SOW-03

Growl if you want to help or swap each week out that would be GREAT!!!!!!!!

I don't care what you post in these threads I'll just start them every Sunday or Monday.

Here's the article:

Buc don't know if you have seen this but i figured you would like it.


New Georgia offensive line coach Rob Sale spent the past three seasons on the staff at McNeese State University, which wasn't far from his roots as a former LSU offensive lineman. Sale, a support staffer for years under Nick Saban at Alabama, became co-offensive coordinator at McNeese State the past two years.


McNeese State head coach Matt Viator looks over the offensive line before a game against Nebraska this season. Viator weighs in on former assistant and new UGA O-Line coach Rob Sale in the Q&A below. (Photo: Bruce Thorson, USA TODAY Sports)
But how is it that a young coach like Sale can climb the ranks so quickly to land a position coach role in the SEC at Georgia?

For an answer to that we consulted Matt Viator, the head coach at McNeese State, who offered background on the Bulldogs' recent hire to replace Will Friend in charge of the offensive line in Athens.

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So just overall what type of coach did Georgia get with this hire?

VIATOR: I think they're getting an excellent football coach that's as dedicated to what he does as I've been around. He's dedicated to his players, dedicated to where he is. He's really an excellent coach. Obviously, he's coached with really good coaches and played for good coaches. He just has a really solid background when it comes to football.

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As a younger coach, where you do feel like his strengths are in what he brought to your program?

VIATOR: His overall knowledge, I think, of the game, and his commitment to his players. I mean, he had a great command of his room with his players. He had a very, very high expectation for what his players were supposed to do both on and off the field. And he took it very personal, which I think you have to. All good coaches do. He took it very, very personal on their successes both on the field and in the classroom. He was 100 percent entrenched in everything they were doing, and it showed. He was obviously very demanding and expected a lot out of them, but he got a lot back in return. The kids here loved him and respected him for his involvement and his commitment to what they were doing.


New UGA assistant Rob Sale

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It seems like everyone you speak with describes Rob Sake as a great guy, one of the friendliest, nicest you'll meet. Does he have that kind of personality? And how did that impact his recruiting?

VIATOR: Yeah, he does have a great personality. Rob can really sit down and have a conversation with anyone, and he always could. But he's done a fantastic job of recruiting. He's developed great relationships with the area he recruited and the offensive linemen he recruited here. Here we take an area and then you kind of overlap when it's your position, and he's done a fantastic job with all of that.

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He spent quite a while with Alabama's program in various roles. How do you think that impacted here in how he approached things as a coach?

VIATOR: Obviously, it impacted him tremendously, just the work ethic, attention to detail. And too if you talk to coaches in America on two of the very highly thought-of offensive line coaches, Joe Pendry is a legend in offensive line coaching, and Rob was with him for three years. Then he was with Jeff Stoutland for two years, and he is the line coach with the Philadelphia Eagles now. So in the five years he spent there, not only was he working with Coach Saban and the rest of his coaches. ... He's been around really good coaches, and I think the Alabama experience, obviously the work ethic is there. But the attention to detail is really impressive.

The other thing he brought here to us is he just has a very, very high expectation on what's supposed to be accomplished. When he closes the door to that room, I mean, there is a very, very high expectation of what's supposed to happen on and off the field for his group. That's invaluable to me in an assistant.

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Is he the kind of guy that could be able to lighten the mood with players but also be able to get the best out of them in knowing when it was time for business?

VIATOR: He can definitely lighten the mood, no question. His demand is high. His expectation is high. But he can lighten the mood for sure, and I saw that, really, when he came here and the relationship he still had with the kids at Alabama. A lot of those guys went to the NFL and would call him regularly and still kept in contact, and he still kept in contact with them. I'd hear the conversations, but obviously they had a lot of respect for him to still stay in contact and still call him.

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He was co-offensive coordinator for you, correct?

VIATOR: He was. He handled the run game and the protections here. That was really his part of it. My other guy is our wide receivers coach, and he kind of handled a lot of the passing game stuff. And it's an FCS school. I'm still the play-caller. But he was involved in that, especially after the first year. I mean, the last two years he set up everything we did. Run-wise, protection-wise, he'd set it up. I'd just walk in there and shake my head, because I had that much belief in him.

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To do that with a coach who really didn't have much experience, I'd imagine that's pretty rare, isn't it?

VIATOR: It is. But like I said, he came in here, and after spending a year with him, his knowledge of the game is tremendous. To me, it's one thing to have the knowledge, but it's another thing to be able to apply it, which he can. The attention to detail is what really impressed me. He was here really early and stayed really late. And the attention to detail in everything he did in the setup of the game plan and the run game and the protection game, shoot man, his attention to detail was tremendous. It was easy for me to trust him.

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I'd assume he discussed the Georgia opportunity with you?

VIATOR: He did. It happened pretty fast, but he did.

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What was his take on it? Was he excited for the chance?

VIATOR: Yeah, obviously he is. And we're excited for him. On one hand, I'm obviously disappointed to lose him, but we're excited for the opportunity he had. To be honest with you, he's had offers -- I'm not going to name where -- not necessarily the SEC, but he's had chances to go to places. It was one of those deals, like I told the athletic director, it was a matter of time. ... We've got a lot of great coaches at this level, but I've been fortunate to be 16 years, and I've seen guys like Rob. Adam Henry is the wide receivers coach at LSU who worked here with me. Guys like that you can see. The amount of time that you have with them, you just be thankful because someone is going to get them.

Here's my pick Chris Carson RB think he could see a little playing time I hope Thurman gets healthy rumors have it him and Marshall are well own there way to being healthy'

I'm not trying to be snarky nor open up Richt to be a punching bag again, but I sure do see Park's name mentioned quite a bit when the last time I looked he was #3 on the chart.

It's like everyone is making a pretty big assumption that Richt is all of a sudden going to become "not Richt".

I haven't forgotten who will ultimately make the decision. I am not saying it won't be Park, nor am I sayin it's automatic Richt will make a bad decision.....

... but I am absolutely not going to talk and act like it's a foregone conclusion that Park will be our starter next year.

Read one article that says Park has the strongest arm in Athens. Another article that says Ramsey has the strongest arm.

My question. Just how the hell do "they" know? First off "they" are not allowed to watch entire practices in Athens. Can "they" really judge the strongest arm watching high school video?

Get down to the brass tacks. Say one quarterback can toss a football 5/10 yards further, does that really determine the "starting quarterback".

Comes down to the playbook and coaches favorite. Believe coaches favorite wins the starting job based on the coach. Has nothing to do with the media groupies looking for clicks. Listen to what the talking heads have to say . . . . about 95% of them are just that "talking heads". The other 5%, chances are very good that they know/understand what they place in print/video.

What the media folks don't understand is that we, you and I have them pigeon holed, just like they think they have us.

Many of us on this board seem to find our way back to Thomas Davis and time served working for BVG. Looking a bit closer at film, up pops a player that looks to be the spitting image of Thomas Davis on the football field. Know that Pruitt went after Gary McCrae with the full intention of getting him to wear the Red and Black.

Both Davis and McCrae when getting to the ball carrier seem to always find the football as well as the player. What separates defensive players, some just make things happen. Realize the two videos below show Thomas Davis against SEC competition, Gary McCrae against high school players. In Gary McCrae, I really believe we have found a player that closely emulates Thomas Davis. Know that Gary is listed as an OLB/DE, watching the video, am I wrong or does McCrae have better than average speed for someone his size.

Pruitt/Rocker and Company are doing the right thing, building depth. It was time for the defense to get needed attention, and the coaches on that side of the ball seem to have Richt's attention. At this point, I say that our head coach has gotten out of the way where the defense is concerned. That is a very good thing.

Gary McCrae might be that find that we also found in Leonard Floyd.

TD was my favorite, from the 1st time I saw him knew he was special....have his jersey. Liked when he got to the ball he was "angry".