Couple of thoughts on player improvement, and other things.
After four practices, quarterback Aaron Murray has been “awesome,” Bobo said. “He’s throwing the ball extremely accurate.”
AM has been under Bobo’s wing since arriving on campus in Athens. AM takes the summer and attends the Manning Camp and comes back to Athens getting raves from Bobo. Not only raves from Bobo, the onlookers at the camp were really impressed with AM. His height was mentioned, always is, but the end result was AM is a really good quarterback, with a terrific arm, makes all of the throws required to play pro ball.
Blair Walsh is hired on in Minnesota and the powers there list Blair as their kicker, case closed as to who is number one. It was mentioned that the problem Blair had at UGA was a timing thing. Whatever the cause, glad to see Blair back in the saddle again.
Point I am trying to make is that coaching is all that. One coach does not know all, but some are better at fine tuning than others.
UGA has made a lot of coaching and sports department changes in a relatively short time now. From all that I gather, the changes made have been very good for our football team and sports in general. Don’t have a clue as to whether there are more changes being considered, or if changes are necessary at this point.
Do have this feeling that Mike Bobo might be pulling up stakes in the near future, don’t really see Mike remaining at UGA as an assistant much longer. Have no doubts that Mike is no different than many assistants . . . Wants to run a program from the top. Richt or someone higher up moved quickly and placed Grantham in the number two position of hierarchy. If that remains the case, feel sure changes will come soon.
I believe that Mike Bobo is a good quarterback coach. AM did not learn everything he knows from the time spent in the Manning Camp. There are other quarterbacks that have come and gone that Mike Bobo helped in reaching their goals. Mike is a real good recruiter. All one has to do is check some of the names that he has been directly involved with that chose to play in Athens. Would not surprise me to see Mike leave and take a job elsewhere, maybe at a school with lesser notoriety, giving him the chance much like Mark Richt was given while still at Florida State.
Making a jump from assistant or coordinator to head coach is a huge step. Mark Richt I think has finally realized that and it can be seen with some of his recent decisions. Clock is ticking for Richt, and let’s face it, he understands that only too well. What I mean by that statement is the majority of Bulldog supporters have been patient, growling a bit, but patient. However, there comes a point when those same numbers come up most every year, numbers that basically look good on paper but do not meet the wishes of most Bulldog backers. To be considered elite, then you and I have to hear the name Georgia mentioned in the same breath as Southern Cal, Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and now a growing list that includes names like Oklahoma State, Oregon and others.
Many on this board and others have made the statement that there really cannot be any excuses for our 2012 football team not reaching the goals that they have laid out for themselves as a team. Most of the championship talk so far has come from the defensive side of the ball. I like the talk. Talk like that leaves little room for excuses.
Maybe Mike and Mark have reached the point that the 2012 edition of the Red and Black feel the same way that the defensive guys do. Will say this, AM has put this team up on a pedestal, leaves little room for AM to make excuses either.
I don’t see a team on our schedule, regardless of where the game is played that has me believing that we cannot win. Not going into injuries, every team has those, and many teams that we will play don’t have the depth that we do.
Looking for big things from the 2012 group . . . They have said it, I accept it. Thoughts on a Monday morning.