I’m probably being a jerk for pointing this out, but, after reading Hale’s article and blog post about the new attitude imbuing the program this year, all the mentoring going on and the emphasis on hard work and extra work, my first thought was, that’s nice, but where was this last year when you needed it?
Along those lines, check out something Carlton Thomas said.
… We’re getting in there to watch film, and that’s something we really didn’t do a lot of before. A lot of units are even coming in in the mornings to watch film.
Feel free to slam me in the comments.
Get The Picture 
No slam here.
These things should have been happening last year.
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well, does he mean “we” as in, the freshmen? or we as in the team? Cause I think there’s a difference there.
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It is the same feeling I have when I hear the current players make comments about having leadership this year. Doesn’t this implicate last year’s seniors and star players?
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this just gets back to something I saw awhile back. We may have needed the collapse of last year to keep future teams focused. Not saying you’re wrong at all Senator, but I’m not sure CMR and staff could properly address and overcome the hype that overcame the Georgia team last year. Next time those expectations come along, they’ll know better how to handle it, I believe.
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I just worry that we keep hear status quo answers. A parrot can talk. We will see the results in a month.
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I wish I would not pay attention to these types of summer stories, but it is hard. Every summer there is some story or theme of stories about how this year is different.
I understand the coaches need to keep the players motivated and play the pshycological game. I also understand these kids are young and the field of reference for UGA football is limited. I just always come away with the feeling that are pointing there fingers at the departed players.
Perhaps the “Searles rule” should be applied to the entire team prior to the season starting.
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Since all summer work is “voluntary” it would seem that the team must enforce any lack of effort. Last year I think we did lack senior leadership. We had a very few seniors and some of them were hurt. What was needed was a players only meeting after the Ala game and some a$$ kicking threats from some big seniors, if you screw up our senior season we will beat the living you know what out of you. 18-21 year olds react a lot better to peer pressure than to coaches. Searles can do what he does because OLineman are wired differently from the rest of the team. They are by the nature of their position relying on there teammates every play. D guys and O skill players sometimes think they can control the game on their own. This year the OL needs to be the enforcers and if somebody is not giving it 100% they need to have a meeting with him.
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I really don’t think it’s fair to keep comparing to last year. You learn from your mistakes and move on. I give the kids credit for trying to fix what went wrong last year.
Like somebody else wrote, we’ll see the results in a few weeks. Until then, what more can you ask for?
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The proof will be on the field starting in a few weeks. If we have a big win, will we come back and be focused? Will we learn from what happened after ASU last year?
There are lessons to be learned from last year, but the team has 12 “tests” before we can start handing out any grades.
When they stop talking about last year, that’s when I think they will have truly moved on from it.
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Not to argue semantics, but I would hardly say that we played a “let-down” game after ASU last year. As I sat there baking in the desert heat, a fellow UGA fan and I sat discussing how poorly we were playing against a vastly outclassed opponent.
I thought after that game that we would be an 8-4 team. We just simply were not that good. To somehow try and pin the Alabama abomination on a let-down post-ASU is a little silly.
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Who cares about 2008. It’s so 200-late.
Yeah, I went there.
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Last word from me on last year as it pertains to this year.
I think the point is that players the younger players looked to for leadership were absent in those players. This year the players who should step up are and not only are they stepping up, they are training (mentoring) and teaching the up and coming players on how to do it right.
That is good news about watching film on their own, as they are limited during the season to 20 hours.
No slam here, your comments are on point.
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DUH!
The second sentence should read: “the younger players looked to the senior players for leadership and found it absent”.
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I’m just glad that such a rudderless season still squeezed out 10 wins. Nevertheless, I am still immensely relieved to hear that so many asses appear to have had large bonfires lit under them.
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Perversely, that’s a cause for optimism for ’09. There’s a lot of talent on this team; it just needs to get focused.
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I am a jerk as well, and naive. I believe they are saying what they feel and I will take them at their word. Why must we always pick apart everything someone says, and look for other meanings?
I’ll just be fat, dumb, and happy to watch the Dawgs.
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Thanks for the links, Senator.
FWIW, I don’t think this is a lot of idle talk from the players. It’s not just a “we’re trying harder, going back to basics, regaining our edge” type of talk. It’s quantifiable. They are spending more time in the film room, more time in the weight room and more time on the practice field than they did last year.
In fact, when I finished doing interviews for this story on Wednesday, I ended up getting blown off by several players because they decided to stay on the field and do pass drills on a day they weren’t originally scheduled to do them.
Now, why things are so different this year (or more to the point, why they weren’t this good last year) is up for debate, but I’ve definitely been told off the record that voluntary workouts were treated as such in 08, and are being taken much more seriously in 09.
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Thanks David,
And THIS reason you cite, more than any is my reason for optimism.
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Thanks for saying that, David.
First and foremost let me say that I don’t mind Sen. Blutarsky asking what he asked because as the saying goes, if you don’t remember your mistakes you’re bound to repeat them.
On the other hand, what answer to that question is good enough anyway….really none I can think of. I’m more interested in hearing what’s the team doing about it this year, and that last year’s lesson won’t need to be repeated!
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I think the film comment is being blown way out of proportion. I don’t think anyone was blowing off watching film during the season or when it wasn’t considered voluntary. I do think that just from what I’ve seen to date and talking to the players on Saturday that this team is really motivated and they feel that they have something to prove.
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