by Rex Robinson

Archive for January, 2010

Oh You Herschel Walker!

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Herschel Walker made a successful debut versus Greg Nagy in the Mixed Martial Arts arena last night and proved once again that he is one of a kind(click).  There is no one comparable.  Herschel has the most eclectic resume you will ever find and the most extreme.

NCAA and NFL football, World Class Sprinter, Black Belt in Taekwondo, Olympic Bobsledder, Entrepreneur, Marathon Cyclist, Reality Show Star(Pros vs. Joes and The Apprentice), and now MMA.

That’s quite a bucket list you got there #34.

To say that Herschel is in phenomenal shape and a freak would be unoriginal and redundant. One of his trainers said he had the body of a 22 year old.

By my calculations, that means Herschel should live to about 188 years old.

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Getting back to the fight. He did look very raw in his debut. I watch a good bit of MMA and you could tell it was his first time in the octagon. I was really concerned that his lack of grappling experience was going to hurt him and he never really tried any jui-jitsu. He was in great position to choke Nagy and even when he did mount him was too high to ground and pound like he wanted to.

Ultimately the fight was stopped because Nagy stopped trying to improve his position from the ground and quit defending himself and that is a TKO.

I heard Herschel say in a pre fight interview that he didn’t anticipate fighting for an extended period. I can’t wait to see him again and see what kinds of improvements he makes.

In the mean-time, I fully expect to see him pilot the Space Shuttle soon.


Georgia Bulldog Recruiting

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There is much weeping and gnashing of teeth in the Bulldog Nation as SIGNING DAY approaches. Many lives hang in the balance, and I’m not talking players and/or coaches. It’s the fans that seem to feel that their lives will be somehow changed if one player or another makes the “wrong” decision. One Bulldog commit has played his late recruitment  to the hilt and the firestorm it has caused is remarkable. I wanted to make a brief comment on the phenomenon.

Get a freakin’ life!

The day I let a 17 or 18 year old kid dictate the ebb and flow of my day, is when hell freezes over. Obviously, I want to have the best players possible. Some folks think that means 5 Stars by a kid’s name. I think it’s about a kid with talent and a real desire to wear red and black.

I believe with all my heart that the Georgia Bulldogs of the future will be dramatically improved. Not because of a dramatic influx of 5 Stars, but because of a renewed focus of Coach Mark Richt and the hiring of a  defensive dynamo, Todd Grantham.  The future is indeed bright, so sit back, take a chill pill and enjoy the ride.

The reception is not that great, six feet under.


It’s Senior Bowl Week

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It’s that time of year when all we have to look forward to is the Super bowl and College All-Star Games like the this past weekends East West Shrine Game and now the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. I was fortunate enough to play in the 1981 Senior Bowl but my how things have changed.

It was considered a golden opportunity to practice and play in front of NFL scouts and coaches and maybe get drafted. There are some that still look at it that way, but many, many players turn down offers to play because it may actually hurt their draft status.  The Senior Bowl people have been scrambling to fill out the rosters because of this new attitude.

Georgia is represented by Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens this year. I am pulling for them to make some last minute statements to the assembly of pro football evaluators. In 1981, Scott Woerner, Nat Hudson and I made up the Dawg contingent.

It’s sad that not playing and relying on combines or carefully controlled pro days have replaced an opportunity to meet and play with guys from all over the country. We lost the game but I had a decent game with a 43 yard field goal. Some of you might actually remember that I punted, that’s right Dawg fans, I punted….terribly. It didn’t help that it was cold and windy and I had not punted in a game in 4+ years.

Even so, it was a great time. I hope this year’s Dawgs feel the same.

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with Alabama’s E.J. Junior…I know…we cool.

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Scott Woerner and our coach Denver’s Red Miller…suck up…

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Maryland TE Eric Sievers…not his best moment.

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with Alabama’s Byron Braggs…a BIGGEN!


A New “Day” at Marietta?

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I got a call Friday night about James “Friday” Richards decision to retire as head coach of the Marietta Blue Devils. Some of you may not realize that Marietta is my Alma mater, so this coaching change is of some import to me. Coach Friday graduated from MHS in 1972 and came back from the University of Florida just in time for my senior season(1976).

I’ll never forget his encouragement in a triple overtime classic against Douglas County that fall. My extra point made the difference after the Tigers kicker missed his to make it 38-37.  He started teaching and coaching officially the next year and the rest is history. As the head coach for 15 years, his record at Marietta was 107-58.

When I started selling sporting goods six years ago, everywhere I went around the state, coaches wanted to know when “Friday was going to retire”?  A few years ago, he started talking to me about it some, but this fall his mentions of retirement accelerated. I was at Marietta Thursday and it came up again, but some details had yet to fall into place. That happened Friday and again, one of his assistants called me that night with the news.

Suffice it to say, Marietta will be inundated with applications for this job. When coaches think of Marietta, they think of the Dexter Wood years and the success they enjoyed in the early 90′s.  It will be very interesting to see the direction the administration goes with the new hire.

Athletic Director Paul Hall is half-way through his first year on the job and now will be involved in hiring someone for a job that was ear-marked for him a couple of years ago. Friday mentioned that possibility on more than one occasion to me.  Hall was a long-time assistant coach for Richards and would have been a great choice. The x-factor at this point is a school administration that may or may not be committed to excellence on the field. They have already made a let’s say, “interesting”  choice in replacing another legend, basketball coach Charlie Hood, with a first time head coach.  The team is 3-8 in Region 5-AAAAA and 5-13 over-all.

The kids of Marietta deserve the best opportunity to succeed,

academically and athletically.

I hope that is kept in mind.

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Hartley Defeats Voodoo with Mojo

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Garrett Hartley won the NFC Championship with a 40 yard field goal last night, restoring some degree of confidence in kickers worldwide. In recent weeks, kickers had fallen victim to some kind of voodoo, but that spell is broken. The Saints are going to the SUPER BOWL!

This season has been a strange one for Hartley, with him having to serve a suspension for using a banned susbstance(click). John Carney took his place and the old dude(45) did a great job(click), but the Saints knew Hartley was their future.

They just didn’t know how big he would be in the present…

Hartley only started kicking in week 13 and only attempted 12 field goals this year, making 10.  So after only playing in six games, Hartley comes into the NFC and wins the game with his only field goal attempt and in overtime at that. When I saw him being interviewed after the game, it struck me how he looked more X-Games than NFL.

All I know is…Last night, he perfected the 270 leggie footie upkick and…

New Orleans will never be the same.


D’Brickashaw…Really?

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I remember it like it was a few years ago, because it was. The NFL Draft was a few months away and the mock drafts were mocking.  That’s when I heard it. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, tackle from the University of Virginia. Say what? Come again?

Ferguson is named after Father Ralph de Bricassart, a fictional character in the 1977 novel (and on the 1983 television mini-series) The Thorn Birds, played by Richard Chamberlain.(From Wikipedia)

You girls should LOVE that!

Okay, at least that makes a little sense. Sort of. I actually like unusual names, heck, I have an unusual name. How many Rex’s do you know, personally? My full name is even better or worse, depending on how you look at it. Noble from my paternal grandfather and Rexford from my Father. The first day of school every year was an adventure, with each teacher getting to the R’s and hesitating but eventually saying, “Noble Robinson”? I would wait for the giggles to subside and I would sheepishly say, “just call me Rex”.

Some parents just go off the deep end in their attempts to make their children “stand out in a crowd”. Instead of allowing them to create their own identities, they do it for them by naming them like cartoon characters. Celebrities are the worst. Apple? Audio Science? Pilot Inspektor? Sage Moonblood? Bronx Mowgli?

The reason this subject came to mind is one of our commits(as of today anyway), Da’Rick Rogers. Do you know how to pronounce it? If you are a die-hard you might, but I bet many of you do not. You might think it’s Duh-Rick or Dah-Rick, but you would be wrong. It’s Day-Rick with the apostrophe taking the place of the “Y”, what’s wrong with you? I have talked with many teachers over the years and have heard some great names.

See if you can figure this one out. This is a real name.

Le-a.

I’ll even give you a hint. It’s a girl’s name.


Chance Veazey Fundraiser in Tifton

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This is my invitation to all of you , to come to a Chance Veazey Fundraiser in Tifton next Friday, January 29th. Several members of the 1980 team will be on hand to lend our support to the young Bulldog baseball player paralyzed in a scooter accident last fall.

The event will be held at the Tifton UGA Conference Center and starts at 5:00 PM with an autograph signing and  a memorabilia auction to follow.

I hope to see you there.


A Special Teams Dream

Georgia Fans are clamoring for the redistribution of wealth that they perceive is available on the new and improved Bulldog staff.  Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham runs a base 3-4 defense and the perception is that a full-time special teams coach might be a possibility.

The limitations placed on coaching staffs by the NCAA may preclude a special teams guru. You can only have your head coach, 9 assistants and two GA’s on the field at any given time . I have no knowledge of Coach Richt’s plans, but here is the present breakdown

  1. Mark Richt(HC)
  2. Mike Bobo(OC/QB)
  3. Stacey Searels(OL)
  4. Tony Ball(WR)
  5. John Lilly(TE)
  6. Bryan McClendon(RB)
  7. Todd Grantham(DC/LB)
  8. Rodney Garner(DL)
  9. Scott Lakatos(DB)
  10. Outside Backers or Special Teams?

It seems to me that it would be difficult for Coach Grantham to coach the outside backers/defensive ends because of the vast differences in their responsibilities from the inside backers. I do like Grantham’s decision to coach LB’s because he said during practice he will get valuable time with the D-Line(Inside Drills) and the DB’s(Pass Skeleton). It just seems like he could spread thin during fundamental periods with inside and outside backer skill-sets being so different.

The most important issue regarding special teams is not if there is one man doing it all or not. It’s the special teams philosophy and time spent implementing said philosophy that really matters. It would still work with coaches sharing special teams responsibilities if the philosophies and personnel choices are more sound. That was where Georgia struggled most.

All I know is this, every time I hear Todd Grantham talk, I get all tingly inside. This is going to be fun to watch, no matter what.

Go Dawgs!

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T-Minus Two Weeks and Counting

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Signing Day is two weeks away and basically a free for all has ensued in SEC recruiting. Many fans are pulling their hair out. Between Alabama’s championship, Urban Meyer’s intermittent “health” issues, Lame Kiffin leaving Tennessee in the lurch, Derek Dooley trying to save the day, Georgia finally naming their DC, this two week home stretch promises to be one for the ages.

Remember the tag-line for the MTV show”Diary”,

You think you know, but you have no idea…

Hey, did you think two days ago, that Chan Gailey would be a head coach in the NFL this year? SEE? There is no alternative universe aka Bizarro World. We LIVE in the Bizarro world.

That’s why I’m concerned about commits like Da’Rick Rogers taking visits with his buddy Nash Nance to Tennessee and possibly Florida. The Gators have continued to clean up with commitment after commitment, with Urban Meyer’s future “up in the air”. How can that be? That is some “leave of absence” he’s got going on.

I am very concerned about Derek Dooley. He’s young and looks even younger. He’s a great communicator. He’s going to be a pain in our collective buttocks.

Then there is National Champion, Alabama. Winning will create additional recruiting momentum and they will be formidable for the forseeable future. I remember how 1980 led to some the most loaded teams UGA has ever seen.

Just now is new Georgia  DC Todd Grantham able to hit the road.  He has some catching up to do.  New Defensive Backs Scott Lakatos apparently arrives in Athens today and hits the road tomorrow. On the surface it seems Coach Richt and company have kept our commits intact. The lone exception was a mutual parting it seems.

The roller coaster is leaving the platform, are you buckled in? Let’s see if you can ride this “Scream Machine” with no hands…

Go Dawgs!


Fragile

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Pronounced- Fra-jeel-ay…must be Italian. Hopefully you get the reference from the movie classic “A Christmas Story”.  The word fragile comes to mind quite often these days as I watch game after game with kickers struggling in bowl games and the NFL playoffs.  All in all, it’s been a horrible year for kickers.

Even going back into the regular season, some of the best kickers in history hit a wall. Jason Elam with the Falcons and Nick Folk with the Cowboys are two of the best examples. What’s so strange is, the kicker who replaced Folk, Sean Suisham, has had his struggles as well. He was cut from the Washington Redskins just a few short weeks before joining the Cowboys. In fact, a short miss versus the Cowboys is what got him cut from the Redskin roster in the first place.

The worst case scenario just happened Sunday with Nate Kaeding of the San Diego Chargers going 0-3 versus the New York Jets. Two of the misses should have been automatic. Jim Nance had just gotten the words out of his mouth and I KNEW it was a jinx coming. Kaeding had made 67 in a row inside 40 yards. Sunday he started another streak, missing two. The final score of 17-14 makes it a big deal. The fact that similar games have happened in the playoffs before, makes Charger fans crazy.

When a negative precedent is set, a molehill can become a mountain pretty quickly, and almost impossible to get over. I’ve been there. I have mentioned the 1978 Astro Bluebonnet Bowl before.  Without doubt my worst game as a Georgia Bulldog. It was a game played on turf, in a dome. The next time I had a chance to play on turf, in a dome was the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. I would have been fine, but all week reporters reminded me of my earlier failure and asked me if it would happen again.

This constant negative input was very difficult to push aside.  As you have seen this year, when a kicker has any doubts in a pressure situation, the results are less than stellar.  The reporters questions actually ruined that week for me, because all I could think about was not letting a replay of the Bluebonnet Bowl take place. As it turned out I had a solid game, not perfect, but solid.

When doubt creeps in, that chink in the armor can kill you. As a golfer, a pitcher or hitter in baseball, and especially a kicker, confidence is key. Phill Simms really impressed me with his understanding of the position Sunday. A regular player is instinctive, reacting to the flow of the game. Kickers are on the sideline, stagnant and come in for one play to either succeed or fail. It’s not easy, but it is the nature of the position.

A kicker has to do his part, or suffer the consequences.


Tennessee’s Upgrade is Dooley Noted

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As a Georgia guy, I was surprised by the hiring of Derek Dooley at the University of Tennessee. Not because I don’t think he is worthy, but because he is unlike the other candidates mentioned. Troy Calhoun of Air Force, Houston’s Kevin Sumlin and David Cutcliffe who was a Tennessee guy for so long are all so different.

I know that some of the Tennessee faithful looked at the Dooley hire as settling for the sake of expediency, with signing day looming. I think Derek dispelled much of that concern in his introductory press conference. His combination of down home eloquence and understanding of the value of tradition had the press corp applauding at one point. Even Volunteers recognize class when they see it, it’s just been a while.

He is the anti-Kiffin…it was love at first bite.

Sound bite that is. A couple of reporters attempted to get Dooley to comment on Lane Kiffin, even if in a subtle way, and Derek would not stoop to that level. It was as if uttering the K-word would leave a bad taste in one’s mouth. 

I hope Tennessee wins it’s share of games each year with losses to Georgia and Florida.

But I will not be cheering for the Big Urange!

That sounds perfect to me.

What say you?



Why Grantham?

You may have questions about the process we have endured to finally name a DC at Georgia. You may even have questions about Todd Grantham himself. After all, his only stint as a Cleveland Browns DC was less than stellar in some people’s minds.

The only stat I need to see is the flowing:

Coaches who hired Todd Grantham

FrankBeamer/Bud Foster

Nick Saban

Romeo Crennel

Dom Capers

Wade Phillips

That’s a veritable who’s who of great defensive minds to have learned from and coach for. The fact that each of these men hired Todd Grantham, says it all to me. Congratulations to Coach Grantham and Coach Mark Richt!

Proceed with GATA! Go Dawgs!


Who wants Dominoes?

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Well, you got’em! The first to fall was Jim Mora getting fired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Before the door could even hit him in the butt, the Seahawks were on the phone with Pete Carroll.  Captain Cool said yes and left the USC Trojans, the college football mecca of this decade, in his dust. After overtures to Oregon State’s Mike Riley and the Jacksonville Jaguar’s  Jack Del Rio, the Trojans have settled, and I do mean settled, for Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin.

As of about midnight last night, the campus of the University of Tennessee became a reenactment of the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s with Lane Kiffin the only McCoy left to shoot. The air was filled with snuff spat in such anger that some kids thought it was raining.

Kiffin’s departure tips the next domino and creates a vacuum in SEC recruiting just three weeks from signing day. This could be great for Georgia if we can get our stuff together. There were several of those commits to UT that had Georgia high on their list.

The first replacement for Kiffin that came to mind was Peewee Herman, but I think I dreamed that. The next name was Duke’s David Cutcliffe. I’m sure that would be fine with Duke because Cutcliffe has been there two years, more than could be reasonably expected…..insert crickets chirping….I have always felt that Cutcliffe was the key to much of the Vols success in the 90′s.

It would be refreshing and just freakin’ awesome if he were to stay at Duke and continue building a competitive program there. I for one will not be holding my breath but, whether it’s him or another coach yet un-named, the dominoes will continue to fall.

Oh yeah, and all the kids can do is watch.


Swinging for the Fences

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Well, I lied. I had told a lot of folks that I would not write about the Georgia DC search again until we reached the finish line. Yesterday Alabama’s Kirby Smart decided to stay in Tuscaloosa and the Bulldog Nation started yelping again. I understand that. It has been a frustrating process.

We’re about five weeks in and signing day is drawing nigh. So far, it appears we have not lost any commits because of the lengthy search, but we are vulnerable. Our enemies could certainly twist this into a reason to consider their programs.

Most Dawgs would agree that Coach Mark Richt has consistently gone for homerun hires. Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster, LSU’s John Chavis and now native son Kirby Smart. The fact is, just as in baseball, when you swing for the fences, you’re going to strike out some. When CMR does make contact, it will be a homerun. We as Georgia fans just have to stay in the game.

The worst thing Coach Richt could do is “choke up” and just try to make contact.


Waking Up From a Liberian Dream

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I knew who Rennie Curran was. I just didn’t know who Rennie Curran was. It was #35′s freshman year and I had checked out Myspace of all things.  I met alot of Georgia Fans on there and over time a few players as well. Rennie had a page and for all I know he still might, but that’s when I learned who he really is.

A  Christian and unafraid to share that fact. Perfect? No, but forgiven.

Today, Rennie announced his intention to forgo his senior year and enter the NFL Draft. In reality, Rennie really did not have a reason to come back for the 2010 season. He will not get appreciably taller. Rennie is what he is and all that matters is the size of that heart.

I for one him wish all the best.  Taking care of his parents has always been at the heart of Rennie’s motivations. In fact, that responsibility was imposed upon him by his parents. They came to the United States from Liberia with little more than the clothes on their backs. He has shouldered it well. And in case you didn’t know, he now has a daughter to rear as well.

You have been a DGD Rennie. Godspeed and Go Dawgs!


Disarray Oh Disarray

Here we sit on January 9th , 2010 and the football world as we know it is in complete disarray. First Florida’s Urban Meyer goes off what he thought was the deep end and hit his head. Now Pete Carroll is rumored to be leaving the college football mecca that is USC for the NFL.  Both programs have enjoyed tremendous success but both now face an uncertain future. Disarray oh Disarray.

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Meyer’s health issues and putting family first was apparently just a 24 hour bug. Now he says he feels in his gut he will be back for the 2010 season. Looney Tunes was always my favorite. Stay tuned for more hilarity.

Pete Carroll has been ultra successful as Trojan Man but ongoing investigations about impropriety going all the way back to Reggie Bush’s apartment and more recently Joe McKnight driving a Land Rover around LA. Nice! Charlie Weis also put a spot-light on the RUMOR that ole Petie had a sweetie on the beach in Malibu. All of this,in addition to a sub-par season and several early defections make the future less than golden in the Golden State.

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Former USC RB Lendale White said he was very disappointed in the idea that Carroll would leave after preaching family and loyalty for 10 years. White went on to say that he expected Carroll to be stay at USC like Bobby Bowden did at FSU.  Lendale needs to understand that those days are gone.

Ambition and attrition are the realities of the day.



Total Team Sports is Hot

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SnowSham 2010 was a major disappointment here in Atlanta. Just enough precipitation combined with frigid temperatures to be a pain in the butt, but not enough to really enjoy it. All the schools and systems that I do business with are closed today, but this week has been a great start to 2010.

New customers and vendors are evidence of continued growth for Total Team Sports.

I am thankful.

I have created ad links to many of my suppliers on the blog as well a listing of apparel suppliers in the left side-bar. Ash City was my first supplier of corporate apparel and it’s been a great fit. I have used Sanmar as a supplier of tee shirts, sweats and other athletic apparel. Augusta Sportswear has uniforms and coaches gear at great prices.  Stewart and Strauss is my primary source for custom lettermen’s jackets. Just this week, I have added Game Sportswear as a supplier of warm-ups, jackets and corporate apparel. I have sold their products before and they are top quality and unique.

The other new relationship is taking me in a new direction, promotional products. Norwood is a fantastic resource for ad specialty items for corporate and/or booster club applications. I also hope to supply items for fundraising and charity golf tournaments around the southeast. If your company needs golf balls with your logo, call me.

All in all, 2010 is off to a tremendous start.

Let me know if I can be of service to you.

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What a Celebration!

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It’s Championship Game Day! What a great experience for the guys at Alabama and Texas. A day neither will ever forget, although only one team will look back fondly on tonight’s result. It makes me wonder how Notre Dame’s players reflect on the 1981 Sugar Bowl. They are probably still wondering how in the world they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs.

The other night, the halftime show of the Orange Bowl featured Kool and the Gang, one of my favorite groups from back in the day.  One of the songs they played was Celebration, one of their biggest hits. I am sure their sales have spiked since Tuesday night.

From Wikipedia: “Celebration” is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B charts.

I was listening to the tape during pregame in the locker room.

I was focused on the portion of the song that said these these words:

We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right
We’re gonna have a good time tonight
Let’s celebrate, it’s all right

Needless to say, we did have a good time that night.

Oh yeah, 2010 marks the 30 year anniversary of The Championship. Wow.


Are We There Yet?

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Georgia Head Coach Mark Richt made known his decision to fire Willie Martinez, Jon Fabris and John Jancek over a month ago now. It’s been a long trip to get to where we are today, possibly just days away from an announcement on who our new defensive coordinator will be.  I have remained mum about my feelings about the process, because at this point, nobody really knows what the process has entailed. Rumors are rumors, and I’m not going to lose sleep about a rumor. Many in the “Nation” have been like that kid in the back seat asking, are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Sometimes you just want to smack’em.

I have some definite opinions I will share once the dust has settled and reality replaces rumor.  Only then will we know for sure if Mark Richt has orchestrated a masterpiece or a rap video.


Red and Black Tuesday

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I said it’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog! While the weather outside is indeed frightful, I feel warm and fuzzy inside because the history books will show January 5th, 2010 as (Red and) Black Tuesday.(Thanks AD). While my primary focus was on the Orange Bowl and Iowa beating Georgia Tech, the Hoop Dawgs were providing the appetizer by upsetting the 20th ranked B-Ball Bees, 73-66.

Once I was able to give the football game my complete attention, it was like a trip to Fogo de Chao. So much great stuff, you don’t know where to start.  All you can eat, for one not so low price, but oh so worth it.

I truthfully did not expect Iowa to put that type of beatdown on the Yellow Jackets. I didn’t realize Iowa had the likes of DE Adrian Clayborn who could be so disruptive. In fact Iowa dominated on the line of scrimmage and held Tech more than 280 yards under their season average of total offense and scored just one touchdown. Wow!

On offense, Iowa “pounded the rock” ala the Georgia Bulldogs and kept Tech’s offense off the field in the first half especially.  Hawkeye QB Ricky Stanzi had a very solid game for someone that was coming off ankle surgery and had not played in a couple of months.

Sure, Georgia Tech had a great year, but losing the way they did last night is a bitter pill. This fact,  along with the loss to Georgia will make this off season a long one.

I wonder who Paul Johnson will be punching this week?


Hike Coup for You

Corch Meyer’s absence

is a bulldog dream come true

Bye Bye Corch Meyer


A Game to Forget…Maybe

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It’s the early morning of January 2, 2010 and already kickers have both won and lost bowl games for their teams in this newest of decades. If you kick long enough, you will live on both sides of this fickle arrangement. As a kicker, all I ever wanted to do was whatever helped my team win, to do my part.

The fact remains that a kicker is just a kicker in most people’s minds and as David Pollack said on Twitter recently, “kickers are the worst part of football.” Whatever.

In yesterdays Outback Bowl, Stefan Demos of Northwestern missed field goals of 48 and 44 yards in regulation as well as an extra point. The 44 yarder sailed just right and sent the game into overtime. In the overtime period, he missed another kick but was roughed on the play allowing the Wildcats to  continue their drive. Ultimately, a fake field goal was thwarted moments later and Northwestern’s dreams of beating Auburn were over.  Luckily, Stefan is only a junior and can hopefully make up for an inauspicious bowl game.

It reminds me of the 1978 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl where the Georgia Bulldogs lost to Stanford 25-22.  You old Dawgs will know where this is going.  I had a very similar game to Stefan Demos although the game itself was very different. We were winning the game 22-0 at halftime, with yours truly having made one field goal, but I missed one field goal and one extra point.

The second half was a disaster as we had a myriad of problems, i.e, fumbles, another missed field goal and 25 unanswered points.  It was a long  off season with that as your last memory of an otherwise great season.  I hope Stefan Demos has an opportunity to win some games down the road, you know, to ease the pain. Maybe. A little.

I have mentioned before, former “athletes” hold on to the bad plays, and the bad games much more than the good. It’s weird. I know. Oh, by the way, the quotes above were for those of you that can’t see your way clear to classify kickers as athletes.

Anyhoo, The Bluebonnet Bowl was my Waterloo, but fortunately there were other battles to fight and to win. A horrific loss does not have to be the end of the road. It’s just a brief detour. It actually can be the fuel that ignites a fire that leads to greatness. Do you remember Alexis Serna? He was the Oregon State kicker who as a freshman missed three PAT’s against LSU in 2004 when the Tigers won the National Championship. Alexis went on the win the Groza Award two years later.