The Jarvis Jones ruling's impact

I haven't seen Jarvis practice. But from people who have...this ruling is bigger than the day they started slicing bread. Actually they've been saying two things for months: 1) Jones is going to be the defense's all around MVP and 2) that this NCAA thing is not going to amount to anything.


They were right on the latter. And I'm anxious to see the truth on the former.

Just from a depth chart perspective this is big ($$). Chase Vasser stood ready to stand in while Jones served any type of suspension (for basically being innocent of anything). Chase is a baller, but by all indications is not nearly the playmaker that Jones is turning out to be. To have both to open the season at OLB is huge, especially given that Cornelius Washington continues to miss practice with a pulled hamstring.


But it's also big for all the reasons we've been hearing about. Jones can be a difference maker. When you open up the season against a directional school on pay per view, #29 on the sidelines in street clothes may go unnoticed. But when you open up on national television against a top 10 opponent you really want need have to have guys like Jarvis out there.


Lastly, to have this settled before the seasons starts is just as monumental. For the NCAA to rule on this after about a week's time says a lot about how the NCAA is attempting to handle things these days. I mean, it was nothing compared to the record time it took them to free Cam for the SECCG. But it has to be a tremendous relief to Jones and his coaches, welcome and needed news.

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One more "lastly"...

Kudos to our compliance department for once again handling situations like this professionally and without any appearance of impropriety. Eric Baumgartner has to be thrilled to have competence meet his staff on the other side of the internal investigation. Too often these fine folks are overlooked (and in the case of the AJ mess are surely pulling their collective hair out). Job well done.

Humpday Hilarity

You think you're hot, try being a full grown bulldog without an indoor pool.

Jarvis Jones in the clear

Terrific news. Score one for the NCAA Committee on Truth and Fairness.

Jarvis Jones has been cleared by the NCAA and SEC and will be eligible to play for Georgia this season, persons familiar with the case confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution this morning.

Jones, a sophomore linebacker from Columbus, was having his eligibility reviewed after a police investigation into alleged corruption within the Columbus parks and recreation department revealed an administrator had provided benefits to him and basketball signee Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the summer of 2009.

Jones was a first-year enrollee at Southern Cal at the time. He transferred to Georgia last summer and sat out per NCAA transfer rules. The former AJC Super 11 candidate is expected to start at Sam, or strongside outside linebacker, this season.

UGA spokesmen declined comment this morning. Howeverm it confirmed that a statement regarding this case will be released later today.

Blinded by the light

I had forgotten how much hype surrounded Stephen Garcia's arrival in Columbia. Reading through cocknfire's very honest summarization of the qb's time on campus makes you hope Coach McLendon is a better role model for Crowell than Magnus has been.

What's somewhat amazing, despite all the attention to his off-the-field distractions and his sometimes poor decisions on-the-field, is that Garcia still has an opportunity to go down as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in South Carolina history. A slightly better season than last year would give him the career records for passing yardage at South Carolina. The same number of touchdown throws as Garcia had in 2010 would also give him the No. 1 spot on that list. And of course, Garcia is the only quarterback in school history to lead the team to an SEC East championship -- an accomplishment they're often favored to repeat this year -- and only the second to lead them to a championship of any kind. That would be an impressive resume for someone who hadn't been through everything Garcia has.

And you have to wonder: What could Garcia have accomplished if he had applied himself earlier in his career, and if he hadn't missed literally dozens of practices over the course of his career?

But Garcia could have applied himself, and he could have had all that practice time he missed. No one or nothing forced him to make the poor decisions he made. That's what is most tragic about stories like Garcia -- the only enemy he had that seemed to be capable of holding him back all these years was Stephen Garcia.

All kidding aside, it's never too surprising how teenagers who've spent their formative years getting any and all attention from their classmates, family, friends and coaches can slip up. 


Again and again.

Leave your hobnail boots at home

As Sicemdawgs reported...and with many thanks to T-Town Mens Wear...the only things you can have signed at Picture Day will be schedule posters.

Due to recent public issues surrounding student-athlete autographs across the country, no outside items may be brought to Picture Day. The Georgia Athletic Association will provide each fan with two free schedule posters to be signed by the players and Coach Richt. No other items will be permitted.

Babies' heads are still okay. You just can't put em up on eBay until the student athlete has finished matriculating.

New Texas A&M t-shirt

They might even be advertising these on the Longhorn Network.

h/t Sandy

Monday's Meatloaf - Vampiric Kool-aid

Something has to give. We're still weeks away from football and yesterday I actually stopped clicking the remote once it hit a channel with major league baseball on. I kept yelling at the players for being offsides.


Like many Dawg fans, this weekend I read this article about the "energy vampires". If you haven't read it the synopsis is that if any football players are viewed as hurting the team with a bad attitude, poor choice of words or detrimental behavior they are called out by their teammates. For 24 hours they are subjected to embarrassing pictures of themselves plastered around the locker room after being doctored up with fangs and red eyes.


The message is clear: get on the bus or get off of it. Simple, easy and to the point.

ONE win...TWO wins...

For the Dawg Nation however the water is a little muddier. While it's always great to be a Georgia Bulldog, that doesn't mean one should go blindly into each season. Especially with a 6-7 stinker in the rear view mirror. On the other hand, just because the play has been well below SEC standards recently, that doesn't mean one should chunk rocks at the driver while refusing to acknowledge one's own alma mater.


I've tried the kool-aid at this time of year before. I found it comforting and pleasant until the calendar turned to September. This season I hope we all take a show me first attitude. Again, it's not the win totals at the end of November that truly matter. It's the fight in the dawg once the junkyard's fence is rattled. 


In short, don't assign a number to this season Dawgs. It goes deeper. A bus is useless without a destination. We need our junkyard back. No other stop will suffice.


Today's Ingredients

Uh...what's the point?

• "Volvos don't beat Mack trucks. They just survive the crash." Ladies and Gents, Kit addresses a letter to Boise BS.
• Danny adds his thoughts from yesterday's practice while Genxdawg runs down some hot reads from Fall camp so far.
• This week on #IsaiahWatch: ahead of the curve but still behind Samuel...for now.
• Whether it was Mason having an off day or Branden Smith's 5HourEnergy was at its peak, I like that the DB had a career (practice) day.
• Speaking of defensive backs, Big Muddy was excited to see Nick Marshall's name mentioned as a practice standout.
• And...speaking of Nick, he made H2H's countdown yesterday.
• Kyle says we need to step up our game before the season begins and provides a quiz. I'm proud to say I passed.
• Tyler thinks a number change will take place, a change that will make it easier for playmakers to share the field.
• Bill King remembers the "original" Chipper. Sounds like a Damn Good Dawg to me.
• the Senator has a couple more SEC drinking games ready. Here and here.
• Kimberley updates us how that kid AJ is doing.
• Audience analogy participation: "________ is kind of like watching fireworks in the Opelika daylight." I'll go with "Making sense of AwwBarn's mascots'.
• When sandwiches fail: I love BBQ, but you'll never catch me grabbing one of these from a Subway "sandwich artist".

I don't know Reader, I'm just not worried much anymore. There were a few weeks there that I thought the roof was caving in a bit, like when we were suddenly down to two scholarship backs and realized the offensive line depth is reliant on some freshmen. But I think those things are working themselves out.

I don't mean that to read that I think we're already world beaters. No I'm simply referring to my state of mind. The offense is going to be fine. There's plenty of talent there, just as there is on the defensive side of the ball. What will make or break this season is our attitude. And I'm not just talking about the team. The Dawg Nation is in waters that have been charted before, but it's been awhile since the boat has been this unsteady.


We need to proceed with caution. We all need to be excited with a win, but not so much so that we help create another atmosphere of entitlement. Beating top ten Boise would be spectacular. But it would still just be one plugged hole on a ship that has many structural flaws. It won't be until November that we can take a full scale assessment of the program as a whole.


So slow down a bit. Don't suck the energy from other fans. But also be mindful that you don't just blow it around haphazardly. Tempered enthusiasm not only gets you on the bus but also assures you are ready for a season's worth of 60 minute football games, just as we hope the football team is. For better or worse...and whether it's sooner or later...once the ship is done pitching and rolling, it's a lot easier to drink the kool-aid again.


That's your meatloaf Reader. Take it one bite at a time please.


Bernie

Close but no cigar

Barrett Sallee predicts the SEC. He sees us with a cigar in our mouth, but we don't get to light it.

2. Georgia Bulldogs (8-4, 5-3)
Not only does Mark Richt enter 2011 on the hottest seat in the SEC, but the Bulldogs are also set up to contend for the SEC East. Quarterback Aaron Murray is coming off of a sizzling redshirt freshman campaign that saw him pass for 3,049 yards, 24 touchdowns and only eight interceptions - a better season than David Greene had as a freshman. Having the SEC's best quarterback combined with the most forgiving schedule in the SEC will make the Bulldog look good on paper, even though the Bulldogs have well-documented problems at wide receiver, running back and offensive line. The defense should be much better in Year 2 of Todd Grantham’s 3-4, thanks in large part to defensive tackles Kwame Geathers and John Jenkins - both of whom can be that force at nose tackle that a 3-4 defense needs. Georgia doesn’t have Alabama, LSU and Arkansas - the top three teams from the SEC West - on its schedule; and gets Auburn and Mississippi State between the hedges. If Georgia can get past South Carolina in Week 2, the Bulldogs may just win the division. 
Regular season losses: Boise State, South Carolina, Florida, Auburn.

Of course, with 4 losses...it smells like a cigar from a grocery store.

The keys to the junkyard

I watched the replay of last year's Georgia Tech game on ESPNU yesterday. I don't know how, but I had forgotten how much they ran all over us. It was embarrassing. I've been meaning to post more on the defensive side of things, but not sure it would be any more cogent than what some have already said.


It's been a long time since our defense has had much junkyard fight. Instead we've pranced around like an over fed, entitled pup waiting for the plays to come to us. We asked for Martinez to be let go after he continually failed to give opposing offenses much bite. Eventually he was sent packing and I think his replacement is an improvement. But I'm not sure if Grantham has the key or not. There were some signs of tenacity last season...but there was also a lot of failure on third downs, chronic poor tackling and inability to adjust to the action on the field.


Perhaps the two headed monster of Kwame & Big John was the missing part of the equation, at least as far as a technical analysis will allow. We lacked a big man in the middle to make the 3-4 successful. If we can get more push up the middle and can continue to take the ball away like we did last year, it stands to reason that year two of Coach Grantham will be much improved.


But the 3-4 is just our base defense. We won't see much of the 3-4 against Boise I wouldn't expect, just like we didn't see much of it down in Jacksonville last year. So my point is that the transition to a new base is just part the problem we saw against Tech last year, and just about every other team we played. 


To get a key to the junkyard you have to have the right genetic makeup. You have to be bred to believe you have to fight for everything you're going to be given on the gridiron. Nothing is gonna come easy, so buckle your chin strap and get after it. 


The quotes and regurgitated jargon out of camp in August is one thing. Smacking Lattimore in the mouth late in the 4th quarter is another. And it might just be a key that opens the gate.

Orson's hunger

In 1993 Shannon Brown Mitchell set the receiving mark for TEs with 49 catches on the season. Orson Charles has 49 in his first two seasons.  Aaron Murray wants him to double that this season. Sounds like Charles is up for the task.

• "I typically call myself a receiver and a tight end," Charles said. "A lot of the boys are clowning me about that because I played receiver in high school, but I feel like I still have that skill set in my toolbox that I can pull out and play receiver."
• "I feel like I can do both," Charles said. "I like to show people that I can do both — catch the ball and block, make catches downfield and contribute in the passing game and running game and do whatever it takes."
• "I want to win...I want a ring," Charles said. "I’m hungry for it."