We didn't have time to miss you

It does kind of make you feel better about your position in the human condition to hear David Pollack doubted his ability to play SEC football.

From the Ken Malcome and Derek Owens are leaving the program story:

“I’ll never forget David Pollack coming in my office as a freshman during camp and he was down,” Richt said. “He’s like, ‘I can’t do anything right. Coach [Rodney] Garner is all over me. I think I might have made a mistake. I don’t know if I can play here.’ … It’s hard to all of a sudden compete at a level you never had to. The guys [transferring] aren’t bad kids at all. Instead of fighting, they choose to move on, and the kids that do that, they’re a bunch of good kids.”

Wishing you the best, Jakar Hamilton

Fare the well, Hitman.

I suspect some Dawgboners don't like clicking on a headline, only to find, basically, nothing they didn't already know. That's reasonable.

King's flunk-out leaves us thin in one more place

To those arguing that the sky is not falling just because Caleb King threw away his senior year of Georgia football: I hear you.

But this sure has a hair-that-broke-the-camel's-back feel to it, doesn't it? Especially combined with Washaun Ealey leaving, Brent Benedict leaving and the fact that we now have 77 players on scholarship, or two more than a team the NCAA dropped the hammer on with scholarship reductions.

Generally speaking, step one to success is not fucking yourself over. And when it comes to proven players, we are now very thin (at best) at safety, offensive line, linebacker (especially if Jarvis Jones has to sit the first couple of games), wide receiver and running back.

And that's assuming John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers are the answer on our D-line.

'82 media guide: Herschel for Heisman

I've had this 1982 media guide for some time now. And hadn't noticed the Heisman Trophy reflection in Herschel's helmet.

Tony Gilbert, another home run

Thomas Brown and now Tony Gilbert? We're building a roster of wants-it over-achievers on that S&C training team. From The Telegraph:

Former All-SEC linebacker, three-year Georgia letterman and NFL veteran Tony Gilbert has been named an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Bulldogs.

Times-Recorder: Leonard Pope saves child

From the Americus Times-Recorder:

"Leonard was inside, and he came out of nowhere and dove into the water without any hesitation, cell phone in his pocket and all. He saved my son’s life, and I am so thankful that he was there for me and my child.”

Amen.

Will Muschamp, let's go fishing

It's not the guarantee, Will. It's that smug little look I can see on your face.

Then I wish you'd wanted an SEC Title

I think I'm going to have to stop following Travis Leslie's tweets. They make me wish too much for what might have been next year.

Halftime at G-Day: The Main Event

I tell you what, this halftime quarterback showdown is shaping up to answer the question: Who's the best UGA quarterback of the last 15 years? And, if Eric Zeier wins it, the last 20.

That's gonna be something to see. Kudos to whoever thought this up.










Image: UGA Athletics.

Fare thee well, A.J. Green

A.J. made it official this afternoon. He's headed to the NFL.

Joe: The fact that A.J. Green, Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno all left the University of Georgia without a single championship is mind boggling.

T. Brown to join S&C staff? Sounds good.

Considering that Thomas Brown is probably, pound for pound, the strongest man ever to play football for the University of Georgia, this sounds like a good hire to me.

From Kelin Johnson:

Effective January 1st, one of Georgia’s greatest running backs, Thomas Brown, will be rejoining the UGAfamily once again; not on the field, but in the weight room, on Joe Tereshinski’s strength and conditioning staff.

Would Will Muschamp leave Florida for Georgia?

Probably not.

Still, if this is an A-Teamesque plan to destroy Florida, kudos.

Like Blutarsky, this hire doesn't scare me any more today than it did yesterday. I'd like to believe it represents the rare chink Jeremy Foley's armor. He is our real enemy.

Update: Answering a tech fan's question - yes, I absolutely see this line from Muschamp's official statement as a direct and purposeful message to the University of Georgia:

"I wouldn't have left for any other job."

Muschamp to Florida? OK, Mother (deleted)

I gotta tell you, I think the University of Georgia could have done a lot worse than Will Muschamp to Florida.

The Dawgs against Muschamp defenses:

2003 at LSU: 10-17
2004 in Athens: 45-16
2006 at Auburn: 37-15
2007 at Auburn: 45-20

You can't see this as worse than Urban Meyer, but only time will tell whether this will be part of a mojo shift in Jacksonville.

Update: Just for context on my general prognostication powers, this is what I predicted during the preseason this year. To summarize, I wasn't scared of Auburn.

Hines Ward continues up NFL record books

With this play yesterday, Hines Ward moved to second all-time in Steeler touchdowns, passing Jerome Bettis. His 81 touchdowns place him behind only Franco Harris, who scored 100 for the Steelers.

Perhaps more impressive, Ward has also tied Art Monk for fourth place in NFL history by catching a ball in 183 consecutive NFL games.

Next on the list (per official NFL stats) is Terrell Owens with 185, Marvin Harrison with 190 and Jerry Rice with an amazing 274.















Strong. Image: Keith Srakocic, AP, via georgiadogs.com.

Ray Goff: Worthy of the Georgia Hall of Fame?

I've always considered Ray Goff a good Dawg that we treated poorly on his way out of Athens.

But ask yourself this: Does his one SEC title as a quarterback, 46-34-1 record as a head football coach and promise not to check your credit at any of his Aaron's Furniture stores merit inclusion in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame?

From The Macon Telegraph:

The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2011 was selected Tuesday.

The next inductees will be football coach Robert Davis, football official Joe DeLany, basketball player Dale Ellis, football player and coach Ray Goff, golfer William Ploeger, tennis player Lisa Spain Short, and football player James “J.T.” Thomas.

Also, does Coach Goff's inclusion make you more likely to visit the sports hall of fame in Macon, which is currently subsidized to the tune of $412,000 in Georgia tax dollars a year?

A few years back there was some commotion over the hall of fame's makeup, and its similarity to the board that selected honorees. Namely, there were an awful lot of white UGA alumni involved in both instances.

From The Telegraph in 2002:

NBA great Dominique Wilkins, boxing world champion Sugar Ray Robinson, three-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain and Negro League star Josh Gibson share a dubious distinction. They're world-class athletes with Georgia ties, but they're not in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

Wilkins was added in 2004, Robinson in 2006, McClain in 2005 and Gibson in 2003. They were beaten into the hall by well known Georgia sports heroes Joe Gerson, Pete Cox, Johnny Griffith, L.J. "Stan" Lomax and Loran Smith, all of whom happened to be on the selection board when they were inducted.

What am I saying? Congratulations, I guess, to Ray Goff. You are about to share an honor with 349 other Georgia sports figures, most of whom the average Georgian has never heard of.

Telegraph: Branden Smith is back

From Seth Emerson:

Mark Richt just announced it. The sophomore cornerback-kick returner has been cleared academically.

Only one response comes to mind.


But the fast part. Like in Die Hard.

On a sad note, Seth also notes that Quintin Banks, the oft-injured safety from Houston County, won't be playing football this year. I hate to see it, but I'm glad Quintin made a decision for his future.

Update: I didn't want to steal the whole story, but Banks, a fifth-year senior, will remain with the team as a student coach. That's excellent. Teach the death method.

Sorry Damon, but we're done here

Best of luck rebuilding, my friend.

Bill King:

"No institution wants a drunken punchline as its public face."

Isner downed quickly at Wimbledon

There just wasn't anything left in the tank for our boy. But everyone in tennis will remember that first round match.

UGA's Isner at Wimbledon, in world's longest tennis match

John Isner, class of 2007, is locked now in the longest tennis match in the sport's history.

He's trying to get past Nicolas Mahut and clear the first round at Wimbledon for the first time in his career.

Update: This is just ridiculous. They've suspended play again. From The New York Times:

On Wednesday, it resumed, but after 118 games in the fifth set, which itself would be the longest match in Wimbledon history, the sun set and play had to be suspended again.

You can watch the tape delay now (4:50 p.m. eastern) on ESPN2. According to the broadcast, Isner has smashed the world record for aces in a match, recording more than 90.

Thursday update: Our man John Isner has won. Damn good dawg.

Bratkowski, you just made the list

Former All-American UGA quarterback Zeke Bratkowski had better watch it. From ESPN:

Tebow has been tutored in a pro-style way by working with a coaching team that includes former NFL offensive coordinator Zeke Bratkowski, Montreal Alouettes head coach Marc Trestman, Arizona State's new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and former NFL head coach Sam Wyche.

Bratkowski has concentrated on getting Tebow to raise the football to where it now does not dip lower than his shoulder. The delivery that allowed Tebow to complete over 67 percent of his passes at Florida but the one that also was roundly questioned during and after the Senior Bowl has begun to be made over at the pre-draft workouts in Nashville.

Much of the work has started with Tebow's feet, which were accustomed to working out of a shotgun offense. Bratkowski and others have drilled Tebow on the requisite footwork that he will need to become a successful NFL quarterback.

"You're not looking at the same quarterback," said Bratkowski, who has worked with quarterbacks such as San Diego's Philip Rivers, Philadelphia's Michael Vick and Boomer Esiason. "To say we're there 100 percent where we want to be, no. But we'll be more improved come pro day than we are at this point in time now."

Bratkowski, when you start talking about how well "we" are doing and Tim Tebow is part of that "we," you're on some thin freaking ice.