It’s not always about the coaching.
Perhaps the play that best typifies Georgia’s underachieving season defensively occurred early in the fourth quarter at South Carolina.
With the Gamecocks leading 28-0 and facing a fourth-and-1 at their 20-yard line, they came to the line hoping to draw the Bulldogs offside. All-America outside linebacker Jarvis Jones obliged, extending a drive that concluded with a Connor Shaw touchdown run that made it a five-touchdown game.
“They were never going to snap that ball,” Bulldogs inside linebacker Christian Robinson said this week. “They looked like they were going to do a quarterback sneak, but all of their linemen’s hands were up by their side. You’re not going to do a quarterback sneak when the linemen aren’t down in a stance.
“They go down and score, and we look undisciplined and look like we don’t know what we’re doing.”
It’s not just that you guys looked undisciplined, Christian. When your best player indulges himself in a boneheaded play – and Robinson explains in detail exactly why that’s the case – it’s a clear sign that you are undisciplined. And I don’t care that it’s in the latter stages of a game in which you’re being whipped. That’s what all the practice and training is for, so that you don’t give up the dumb yards.
I’m not going to get all Jeff Schultz on you here. But it’s clear there’s more going on with Georgia’s defense than just shaking off the rust from the suspensions. Grantham’s right about one thing when he says, “Our players have to let the plays come to them and do what they’re supposed do.” Tomorrow night would be a good time to start.
That play infuirated me … not because Jarvis did a boneheaded thing. He flinched into the neutral zone and a SC linemen (not directly in front of him) starts pointing a yelling at him … A player on defense could run around the line of scrimmage, do several cart wheels & go all Gangham style in the backfiled as long as he doesn’t … tocuh a player, stay across the line when the ball is snapped, or cause an offensive player to move.
Popping up, pointing & yelling is not inducing a player to move – and IMO that was not a penalty.
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I thought so too. Should have been illegal procedure on SC.
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The OL reached out and touched him on the helmet. One referee called it correctly as an offensive illegal procedure but was overruled by another member of the crew.
Still, it should never have come to that.
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Exactly. Why even take the chance by moving in the first place?
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Agreed.
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Someone please clue-in an unitiated cowpoke to the suddenly popular and hipster term “Gangham style.” Couldja, please.
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It all started that day Antonio Langham dressed in gingham.
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I like that and I guess I’ll have to just go with it!
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Moving is ok. In the neutral zone is another matter.
Bonehead indeed.
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At least Christian didn’t hold forth with some lame platitudes about the opportunity to “compete” against Connor Shaw.
I think I found the theme song if anybody wants to make a montage about the state of UGA football.
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Is your Grantham bromance over?
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Ask me that after the season’s over.
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‘After the season’ is a good point about withholding judgment, but equally true is that instilling discipline is a leadership function.
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No but he’s definitely had some shady numbers popping up on his cell lately that are making me suspicious.
He got a pass on year one because it was year one and because of the manure fire that was the 2009 defense. Maybe we shouldn’t have been so lenient.
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Can’t do anything about the play, but the finger pointing is definitely something to worry about. Clearly the defense has some chemistry issues, whatever the reason my be, I don’t see how this remixes anything in a positive way.
I just hope Grantham is all over this shit.
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The thing that irritates me is the “just one loss…” (SCar) and “boy what a fun one to pull out with a win…”(UT).
Coach Richt shows no desire to fiercly compete. Worst of all i think it ranslates to the players. Just like they are indifferent to besting and out scheming the opposition. Everyone wins in tee ball
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+ 1 TRILLION…
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Hang on, I got to take my shoes off if we’re going to count that high…
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Hell, that ain’t nothing. My wife told me that two brazilians were killed in Miami last night.
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” I’m not going to get all Jeff Schultz on you here.” Yes, Senator. Yes, you are.
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Not so fast my ex-officio ceremonial municipal government friend! Bluto is not selfishly dreaming about working for the Washington Post, he is giving his best efforts to the blog he currently works for and he did not say our defense was pre-occupado with the NFL.
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Exhaustion naturally leads to undisciplined play. It is easy to make frustration / undisciplined plays when you have been on the field ALL GAME w nearly no help for the offense. I’ve been there it’s brutal. I think the focus should be on the overall performance by the defense… Which was poor. That particular drive had a lot of plays made out of exhaustion / frustration. But
Plenty of blame to go around here.
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That, too. Exhaustion and losing encourages finger pointing, but the idea of it is still cause for worry.
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Absolutely! My wife pointed at me twice yesterday without saying a word. Talking about worried, when the Amnesian points and doesn’t even say “Babui!”, it will increase the worry frowns exponentially. Of course that depends upon your guilt level.
Maybe we should just stand silently at kickoff and point at the team on the sideline.
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Make that “Baboy” for AHD to get past my phonetic spelling.
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Would someone attending the game please report back on the size of the snowball on the field when we start? Or if global warming has hit Kentucky.
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Someone please shut Christian Robinson up. Most quoted player on out team. Would love it if he could keep contain, or take even decent angles in pursuit.
The spotlight is hard work, the microphone is, unfortunately, where he excels.
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