Felton fired

It was brutal while it lasted.

Comment from an unnamed reader: Fire Mark Richt. Then we can hire Meyer and Donovan in a package deal.

UPDATE: These are the jokes, people.

UPDATE 2: I am consistently impressed by Damon Evans' ability to say exactly what I'm thinking, and to do so with grace. From Hale's blog:

"I'm disappointed that things have not worked out better," athletics director Damon Evans said. "I do think it is in the best interest of our program to move in a new direction."

I could not have put that better. Now, let's see what kind of basketball coach hirer Evans is. This will be his first chance to make a major hire, no?

Yeah, like you want Kirby Smart starting at safety

Uh, no offense there Kirby...

Last night, Joe and I were talking about Dacula wide receiver Cameron Kenney, who committed to Oklahoma. And it was a revelation, at least to me, that Cameron is a white guy.

Oh, stereotypes. You're probably around for absolutely no reason at all.

ME: If you were to make a list of rules you live your life by, how far down would you get before "no white guys on defense" showed up?

JOE: I don't know, man. At least top 10.

JOE: I should really work on that, get those set down. How high would you put "Whiskey on Gameday?"

ME: It'd be right up there. But I don't know, man. Does that even have to be written down? Isn't that like making a mental note to obey the laws of gravity?

Obvious exceptions: Terry Hoage, Jake Scott, Charley Trippi and David Pollack, who I'm pretty sure is white. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

UPDATE: Upon further review, the irrelevant subject of Mr. Kenney's race may be in question.

God's blue Earth

My parents gave me a book for Christmas called Instant Genius. And it's this compendium of random interesting knowledge.

And it says that, though Earth's actual atmosphere fluctuates, "space" begins 62 miles above the planet surface. This is called the Karman Line, after a Hungarian-American physicist.

It is the approximate altitude at which you no longer need thrust to move away from the planet surface. Your momentum carries you, because there is no friction in space.

If a person travels above this imaginary line, they are considered an astronaut. Below it, they're a pilot.

And it occurred to me: Sixty-two miles is less than the distance from my house to my parent's.


The moon is considerably further away. Image from NASA's image of the day gallery.

Toby Jackson: Nooooooooooooooooo!

In hindsight, perhaps I was pinning too many hopes for our 2009 pass rush on this kid.

Do not attempt unless you are an NFL athlete

Possibly the most awesome football video in existence that does not involve Herschel Walker or Ben Watson.

Albany Herald: David Greene, winningest college football quarterback of all time, to retire

I saw it first on David's blog, The Herald apparently broke the story, but the formatting is messed up on their link. The Gwinnett Daily Post has picked up the story:

Greene added he hasn't filed retirement papers yet. However, after being offered a chance to try out for the New York Giants less than two weeks ago, he decided he had enough.

"I just declined," Greene said. "In my own heart, I knew it was time for me to kind of move on."

Not just a Damn Good Dawg, one of the absolute best. Come on home to Athens, my friend.

Banner-Herald: G-day to run on ESPN

That's the big time. A national audience will see the Jonathan deLaureals of our world shine.

You hate the sun, right Matt?

Mel Kiper's latest draft board. Or, as my buddy Joe likes to call it, "The Detroit Whammy." I hate it for Stafford, but it is nice to see two Dawgs in the top 16.

Today's lucid idiocy

I don't like it when radio stations run commercials advertising how few commercials they run.

Especially when they play an Eagles song next.

SEC NFL declarations

DawgsOnline has simplified things, giving you a partial team-by-team list of early NFL defections, etc. in the conference.

It's from Friday, but was the first I'd seen it.

King day again, with all of its reminders

Upheaval after upheaval has reminded us that modern man is traveling along a road called hate, in a journey that will bring us to destruction and damnation. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, the command to love one's enemy is an absolute necessity for our survival. Love even for enemies is the key to the solution of the problems of our world. Jesus is not an impractical idealist: he is the practical realist.

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Loving Your Enemies" sermon, collected in Strength to Love.

"We suck" is not a strategy

Honesty is great. Not getting dominated all the time is better. From David Hale's story about the Kentucky game:

“We just did not compete with the kind of toughness that’s required,” (Coach Dennis) Felton said. “We were very, very soft. It was a soft effort, and that’s the story line of this game.”

“It was definitely a lack of effort and just heart,” said senior Terrance Woodbury, who shot 4-of-14 from the field, scoring a team-high eight points. “From the tip, we didn’t come out with the energy we needed to come out with."

Good grief.

Today's Lucid Idiocy

Someone should make a movie about a guy who dates an unpopular girl on a bet, but he doesn't fall in love with her or feel guilty about it at all.

Reshad to AJC: I haven't decided

UPDATE: Reshad says he has decided to stay. I think it's a good decision, and I'm glad he'll be with the team in 2009.
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The news that Reshad Jones is considering, and may in fact be leaning toward declaring for the NFL draft, is not surprising. But it is disappointing. It is also misguided on his part.

I don't think there's ever been a player I was as excited about signing as I was Reshad Jones. If you want to field a destructive defense in Georgia, you've got to sign 5-star safeties out of Atlanta.

Reshad, stay in school for yourself. You need the extra year. And if you don't want it, I wish you good luck.

But I doubt a paycheck is going to teach you how to tackle.

Will the last Bulldog out of Stegman Coliseum please turn out the lights?

The Hoop Dawgs scored 18 points in the first half last night in a loss to Vanderbilt.

And all world Atlanta high school center Derrick Favors has decided to attend Georgia Tech.

UPDATE: Nick has a good idea: We should just take the rest of the season off and practice.

Watch out for your water, 'cause it might get walked on again in 2009

As expected, Tim Tebow will return to Florida for his senior year.

To be honest, I'm kind of glad. You want to beat the best, and I'd like to see the Dawgs get another crack at Tebow.

Now, Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes, those guys can go ahead and go to the NFL, though Spikes has apparently told teammates he'll be back.

Greer leaves staff, McClendon added

David Hale reports that Steve Greer, long time player, coach and administrator, will leave the program. That sets off a series of dominoes I think you'll find interesting, ending with former wide receiver and Georgia legacy Bryan McClendon joining the staff full time.

The Stafford / Moreno legacy

You are what your record says you are.
- Bill Parcells

Matthew Stafford on whether failing to win the SEC made leaving hard:

"It might have been a little bit of a consideration, but I don't think it's going to stick with me. I had an outstanding time here at Georgia, and I played in some big games. I played with some great players. That's what I'm going to take away from here."

Matt Stafford ends his career with 7,731 yards passing. That's No. 3 all-time for Georgia, after David Greene and Eric Zeier. It's more than 1,000 yards ahead of Quincy Carter and Mike Bobo.

Stafford tallied 51 passing touchdowns, also good for No. 3 all-time. He holds the single season record for most touchdowns, with 25. He won a Sugar Bowl, which only three other Georgia quarterbacks can say.

To put it another way, he's got more career passing yards than all but two other Georgia quarterbacks, and fewer SEC Championships than 10 of them.

Knowshon Moreno ended his career with 2,736 yards and 30 touchdowns. He averaged 5.5 yards a carry. He's 4th in career yardage, 3rd in touchdowns and 7th in average gain per carry. Herschel Walker is 8th, with 5.29.

Georgia was 21-5 in games he appeared in. We were 30-9 in games Stafford appeared in.

They remain very good players. I loved watching both of them play. They stayed out of trouble, and they brought positive attention to the University of Georgia. I think it's fair to say they're Damn Good Dawgs.

But they're not legends. And I wonder whether we'll see them around much in the future.

They seem to me like hired gunslingers, brought in from out of town. And they fought, and they led the team. But the team got shot up in the street by Tim Tebow and Nick Saban and Georgia Tech, of all people.

That doesn't seem to bother them much, and it doesn't have to. But let's just be clear: It's not even on the same planet as immortality.

Their leaving won't be addition by subtraction, but it changes the team dynamics in a way that could be positive. Please note I said "dymanics," not "total talent level."

When Spring practice opens, there's a question as to who's THE MAN on offense. There are no superstars, save A.J. Green, who's only a sophomore. Everyone will know they have to step it up from day one.

Superman's not there to save us anymore, and I'm betting guys get tired of hearing that real fast.

I'm not saying this makes the 2009 team better. I'm not saying that at all. But let's say they win zero SEC Championships next year. That's not exactly regression, is it?

UPDATE:
"But I promise you one thing. A lot of good will come out of this. You have never seen any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of this season, and you'll never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of this season. And you'll never see a team play harder than we will the rest of this season. God bless."

That's what Tim Tebow says after his team loses by a blocked PAT.

Does anyone remember what any of our players said after Alabama kicked their ass up and down the field?

You're getting an o-line Matt Stafford never had, Joe Cox.

Make it happen.

More from the Stafford / Moreno press conference

Technical difficulties here in the home office have delayed our team coverage, but LIABC (Lucid Idiocy Athens Bureau Chief) Brian Huff was at todays Stafford/Moreno "Death to the 2009 Season" press conference.

He was struck by something that David Hale, and I'm sure the rest of the press corps, notes in his report: That Moreno never even looked into where he'd be drafted.

He apparently forgot to submit his paperwork to the NFL and didn't really talk to anyone to get a sense of his draft value.

So incredulous was the press corps, Huff said, that "they asked him like three times."

No kidding. But that's how Superman rolls.

All press conference images courtesy Brian Huff:

Live from Butts Mehre

Lucid Idiocy Athens Bureau Chief Brian Huff is at the Stafford / Moreno press conference.

He says they're passing out stat sheets that say "for his career, Stafford/Moreno finishes..."

Georgiadogs.com is streaming the press conference here.

UPDATE: Yep. Gone. Banner Herald has a story up.

Banner-Herald: Stafford, Moreno to announce Wednesday

Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford plan to announce whether they will return to school or declare for the NFL Draft tomorrow, according to The Athens Banner-Herald.

Marc Weiszer has quotes from Stafford and Moreno's family.

Anthony Dasher at Ugasports.com says they are leaving... I think. The word "expected" is involved and there's something about "an email floating around."

Time will tell.

Knowshon, my man, you're ready. We're going to miss you.

Stafford: I've been to Detroit. You need another year in Athens.

UPDATE: Schlabach has a report up. He uses the word expected as well. Hell, you and I expect them to leave for the NFL.

Coach Garner is staying

That's the official word.

Why I'm not too worried about Garner leaving

UPDATE: All-world defensive back Branden Smith chose Georgia tonight during the Under Armour game. Word on the street was that Coach Garner was the primary coach recruiting him. Read into that what you will.

"Good program, good academics. You know, I had that good connection with the coaches."
- Branden Smith

I am reminded of how excited I was when Reshad Jones committed. The graveyards are full of indispensable men.
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When Jim Donnan was pushed out, it was absolutely crucial to keep Rodney Garner on that staff. It was Coach Richt's best hire, with the possible exception of bringing Dave Van Halanger with him from Florida State.

Coach Garner is still one of the best when it comes to southeastern recruiting, and I think this blog is on record valuing Coach Garner.

But he's made it clear over the years that he's interested in moving up. Like Coach Richt, I think the Bulldog Nation supports him in that. He's worked hard for us here, and if we don't have what makes him happy, Coach Garner should go with our blessings and an invitation to return.

And, though I'm more than happy with Coach Garner, I'd be excited about an opportunity to add new blood to the coaching staff if he leaves. I never thought we needed to fire Coach Martinez, I just thought we needed one new guy on defense.

Someone who will put safeties in a Darth-Vader-style choke hold if they try to shoulder tackle, and punch defensive linemen in the face until they're All Americans.

Should Garner leave, I'm sure we'll be fine in recruiting. Georgia Tight Ends Coach John Lilly was Florida State's recruiting coordinator from 1998 until he joined the Georgia coaching staff in 2008. That's not FSU's highest cotton, but it's nothing to sneeze at.

And when you win 10 games a year, and Coach Richt and his very stable staff have had 8 years to get to know high school coaches around the state, recruiting gets a little easier.

By the way, if I can make a general prediction on who Coach Richt might bring in if Coach Garner does decide to leave...

Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee

This one's for you, KJP. There are a bunch of these with actual video footage of the guys, but this is the song Joe picked out:


I let my harmonica talk for me...

The Final Countdown

I both love and hate the internet.