The upside to a Senate run and alleged dead hookers

I don’t know about you, but it sure gives me a pleasantly warm feeling to see ESPN roll out its broadcast teams announcement and not find Craig James’ name anywhere on it.

I’d like to pay Auburn a compliment. No, really.

Honestly, I’m sorry I’m just picking up on this story today, because I would have trumpeted it back in June when Jay Jacobs announced it had I been paying attention.

After years and years of scaling back, Auburn is trying to open up its long history of tailgate culture again.

Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs unveiled a plan to create 2,000 more free parking spaces in and around the campus close to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Friday, removing some of the restrictions that have been put in over the years.

Excuse me, what is this “free” game day parking you speak of?

But wait… there’s more!

“We’re going to increase the number of transit stops and buses that are servicing this area if they choose to ride the buses instead of walk,” Scott Carr, Auburn associate athletic director for external affairs sad.

Auburn’s game day staff will be increased to help serve tailgaters. Lights, transit pickup spots and restroom availability will be increased near the gardens.

“The area down by the pond (in the facilities division) will be a free tailgating area,” Jeremy Roberts, assistant athletic director for operations, said. “We’ll have staff out there that will make sure we maximize the efficiency of the space.”

You make this sound so reasonable, Auburn.

I feel like somebody living in the old East Germany, jealous of how my West German relatives get to live.

Sadly for us, the man who brought Gene Chizik to the Plains has grasped one essential truth which so far has escaped the minds of the people calling the shots in Athens:  if you’re trying to give folks you’re marketing the game day experience to a reason to come instead of staying at home with their widescreen TVs, the first rule is to make the game day experience as welcoming as possible.

“Fan friendly” doesn’t start with making sure WiFi is available in Sanford Stadium.

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Damn it, Miami.

The Taliban is making serious inroads in the recruiting war in Afghanistan.

“We’ll be fine. We have a lot more guys who can play.”

Here are a couple of numbers to keep in mind, via Tony Barnhart:

A year ago Georgia started the season with only 24 scholarship players on defense. Four players, including Rambo and Ogletree, had multi-game suspensions.

Right now Grantham has 38 players available if they all stay healthy until the opener with Clemson on Aug. 31.

And…

… in the last two seasons Georgia’s defense has forced 62 turnovers (second only to LSU in the SEC), while the Bulldogs have twice won the SEC East.

It occurred to me last night watching the replay of the Florida game that, while he’d like a shutdown defense as much as the next Saban disciple, Grantham places a higher priority on disruption – pressure on the quarterback and turnovers – than on complete down after down control.  Remember, the two biggest defensive plays in that game were turnovers at or in the end zone.  If Rambo and Jones don’t force those, that game may very well have turned out differently.

It’s an approach Grantham can get away with, too, because Georgia’s offense is so lethal.  If Murray can cut down on the interceptions this season and the offense can keep the fumble numbers down as it did in 2011, things may work out the way Grantham plans.

Silence as a compliment

Hey, remember the day when there was a ton of bitching about Coach Eason not getting the most out of Georgia’s receiving corps?

Funny how you don’t hear much about that anymore.  Coach Ball’s done a fine job of developing talent, largely under the radar.

Bobo pointed to Ball, the media-shy assistant coach whom Georgia gave a raise this offseason to prevent him from leaving for Tennessee. Ball excels in preparing players and getting them to improve continuously, according to Bobo.

I used to complain in Richt’s early years in Athens that he lacked the depth at the position needed to run much of the five-wide stuff he called at FSU.  That doesn’t look it’s a problem anymore.

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UPDATE:  This 2010 post of mine about something David Hale wrote is worth a look in light of the above, particularly this observation of Hale’s:

“…Because if Tony Ball and Todd Grantham and Warren Belin can each take one guy per season who might have been a “failure” under the old regime and turn him into a success, that’ll mean 12 more productive players four years from now. And that’s a significant difference.”

One out of three ain’t bad.

I guess one way to look at the announcement out of Auburn that Kiehl Frazier has “voluntarily” decided to switch from quarterback to safety is that there aren’t many programs that could win a national championship in the midst of having two highly rated quarterback recruits totally flame out.

On the other hand, given the way the last two years have gone on the Plains, it’s probably not something Malzahn wants to make into a habit.

“Well, I don’t know. Why don’t y’all go talk to them?”

The OBC wants you to think that Jadeveon Clowney might not be available for South Carolina’s opener.  Really.