He’s Big! He’s Bad! He’s Bruuuuuuuce! But you can call him Uga VIII. The grandson of Uga VI and a fitting mascot to lead the Dawgs. See that big bad Dawg to the left. I can’t wait to hear the chorus of Bruuuuuuuuuuuce when Uga VIII enters Sanford Stadium!
Another Damn Good Dawg! Thanks to the Seilers!
Mark Richt announced today that Caleb King will be suspended for the next two games for his Monday morning arrest for failure to appear in court. Fan reaction ranged from “not strong enough” to “way too harsh”. Let me be the first to say, “It’s perfect”! You may ask why? Well, I’m glad you asked. Let me explain.
First, let me go back to when Washaun Ealey was in a bit of a pinch(click here). Washaun was guilty of the hit and run of a parked car while driving with a suspended license. The discussion on Atlanta sports talk radio was varied. My boys Buck and Ole Kincade couldn’t come to a meeting of the minds.
Surprise! Surprise!
While John Kincade wanted heads to roll, Buck kept saying Coach Mark Richt had to be consistent in his choice of punishment. I actually disagreed with both. My take on this growing issue of mostly irresponsible behavior with some downright appalling criminal behavior is this. The only type of consistency I want to see is the heat consistently turned up on these players until they get the message. To me, that’s what happened today.
As I stated yesterday, an expulsion from the team would have been too harsh. A one game suspension for similar offenses had not yet worked had it? It reminds me of when my two sons were coming along. Neither were bad kids but we had the occasional issue to resolve. My philosophy was to find where their pain was. If it was a couple of smacks on the backside, fine. If it was taking the Nintendo away, great, but I was committed to finding what hurt the most and worked the best.
For most players, that means playing time.
Once again, I believe that CMR has pressed the right button, the perfect balance. The heat has been turned up, but we haven’t lost our player. It’s not just a different verse of the same old song. It’s a new song. He is definitely on a roll in the last eight days.
I hope he can keep it up.
The Georgia Bulldog fans who were experiencing the relative joy of a much needed victory Saturday got derailed by the news that RB Caleb King was behind bars this morning. There were rumblings over the weekend that something might be going on with Caleb, but today’s happenings were different.
It seems Caleb got a speeding ticket in Walton County back in the summer. He failed to either pay the ticket or show up for his court date. A bench warrant was issued and when Caleb went to help a brother out, literally, he was arrested. His brother Brandon had been stopped early this morning and was driving without a valid driver’s license. The vehicle in question belongs to team mate Brandon Woods. Although Woods went along to pick up his vehicle, Caleb was going to be the one driving it home. I’m not sure why that would be, but it prompted the ACC police to check both Woods and Caleb’s licenses and that’s when the warrant for failure to appear was discovered.
Many people both in and outside the Dawg Nation are outraged that yet another player has been arrested. I understand that completely, but unless Caleb has done other things that we don’t even know about, this particular transgression does not rise to the level of him getting kicked off the team. It’s irresponsible, not criminal.
I see fans refer to these players as men, just because they are 18-22 years old. How does a number translate into true maturity and responsibility? The young people that make up any team are not only diverse racially and socio-economically, but in maturity as well.
Mark Richt can only do so much. He lives his life openly, as an example of what these players could and maybe should consider for themselves. Many will follow a similar path based on the comments I see from players I follow on Twitter, but not all of them will, obviously.
I had a conversation with one of my old team mates Saturday before the game. Neither of us could imagine how difficult it must be to even attempt to keep track of all these guys. It was tough enough when we were all under one roof at McWhorter Hall. When the NCAA did away with athletic dorms, the intent was for athletes to have a more well rounded college experience. That would be great if it were not for the fact that the expectations are so much greater for the athlete than the regular student.
We had curfews and a coach(Kasay) that lived on the same property and although stuff happened from time to time, it can in no way compare to living at another dorm or especially off campus in an apartment or house. I don’t know how they do it.
The bottom line is Caleb was irresponsible in this matter, but in no way deserves the consequences of an offense where he could have endangered lives like a DUI. Again, I say this with no real knowledge of any other extentuating circumstances or prior offenses.
Somewhere along the way, there has been a disconnect between the Athletic Department and the surrounding law enforcement agencies. There is obviously no attempt to handle things discreetly and still have consequences. How many people in Walton County with knowledge of this situation watched Caleb King and the Dawgs all year long and no attempt was made to resolve the issue. It’s not like Caleb is some secretive figure that no one knows where to find him. There knew how to find him.
The Georgia Bulldogs did not walk, they ran out of their tomb yesterday. Led on to the field by their Head Coach for the first time ever, the Dawgs responded with an energy not seen in Sanford Stadium in quite a while. It was great to see.
Mark Richt seemingly pressed all the right buttons(Click here), from tougher practices to getting off the bus dressed and ready to play, to the aforementioned run through the Redcoats, it was a great game for the Dawgs. There were many great calls on Saturday, but the best may have been Honorary Captain Boss Bailey’s pre-game speech. It sounds like Boss’s passion for Georgia Football shone through in a way some of the player’s had never, ever seen.(Click here)
Awesome!
If there was a theme for this game it’s “Where preparation met opportunity”. Tennessee did plenty to help the Dawgs Saturday, but the fact that we were in position to take advantage makes all the difference.
Aaron Murray continues to lead the way, distributing the ball 17 times to 7 different receivers. That’s a very important development. It’s only going to create problems for defenses down the road. We do however need to be able to run more effectively and not expect Aaron to carry so much of that load. We don’t need him hit as often as he’s being hit.
He’s a tough nut though!
Now it’s time to turn the page. Vanderbilt is next and I hope the CMR magic continues. Thanks to Bernie and Nama for the tickets and for the other offers to help an old Dawg see this great game! We’ll see you in Athens sometime soon.
A.J. always looks good, even wearing orange!
If the USS Bulldog is to right itself, it will be a process. This is a rather large vessel, not some Sea-Doo that can turn on a dime. It didn’t get to this shallow water with growing concern of running aground, overnight. This ship seemingly went off course several years ago and will not be righted in one or two games.
You may say that nothing less than a Georgia victory will show that we are on the right course again. Wes Durham on 790theZone has repeatedly said that this will be the most important 60 minutes of the Mark Richt Era. I don’t disagree, but all I want to see is if the hard right turn that Coach Richt took this week. If the days of practicing in full pads, with an intensity that has been so seldom seen in any Georgia team in recent memory, is evident tomorrow, I’ll be satisfied.
I want to see these guys respond. Whether to the balls to the wall practices or the fact that Coach Richt will be leading the team on to the field for the first time ever.
I hope he doesn’t pull a hammy!
I want to win tomorrow, but more than anything, I want a recognize a mid-course correction and a team that behaves like a Georgia team should. I want Derek Dooley and every stinking piece of orange in Sanford Stadium to rue the day that they ever come back to OUR HOUSE!
Make it so, Coach Richt! Make it so!
Tell me what you really think!