By the way, spring practice starts tomorrow. Amidst all the usual optimism you get on this occasion, there are a couple of quotes from Mark Richt worth your attention.
First, this on the running back situation:
Georgia signed Isaiah Crowell from Carver Columbus High School to bolster a running game that finished 10th in the SEC last year.
Crowell could be the starter from the get-go for the Bulldogs, but he won’t arrive on campus for a few months.
That gives Washaun Ealey and Caleb King along with Ken Malcome and Carlton Thomas time to make their move in the next 15 practices.
“I just want to see them compete,” Richt said. “I want to see them prove they can hold off the young pup coming in.”
Not very subtle there, is he. I don’t remember a similar warning to the wide receivers when A. J. Green was coming in. Either Richt is very confident about Crowell’s ability to step in and succeed immediately in the SEC as a true freshman, or he’s looking for a way to light a fire under his returning backs’ asses to get one of them to step up.
And in case you’re wondering if Richt is approaching this season with an appropriate level of focus, here’s your answer.
… What is certain is that the Bulldogs will not be allowed to ease into a 2011 season that opens in Atlanta against Boise State.
“That is absolutely a motivating factor every time we go into the weight room,” Richt said. “It will be a motivating factor in the spring and all summer long. It’s a motivating factor for me. I’m studying their film before spring even starts.” [Emphasis added.]
Get The Picture 
Senator, I hope that attitude permeates the entire team from Richt down through the team all the way to the equipment managers. We will have better talent than BSU across the board except at QB where our guy is just less experienced. We need to show up in the Dome with a bad attitude and a chip on our shoulder (sort of like ’05). If we do that, I like our chances. I hope the coaching staff isn’t just looking at film on BSU but starting game planning for everyone we face this fall.
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Here’s hoping every national commentator picks Boise to win big and the chip on the team’s shoulder is huge.
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I believe Richt is really trying to light the fire under Ealey, King, etc. by all the Crowell talk more than he thinks Crowell will come in and get the job. Richt knows most freshman RBs aren’t much for blocking and many times can be fumble prone. He’s using Crowell as the gasoline for the fire.
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G.A.T.A.
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It is hard to believe Richt has changed his persona this dramatically, my suspicion is he is just more open with the media.
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Maybe so. But as I said before, a losing season in Athens can have a wonderful effect on focusing the mind.
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Respectfully, what evidence do you have to back up that statement? Ray Goff?
I truly hope you’re right though.
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I said “can” and was only referring to Richt.
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I don’t know, I think he’s got more time to focus on football now. I think we had him doing a bunch of stuff he didn’t need to be doing because we were too lazy to help the guy out or just too cheap to hire him good help to do it.
I think he’s getting to be a football coach again. And I think he might still be a pretty good one.
Football is so cyclical and crazy. By the end of the year, we could be either a hot mess or one of the most stable organizations around. Who knows about Muschamp at Florida? Miles will have the weight of the world on his shoulders. We all know Spurrier has maybe 2 years or so left (i.e., the rest of Lattimore’s career). Auburn cheats and they are going to implode from a talent deficit and sick schedule this year. Saban is…well…Saban. Tressel’s in deep stuff in Columbus.
We’ve got a good guy. Not a Tressel. And he’s very hungry to win games again. And he’s recruited and recruiting the talent to do it and he’s made massive changes in his program in the last 2 years to try and make it happen. I think he’s going to spend 2011 coaching as a big “i told you so” to the rest of the SEC and his critics. He’ll never say it, but he has to feel it.
He won’t be nearly as surprised by our 2-0 start as the AJC will.
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I hope your right sugar
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Me too, brother.
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Me three.
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I’m studying their film before spring even starts.” [Emphasis added.]
You damn well better be coach.
You can bet Boise State started game-planning for us the day the game was scheduled.
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Not only Boise state , but USCe, UF, GT, & possibly Tenn. will go into spring practice planning for their game with the DAWGS.
Great that we are so important to so many head coaches.
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With Muschamp installing a new offense and a new defense this spring, I doubt Florida has much time to game plan for any school yet.
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I know this is crazy, but if I had to pick – a W against BSU or a W against Florida – right now I’m picking the W against BSU.
This is not to diminish how badly and desperately I want a W against Florida. It is just how big I think this game is for us and our national reputation.
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Still think Muschamp, Dooley, Spurrier, & Johnson will look at the Dawgs as the one game that they would most like to win. I would if I were one of them.
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Loving the change in attitude. This is going to be an exciting year!
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I think UGA will win the SEC East in 2011. If you go by pythag records (which are several times better as predictors of subsequent season W-L records) we basically finished in a 3-way tie in the East. On the whole UGA 2010 was significantly better than 2009 UGA just not as lucky in the small sample sizes that are CFB seasons, where slight changes in uncontrollable bounces and timing can change records by several games.
That said, the game is a complete farce right now. If UGA wins, great. And we’ll be able to say the school did it the right way. But I’m not going to give the sport itself any credit by heavily celebrating victories within it. I’d love to be able to and hopefully will be able to do so again someday, but I’m not going to deny the very obvious problems it has until the people who run the game are ready to fix those problems. Same approach I and many others took with regard to MLB in the latter years of the steroids debacle. (It’s so great to have that game back again, and I hope we’ll get CFB back someday as well.)
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Texas Dawg, my sympathies! You appear to be taking on the problems of the world…race, the “decline” of major sports, etc….when you get up in the morning perhaps a short prayer to get started…of course, you may have given up on religion, too. Gee, it’s just depressing to read your comments…and are you really in Texas? As a former Texan (and I know, that’s like saying former Marine!) I always found just being in the state was an upper. Buck up, old fellow, try a glass half full!!
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Glass half full sounds good to me Olddawg. As one old Dawg to another, you buying?
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“I don’t remember a similar warning to the wide recievers when A J Green was coming in.” Senator, exactly what had Mo-Mass, Durham, and the rest done that required a warning?
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Georgia’s leading receiver in 2007 had 39 catches – and he graduated. No receiver returning had more than four TD catches.
You see any formidable stats on that list for the returning receivers? It looks like a fairly undistinguished bunch to me.
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You are correct Sir. However, Durham and Mo-Mass always played to the best of their abilities, both maintained 3.0 or better averages and I don’t remember either of them being arrested or suspended. Possibly Richt’s warning has as much to do with what went on off field with King and Ealey as their work on the field, and, quite frankly, I don’t think King or Ealey has put forth their maximum effort yet on the field.
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