself at the quality depth we have now.
• The OL. Solid starting five and better depth than I expected. And let's be honest, they had their hands full (figuratively and literally) with Pruitt's front seven. All around I was very pleased with what I saw. Coach Sale has made a splash recruiting. Early indications are he can coach em up too.
• The WRs. McLendon had to be busy in his first spring coaching his old position, especially after McKenzie went down. Still, they'll be a solid and diverse bunch, specifically if some of the August additions can contribute right away and JSW eventually knocks the rust off. Bonus: is a full season of a healthy Malcolm Mitchell too much to ask for Football Gods?
• The TEs. Any worries about depth at the receiver position are lessened somewhat by what we saw from the tight ends. That play-action from Bauta to Jordan Davis was music to my ears in the car. I couldn't wait to see it with my eyes. Tight ends have flourished during the Richt era, but quite frankly we've needed more from this position the last couple seasons. Some depth here can only help this offense in the fall.

From Coach Pruitt's guys:

• The LBs. You just have to start here because of the absolute embarrassment of riches Pruitt has at his disposal, especially on the outside. How long did it take you to remember that Floyd and Bellamy were in street clothes? Jordan Jenkins plays rent free in the backfield; Natrez Patrick reminds me of a young Lorenzo; and Lorenzo is making me think he was holding back during his eye-opening freshman season. The only disappointment thus far from this group is the fact that we won't be able to hear Munson's multiple attempts to pronounce Chuks Amaechi's name.
• The DL. I thought Mayes looked great, Bailey too. One of the by-products of a vanilla running offense is lots of gaps for the d-line to fill. And they stood up to that challenge for the most part, as well as pressured the quarterbacks multiple times. And at the risk of pouring on too much praise for the linebackers, that squad is only going to make the defensive front look better and better.
• The DBs. And while we're referring to symbiosis, the defensive backs stand the most to gain from a plethora of pass rushers. Bauta was forced to check down many times. Some of that was due to the pass rush around him, but it also showed the young squad in coverage was doing their job. I forget who McKenzie beat, but that almost deserves a pass as that task must be like trying to grab the leash of a lathered down greyhound rounding turn three. I really liked seeing Tramel Terry fly around and lay some licks on receivers. Malkom Parrish seems to be worthy of some of the praise he's received as well. And as we know from Signing Day, there's a lot of help coming in August. Overall, this is still a position of much youth, but it's so much more stable than a year ago, is it not?

From Coach Richt's guys:

• Special teams were....disappointing. No punt rush and we still can't get a decent punt off. No kick rush either and Morgan misses a 42 yarder. It all adds up to this - four and a half months to find someone that can punt a football into a well covered area (preferably more than 32 yards downfield) and who is going to hold place kicks for our senior kicker.

That's pretty bare bones and really nothing earth shattering. But that's the way GDay is supposed to be, right? What'd I miss?

The case for Faton Bauta

A little over a year ago I wrote this post supporting a redshirt sophomore hybrid/dual-threat/longshot as the next quarterback for Georgia. A year removed and I haven't really changed that position.

That's not to say that I don't think Mason earned the right to be last season's starter. In truth, this time last year he had already taken the reins to end the 2013 campaign. I recognize my position as just a fan with keyboard and trust the coaches to make the true and actual decisions.

This spring is different in many ways. Of course, much like Murray was eventually succeeded by his backup in 2013, Mason was forced to give up the huddle early too when he couldn't finish the bowl game. Brice Ramsey entered to finish off the 2014 season and so began the speculation that he was the heir apparent. However, it's clear that Ramsey doesn't have the firm grasp of the top spot that his predecessor did a year ago.

Which is why these next few months and especially August are going to be so interesting to watch. Ramsey, once presumed the next in line, has had plenty of time to develop, but hasn't separated himself from his colleagues.Maybe some of that is due to the change at offensive coordinator. Maybe not. Jacob Park, according to reports, has the swagger, but does it translate into consistency on the field?

Here's Coach Schotty himself on what they're looking for:

“I think we truly have three guys that are capable of doing it,” Schottenheimer, who coaches the quarterbacks, said last week. “We’re rotating the reps with the ones, giving them all a shot to work in there with the first group. What we’re looking for as a staff this spring is there are going to be good days, bad days, but we’ll come to a point with, ‘Who’s being the most consistent?'" (via Weiszer)

Competition in the spring. Consistency in the fall.

Faton Bauta has something both of those guys don't, more experience. This is Bauta's fourth spring camp and I bet that is something the other offensive players appreciate. I have little doubt that over the course of a season Bauta would take much greater care with the football than Park, and maybe Ramsey as well. My reasoning with that statement is similar to my reasoning last spring; Bauta is more than an arm. He's the type of player that will look to make plays with his arm, his feet and most importantly, his head.

Heading into a season that figures to see a lot of handoffs to #27, don't you think Schottenheimer and Richt would like to see someone under center they can trust completely? We'll have a better picture of Mr. Park after GDay, but right now he sounds like a gunslinger with chip on his shoulder. Boy we could've used that a few years ago. In 2015, not as much.

Back to the word "experience", you're right. Ramsey has more of it when it comes to in game, non-garbage time, meaningful snaps type experience. He has a live arm that can make all the throws. And there will be downs and distance this fall when we need an arm like that to move the chains and maybe even win a ball game. But doesn't Bauta add more of a dimension to the backfield with the likes of Chubb, Michel, Marshall, Hicks, Turman? As defenses zero in on Chubb after he's carried the ball for 150+ on 24 carries entering the fourth quarter, wouldn't it be nice to have a quarterback that can not only call the read option but can also run it?

That's where having Bauta as the starter truly excites me as a fan. When we're talking about keeping defenses honest, I like Bauta's ability to do that with his arm, his feet and his head more than the other guys. And I think Schottenheimer is thinking that over pretty hard the next few months as well.

If nothing else, I'm willing to bet that if Ramsey or Park beat Bauta out for the starting job, the dual-threat junior from West Palm Beach will have made them earn it.

The Junkyard Dawg Podcast #7 - GDay wrapup with Tyler Dawgden

The one and only Tyler Dawgden of Georgia Sports Blog joins us in the Junkyard to talk about spring practice news and specifically GDay. He talks about the secondary's development under new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, the embarrassment of riches at receiver and running back, the quarterback competition behind Mason, and of course, the new era of piped in music at Sanford Stadium.

The end got clipped a bit in editing, but this one is chock full of insights and information. Great stuff. Many thanks to Tyler for taking the time to join us!

Thanks for listening y'all! Here are the links from this episode:
- Tyler's recap post of GDay, and also his thoughts prior to the scrimmage
- Emerson's 10 players whose stock rose this spring
- Get the direct JDP Feed HERE
- JDP in the Android Store!!
- Or on Stitcher!!

GDay wrapped into two tweets

Got back into town late last night and haven't even seen the first clip from the scrimmage. So you'll definitely get better analysis elsewhere. I'll spend much of the day catching up on everything I've missed.

But I think these two tweets from a couple beat guys summarize the whole thing pretty well:

Good day for players to show off their skills in a glorified scrimmage. And a great day for fans to get a taste of a college football Saturday. In April.

Put a spring in my step

I know I'm behind on the news of the last scrimmage. But I've got to tell you that reading this this morning brought a smile to my face.

Hicks with a touchdown catch and Rumph leading all receivers! If only it were August y'all.

The Junkyard Dawg Podcast #6 - Coach Bauerle allegations

It's a getaway episode just before the Junkyard is locked up for a week. Heading towards some vacation, but wanted to weigh in on the Coach Bauerle news as well as some developments from spring practice. We're one week away from GDay folks!

Links from this episode:
- Coach Bauerle suspended indefinitely
- Pruitt moving players all around
- Emerson's Tramel Terry feature
- Find the JDP in the Android Store!!
- Or on Stitcher!!

And email your feedback to thejunkyarddawgpodcast@gmail.com. Go Dawgs!!

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!

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.

Monday's Meatloaf - Do you remember when?...

We used to say...

Back in college, Joe Waterloo had this phenomenon he'd point out almost anytime we got into a car, cranked the engine of the old '67 Malibu Chevelle, and then did the same with the car's stereo (appropriately modified for the late 1980's with a Blaupunkt, btw...).

"Hey. This song was playing when we got out of the car!"

The first time this happened I just played along. There was always the chance he was just a bit touched, in a slightly imbalanced kind of way. After all, we'd just met and just because we were at the University of Georgia didn't mean he talked like we do. Maybe I was misunderstanding him.

Like the time he first said "I really smacked that puppy!!" while playing some early adoption Nintendo golf game I believe. We all looked at each other like what kind of sadistic and inhumane male role models do they have in southern Maryland that produces a guy that thinks smacking puppies around is something to brag about. But I do digress.

It didn't matter to ol Joe Waterloo that there was a cassette* in the deck. One that had been patiently waiting for the right key to make the right turn and re-ignite the tales of Pyromania that had so abruptly stopped when we'd finally found a parking spot in the Russell lot (this is before parking decks were invented kids. One had to burn at least a quarter of a tank of gas to luck into a spot back then, gather the groceries cheap beer and packages of Ramen noodles out of the trunk before hiking twelve miles uphill to your dormitory.) No, it was part of the gag I guess.

Which is why I found it so funny last week when I parked the car in the driveway Thursday evening with Van Morrison blaring and the dude just sat there all night long (without the aid of a cassette deck, a compact disc or even an iPod) until Friday morning when he could finish BIP BOP BIPping along about his brown eyed girl. I sat there dumbfounded. A flood of memories returning from decades back just to make me chuckle. I quickly looked in the backseat to see if somehow Joe Waterloo was (screwing) with me.

 As my 12yo said, it's no leg lamp but it's
still a major award!

Then I chuckled again. Turned that puppy up a little louder and...FA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA ti DA.

Just like that.

Today's Ingredients
- Given our victory this weekend (see inset picture and bow to our supremacy fledgling hopheads) the following bullets are all hopped up and ready to be poured as well as eaten.
- Make sure you check out the latest Junkyard Dawg Podcast. We've kegged episode three and are dry-hopping a two week long battle with iTunes for acceptance. Oh the drama!
- Fox's Hoop Dawgs boiled up to a two-seed in the NIT and will host Vermont Wednesday night at the Steg. Go Dawgs!
- Speaking of which, tickets hit the brew menu this morning for Wednesday night's game.
- Tyler has the skinny (or at least as much as teh internets will offer) on Vermont's basketball program on draft, post Tom Brennan.
- Sure the brackets are all set. But PWD is so malt-forward in looking ahead to next season's hoops schedule.
- Back on the gridiron Lugnut Dawg asks if Georgia's contract with its offensive coordinator isn't carbonated enough.
- Andrew has a spring practice primer on tap.
- If your Georgia tackle football expectations have too much yeast in the fermenter Blutarsky has some cogent and sobering thoughts on the year after the Year of the Quarterback.
- Emerson continues his look at the pre-Spring depth chart here with the defense.
- Greg found a mascot fight on the baseline! Whoa. Talk about a brew ha ha...Ahem. Sorry.
- Lastly, met two more friends of the blog Saturday up in Suwanee. Keep that internet connection paid up and the craft beer flowing Jon and Ben! Go Dawgs!

Special shout-out to my homebrewing pahtnahs Nama and Cord, the other two-thirds of BeaverDawg Brews. I'll hand over the winning medal soon enough. Just know that both Kroger and Publix frown on you wearing it up and down their beer aisle whilst screaming the lyrics to We are the Champion!

The dude so abides y'all. In closing, Happy St. Patrick's Day and all that! As the saying goes, there are only two kinds of people in the world - Irish and those that wish they were! So let's close out this end out with an good Irish Joke:

 An Irishman was drinking in a bar in London when he gets a call on his cell phone. He orders drinks for everybody in the bar as he announces his wife has just produced a typical Irish baby boy weighing 25 pounds. 

Nobody can believe that any new baby can weigh in at 25 pounds,
but the man just shrugs, "That's about average up our way, folks ... like I said … my boy's a typical County Clare baby boy." 

Two weeks later the man returns to the bar. The bartender says, "Say, you're the father of that typical Irish baby that weighed 25 pounds at birth, aren't you? Everybody's been making' bets about how big he'd be in two weeks .... so how much does he weigh now?" 

The proud father answers, "Seventeen pounds." The bartender is puzzled and concerned. "What happened? He was 25 pounds the day he was born." 

The father takes a slow swig of his Jameson Irish Whisky,
wipes his lips on his shirt sleeve, leans into the bartender and proudly says, "Had him circumcised."

Thanks for sending that one Mac, ya old bloke! Sláinte Reader! Here's your fork and a pint glass of Murphy's. Call it lón.

Bernie

How does Quayvon fit into the "H-back" role?

“I don’t know if he’ll even take any fullback reps,” Bobo said of Hicks. “… I think he plays with a good base. His issue sometimes blocking has been out in space, which causes him not to fit up properly. So we think getting up there close to the line will give him a chance to be successful in the running game. Now the passing game is going to be foreign. He’s used to running in the flat and that’s about it. So he’ll have to run some different routes and that will be an adjustment for him.”

Having had a week to process this, the move is mostly because of the lack of depth at tight end. With Jay Rome missing spring practice while recovering from foot surgery, Bobo will only have the services of Jordan Davis, plus walk ons Jack Loonam and Jared Chapple this spring. And since Quayvon Hicks played some tight end in high school at Pierce County the transition there should be a smooth one during spring practices, which begin in earnest next week.

But it also appears as if Hicks is being shifted into a different role as he heads into his junior season - the H-back. This is generally a hybrid tight end position that utilizes a lot of motion pre-snap. Motion makes the defense think before reacting. The offense can set the H-back up right where they want him just before the ball is snapped. This gives the defense little time to adjust and suddenly the play is beginning and the linebackers are still thinking about what they're seeing pre-snap. And as we all know, a defense that is thinking is not reacting nearly as quickly as it would prefer.

Although the H-back has been utilized in many ways since its inception, the fundamentals for the H-back remain the same - block, run and catch, Similar to a fullback, the H-back must run downhill to help create running lanes for the ball carrier. Meanwhile, running with the football out of this position typically comes after catching a pass rather than after a handoff. A good H-back will be able to do all of these things equally.

So if this transition is a successful one, what can we expect from Quayvon this fall? Looking over his 2013 stats paints a picture of inconsistency. On one hand he averaged 9.3 yards per touch. On the other that only includes ten rushes and five receptions. The reality is that Hicks struggled to find snaps at fullback behind Merritt Hall and also dropped some passes that would have possibly helped him fit better into the offense. Hall is almost exclusively a blocker and has clearly established himself as the #1 fullback for the next two seasons. Hicks adds some other dimensions for Bobo to utilize, especially if he can prove to be a dependable target in the passing game.

The good news is that the motivation should be high for Quayvon this spring. I would imagine he's eager to prove his versatility as a player in this offense, both for Georgia as well as his future stock in an NFL draft.

SEC spring cleaning

Nice and tidy look around the SEC by Paschall here as the conference heads into spring practice, complete with key departures, position battles and the top story lines for each team. And for a guy that is eternally fretting over the offensive line, I think he hits the nail on the head with Georgia:

GEORGIA

Spring start: March 18

Spring game: April 12

GATA Andrews!

Worth following: This spring was supposed to be about the adjustment from Aaron Murray to Hutson Mason at quarterback, but that occurred late last season. The health of tailback Todd Gurley (ankle) may be Georgia's top storyline this summer if Gurley doesn't do much this spring, but the chore for now is replacing Kenarious Gates, Dallas Lee and Chris Burnette on the offensive line. John Theus has moved from right tackle and will get the first opportunity at replacing Gates at left tackle. There are nine starters back on defense with four new coaches, headed by coordinator Jeremy Pruitt, who had the same role at Florida State last season. Pruitt looks to improve a secondary that was young last season and had to learn on the fly, which resulted in several disastrous moments.

And I agree that we'll see next to nothing of Gurley this spring. There's just not much reason to chance anything with 1) the talent we already know he has, 2) the fact that he never played a game last season while fully healthy and 3) the depth at the tailback spot.

Some other thoughts from Paschall's conference synopsis:

• Auburn returns their starting quarterback form their SEC championship and national title contending 2013 team, but he hasn't locked down the starting spot for 2014.
• There are some that may suggest that previous statement is not true and Marshall is the definite returning starter. But ask them this - if Malzahn has a better arm on the bench, doesn't Johnson deserve a long look?
• Although it's always (always) fun to laugh at florida, after reading their paragraph I can't help but think that Driskell and Roper have to be awfully eager to shut the critics' up a bit.
• Meanwhile Muschamp is somewhere grimacing over watery eggs this morning.
• As much attention as Bama gets, I rarely am intrigued by anything form Tuscaloosa in the springtime. But this six-way quarterback battle to replace AJ McCarron should be a fun storyline.
• One of the more interesting teams to watch this spring will be Missouri. Not much drop off (if any at all) at the quarterback position with Maty Mauk taking over permanently for James Fanklin. But who's going to pick up Henry Josey's 1100 rushing yards?
• Some uncomfortable similarities between Georgia and SEC East foe Sakerlina this spring - fairly seasoned backup quarterback finally replacing a school legend under center, and many questions in the secondary.
• All five starters from Tennessee's offensive line have to be replaced? That's a ton of bricks!
• And it will be curious to see how Vanderbilt's transition to a 3-4 goes. Not sure they have someone to anchor down in the middle yet.

Pre-spring caution flag

Emerson reminds us of the cautionary tale of spring's empty expectations:

Remember last year, when the defense clearly had the better G-Day game? How’d that turn out? And remember how Jonathan Rumph was an offensive star? Again, how’d that turn out?

Some programs elsewhere are actually eliminating their spring games, replacing it with a practice, which they feel would be more productive. I doubt Georgia would go that way, as G-Day has become an ingrained part of the spring, and a nice event for fans... 

Ok. I'll resist the temptation to fan any flames. Promise.

Probably.

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

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.)