So it turns out all that jovial, carefree shit only goes so far, even at Louisville.
I’m sure Grantham’s on the mother, though.
So it turns out all that jovial, carefree shit only goes so far, even at Louisville.
I’m sure Grantham’s on the mother, though.
Filed under Fall and Rise of Bobby Petrino
I have no idea who wins the starting quarterback job this season, but if it’s Jacob Park, prepare for a slight change of tone.
Jacob Park is an interesting Dog. There haven’t been many other Georgia quarterbacks I’ve covered the last decade or so who would refer to a reporter as “bro” when answering his question. There’s definitely a sort of hip-hop persona to this tall, athletic redshirt freshman from Goose Creek, S.C., complete with the resident brashness and confidence one might expect from a star entertainer.
If he makes it work, that’s fine. My only question for Towers is who were the other Georgia quarterbacks who called reporters “bro”?
Filed under Georgia Football
If there’s a common thread the runs through Georgia quarterbacks in the Richt era, it’s how many of them had a tendency to get in trouble when they felt the pressure of having to do too much to carry the offense.
So maybe knowing there’s this really stout running game in place for 2015 will help keep whoever starts grounded.
“We are deep at running back. That takes a ton of pressure off of us. You don’t have to throw the ball. It might be a throwing situation like a third and five but you can give it to Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Keith (Marshall) or Brendan (Douglas) or one of them and still probably pick up six yards,” he said. “So it’s a big thing. You have a ton of offensive linemen up there that make it easier on us, too. You’ve got some veterans out there. It just gives you more confidence when you’ve got people around you that have been doing it.”
Of course, hearing it from the coaches is a little different from knowing it. And knowing it is a helluva lot different from believing it. But it’s a start.
Filed under Georgia Football
How credible can a piece suggesting that Florida can win the SEC East this season be when it doesn’t mention the Gators’ need to improve at defensive celebration?
Filed under Gators, Gators...
Filed under The NFL Is Your Friend.
Here’s a nice story about Jake Ganus going from the mess at UAB to a little slice of heaven in Athens.
But the main reason I’m posting this is that I’ve been dying for an excuse to use the header. Now I can cross another item off my bucket list.
Filed under Georgia Football
In recent years, Florida has been much more in the conversation and is now arguably the most talented state when factoring in FBS signees, Power 5 signees and NFL draft choices vs. California and Texas who have a much higher population.
The state of Georgia will never ink the most FBS players in a singular year. That much is known. It’s simply a numbers game in that regard and the Peach State’s population in 2014 was 10 million compared to nearly 39 million in California, 27 milllion in Texas and closing in on 20 million in Florida.
But an argument can be made that the Peach State is actually the top talent producer in terms of top tier or elite talent.
He elaborates in this clip. A couple of stats he mentions are pretty astounding. The 2015 in state class produced sixty-one kids who signed with SEC programs. Sixty-one. Not D-1 programs. SEC programs. And over the last five years, 165 Georgia prospects signed with SEC schools. That’s both more than the state of Florida produced and at a rate that exceeds the number of kids Richt could sign under NCAA limits.
If you’re Richt, there’s no way to close the borders. Of course, there’s no reason to make things easier for other programs with serial undersigning, but hopefully that’s a problem in the past. But even if that’s fixed for good, remember the numbers when you hear stories about the ones who got away. Recruiting math is hard.
Filed under Georgia Football, Recruiting
Some headers just write themselves. But I digress.
You see, the Georgia legislature actually did something sensible. It passed a law that gave amnesty from arrest in cases where an underage drinker got so sick they needed medical help.
But the legislature didn’t count on one Jimmy Williamson.
And that brings us back to that Friday night in the parking lot in front of Reed Hall. An 18-year-old student is taken away by ambulance. But Officer Park is still ordered to charge her with underage drinking because to qualify for amnesty, he’s told she had to be the one to call for help, instead of her friend.
“Captain’s interpretation made absolutely no sense. I told them it made no sense.” Park said to FOX 5 I-Team reporter Randy Travis.
His supervisors told him they’d have a meeting Monday to consult with local prosecutors and figure out how they should handle amnesty cases. But before his Saturday midnight shift, Park decided on his own to call a judge and two state lawmakers for advice, including the state senator who proposed the underage drinking amnesty law.
“I think initially even law enforcement in Athens was confused,” said state senator Bill Cowsert of Athens.
Senator, you see that as a bug. Ol’ Jimmy sees that as a feature.
“I’m a police officer. My sgt’s telling me to get an arrest warrant for someone where I know I’m not supposed to. What am I supposed to do?” Park said later.
Park went back to the station and then went home. On Monday, chief Jimmy Williamson called him back in and told the five-year veteran he was fired for calling outsiders on his own to ask about the amnesty law.
“He never came to me about his concerns or confusion about what was going on in shift,” chief Williamson explained.
“Sounds like he was being a lot more liberal with the law than you wanted him to be,” said Randy.
“I don’t have any problem with him questioning. That’s not the issue.”
Park’s personnel file shows an earlier reprimand for going outside the chain of command. As for the amnesty law, Williamson says they were initially unclear about how to handle cases where the caller doesn’t ask for medical assistance… but just reports a drunk person.
Chief: Amnesty doesn’t apply if we are required to get EMS involved.
Randy: So the caller has to use the magic words “I want an ambulance” for the amnesty to apply in that situation?
Chief: I think when it says seeking medical help, that’s kind of how we’re looking at it.
Well, that’s nice. If not consistent.
Up until that Tennessee game last fall, UGA police had not granted amnesty for a single underage drinking case. Compare that number… zero… to how many amnesty cases have happened since Park’s firing: 38 through the end of February, including those two cases that originally got him in so much trouble on the Tennessee game weekend. Those students were ultimately not charged.
Maybe Jimmy’s trying to prove he’s not out to get just student-athletes.
Filed under Crime and Punishment, Georgia Football