they had a good practice up in Athens yesterday, where, according to Richt, the players “got after it”.
I just wish the coaches would stop talking to the press sometimes, though. There’s too much of a risk that I’ll want to bang my head against the wall after reading some of it. Here’s a quote from Tony Ball:
“I think what you saw today was the result of most of us being gone this week,” Ball said. “Guys are still not doing the little things. It’s creating an environment of what it takes to be a major college player. The environment that we expect and that you have to have to compete in this conference. That’s what you saw, and that’s the way it should be. Some of these guys still don’t understand what it takes and you can’t expect them to know until we show them.” [Emphasis added.]
Nice of the coaches to get around to showing them, I guess.
At this point, I’m not sure what would be more frustrating to see in the bowl game – the same old stuff that’s plagued this team all season, or a marked improvement.
Get The Picture 
I think it would be nice to finally see the team play an entire game with max effort, intelligent play and a desire to overcome adversity.
That would at least signal that this season was an anomaly and that some of the childishness that plagued us this season will be overcome next year. I would really like for Staff to go ahead and make his decision so that Cox could play a lot.
It will be so refreshing to have a college QB leading us next year, answering questions about how excited he is for his opportunity, how it is all he has ever dreamed of, rather than rampant weekly speculation about being the #1 pick.
This team was eerily similar to CMR’s first team. Charles Grant embodied that team by not playing at all until the AU game, when he knew it was time to show up for the scouts.
CMR had managed, since then, to get the players to put their selfish expectations away and unite to try and win championships. Unfortunately, with nobody like Pollack, Greene, Sean Jones or Shockley to lead, the inmates began running the asylum again this year.
2009 is make or break for CMR. The SEC got a lot easier last week with Tubs leaving. We should only have 2 or 3 real tests next year and should be a better overall team, with the obvious exceptions of Moreno, Stafford (will we really miss him?) and MoMass.
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“Stafford (will we really miss him?)…”
To put it simply, yes.
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Well at least Tony Ball seems to have figured it out.
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Yes, at the end of the season and right before he leaves for Chattanooga. Perfect.
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I’m not really sure what I want to see happen. I almost feel like we need to lose the bowl game bad too, just so it will be OBVIOUS to the coaches that they are not doing anything right and that the need to change now. I think that a good showing at the bowl game will just turn the heat down in the off-season and we will just see a 2008 repeat next year. I’m on the fence about people needing to be fired still, but I 100% agree that ole slick willie needs some help with that D. On the bright side we will probably be lucky to be a top 25 team next pre-season if we lose Staff and Moreno to the NFL…at least then any ranking we get next year will have been earnt instead of handed to the team like they were this year.
Also to add I still believe that the team should be doing 400 push-ups, up-downs, or something every practice from now til the Tech game next year…maybe then the Defense will remember what happens when you play a team that does nothing, but run the damn ball. Who knows maybe, just maybe the guys will actually get some endurance actually having to do something in practice besides go to the damn pool.
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Heard something interesting during Falcon’s pregame on the radio earlier. Rich Mckay says collective bargaining agreement does not change until 2011 and this panic move by college players to declare early is not wise(for many and obvious reasons). Suppose this will affect Stafford? Not Moreno I think as he gains not a whole lot by staying. We could certainly use them both. I well remember the maturity of one David Green as a senior and can only dream of what that could mean to Staf with AJ Green on the field.
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Greene was more mature as a FR. than Stafford was this year. Do you honestly expect Stafford to suddenly quit making the litany of idiotic throws that have become his trademark?
I do not think we gain anything by having him back, as Cox will likely be much more efficient and a better “college” QB. Losing Knowshon hurts, as it does not appear that we have another D1 RB on our roster.
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Seriously? Georgia has the 16th-ranked passing offense in D-IA, Stafford has a 150-something passer rating, and people are actually grousing about whether they want him back next year?
Stafford has been a beast this year, and the one truly horrendous game he had (Florida) happened because being the one person left on the field who gave a shit about winning caused him to make some desperate, ill-advised throws. If you want to make a list of the reasons why Georgia underperformed this year, you start with the defense, and you go way, way down the list (I’m talking triple digits) before Stafford’s name even gets mentioned.
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Thanks for the sanity, Doug. The Tech game would have been much, much worse but for one thing: Stafford-Massaquoi.
Instead of wondering whether having Stafford back for his senior year would do us any good, I say, “We should be so lucky.”
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Great comments Doug. I’m getting really sick of these “Dawg fans” that want to characterize Stafford as this guy that only cares about the NFL and is not a true Bulldog. It’s such a weak cop-out. Without Stafford we would have lost at least 3 other games this year, and wouldn’t have made the final score of Alabama respectable. Stafford is far down the line of the problems that plagued Georgia this year. Every QB makes bad throws every now and then. I’m guessing Joe from above doesn’t make any mistakes at work either. We are a worse team for Stafford leaving, not better.
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With all due respect, Joe, wouldn’t you like to see what Matt might accomplish with a healthy offensive line in front of him?
I know I would.
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The media created this “persona” of NFL Stafford by constantly talking about his draft position. It started before he took his first snap at UGA. You can blame Kiper for that one. I think Staff has improved each year under center, especially with the OL’s he’s had in front of him. I for one want Staff to come back for his Senior year. He needs, at the very least, an SEC Title. He’s not a Leinart that is going to lose his starting job to a 42 year old man. Staff has actually played against good defenses.
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Joe, is YOUR last name Cox? Geez, step away from the keyboard and take some deep breaths.
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I have to hear my roommate talking about how much he hates Stafford during every game, and for the life of me I can’t understand why. The kid has won many more games for us than he’s lost, and he’s won a helluva lot more games than Joe Cox (all due respect and deference for Colorado ’06) could have. ‘Nuff said. He’s a gamer, he’s a beast and he’s a damn good Dawg. Here’s hoping he stays…because Logan and Cox (and Murray and Mettenberger if you want) together won’t make up for what we’d lose.
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Me?
I am pulling for marked improvement in the bowl game….a new year and a new time for leadership from our upperclassmen.
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Matthew plays hurt. Gets down field and blocks for his running back and his passer rating is higher this season than Greene’s ever was. He’s completing passes at a higher pct. than Greene this year and with a far greater yards per attempt.
And as Sen. says, doing it all with a very “green” and injury plagued offensive line.
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I’m definately not on the “Stafford must go” train.
The kid is going to be a top 5 draft pick–as a junior.
Why on Earth would you want him to leave?
He’s got all the talent you want in a QB. He can make all of the throws you need in the NFL–and even makes the tough ones that scare you. He won a Sugar Bowl as a sophomore.
He’s 20-5 in the past two season. So is Tim Tebow.
He may not be on the same “motivational make-up” as the GPOOE, but he’s a winner.
Sure, he makes some bone-headed throws that turn into INTs for 6 –like the ’06 and ’07 Florida games, the 2008 Georgia Tech game, and any game he played against Tennessee.
The guy’s got heart. He just doesn’t show it like the GPOOE. And, I like it that way.
Senator, you hit the nail on the head. The young OLs Stafford has played behind hurts him a lot. He doesn’t get to set his feet the way Bradford, Harrell, and John Parker Wilson do–which leads to those silly INTs.
Give me a player that takes a blow to the chin like Stafford does and gets back up.
You can keep the kid that cries after a loss.
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