Coach Richt, RTK and Down 34
I had a great time at the Georgia Kicking Camp last week. I saw Dax Langley and Billy Bennett as well as many young kickers I have met over the last few years. I am hopeful I will be able to be involved in the camp more in the future. One of the interesting developments of the day was seeing Coach Mark Richt for the first time since I started this blog.
As you may or may not know, as last season wore on, I had posted some controversial comments that got me in hot water with some fans. I wanted to make sure CMR knew where I was coming from. When I asked him about it, he said he had heard a little about it. We were interrupted before we could get too deep, but we talked about meeting down the road to finish the conversation. He certainly does not owe me anything, but it’s important to me have the discussion.
I saw several players while in Athens. Drew Butler looks like a decathlete. He spoke to the campers about the process he has a gone through as a player and young man. He did a great job. I met Richard Samuel for the first time. He is more beastly than ever before. He is up to 233 lbs. Brandon Boykin, Baccari Rambo and A.J. all look great. I met and spent a good bit of time talking to Coach Van Halanger. He was effusive in his praise of the work the guys have done this off-season.
Last and least is my continued effort to get back in shape. I had plateau’d between 25-30 lbs for several weeks. A trip to Jacksonville and the lure of great seafood did not help. I am happy to report that I now have broken through to a new and seemingly legit loss of 34 lbs.
My workouts have been slowed a bit the last week because of a strained flabdominal, but my daily walk is up to 3.5 miles and I’m just being consistent with moving forward, even when making eating mistakes. You can’t let a mistake derail you. Just keep going!
Have a great week folks!
Is Georgia the Real “Kicker U”?
I was going to post this last year and never did. Now, as of yesterday, I am working the Georgia Kicking Camp next Tuesday June 1st. Dax Langley is running the camp. It will be great to see him.
Ole’ Bill King of Junkyard Blawg fame or infamy depending on who’s posting, was apparently short on material one day. He posed the question that I am sure was on everyone’s mind at the time. Who is the best kicker in Georgia history?
I have no delusions on this one and actually posted a vote. UGA has had it’s share of successful kickers, whether on the college level or in the NFL. But is Georgia the true Kicker U?
I had to know!
Here is my UGA list:
Bobby Etter – Falcons – 1968, 1969
Alan Leavitt -All-America 1976 - Buccaneers – 1978?
Rex Robinson – All American 1979-1980 - Patriots – 1982
Kevin Butler – All American 1983-84 – Bears, Cardinals 1985-1997?
John Kasay – Seahawks, Panthers – 1990-Present – Holy Crap!
Todd Petersen – Giants, Seahawks, Falcons – 1991- 2005?
Billy Bennett – NCAA leader in FG’s (87)
Brandon Coutu – Seahawks – 2008
Blair Walsh – Lou Groza Finalist 2009
Who will be next? We may see him Tuesday.
Any guesses of the other Kicker U? The University of California-Berkeley
Ray Wershing – 49er’s – 1973-1987
Jim Breech- Bengals – 1978-1992
Mick Luckhurst – Falcons – 1981-1987(could have been longer)
Doug Brien – 49ers, Saints, Jets, Bucs, Colts, Bears -1994-2005
Ryan Longwell – Packers, Vikings – 1997-present
That’s a pretty strong group, but a couple of the guys I thought went to UC, Berkeley actually went to other California schools. Frank Corrale went to UCLA. So maybe UGA does out- shine Cal. It has been an amazing run for those who wanted to be a part of a great group of guys at Georgia.
Kickers? Different? Well yeah, you have to be to do what we do. It’s hard to put a finger on what came first. Crazy people being drawn to kick or kicking making them that way. Either way, you have to have a different mindset or you will be cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
As I mentioned earlier, I cast my vote on AJC.com. As much as I love the young guys, Kevin Butler is still the man. But who was the man that made the man, wanna be the man. Hmmm? Yeah, that’s right. lol. If you look, Kevin is still ranked #3 in career field goals and #4 in kick scoring in SEC history, nearly 25 years later!
What Offense Does Georgia Run?
After a Tennessee game where our offense seemed lost and ineffective, it occurred to me(again) that we have no identity. If someone had to say, it is a mix of Pro Set, I-formation and some Spread Option sprinkled in to confuse things. The problem is it confuses us more than them(opponents).
For a while now I have felt like we really were running the FTS Offense. Have you never heard of it? Well about 4-5 years ago I met a high school coach from South Georgia. We were at a coaches clinic and since coaches are my primary customers, I try to go to as many clinics as possible. I asked this coach what offense they ran, trying to break the ice. He proceeded to tell me that they indeed ran the FTS offense. FTS stands for FEED THE STUD.
Aha! Sound familiar?
For quite a while Georgia has been dependent on “playmakers” making plays. From Fred Gibson and Terence Edwards to A.J. Green, just throw it up and let them make a play. David Green, D.J. Shockley and Matthew Stafford were playmakers. Knowshon Moreno? Playmaker. How many plays did Knowshon make totally on his own the last two years? Plenty.
Seldom has there been a time where Georgia had the identity of a hard-nosed running team that could dictate the line of scrimmage. That’s why we have usually struggled in the red zone. Do you realize that in Mark Richt’s first eight years, Georgia had three of the top ten seasons of most attempted field goals in SEC history. Billy Bennett attempted and made more field goals than any kicker in NCAA history. In 2003, he attempted just as many field goals as PAT’s(38). That’s an NCAA and SEC record for attempted field goals in a season. What does that say about an offense?
I am by no means an offensive guru, but I have heard it said enough and so have you. To win consistently, you have to be able to run the ball and defend the run. I’m not sure why we are running spread option plays when we don’t have spread option personnel on the field. Joe Cox….Richard Samuel? Joe Cox is no threat to run. That’s not a criticism of him, that’s a criticism of a coach putting him in a no win situation.
Logan Gray…Washaun Ealey…Carlton Thomas….
Now those guys could pose a threat in a true spread option attack.
I’m not talking about benching Joe Cox, but just allowing Logan to have a series or two, with a chance to succeed. One predictable play at a time just makes no sense. It just stalls drives.
We have time to turn it around!
Go Dawgs!
Billy Bennett hosed in Heisman voting!
I recently recieved a comment from a reader that made the statement that Billy should have won the Heisman. Of course this is more than silly, but Billy Bennett’s worth to his team goes largely unrecognized. I initially thought this person had found the Elmer’s again, poor fellow, but I did know for a fact that Billy was a big part of the formula that made this team a winner and not a loser. In fact, in 2002 and 2003, Billy Bennett was as valuable a “player” to his team as any other player in the nation.
How can I say such a thing? Well, I’m gonna tell you if you give me a minute…gah!
I’m not sure if you realize this, but the young Mr. Bennett, kicked more field goals than anyone in the history of college football. Let me repeat, Billy holds the NCAA records for field goals attempted and made. Heck, he made more FG’s(87), than I attempted(84). He also has two of the top three seasons for field goals attempted in the history of the SEC. Let me repeat that. The 2002 and 2003 seasons are #3 and #1 in attempted field goals in the history of the SEC. As a side note, the 2005 season is a tie for 7th(Brandon Coutu).
In doing my research I came across this blog, showing some much deserved love for Billy. For you stat-nics out there whenever a kicker attempts an equal number of field goals as extra points, that team is usually a loser. Yet, that’s exactly what happened in 2003. Billy attempted 38 FG’s and 38 PAT’s, and that is a formula for disaster. In 1977, I attempted 20 FG’s and only 16 PAT’s. This is an extreme example as we were extremely bad, but the formula normally holds true. When a team attempts as many or more FG’s than PAT’s, they go .500 at best, but usually worse. The 2003 Georgia Bulldogs went 11-3 and a Top 10 national ranking. This might be the biggest statistical anomaly in history. Go ahead stat-dude, check it out.
Now what most Georgia people already know is that the defense of Coach Brian Van Gorder ranked 3rd nationally in scoring defense, giving up only 11.4 points per game. Players like David Pollack, Odell Thurman, Thomas Davis and Sean Jones should get some love too. Just a little. But do you remember how many times the Dawgs bogged down in the red zone at the beginning of games and Billy was always there, getting us some points and salvaging a drive.
Billy did not not even get an invite to the Heisman party. That’s highway robbery. I know that in general Georgia fans appreciate his accomplishments, but there was much more to the story, and I thought you should know. Some might take this as an indictment on the offenses on those teams. Maybe so, but more than anything I am campaigning for ‘take a kicker to lunch day”. I am free tommorrow and Friday.
NCAA says no to touchbacks…
Imagine if you will, a professional golfer who is consistently able to drive the ball 300 yards with reasonable accuracy. Now you tell him he HAS to either to drive it 330 yards with the same degree of accuracy OR drive it 290 with an even higher degree of accuracy on the left side of the fairway, with greater height. WITH THE SAME CLUB. But he can’t tee it UP, he has to tee it down. If you are a golfer and/or a knowledgable golf fan you probably see the lunacy in these expectations.
Yet this is what was expected of Blair Walsh last year.
I am going to try to explain this with as much factual information as possible, so it will not appear I am trying to make excuses for Blair or anyone else. (more…)
Tell me what you really think!