Who's leaving early?

Here's who we're not going to keep on roster and who I think we will, with a brief synopsis.

Jarvis Jones - Gone. what seemed like an easy decision last year this time (and one he thankfully chose against) is an even easier one this year thanks to an amazing season. Even though he missed a couple games Jones established himself as the best defensive player available in this year's draft and perhaps the best overall.

Alec Ogletree - Gone. I read somewhere the other day that a 2013 commit will be using the #9 next season while on defense. The fact that he's rated so high (mid-first rounder) in spite of a four game suspension tells you all you need to know. Jarvis could've slipped to the late first round or early second round in the 2012 draft. Tree won't leave anything to doubt.

Aaron Murray - Stays. This was going to be a difficult decision for Murray even if he had a few more seconds to throw that game winning touchdown in the Dome. The mechanics and the talent really can't brush up against much higher of a ceiling can they? And still he can't make himself any taller at the combine. So his decision will come down to personal perspective I think: weighing whatever feedback he gets from the league and those close to him (Bobo, Richt, the Mannings, family...) against where he wants to be next year physically and mentally.

Kwame Geathers - This is as big of a decision for the defense as Murray's is for the offense. We're already losing Jenkins at the nose spot. If Kwame can bridge the gap as we give some younger guys some experience here it would be huge. Still, our luck with getting members of this family to matriculate fully has not been good. Grantham and Garner can use a deep 2013 class against the idea of Geathers leaving (Jenkins is one of a slew at DT that would go ahead of Geathers), but in the end I think Kwame is Gone.

Surprises - There's usually one or two that we're caught off guard by, at least from a "didn't see that coming" standpoint. Redshirt sophomores that are eligible as well as ones who have had significant playing time is a small pool. Like, Ken Malcome is about it. Unless you include Michael Bennett coming off a knee injury. As for juniors that we haven't already covered, we're looking at guys like Wooten and Vasser as well as some offensive line guys that are just getting their feet under them and some good exposure.

So I think we're concentrating on the list above, which is full of talent and experience, but is luckily short in number. We'll know more once we start to hear substantial rumors and the list of players who turned in requests for evaluation is leaked. And now that it's December we've officially created separation between Murray and Mason. So hopefully Murray stays and we get another season to establish some competition for Mason in the 2014 season with Bauta or the Ramsey kid that's supposed to enroll next month. That didn't seem like nearly as big of a deal until we saw how much more faith Bobo/Richt had in a walk on quarterback taking garbage time snaps over the redshirt freshman scholarhship player.

Monday's Meatloaf - No longer numb, but I might still vomit

It's taken a week or more, but I don't think I'm completely numb any longer as to the ways things unfolded in the Georgia Dome against Alabama. I've heard a lot of people describe the level of frustration and displeasure as they walked away from this year's SEC Championship. I only recall a deep ache in my heart and then just being kind of dazed, anesthetized. Weary from walking up to the summit, then turned around just as we thought we were traversing the peak, I just remember looking at all the Crimson Tide fans and thinking, "This is our reward? To walk through this madness, get in our car and go home? With each and every shout of 'Roll! TIDE! Roll!' like a dagger in my chest, this is what we get?"

Pippa posing a few
paragraphs too early...

Normally after a loss, each day you wake up a little easier and light of foot. But such was not the case last week. Each day was agony and Saturday was brutal as we didn't even get to go to Athens to heal together with another game.

But I'm ready to move forward. I'm taking off the robe and slippers I've been wearing for eight days and putting on clothes. I've brushed my teeth and am acting as if there is life after the 2012 SECCG! I'm not humming a tune yet but there's one gathering in my head. I don't want to push it, but I may even (gasp!!) watch a few minutes of the Monday night football game tonight. However, if there's a random deflected pass at the line of scrimmage I might need an elephant tranquilizer to deal with the anguish. So I'll enter that threshold carefully and steady of foot.

So, I guess what I'm saying is I'm coming to grips with losing that amazing game. I'm ready to embrace the idea of watching my team put everydamnthing out there on the field and still walk away with nothing but nightmarish memories. I think I can actually stand the thought of moving forward with life after the 2012 season.

Because what we witnessed nine days ago was, for all intents and purposes, the national title game. We can all agree on that quite easily. The game in Orlando is a celebration, a matter of bridging the gap between what happened December 1st and what will happen next August 31st; a holiday reward for the players and fans of one of the best teams I've had the pleasure of rooting for in all of my days.

That shower and shave felt good. The memories of what happened didn't wash away...but I'm no longer just numb.

Today's Ingredients
- And a lot of credit for me being able to move forward this morning goes to this video ecdawg posted yesterday - We'll be back!
- Heading down to Orlando? Tyler has a lead on some bowl packages as well as a giveaway.
- But the coaches won't need any help getting to Orlando after their bonuses kick in.
- Buck moved forward pretty quickly as he's already looking at the changes in store for Grantham's defense next season.
- Speaking of moving quickly, Spencer Hall already has footage from the "contest" in Miami.
- In Knutsville things are moving quickly towards a very merry Christmas. Even though CCRider doesn't think Santa Claus will last long in the HillBillys' chimney.
- Blutarsky has little sympathy for Texas Tech's AD. However, I feel very sorry for the Bearcat grad assistants.
- Looking for more coaching news? Mr. SEC has all that and more in his headlines from yesterday.
- If you watched Johnny Manziel make history Saturday night, you really only have yourself to blame. I did all I could to help you.
- Have you joined the third annual bowl pool, Festivus4theDawgNus? Password is - thehumanfund. Kruger's flask is running low. Bowl games start Saturday!

Alright, so while I was dazed and confused, evidently it was announced that Pippa's sister is preggers. Everyone's all worked up that there will be a royal dirty diaper in the kingdom sometime next summer. But in truth it appears as if things have already gotten dirty.

The royal embryo seen here flipping off
the duchess' digestive tract

The duchess...oh, am I supposed to capitalize that? I don't know, being American and all I don't really give a flip on the formality of it. Especially when the newspapaers across the pond can just print stories about Prince William's wife vomiting, and her vomit that has been vomited all over top of the old vomit that she vomited earlier. It's enough to make me vomit, which is about 349 less times than Duchess Kate has vomited in the past week it seems. (btw, it wasn't until just now that I realized that the word "vomited" only has one "t" and not two. The more you know huh?)

Yep, Pippa's sister has something called hyperemesis gravidarum. Mrs. Bernie had that with our youngest. But I don't guess Prince William and his fancy ascot will be mopping up all of his wife's vomit. Which I did, time after time. And all while caring for the two year old, working 40 hours a week and feeding my queen one and a half saltines each evening. And I don't suppose it'll take the royal subjects six months and 349 more piles of vomit to convince the doctor that it might just be time to give her highness something more than a pat on the back and a roll of the eyes from the nurses. "By the way, your copay is $20 Mr. Bernie."

Thanks. Thanks a lot. No Prince Willy probably has doctors lined up ten deep as well as chambermaids and stewards and butlers and younger brothers to hand the mop to. Because God Save the Queen!! and all should Lady Kate be asked to hold her head over a toilet, er commode...or is it just a bloody john? "My lovely Kate, bearer of my son the future King of England and most likely a smashing good cricket mid-wicket, or a jolly good gully, could you perhaps retire to the powder room to wretch your guts out me lady? I am desperately trying to type out this tweet to Harry. Oh! And on your way darling, what is a hastag any way?"

#royalbaby causes #lovelyDuchessKate to throw #pricelessvase 

at the heir's head. Then she #vomits on his #spongebobslippers

[insert picture of Harry snowboarding] 

Have a lovely day Reader! I hope it's vomit free.

Bernie

Is Butch Jones Santa Claus?

The guy has the potential to be my favorite Tennessee coach since Layla left town.

Reports out of Alabama and Tennessee indicate Tommy Thigpen, recently fired at Auburn, is a potential candidate for Jones' defensive staff. Another ex-Auburn defensive assistant, Willie Martinez, was mentioned Saturday by various sources as a likely addition.

If Thigpen and Martinez both are hired, the defensive portion of the staff would appear to be set if Jones brings coordinator John Jancek and defensive line coach Steve Stripling from his Cincinnati staff.

Seriously, Jancek as defensive coordinator would be more than enough. But please don't let that word spread up in the hills. If Jones can somehow find room for John Fabris to coordinate special teams I might never stop smiling.

Jarvis Jones named permanent captain

The GALA Awards dinner banquet was last night. I'm always intrigued to see which Bulldogs are permanently immortalized as team captains. This season Jarvis Jones was overall, Aaron Murray and Tavarres King were selected as offensive captains, Shawn Williams as defensive and Ty Frix as special teams captain.

And then there was this matter of business:

Senior tailback Richard Samuel of Cartersville and senior defensive end Abry Jones of Warner Robins were named winners of the David Jacobs Award as the players who, by example, portray courage, spirit, character and determination.

GATA.

Dawg gone good stocking stuffer

If you are looking for that perfect stocking stuffer for your favorite Dawg fan, you might want to consider the "1980 Dawgs" DVD set.  It was just released last season and has been a big hit among Dawgnation.

Dawg Fan Testimonial:  " '1980 Dawgs' is the best Bulldog gift I've ever received.  Frankly, I was surprised.  I thought I already knew everything there was to know about that season.  I laughed, I cried and I was inspired by this fantastic film! "

Order Online:  www.1980Dawgs.com

Alternatives to the Heisman ceremony

Tonight the Heisman Award will be given to the year's least undeserving player. Don't kid yourselves, this award has been irrelevant for decades. Herschel couldn't win the thing during his freshman season so it has lost a large measure of validity every year since, with an exception in 1982.

So tonight, here's some things you can do instead of watching Herbstriet gush over   (insert quarterback's name here)   or some Tom Rinaldi story designed to make you cry over that kid that plays defense with the Japanese restaurant's name on his jersey. Choose carefully, and bonus points if you manage to fit in all of them:

I was so Lochte before Ryan was so Lochte.

• cut your toenails
• watch a movie with Matthew McConaGay in it
• pretend to be helping your wife with mailing all those Christmas Cards until she realizes you're (completely unintentionally...) sticking the address labels upside down
• read a book
• troll Abuurn fans, at least the ones that have internet dial up
• introduce your lady friend to the musical stylings of Mr. Barry White
• eat a bowl of cereal at 8pm just for the hell of it
• call your mom and tell her you just ate a bowl of cereal at 8pm
• go around your block with a cup of hot chocolate and sing carols door to door until that creepy jewish lady calls the cops because you won't stop screaming the lyrics to Sandler's Hanukkah Song and get off her lawn
• read every post I've ever written after google translating them all into swedish
• learn to read swedish
• invite yourself over to a neighbor's house and turn all of their pictures upside down when he goes to get you a beer(s)
• catch a Greyhound bus Watts Dantzler style to each Heisman finalist's hometown and spray paint on the welcome sign - Manti/Johnny/Collin wears JARVIS JONES pajamas!!!" 
• make pudding
• spend all afternoon gathering up every 2012 election yard sign you can find and then erect them all in the neighborhood nazi's^* yard
• buy a ticket for the 2012 Sun Bowl and then call to return it because you "didn't realize Georgia Tech was playing in it...again."

Add your own in the comments.

Or if you've already done all that, grab a couple fingers of bourbon and join me out on the deck. We can compare the depths of our misery from one week before. That might sound like an awful way to spend a Saturday night, but it beats the hell out of watching a fake award show.

*This is usually the president of the HOA.

What might have been

Just like y'all, still working my way through this.

I've been thinking this week about signature plays. Ones that not only help define a game but also put that player(s) on the Shelf of Legends at Butts-Mehre. The best example to get where I'm coming from is - would you remember Verron Haynes so easily without the Hobnail Boot play? Sure, he later rushed his tail off against Ole Miss when we absolutely had to have him at tailback, but it was because of that play in Knoxville that he's so easily recognizable, mostly due to the importance of the win.

Others that came to me in a rush: Fred Gibson's finger tip catch on the hard slant route in Jacksonville 2004, Michael Johnson's catch on the Plains to send Georgia to the SECCG for the first time, Tra Battle on the Plains as well in 2006, and of course Pollack's circus interception in Columbia 2002.

So here's where it gets hard for me. And I have yet to watch the replay of it; I'm only going by the raw footage in my brain that continually torments me. So I will probably miss a play or two. But there are so many guys on this year's roster that were so incredibly close to achieving that "status" in last week's SEC Championship game.

Mike Ehrmann

For instance, the first one that comes to mind is Tavarres King's catch on the last drive where he knew two things going in: 1) he was going to get nailed, and 2) he HAD to catch it. And he did. It was heroic and as full of courage as it was skill. For all I know T King will have another incredible day January 1st, 2013 in Orlando like he did on the first day of 2012 in Tampa. But for me, that catch in the Georgia Dome will be the cherry on top of an incredible career wearing the "G".

And of course there are others. Washington blocking the field goal that Tree returned for a touchdown really helped carry us later in the game; it was a confident shot in the arm. Gurley carrying Bama defenders that were draped all over him was a highlight to his award winning season.

Aaron Murray...just pick a throw, damn. I mean the guy was one lousy tipped pass away from immortalizing himself as one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in Georgia Bulldog history. It's one thing to have records, it's quite another to have a game winning play on the biggest of stages. And damnit if Aaron Murray didn't deserve just that. Every shot he took, he just kept getting up and making even bigger throws.

Don't get me wrong, the fact that Alabama ended up winning the game doesn't diminish these guys' careers in Athens. Not one bit. They're all damn good Dawgs, every single player on that sideline this season.

It's just the what might have been that haunts us. As that final second drained from the clock my eyes turned to Murray and I was reminded that my pain and my hurt was but a fraction of what he was feeling. I saw Chris Burnette walking slowly in disbelief towards the locker room and Kenarious Gates doubled over near the goal line. They had proven themselves as champions, and still...STILL were left to wonder, what might have been.

"I mean, it's life man."

Perhaps you've already read this, but I just found it last night (h/t @RMeaders). It's about as good a description as you can find of the emotion in the Georgia Dome Saturday night, both in the stands and behind the scenes as Coach Richt met Kathryn after the confetti was being swept up. I'm not going to even paste a portion of Tomlinson's words to tempt you. Just follow the link when you have a few extra moments. 

Shattered Dreams

When HillBillys fail...

...hard. Like, harder than usual.

Gundy is a man. A happy man in Stillwater.

Strong to stay at Louisville.

Lulu and Junior, the HillBilly Adam and Eve, have to be getting as restless as the coon stew rumbling around in their belly. Because the line is getting long.

Have you #TurnedDownTennessee today?

Reckon we should not a eaten The Forbidden Fatback Lulu?

Foster recruiting for Trooper?

What's the world coming to when a high school football recruit is lobbying for his benefactor a school's top recruiter to keep his job...or step up to a better one? Seriously, this Reuben Foster kid has lost his damn mind. And it ain't even his fault I'm sure, he's been fed so much bullshit over the years it has to become damn near impossible to tell which is up and which is down.

But son, Taylor's name is lower than Spurrier's around Athens. And it ain't even close. Did you even see this game as your "father figure" celebrated the cheap shots to our quarterback? There is a line 20 miles long at UGA waiting to hate Trooper Taylor just a little more.

And Coach Richt is at the front.