Here’s a shocking development.
The idea that the conference won’t expand because of the kids rather than because there isn’t a school out there that adds to the bottom line is as amusing as it is predictable.
Daily Archives: August 26, 2021
Your Daily Gator is confident.
Spurdog is calling for the ‘Bama upset.
They’ve already got Bryce Young benched after the Miami game. Alabama’s missing all that talent, but not a word about Florida’s losses on offense.
There’s a fine line between cocky and delusional and they’re firmly rubbing up against it.
Filed under Gators, Gators...
The narrative, unlike Georgia, is undefeated.
I tells ‘ya, it takes a special kind of mental discipline to place Georgia fifth in your college football rankings ($$) and then turn right around to ask “… if it’s not this year, then when is it?”
Filed under Georgia Football, Media Punditry/Foibles
Dawgs247’s defensive depth chart for game one
Hey, it’s less than two weeks ’til the opener, so why not take a stab at it?
My short take on their picks is that the front seven is ridiculously loaded (Kirby’s gonna be able to rotate to his heart’s desire) and the secondary, not so much. And even with that, I find that my cornerback anxiety has calmed somewhat, mainly because it sounds like Kendrick has lived up to expectations so far. Depth at safety and STAR is a concern because of Tykee Smith’s health, but it’s comforting that Brini has followed up his excellent performance in the bowl game with a solid preseason.
And if this is true…
As we said prior to camp, Anderson should probably just have his own role. He’s going to see some action at the STAR/nickel position. He’s also going to rush from the edge, specially on obvious passing downs. Anderson will probably get some traditional snaps at the JACK linebacker position, too. UGA is going to try and get him on the field as much as possible.
… somebody’s about to have a monster season.
Thoughts?
Filed under Georgia Football
“We’re getting close to having a Denzel (Washington), we’re really close.”
Okay, so we all know that communication issues are part and parcel of what Todd Grantham brings to every table he’s dined at as a defensive coordinator, and the “we” includes Dan Mullen. So after last year’s particularly putrid example of that, what does Mullen do? He fires a couple of position coaches and tells the new guys it’s on them to fix Grantham.
Here’s what they’ve come up with:
“We make certain that we rehearse everything in the meeting room, go through all our checks, go through our own field checks and make certain that we’re loud and we’re vocal in the meeting room so that we can on the grass, there’s no second guessing,” McGriff said.
“When we go, we’re in a meeting room, we’re watching video, we doing install, we go through the calls and signals like we on the grass. I mean, if you walk by the meeting room you hear the calls and if you peek in there, you see the hand signals.”
In an effort to emphasize the importance of stressing the calls, McGriff has had his guys do what just about every high school drama teacher requires from their student actors. You have to over-exaggerate.
“I have to teach them how to be like Hollywood a little bit and be like actors, and make sure we call those signals out and make sure we’re hand signaling,” McGriff said. “And the biggest thing is not only just communicate with your teammates, but make sure your teammate co-signs off on it. That means now he has it, that he has the check, and I’ll tell the safeties over and over again, ‘Do not stop communicating till your teammate co-signs off on it.”
The signing off requests have gotten downright silly at times…
“You ask one person to go to the restroom, the whole room going to co-sign and sign off on it,” safety Rashad Torrence II said. “Just simple stuff like that kind of goes onto the field and we just use simple, little tidbits to kind of nag off each other and that kind of translates to the field. But I really do think that our communication has gotten better.”
Aside from my question of what happens if someone really needs to go and doesn’t get the sign off for it, my main reaction to this is it sounds like something a Tennessee head coach would come up with. And, during a game, while they’re all getting Grantham’s late, complicated signals and then having to sign off with each other, why wouldn’t any competent offensive coordinator just go hurry-up on their asses?
Filed under Gators, Gators..., Strategery And Mechanics
Off to a roaring start
Well, heavens to Betsy, I’m old enough to remember just *** checks notes *** three days ago that Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel were warning all of us that scheduling hell was about to be unleashed on the poor ol’ SEC.
The new scheduling should create additional marquee games and perhaps increased television money, while potentially squeezing the SEC in non-conference scheduling.
Four ACC teams have annual games with in-state SEC rivals — Clemson-South Carolina, Georgia Tech-Georgia, Florida State-Florida and Louisville-Kentucky. Those games would continue, but there would be a decided lack of available non-conference dates for other SEC teams seeking major opponents.
You mean like this, fellas?
The cherry on top of that particular sundae is putting the game on ESPN. That’ll show ’em the Alliance means business!
And even when they’re not, it appears. Curious, indeed.
Filed under ACC Football, Big Ten Football, ESPN Is The Devil, Pac-12 Football, SEC Football
The Clemson advantage
Okay, maybe I’m missing something here, but when ClemsonSports.com says it’s found two specific areas that could give the Tigers an edge on Sept. 4, and they’re these…
One-two defensive punch
Brent Venables is one of the best defensive coordinators in college football. The 50-year-old has led the Tigers to five top-5 yards per play allowed finishes in nine seasons. Clemson will enter 2021 with a shot at having their best defense yet.
The Tigers have a plethora of former five-star recruits on the defensive line, return the top-10 tacklers from last season, plus have super seniors starting at linebacker and safety. All signs point to this unit being dominant thanks to the great combination of talent and experience.
To begin every season, defenses usually are further ahead than offenses. In Athens, the Bulldogs are breaking in new starters at center and guard, while the wide receiver position has had some preseason attrition.
Clemson could have the advantage on this side of the ball thanks to all the returning pieces for Swinney’s program. The Tigers are stacked on defense.
Clemson’s consistent offensive structure
One of the biggest storylines from the offseason for Clemson occurred in the SEC. Tennessee once again had a coaching search and offensive coordinator Tony Elliott emerged as a premium candidate for the SEC East program. However, the 41-year-old decided to stay put and is back for his seventh season at his alma mater calling the offensive plays.
That’s huge for the Tigers as it will give the program staff continuity in a year where there are a ton of moving parts with personnel.
The Tigers are breaking in new starters at quarterback and running back to go along with a pair of new starters on the offensive line. Starting left guard Matt Bockhorst may even be moved to center.
Despite all of that, the scheme will remain the same and this should make the transition much easier. That will pay off in Week 1 going up against a very talented Georgia defense.
… well… um, can’t Georgia say the same damned things about itself?
This is probably a good time to reiterate that we can forget about all the other bullshit and just say whichever team’s offensive line carries the day should win.
Filed under Clemson: Auburn With A Lake, Georgia Football
TFW you’ve got to fix a mess your predecessor left you
Sounds like change is a-coming.
Of course, that opens up more questions than it answers. Does he wait until the conference goes to 16? Pods? No divisions? Divisions with Auburn and Alabama moving East and Mizzou moving West? Who knows?
Filed under SEC Football
2021 Preseason Coaches All-SEC Football Team
I was prepared to get on my high horse and bitch about how Georgia has a whopping one player on the first team conference preseason offense and defense combined, until I saw that Bo Nix made third-team quarterback.
It’s cool to see these guys have a sense of humor.
Filed under SEC Football
Business is business.
Greg Sankey sounds immensely concerned about the threat posed by the Alliance.
“We have respect for each of our conference colleagues and look forward to our future collaborations,” Sankey said in a statement. “I believe we remain unified by our shared beliefs around the positive impact college sports has on the lives of student-athletes and throughout our communities. In the SEC, we are proud of our collective academic commitment and athletics accomplishments and look forward to continuing to offer our student-athletes great educational and championship opportunities in the years ahead.”
The English translation from bureaucrat-ese: “when we all say it’s not about the money…”
Filed under SEC Football
Get The Picture 