You gotta crawl before you can walk.

But what if your crawling isn’t exactly up to speed?

Bulldogs coach Mark Richt explained that a young defender’s first obligation is typically to make the basic play before attempting the explosive play, but the Bulldogs have struggled with both to this point.

“They’re still just trying to get lined up right and play the right fundamental and get a guy on the ground or just bat a ball down rather than go for the pick and that type of thing,” Richt said.

I have to admit I’d settle for getting that right now, too.

25 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

25 responses to “You gotta crawl before you can walk.

  1. Russ

    I noticed something in last night’s game that we should consider. There were 2 minutes left in a 3 point ballgame, and both teams still had 3 time outs. I thought there was a rule against it. Apparently they are very handy at the end of the game.

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  2. Coastiedawg

    the thing i don’t understand is, why is that 7 weeks into the season, defensive players still don’t know where they’re supposed to line up!?!? that’s just terrible coaching!

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    • paul

      Yeah, first or second game of the season that’s an acceptable explanation. Where we are now, that’s astounding to hear. We’re saying that one of two things is happening: either our coaches aren’t doing their job or our players simply aren’t capable of doing theirs. Given that our coaches recruited these players, that brings us back around to our coaches aren’t doing their job.

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      • I wonder if the athletes themselves cannot just learn and execute ??????? You know, it goes in one ear and out the other, nothing staying in between.

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        • Todd

          wondering what was there to start with

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        • W Cobb Dawg

          I’d bet the players would love to learn and execute. CTG and players are frantically waving instructions right up til the snap of the ball. The complexity is a flaw in the defensive scheme.

          I have no doubt a better DC could remove the complexity and get better results. The D is what, 105th in cfb?! I could understand something like 50th if we’re breaking in young players and have a tough schedule, but we’re at a historic low point. This is a failure…. to coach-icate.

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  3. Turd Ferguson

    Count me in the “isn’t this what off-season training is for?” camp. Do other teams somehow have more time during the off-season than we do? Or are we just using that time poorly? Halfway through the season and we’re still figuring out how to line up. You’ve got to be kidding me.

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  4. Joe Schmoe

    Did you see the quote where one of the defensive players mentioned that one of the recent graduated players said that his NFL playbook is not as complicated as Grantham’s? I think this is part of the issue – Grantham has really overcooked the complication of the defense and failed to recognize that he needs to dumb things down a bit particularly in a year where we have some many underclassmen playing. This is the heart of the coaching failure to me. Gotta play the hand your dealt.

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  5. Bulldog Joe

    You’ve got to line up before you can crawl.

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  6. Puffdawg

    I’m seeing the complaints about scheme, but when I watch our defense, I don’t think scheme is the problem. Sure, they look confused at times, but if we couldn’t simply tackle when we’re in poistion, I don’t think we’d be having these problems. We just simply cannot tackle. We cant’. We are not a good tackling team. We are not even a bad tackling team. We are a VERY bad tackling team. I don’t know if that’s coaching, or the young guys who played HS ball last year just haven’t acclimated yet. But I think that’s where our main problem lies on defense.

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    • Puffdawg

      Also, we’re thin in secondary because some guys got kicked out during freshman year and some guys just haven’t panned out (looking at Moore, Bowman, Dawson, and unfortuantely now Swann, among others). I think Swann can be a good player. Something’s amiss there. Also curious what happened with Dawson. I thought they really liked him and now he’s not on the raaar

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      • Dog in Fla

        Wait a minute…Talk Like a Pirate Day was last month.

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      • Mayor of Dawgtown

        Swann’s playing confused. I think it is for 2 reasons: (1) The D schemes are too complicated; and (2) as a senior he thinks he has to be certain that the young players are in position, etc. and he is not only playing HIS position but everybody else’s, too. Swann’s play stinks but you can understand why, which is really a coaching failure.

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        • Olddawg 55

          =1000, Mayor…a player like Swann doesn’t go bad like a ripe peach….he is thinking too much and analyzing too much..the whole team is…these young men have been playing on instinct their whole lives..the college transition was supposed to just tweak their talents into a simple scheme but CTG appears to be like some generals..the plan has to be complex because that proves him to be so knowledgable…fit the scheme to your talents and turn them loose..”Son, cover Mathews like his shadow”..and watch a Wiggins/Langley come alive. It’s fun, coach, shouldn’t be like algebra!! Go young Dawgs..GATA!!!

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