More adventures in “it’s what’s on the front of the jersey that counts” land

Here’s Georgia’s 2014 schedule poster.

Recognize anyone?

Yeah, no way to know for sure that the big dude in the middle wearing number 3 is Todd Gur… or number 14 to his left setting up to throw the ball is Hutson Ma…  well, you get the idea.

Can I say thanks to the advertisers?

Stuff that drives me crazy

This is Georgia special teams play, 2013 edition, in an effing nutshell:

Davis, a sophomore, said his emphasis has been securing the football on punts after some flubbed returns last season. Asked if he ever really felt comfortable returning punts last year, Davis replied, “Not really.”

“It’s really my fault,” Davis said. “I never blame anybody. I take full responsibility. I’m the one who got back there and dropped the ball. I didn’t look it in. Going back there and just doing too much and not letting it happen naturally is what caused me to do all that. But this year I’ve been taking a lot more focus on looking it all the way in and securing the ball before I do anything.”

It’s nice that you take full responsibility, Reggie, but there’s a coach or two who ought to share with you.  It’s inexcusable to keep putting a kid out there who’s lacking proper fundamentals and knows it.

“They’re going to be who they are, we’re going to be who we are.”

Chad Morris is burning the candle at both ends trying to figure out what he’s going to see in Athens in five days.

One thing Clemson is expecting is lots of press coverage.

“With a new quarterback (Stoudt), we’re expecting them to bring pressure and press us on the outside,” Morris said. “It’s not going to be anything that is going to be revolutionary, that we haven’t seen before.”

“The way we look at it is, if they press us, then they don’t think we can get off of it,” Clemson receiver Charone Peake said. “We have to go out there and prove it to them.”

If that’s the case, there’s really no point in reviewing last year’s Georgia defensive tape.  That was an alien concept.

The opposite of coachspeak

You know, this is kinda… refreshing.

Harold Gutmann of the Durham Herald-Sun then asked Fedora why he’s going about this this way – why, without exactly asking it, he won’t just name a starter [at quarterback] already. Fedora was ready for that one, too.

“Because it bothers a lot of people,” Fedora said, dryly. “And that’d probably be the number one reason – is that everyone wants to ask about it, and so it just gives me pleasure. And it just gives me pleasure.”

Take your jollies where you can get them.

“I’m just over it.”

This will never get old.   Nor should it.

I just wish they’d show it on the big screen during the Georgia-Florida game.

And lo! There was a depth chart.

And it’s about what you might expect, some expected, some not so much, with a dash of where-did-that-come-from-? tossed in.

• The obvious.  For all Will Friend’s coyness, the offensive line came in pretty much how it had been reported to have taken shape over the last week or so of practices.  Theus and Houston are the tackles and Kublanow mans the left guard position.  Gurshall is back, baby.  The base set defensive line hasn’t changed in months.  We knew that Floyd and Jenkins would start.  And Swann.
• The you can’t say you weren’t warned.  Ray Drew is second team.  So is Ramik Wilson.  Aaron Davis is indeed your starting free safety – and is backed up by another walk-on.  Lorenzo Carter is backing up Leonard Floyd.  And there still isn’t a clear-cut back up to Hutson Mason.
• Fun with numbers.  Greg Pyke has a listed weight that’s more than twice Reggie Davis’.
• Resurrection.  Devin Bowman may be the happiest person in Athens about the coordinator change.  He’s now starting at cornerback.
• The ghost of Logan Gray.  Georgia will have a true freshman returning kickoffs.  And it’s Reggie Davis and Isaiah McKenzie returning punts.
• So much for power football.  No fullback listed on the depth chart, and Quayvon Hicks is listed as co-starter with Jay Rome at tight end.
• Class breakdown.  The starting 22 is composed of two freshmen (one true; one redshirt), five sophomores, seven juniors and eight seniors.  A fairly experienced bunch, in other words.

What’s the over/under on changes to the starting lineup as the season progresses (not counting those due to injuries)?  The offense looks pretty set to me in that regard, but I bet Jeremy Pruitt mixes and matches for a while.

Opening day tailgate logistics note

If you want to attend the meet and greet with Hoppy, things will get started at 1:30, which should give everyone plenty of time to socialize before heading to the Dawg Walk (Hoppy is!) and the game.

Assuming Verizon’s network isn’t overloaded, I’ll try to post something indicating where we are in the lot, but in any event, we’ll have some sort of identifying marker up for you to catch.

Comfort level

Will Friend sums up the current state of motivation in Athens:  “I think if you want to get your program in a position to be the best, you’ve gotta make them feel uncomfortable…”

Or, as Seth Emerson puts it,

The only thing that is certain is that Jeremy Pruitt, the defensive coordinator and secondary coach, will have most everyone on a short leash.

I guess we should expect the depth chart to be written in pencil.

Monday morning buffet

It’s game week.  You know you’ve got an appetite.

• The decline of redshirting.
• Who leads the SEC pack in “team rules violations”?
• DirecTV and the Pac-12 Network continue to snipe at each other.
• Here’s a look at Clemson’s offensive line.
• Over at The Smoking Musket, Brandon Priddy argues that the Tide is about to stop rolling.
• Marty Couvillon, who you all know as the mensch behind cfbstats.com, has a new gig that involves providing data to the playoff selection committee.
• Pickle juice.  It’s what’s for hydration.
• And where else but Auburn would you expect a public celebration over a coach’s show cause order expiring?
• You know, if Georgia ran the table on the rest of its SEC slate, I could enjoy this.  Again.

Phil Fulmer appreciates appreciation.

Guess who Phil Fulmer’s favorite SEC head coach is?

Q: Do you have a coach in the SEC right now other than Butch Jones who you appreciate?

A: “I think Mark Richt has done a fabulous job at Georgia. He’s gotten some of the same grief that you get occasionally when you don’t always win the championship at a school that wants to win the championship. He’s done a fabulous job, and he’s done it the right way. I think a lot of him, and as far as favorite people, he would probably be the one.”

Think there’s a little “that’s how you’re supposed to treat a guy, UT” in that?