Charles Johnson Foundation update

Charles Johnson donated 750 pairs of Nike shoes to the Pulaski County Schools Superintendent’s Office, the Charles Johnson Foundation announced.

Within the donation, Johnson supplied the Hawkinsville High School football team with cleats and the girls and boys basketball teams with basketball shoes. The additional shoes will be distributed by the Superintendent’s Office.

“I want to continue to take advantage of any opportunity I have to give back to Hawkinsville and Pulaski County,” Johnson said. “I never forget where I came from and I’m proud to be able to continue to give back.”

The donation comes shortly after Johnson hosted the third annual free-of-charge Charles Johnson Foundation Sports Academy and Community Weekend in Hawkinsville, GA, on June 20-21. The event brought more than 1,000 participants to football, basketball, tennis, dance and cheer clinics, which were led by Johnson and some of his NFL and NBA friends. The foundation also hosted a college fair and a community night. Additionally, Johnson presented two $20,000 scholarships to one male and one female senior student-athlete at Hawkinsville High School.

For additional information on the shoe donation or for media requests, contact Meredith Geisler at (703) 740-5015 or mgeisler@tandemse.com. For information on the distribution of the remaining shoes, contact the Pulaski County School System at (478) 783-7200.

ABOUT CHARLES JOHNSON & THE CHARLES JOHNSON FOUNDATION

Charles Johnson is a native of Hawkinsville, GA, and a proud alumnus of Hawkinsville High School. After attending the University of Georgia where he starred at defensive end, Charles was drafted by the Carolina Panthers of the NFL in 2007.

Through seven professional seasons, Charles has received All-Pro recognition on the strength of 54 career sacks, placing him among the premier pass-rushers in the league.

In 2012, Charles’ passion for philanthropy and loyalty to Middle Georgia led him to launch the Charles Johnson Foundation. A non-profit organization, the Charles Johnson Foundation is dedicated to fulfilling a two-fold mission:

• Providing opportunities for under-served youth to reach their full potential through athletic, recreational, and educational programs and initiatives; and
• Providing support for single African American mothers through proven programs and initiatives.

The Charles Johnson Foundation Sports Academy and Community Weekend is the flagship annual event for the Charles Johnson Foundation, combining his efforts to advance education with free sports clinics in football, basketball, tennis, dance and cheer.

This August > Last August

I'm really going to jump the shark with this tomorrow, but for now let's reminisce:

Probably the best summary to yesterday's finale is we went in hoping for some closure and only got more questions. Now we'll spend the next eight months bickering at each other and feeding on our own self-loathing and discontent. Was it coaching? Was it injuries? Was it rotten luck? Was it the lack of an indoor practice facility??!!?? Should the was be an is?

Or is it just an unhealthy life choice that we continually force ourselves into year in and year out? Welcome to another off season of discontent. Your reserved seat is waiting.

That's what I wrote to close out the 2013 season after the Gator Bowl loss. You remember that day, back when we were staring at countless days of gnashing the teeth without the comfort of anonymity behind our defensive coordinator's towel. We were at the precipice of endless blog posts and message threads that could be summed up in these few words - Will Grantham finally turn things around? Doubtful.

Given that, I can take some concern over unresolved personnel issues. The fact that so many starters have yet to emerge speaks to the vast difference in where the bar is now set for players to clear the hurdle of getting on the field. Let me sum up:

Last August - "I showed your momma my picture of me, Jerry Jones and Tony Romo right? Ok then, you're starting against Clemson."
This August - "You just missed a tackle and a kid wearing an orange jersey scored! Get in the back of the line!"

Change has come and we have been reminded that it isn't easy. Our off season of discontent happily morphed into an off season of questions without answers. Unfortunately, it's likely those answers won't come until the coaches can see some of these guys in live action. Under the lights. When the game is on the line.

Yes, that's frightening. But I'm thrilled the discontent is in the rear view mirror. I'm excited for the future of Georgia football. Mostly because back on January 2nd I never wanted to see August again.

Garrison Smith - always pursuing, on the field and off

I'd root for this guy in any stadium, wearing any jersey. I hope every kid that saw this feature took the words to heart. (h/t OconeeRiverRat)

Damn. Good. Dawg!

Richt invites Dabo and Steve-O into practice

Wait, what? With scant days left before a brutal opening to the 2014 campaign the head coach draws the curtain back for all to see?

Students and reporters received an unusual treat as the Georgia Bulldogs returned to practice after a couple days off. Mark Richt, who most days only allows the media to watch 10-15 minutes of practice, decided to let students and the beat media observe the second half of Tuesday's practice that was held in Sanford Stadium. Close to two thousand students sat in the baking sun to take in a lively mid-week practice. At its conclusion, Richt thanked the students and called for them to create an opening game atmosphere similar in intensity to what the Bulldogs experienced when they traveled to Clemson last year.

Photos and video were prohibited as part of the conditions to watch practice. We do have quite a number of observations though.

I have an observation too Radi - my invite was lost in the mail, so can I get a raincheck? Richt never does this kind of stuff. Not to make too big of a deal of it. After all, it was just an hour. But first you have pick axes taking the place of stationary bikes on the side, then you have open access to media and students and other spies. Next thing you know the team will have iPads instead of actual playbooks. Oh, wait.

Anyway, lots to glean from the media's extra 45 minutes of observation. They got plenty of looks from Quayvon at different positions, including tight end. Right now it wouldn't surprise me to see any name as the starting tight end a week from Saturday. Any name. Just pick one.

The defense sounds much more aggressive. They're reacting on their feet quicker and with confidence.

All of the cross training defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt has done is paying off as Green and Dawson also played the star. In other words, the secondary players were lining up in multiple different positions and it was tough to keep track of who was where in what coverage. Good luck to opposing quarterbacks in figuring that out. Oh, and the corners blitzed a lot so some guys lining up in the star may have just been there for that blitz. 

A lot of inside linebackers getting reps. Sounds to me like Pruitt plans to rotate them in and out, probably as part of specific packages. As important a position as inside linebacker is in the SEC, I like the sound of Kimborough and Carter getting plenty of action.

via Nabulsi

Most of all, I liked this nugget from Emerson:

It’s only practice, but Hutson Mason’s footwork looks improved. He had a bit of happy feet during his two starts last year, but during Tuesday’s practice he did a good job of being firm in the pocket, keeping his feet to the ground as the pocket came at him, then firing off a good pass.

I've slacked off on viewing the Gator Bowl as part of my Hutson Mason evaluation as I had promised. We looked at his performance in the Tech game here. Since then I've changed my thought pattern in terms of what I'd like to glean from Mason's two starts, especially given the fact that there was more than a month between them. When I rewatch the bowl game (hopefully in the next couple of days) I think I'm going to look as much for things like shotgun vs under center and tempo/pace of play more than actual stats.

The bowl game stats we can really throw out of the window considering the weather and Conley's injury. And I've consistently heard a lot of people say that Mason will be fine, but he won't be Murray. I guess I get that line of thinking. But the fact is that much of Murray's success was because he was truly an extension of Bobo on the field. They were in sync after five years of practice, preparation and live games. Right now, in 2014, of particular interest to me is how much Bobo adjusts to Mason. Even more so than how much Mason adjusts to live action.

"...otherwise it's a big play."

To me, it doesn't sound like Dabo and his defensive tackle are on the same page.

In the Tigers' latest intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, D.J. Howard had a 40-yard touchdown run, and not because he had a wide-open running lane. 

"We try to knock a guy down with our shoulders instead of wrapping him up with our arms. A good back will run through that," head coach Dabo Swinney said. "You've got to make tackles in space, otherwise it's a big play."

Anthony and Williams each hinted Venables has made some subtle changes to the Tigers' rush-defense scheme up front, to try to corral home-run threats like Gurley.

"It's developing good, because we know the scheme now," Williams said. "Everybody's playing where they need to play and being disciplined. We're not playing over each other, everybody has an assignment and they're sticking to it."

For those of you unfamiliar with DJ Howard, he's the redshirt senior tailback for Clemson. Here's a picture of Howard next to Todd Gurley.

 

(Hint, Gurley is the one on the left brushing some dandruff off his back.)

Humpday Hilarity - lettuce, whores and hockey

A man in a Washington supermarket tried to buy half a head of lettuce.  The very young produce assistant told him that they sell only whole heads of lettuce. The man persisted and asked to see the manager.   The boy said he'd ask his manager about it.  Walking into the back room, the boy said to his manager, 'Some asshole wants to buy half a head of lettuce.' As he finished his sentence, he turned to find the man standing right behind him, so he added, 'And this gentleman has kindly offered to buy the other half.'  The manager approved the deal, and the man went on his way. Later the manager said to the boy, 'I was impressed with the way you got yourself out of that situation earlier.  We like people who think on their feet here.  Where are you from, son?'  'Canada, sir,' the boy replied. 'Well, why did you leave Canada?' the manager asked.   The boy said, 'Sir, there's nothing but whores and hockey players up there.' 'Really?' said the manager.  'My wife is from Canada.' 'No shit?' replied the boy.  'Who'd she play for?'

Helmet AND jorted SEC schedule

For your reference and viewing pleasure, Kerri is back with her annual tradition of taking the SEC Helmet Schedule and maximizing it to its full potential. If you approve, make sure and embiggen, click, save, and most of all, give @ugakerri a follow!

Volition, The Georgia Way

Pretty cool video. I couldn't help but be somewhat amused by the looks on the freshmen faces as they had only been on campus a matter of days when the Navy SEAL veterans took over summer camp. But aside from that mild amusement I'm glad this team got this experience.

US Navy SEALs Help Teach Football Team

Coach Venables' kryptonite?

Relating (albeit loosely) the Clemson defensive coordinator to a superhero may be a stretch. But the guy knows a thing or two about stopping offenses in their tracks, especially on the ground.

Enter Todd Damn Gurley.

In Death Valley last August Gurley amassed 154 yards, and did it in only 12 carries. That was good for seven yards more per carry than what he averaged the rest of the season. The rest of the Georgia running backs carried it 29 times for 68 yards.

So perhaps I should relate Gurley to the Man of Steel and hope that Venables hasn't tapped into ore deposits from the planet Krypton the last few months. Because I wonder how many times this replay has been rewound and restarted in the Clemson defensive coordinator's head?

Bubba Gurley

He may not qualify for the 2015 Masters Tournament, but it doesn't take long for the nation's best running back to learn the old golfing motto - You drive for show and you putt for dough.

Gurley took up the sport in May at the recommendation of Bulldogs kicker Marshall Morgan and punter Collin Barber, both avid golfers. He’s just as blunt in his critique of his early trips to the driving range. “I sucked pretty bad,” Gurley said.

But Gurley is much improved now after visiting the range two to three times a week this summer. So far, his greatest golf accomplishment is making a birdie. He’s also figured out one of his strengths: putting. “That’s where the money’s at,” Gurley said with a laugh.

And a former UGA golfer can show you how to spend some of it too.