About that whole excitement thing…

It’s probably best to say I approach today’s game with more intellectual curiosity than bubbling excitement.  And personnel changes?  Is Schottenheimer capable of figuring out a game plan that plays to his quarterback’s strengths?  Will Pruitt dial up a more aggressive approach to rushing the passer?

There’s something else I’m curious about, though.  Us.  What kind of crowd will show up today?  How supportive will it be? What happens if the team looks sloppy or worse again tonight?

It’s sad to have those kinds of questions for a team that still has a legit shot at doing something this season, but that doesn’t mean it’s unrealistic to have ’em.

Oh, well.  I head out the door shortly and will report back on what I sense tonight. Enjoy your day.

187 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football

187 responses to “About that whole excitement thing…

  1. Billy Mumphrey

    “a team that still has a legit shot at doing something this season”

    Define “legit”. They aren’t mathematically eliminated. I guess that could be defined as legit.

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    • If we win out, we very likely win the East unless Florida pulls an upset on the Bayou tonight or Tennessee beats Alabama next weekend. I don’t think we’ll hold up our end of the bargain, but that’s a legitimate chance to end up in Atlanta.

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  2. Meh. What’s really sad is I doubt anybody will get much enjoyment out of a win today; including the players, which makes the upset that much more probable.

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  3. A rare true night game in Sanford against a conference opponent – what’s not to get excited about?

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    • Well, for starters we’ve lost two in a row and for another, it’s Missouri. The fields in which we grow our fucks to give are starting to look rather barren.

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      • Kdawg

        I agree. I don’t think there’ll be much energy in the stadium. The game is going to be very close, plenty of empty seats bc it’ll be cold, Mizzou will be ready to play and if they make one big play game over Georgia will fold like a chair.

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      • Boz

        That “fields in which grow our fucks to give” comment is one of the best I’ve read on this page in a long time, so +1 on that.

        I would expect a crowd similar to last year’s GT game. -1 b/c it’s Mizzou we’re playing, but +1 b/c it’s a night game. The give a fucks will be low, but all day drinking is good for some artificial boost. I’m hoping for some inspired play from our boys to make for a interesting the rest of the season.

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    • tess

      I have been listening to the Redcoats practice since last night, and not only is it not raining, it’s a gorgeous, perfect autumn day. Go Dawgs!

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  4. Bulldogjay

    I expect a good amount of empty seats for a conference game which is disappointing. Secondary ticket market prices are very low for a game against a good opponent. Disappointing

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    • I agree Bdj, I had a chance to get some good seats at face with a parking pass and really did not even give it due consideration. This season has sucked the life out of me.

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  5. Argondawg

    I hate the way I approach the team every year. At the beginning I base my expectations and desires based on the talent level we have. As a fan/alum I maximize what I believe to be our strengths and minimize our weak spots. I mentally snake my way through the schedule on paper to an SEC east championship and the conference championship.
    Then the season starts and all my plans get screwed by our team and the plans of the other teams.
    Now I am at the point in the season where I no longer am looking at the big picture. Just win this game and move forward. Maybe I am the problem here!
    “Hello my name is ArgonDawg and I am a UGA football addict and i have lost control. It has ruined so many seasons for me. It’s like….for three months I can’t stop think thinking about it. It has ruined friendships, strained my marriage (sarcasm) and led to almost destroying my TV on many occasions. It is a very dangerous drug. I have learned one thing with this heartbreaking addiction. The problem isn’t UGA football the problem is me!”

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  6. Scorpio Jones, III

    I live in Tennessee. In spite of the pain I still have around my heart, I wore my Dawg hat to the grocery store this morning.

    A Vol said “tough game”
    I said…hmmm is that smell of mothballs coming off your hat?

    Dust off your colors boys and girls, strap it on…the road to the promised land begins in Athens tonight.

    Together, all of us, lets GET AFTER THEIR ASS!!!!!!

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  7. DawgPhan

    Traffic was light and parking was easy. Great weather. Agree about the crowd.

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  8. illini84

    You know, when you get into your mid-60’s and people you know die left and right you just appreciate every moment you get. GO DAWGS!!

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  9. AusDawg85

    4 – 2 going into a home conference game in a must win situation was definitely on the radar in August. Nothing’s changed other than the two losses exposing our glaring weaknesses to be as bad or worse than we feared. But the SECe is still there for the taking. If you’re not excited about it, that’s your problem not shared by the team and most fans.

    And because it’s been left unsaid all week…I’m sure Mizzou is going to give us their best shot.

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    • Scorpio Jones, III

      And maybe, just maybe, Aus…they will get our best shot.

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    • Mayor

      Actually, a lot of posters on this blog said what Aussie said this summer. Losing to Bama shouldn’t be a surprise. A lot of us also thought UT would be much improved and they always play Georgia tough in Knoxvegas. So we are right where many thought we might be in August. The Dawgs are better than this Missouri team and we got them in Athens. Georgia wins. We’ll worry about the next game next week.

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      • Scorpio Jones, III

        “The greatest joy a man can know is to conquer his enemies and drive them before him.

        To ride their horses and take away their possessions, to see the faces of those who were dear to them bedewed with tears, and to clasp their wives and daughters in his arms.”

        Get thee hence, Dawgs, and after their asses.

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        • Gurkha Dawg

          That quote is from Genghis Khan, a great general who knew how to win a war. He butchered every man woman and child in Bagdad. Our problems in Iran would be over over in a week with the Great Khan in command.

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        • Here’s the problem with your claim. We did not simply lose to Alabama. We quit. And Tennessee was NOT “much improved.” We had a historically bad collapse to give that one away.

          I know sunshine pumpers like you will try to gloss over these past two weeks but you can’t. No, we are absolutely not where you thought we would be, unless you predicted that over half the fan base would be ready to day goodbye to Mark Richt before the halfway point.

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          • Scorpio Jones, III

            Actually, you embarrassing shit, we are exactly where I thought we would be. Anybody who thought this team had championship potential is abysmally football ignorant.

            I am sorry your obvious football ignorance has caused you to embarrass yourself publicly.

            I am also sorry you claim to have graduated from the same school I did.

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            • And I’d like to believe that nobody as irrational as you would ever leave Athens with a degree, alas, you wouldn’t be the first idiot to walk through the arch.

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              • Scorpio Jones, III

                Always glad to have a looney tune judging rationality…makes for fun times.

                There is only one irrational poster in this discussion. If I knew as little about football as you, I would hope I would have the sense to post my drivel on another type of board.

                Crawl back in your momma’s basement…video games are more your speed, dear.

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          • Scorpio Jones, III

            I gotta ask, Chili, since I am sure you were at the Alabama game…when did you leave?

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    • Macallanlover

      Excellent points. Some of our fans are truly as bad as FU, TN, or SC…a miserable group of people who have/are letting life pass them by as they moan and whine. Incredible, true losers.

      Beautiful day, meaningful night game in Athens, if you can’t be up for this at mid-season you just don’t belong. I realize we have vulnerabilities with the pass defense, and need to get some blocking from the OL but Mizzou hasn’t impressed this year and we have talent, and they should have gotten over the Nick Chubb shock. I hope we are ready because we aren’t good enough for the players to take anything for granted this year. I expect the crowd to be in it from the start, never seen them not be under these circumstances. They know the weak have abandoned them but these guys have been successful enough at athletics to know how to fight for themselves. In these days of talent being spread through all the teams you can never rule out an upset, look at the number of shockers we have seen all over the country every single week. But I think the good Dawg people will stand together…piss on the rest.

      Liked by 1 person

      • “They know the weak have abandoned them but these guys have been successful enough at athletics to know how to fight for themselves”

        That’s for damn sure. These dudes are fighting for themselves and each other. The “Bulldog” nation is just like every other “nation.

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      • Scorpio Jones, III

        GATA Mac.

        Liked by 1 person

      • mamadawg

        Amen and thank you. It was bad last weekend. I want to win a ‘ship just like everyone else does, but when we don’t, year after year, I am and always will be the #1 Dawgfan! Pisssssssss

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    • OhioDawg

      I don’t think it’s our standing or the remaining possibilities that have the fan base disappointed and somewhat apathetic. I think it’s the manner in which we’ve reached our current standing and situation. There’s no denying that all of the questions this team had (QB, WR, ST, Secondary) have received disappointing answers. Along with that, some perceived strengths of the team (OL, Pass rush) have been disappointing as well. So while the end result we were hoping for 7 weeks ago is still mathematically possible, a lot of us are not convinced and are strongly doubting that this team is capable of capitalizing on those possibilities.

      For that reason I think I can identify with a large portion of our fan base in that I still love the Dawgs, I’ll still be watching every game, I still plan on making the long trip to a home game (from Ohio for me), I still plan on being a diehard fan until the day I choke on my last breath, but……I’m finding it really hard to be truly out of my mind excited like I usually am because I’m about 90% convinced this team is gonna fart away whatever possibilities still remain the same way they farted away these last two games. I’ll be excited about the remaining big picture possibilities when this team shows me they’ve figured out some of their problems.

      That being said, I’m still really looking forward to tonights game because it’s another chance to see those beautiful red helmets and the silver britches. It’s another chance to hear 92,000 people scream, “GOOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC’ EM! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!” It’s another chance to lose my freaking mind when Michel shakes a linebacker out of his shoes or Mitchell breaks a tackle on a short curl and turns it into a long TD or Floyd lays a monster hit on someone. In short, I’m excited because I love everything about Georgia football and I’ll never ever be able to stop…. not because this team has me excited about the remaining possibilities they’ll probably crap on soon.

      Like

  10. adam

    One thing…

    “Is Schottenheimer capable of figuring out a game plan that plays to his quarterback’s strengths?”

    Didn’t he do exactly that against South Carolina? Lambert has since struggled with some accuracy issues, but clearly Schotty is capable of putting together a very Lambert-friendly game plan. Lambert didn’t set that NCAA record on his own.

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  11. Russ

    Haha! Hugh Freeze and Ole Siss lose to Memphis, being outscored 37-10 after being up 14-0 early.

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  12. Debby Balcer

    It’s Saturday in Athens!! The weather is beautiful, the grill is going. Tailgating has been perfect. We are almost ready to tee it up between the hedges!! I will be there ready to do my part. No better way to spend a fall day.

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  13. Russ

    Man, this Sackerlina-Vandy game is ugly.

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  14. PatinDC

    TAM getting rolled by UA. I can’t watch.

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  15. Scorpio Jones, III

    Yet another special teams gaff….FIRE NICK SABAN!!!!!!!

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  16. Soccer dawg

    It seems subdued to me. No full parking lots. No screaming fans. It all seems – done.

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  17. Chadwick

    This team can’t move the ball against a half-decent defense. Pitiful play along the entire offense.

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  18. Brett Musburger is picking at Richt and his questionable calls. We have come to this.

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  19. WCHeadhunter

    I wonder if McGarity is looking at what Fla is doing with their first year head coach and comparing that to where we are with the longest tenured head coach in the SEC.
    Just sayin…

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  20. TXBaller

    The worst half of football I’ve ever seen!

    Mark Richt is the stupidest son of a bitch there is…..

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    • Macallanlover

      Funny that you can make an idiotic statement like that given you, and your kind’s comments here. You do realize who the pathetic ones here are, right? Many are enjoying life, you guys meanwhile are just miserable. Was a beautiful fall day wasn’t it?

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  21. 3rdandGrantham

    Haven’t watched a lick of this game; also haven’t looked at the score. Just took a gander of the comments here to gauge the overall tenor, and from the looks of things it looks like I rightfully sidestepped this game and instead chose to watch more entertaining games and/or games I otherwise would have no vested interest in.

    I’m guessing we’re down 7-3 or 10-6…something like that. Either way I’m glad u saved both my sanity and brain cells fr ok m watching what appears to be yet another CMR debacle for the Richtophants to make excuses for.

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  22. This has the feel of the 3-2 AU-Arkansas or whoever it was slagfest in Tuberville’s last season.

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  23. DieaDawg

    Kimbrough is lost –again.

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  24. Boz

    6-3 pretty much sums up the state of UGA football for me right now…

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  25. Uglydawg

    So Richt respects the Mizzo defense too much to gamble on fourth and one at the Mizzo ten…kicks a FG and then we flub an on side kick…because he doesn’t think the Mizzo offense can move the ball? If they can’t move the ball, let them not move it off of the ten instead of mid-field.
    Richt is too cautious and then does something stupid to try and prove he’s really a wild and crazy guy.
    There’s no reason to continue trying to figure this all out. There’s nor rhyme or reason to any of
    I think a lot of us are almost watching out or curiosity than hope.

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    • Russ

      So he’s too conservative by kicking the field goal, but too reckless by trying an on-sides kick. Got it.

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      • Q

        I think his point is that 4th and 1 is a high percentage play. If you’re going to gamble, go with the odds.

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        • Russ

          So which of our 3rd and short or 4th down conversions gave you the confidence to go for it? Was it when we were stoned with two fullbacks trying to lead Douglas into the hole?

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    • You summed up Richt’s thinking pretty good in my opinion. Watching this game is like slowing down on the interstate to look at a wreck.

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  26. Russ

    I know he means well, but Lambert is just terrible.

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  27. DieaDawg

    Lambert seems through. We’re stuck with him for the season? Sheeesh.

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  28. DieaDawg

    Keep handing it to #1.

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  29. DieaDawg

    There goes Sanders. Damn, things keep rolling downhill.

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  30. Doggoned

    Mitchell is playing his butt off.

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  31. Two screens in a row where Godwin had his lunch stolen. After the first one, every fan with an IQ over 80 said don’t run that play again. Pitiful play calling.

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    • Chadwick

      Yep. Pitiful play calling. Godwin can’t handle blocking those corners, but I don’t think Schottenheimer gives a shit.

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  32. dawginexile

    Schott — stop passing.

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  33. Russ

    The Schotty experiment is looking like a failure.

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  34. dawginexile

    They can’t stop the run, yet we keep putting it in Lambert’s hands.

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    • Chadwick

      I know. It’s one of the worst coaching jobs I have ever seen. Lambert, bless him, is a pants-shitter, but they keep giving him clean diapers. Just puzzling.

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  35. dawginexile

    Miss the friggin’ chip shot FG…….

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  36. This shit is getting comical. Morgan just shanked that like he did not even want to make it.

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  37. Chadwick

    I can’t say I’m surprised. That missed field goal aptly represents this season.

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  38. DieaDawg

    Season from hell, it is.

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  39. mamadawg

    Dear God,
    Please don’t Lambert mess up this good field position. Amen

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  40. Uglydawg

    What if Missouri’s d backs had hands?

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  41. DieaDawg

    Gonna get another shot at a FG.

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  42. DieaDawg

    Has there ever been an uglier or more-needed win?

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  43. We sure as hell didn’t deserve to win that one. And we sure as he’ll aren’t beating Florida. But add one more mediocre win to Richt’s winning percentage for the apologists to fall back on.

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  44. mamadawg

    Not feeling good about that win. Not feeling good about our next game either. Florida looked awesome on the road at LSU

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  45. DieaDawg

    At least we’re not 0 for the month of October.

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  46. Uh, I love Maria Taylor, we graduated in the same class and all, but I don’t know what the fuck she orMalcolm Mitchell are saying about Georgia being “in the driver’s seat.” We are still behind UF and need Tennessee to lose again to have a chance.

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  47. Russ

    So you’re saying there’s a chance?

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  48. DieaDawg

    Tennessee will lose to Bama. Unlikely as it sounds at the moment, we could beat UF.

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  49. AusDawg85

    We won. Gators lost. Big smile on my face for that. 2 weeks for the haters to hate, and an ugly win really has to be under their skin. Great to be a Bulldawg tonight. If you don’t agree…GFY! 😎

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  50. J.G.

    I watched this one for free, and I want my money back.

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  51. Biggus Rickus

    The defense played a little better than I expected, and the offense played a little worse. The special teams actually played well all around. At least they won. There’s not a given win nor a given loss left on the schedule, and I still want everybody fired.

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  52. OhioDawg

    Richt told Morgan before that last field goal, “I love you no matter what happens.” I tell you, I love Richt the person. He’s an incredibly nice and great dude. I just really wish he was also a great coach, but he ain’t. This team has regressed in literally every aspect of the game since last year. It’s appalling really.

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    • Scorpio Jones, III

      And its really amazing cause its all the same players…hard to believe.

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    • Normaltown Mike

      “This team has regressed in literally every aspect of the game since last year. It’s appalling really”

      Ah c’mon, there’s gotta be something we’ve improved on…

      our DT’s have improved….so there’s that.

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    • Chadwick

      Richt’s a fine man. A honest and decent man who does know that life is more than that kick for Marshall, but I’be gotten to the point that I’m weary of the feel good stories instead of feel good wins.

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      • OhioDawg

        I’m with ya, man. I really wanted to win big with Richt because he’s just such a great person, but I’m completely convinced now that we’re just not gonna. He’s still got a small window to prove me wrong. I’ll be hoping he does.

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    • DugLite

      I noticed that too. Seemed to tell Morgan it’ll be alright if he misses it. Dumbfounding really,
      Why not tell Morgan that you are proud of him and that you wouldn’t want anyone else out there to attempt this kick. This is what he has practiced for his entire life. Now go out there and win this game for us.

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      • Scorpio Jones, III

        I guess I missed it, did he make the kick?

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        • DugLite

          Of course he did. But I think you are missing my point. Why even bring up that fact that you’ll still love him if he misses it. That should be a no brainier. I just hear an awe shucks kind of attitude from CMR. And that rubs off on the team.

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