VERY GOOD ARTICLE

Continuing to look around at the different articles . . .

If you have not read this, I pulled it from The Dawgbone. One persons view of UGA football.


Greg Wilson Column


Greg writes a column weekly throughout the season.

Greg spent 17 yrs as a coach (2 of which were in HS Football at Banks County HS and 14 yrs as College Basketball Coach) Currently serving as Area Director of Greater Augusta Fellowship of Christian Athletes & Head Girls Basketball Coach @ Westminster School of Augusta.





11/03/09



TN Tech @ UGA





Sometimes, in college football, lightning strikes, the planets align, and we’re all there to witness what some might call “magic.”



Sometimes, lightning not only fails to strike, but the story goes exactly as scripted.



This season’s yearly jaunt to Jacksonville resulted in near ‘bout everything many thought it would result in – plenty of UGA miscues, missed tackles, missed assignments, mistakes and missteps that eventually brought about what has become a near-yearly demise at the hands of the hated Gators, 41-17.



The giddiness is clearly over.



An offseason centered around recommitment has come and gone.



The laughter has come to a complete halt.



What was once a happy Dawg Nation is now a hapless lot.



And all the bloggin’ and soothsayin’ we attempt is all for naught as nothing really makes us feel any better.



Sometimes, big plans just cave.





A SURPRISING LOSS TO SOME



The fact that we lost to the #1 team in the nation didn’t surprise me, or maybe you either, but the fact that this Gator team is #1 in the nation kinda does.



While their talent is excellent on both sides of the ball, this Florida team clearly lacks the firepower offensively of Florida’s past juggernauts. There are no true deep threats in the passing game and Tim Tebow is just an above average passer.



But their physical defense, spurred on by having 22 of their top 22 defensive players return from last season, serves to set the tone like no other Gators’ defense in recent memory.



In fact, defense has often been Florida’s Achilles Heel. Not this year! Led by nasty, eye-gouging linebacker Brandon Spikes, the Gators’ D ranks right up there with some of their best units ever. Their cover guys are as physical as any team in the nation and their recovery speed when they make mistakes in man coverage will make any average-armed quarterback look silly most nights.



Even the sometimes-suspect Florida kicking game seems to have worked itself out this season.



This may wind up being yet another championship season for the Gators, but the safe bet here is that it won’t. They’re just too average on offense, which seems strange to utter such words with former Heisman winner Tim Tebow quarterbacking this year’s group yet again.



Now two years removed from said award, Tebow runs first and second and third, which makes passing his fourth option. His ability to lead his team is unquestioned and is exceeded only by his personal level of intensity, desire, and determination. The impact this guy has had on this year’s team may be more magnanimous than any of his previous three.





EVERYTHING LAID WIDE OPEN FOR EVALUATION



When the losses start to mount, and battle plans begin to fail with regularity, it comes as no surprise in our “gotta have it now” world that the pressure surrounding the performance of the players and particularly the coaches begins to reach epic proportions.



Georgia’s 2009 season is Exhibit A.



Just a year removed from a preseason #1 ranking and minus some key offensive superstars, the Dawgs have been a major disappointment in 2009 with a 4-4 overall record. Anything short of a 6-2 record at this point probably sends most Dawg fans running for the nearest Zoloft prescription.



But such is life in the SEC, where anywhere from 2-6 teams experience this type of disappointment on a yearly basis. This year, the Dawgs happen to find themselves squarely sitting in this unfamiliar boat, often appearing to lack so much as a single paddle with which to move their giant football machine.



When navigating these treacherous waters, seafarers often look to various types of signs to see what type of weather conditions lie ahead.



This year, the signs haven’t been good.



From sloppy tackling to turnover parades, from subpar run blocking to inaccurate QB’s, from nothing short of abysmal pass coverage in the secondary to ill-timed and too-numerous-to-mention penalties, only the kicking game has saved (salvaged?) this season from being perhaps the most underachieving season in the past 15 years or so.



Still, when evaluating, we need to look at the signs. More specifically, the signs often come in the form of answering questions …



Are players being developed, ie. – are they improving? Are we seeing guys come in as nominal contributors leave the program prepared for the next level of play?



Surely, there are plenty of former Dawgs in the NFL, so something has gone right here in the past.



But are we seeing guys like Reshad Jones and Bryan Evans and Jeff Owens and Darius Dewberry come into this tradition-rich program and leave as better players?



I’m not really sure.



Do we truly appear to be prepared to play each week? Do the players appear confident?



I think the answers here are no and no.



Defensively, are we making adjustments? Are we able to tailor a game plan to our opponent’s strengths, literally take them away or at least reduce their effectiveness, and then make even more mid-game alterations to our game plan once our opponent has seen our adjustments and made an effort to make their own?



Ahem! Ummmmmm …



Are we making good decisions regarding recruiting? Do the players we’re getting accurately reflect a tried and true philosophy? If not, are they being “coached up” to make sure they develop a blueprint to become an integral part of that philosophy?



These questions are impossible to answer without knowing all the ins and outs of what’s really going on down on the field and especially in practice, but at least to the common fan, most of the answers would appear to be negative.



The players’ recent reaffirmation that they are taking the blame collectively and not pointing fingers is admirable. Coach Mark Richt does as fine a job as anyone in the country in teaching young men to become mature men and their commitment not to publicly place blame is proof positive.



But of course, most of this goes unnoticed by the average fan.



Still, if we’re here to talk football, we have to focus on what’s going on down on the field, and rightly so. Despite a few more opportunities to right this ship and make 2009 memorable, this season is already probably one most of us will want to forget.





TIME TO PULL MURRAY’S REDSHIRT?



Freshman phenom Aaron Murray has now fully recovered from an early season arm injury and Richt says he’s ready to go and may even be able to help the team win.



However, allow me to offer a somewhat different philosophy from that which is commonly heard on UGA message boards and the like. While you read a lot about Murray’s potential to be a savior for the ’09 season, there are many mitigating factors that should and do enter into this decision.



Rather than review them all, I think I’ll stay with the one I see as most important, so here ‘tis.



Is Murray the type of player who will stick around UGA for 5 years? In other words, is he a Matt Stafford type who’s looking for the quickest ticket to The League, or is he a DJ Shockley/David Greene type who’s looking to make his mark in college before even thinking about an NFL opportunity?



I think he’s the latter.



Why?



For starters, he’s only 6-0 tall, if that. Even if he’s some kind of outrageous, phenomenal physical talent, the NFL isn’t exactly clamoring to sign 6-0 tall quarterbacks who weigh in around 200 pounds.



Ask Eric Zeier about that.



Also, by all accounts, Murray appears to be the leader we all thought and heard Joe Cox was (and may still be), but can apparently make all the throws necessary to make the Dawgs’ pro-style, play-action oriented passing attack as robust as possible.



Having just a .500 record and with at least two more opponents who appear more than capable of defeating us, I say stick with the original plan and redshirt Murray. More often than not, the redshirt experience forms the foundation for many great quarterbacks. Greene and Shockley obviously benefited from theirs.



So be patient, Dawg fans, help is on the way in the form of delayed gratification.



Sometimes, you gotta look at the signs, ride out the danger, and make the necessary changes for success to occur again.



After all, lightning never strikes just once.



Or does it?



UGA: 34



TN Tech: 16

Good article Buc, thanks. Can you believe he only predicted an 18 point win over Tenn Tech????

TENN TECH????? 18 points???? Man is our image deteriating QUICKLY or what???!!!!

I believe those were my thoughts almost exactly. Good article, could not agree more!!!