Tempered Expectations

Trying real hard to keep a certain amount of "control".

Was real close to starting a "thingy" about Tae Crowder. Today I read this coming from Kirby Smart, reinforces my thoughts on just how effective the change "could/might" be. Not a player on the "Roster" that Smart and Company have overlooked. That has long been a "festering boil" for me and some others for a spell.

Today "Pouty" again wrote a few paragraphs about the "changes" in the way Coach Smart will be running the "business of college football in Athens". Agree or disagree, Smart and Company "will" change the way our program "will" be ran. Not only Coach Smart, the entire group of coaches will not be under pressure from the media/press, that will definitely change. That has been a long standing problem in the Classic City.

Easy for me to "bounce around" . . . . not too bad for someone that has been around UGA Football for a few years. Many of the younger folks, (those past 50 or under) to have a different view of our program. What a great thing it would be for different "era's" age wise to clasp hands and enjoy "something" to look forward to. Common cause it was called once upon a time.

Head Coach said this . . . . “I think that there is a big misnomer out there that if Sony or Nick are not there and are not healthy for the first game, there’s nobody there,” Smart said. “That’s not true. We went through a large part of the spring without Nick, so Tae Crowder, and Brendan Douglas have played a lot of snaps here. Tae Crowder has come a long way for spring ball. We’ve got two freshmen I’m excited to see what they can do.”

Allow me this . . . . Once upon a time we did not know that we had talent the likes of . . . . Knowshon Moreno, practiced with the "next year group". Players knew, that continued to be the case until the end of 2015.

Back to the beginning . . . . Tae Crowder is a football player and much more. If he does not become a serious running back, his talent will find itself somewhere on the field.

Also allow me this . . . . Charlie Woerner. Loaded with tight ends, does Woerner sit on the bench or does he find a place to play?

Coach Smart has said it perfectly . . . . you want to play, PROVE IT.

Competition is back in Athens. Smart and Company believe you either want to play or you want to continue the way our program has been "played" for too many years.

2016 Season, going to be more than "Standing Room Only" in Sanford Stadium. Classic City is no longer a "Sleeping Giant". Parking space and "butts" in the seats is a thing of the past.

What is not to like? Maybe the "past several years".

This reminds me of why I'm a fan and not a coach. I get too caught up in the hype of the highly touted kids, forgetting--because I'm too lazy to dig a little deeper--that ANY kid signing with Georgia can play ball. Sony and Chubb are studs, but they aren't the only studs out there. Woerner will play, I'm sure of it. You're right about us being loaded at tight end. One thing I hope we keep from the MR era...use of tight ends to move the ball. I'm guessing CKS already knows this is a go-to option with this group of kids.

While I fashion myself a brutal realist, I also have to try to come at this from the perspective which isn't saturated as a fan boy of UGA.

I have said from the outset of the CKS hire and our subsequent chatter on here about a new chapter in UGA's history that my bar of measurement will be improvement on fundamentals - particularly the line play. We have just been destroyed on our non-existent lines in recent memory. CKS has made it clear from day one that his emphasis is on the lines. We had many many threads on this topic back in the spring and my hope is that this season, we're going to finally see solid fundamental football. Maybe if we can finally get some solid O-line play, our running backs won't go down with injuries every year due to having to pound play-after-play through a line which isn't opening holes for them. I expect players to be held accountable.

I expect to see no friggin pooch kicks, kickoffs which actually reach the end zone, better clock management, intensity, and the fire of desire to win. I expect to see and hear a coach that takes responsibility for the good and the bad. I expect our defense to actually be prepared with a game plan, getting a hat on the running backs behind the line, take better angles, get more pressure on the QB, and I expect a secondary that doesn't look like a group of guys that couldn't find their arse cheeks with both hands out there, let alone find the wide receiver they had no idea who was covering that just gained 22 yards and a first down.

I expect Jacksonville to matter and to be competitive once again.

I expect to be confident that on 3rd and 4, we've got this.

I expect Kirby's pressers to be incredibly fun to watch. I expect the coach speak to reside in Coral Gables, not in Athens.

I expect the talent we have to be coached up, not pissed away. (Coach em' up Buc)

I expect to see 4 and 5 stars coached and play like 4 and 5 stars. I expect 3 stars coached and play like 4 stars.

I expect to see our tight end used regularly and I certainly expect to see Jacob Eason in the mix - if not right out of the gate, certainly within a few weeks of the season starting. The Virginia QB is not the future of this program, the Washington QB is, and the sooner we can get him in there at SEC speed, the sooner he can be groomed into the QB we all hope he turns out to be. I expect to wake up on Saturday mornings, turn on Game Day, and actually be excited about UGA football.

None of this is to speak of records. I think it's highly likely that we win 8 games this year. UGA has been the recipient this year of probably the most agreeable schedule for a new coach and a new system. Do I think we take the East? I'm not going to go that far. Coach Mac will have the lizards ready to play, that's for sure. Do I think it's possible? Oh yes I do. But that's not in my expectation list. This year for me is all about culture (have I said this enough?) and fundamentals, in other words - "the process."

Are my expectations lofty or are they tempered? I think they're tempered because lofty would be "this is our season."

But I have to say this - what a different feel it is right now to be a UGA fan. I look forward to going through this season with all of you guys here. It's going to be a blast.

Go Dawgs.

^ ^ ^ ^ ^


Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Might be that some members have not watched the video below.

One of the main things that I like about this particular video is the way Coach Smart handles the media. Not being ugly, he is definitely different than what was once upon a time the "normal".

Whether it be chatter about a football player, both pro and con, same applies to the media. Change as has been mentioned by many on Dawgs.com has arrived in the Classic City.