Todd Gurley at SEC Media Days

From Marc Weiszer. The highlights are he says he's lost about five pounds and then talks about the offensive line as well as Hutson Mason.

Controversial things Richt might say today

So BassinDawg started it. Just thought I'd add some possibilities before the head guy takes the podium today.

• "I only shave on days that end in Y."
• "The Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit is better than anything Kathryn ever makes before 11AM."
• "Aaron Murray should've played 12 plays after his injury and not just 11."
• "But then again, Thomas Davis took plays off too."
• "Les Miles' vacation in Austin sounded pretty fly for a white guy."
• "Like my friend Robert says, I thought Muschamp was always a Florida guy."
• "Yup. I slipped her some tongue. GATORS SUCK!!!"
  
• "Yes. I thought Spurrier's checked button down looked like it needed an extra timeout."
• "Being a granddad is awesome. When Jadyn shits her pants I just call an audible and hand her off to Jon!"
• "I bench press more than Todd Gurley. Much. More."
• "Logan Gray didn't wave vigorously enough if you ask me."
• "Greg McGarity can take his piped in rap music and stick it up his [edited]."
• "Yeh. I'm still calling the plays. But blame Bobo."
• "Jarvis Jones has yet to beat me in an arm wrestling contest. First round pick my ass."
• "David Pollack slept with his binkie all the way through the 2005 Outback Bowl."
• "Worst kept secret in the bowels of Sanford Stadium....kicking Penn Wagers' ass is what lead to my eventual hip surgery."
• "Speaking of which...Steve Shaw can target this [video redacted]."
• "Todd Grantham couldn't coach his way out of a 3rd and 19."
• "Is it too much to ask for Ford to make a truck that can bat the gotdamn ball down?!?!?"

Pick em up and finish the drill in the comments.

Hutson Mason - under the radar (and microscope)

Weiszer asks the question that has been echoed over and over this week in Hoover. Murray, McCarron, Mettenberger, and Manziel are all gone. Ole Miss' Bo Wallace is the returning SEC quarterback with the most starts. Auburn's Nick Marshall starts the 2014 campaign with new bling. Mississippi State's Dak Prescott is a sexy mention in the conversation and, of course, Jeff Driskel has been reborn as the next great signal caller down in the swamp. As far as I can tell the one thing they have in common, other than landscape, is that they are all returning starters.

They also are on the ballot for preseason All-SEC. The other two on the list are Missouri's Maty Mauk and South Carolina's Dylan Thompson.

via

Hutson Mason is officially under the radar folks. And he's there despite having a higher passer rating than both Mauk and Thompson. He's there despite throwing for more yards per game than Marshall. And don't get me started on Arkansas' Brandon Allen and his 109 rating and 49% completion percentage.

Anyway, all of that is only meant to set the table. I doubt Mason is upset at any apparent snub. Preseason honors aren't even worth the words used to talk about them on air. What matters is the Saturdays this fall; tackle football starts in 45 days and that is when SEC quarterbacks either make history or go back to the sideline to send in the signals.

No, I just wanted to set the table for taking a closer look at Hutson Mason and what he can bring to the field in 2014. Some Georgia fans still don't think Mason will be the starter. The rest of us that are functioning in reality have questions about what to expect, even after seeing Mason close out the 2013 season.

I've got the last few games of the 2013 season in the queue and really would like to focus on what our fifth year senior quarterback has to offer. This afternoon I'll start with the Kentucky game and compile stats, thoughts, and some other mild-mannered analysis. Loosely what I'm looking for is pocket presence, tendencies, pace, where completions were and where incompletions were.

I've gone on record as saying that the Gator Bowl was not a fair measure of Mason's skills given the weather as well as Conley's injury. For a fifth year senior with so many weapons around him, we owe it to ourselves to look into what Mason can bring to the huddle.

Even if the SEC isn't ready to do that.

Humpday Hilarity - a drunj and soggy Bielema

Today in Hoover we get Lester, and we know he's always worth a laugh. But for today's chuckle I thought I would pass along this footage of Bret doing some HUNH his ownself.

At least he didn't ralph on the trooper's shoes. Or fling a blonde volleyball player in the ditch.

Thanks HillBillys

They returned some of their allotment. So go do your thing Dawgs! (http://goo.gl/y8EANp)

Cocks gettin' trucked

It came to my attention late yesterday that it was Brendan Douglas' birthday. On Sunday the family and I trucked on through Columbia and I shared some love with the "Gamecock Nation". Even as I typed that on my phone I recalled that it was a group effort in the backfield that last meeting in Athens, especially when it came to running out the clock late.

So, I hope Brendan had a great birthday. And here's to more chicken wing tackles and an exasperated Ol' Ball Coach pocketing that last timeout again on September 13th. Go Dawgs!

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Bonus:

What else do you have to do today? (If you want to skip to the goal line stand and the subsequent clock draining, fast forward to about the 2:06:00 mark.)

Season previews are a dime a dozen

And this one is pretty dead on until it trolls a bit at the end.

But I think it hits on some key points. At least ones that we'll look at much closer in the coming month and a half.

• Todd Gurley's health is key.
• The defensive front seven's talent is often overlooked when focusing on the issues in the secondary.
• Hutson Mason has a tall task in the first two weeks.
• Todd Gurley's health is key. So key.
• The schedule sets up pretty well.
• The return trip to Columbia this year is a pretty big game.

Although, I will always...ALWAYS...list the game in Jacksonville as the key to winning the East.

Around the tailgate - new era? more kool-aid?

Last question. Thanks to the tailgaters for stepping up and to everyone else for reading. Today we wrap up with a broader stroke. I was eager to hear these guys' opinions on the state of the program. Are they gulping the kool-aid or taking a wait and see approach? Let's get to it.

I get the sense that this is a new era in Mark Richt's tenure. There's a renewed, energized feeling around the program. I'm not sure if that transfers down to the fans yet, but I'm eager to hear how you feel about the state of the program.

Robert

I have bought into the hype every year.  Every summer I hear about how the team leaders are getting the guys together for summer workouts and how this team is different.  It seems like we always stumble early and we hear how “we still control our own destiny” and how we are going to “keep fighting”.  

We have been waiting for that “new era” for a long time.  We have seen glimpses of it at times, but never fully taken that step.  For once, I want us to start September like every game is the biggest game we play on the schedule.  

It is the time of the year to be excited about the season and I am, but is it too much to ask for us not to take timeouts on special teams?  See, I am still a little bitter.  I am in full “show me” mode.

Joe Waterloo
I am optimistic that Richt's starting to figure some things out but to be honest I fall for it just about every year and come December I'm typically scratching my head and wondering how long it will be until he retires. I think he is a hell of a person, a great role model, and he represents UGA well, but there always seems to be something lacking.  God knows I have a hard enough time keeping my 3 kids in line - I can't imagine trying to keep 100 of them on the straight and narrow.  But one thing I think a coach and a parent have in common is that the kids need to have a healthy fear of them.  Maybe other schools really do a better job than UGA of keeping these things out of the headlines, but that's probably just fans making excuses.  Maybe this off season will prove that Richt finally has grown tired of all the shenanigans, but up until this point it doesn't seem like our players have had that healthy fear.

Namaman
I love the Dawgs... I am always hyped up and ready to go for the season.  I love the addition of Jeremy Pruitt and have high hopes for what this will mean for our defense moving forward - especially wondering how his defensive style will translate to the SEC full time.  I am pleased with the state of the program and look forward to what the future holds!  I hope that Mason has a Shockley-like season this year too!

Son of AHD
To me there is a new era on one side of the ball. The offense has been putting up great numbers the past few years (even with a slew of injuries last season). Even the "Fire Bobo" chants have finally started to die down. I don't think we really need to change much with the offense. The defense was another story. After a great start, the money hungry Grantham started slipping, even with a NFL caliber defense. What the defense needed was a fresh start. Once he left, and a few bad apples were shown the door, Pruitt and his new staff had something to work with. All the rumors going around campus is that these new coaches aren't playing around. They are kicking butt and taking names. I even saw one rumor that Pruitt hardly ever interacts with the players in a way that isn't clearly coaching. Even the new star Lorenzo Carter supposedly doesn't get any special treatment. Pruitt is completely changing the defense and it's effects seem to be felt throughout the entire team. Players and coaches are here to win championships. Individual glory is going by the wayside. I would not be surprised to even see our arrests and suspensions go down either. Can you imagine pissing off Pruitt? Right now it feels like a mental and physical revolution that has energized the players and the students in a way I haven't seen recently. Hopefully it'll pay off.

AthensHomerDawg
Each season every team takes on their own demeanor and step. This season's team has,on the surface, taken a serious and determined approach to their season. Our clown and stoners have moved on. I wish them well. The rebel uprising has been stymied and it is all about getting down to business. New Kool-aid. Fresh batch with a different look. I like it. Try some. We made plenty.

"The Force is what gives a Bulldog his power. It's an energy field created
by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds
the Bulldawg Nation together."
--Coach Pruitt  to the Defensive Backs.

                              "Don't underestimate the Force!"

Ugh.

Around the taildate - the schedule

Thanks for clicking in this week. Today we look at the schedule and how it shapes up for the Dawgs this fall.

Taking a look at the schedule, how do you feel it shapes up for Georgia this season? What's the biggest game that you have circled?

Robert

The 2014 schedule sets up great.  I tend to be on the optimistic side, but I only see 3 teams that I am worried about.  (SC, Fla, and Auburn)  Of those three games, we have a bye week before SC and Florida.  We have Auburn at home.  

The second game of the year in Columbia East is the biggest game of the year in my opinion.  It sounds a little crazy saying that, because we all know how wild and crazy the college football season can be.  I think a win against the Cocks would put UGA in prime position to make the SEC Championship game and that in itself would make us contenders for the 4 team playoff.

Joe Waterloou

The season shapes up about as perfectly as any UGA fan can hope.  Having bye weeks before South Carolina and Florida is exactly what most fans would ask for, but this is the rare season I wish we had Carolina late in the year.  Going to Columbia in week 2 is going to be brutal with an inexperienced QB.  I know they have QB issues of their own, but that defense and home crowd is not what we want Mason to go through for his first real road game.  There's no doubt that week 2 at USC is the key to the whole season.  I don't think we can overcome being effectively 2 games back with our inexperience at QB and defensive question marks.

Namaman

We come out to the gate fast again this year with Clempson and South Carolina back-to-back.  I am sure Spurrier likes that better than waiting for us at the end of September.  After that, we have nice streak of home games that should be winnable and then hit the road forever...  It is always tough when you are on the road for a month and a half.  Going to Missouri and Arkansas back to back will be interesting, but at least there is a week off before heading down to the WLOCP.  I am looking forward to Kentucky this year as this will be my first time traveling to Lexington (assuming we get the tickets!).  I still hate the we play Florida the day after Halloween this year.  As much fun as it was taking the red eye down in the morning the last time this happened, I am not sure about our "ticket back" to the ATLon Sunday.  It is still a work in progress, but if I go, I will be sure to slow down with jean-short-wearin' cousing Bill's Bloody Mary's lest I relive the tailgate blackout from yesteryear... Sheesh!

Son of AHD 

I think this schedule sets up pretty sweet for our Dawgs. There is an off week before both the Cocks and the Gayturds. Both of those teams have played us very tough the past several years, and an off week can only make things easier. Everyone else in the East is a joke except for Mizzou, but I feel like we can play them better than last year. Out of the west we miss out on Bama and LSU and instead face the atrocious B10 coaching of Brett Beliema and the convicts of Auburn (at home finally). While I don't like the idea of traveling all the way to Arkansas to play them, I still think that our boys can put that one in the bag pretty easily. Everyone seems to be putting Nick Marshall on their Heisman watch lists, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. He needed two miracle plays to beat UGA and Bama, and then Pruitt shut him down in the second half of the national championship game. I mean, for Christ's sake, Todd Grantham was a play away from not losing the game for us against Auburn. Marshall is no Cam Newton. Richt and Bobo didn't think he had what it takes to be a QB, and they know a little bit about that position. The ACC is an even weaker conference now that they semi added the losing Irish of Notre Dame. For another year we will all get to yell "We run this state" as the nerds of Tech slink back to their holes.
    All that being said, I feel like the two biggest games are the first two games. Clemson and SC will set the tone for the rest of our season. We might be able to lose to Clemson and still set a good tone like last year, but barring a bad snap on a FG and several key injuries, we should be able to beat them. In fact, I hope we embarrass them in front of our home crowd (I'm still a little bitter about Clemson fans asking, "How does that Bama dick taste?" as if coming a play away from the national championship was something to be ashamed of).

AthensHomerDawg
First four out of  5 games are at home. We get Clemson at home to start the season. Now we can treat them to a loud stadium. I always hate playing Cacalacky at their place. The upside is that it is not a night game and we get a week off before their game. We get the Hillbillies and Upstart Vandy between the hedges too. Last year uT really came out and hit us in the mouth. I hope we return the favor. After that we will be living in hotels and out of our suitcases for  4 games.I am not making the road trip to Missouri this year. Those are some nice fans they have up there. "Thanks for Coming." How many times did I hear that? We catch a week off before the Gators. When we finally get back to the Hedges we start immediately with the Barners. Pay back is a bitch! We should cruise with the rest of the schedule until its time to get ready for the  SECC game.  Yeah Baby! Thaz what I'm talkin' about!

Holy crap! That HomerDawg clan really can bring it! Good stuff. And about how I feel about the 2014 schedule. Anything they missed? Add it in in the comments. Go Dawgs!