While Mark Richt likely looked on with pride, University of Georgia wide receiver AJ Green was selected fourth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft Thursday by the Cincinnati Bengals. Over the last few seasons, Richt has seen Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Green go early in the first round of various drafts while Mohamed Massaquoi went in the second round of the 2009 draft. Richt has also sent Fred Gibson, Michael Moore and a few tight ends to the next level as pass catchers but none have gone as highly regarded as Green.
But does that mean that Richt will be getting big-time looks from the prep nation’s top wide receivers this coming February? Maybe not. Green declared he was gone well before this past National Signing Day and while the Bulldogs were in contention for some of the biggest names in the land, the Dawgs landed just Chris Conley, who was already on campus on signing day, as well as a project in pint-sized Justin Scott-Wesley and the lightly-regarded Sanford Seay, who joined the class late.
Perhaps the two incoming-players that could have the biggest impact at wide receiver will be two young men that were considered prep stars on the defensive side of the ball in Malcolm Mitchell and Damian Swann. Georgia missed out on Charone Peake as well as in-state talent Alex Chisum.
Now Richt can go into living rooms and say, “I just put AJ Green in the first four picks.” Hopefully that sells the likes of JaQuay Williams, the Sandy Creek (GA) star that is picking up camp MVP awards and scholarship offers like they are free samples at Costco on Saturday. The Dawgs “have” four-star CJ Curry committed but could use another standout receiver like Williams to bring the thunder like Green was able to do the last three seasons. Georgia fans can only hope that Richt can repeat whatever he said to Green to these other recruits and do with them what he did for Green. The only difference: hopefully more wins if you are a Bulldog fan.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
TheFletch: Wes to UNC?, Bell doesn't get recruiting
Perhaps it was a tad early to go ahead and pencil in the Orlando Magic into the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs. The Atlanta Hawks dominated the Magic in game one down in Orlando after pretty much EVERYONE gave the Hawks little chance of winning the series. Shoot, I will admit that possibly I was wrong. I thought the series would be won by the Magic in three (Yes, I realize that it is a best-of-seven series. It was a joke, get it?) Last week in the out on a limb section, I predicted the Magic in five games. I though the Hawks would win game three before losing games four and five to bow out of the playoffs. Was I wrong? Will Atlanta ultimately win the series against what is clearly a flawed Orlando team? Maybe. I just want on the record that I admitted I was wrong about the Hawks not having a realistic chance in the series. My bad. But then again, I was joined by a lot of other folks that were give the Hawks zero chance in the series. In a poll conducted on our website, the Magic were the pick before game one, but even after the game one win, 48% of folks still believed the Magic would take the series.
The Sporting News reported that several Hawks were “irked” by “what amounted to a playoff guarantee” by Jameer Nelson after his Orlando team, playing without Dwight Howard, was edged by the Bulls late in the regular season. Nelson is heard saying during a Derrick Rose interview, “Catch you in the second round.”
Said Josh Smith from The Sporting News piece, “A lot of their players are already claiming they are already going to make the second round, so that gives us a little added motivation, too. If that doesn’t get you geared up, I don’t know what does.” The Sporting News used a quote from the AJC for the story.
680 The Fan’s The Rude Awakening took two opposing stances on the statement and Smith’s reaction. Christopher Rude seemed to love the passion from Smith and wanted Joe Johnson to seize a hold of the disrespect card and use it to beat Orlando. Perry Laurentino meanwhile was a bit more levelheaded, saying that the Nelson comment was more along the lines of what a just-defeated athlete would say to an opponent in order to seek payback. I would agree with the latter. Nelson’s comment wasn’t so much directed as Atlanta as much as it was directed towards Chicago. Nelson wasn’t trying to mock the Hawks, a team that beat Orlando in the regular season 3-1 including the last three in a row. Nelson was challenging Rose should the two meet up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. And if Josh Smith really needed those comments to get him fired up to play well in the PLAYOFFS, then I don’t know what to tell him. “Bulletin Board Material” is something that is effective in high school and a bit in college. You would hope however that by the time you are a professional, maybe that eight-digit paycheck would be motivation enough for you to go out and try really hard DURING THE PLAYOFFS.
Long-time “Voice of the Tar Heels” Woody Durham announced his retirement after spending forty years with the University of North Carolina. Why is this important? His son Wes Durham is the Voice of the Yellow Jackets as well as the Atlanta Falcons. You would think that UNC may place a call to gauge the interest of the younger Durham in replacing his old man in Chapel Hill. If Wes were to leave it would be a huge loss not just to Yellow Jacket fans, but to the city of Atlanta. Wes is THE voice of Atlanta sports these days and his work with 790 The Zone has been high quality as well. If he were to depart, the sports radio airwaves in the city would miss him no doubt.
I am getting a tad tired of the “Loserville” talk too that I hear on the radio, especially from Mel. Could someone please enlighten me as to how a city like Atlanta is Loserville? In the last twelve months Atlanta has had an NBA team in the second round of the playoffs (they are back in the playoffs again this year), a baseball team win the wild card, a football team clinch home field advantage in the NFC, a local college basketball team make the NCAA tournament, and a WNBA team (well no one paid attention to that). Cleveland is Loserville with the Indians, Cavaliers and Browns stinking up the joint. I don’t get how teams in various tournaments competing for national and world championships mean this city is Loserville. Wake up and be glad you don’t live in Detroit or Cleveland.
The relationship between the Atlanta Braves and Tom Glavine has officially been mended and Braves fans are reaping the rewards of the two sides coming together last year and hashing out ill feelings. Glavine has been a huge addition to the Braves radio coverage and to the Braves television broadcasts. He is as smooth in the booth as he was on the mound and even though he was a Hall of Fame pitcher, he doesn’t flaunt his abilities like other former players sometimes do in the booth. I would imagine that the Braves might try to explore bringing Smoltz on full-time and eventually pairing the two together, perhaps after a year or two to get a sense of play-by-play and not simply analysis.
Can You Believe He Said That
“The World needs ditchdiggers too!”
That was from 790 The Zone’s Mike Bell in regards to a high-profile Carver defensive back being charged with stealing from the Georgia locker room on a visit to Athens. Sadly though Mike, the recruiting world won’t forget about this talented young man. Instead Georgia will cross him off their list and he’ll end up at an SEC rival and continue to haunt the Dawgs. That is the nature of college football.
The Sporting News reported that several Hawks were “irked” by “what amounted to a playoff guarantee” by Jameer Nelson after his Orlando team, playing without Dwight Howard, was edged by the Bulls late in the regular season. Nelson is heard saying during a Derrick Rose interview, “Catch you in the second round.”
Said Josh Smith from The Sporting News piece, “A lot of their players are already claiming they are already going to make the second round, so that gives us a little added motivation, too. If that doesn’t get you geared up, I don’t know what does.” The Sporting News used a quote from the AJC for the story.
680 The Fan’s The Rude Awakening took two opposing stances on the statement and Smith’s reaction. Christopher Rude seemed to love the passion from Smith and wanted Joe Johnson to seize a hold of the disrespect card and use it to beat Orlando. Perry Laurentino meanwhile was a bit more levelheaded, saying that the Nelson comment was more along the lines of what a just-defeated athlete would say to an opponent in order to seek payback. I would agree with the latter. Nelson’s comment wasn’t so much directed as Atlanta as much as it was directed towards Chicago. Nelson wasn’t trying to mock the Hawks, a team that beat Orlando in the regular season 3-1 including the last three in a row. Nelson was challenging Rose should the two meet up in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. And if Josh Smith really needed those comments to get him fired up to play well in the PLAYOFFS, then I don’t know what to tell him. “Bulletin Board Material” is something that is effective in high school and a bit in college. You would hope however that by the time you are a professional, maybe that eight-digit paycheck would be motivation enough for you to go out and try really hard DURING THE PLAYOFFS.
Long-time “Voice of the Tar Heels” Woody Durham announced his retirement after spending forty years with the University of North Carolina. Why is this important? His son Wes Durham is the Voice of the Yellow Jackets as well as the Atlanta Falcons. You would think that UNC may place a call to gauge the interest of the younger Durham in replacing his old man in Chapel Hill. If Wes were to leave it would be a huge loss not just to Yellow Jacket fans, but to the city of Atlanta. Wes is THE voice of Atlanta sports these days and his work with 790 The Zone has been high quality as well. If he were to depart, the sports radio airwaves in the city would miss him no doubt.
I am getting a tad tired of the “Loserville” talk too that I hear on the radio, especially from Mel. Could someone please enlighten me as to how a city like Atlanta is Loserville? In the last twelve months Atlanta has had an NBA team in the second round of the playoffs (they are back in the playoffs again this year), a baseball team win the wild card, a football team clinch home field advantage in the NFC, a local college basketball team make the NCAA tournament, and a WNBA team (well no one paid attention to that). Cleveland is Loserville with the Indians, Cavaliers and Browns stinking up the joint. I don’t get how teams in various tournaments competing for national and world championships mean this city is Loserville. Wake up and be glad you don’t live in Detroit or Cleveland.
The relationship between the Atlanta Braves and Tom Glavine has officially been mended and Braves fans are reaping the rewards of the two sides coming together last year and hashing out ill feelings. Glavine has been a huge addition to the Braves radio coverage and to the Braves television broadcasts. He is as smooth in the booth as he was on the mound and even though he was a Hall of Fame pitcher, he doesn’t flaunt his abilities like other former players sometimes do in the booth. I would imagine that the Braves might try to explore bringing Smoltz on full-time and eventually pairing the two together, perhaps after a year or two to get a sense of play-by-play and not simply analysis.
Can You Believe He Said That
“The World needs ditchdiggers too!”
That was from 790 The Zone’s Mike Bell in regards to a high-profile Carver defensive back being charged with stealing from the Georgia locker room on a visit to Athens. Sadly though Mike, the recruiting world won’t forget about this talented young man. Instead Georgia will cross him off their list and he’ll end up at an SEC rival and continue to haunt the Dawgs. That is the nature of college football.
Monday, April 18, 2011
TheFletch a few DaysLate
Spring officially arrived last week as the PGA rolled through Augusta, Georgia and a new Masters champion was crowned. The world descended upon Georgia once again and coverage was again limited while still amazing. Isn’t that what makes the Masters so special though? You only get a few hours per day of coverage, but there are only four minutes or so of commercials every hour so you are packed full of golf once you sit down to watch. It is like the group LMFAO: shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot.
And the first two days of coverage set up perfectly for ESPN, who carried the first two days of the season’s first major. On Thursday, defending champion Phil Mickelson was the clear focus of the tournament, especially since first-day leader Rory McIlroy had finished before the day’s coverage began. We the viewers got to moreorless follow the defending champion around the course and see nearly every shot from Lefty. On day two of the coverage, Tiger Woods was the focus as the four-time champion tried to put all of his off-the-course and a few on-the-course demons behind him as he tried to make a move on McIlroy.
I missed “Moving Day” aka the third round as I was actually in Augusta for the weekend rounds but I was able to watch the coverage from Sunday upon my return and I will say that it doesn’t get any better than watching the back nine on television, jumping from hole to hole, seeing nearly every shot. The old saying of “The Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday,” was certainly in play this year as leader McIlroy went triple, bogey, double to knock himself out of the tournament in just three holes. Meanwhile how exciting was it to watch a five-way tie for the lead for about twenty minutes. Woods showing flashes of 2002 Tiger for a while before Charl Schwartzel (no that is spelled correctly) finally pulled away from the two Aussies to win it all. The weird thing about Schwartzel beating out Adam Scott and Jason Day and a host of others: the bangwagon nature of the fans. I was walking the grounds, and yes, there were a large number of folks that I ran across that had made the trip from Australia and England, but for all of the roars that I heard every time McIlroy or Scott or even Schwartzel made a shot? Really? America does love a front-runner that is for sure.
For a while it appeared that Tiger Woods would go on to win yet another green jacket, and for ANYONE that thought that the crowds would never return for Tiger, he/she was wrong. The patrons following Tiger were just as strong as the 1997-2005 era when Woods was at his peak. The attitude entering the week also differed greatly in regards to would Woods ever recapture his edge. ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote he would online and echoed as much on pre-round coverage. Locally, 680 The Fan’s Laurentino said days before the Masters that while Woods might not win, he certainly would win another and would break Jack Nicklaus’ Majors titles record. Conversely, last week on one of the Young Guns shows on 790 The Zone, one of the young guns (sorry, I still cannot tell them apart) boldly claimed that he would never win another because he isn’t sleeping around anymore and he’s lost his edge. He would try to make the point that all of the greatest athletes ever have been shady and jerks off the court, which gave them that “it’s all about me” edge that others didn’t have. He tried to use Wilt, Kobe and MJ as examples. Huh? Woods is single now. I didn’t follow then and I don’t follow now. Woods will be back. You can bank on it. Anyone that says otherwise simply doesn’t know golf.
Last thing about the Masters, how cool is it that EVERY YEAR, the world visits Georgia and always will? I think that is awesome for the state. The US Open, the (British) Open and the PGA also rotate, so it may return to a venue, but it could be years before that happens. Not with Augusta National. They will ALWAYS come back in early April. The course was once again beautiful and I can’t wait to get back there soon. The tour will come back in a Major way this August to Atlanta for the PGA Championship. Golf fans in the state of Georgia are lucky this year. They should take advantage.
I cannot believe it but for the second straight week, I am actually on the side of 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino. Laurentino was commenting on a story from CNNSI.com’s “NBA Insider” Sam Amick, who produced a piece about various coaches on the NBA hotseat. The Hawks coach Larry Drew was listed as a coach “Nearing the end?” Here is what Amick said of the Hawks bench general.
First, the obvious knock against the first-year Hawks coach: His team has 44 wins with three games to go after former coach Mike Woodson won 47 games and 53 in the last two seasons, respectively.
And then there is the not-so-obvious sensitive spot: the Josh Smith factor. Drew has been unable to stop the veteran from being a season-long disruption and undermining his position with his other players in the process. Add to that the relative affordability of cutting him loose (he's owed $1.5 million for next season, lockout notwithstanding), and Drew is looking very vulnerable unless he can lead a deep postseason run.
Laurentino commented that perhaps if Smith truly was being a disruption and undermining the coach, perhaps Joe Johnson should be stepping up to quiet down JSmoove. Isn’t that want should be expected of a player with Johnson’s large contract, who is making more money than LeBron James or Chris Bosh? I agree with Laurentino. Isn’t that what some of that money means? If this agreement continues I don’t know what I am going to do with myself.
Can You Believe He Said That
“They are going to have Bobby Cox Relish Night at Turner Field. He’ll be handing out hotdogs.”
That was from Steak Shapiro during “Things I Learned” from earlier this week. I couldn’t tell, but is this bit supposed to be funny? Steak does a great job playing food critic as well as the black hat, but comedy is not his forte. Maybe leave that to the people who are funny aka Nick (mornings) and Bell (afternoons)?
, but why are we so hesitant to call him out on his futile record in the games that matter
And the first two days of coverage set up perfectly for ESPN, who carried the first two days of the season’s first major. On Thursday, defending champion Phil Mickelson was the clear focus of the tournament, especially since first-day leader Rory McIlroy had finished before the day’s coverage began. We the viewers got to moreorless follow the defending champion around the course and see nearly every shot from Lefty. On day two of the coverage, Tiger Woods was the focus as the four-time champion tried to put all of his off-the-course and a few on-the-course demons behind him as he tried to make a move on McIlroy.
I missed “Moving Day” aka the third round as I was actually in Augusta for the weekend rounds but I was able to watch the coverage from Sunday upon my return and I will say that it doesn’t get any better than watching the back nine on television, jumping from hole to hole, seeing nearly every shot. The old saying of “The Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday,” was certainly in play this year as leader McIlroy went triple, bogey, double to knock himself out of the tournament in just three holes. Meanwhile how exciting was it to watch a five-way tie for the lead for about twenty minutes. Woods showing flashes of 2002 Tiger for a while before Charl Schwartzel (no that is spelled correctly) finally pulled away from the two Aussies to win it all. The weird thing about Schwartzel beating out Adam Scott and Jason Day and a host of others: the bangwagon nature of the fans. I was walking the grounds, and yes, there were a large number of folks that I ran across that had made the trip from Australia and England, but for all of the roars that I heard every time McIlroy or Scott or even Schwartzel made a shot? Really? America does love a front-runner that is for sure.
For a while it appeared that Tiger Woods would go on to win yet another green jacket, and for ANYONE that thought that the crowds would never return for Tiger, he/she was wrong. The patrons following Tiger were just as strong as the 1997-2005 era when Woods was at his peak. The attitude entering the week also differed greatly in regards to would Woods ever recapture his edge. ESPN’s Rick Reilly wrote he would online and echoed as much on pre-round coverage. Locally, 680 The Fan’s Laurentino said days before the Masters that while Woods might not win, he certainly would win another and would break Jack Nicklaus’ Majors titles record. Conversely, last week on one of the Young Guns shows on 790 The Zone, one of the young guns (sorry, I still cannot tell them apart) boldly claimed that he would never win another because he isn’t sleeping around anymore and he’s lost his edge. He would try to make the point that all of the greatest athletes ever have been shady and jerks off the court, which gave them that “it’s all about me” edge that others didn’t have. He tried to use Wilt, Kobe and MJ as examples. Huh? Woods is single now. I didn’t follow then and I don’t follow now. Woods will be back. You can bank on it. Anyone that says otherwise simply doesn’t know golf.
Last thing about the Masters, how cool is it that EVERY YEAR, the world visits Georgia and always will? I think that is awesome for the state. The US Open, the (British) Open and the PGA also rotate, so it may return to a venue, but it could be years before that happens. Not with Augusta National. They will ALWAYS come back in early April. The course was once again beautiful and I can’t wait to get back there soon. The tour will come back in a Major way this August to Atlanta for the PGA Championship. Golf fans in the state of Georgia are lucky this year. They should take advantage.
I cannot believe it but for the second straight week, I am actually on the side of 680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino. Laurentino was commenting on a story from CNNSI.com’s “NBA Insider” Sam Amick, who produced a piece about various coaches on the NBA hotseat. The Hawks coach Larry Drew was listed as a coach “Nearing the end?” Here is what Amick said of the Hawks bench general.
First, the obvious knock against the first-year Hawks coach: His team has 44 wins with three games to go after former coach Mike Woodson won 47 games and 53 in the last two seasons, respectively.
And then there is the not-so-obvious sensitive spot: the Josh Smith factor. Drew has been unable to stop the veteran from being a season-long disruption and undermining his position with his other players in the process. Add to that the relative affordability of cutting him loose (he's owed $1.5 million for next season, lockout notwithstanding), and Drew is looking very vulnerable unless he can lead a deep postseason run.
Laurentino commented that perhaps if Smith truly was being a disruption and undermining the coach, perhaps Joe Johnson should be stepping up to quiet down JSmoove. Isn’t that want should be expected of a player with Johnson’s large contract, who is making more money than LeBron James or Chris Bosh? I agree with Laurentino. Isn’t that what some of that money means? If this agreement continues I don’t know what I am going to do with myself.
Can You Believe He Said That
“They are going to have Bobby Cox Relish Night at Turner Field. He’ll be handing out hotdogs.”
That was from Steak Shapiro during “Things I Learned” from earlier this week. I couldn’t tell, but is this bit supposed to be funny? Steak does a great job playing food critic as well as the black hat, but comedy is not his forte. Maybe leave that to the people who are funny aka Nick (mornings) and Bell (afternoons)?
, but why are we so hesitant to call him out on his futile record in the games that matter
Sunday, April 17, 2011
G-Day thoughts
The University of Georgia set a G-Day record Saturday as over 43,000 members of the Bulldog Nation ventured out to Sanford Stadium to witness the final spring scrimmage of the 2011 Georgia Spring schedule. Despite Isaiah Crowell, Ray Drew, John Jenkins and most of the vaunted 2011National Signing Day haul not being on campus as well as ten other returning Bulldogs not suiting up, the Georgia Nation was treated to preview of the upcoming season.
But how was that preview? Will Georgia be able to rebound from two (really, three) disappointing seasons or will 2011 be just more of the same? If the spring game, which ended 18-11 is any indication, the defense will be much improved from last year. The defensive line looks to be really strong with Geathers, Tyson, Jones and Faloughi. The coaches also have to be pleased with the intensity of the linebackers, especially Jarvis Jones, Alec Ogletree and Richard Samuel, who really impressed with several nice plays. The defense wasn’t allowed to hit the quarterbacks, but still Jones came away with several nice QB rushes and a few nice pass break-ups. Samuel looked every bit the standout linebacker he was in high school, when he excelled on both sides of the ball enough to earn a scholarship to Georgia. The redshirt year also seems to have benefited Samuel enough to give an extra year of maturity which is only a good thing in the SEC. Finally, Ogletree made three bone-rattling hits in the second half of the scrimmage to delight the Sanford crowd.
But how did the offense look? Aaron Murray was sharp early on with his only incompletions coming on dropped passes. Murray seems to have gotten even better from a better-than-expected redshirt freshman season and he appears to have locked onto an All-SEC track that could last the next three seasons. While the running game was spotty at best, Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome each scored a touchdown and Branden Smith caught a little swing pass from Murray and took it to the house from the backfield.
Smith may have been the brightest spot from the Georgia offense as the defense back made multiple plays on offense to remind folks of his potential that he flashed his freshman year. Last year injuries hindered his offensive output, but Saturday he showed the speed that led to Mike Bobo using him extensively as a freshman out of the Wild Dawg package and on various reverses and screens. If Smith stays healthy, he could be a huge factor for the 2011 offense that will need all of the playmakers it can come up with. Michael Bennett and Marlon Brown came up with a few nice routes, as did Tavarres King, but this offense will really take off with Murray and Crowell triggering.
Otherwise Hutson Mason showed well but Christian LeMay looked really good on a late drive where the Black team took the lead and ultimately the game. He made some nice throws, stepped up in the pocket and played the run-option read well. He looked overwhelmed at first but then caught on in crunch time.
The bottom line is the Georgia Bulldogs’ mostly first team offense looked sharp with Murray at the helm while the mostly first team defense did make plays that offer hope. For those in the Bulldog Nation hoping that 2011 is different from 2010, they should walk away from the spring game happy. For those wanting to know if the defense will look better this year in the second season of Todd Grantham, they should walk away happy with Jones, Ogletree and Samuel. For those wanting to know if Aaron Murray could find chemistry with another receiver now that AJ Green is gone, Orson Charles, Marlon Brown, Tavarres King, Michael Bennett and Arthur Lynch will all provide nice options.
The Georgia spring game was just a practice but unlike LSU fans and Florida fans, Georgia fans will walk away relatively happy from G-Day with a positive vibe heading into the Boise State game.
But how was that preview? Will Georgia be able to rebound from two (really, three) disappointing seasons or will 2011 be just more of the same? If the spring game, which ended 18-11 is any indication, the defense will be much improved from last year. The defensive line looks to be really strong with Geathers, Tyson, Jones and Faloughi. The coaches also have to be pleased with the intensity of the linebackers, especially Jarvis Jones, Alec Ogletree and Richard Samuel, who really impressed with several nice plays. The defense wasn’t allowed to hit the quarterbacks, but still Jones came away with several nice QB rushes and a few nice pass break-ups. Samuel looked every bit the standout linebacker he was in high school, when he excelled on both sides of the ball enough to earn a scholarship to Georgia. The redshirt year also seems to have benefited Samuel enough to give an extra year of maturity which is only a good thing in the SEC. Finally, Ogletree made three bone-rattling hits in the second half of the scrimmage to delight the Sanford crowd.
But how did the offense look? Aaron Murray was sharp early on with his only incompletions coming on dropped passes. Murray seems to have gotten even better from a better-than-expected redshirt freshman season and he appears to have locked onto an All-SEC track that could last the next three seasons. While the running game was spotty at best, Carlton Thomas and Ken Malcome each scored a touchdown and Branden Smith caught a little swing pass from Murray and took it to the house from the backfield.
Smith may have been the brightest spot from the Georgia offense as the defense back made multiple plays on offense to remind folks of his potential that he flashed his freshman year. Last year injuries hindered his offensive output, but Saturday he showed the speed that led to Mike Bobo using him extensively as a freshman out of the Wild Dawg package and on various reverses and screens. If Smith stays healthy, he could be a huge factor for the 2011 offense that will need all of the playmakers it can come up with. Michael Bennett and Marlon Brown came up with a few nice routes, as did Tavarres King, but this offense will really take off with Murray and Crowell triggering.
Otherwise Hutson Mason showed well but Christian LeMay looked really good on a late drive where the Black team took the lead and ultimately the game. He made some nice throws, stepped up in the pocket and played the run-option read well. He looked overwhelmed at first but then caught on in crunch time.
The bottom line is the Georgia Bulldogs’ mostly first team offense looked sharp with Murray at the helm while the mostly first team defense did make plays that offer hope. For those in the Bulldog Nation hoping that 2011 is different from 2010, they should walk away from the spring game happy. For those wanting to know if the defense will look better this year in the second season of Todd Grantham, they should walk away happy with Jones, Ogletree and Samuel. For those wanting to know if Aaron Murray could find chemistry with another receiver now that AJ Green is gone, Orson Charles, Marlon Brown, Tavarres King, Michael Bennett and Arthur Lynch will all provide nice options.
The Georgia spring game was just a practice but unlike LSU fans and Florida fans, Georgia fans will walk away relatively happy from G-Day with a positive vibe heading into the Boise State game.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Such a Shame
For the third time in his Georgia career, Trinton Sturdivant will miss a season due to an ACL injury however third time may be the mis-charm as the left tackle’s career could be over after this latest setback. After a freshman All-American season in 2007 when he started 13 games protecting Matt Stafford’s blind side, helping the Dawgs won the Sugar Bowl, Sturdivant missed the 2008 season after tearing his left ACL and then the 2009 season when he tore the same ligament.
The left tackle was eased back into play last season, appearing in twelve games while starting seven at left tackle, but now a tear of the other knee’s ACL could mean curtains for Sturdivant’s college career. The fifth-year senior could petition the NCAA for a sixth-year hardship or he could decide to cash in his chips and try to move on to the NFL. He briefly considered applying for the NFL draft earlier this off-season before deciding to return in order to help ease scout’s concerns over his two knee injuries. Now he will have to prove even more skeptics wrong next year.
What will Sturdivant’s injury mean to this offensive line and this offense? Second-year quarterback will now have one fewer big body in front of him with starting experience. Earlier this spring practice, it was revealed that Cordy Glenn would be the left tackle. Glenn is now surely locked into place as he has a bit of experience protecting the blind side but has played mostly guard or out at right tackle in his Bulldog career. Senior center Ben Jones will likely whip whomever moves into the left tackle spot into shape but you’d like, if you are Murray, to have as much experience as possible out there. New offensive line coach Will Friend could decide to shuffle his line and move sophomore Kenarious Gates out to tackle or perhaps shift Justin Anderson from guard outside after one year away from the offensive side of the football.
Perhaps Friend will turn to a redshirt freshman such as Austin Long or Brent Benedict to man the outside of the line, however both are coming off injuries themselves (Back surgery, knee injury, respectively). Or maybe the coaching staff will turn to a true freshman to take the spot of a former true freshman All-American in Watts Dantzler or Zach DeBell. Dantzler is 6’7 and pushing 300 lb, and seems to be a perfect fit for a right tackle off the jump. DeBell projects to be a left tackle, eventually, after he hits the weight room and adds to his huge frame.
This isn’t how anybody wanted Sturdivant’s career to end and perhaps it won’t. But Mark Richt won’t have the mountain that is Sturdivant this season, so he and Friend will have to act quickly, especially with the G-Day game coming this weekend. A large chunk of Bulldog Nation will descend upon Sanford Stadium to see if Richt and company have made the changes to put 2010 behind them. Plenty of eyes will now be on the offensive line to see if Friend can pull off a little magic with Boise State a little over four months away.
The left tackle was eased back into play last season, appearing in twelve games while starting seven at left tackle, but now a tear of the other knee’s ACL could mean curtains for Sturdivant’s college career. The fifth-year senior could petition the NCAA for a sixth-year hardship or he could decide to cash in his chips and try to move on to the NFL. He briefly considered applying for the NFL draft earlier this off-season before deciding to return in order to help ease scout’s concerns over his two knee injuries. Now he will have to prove even more skeptics wrong next year.
What will Sturdivant’s injury mean to this offensive line and this offense? Second-year quarterback will now have one fewer big body in front of him with starting experience. Earlier this spring practice, it was revealed that Cordy Glenn would be the left tackle. Glenn is now surely locked into place as he has a bit of experience protecting the blind side but has played mostly guard or out at right tackle in his Bulldog career. Senior center Ben Jones will likely whip whomever moves into the left tackle spot into shape but you’d like, if you are Murray, to have as much experience as possible out there. New offensive line coach Will Friend could decide to shuffle his line and move sophomore Kenarious Gates out to tackle or perhaps shift Justin Anderson from guard outside after one year away from the offensive side of the football.
Perhaps Friend will turn to a redshirt freshman such as Austin Long or Brent Benedict to man the outside of the line, however both are coming off injuries themselves (Back surgery, knee injury, respectively). Or maybe the coaching staff will turn to a true freshman to take the spot of a former true freshman All-American in Watts Dantzler or Zach DeBell. Dantzler is 6’7 and pushing 300 lb, and seems to be a perfect fit for a right tackle off the jump. DeBell projects to be a left tackle, eventually, after he hits the weight room and adds to his huge frame.
This isn’t how anybody wanted Sturdivant’s career to end and perhaps it won’t. But Mark Richt won’t have the mountain that is Sturdivant this season, so he and Friend will have to act quickly, especially with the G-Day game coming this weekend. A large chunk of Bulldog Nation will descend upon Sanford Stadium to see if Richt and company have made the changes to put 2010 behind them. Plenty of eyes will now be on the offensive line to see if Friend can pull off a little magic with Boise State a little over four months away.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Big B, Brian Jones' Top Ten Classes for 2012
Brian Jones, Score Atlanta writer, Official Visit contributor and true Georgia homer, has provided yet another top ten list for Monday's The Official Visit on 790 The Zone (Mondays, 7-9pm). Here is his top ten teams THUS FAR for 2012.
For a full breakdown of the list, tune in tonight to myself and Scott Janovitz.
10. Georgia
9. Miami
8. Texas Tech
7. Texas A&M
6. Ohio State
5. USC
4. Texas
3. Florida
2. Alabama
1. Florida State
For a full breakdown of the list, tune in tonight to myself and Scott Janovitz.
10. Georgia
9. Miami
8. Texas Tech
7. Texas A&M
6. Ohio State
5. USC
4. Texas
3. Florida
2. Alabama
1. Florida State
Friday, April 8, 2011
TheFletch for MastersWeek
Paying college players has taken center stage the last few weeks ever since HBO Real Sports raised the topic with one of its “special reports.” Barnhart & Durham, the 2 Live Stews, the Rude Awakening and other shows have given their opinion and The Official Visit was bombarded with phone calls on the subject this past Monday. In a seven minute segment, eight people called in and all wanted pay for players. While I disagree with those callers, it will be interesting to see the NCAA tapdance around this subject over the next few months.
Michael Carvell of AJC wonders if Norcross alum and UConn freshman Jeremy Lamb will jump to the NBA now that his Huskies have won the NCAA title. Said Carvell, “I don’t see it happening — as in Lamb making an early departure to the NBA, at least not this season. However, it remains extremely inspiring to see how far someone has risen in such a short amount of time. Anything is possible.”
Carvell took a section of USA Today’s David Leon Moore’s recent piece discussing Lamb’s potential decision to jump and Moore didn’t rule out the leap. “Suddenly, the notion of Lamb as a first-round pick doesn’t seem so crazy.” Lamb turned his game on about midway through the season and UConn suddenly made its run. While Kemba Walker was the centerpiece of the team, the Huskies wouldn’t have won without Lamb.
The AJC ran the Parade All-American team and interestingly enough only one Georgian made the national squad and the name might surprise you. Five star and Georgia-bound Kentavious Caldwell-Pope wasn’t that name and fellow McDonald’s All-American Shannon Scott, headed to Ohio State was not the name either. In case you were thinking it was Julian Royal, Malcolm Brogdon or Kevin Ware, keep guessing. The lone Peach Stater was Fayette County’s Adam Smith. His inclusion on the team isn’t much of a surprise as he was a member of the Score 44 after leading his team to the Class 4A semi-finals while averaging over 26 points per game, but what was surprising was that he was the only player. Next season Georgia figures to have several players on the Parade team including Miller Grove’s Tony Parker, who was named the South’s MVP of the inaugural All-American Championship during last week’s Final Four weekend festivities, and Evan Nolte.
The three biggest entities in the Atlanta sports radio market are the rights to the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Bulldogs. 680 The Fan now holds the rights to two of those entities, sort of, after it was announced last week that The Fan is the new “official sports talk radio station” of the Georgia Bulldogs. AM750 WSB will still air the football and basketball play-by-play, but according to Tim Tucker of the AJC, 680 will air the Mark Richt weekly news conferences during the football season as well as a Bulldog “roundtable-type show.” which would air three times a week. As part of the deal, 680 The Fan’s Marietta sister station AM1230 The Fan 2 will air Georgia baseball games beginning this May. The Fan became the official flagship station of the Atlanta Braves before the 2010 season and now will be the sports talk station of the Georgia Bulldogs, giving the station even more access to the Athens program than Buck Belue was giving as part of the afternoon drive show Buck & Kincade. 790 The Zone recently acquired the rights to the Atlanta Falcons but 680 seemed to counter that with this announcement. The Fan won’t be doing the games but to be able to attach your station with that brand, it simply pushes The Fan a bit farther ahead of The Zone in the competition between the rival stations.
I tuned in to catch four straight days of the 2 Live Stews last week. Would it be possible to get those four days of my life back? Don’t get me wrong, I used to be a fan of the Stews back when they were Atlanta-centered, but now they are certainly more national since going syndicated across the country and joining Sporting News Radio. I realize that was something they needed to do, but you get the feeling that they turned their back on their loyal listeners from Atlanta that made them who they were. The craziness that they used to encourage and embrace has been replaced by a sense of Hollywood. “We made it and now we HAVE to be different.” Not necessarily. You guys can still “blast” phone calls, though it is no longer the “people’s show.” You guys made it, yes, but just remember about how you got there and don’t forget that you have legions of fans in Atlanta that would like to simply be remembered every now and then.
Have you listened to the Braves postgame show yet this season? Just like last year, if you turn to 680 after the game, the Fan is employing the Energizer Bunny strategy of “On and On and On and On.” Mike Bell is right when he says that Chris Dimino’s appearance on Pollack & Bell is just enough and all you need. Loyal Braves fans might want a bit more than just seven minutes, but the Braves fan is likely turning off HOUR THREE of the postgame show. As far as the new talent on the postgame show, Jay Howell? So he was a Brave for one season. That is cool that they are going out and getting former players involved, assuming those players offer something. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, this guy is not. I am glad they told me he is a former Brave and not a relative of a radio higher-up because that is what I thought at first. Yesh. I tried to keep an open mind after hearing him during the spring but the first few postgames of the regular season…On the plus side though, now that the Braves season has started on 680 The Fan, at least the listeners get a bit of a breather. Why? Leo Mazzone isn’t on the Rude Awakening as much anymore since he is involved in the baseball programming. Silver lining!!!!
Can You Believe He Said That
“You look in the stands and there are ten people there.”
That was Perry Laurentino of 680 The Fan’s The Rude Awakening, talking about women’s college basketball. He read a stat that revealed the average big six conference school is losing $2M a year on its women’s basketball program. While I believe he was misguided saying the money should go to pay the football players, SOMETHING must be done to turn the loss of money around, otherwise do away with the program.
Michael Carvell of AJC wonders if Norcross alum and UConn freshman Jeremy Lamb will jump to the NBA now that his Huskies have won the NCAA title. Said Carvell, “I don’t see it happening — as in Lamb making an early departure to the NBA, at least not this season. However, it remains extremely inspiring to see how far someone has risen in such a short amount of time. Anything is possible.”
Carvell took a section of USA Today’s David Leon Moore’s recent piece discussing Lamb’s potential decision to jump and Moore didn’t rule out the leap. “Suddenly, the notion of Lamb as a first-round pick doesn’t seem so crazy.” Lamb turned his game on about midway through the season and UConn suddenly made its run. While Kemba Walker was the centerpiece of the team, the Huskies wouldn’t have won without Lamb.
The AJC ran the Parade All-American team and interestingly enough only one Georgian made the national squad and the name might surprise you. Five star and Georgia-bound Kentavious Caldwell-Pope wasn’t that name and fellow McDonald’s All-American Shannon Scott, headed to Ohio State was not the name either. In case you were thinking it was Julian Royal, Malcolm Brogdon or Kevin Ware, keep guessing. The lone Peach Stater was Fayette County’s Adam Smith. His inclusion on the team isn’t much of a surprise as he was a member of the Score 44 after leading his team to the Class 4A semi-finals while averaging over 26 points per game, but what was surprising was that he was the only player. Next season Georgia figures to have several players on the Parade team including Miller Grove’s Tony Parker, who was named the South’s MVP of the inaugural All-American Championship during last week’s Final Four weekend festivities, and Evan Nolte.
The three biggest entities in the Atlanta sports radio market are the rights to the Atlanta Braves, the Atlanta Falcons and the Georgia Bulldogs. 680 The Fan now holds the rights to two of those entities, sort of, after it was announced last week that The Fan is the new “official sports talk radio station” of the Georgia Bulldogs. AM750 WSB will still air the football and basketball play-by-play, but according to Tim Tucker of the AJC, 680 will air the Mark Richt weekly news conferences during the football season as well as a Bulldog “roundtable-type show.” which would air three times a week. As part of the deal, 680 The Fan’s Marietta sister station AM1230 The Fan 2 will air Georgia baseball games beginning this May. The Fan became the official flagship station of the Atlanta Braves before the 2010 season and now will be the sports talk station of the Georgia Bulldogs, giving the station even more access to the Athens program than Buck Belue was giving as part of the afternoon drive show Buck & Kincade. 790 The Zone recently acquired the rights to the Atlanta Falcons but 680 seemed to counter that with this announcement. The Fan won’t be doing the games but to be able to attach your station with that brand, it simply pushes The Fan a bit farther ahead of The Zone in the competition between the rival stations.
I tuned in to catch four straight days of the 2 Live Stews last week. Would it be possible to get those four days of my life back? Don’t get me wrong, I used to be a fan of the Stews back when they were Atlanta-centered, but now they are certainly more national since going syndicated across the country and joining Sporting News Radio. I realize that was something they needed to do, but you get the feeling that they turned their back on their loyal listeners from Atlanta that made them who they were. The craziness that they used to encourage and embrace has been replaced by a sense of Hollywood. “We made it and now we HAVE to be different.” Not necessarily. You guys can still “blast” phone calls, though it is no longer the “people’s show.” You guys made it, yes, but just remember about how you got there and don’t forget that you have legions of fans in Atlanta that would like to simply be remembered every now and then.
Have you listened to the Braves postgame show yet this season? Just like last year, if you turn to 680 after the game, the Fan is employing the Energizer Bunny strategy of “On and On and On and On.” Mike Bell is right when he says that Chris Dimino’s appearance on Pollack & Bell is just enough and all you need. Loyal Braves fans might want a bit more than just seven minutes, but the Braves fan is likely turning off HOUR THREE of the postgame show. As far as the new talent on the postgame show, Jay Howell? So he was a Brave for one season. That is cool that they are going out and getting former players involved, assuming those players offer something. John Smoltz and Tom Glavine, this guy is not. I am glad they told me he is a former Brave and not a relative of a radio higher-up because that is what I thought at first. Yesh. I tried to keep an open mind after hearing him during the spring but the first few postgames of the regular season…On the plus side though, now that the Braves season has started on 680 The Fan, at least the listeners get a bit of a breather. Why? Leo Mazzone isn’t on the Rude Awakening as much anymore since he is involved in the baseball programming. Silver lining!!!!
Can You Believe He Said That
“You look in the stands and there are ten people there.”
That was Perry Laurentino of 680 The Fan’s The Rude Awakening, talking about women’s college basketball. He read a stat that revealed the average big six conference school is losing $2M a year on its women’s basketball program. While I believe he was misguided saying the money should go to pay the football players, SOMETHING must be done to turn the loss of money around, otherwise do away with the program.
Green Day and Alanis's biggest hit debate settled
I was riding to work this morning listening to Star 94 (Dave and 99X were both on commercial I swear) and Green Day’s Good Riddance (Time of your life) played, followed by Alanis Morissette’s Ironic. Once at work, You Oughta Know came on 99X and it got me thinking: what was the bigger hit for the two artists/bands?
For Green Day was it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), aka the graduation song/montage song for about 10 years starting in 1998 or was it When I Come Around? (I know Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basketcase were “hits” before, but I am giving When I Come Around the jumpoff status here). I would say that When I Come Around was what cemented their status with all of their punk/GenY fans but Time of Your Life made them global as they slowed it down. The order was also important too. They needed the fast-paced song first, followed by the slow-down song because you can slow down but it is tough to speed up in my opinion. They have never topped Time of Your Life, but most of their later hits have been more like When I Come Around (Holiday, American Idiot, for example). When they slow it down, they tend to have more success (21 Guns, Wake me Up, BLVD of Broken Dreams), but nothing will ever top Time of Your Life. Sorry guys but that’s what you’re known for.
As far as Alanis, she also needed to start with the up-tempo/pissed-off You Oughta Know because most of her stuff has been far more Ironic-like than revenge ballad music. You Oughta Know got her in the door with the emo generation, but she is really the One Hand in My Pocket/ThankU/Head Over Feet/Ironic singer. While Ironic is what she is moreorless known for (especially that video), You Oughta Know put Alanis on the map and screamed for people to take notice. While Ironic is an iconic song that appeals to more people, Alanis would have simply been another Natalie Merchant without You Oughta Know. Plus, how cool is it knowing that Uncle Joey from Full House has to get PISSED off every time this song airs because everyone knows this song is about him. Perhaps now she is also singing it about Ryan Reynolds, ya never know.
For Green Day was it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), aka the graduation song/montage song for about 10 years starting in 1998 or was it When I Come Around? (I know Longview, Welcome to Paradise, and Basketcase were “hits” before, but I am giving When I Come Around the jumpoff status here). I would say that When I Come Around was what cemented their status with all of their punk/GenY fans but Time of Your Life made them global as they slowed it down. The order was also important too. They needed the fast-paced song first, followed by the slow-down song because you can slow down but it is tough to speed up in my opinion. They have never topped Time of Your Life, but most of their later hits have been more like When I Come Around (Holiday, American Idiot, for example). When they slow it down, they tend to have more success (21 Guns, Wake me Up, BLVD of Broken Dreams), but nothing will ever top Time of Your Life. Sorry guys but that’s what you’re known for.
As far as Alanis, she also needed to start with the up-tempo/pissed-off You Oughta Know because most of her stuff has been far more Ironic-like than revenge ballad music. You Oughta Know got her in the door with the emo generation, but she is really the One Hand in My Pocket/ThankU/Head Over Feet/Ironic singer. While Ironic is what she is moreorless known for (especially that video), You Oughta Know put Alanis on the map and screamed for people to take notice. While Ironic is an iconic song that appeals to more people, Alanis would have simply been another Natalie Merchant without You Oughta Know. Plus, how cool is it knowing that Uncle Joey from Full House has to get PISSED off every time this song airs because everyone knows this song is about him. Perhaps now she is also singing it about Ryan Reynolds, ya never know.
Georgia, the home of some HUGE DTs
If National Signing Day 2011 marked the year of the defensive end in the state of Georgia, National Signing Day 2012 could be deemed the year of the defense tackle. Stephon Tuitt, Sterling Bailey, Ray Drew and Gabe Wright were huge names that signed this past February, but the names of the rising Georgia seniors that man the interior of the defensive line all belong to huge young men.
Two of those standouts are Stephenson’s Jafar Mann and Jenkins County’s Jonathan Taylor. Mann recently pledged to Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators, joining several teammates, while Taylor may hold out a little bit longer before likely committing with his high school teammate, DE/OLB James DeLoach.
For both players, finding out he was a top prospect was humbling. “It was a dream come true,” said Taylor about hearing he was atop many recruiting services’ initial national rankings.
Mann echoed the sentiment. “I really enjoyed the process, but the phone calls can pile up.”
Another similarity the two players share other than feeling blessed is the likelihood that they will matriculate with current teammates to the next level. Mann will join running back Mike Davis, another rising senior, in Gainesville and possibly by several other teammates. When asked in a recent interview if Davis’ decision to head to Florida influenced him, Mann said yes. “It kind of did.” Teammates Raphael Kirby and Jorantay Jones are also looking at the Gators and head coach Muschamp could be getting one or both of those two as well. “Florida may get a couple of more commitments but I don’t want to ruin it,” said Mann.
Meanwhile Taylor has discussed going to college with DeLoach. “If we ever get scholarships to the same school, we’ll go together. I can push him to get better and he can push me,” Taylor said in a recent interview about his current and potentially future teammate. Taylor said the two players are like brothers in high school and soon they will sit down with their high school coach and talk about coaches, majors and decide as a committee.
Both players stressed coaches and playing time as important factors in their decision-making process. For Taylor, he is looking at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama and Georgia, especially their depth charts and how the coaches use their players. In regards to the Yellow Jackets, Taylor liked Tech’s general atmosphere, including the staff and the players. “(The coaches) treat their players like they are at home.” He was highly complimentary of Alabama, especially Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. “They are great. They show you things you need to know.” Georgia and Todd Grantham may have impressed him the most however. “They have some nice people there like Coach Grantham. I could see myself playing for (him).” Taylor noted that Grantham hinted at some early playing time.
Mann noted that it was not just the potential of a group of four high school teammates heading down to Gainesville that sparked his interest in the Gators. “The campus was so great and the coaches act like family,” Mann gushed before adding that that the depth chart “played a big part.”
Mann also felt loyalty to the Gator program who was one of the first to offer. Georgia “offered two or three weeks after Florida,” so Mann ruled the Dawgs out despite growing up a Georgia fan. “I felt they really weren’t interested in it and I couldn’t see myself in that (3-4) defense.” Mann also admitted that his father wanted him to go to Florida and Mann declared on his father’s birthday.
Mann has announced that he will not take anymore visits just try to work on his speed and attend the Nike camp. “Hopefully I go down there (to Gainesville) and take care of my business. Everybody wants to play early.”
Taylor is a different story. He says he plans on attending as many camps as he can this summer. He also wants to hit the weight room hard, focus on school work and his speed. As far as when he will announce, be prepared to wait. “I’ll wait ‘til signing day comes.”
Both players are big bodies that will help National Signing Day 2012 be remembered in the state of Georgia as the Year of the D-Tackle.
Two of those standouts are Stephenson’s Jafar Mann and Jenkins County’s Jonathan Taylor. Mann recently pledged to Will Muschamp and the Florida Gators, joining several teammates, while Taylor may hold out a little bit longer before likely committing with his high school teammate, DE/OLB James DeLoach.
For both players, finding out he was a top prospect was humbling. “It was a dream come true,” said Taylor about hearing he was atop many recruiting services’ initial national rankings.
Mann echoed the sentiment. “I really enjoyed the process, but the phone calls can pile up.”
Another similarity the two players share other than feeling blessed is the likelihood that they will matriculate with current teammates to the next level. Mann will join running back Mike Davis, another rising senior, in Gainesville and possibly by several other teammates. When asked in a recent interview if Davis’ decision to head to Florida influenced him, Mann said yes. “It kind of did.” Teammates Raphael Kirby and Jorantay Jones are also looking at the Gators and head coach Muschamp could be getting one or both of those two as well. “Florida may get a couple of more commitments but I don’t want to ruin it,” said Mann.
Meanwhile Taylor has discussed going to college with DeLoach. “If we ever get scholarships to the same school, we’ll go together. I can push him to get better and he can push me,” Taylor said in a recent interview about his current and potentially future teammate. Taylor said the two players are like brothers in high school and soon they will sit down with their high school coach and talk about coaches, majors and decide as a committee.
Both players stressed coaches and playing time as important factors in their decision-making process. For Taylor, he is looking at Georgia Tech, Auburn, Alabama and Georgia, especially their depth charts and how the coaches use their players. In regards to the Yellow Jackets, Taylor liked Tech’s general atmosphere, including the staff and the players. “(The coaches) treat their players like they are at home.” He was highly complimentary of Alabama, especially Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. “They are great. They show you things you need to know.” Georgia and Todd Grantham may have impressed him the most however. “They have some nice people there like Coach Grantham. I could see myself playing for (him).” Taylor noted that Grantham hinted at some early playing time.
Mann noted that it was not just the potential of a group of four high school teammates heading down to Gainesville that sparked his interest in the Gators. “The campus was so great and the coaches act like family,” Mann gushed before adding that that the depth chart “played a big part.”
Mann also felt loyalty to the Gator program who was one of the first to offer. Georgia “offered two or three weeks after Florida,” so Mann ruled the Dawgs out despite growing up a Georgia fan. “I felt they really weren’t interested in it and I couldn’t see myself in that (3-4) defense.” Mann also admitted that his father wanted him to go to Florida and Mann declared on his father’s birthday.
Mann has announced that he will not take anymore visits just try to work on his speed and attend the Nike camp. “Hopefully I go down there (to Gainesville) and take care of my business. Everybody wants to play early.”
Taylor is a different story. He says he plans on attending as many camps as he can this summer. He also wants to hit the weight room hard, focus on school work and his speed. As far as when he will announce, be prepared to wait. “I’ll wait ‘til signing day comes.”
Both players are big bodies that will help National Signing Day 2012 be remembered in the state of Georgia as the Year of the D-Tackle.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Several receivers step up in first UGA scrimmage
The first official spring scrimmage took place last week for the Georgia Bulldogs and according to reports, the offense had a pretty nice day despite no AJ Green, Kris Durham or Isaiah Crowell. Yes, of course Green and Durham have departed the program and Crowell hasn't finished high school yet, but that is pretty good news for folks wondering if Aaron Murray can follow a solid redshirt freshman season with a Stafford-esque lead in the sophomore year. (Remember, Stafford struggled too his freshman year and the sophomore campaign ended with an appearance in the Sugar Bowl and a No. 2 ranking.)
It appears that Caleb King may FINALLY be living up to some of the high school hype he brought to Athens and he could end up giving Crowell a run for his money, assuming he stays out of the doghouse. A few of the other backs made some impressions but the Bulldog Nation is starting to come to grips with perhaps King and not Washaun Ealey being the lone challenger to Crowell for the Boise State start at tailback.
As far as targets for Aaron Murray, the latest reports have Michael Bennett having made a few nice catches while Marlon Brown showed some nice hands with one touchdown grab. Odds are Orson Charles will take a bigger role in the offense now that Green is gone, and Murray has a rapport with Charles dating back to their Plant (Tampa) high school days. Charles is a matchup nightmare for the opposition as he is too strong for corners, too fast for linebackers and too big for safeties. Georgia has a large supply of tight ends so look for Charles to be used simply as a mismatch favoring the Bulldogs.
Richt also praised the defense but it will be tough to see how much the defense has really improved until John Jenkins suits up at the nose tackle position. Jarvis Jones can make plays all day long in a scrimmage but we won't know how good he'll be until Jenkins is in there, plugging up the middle. Bacarri Rambo missed the scrimmage as did Richard Samuel and those two are expected to be major players next season.
It was just the first scrimmage but if the offense can find a few playmakers before Crowell gets to Athens, you would have to call the spring a success.
It appears that Caleb King may FINALLY be living up to some of the high school hype he brought to Athens and he could end up giving Crowell a run for his money, assuming he stays out of the doghouse. A few of the other backs made some impressions but the Bulldog Nation is starting to come to grips with perhaps King and not Washaun Ealey being the lone challenger to Crowell for the Boise State start at tailback.
As far as targets for Aaron Murray, the latest reports have Michael Bennett having made a few nice catches while Marlon Brown showed some nice hands with one touchdown grab. Odds are Orson Charles will take a bigger role in the offense now that Green is gone, and Murray has a rapport with Charles dating back to their Plant (Tampa) high school days. Charles is a matchup nightmare for the opposition as he is too strong for corners, too fast for linebackers and too big for safeties. Georgia has a large supply of tight ends so look for Charles to be used simply as a mismatch favoring the Bulldogs.
Richt also praised the defense but it will be tough to see how much the defense has really improved until John Jenkins suits up at the nose tackle position. Jarvis Jones can make plays all day long in a scrimmage but we won't know how good he'll be until Jenkins is in there, plugging up the middle. Bacarri Rambo missed the scrimmage as did Richard Samuel and those two are expected to be major players next season.
It was just the first scrimmage but if the offense can find a few playmakers before Crowell gets to Athens, you would have to call the spring a success.
Monday, April 4, 2011
TheFletch looks at How GT's new coach was received
I guess there is a reason they call it March Madness. The Final Four was set this past weekend and everyone’s brackets were ruined with VCU and Butler advancing to the Final Four and heavyweights Ohio State and Kansas missing out on a trip to Houston. Is this seriously what we want for the national semifinals and the title tilt? UConn, who was ninth in the Big East entering the conference tournament, losers of seven down the stretch before winning five games in five days to claim a No. 3 seed? Is this really what we want in Virginia Commonwealth University, a team that finished fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association during the regular season and was one of the First Four?
The Official Visit co-hosts Scott Janovitz and Fletcher Proctor (That’s me) have gone on the record before saying that the NCAA men’s basketball championship should NOT be determined by a 64 (or 68) team single-elimination tournament that merely rewards the hottest team over six games spread over three weeks. You are throwing away November, December, January, and February to simply crown a March champion.
680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino seems to agree. The day after VCU knocked off Kansas to earn a ticket to the Final Four, Perry made a great point: VCU and Butler are nice stories, but they just got hot at the end of the season. Perhaps he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but he was right. Upsets are “fun” and all but at the end of the day we want to see the best teams competing for a national title, not cute stories. Perry’s co-host Sandra Golden said that after the title game won by whomever, she will remember VCU’s run to the Final Four. That reminds me of the ending of Tin Cup and what Jalen Rose said in the recent Fab Five documentary. Rene Russo said that no one will remember the champion of the US Open but people would remember Roy’s shot. Rose said you can name the Fab Five but you cannot name anyone on that 1993 UNC title team. Actually, if VCU DOESN’T win the title, people will forget their run in a hurry. I had nearly forgotten about George Mason until CBS reminded me about their being an 11-seed making the Final Four in 2006. Perry wished for the Goliaths to be able to meet in the finals, and he wished that the two main Goliaths, Ohio State and Kansas could still be playing and I agree with him.
A majority of people watching “March Madness” don’t care about college basketball this time of year; they simply care about their bracket and winning money in an office pool. Those of us that have watched basketball all season long should be rewarded with a REAL title game, not one where a team that needed a buzzer beater over a team from the CAA followed by a foul 93 feet away from its own basket then later Florida enduring a brain cramp to advance to the Final Four. With all due respect to VCU, according to the standings the Rams were the fourth best team in the CAA this year. Now they may be the fourth best team in the country? Really? No. Knock the BCS all you want to, but the fans are rewarded at the end of the season with the two best teams from the regular season playing for a national title. Basketball rewards the best teams of March with a title.
Hello Friends, as the very busy Jim Nantz would say. After Nantz polishes off the Final Four and the championship game this Monday, he’ll be on a plane to Augusta for the PGA’s first major, The Masters, “A tradition unlike any other.” Nantz does come off a little cheesy sometimes with the obviously prewritten lines he spouts out during the round in big moments, but isn’t that what you sort of look forward to during the weekend coverage? I know I sort of enjoy the semi-cheesy Nantz coming up with eye-rolling proclamations like “One for the Family!” after Mickelson’s final putt last year. While attending the Masters is amazing, for my money, there is nothing better than camping out on your couch, watching Sunday’s round on HDTV. So you have to endure a bit of Nantz, that’s OK.
Finally, it is interesting how one local coach impacts another in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech hired former Dayton coach Brian Gregory and while that wasn’t necessarily the sexy pick (like Richmond’s Chris Mooney or VCU’s Shaka Smart would have been), several writers in the area seem fine with that, almost excited even. Georgia’s Mark Fox is to thank for that, I do believe. At the time, Fox was Georgia’s fourth(?) option for coach, but he took the gig and in year two had Georgia Big Dancin’. Now the AJC’s Mark Bradley says of Gregory, “Tech didn’t need a hot coach. It needed a competent one. It found him.”Bradley would go on to say Tech fans may be disappointed with the choice, but once they see him play, they will change their minds. “Gregory’s guys are going to get after it good.”
Doug Roberson of the AJC was quick to bring up Gregory’s record against teams from the Big Six conferences over the last four years and his seven wins against ranked teams during his Dayton tenure.
And Jeff Schultz declared of Gregory, “Does he get a lot of people excited? Judging by the reaction when his name leaked out on Twitter a few days ago, no….But that doesn’t mean Gregory can’t win everybody over.” Schultz admitted that Georgia Tech whiffed by not securing Mooney. He also went on to once again throw out there that Georgia has passed Tech in terms of balance of power within the Peach State. Some may think that is unfair but Fox has taken his team to the tournament already. Perhaps the jury will be out until after Gregory’s second season. Needless to say, the pressure is already on.
Can You Believe He Said That
“You’re gonna like the way he talks.”
That was the hard-hitting analysis from David Pollack in regards to Georgia Tech’s new basketball coach Brian Gregory. Several years back Pollack & Bell interviewed the former Dayton coach and both remarked that he sounded like Joe Pesci. I guess the voice is all Pollack remembered. Perhaps next year you should go to the Cheetah and watch the basketball games instead of hanging out in your “sin-free environment,” so you can tell Yellow Jacket fans more than just he sounds like the bad guy from Home Alone.
The Official Visit co-hosts Scott Janovitz and Fletcher Proctor (That’s me) have gone on the record before saying that the NCAA men’s basketball championship should NOT be determined by a 64 (or 68) team single-elimination tournament that merely rewards the hottest team over six games spread over three weeks. You are throwing away November, December, January, and February to simply crown a March champion.
680 The Fan’s Perry Laurentino seems to agree. The day after VCU knocked off Kansas to earn a ticket to the Final Four, Perry made a great point: VCU and Butler are nice stories, but they just got hot at the end of the season. Perhaps he said it with tongue-in-cheek, but he was right. Upsets are “fun” and all but at the end of the day we want to see the best teams competing for a national title, not cute stories. Perry’s co-host Sandra Golden said that after the title game won by whomever, she will remember VCU’s run to the Final Four. That reminds me of the ending of Tin Cup and what Jalen Rose said in the recent Fab Five documentary. Rene Russo said that no one will remember the champion of the US Open but people would remember Roy’s shot. Rose said you can name the Fab Five but you cannot name anyone on that 1993 UNC title team. Actually, if VCU DOESN’T win the title, people will forget their run in a hurry. I had nearly forgotten about George Mason until CBS reminded me about their being an 11-seed making the Final Four in 2006. Perry wished for the Goliaths to be able to meet in the finals, and he wished that the two main Goliaths, Ohio State and Kansas could still be playing and I agree with him.
A majority of people watching “March Madness” don’t care about college basketball this time of year; they simply care about their bracket and winning money in an office pool. Those of us that have watched basketball all season long should be rewarded with a REAL title game, not one where a team that needed a buzzer beater over a team from the CAA followed by a foul 93 feet away from its own basket then later Florida enduring a brain cramp to advance to the Final Four. With all due respect to VCU, according to the standings the Rams were the fourth best team in the CAA this year. Now they may be the fourth best team in the country? Really? No. Knock the BCS all you want to, but the fans are rewarded at the end of the season with the two best teams from the regular season playing for a national title. Basketball rewards the best teams of March with a title.
Hello Friends, as the very busy Jim Nantz would say. After Nantz polishes off the Final Four and the championship game this Monday, he’ll be on a plane to Augusta for the PGA’s first major, The Masters, “A tradition unlike any other.” Nantz does come off a little cheesy sometimes with the obviously prewritten lines he spouts out during the round in big moments, but isn’t that what you sort of look forward to during the weekend coverage? I know I sort of enjoy the semi-cheesy Nantz coming up with eye-rolling proclamations like “One for the Family!” after Mickelson’s final putt last year. While attending the Masters is amazing, for my money, there is nothing better than camping out on your couch, watching Sunday’s round on HDTV. So you have to endure a bit of Nantz, that’s OK.
Finally, it is interesting how one local coach impacts another in the Atlanta area. Georgia Tech hired former Dayton coach Brian Gregory and while that wasn’t necessarily the sexy pick (like Richmond’s Chris Mooney or VCU’s Shaka Smart would have been), several writers in the area seem fine with that, almost excited even. Georgia’s Mark Fox is to thank for that, I do believe. At the time, Fox was Georgia’s fourth(?) option for coach, but he took the gig and in year two had Georgia Big Dancin’. Now the AJC’s Mark Bradley says of Gregory, “Tech didn’t need a hot coach. It needed a competent one. It found him.”Bradley would go on to say Tech fans may be disappointed with the choice, but once they see him play, they will change their minds. “Gregory’s guys are going to get after it good.”
Doug Roberson of the AJC was quick to bring up Gregory’s record against teams from the Big Six conferences over the last four years and his seven wins against ranked teams during his Dayton tenure.
And Jeff Schultz declared of Gregory, “Does he get a lot of people excited? Judging by the reaction when his name leaked out on Twitter a few days ago, no….But that doesn’t mean Gregory can’t win everybody over.” Schultz admitted that Georgia Tech whiffed by not securing Mooney. He also went on to once again throw out there that Georgia has passed Tech in terms of balance of power within the Peach State. Some may think that is unfair but Fox has taken his team to the tournament already. Perhaps the jury will be out until after Gregory’s second season. Needless to say, the pressure is already on.
Can You Believe He Said That
“You’re gonna like the way he talks.”
That was the hard-hitting analysis from David Pollack in regards to Georgia Tech’s new basketball coach Brian Gregory. Several years back Pollack & Bell interviewed the former Dayton coach and both remarked that he sounded like Joe Pesci. I guess the voice is all Pollack remembered. Perhaps next year you should go to the Cheetah and watch the basketball games instead of hanging out in your “sin-free environment,” so you can tell Yellow Jacket fans more than just he sounds like the bad guy from Home Alone.
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