I want some of whatever the person who cast a first place vote for Vandy is smoking.
Daily Archives: July 22, 2022
Kirby Smart’s best offseason, or Kirby Smart’s best offseason ever?
No, I’m not referring to his contract extension, but to an argument Josh Pate raises in this clip:
He’s right — for a defending national champ, there hasn’t been a whole lot of hype about Georgia this offseason. Some of that, no doubt, can be attributed to all the shiny new toys that have deflected the attention of the media since January, such as NIL and conference realignment. Some of it is also a reflection that the Dawgs don’t have that resplendent player who’s on everyone’s mind as a Heisman candidate. And some of it is, to be fair, because of Nick Saban.
But from Kirby Smart’s standpoint, isn’t that just swell? The media isn’t putting him or his team on a pedestal the way it did, say, after Clemson took down ‘Bama for its first national title in decades. In fact, one emerging narrative (at least from the SEC Network’s talking heads this week) is to point fingers at Georgia’s (perceived) regular season vulnerabilities.
Forget about taking down Saban again. At the rate this is going, the perception will be that Georgia will struggle just to make it back to Atlanta.
And, again, I ask, could Kirby Smart have scripted a better offseason for his program? Where’s that bottle of rat poison, anyway?
Filed under Georgia Football
Betting the opener
ESPN betting analyst has some thoughts:
Oregon vs. Georgia (-17.5) and Notre Dame at Ohio State (-14.5) are two games that could impact the CFP landscape. What are your early thoughts on those two matchups?
Bill Connelly, ESPN Football Insider: Let’s put it this way: SP+ couldn’t possibly be higher on Ohio State — it has the Buckeyes No. 1 over Georgia and Alabama thanks to how highly it thinks of the Buckeyes’ offense — and it still projects them to beat Notre Dame by only an average of 12.8 points. Obviously if Notre Dame’s quarterback situation remains blurry, the Irish could bobble, but they have the kind of experience and physicality in the trenches that Ohio State struggled with at times last season (particularly against Michigan and Oregon). If I’m putting money on that one, I’m picking the Irish..
It’s kind of the same story with UGA-Oregon. SP+ never saw Oregon as a serious contender last season, projects the Ducks just 24th to start the year and still has them as only 13.5-point underdogs in this one. The “Kirby Smart facing his former protege (Dan Lanning)” angle makes things a bit weird, especially if Smart is as mean to former assistants’ teams as Nick Saban has tended to be through the years. For that reason, I wouldn’t put money on this either way. But 17.5 points is awfully aggressive.
Stanford Steve Coughlin, ESPN betting analyst: I don’t like both games, but if I had to lean, I would rather lay the 14.5 with Buckeyes because they can turn it into a shootout. When I look at the other game, Oregon has a ton of experience coming back on the offensive line, and Lanning has enough talent to frustrate Georgia’s offense while the Ducks’ offense attempts to shorten the game on the ground. Georgia also has to replace players on defense, with many replacements playing considerable time for the first time in their careers.
Your thoughts?
“Yeah, I was never a part of that.”
You have to dial this clip up to the 24-minute mark to believe it.
Bryan Harsin’s at SEC Media Days, giving an impassioned take on what he’s been through in the offseason and answering questions about how his team is getting ready for his second season as head coach.
So, naturally, up then pops Mike Griffith to discuss Kirby’s expressed desire to move the Cocktail Party out of Jacksonville by asking Harsin to reflect on the Iron Bowl moving out of Birmingham to Auburn. In 1989.
Harsin was thirteen years old when that happened.
Sometimes, you’ve just got to respect the fixation. (Okay, this isn’t one of those times, but still…)
Filed under Auburn's Cast of Thousands, Media Punditry/Foibles
“… proud and happy and all those things.”
By George, Watson! Geoff Collins seems to have finally cracked the case!
Collins made an oblique reference to that, actually, saying that the team trained in the offseason in plain-gray workout gear, a statement by not making a statement.
“We didn’t have logos,” Collins said. “We didn’t have flash. It was all about just getting in there and going to work.”
If that sounds shallow, well, remember who said it.
Dressed in a blue and light-red plaid suit, Collins returned to the idea of trying to gain from the failure that the team has experienced. There is plenty to draw upon. In finishing 3-9, the Jackets ranked 117th (of 130 schools) in FBS in total defense and defensive third-down efficiency. Tech was tied for 92nd in total offense, 100th in third-down efficiency and 81st in turnover margin.
They lost six games in which they had a fourth-quarter possession with a chance to tie or take the lead and lost the three others (ACC champion Pitt, 11-game winner Notre Dame and national champion Georgia) by a combined 152-21.
“Those common experiences at times have been very painful, but not letting those painful experiences go to waste,” Collins said. “And try to find a way to learn from them and take the next step forwards so we can play really good ball. And times (when) there is some adversity, how can we snap out of it and get the result that we want to make all the Tech fans proud and happy and all those things.”
Man, were I a Tech fan, I would be so pumped right now. I mean, if going through shitty experiences is all it takes for a return to excellence, the Jackets are poised to kick some righteous ass this year.
Filed under Georgia Tech Football
Get after his ass!
All I can say is that it’s about damn time somebody righted this wrong:
You won’t get a lot of argument over whether or not former Georgia defensive coordinator and Georgia Southern head coach Erk Russell belongs in the College Football Hall of Fame.
The problem is, he’s not eligible.
Under current rules, a coach must have been a head coach for 10 years to be nominated for the hall.
… However, because he does not meet the 10-year requirement, the legendary coach has been left on the outside looking in.
But perhaps there is a way to finally make it happen.
In an interview with UGASports at SEC Media Days being held at the College Football of Fame, National Football Foundation Chief Operating Officer Matthew Sign acknowledged there is a process in place to request a waiver that could potentially get Russell admitted.
The NFF handles all aspects of the nomination and selection process for the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Erk has always been that unique candidate in that, he obviously meets all the criteria as a coach, except for the 10-year mark,” Sign said. “It has been a discussion over the years.”
According to Sign, the following would need to happen for a waiver to occur.
“On top of the Honors Court, we have an Awards Committee. That would be something the Awards Committee would take up and something they would have to approve,” Sign said. “It would also have to get approval from the board of trustees.”
For a waiver to potentially occur, per Sign, it would need to be brought up for recommendation by a member of the NFF board.
Make it happen, fellas! If there isn’t a single one of you who is willing to step up and do this, the lot of you should be shunned by polite society. Don’t disappoint us.
Filed under Georgia Football, Georgia Southern Football
Better days are coming.
Seth Emerson’s piece about Georgia’s Three Amigos… er, three tight ends ($$), is non-stop Dawg porn (if you’re into that kind of thing, and I’m pretty sure you are), but this is the money quote from it:
“They’re freaks. They work hard, and they’re smart, and they understand football,” Bennett said. “Which, if you have the athletic ability, that has as much to do with it as anything. If you can understand and know what your quarterback is thinking, and I know what they’re thinking, being on that same page, and I think now being in Year 3 with Monk we’re starting to get there. And as much as some of those guys played last year, another whole year just makes it much better.”
Talent, attitude, experience and a great offensive coordinator. That’s the whole package.
Filed under Georgia Football
Musical palate cleanser, mellow edition
Sigh.
William Hart, who as the lead singer and chief lyricist of the soul trio the Delfonics helped pioneer the romantic lyrics, falsetto vocals and velvety string arrangements that defined the Philadelphia sound of the 1960s and ’70s, died on July 14 in Philadelphia. He was 77.
His son Hadi said the death, at Temple University Hospital, was caused by complications during surgery.
The Delfonics combined the harmonies of doo-wop, the sweep of orchestral pop and the crispness of funk to churn out a string of hits, 20 of which reached the Billboard Hot 100. (Two made the Top 10.)
Almost all of them were written by Mr. Hart in conjunction with the producer Thom Bell, including “La-La (Means I Love You),” “I’m Sorry” and “Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love),” all released in 1968, and, a year later, “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time),” which won a Grammy for best R&B vocal by a duo or group.
“La-La (Means I Love You)” is pretty much close to perfection. There isn’t a single note out of place. And those vocals! (Just try not to sing along. It’s impossible to resist.)
Philly soul, for the win. Rest in peace, brother.
Filed under Uncategorized
Get The Picture 