Believe me, after doing this blogging thing for almost six years, I get that folks’ frustration levels right now are running high. However, that’s no excuse for personal insults in the comments. Aside from the fact that it’s kind of silly to be doing it anonymously towards somebody else who’s also commenting anonymously, it tends to turn off everyone who isn’t involved in the food fight. And if you’ve been here a while, you know that turning off fellow commenters is a big no-no in these parts.
Those of you who got your dander up yesterday (note that’s in the plural), think a little before you post something today. I’d prefer not to play Internet sheriff. Thanks.
Get The Picture 
WHATEVER DISNEY DAWG!!!
/kidding/
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Done….Sorry Senator 😦
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I think I gave Skeptic what for. Sorry. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
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Yeah, I guess a loss like that can bring out the worst in people. We have to always remember that the way we behave here is different than in most of the other blogs. One of the main reasons I come here (multiple times) everyday is the discourse, not discord. There are plenty of other places where people anonymously tell each other what idiots they are or even correct typos etc. We just don’t do that here. I am proud to be part of this ‘community’ where you can find insight, differences of opinion, and pretty good humor. Let’s not spoil it just because of a disappointing loss.
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+1
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As I said to His Mayorness, I am properly chagrinned at my contribution to the dumbassery…the minute I re-read some of that exchange with the young person from Carolina I felt foolish, although some of that stuff was pretty funny.
I really do think most of this fury comes from reading our own clippings.
In my more rational moments, I don’t see how a football team with like six operational offensive linemen, freshman at key spots in the kicking game, a defensive star playing hurt, a great young possession receiver lost, can realistically be mentioned in the same rational breath as a machine like Bama.
Now, having been through 1980-83, live and in person every week, do I want, do I hope to experience that again?
Yes I do, with every fiber of my aging being…I want to see that damn glass football in the hands of a Dawg one more time.
It is hilarious some of our fans don’t understand that Georgia, with all its resources can’t be Bama, that Mark Richt can’t be Nick Saban.
Folks we will never be Bama because institutionally we don’t want to be Bama and I don’t see any clear signs of that changing.
What we have to do, what I have to do is just be happy to be Georgia and all that implies, and if we fall short in the comparison to somebody else who plays from a different set of institutional priorities, well so be it, we are still Georgia and that’s a very good thing to be.
That great 1980 team was built over a period of two or three years, some of which were pretty hard to take, and that’s how Georgia football has always been….build a team, take your lumps during the process and hope for a miracle or two that third or fourth year.
That is Georgia football.
Now, will some a you guys please, just a little bit, help me worry about Kentucky like a good Dawg should.
If you think I am saying we should worry about everybody, that’s keen observation.
And please, this is a wonderful place to vent rationally, be impolite, be snarky whatever, but what I am gonna do is when I read something that really pisses me off is take a breath.
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I think a defense with three or four first-round draft picks and probably nine guys who will be drafted overall should be able to keep the team in the game when the young offensive line is being manhandled. And they certainly shouldn’t be in the bottom half of the SEC in most defensive categories.
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No argument there Biggus, I sure as hell don’t have any answers, but maybe South Carolina is just better than we want to believe…or at least they were that night…whether the Cocks really are that much better…well the proof of that is down the road.
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Part of the problem is South Carolina always gets psyched for their game with us. In many ways, Spurrier is their perfect coach because he has a similar, irrational itch.
Georgia, on the other hand, has never had strong feelings about SC, never regarded them as much. The passion and history is much more with Clemson, which, by the way, is another thing that infuriates SC fans–especially since it didn’t change when they joined the conference.
I lived in Columbia from 1981-1988 football seasons, and never understood why playing Georgia was such a big deal for them, easily as big as the Clemson game, even though they beat Georgia only twice during those years (’84 & ’88). But it absolutely was, and when they joined the SEC, it amazingly made them even more focused on beating the Dawgs.
Combine that with Spurrier having a healthy squad, and Georgia still seeing SC as a road bump, and you get some of what happened Saturday night. (Though none of it explains the lack of a pass rush we saw against UT and SC, especially since rushing Bray is the easiest way to end a play.)
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I took solace in something you said yesterday Scorpio – I only watched the game, I didn’t take a 3+ hour ass whipping like the players did. That kinda got me back into perspecttive and off the ledge. Now I have to get back on the ledge worrying about UK and their damned wheel routes!
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Culture can change Florida is example #1.
I do agree than many do not understand your points. I also believe majority of the old moneyed alumni fits your description very well. However, there is a growing fan base that wants to see UGA make the changes to win.
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Agree completely with your Florida comment, and was getting ready to post the same thing. I don’t understand comments like “We’re Georgia; we’ve never been an elite program and we never will be”, or saying that we somehow have to sell our soul to satan in order to be successful, a la Bama or Auburn. Thats all just BS. There is NO reason to accept slightly above average mediocrity. We have everything in place except a coaching staff that is driven to succeed in order to become an elite, championship winning program, year in and year out. Thats the only change that needs to be made.
And Scorp, just an fyi, I’m closer to your age than to high school age. Much closer.
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I understand that the pressure to win big right now is growing, that should be obvious.
I am not sure Florida is a good comparison, although it could well be.
Florida, before Spurrier had great players, hordes of them. Spurrier just got them better organized, got the fanbase united and so forth. He also ran off some of the “ends justify the means” fan base…something few folks realize.
I think Florida has a more fertile recruiting base than we do. I don’t think Spurrier demanded a major shift in Florida’s institutional culture, although he may very well have. Urban Meyer did demand changes and got them and if you read around it is obvious Will Muschamp is going to spend the next few years trying to clean up the mess Meyer left…not just on the field.
When I say “institutional culture” I am not really talking about just the alumni but the “mission view” of the folks who run the university on a daily basis and where they view football.
The huge monetary rewards from winning big in football are putting pressure on this mission view…whether real change will come soon, I seriously doubt.
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Florida is a great example actually. If anything, their football program had less stature than Georgia in the 1940’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. They were the definition of a mid-tier program. They then got serious about having a football program, and they did it while maintaining overall academic excellence. (Which is not to say Charley Pell and Galen Hall didn’t dip their toes into the River of Cheating, because they definitely did) And of course, demographics played a big part, but the state of Georgia has enjoyed that same demographic boom…doesn’t the Peach State produce the 3rd or 4th most D1 football prospects in the country every year? I am hopefull that the hiring of McGarity is a signal that UGA is serious about moving the program into elite status. There is no reason we can’t.
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While Georgia has had it’s fair share of population growth it is dwarfed by the boom Florida had from the 70’s to about 2010.
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They both roughly doubled in population during that time, with Fl starting at ending with about twice the population of GA. Nonetheless, the point is that the state of Georgia produces a ton of D1 college talent, as we have seen.
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Yes and while Florida is big enough that multiple schools may recruit from it, Georgia is not.
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We recruit players from FL, too. I don’t think lack of talented players is our problem.
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http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-chart-these-states-produce-the-most-nfl-players-2011-10
Florida 180 players
Georgia 85 players
Florida supports FSU, UF, USF, UCF, Miami, Fl. Atlantic, Fl. Intl.
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SC has 55 players in their list and 2 top 25 programs.
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“that we somehow have to sell our soul to satan in order to be successful, a la Bama or Auburn”
I am most assuredly not saying Bama has sold its soul to the devil, and if you have inferred that then I have not made my point clearly.
What I am saying is that having a football program with the historical success Bama has had and continues to have, requires an institutional commitment to that success that Bama is willing to make and Georgia is not.
It is not for anybody else to judge this, that commitment is Bama’s choice.
So I am not judging, just observing.
If Mark Richt had the complete control Nick Saban has, over every aspect of every facet of the football program and everything that impacts it, and still did not produce consistent national championship contenders I would agree it was time for a change.
But Richt does not have that control, and probably will never have it, so until you are willing to acknowledge that, your assessment of Richt’s abilities will continue to be coming from a flawed point of view.
In my opinion, of course.
Auburn…that’s an entirely different discussion, entirely.
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“and they did it while maintaining overall academic excellence”
Excuse me, but I got a few words for you….Jan Kemp…developmental studies.
Here’s a quote from the architect of that 80’s success following the Jan Kemp trial.
“We are unilaterally disarming ourselves.”
For a brief period our football coach had that control. Then it was lost, unfortunately, and probably, forever.
I don’t know if this was a good thing or not, but it happened, and here we are.
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“There is no reason we can’t.”
Sure there is, I call it “institutional will”. We are still paying the price for the administrative mistakes we made during the Kemp time and immediately after.
I hope I get to see Georgia move beyond Jan Kemp, institutionally, but I won’t be holding my breath.
To cut to the chase, we can’t if we don’t want to.
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Sorry, you lost me. What does Jan Kemp have to do with the fact that UF is ranked 54th on US News and World Reports ranking of colleges, while UGA is 63rd, for example?
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What does the US News and World Reports ranking of colleges have to do with the discussion of Georgia football’s place in the SEC firmament?
Surely you understand the impact of the Jan Kemp trial and its aftermath on Georgia football today, so I guess you are just trying win an argument.
Maybe Florida is higher because they fill out forms better, who knows?
I bow to your superior ability to surf the net for backup information.
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Sorry I lost you.
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No problem. I don’t think i was going to receive any useful information anyway.
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I thought Richt had more control, and McGarity was taking some of load off of CMR and the team has improved.
Florida as a state does have more talent, they also have more schools in state fighting for the talent. Georgia High Schools depending on how you measure it are anywhere from 4th to 6th in a tight group on producing NFL talent.
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Florida did have talent even back to the 50s. They never had a SEC championship until the 90s. Florida is an AAU member. which as biased as that membership maybe (thats another debate) they have solid academics.
UGA has the talent on campus to win the SEC especially if there was little more depth which UGA has scholarships for. The talent is not used to its max.
Top 3 at producing
NFL talent Cali, Florida, Texas
Next 3 Ohio, Louisiana, Georgia
Georiga produces enough talent to support UGA even after other programs take some talent, UGA also does well at getting talent out of FLorida. Talent is no excuse.
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You are a Great Man. Ahh…1980 – 83. What a wonderful Ride.
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See Joy, I went to my first Georgia game in 1949 (God help me), when Tech was meaningful. I slogged through 1959 when finishing 5th in the country and the Orange Bowl was a pretty big deal, and it took a miracle to get there.
So, out of, like, the blue, comes 1980. Trust me a pleasant surprise….there is nothing quite like it.
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The campfire is lit. Take my hand. Everyone now…
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya;
Kum bay ya, my Lord, kum bay ya,
O Lord, kum bay ya.
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HA, HA, HA….This is going to be a GREAT DAY!
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“Everyone now…” Well, if you insist…
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The harsh reality is that some of us, we truly define ourselves by the teams we support. We cannot stand to look at ourselves in the mirror without our winning gear in place and a winning scoreboard behind us. Bless our hearts… At least God and our mothers love us… 🙂
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http://www.theonion.com/articles/you-will-suffer-humiliation-when-the-sports-team-f,10804/
I always thought this summed it up the best.
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Bless our hearts, indeed.
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You’re all a bunch of doodieheads.
Even worse, you’re Georgia fans.
[You’ll have to take my word on this, but things in Athens could be much, much worse right now.]
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No shit, Ward….no shit, indeed.
Are they having to lock the windows in the tall buildings over there yet?
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Tall buildings??? You ain’t ever been on the plains, have you Scorp? They don’t make 4-story trailers and barns.
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They just leave the screens on. We’ll never get past that.
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Thanks for the dose of perspective.
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Thanks, Senator. The civil tone folks have around here (plus the fact that you almost never need to enforce it on us) is one of the main reasons this is my go-to source for UGA bloggery.
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Jinx!
Matt owes me a Coke!
Matt owes me a Coke!
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Wow! Great minds really do think alike. When I read yours I thought you were responding to mine. Oh well, fair enough. A Coke it is…
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Part of the reason I like coming here is the self-policing aspect, too…and appreciate the good Senator for not going all finger-wagging hall monitor moderator on us until he is forced to, like today.
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Which was the chippiest thread? The Senator is usually very liberal (he gives people as much rope as they want is how he puts it, if I recall correctly), must have been a blaze!
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My guess is that it was yesterday’s SEC Power Poll thread – of all places – in which Joyridingdawg thought Carolinadawg was a ladypart; Carolinadawg thought that’s no lady, it’s Joyridingdawg; threats of virtual fights at recess as well as some pickup lines. I thought it was awesome but then again I’m no board moderator.
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… or bored moderator, as the case may be.
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Whoa, if that wasn’t the one, I don’t know if I want to read anything worse than that. An F-bomb hurled at our dear Senator?!? Shameful.
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Hey don`t hate on us cus you guys over at the barn are still trying to raise 180k for the next great QB. I`m kiddin of course.. kinda sorta.
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To the extent I contributed Senator, I apologize. Looking back, some of my remarks perhaps had an offensive tone.
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This still was the best blog to go to yesterday even with all the overflowing passion. I thank you for a wonderful providing a place where intelligent bloggers can post. Even if I disagree with someone most of the time I understand where they are coming from.
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Coaches on defense. Rodney Garner is assistant head coach and the d line coach. Mark Bradley of the AJC has a strong article about prior season play, the preseason hype, and the very poor statistical numbers on the Dawgs’ defense. I posted here re the Pat Dye pre Carolina game comments that I was not sure what was going on with the D. After the Tennessee and the Carolina game I am still confused about their play.
Do they have the players? I would think so. Are they deep enough? I do not think so along the D line and secondary. Did the D line play well against Carolina? I, and most, would say no. Why? I think it was the game plan Carolina had. Shawn Elliott, their O line coach, did an outstanding job getting his line ready for this game. I looked at their starts before the game and thought out D line would stop their running game. Did not happen. Think the reason is their blocking scheme and the plays they ran. He brought in some of the plays while he was at Appalachian State. But in 2010 they ran a lot of inside zone. What was most puzzling to me was what I heard Spurrier say as he left the field at end of first half. He told ESPN and the viewers they were going to run the ball with Lattimore and Shaw. They did. No doubt out D ends did not have a good game and neither did the LBs. I think all of that was due to the game plan by Grantham and Garner. Think they were aware of Shaw being able to run and to make plays, and did not want the ends to loose leverage and go to far up field and having to chase him.
Somewhere this defense has to start playing better. At sometime I think the D needs to have better game prep and game plan for each team Two teams on the schedule are going to pose huge issues for this defense. Flordia. Watched their games against Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU. They have outstanding blocking, sets, and use every O player to the full potential. Ole Miss. These guys can score. And their HC and O staff are doing a very good job. Really like their sets and how they can move the chains in this spread offense. Both have savvy, hard playing, hard running RBs. Their lines come of the ball together and with velocity. They create lanes.
Florida and Ole Miss are going to give the D trouble if they do not improve their game.
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I am unrepentant. I am thankful that no one called me a “homo-er” on this blog though. Thanx sports fans. I think we can all feel safe here. 😉
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Fuck you, you unrepentant homo-er.
Just didn’t want you to feel too safe. 🙂
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So it’s like that now huh?
LOL.
🙂
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Lucky I stayed out of the fight. Kinda like the Dawgs did last Saturday.
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I am ashamed of myself. I have never had anyone call me a c___t. It really made me angry. But let’s stop talking about yesterday.
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Well at least we don’t cheer for injured players…. On our team or others, thank god for KC fans. Frankly the braves game didn’t embarrass me AT ALL. The egging… Who knows who did it?
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If I knew who egged their house, I would definitely tattle. That’s BS and those who did it should be publicly shamed.
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Sorry I missed the group hug.
Now, if only our political animosities were so easily corrected….
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Wouldn’t that be nice.
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I think peace will come to the Middle East first.
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I work in the Political Arena. I talk to thousands of people every week. It continues to amaze me how ignorant the majority of people are when it comes to this Country.
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