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Your Final Dawg of the Week for 2009
15 years 3 months ago #22544
by dapolla
Red and Black, Win or Lose
Your Final Dawg of the Week for 2009 was created by dapolla
It's hard to pick the final Dawg of the Week for 2009. After all, we've had some real winners in our midst this time around. National Champions like Rex Robinson and Amp Arnold; rugged workhorses like Boss Bailey and Reggie Brown; coaches who've given their careers to Georgia like Erk Russell and Mike Bobo; and a man of whom a dream season was made, D.J. Shockley.
Who could live up to that?
Well, I went over the criteria for what makes a great Dawg, and it all comes down to helping Georgia win. Mike Bobo has done it with his arm and with his brain. Boss Bailey did it with big jumps and bigger tackles. Erk did it with headbutts and strategy. D.J. seemed to do it by sheer willpower.
When I finally decided upon a Dawg of the Week for this final non-Game Week, I was satisfied that he fit all of the criteria necessary. But he also did something that very few players can boast. He guaranteed, no matter what, and sometimes against insurmountable odds, that every time he stepped on the field, Georgia would win the game. As a matter of fact, every time this player did step on the field, the Georgia Bulldogs came away victorious.
Ladies and gentlemen, the final Dawg of the Week for 2009 is...
...Reggie Ball!
That's right, Reginald Lewis Ball is one of, if not the greatest Georgia Bulldog in history. His only fault was that he put on the Georgia Tech uniform.
I'm convinced Reggie wanted the Georgia Bulldogs to beat him four years running. There's no other explanation for his erratic behavior, questionable decision-making and errant throws during Clean Old-Fashioned Hate. Reggie Ball was my father's favorite Bulldog, and if you were at the 2006 Tech game the Saturday after Thanksgiving, you knew why Georgians were thankful: Reggie Ball.
Ol' #1 suited up for the Yellow Jackets four times as the starting quarterback against Georgia, and four times the Dawgs came away victorious. His freshman year, Reggie was escorted off the field at halftime by his own coaches for fighting and threatening. He nearly didn't return for the second half of the 34-17 blowout.
In 2004, Georgia was finishing up a disappointing season when many -- including Trev Albert -- picked them to play for the national championship. On a cold and rainy November evening (the pinky toes on both my feet went numb by the second half!), the Dawgs led 16-0 at halftime, only to watch Reggie lead the Jackets on an improbable 13-0 run in the third quarter. David Greene led the troops most of the way downfield for a Brandon Coutu field goal and a 19-13 lead, but he left too much time on the clock for the dynamic Ball-led offense. Reggie began to lead Georgia Tech down the field for an amazing comeback, 20-19 victory to steal salvation away from us...that is, until he lost track of the down markers and intentially threw the ball out of bounds on fourth down. David Greene's Dawgs took over on downs and he took three knees, sealing the 19-13 Senior Day win for Georgia.
2005 was Reggie's finest day, putting the Championship-bound Dawgs to their greatest defensive test all year as the Shockley-led offense couldn't muster up a go-ahead score until the fourth quarter. However, Reggie couldn't do anything against Willie Martinez's best defense to date and the Dawgs won, 14-7.
2006, however, is the crown jewel. A senior that year, Reggie Ball and company took down all comers in winning the ACC Coastal Division and Georgia Tech's first-ever trip to the ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest. Tech's defense was unassailable that year, and the Jackets fielded a far better team than the four-loss Bulldogs could boast. Indeed, Georgia had lost to both Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same year for the first time since 1973, and had allowed fifty points between the hedges for only the second time in school history against Tennessee. Georgia's defense held firm as well, however, and Tech took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
I don't know what happened during that halftime speech Chan Gailey gave, but it awoke something in Reggie Ball. He decided that this was his time to shine, and that he had to do what he always did in this situation: lose to Georgia, and lose spectacularly. He started off by fumbling the ball away and, instead of recovering it on the ground, merely trapping it with his ankle. Tony Taylor pulled it free, as it was not down yet, and ran it in for a touchdown to put the Dawgs up 7-3. Reggie calmed back down and -- for some reason known only to God -- began playing smart football again. Tech mustered a 12-7 lead, and time was running out on the Dawgs.
Now, we all know that a 36-yard punt return and 64 yards' worth of Danny Ware, Matthew Stafford and Mohammed Massaquoi later, the Dawgs took a 15-12 lead. That's not at issue here. What is at issue is that Georgia managed to leave over two minutes on the clock, enough time for Tech to march down the field with the best receiver in the country on one side in Calvin Johnson, a damn good receiver in James Johnson on the otehr side, and in the backfield a guy named Tashard Choice who had burned the Dawgs defense for over 150 yards that day. Not only that, but Georgia committed one of the stupidest penalties in history on third down, a personal foul after a Tech false start which gave Ball and his Yellow Jackets a first down and new life. All Tech would need was two first downs to get into field goal range to tie the game and take it to overtime. All Reggie needed was one long pass to the eventual #2 overall draft pick to bring home the Governor's Trophy for the first time in his career. Georgia, sensing a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, took a time out and tried in vain to calm down their players. And when the ref's whistle blew, Reggie Ball walked back onto the field with a purpose.
The snap came. The players broke from the line of scrimmage. Reggie stepped back to pass, and did what at least half of the 93,000 screaming faithful knew he would: He threw the ball straight into the waiting hands of Paul Oliver, who fell down with the winning interception in his hands, the perfect capstone for the game of his collegiate career.
I'll never forget the outpouring of love that came from the Sanford Stadium stands that day. As he walked off Georgia's field for the final time, the Stone Mountain native, who Georgia had lost in a recruiting war with our most hated rival, heard with a zeal reserved for only the greatest to ever play for Georgia, \"REGGIE! REGGIE! REGGIE!\"
Even after Reggie left, the love from Bulldog Nation contined to come. A petition letter, signed by over 10,000 of the Georgia faithful, called for a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. Sales of vanity #1 Georgia jerseys with the name \"Ball\" embossed on the back reached the dozens.
Reggie Ball left a legacy that most Georgia players believe should be the standard for all Tech players. After giving the ball back to Georgia on what should have been a game-winning drive, he failed to lead his team on a single touchdown-scoring drive in a 9-6 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game. Spurred on by this failure -- and challenged to fail at an even greater level -- Ball promptly got himself declared academically ineligible to compete in the 2007 Gator Bowl, was not drafted, and was then cut from the practice squad of the worst team in NFL History, the 2008 Detroit Lions, in March of 2009. Reggie Ball, declared the most ineffective four-year college football starter in history by Pete Fiutak of Collegefootballnews.com, is currently jobless and without a college degree.
So let's hear it, out loud and proud, for \"Fifth Down Reggie\" Ball, one of the greatest Georgia Bulldogs of all time.
...if only he knew...
Who could live up to that?
Well, I went over the criteria for what makes a great Dawg, and it all comes down to helping Georgia win. Mike Bobo has done it with his arm and with his brain. Boss Bailey did it with big jumps and bigger tackles. Erk did it with headbutts and strategy. D.J. seemed to do it by sheer willpower.
When I finally decided upon a Dawg of the Week for this final non-Game Week, I was satisfied that he fit all of the criteria necessary. But he also did something that very few players can boast. He guaranteed, no matter what, and sometimes against insurmountable odds, that every time he stepped on the field, Georgia would win the game. As a matter of fact, every time this player did step on the field, the Georgia Bulldogs came away victorious.
Ladies and gentlemen, the final Dawg of the Week for 2009 is...
...Reggie Ball!
That's right, Reginald Lewis Ball is one of, if not the greatest Georgia Bulldog in history. His only fault was that he put on the Georgia Tech uniform.
I'm convinced Reggie wanted the Georgia Bulldogs to beat him four years running. There's no other explanation for his erratic behavior, questionable decision-making and errant throws during Clean Old-Fashioned Hate. Reggie Ball was my father's favorite Bulldog, and if you were at the 2006 Tech game the Saturday after Thanksgiving, you knew why Georgians were thankful: Reggie Ball.
Ol' #1 suited up for the Yellow Jackets four times as the starting quarterback against Georgia, and four times the Dawgs came away victorious. His freshman year, Reggie was escorted off the field at halftime by his own coaches for fighting and threatening. He nearly didn't return for the second half of the 34-17 blowout.
In 2004, Georgia was finishing up a disappointing season when many -- including Trev Albert -- picked them to play for the national championship. On a cold and rainy November evening (the pinky toes on both my feet went numb by the second half!), the Dawgs led 16-0 at halftime, only to watch Reggie lead the Jackets on an improbable 13-0 run in the third quarter. David Greene led the troops most of the way downfield for a Brandon Coutu field goal and a 19-13 lead, but he left too much time on the clock for the dynamic Ball-led offense. Reggie began to lead Georgia Tech down the field for an amazing comeback, 20-19 victory to steal salvation away from us...that is, until he lost track of the down markers and intentially threw the ball out of bounds on fourth down. David Greene's Dawgs took over on downs and he took three knees, sealing the 19-13 Senior Day win for Georgia.
2005 was Reggie's finest day, putting the Championship-bound Dawgs to their greatest defensive test all year as the Shockley-led offense couldn't muster up a go-ahead score until the fourth quarter. However, Reggie couldn't do anything against Willie Martinez's best defense to date and the Dawgs won, 14-7.
2006, however, is the crown jewel. A senior that year, Reggie Ball and company took down all comers in winning the ACC Coastal Division and Georgia Tech's first-ever trip to the ACC Championship Game against Wake Forest. Tech's defense was unassailable that year, and the Jackets fielded a far better team than the four-loss Bulldogs could boast. Indeed, Georgia had lost to both Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same year for the first time since 1973, and had allowed fifty points between the hedges for only the second time in school history against Tennessee. Georgia's defense held firm as well, however, and Tech took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
I don't know what happened during that halftime speech Chan Gailey gave, but it awoke something in Reggie Ball. He decided that this was his time to shine, and that he had to do what he always did in this situation: lose to Georgia, and lose spectacularly. He started off by fumbling the ball away and, instead of recovering it on the ground, merely trapping it with his ankle. Tony Taylor pulled it free, as it was not down yet, and ran it in for a touchdown to put the Dawgs up 7-3. Reggie calmed back down and -- for some reason known only to God -- began playing smart football again. Tech mustered a 12-7 lead, and time was running out on the Dawgs.
Now, we all know that a 36-yard punt return and 64 yards' worth of Danny Ware, Matthew Stafford and Mohammed Massaquoi later, the Dawgs took a 15-12 lead. That's not at issue here. What is at issue is that Georgia managed to leave over two minutes on the clock, enough time for Tech to march down the field with the best receiver in the country on one side in Calvin Johnson, a damn good receiver in James Johnson on the otehr side, and in the backfield a guy named Tashard Choice who had burned the Dawgs defense for over 150 yards that day. Not only that, but Georgia committed one of the stupidest penalties in history on third down, a personal foul after a Tech false start which gave Ball and his Yellow Jackets a first down and new life. All Tech would need was two first downs to get into field goal range to tie the game and take it to overtime. All Reggie needed was one long pass to the eventual #2 overall draft pick to bring home the Governor's Trophy for the first time in his career. Georgia, sensing a defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, took a time out and tried in vain to calm down their players. And when the ref's whistle blew, Reggie Ball walked back onto the field with a purpose.
The snap came. The players broke from the line of scrimmage. Reggie stepped back to pass, and did what at least half of the 93,000 screaming faithful knew he would: He threw the ball straight into the waiting hands of Paul Oliver, who fell down with the winning interception in his hands, the perfect capstone for the game of his collegiate career.
I'll never forget the outpouring of love that came from the Sanford Stadium stands that day. As he walked off Georgia's field for the final time, the Stone Mountain native, who Georgia had lost in a recruiting war with our most hated rival, heard with a zeal reserved for only the greatest to ever play for Georgia, \"REGGIE! REGGIE! REGGIE!\"
Even after Reggie left, the love from Bulldog Nation contined to come. A petition letter, signed by over 10,000 of the Georgia faithful, called for a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA. Sales of vanity #1 Georgia jerseys with the name \"Ball\" embossed on the back reached the dozens.
Reggie Ball left a legacy that most Georgia players believe should be the standard for all Tech players. After giving the ball back to Georgia on what should have been a game-winning drive, he failed to lead his team on a single touchdown-scoring drive in a 9-6 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game. Spurred on by this failure -- and challenged to fail at an even greater level -- Ball promptly got himself declared academically ineligible to compete in the 2007 Gator Bowl, was not drafted, and was then cut from the practice squad of the worst team in NFL History, the 2008 Detroit Lions, in March of 2009. Reggie Ball, declared the most ineffective four-year college football starter in history by Pete Fiutak of Collegefootballnews.com, is currently jobless and without a college degree.
So let's hear it, out loud and proud, for \"Fifth Down Reggie\" Ball, one of the greatest Georgia Bulldogs of all time.
...if only he knew...
Red and Black, Win or Lose
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15 years 3 months ago #22551
by Buc
Replied by Buc on topic Re:Your Final Dawg of the Week for 2009
Dawg in Bama welcome to this site not only as a viewer, as a poster. I haven't been here that long, but have thoroughly enjoyed the posters here. Down the road a piece I will relive some memories of my time in Columbus, Georgia with you. Go Dawgs! 
dapolla, DUDE . . . . . you are one true DAWG!
dapolla, DUDE . . . . . you are one true DAWG!
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