MISSING - 11 JUNKYARD DAWGS

"You go into a football game and you’re trying to make an offense be one-dimensional. The offenses are so good now, there’s different variations of spread, and they’re different than some others. But if you do a good job as far as trying to make them one-dimensional, now you’ve got to gear in and do a better job in pass coverage, putting more pressure on the quarterback in the passing game and execute and make plays." - Willie Martinez - September 23, 2009

Arizona St. brings the #1 ranked defense in America to Athens Saturday night......no, ..really, ...they do. Not only that, they rank 5th nationally in scoring defense, 2nd in pass defense and 11th in rush defense. Add to that their #1 ranking in turnover ratio and it becomes pretty obvious that they haven't played anybody.. If your a Idaho St. or La. Monroe supporter....I apologize wholeheartedly.

From an offensive perspective, they are right smack dab in the middle of the rankings in most categories. They are ranked 9th in scoring offense, ....but in all honesty, they should be. I don't see a player on the offense that stands out as being a play maker nor can I find one statistically. The thing that does worry me is the recent performance of the Georgia defense and our propensity to give the ball away at any time. As for Georgia's love affair with yellow flags...A.S.U. ranks only two spots behind the Dogs. The Devils average 10 penalties and 94 yards per game.

On special teams, 2007 Lou Groza award winner Thomas Weber, will not play again after missing last weeks game with a hip pointer. Did I mention that A.S.U. is also #1 in the nation with a kick off return average of 50.5 yards per attempt? Let's hope Georgia's special teams win the field position battle this week with solid returns, ball security and disciplined execution in kick coverage.

Stats can be deceiving and theirs are probably not indicative of their true capabilities. What they are indicative of is the quality of the competition they have played so far. This game with Georgia has been the focus for the Devils since their spring game. I think it's safe to assume Georgia will get their best effort. Georgia, on the other hand, has #7 LSU looming next week in what will likely be a litmus test for the Dogs as legitimate contenders in the SEC.

After starting off lethargically in Stillwater, the Georgia offense has improved steadily each week. Against Arkansas, Georgia produced it's longest drive since 1998 against Florida. The 7:11, 10 play 75 yard masterpiece resulted in a touchdown and gave the defense a much needed rest and time to gather themselves. Georgia also had two more long drives of 80 and 85 yards against Arkansas. Joe and the offense need to continue to hold the ball, work the clock and score TD's instead of FG's.

The defense has gone in the exact opposite direction of the offense. After looking physically dominant and disciplined in Stillwater, they have digressed to the point of being the worst defense in the SEC......statistically speaking. The schedules of some of our SEC brethren probably has a very real influence on the rankings, but the on field performance of Georgia's defense is about all one needs to see to assess our place among the conference's best defenses. Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. At this point, I see no reason to believe that we can stop any team consistently, much less Florida and LSWho. The defense is, for the most part, made up of upperclassmen that have played in the system for their entire careers at UGa. Let's scratch inexperience off the list of excuses. Here's why......

• Geno Atkins - 23 starts - 21 consecutive starts
• Jeff Owens - 29 starts - 3 consecutive
• Rennie Curran - 21 starts - 20 consecutive
• Prince Miller - 21 starts - 12 consecutive
• Reshad Jones - 17 starts - 12 consecutive
• Bryan Evans - 14 starts - 3 consecutive
• Darryl Gamble - 9 starts - 3 consecutive

That's a pretty significant amount of experience spread throughout the defense. Dobbs, Houston and Boykin all got playing time last year as did Dent and Dewberry. I hope the solution is as simple as avoiding turnovers and penalties like some seem to think. I'll be watching and hoping I am wrong, ....but from where I sit......the root of our defensive struggles have to do with game plan preparation, in game adjustments, and a lack of accountability for those that have moments of being "scatterbrained".

Win, lose or draw I'll still be yelling "GO DAWGS!".......it's how I roll.

IN DEFENSE OF THE DEFENSE

          My man Willie has managed to draw the wrath of the entire Bulldog Nation once again. After watching   the last three games it's understandable why most people would like to see him run out of town.  The facts speak for themselves and I won't go into the details of our constant and never ending defensive decline over the course of Willie's tenure as defensive coordinator at UGa. I woke up Sunday morning and couldn't stop trying to make sense of the last two games in terms of turnovers, blown assignments, and just sheer ineptness.

           What if Branden Boykin hadn't caused Prince Miller to fumble that punt after the defense had stopped Arkansas cold on their first possession. What if A.J. Green hadn't fumbled on Georgia's 26 on the second play from scrimmage..The defense had just stopped Carolina after giving up only 11 yards and looked good doing it. What if Carlton Thomas hadn't fumbled on the Georgia 23 with over 2 minutes left till halftime in a close game that was a 7-7 tie?

 TURNOVERS BY GAME AND POINTS OFF

• Oklahoma St. - 3 turnovers that resulted in 17 points.

• South Carolina - 3 turnovers and a safety that resulted in 19 points.

• Arkansas - 3 turnovers that resulted in 14 points.

  
         Of the 102 points Georgia has given up, 50 of those were the result of turnovers and a bad long snap for a safety. Most were of the sudden change variety deep inside Georgia territory. Sudden change turnovers early in a game are frustrating and can cause a major swing in momentum. I'm willing to consider that it might not be as bad as it looks from a perspective of points allowed. Ball security is as big of an issue right now as anything Willie is doing or not doing. If you just have to have Willie's head to get over the pain of giving up crazy point totals over the last 11 or 12 games........ I understand. It's not gonna happen anytime before January if it happens at all.

        The penalty bug has proven to be a huge problem...again .There are only two teams in America more penalized than Georgia. We lose an average of 86 yards a game and 11 flags.....that seems to indicate our flags aren't of the 5 yard variety. Penalties either give the opposing team yards that prolongs drives or take yards away from us......neither is conducive to getting the defense off the field. Concentration and discipline are usually the culprit......that's a coaching issue that can be fixed.

        Willie's defense has been very good on their first series and haven't given up an opening drive score yet. Georgia's opponents are 15 out of 46 on third downs. That's a 32.6% conversion rate against three decent BCS teams. Therefore, logic dictates the problem has to be the other two downs. Georgia gives up an astounding 5.7 yards per play on average. Compare that to Alabama's 3.3, Tennessee's 3.5 and Florida's 3.6 and come up with your own conclusions.....is it scheme or lack of execution? I'm thinking Willie's scheme is probably never going to get his defense's to the top of most statistical categories except one.....points scored. The cover 2 scheme can be very effective in the red zone when players understand their responsibilities and execute. I am of the opinion that Georgia does not have it's best players in the defensive backfield. Run/pass recognition, reading play action correctly and never, ever letting anything get behind you are what all great safeties do in the cover 2. In my opinion it's our biggest weakness outside of getting pressure off the edge. I can live with the mistakes of Boykin and Smith and just chalk it up to experience. The scheme is not flawed it simply lacks the right players at certain key positions. That Cornwallis Washington is looking very good and has the motor to go with his desire. I think the scheme will work and Willie will survive the early season learning curve.

        I find the total number of plays against Georgia to be kind of a surprise In three of Georgia's games, opposing offenses have run a total of 214 offensive plays. Considering that Florida has allowed 205 plays and Alabama 218, it's seems it's not the amount of plays that are causing the outrageous scores and yardage we give up like some have suggested lately. In my humble opinion, the defense has gotten predictable.....the same stunts, the same blitzes and the same soft underneath zone that is full of holes that only opposing receivers can find. I can see it, you can see it and I'm sure Dennis Erickson sees it. I think he lacks the talent to exploit the Georgia defense in the same way that Carolina and Arkansas did. We will see soon enough. The 4th quarter of the Arkansas game gives me hope for the future. Willie actually made some pretty good adjustments that were executed pretty well by a bunch of worn out Dogs whose heart can't be questioned.

          I like this team a lot. They are just what Coach Richt said they were......united behind a common leader, passionate, young, and talented. They play as a team and leave it all on the field. It ain't all Willie's fault Dog fans and these young Dogs will continue to get better every week. We are undefeated in the SEC and still have a shot at getting to Atlanta.

 Hunker Down and enjoy the ride.

 GO DAWGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

.

WE STILL WON.......but,

"We've got to do a lot of things better," Richt said. "We really need to stop turning the ball over and putting our defense in a bad spot."



THE BRIGHT SIDE.......

1. Joe can throw all the passes we need him to. He displayed great poise and leadership and I saw last night what his team mates have always known. Give that Dawg a bone and rank him 12th in passing efficiency in the nation. Well done Joe!


2. A.J. is even better than last year. Michael Moore is quietly doing an excellent job. Orson Charles is a very special athlete. Georgia has an excellent core of young receivers with speed and talent.


3. Georgia's running backs are on the verge of becoming what Georgia needs them to be. Richard and Caleb both made some really good blocks last night.


4. I'm not quite sure if I was expecting too much, but is the offensive line a little less than what the Bulldog Nation was thinking they could be? They do a good job, but I just don't see the level of precision that matches the level of experience. With that said, there has been a steadily increasing improvement since week 1 in the O-line as a whole. Good enough in fact, to average 34.3 points per game against decent competition.

THE DARK SIDE.......



As of this morning......

1. Georgia ranks 116th out of 120 in turnover ratio.


2. Georgia ranks 108th in points per game giving up an unacceptable 34 points per game.


3. Georgia ranks 112th in passing yards per game giving up 285 yards per game.


4. Georgia ranks 97th in total defense giving up 406 yards per game.

These are indeed dark days for those of us that remember when Georgia's success was predicated by a physical defense that was fundamentally sound. It is not a question of talent....I have eyes, these guys can play. It is not a question of having the desire to win.....these guys play their hearts out even when exhausted. If it isn't lack of desire and it isn't lack of talent......then what can it be?



Youth and inexperience maybe? I dunno.......whatcha think?



GO DOGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!

HEART AND SOUL

Can I just say I'm happy we won and let it go at that? Really, I just haven't digested the whole experience yet. I'll just make a list of things that excited me and things that left me scratching my head.



Good Things .......

1)Rennie Curran. 15 tackles and a game saving pass deflection. He is always exactly where he needs to be. Rennie is the unquestionable leader of the defense. I can't count the times he was making his rounds up and down the sideline keeping his troops in the game. Rennie has, without a doubt, become my favorite linebacker in the history of Georgia Football. He really is a Damn Good Dog.

2)Richard Samuel. I can't remember a Georgia running back that hits the hole as hard or dishes out more punishment than Double Deuce. I don't know why he doesn't get 25 or 30 carries a game. It appeared to me he was getting stronger and stronger the longer the game went on. He is going to be the real deal and appeared to be on the verge of breaking a long one.

3)Cordy Glenn......dude is just nasty in a Max Jean Gilles kinda way. He stays on his blocks and is constantly looking for someone to beat up on. I like your style Big Cordy....G.A.T.A.

4)Blair Walsh. My man can flat out kick the shit out of a football. He might not be able to get the loft of A 9 iron with a 7 iron consistently, but he can whack a fairway wood right down the middle pretty much every time.


Not so good things........

1)Special teams miscues. We need to spend a little time on special teams. They are erratic at best. The highs are very high and the lows are really low. It's causing me to age needlessly.

2)Hydration. Where's the water girl this year? Two games and we still are sending people in for IV's during the game. Pre game hydration therapy might need to be a priority....or, maybe I don't know as much as I think I do.

3)Freakin Hamstrings.....what's the deal with this? 4)Why were people leaving early and why were others sitting down when the game was on the line. I mean really ......WTF.

5)How can a 6'6" 280lb tight end be open on every play. Okay then. I am hoarse and I can't talk, I have a severe hangover and I am going back to bed now. It's a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog. I want to watch the replay of this game on tv and see if I saw what I think I saw.

IT GOES BOTH WAYS

This is not just any Saturday. This Saturday is about redemption and pride. This Saturday is about heart and soul. No, I'm not talking about the team....I'm talking about the Bulldog Nation. Tonight, 92,746 members of the Bulldog Nation will gather and expect nothing less than a 100% effort from the players and coaches. They will expect them to give everything they have and leave it all on the field......and yet, I can't count the times I've seen the fans sitting down and doing nothing when victory was still within our grasp. I can't count the bullshit sky is falling post I've read since last Saturday. As my bwoi Bernie says so eloquently....."If you ain't got it...I kindly ask that you not bring it. Cuz it's Saturday night in Athens."

Get your asses up and make some noise tonight people. Leave it all in the stands. Be so hoarse when you wake up Sunday morning that you have to use sign language. And when you give it all and have nothing left...ask yourself if you could have done more to help the men wearing the "G". If your one of those type fans...chances are I won't be reading your negative drivel in a blog anyway. Being a Dog fan transcends wins and losses. Even at 0-10, I'll be there barking, waving my towel and yelling...

GO DAWGS, SIC'EM, WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!.

It's time to tee it up between the hedges.

A REALITY CHECK

I purposely waited until after the first game to start my season of pontificating. I didn't really think Georgia could win on the road at Oklahoma St., but in hindsight, they actually could have. It appears that the Bulldog Nation bought into the lies they told themselves all summer. Did y'all not watch the spring game? Common sense dictated(at least to me) that Georgia was going to need to find a new offensive philosophy and identity. Well, guess what.....I was right. Now all week long I have read that the Georgia program is on the decline and the glory days are over. Fire Coach Richt and his whole staff and let's get started rebuilding. Kiss my ass you bandwagon riding morons. Put your nerd gear back on and watch your filthy mouths when you talk about my Dogs. Joe Cox....I love you man. Richard Samuel.....your going to be a bad man when you learn to carry the weight of the entire Bulldog Nation and the football too. At this very moment, I wouldn't trade either one of you. And to my entire defense....WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!....you Got After That Ass boys and never quit...that's the Georgia Way and I salute you.

On with the business at hand. Georgia is undefeated in the SEC folks and that's all that matters right now. Saturday night between the hedges the evil genius comes calling with a nasty defense and his old grudge still intact. I expect Georgia to be a little bit better this week on offense and a little deeper on defense. Both of those things make me feel really good about our chances.

South Carolina has to establish the run against a much improved Georgia defense that is fast, physical and very experienced. I expect Georgia to do what is needed to make Garcia beat them with his arm. Personally and realistically....I don't think he can. Georgia's linebackers and defensive backs are head and shoulders above what he saw last week.

Georgia's experienced and talented offensive line will be the key to a Georgia victory. They need to play a lot more physical and stay on their blocks longer to open holes against a very good Gamecock defense. Georgia has to do a much better job of getting A.J. Green involved in the offense and putting the screen pass back into the game plan. We also need one of our young tight ends to step up and work the middle of the field. I think we can do this, I think we will do this and I think Georgia wins this game 27-6.

GO DOGS, SIC 'EM, WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!