One week. #DoubleDeuces

Bulldog Bytes with Weiszer and Page

Marc and Fletcher were kind enough to give me some airspace to try and keep up with Tony and Brian in another edition of their Blogger Roundtable.

Appreciate the guys having us on. I always embrace another chance to prove I have a voice meant for keyboarding.

"Schottenheimer went out and picked Lambert."

This dissertation by Legge is both wordy and on point. Since it's an off week at the height of the new offensive coordinator's disapproval ratings, it comes in swinging. Hard.

For me, it does two things: 1) marries Schottenheimer to Richt's hip, and 2) suggests that we shouldn't expect too much change, even given the "October spring ball" backdrop to this week.

I think Lambert can be what we need, but if that day comes in late November it's about a month too late. So the question really becomes, can Schottenheimer swallow his pride and gameplan his ass off? Can he coach up Bauta or Ramsey in time to make hay? If not, can he reinvent Lambert into an SEC quarterback?

If not, I'd just assume Richt pretend it's 2002 and tell the guys in the neon yellow caps that he's taking over and they can go ahead and burn that goddamn picture chart.

Whatever it takes to beat florida I'm fully onboard with.

Go Dawgs!

Humpday Hilarity - when the meth takes hold during pregame

Humpday Hilarity - Emma?

Even in a digital world, is paper truly dead? (h/t Mac)

Those fightin' countin' mouthbreathin' gators

When the other team scores a touchdown and you try to add seven in your head...

Sunday's thoughts on overworked uprights

via UGA Paint Line

This is going to begin where it should - the defense.

You're going to hear (and already have most likely) a lot of "well buts" in terms of how anemic Missouri's offense is as an excuse for why the defense looked good last night. Don't know about you but I find those fans' vision extremely near-sighted. We lost to Tennessee because we couldn't tackle. We beat Missouri because we did. Very well.

And that three down stop that began inside the one yard line to start the game was as big as keys to the game get. They score there and we're likely still in bed with a pillow over our heads right now.

Some other important notes on the defense:
- Couldn't help but notice that Jonathan Ledbetter and Natrez Patrick were on the field early.
- Came into the game worried a lot about the Tigers' defensive front spending the night in our offensive backfield. But Pruitt's guys were the more aggressive unit as they racked up nine tackles for loss, including four sacks.
- 42 yards rushing allowed. That's just plain sexy right there.
- My favorite play might have been Sterling Bailey's sack. Just blew up his blocker and devoured Lock for a seven yard loss.
- The only downside to the defense last night was losing Dominick Sanders for the first half of the Florida game. I thought it looked like a bad call, but heard Richt say it was the right one. I'll see if I agree when I rewatch the television version.

The offense is going to continue to take a local, regional, and national pounding for all of the inefficiency before they play again. Schottenheimer and his squad need to have some serious soul searching as they prepare for the final stretch of games. So glad we have an off week. Because although I did find the offense hard to watch at times, I think there's still some tweaks that can make this offense into what we need it to be - ground/clock control that sets up the play action game.

Look, you can't lose a playmaker like Chubb and not have to adjust. That's going to take some time. Yes, we can't afford for it to take longer than the next game on the schedule. But unless you have a second Nick Chubb on the roster (which we don't by the way, I checked) you're going to have some growing pains.
- Especially when you don't have a quarterback that can shoulder the load.
- You're going to be able to find all kinds of really hot takes about Greyson Lambert and the Georgia quarterback play today. I'm not going to beat a dead horse. I've summarized my feelings before with the fact that this is what you get when you don't recruit the position to the level that we need.
- Greyson Lambert is the quarterback at Georgia. I've wanted to see Bauta play since last season ended, but for whatever reason, that's not going to happen. So it's really time for the offensive coordinator to earn that scratch we're paying him.
- Like any quarterback, Lambert works best when he's able to set his feet. That's not always happening in the pocket. He moved outside the pocket a lot more earlier in the season. It seems like now he's being told to step in and make a throw instead of extending the play when he can.
- We saw that last night on the interception to start the game and the almost interception towards the end. The first one was tipped, but it was still a bad throw to make there.
- We have playmakers in Malcolm Mitchell and Terry Godwin that can wreak havoc in the secondary with just a couple more seconds.
- Plus, if Lambert were to roll out just a few times it would open up some of the intermediate routes that he's forcing balls into.
- You say all that and then realize that the guy still completed 72% of his passes. Which is why I think that even though most of the fingers are pointing at the guy wearing the jersey, most of the blame lies at the guy with the playchart.
- That screen pass to the stacked receivers is cute, once. Maybe twice. How long does it take to realize that we're not able to block those guys? Lucky their defensive backs didn't jump one and house it.
- Maybe Schotty was using those quick screens to slow down their edge rushers. But we have other screen passes in the playbook. I know. I've seen them.
- Sony is everything we need in a starting running back. I'm impressed with the way he runs between the tackles and gets into space. With some extra time the next two weeks I think he'll have more space to run as the line adjusts to his style and speed and he adjusts to what he's seeing.
- And that last point is key. Chubb's vision is what makes him elite. And his vision made him patient enough to let things develop. Sony's getting to the action a lot quicker. That should be something they work on a lot before Jacksonville.
- Robert suggested the key may be to have Sony split out into the slot and Keith Marshall in the backfield. I tend to agree, but mostly as a way to avoid rushing Michel to the point of exhaustion by mid-November. #1 needs 20-30 touches a game, but 70% of them can't be runs between the tackles. He's just not built for that.
- I'm sure the offensive line is banged up after these last few games. I think they're still trying to find themselves again after what Bama was able to do. And that was a great, great defense they played last night and held mostly in check. Yes, they gave up several tackles for loss (which is something we talked about leading up to the game). But only two sacks allowed is impressive against that front.

Special teams were good. No touchbacks unfortunately. But the angles and assignments on the coverage were maybe the best this season, as evidenced by Missouri's fumbled punt and that last kickoff.
- Great call putting Mitchell in as a gunner. He and Michel are our most dynamic players. He's a senior and is really leading by example on offense for a young receiving corps. Letting him do the same on special teams was something I was happy to see.
- So we know if a game later in the season comes down to a field goal, set Morgan up (if possible) in the middle where he's money. That left hash must be where I tee off every time Mrs. Bernie lets me play golf.
- Barber's punts won't stand out on the stat line, but he had three inside the 20. In a game that relies so heavily on field position, that was so important.
- Godwin looks as comfortable returning punts as Steve Spurrier does quitting on his team. Easy, smooth, and as fast as a lightning strike!

Whew. That was a lot. I know I've missed some things. We'll hit on them later in the week. I could use a nap. Go Dawgs!

Two keys to #EndTheSkid

1. Force their pass rushers to think. Minimize their propensity to get upfield with screens and a varied and determined rushing attack. If their front seven is allowed to pin theiir ears back and go, that spells bad things for Lambert and our passing game. Act and then counteract.
2. Protect the ball. Too simple? I don't think so.

the Friday Misery addresses the red clay on Grandma's rug

In a week of crazy college football news, I'd like to take a moment to address the bastard in the corner.

You see, when someone "resigns", people are naturally inclined to say nice things. They do this for one of two reasons: 1) they like the guy, or 2) the don't like the guy but are super excited to see the asshole leave and want to say something positive in an attempt to show they're the bigger person.

Bull. Shit. Spurrier was, is, and always will be a prick. If you don't think so, tune in tomorrow when he stumps for his own cause on national television under the guise that he just did something selfless for the South Carolina program, all while the team continues to play out the schedule that the ol' ball coach was too scared to face hisownself. And those ESPN dipshits in suits will pucker up for that ass until it gleams brighter than the day Satan birthed him.

The ol' Cock Coach doing his "bend over buddy"
exercises, in perpetuity.

Argue that he's one of the best to ever coach...okay, if you really feel so inclined. Talk about how he revolutionized the forward passing game...hey, I get it if you feel you must. But don't pretend he's a saint when that douchebag would push over your grandma in the express checkout lane if her 16th item was her prescription blood thinner medication.

Coming to grips

The self-loathing is understood. The bickering is to be expected. And the descension in the ranks is all too familiar.

We ain't what we thought we were. That's on us. It's not on Greyson Lambert. It's not on the long concession lines. It's on us. We smiled and waved during every bit of the media hand jerking. We convinced ourselves the gamecocks beat down was something to build upon, only to find out it was just another empty-caloried cupcake.

The sooner we accept the fact that we brought this misery on ourselves the sooner we can stop pretending we have all the answers. 

When all we really have are questions.

Southern hospitality

A brief historical perspective to clarify the here and now...

In this youthful rivalry, the away team has always come out on top. We went out west to witness the first edition and those midwesterns were as accommodating as they were dumbfounded when you asked them why the tea wasn't sweet. They bent over backwards to apologize for the "old man football" comment and they pretended to not care about professional baseball more than college football.

Pinkel in yet another Moment of "Zin"

So cute. Until the next year when we rolled out the red carpet, injured their quarterbacker, then promptly shit the bed. And of course last season back in Columbia Brendan Douglas went head over heels and the paper tigers took the weekend off.

So this being hospitable bullshit ends tomorrow night. I mean, right? These bastards have been geographically misplaced for more than three seasons now. The newness of having a team from way out yonder in the conference has all but worn off, so there's no reason to even go open the door for them. They know where the beer is. Let em get it theirowndamnself. They know to say "Yes ma'am" when they're addressing Mrs. Bernie and they know we don't talk about basketball season before the leaves finish their grand descent.

I hope this message is clear - this ends now. Southern hospitality gives way to tough love tomorrow night. It's like when your cousin Zeke didn't wipe his feet before going into Grandma's house and tracked red clay on her grandma's rug that was the only thing survived that fire back in 18 hundred something and then your Uncle Pete took Zeke out back and gave him a whatfor.

Nothing personal, just the way we do the things we do. Because then Uncle Pete picked ol' Zeke up and helped dust him off, smiled, and said "If you ever leave your goddamn brains by the front door, you better damn well leave your boots there too!"

Gary Robin Pinkel will walk right in here, grab the jug of chardonnay from the fridge, plop down on Grandma's sofa her father bought right before he lost his job in 1929, prop his feet up on the coffee table, loosen his belt, drink straight from the bottle, change the channel to some Lifetime movie, and then lay a fart right there just as you're suggesting he take his feet down please goddammit and thank you.

Don't let Gary Robin Pinkel fart on your grandmother's Depression Era couch. Now, bow your head...Dear Lord, please help us tackle tomorrow as if Zeke is climbing up the steps and reaching for the screen door handle. And also, GOD BLESS CHUBB! Go Dawgs!

58 carries. 210 yards.

It has little to do with this two game skid, but I just can't get comfortable thinking about this Homecoming game. And I'm not alone either as I've heard many question the 16+ point spread.

Why?

Is it the fact that it's a night game? Is it Missouri's record (which happens to be the same as Georgia's)? Or is it last year's game in Columbia when the Dawgs absolutely humiliated Missouri? Chubb and Co. carried the load 58 times for 210 yards on the way to a 34-0 victory.

But even that isn't reliable evidence. Missouri's defensive front is young, but man are they talented. Just looking at the tackles for loss, last year the team had 104 on the season and this year through six games they have 57. Leading the way is sophomore lineman Charles Harris with 11.5 TFLs amongst his 29 total tackles. Then there's redshirt freshman Walter Brady who has 8.5 TFLs, 6 sacks and an interception.

All that to say that this isn't the same defense that got railroaded last year. But it'll need to a similar performance from Georgia's offensive line if we're going to be able to end the skid. Schottenheimer is running the ball at about a 58% clip. If the o-line comes ready for the challenge it might allow their offensive coordinator to get closer to last year's 67/33 split in favor of running the ball.

And I think that would mean very good things for this offense Saturday night.