March 13, 2011 · 8:52 AM

“Right now, we’re all competing.”

If Mark Richt is trying to use Isaiah Crowell’s arrival in the fall as a way to light a fire under the asses of Caleb King and Washaun Ealey in the spring, it sounds like that’s working.

27 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

27 responses to ““Right now, we’re all competing.””

  1. Wallace
    March 13, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    This is a gimmick. If Richt is actually stupid enough to put Crowell back there without knowing how to passblock, and Murray gets injured by one of Crowell’s missed blocking assignment, then Richt deserves to be fired. Ealey & King are both outstanding backs that averagedover 5 ypc, they just don’t run the ball enough times compared ot other SEC teams.

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    • CDawg
      March 13, 2011 at 9:30 AM

      I don’t know if it’ a gimmick as much as an ultimatum, and probably a very good coaching move either way.

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    • Griff
      March 13, 2011 at 9:31 AM

      Really Wallace? I seem to recall Ealey missing a pretty crucial block in the Arkansas game. If coaches were fired because players missed their assignments we wouldn’t have coaches! Get real man, the best players need to play…If that is Ealey great! If that is King great! If that is Crowell, well then that’s great too!

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    • Turd Ferguson
      March 13, 2011 at 10:12 AM

      Crowell could not possibly be that much worse than King and Ealey at pass blocking. Those two missed as many blocks as they picked up.

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      • baltimore dawg
        March 13, 2011 at 11:40 AM

        i have to disagree about king. he’s come a long way from the whiff on 2nd-and-2 in the red zone against uf in 08 that got stafford nailed (and our opening drive stymied). i have clear recollections of king laying down some ferocious blocks the last two years. he’s missed some too, but he’s light years ahead of ealey in blocking.

        but i completely agree that increased heat under everyone’s ass in butts-mehre is a very good thing.

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    • Doug
      March 13, 2011 at 10:31 AM

      I’ve been as critical of Richt’s coaching performance over the last two seasons as anyone, but this seems like a classic example of how some people just won’t give him any credit no matter what he does. Just a couple seasons ago we had people tearing their hair out at the roots over Richt wasting one of Knowshon Moreno’s years on a redshirt, and now we’ve got someone outraged that Richt would even consider putting a freshman on the field at RB. Someone check Wallace’s IP address and see if it’s not Mark May posting under a pseudonym.

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    • MT
      March 13, 2011 at 11:51 AM

      Pass block? Don’t we have a 275 lb senior fullback (Figgins) in the backfield this year?

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    • Mayor of Dawgtown
      March 13, 2011 at 11:20 PM

      I guess Spurrier should have held out Lattimore last season for that reason.

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    • Mayor of Dawgtown
      March 13, 2011 at 11:24 PM

      I also guess Dooley should have held out Herschel Walker.

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      • gernblanski
        March 14, 2011 at 11:12 AM

        We only threw the ball like 8 times a game back then anyway, so pass blocking was not an important.

        By the end of his career though, Herschel was a devastating pass protector too – just ask Dan Benish of Clemson.

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        • Mayor of Dawgtown
          March 14, 2011 at 9:03 PM

          I would think that Herschel would have been a devastating pass blocker at the beginning of his career, too.

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  2. dawg fan
    March 13, 2011 at 9:19 AM

    Steve Spurrier was stupid enough to put the Freshman RB in the back field last year and made it to the S E C championship game. UGA needs to play the best talent available at every position

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  3. Macallanlover
    March 13, 2011 at 10:31 AM

    Gimmick? The concern would be if CMR didn’t say everyone should bring their best because the playing time will be earned between the 5 RBs we will have this fall. I don’t care which one prevails but we some have had their chance and didn’t rise to the occasion on, or off, the field. I have had it with suspensions for childish behavior, fumbles at crucial times, missed blocks, dropped passes, and running off at the mouth.

    If the current group doesn’t step their game up, I surehope Crowell is able to deliver like many think. Crowell will play some, how much I couldn’t even guess, but I would be surprised if he starts against Boise; just too big of a step, that soon, from where he has played. Richt is handling this fine, he finally has enough RB depth that 2-3 of this group will perform (and act) like we expect from UGA players. Throwing everyone into a pit and seeing who rises to the top is what should be done. Now about that OL………

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  4. 69Dawg
    March 13, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    If the OL can block anybody can play RB. Look at Samuel’s 80 year run against Arky his freshman year. Great backs make yards when the blocking is not there.

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  5. Will Trane
    March 13, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    If you are on the roster that is where you start this spring based on Coach Grantham’s comment. There is no 2 deep roster or position at this time, and will not be one until days before Boise State. Never in the history of UGA RBs have two played as poorly as Ealey and King. King is never there to practice, get in the game plan, or play on Saturday. He is hurt or suspended. Anybody can have a nice looking yards per carry. It is how productive you are. And Ealey, other than not being able to hold to the ball, he has trouble getting in the running lane. How slow are those two in getting out of their stance and in full gear at the line of scrimmage. Pass blocking…well they have yet to arrive on that. That is one reason Figgins will sit in the back field.
    Crowell is the real deal. If I was on campus, I’d be lighting it everyday, on and off the field. After all where have these two guys been last year.
    Grantham’s comments are serious words for guys on campus. No more finish the drill, it all get here done.
    Good to have this Sunday pm off after working everyday since Jan 2.

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  6. lrgk9
    March 13, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    ‘These Other Guys’

    I love it. Grantham is wearing off on Richt.

    Now – let’s transfer that kind of thinking to the performance of the coaching staff!

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  7. TennesseeDawg
    March 13, 2011 at 12:11 PM

    Interested to see what we have in Malcome.

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    • Dax
      March 13, 2011 at 8:52 PM

      Me too TennDawg. I don’t know why we aren’t hearing his name in the discussion. I’m kind of pulling for him like he’s the underdog for the starting job, but at the end of the day I want whoever is the best whether it’s Malcome or one of the other guys.

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  8. Hogbody Spradlin
    March 13, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    Fish gotta swim and coaches gotta force players to work harder. Sounds like Mark Richt is learning the art of motivation by manipulation.

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  9. shane#1
    March 13, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    Block smock, if the kid can run give him the ball untill they stop him. Murray is not Joe Cox, he can roll out away from pressure and is a pretty fair runner himself. Hit a short out or TE over the middle to keep’em honest and run the damn ball. Speaking of TE’s, line up with two of them and Figgins in the backfield and Crowell shouldn’t have to block.

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  10. 2011-dawgtrain
    March 13, 2011 at 7:21 PM

    even money says caleb will be coach Richt’s “steve thomas”.can crowell be any worse than ealey, lumpkin ?

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  11. Bulldog Joe
    March 14, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Good.

    Let’s see a lot of ones vs. ones this spring and summer and see who can beat the best on both sides of the ball.

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