Should we file this under you can never have enough consultants?
Everybody loves a challenge.
Daily Archives: November 22, 2016
Well, look what the cat drug in.
The Pornstache look is back in Athens, baby.
Brian VanGorder is back with the Bulldogs.
VanGorder, the Bulldogs’ former defensive coordinator in the glory days under Mark Richt, is back on Georgia’s staff in a role as a defensive analyst. Persons with knowledge of the situation say VanGorder returned to UGA the week of the Auburn game and helped Georgia with its defensive game plan that week. The Bulldogs defeated No. 9 Auburn 13-7 and held the Tigers without a first down in the second half.
UGA has not responded to messages seeking comment.
VanGorder effectively gives UGA three defensive coordinators on staff. He was brought in by head coach Kirby Smart, himself a longtime coordinator who still has a heavy hand in Georgia’s defense, and actual defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who came with Smart from Alabama to fill that role.
He’s making bank from Notre Dame, he doesn’t have to recruit and Rodney Garner’s back at Auburn. It’s like the Bizarro perfect storm. Hope he’s got a solid contribution in mind for the Tech game plan.
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UPDATE: Kirby has something specific in mind for BVG.
“I called him and asked him,” Smart said. “I thought it would be helpful for us, for this game specifically.”
Smart said VanGorder came on board last week. Georgia’s defensive coordinator from 2001-04, VanGorder, who had been Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator since 2014, was fired in September after the Fighting Irish fell to Duke, 38-35.
“He’s a consultant,” Smart said. “Consultant can watch film. Can break down tape. Can watch tape. Watch practice. Can give opinions.”
Smart said he reached out to VanGorder a few weeks ago, and apparently with the blessing of defensive coordinator Mel Tucker.
“He’s very helpful. He’s very knowledgable,” Smart said. “Mel knew him when he was in the NFL. So he knew him.”
Smart and defensive coordinator don’t have much experience facing the triple option, especially recently. But VanGorder does – and Georgia Tech specifically.
I hope we’re not making “Brian, you had one job” jokes come Sunday.
Filed under Georgia Football
“I get a kick out of when people say they don’t have any players.”
The genius here sounds a lot like Spurrier talking about Ray Goff. All that’s missing are the wins.
Filed under Georgia Tech Football, Recruiting
Er… I think I resemble that remark.
Kirby talks about senior leadership:
“They’re not afraid to speak their mind, which I think is good in that setting,” Smart said of those seniors and that late-October meeting. “But they’re also not locker room lawyers…”
Ouch. If you prick us, do we not bleed?
Filed under Georgia Football
Defending the triple option isn’t rocket science.
Just to refresh everyone’s memory, here’s what I referred to a couple of years ago as “timeless advice“:
1. Stop the Dive. It’s meant to get 3.0 ypc, once they get more than that, you’re dead. They don’t have as great a FB as Dwyer, but if you let them beat you inside it sets up the entire perimeter game and Midline.
2. Hammer that QB every time he touches the football.
3. Knock the QB’s facemask off every time he touches the football. Make him eat dirt.
4. Flatten the QB on every snap.
5. Rip the QB’s head off on every snap.
I don’t give a shit if you get a late hit or unsportsmanlike penalty, you make that QB regret he stepped on the field.
The QB makes it all work. If he drops back to pass, hit him. If he keeps, hit him. If he pitches the ball, hit his ass anyway. Make him hesitate.
You do that, you beat the option.
It really is that simple. If you execute, that is. And therein lies the rub.
I will tell you, weirdly enough, even after that less than stellar showing against ULL’s rushing attack, I feel good about Georgia’s chances handling Tech’s inside running game. Partly that’s because the defense showed up the week before and handled Auburn’s, but also because Trent Thompson will be starting.
A former five-star competitor, Thompson started the first four contests of the year for the Bulldogs, a fact that won’t strike anyone as unusual considering he was one of the team’s top returning defenders this fall.
But if you don’t practice like you should, there are consequences to paid, lessons Thompson said he now fully understands after not starting for six straight games before returning to the opening lineup last week against Louisiana-Lafayette.
“I had to work harder,” Thompson conceded after Saturday’s game. “I had to do a better job.”
And he has.
Thompson – fourth on the team with 45 tackles – appears to be back on track.
After making five tackles in a backup role against Auburn, Thompson was rewarded with last week’s start and responded by being in on six tackles, and was a huge reason Georgia was able to stifle the Tigers’ running game.
“I think Trenton has worked really hard. We thought he played and practiced well the Auburn week. We actually started him in the second half of Auburn. He played well in that game, and then he practiced well last week, and got to start last week,” Smart said. “Just so you know, every week in our group, in our units, there’s competition at certain positions and they know they have got to go out and earn that. I think Trenton has really responded well to the adversity he’s had and he’s had some games that he’s really played well. And he’s got to continue to develop his technique, I would say, but he is an explosive, athletic defensive tackle, which is hard to find.”
Thompson promised there won’t be any more slip-ups as far as he is concerned.
“I’m just going to keep going forward and doing what Coach (Tracy) Rocker wants me to do,” he said. “I’m not looking back.”
Thompson is a defensive tackle who has started less than half of his team’s games this season and still finds himself fourth in tackles, not to mention he’s second on the team with six tackles-for-loss, and has two sacks. When he’s focused, he’s a dominant player.
And this week, his position coach wants him to stuff the dive play and pound the hell out of the quarterback. I don’t think Trent will let Tracy Rocker down.
Now, if the outside linebackers can maintain leverage and control the perimeter…
Filed under Georgia Football, Strategery And Mechanics
Get ‘yer Hate Week on, Day 2: does Kirby Smart get it?
Say what you will about Mark Richt, he absorbed one lesson early on: beat Georgia Tech’s ass. After all, his predecessor was canned in part for presiding over a three-game losing streak to the hated Jackets.
Tech never threatened Richt’s job, as he amassed a remarkable 13-2 record against the in-state rival. It’s Georgia’s best stretch in the history of the series.
But Mark Richt isn’t there now, and the question becomes what does his successor do?
Now Smart is a native of the state and played at Georgia, so you’d think hate would come easily. But the Process doesn’t have much time for that… um, shit.
“It’s a lot of people split down the line when it comes to this game, a lot of passion and energy goes into this game on both sides of it,” Smart said Monday. “We tell our kids all the time: You’re remembered by what your senior class does and what your record is against Georgia Tech. So I think the same case as any rivalry. You’ve got to keep it within the grasp of your emotions. You play with emotion, but you’ve got to play with controlled emotion. You’ve got to make good decisions on the field. You’ve got to prepare well.”
Sounds almost clinical. This sounds a little better.
“To me, it’s the next game,” Smart said. “It’s a large rivalry game. A lot of — especially our older fan base and the history of this rivalry is really important to a lot of people. It’s really important to me. It’s really important to this team. You could see it in the buzz they have for it.”
Lose Saturday and I bet it gets a lot more important to Kirby.
Filed under Georgia Tech Football
Forget it, Jake. It’s Baylor.
Another assault story, albeit non-sexual in nature:
Baylor associate athletics director Heath Nielsen was arrested for assaulting a reporter on the field following the Bears’ 62-22 loss to TCU at home on Nov. 5.
According to KWTX-TV of Waco, Texas, Nielsen was arrested three days later and charged with misdemeanor assault with bodily injury.
He was freed on bond and hasn’t attended the Bears’ past two football games against Oklahoma and Kansas State.
Baylor officials declined to comment on Monday night, saying they don’t talk about personnel matters.
As you might expect, there’s a punch line. (See what I did there?)
Right after the incident, McBride said Nielsen told him, “You’ll never [expletive] work in this business again. You’re abusing your privileges on the field.”
Nielsen has worked the past 17 years at Baylor, and his job duties include working directly with the Baylor football program and media. According to the school’s website, Nielsen is “responsible for management of the public image of the program. Nielsen is the program’s spokesman, the liaison between local and national media, and the primary contact with television and radio networks that broadcast Baylor games.”
Heckuva job there, Heathie.
Filed under Baylor Is Sensitive To Women's Issues
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