Monday Night Dawg Bites: Who Dat Say Saints Make Him Wanna Puke? Edition
by T Kyle King on Feb 8, 2010 10:21 PM EST
in News
0 comments
The Monday following Super Bowl Sunday is like an aluminum bat to the face, and trebly so if the team you (nominally) supported the day before lost. Granted, there is no outcome of any NFL game I could find truly fortunate or unfortunate---it’s the NFL; it’s basically just a waste of six or eight otherwise perfectly good years of collegiate eligibility (and, hey, I took forever to get through school, so why can’t they?)---but the Super Bowl marks the surest sign that football season is well and truly done.
Accordingly, in an effort to come to terms with the reality of the offseason, I bring you a brief rundown of goings-on around the blogosphere for your entertainment and, I hope, edification:
The national news media would nominate Drew Brees for Sainthood, but that would be redundant. I’ll admit it . . . I had a much stronger visceral reaction against the Saints than was warranted under the circumstances, partly because of an Atlanta-area native’s ingrained disdain for the longtime Falcons rival but mostly because I have been annoyed for a full decade over the absurdity of Drew Brees being named the MVP of the 2000 Outback Bowl, which his team lost to my team. I repeat: he was named the most valuable player in a game his team lost, even though his team’s defeat would appear to suggest that there were 85 scholarship athletes on the opposite sideline who were more valuable to their team than Brees was to his, since their team, you know, won, or something.
Nevertheless, we now find ourselves in a curious situation wherein Saints fans are praising a player who went to school in Indiana while mocking a Colts quarterback who grew up in the Big Easy. Go figure. In any case, Florida fans were rooting for the Saints, so I know I was right to favor Indianapolis.
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Super Bowl Game Day Open Comment Thread
by T Kyle King on Feb 7, 2010 5:45 PM EST
in Football
178 comments
Aside from the G-Day game, tonight's NFL championship outing is the last real football we'll get until Labor Day weekend, so we might as well make the most of it before the offseason truly begins.
Feel free to share your thoughts on Jon Stinchcomb, Tim Jennings, Travis Jones, 2000 Outback Bowl MVP Drew Brees, longtime Bulldog-slayer Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts, the New Orleans Saints, Tim Tebow, and the rest of the commercials in the comments below.
Go 'Dawgs!
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Why This Super Bowl Sunday Is a Big Day In Bulldog Nation
by T Kyle King on Feb 7, 2010 9:11 AM EST
in Football
4 comments
James Wallace Butts was a native Georgian and a direct descendant of Captain Samuel Butts, for whom Butts County is named. During Coach Butts's first season as the Bulldogs' skipper in 1939, the Bulldogs were facing NYU in Yankee Stadium when New York Times sports editor Robert Kelley approached Athens Banner-Herald sports editor Dan Magill and asked, "What nationality is Coach Butts?" Perhaps for the first and last time in his storied career as the definitive source of data for all things Bulldog, Magill did not know the answer, so Atlanta Journal columnist Edwin "Ole Timer" Camp interjected, "Why, he's a Georgia Cracker---that's what nationality he is."
Camp was right. Coach Butts served the University of Georgia as an assistant coach, as head coach, and as athletic director. His 22 years at the helm of the Red and Black football program make him the Bulldogs' second longest-tenured coach, behind only Vince Dooley. Coach Butts trails only Coach Dooley in victories, as well; between 1939 and 1960, Wally Butts compiled a ledger of 140-86-9 that included four SEC championships, shares of a pair of national titles, and wins in the Oil, Orange, Rose, and Sugar Bowls. Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy called Wally Butts "one of the greatest coaches of all time" and praised the Red and Black headmaster for the "beautiful but deadly flow of pass patterns, sound execution of fundamentals, and . . . hard-nosed style of play" that typified his Georgia teams.
Coach Butts opened recruiting pipelines to Ohio and Pennsylvania (the latter with the help of Keystone State Coca-Cola bottler and former Red and Black player Harold Ketron) and he coached three of the four Georgia players whose jersey numbers are retired (Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich and Maxwell Award winner Charley Trippi among them), as well as "Peerless Pilot" Fran Tarkenton. Following his sudden death in 1973, Coach Butts was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery, in the shadow of Sanford Stadium; prior to his passing, he had written weekly letters to Coach Dooley throughout the younger skipper's coaching tenure in Athens.
I mention such things about Wally Butts because he was born in Milledgeville on February 7, 1905 . . . 105 years ago today.
Enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday, Bulldog Nation.
Go 'Dawgs!
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Instantaneous Ill-Informed Roundball Wrapup: Georgia Bulldogs 72, Vanderbilt Commodores 58
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2010 10:27 PM EST
in Basketball
44 comments
All right . . . so, wait, you can build up an early lead, lose it, be trailing at the half, come back, and then win? Are you sure they allow that, 'cause I thought the formula was play hard, build a lead, let them cut into it before the break, go into the locker room up by a couple or three but feeling demoralized, and let it get away at the end in the most agonizing fashion imaginable.
So you're saying the Fox Hounds actually are allowed to win one that's close at the half?
I'm sorry, I'm not buying it. I'm thinking the league office is going to review this one and say we have to forfeit it or something. I mean, being down at the break and outscoring the other team after intermission has to be against the rules when we do it, or else we'd do it all the time, wouldn't we? Hang on, I'm checking . . . wait a second while I Google that. . . .
Well, I'll be danged. It turns out we are allowed to do that. Georgia was behind 26-23 and came back to outduel the 'Dores by a 49-32 margin in the second half. Who knew?
Great job, guys. Maybe all those nailbiters were a learning experience, after all.
Could it really be that things are turning around in Bulldog Nation? Could it really?
Go 'Dawgs!
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Vanderbilt Commodores at Georgia Bulldogs Basketball Game Night Open Comment Thread
by T Kyle King on Feb 6, 2010 7:30 PM EST
in Football
85 comments
Admittedly, I pretty much ignored the midweek men's basketball game because it fell on national signing day and, frankly, I didn't think anyone would care.
Now, though, it's the weekend, the Fox Hounds are back in action at the Stegosaurus, and it's time to figure out if the Hoop Dogs can close the deal against an SEC opponent.
Should you be so inclined, you are welcome to comment on the evening's roundball action below.
Go 'Dawgs!
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Gym Dogs Right the Ship in Home Win Over Kentucky
by T Kyle King on Feb 5, 2010 9:51 PM EST
in News
6 comments
It has been a busy day in Bulldog Nation, and especially here at Dawg Sports, so I regret that I cannot give the Gym Dogs the full attention they deserve. However, it suffices to say that, as suddenly as the bottom appeared to have fallen out on the nation’s top women’s gymnastics program, the Red and Black bounced back with a convincing win over Kentucky.
The Wildcat gymnasts outdueled the Red and Black in the vault, edging the Athenians 49.15-48.95 in the event in Friday’s meet at Stegeman Coliseum. Nevertheless, the home team was much more poised this week, as no Georgia gymnast earned a mark below 9.7 and three carded a 9.8 or better.
After that, the Gym Dogs took charge on the bars, notching an overall 49.45 to the Blue and White’s 48.925 score. A pair of 9.9s from Courtney McCool and Gina Nuccio were eclipsed by Kat Ding’s 9.975.
Georgia earned cumulative tallies of 49.4 both on the beam and in the floor exercise to put up a total of 197.2, for a figure much more in line with what we have come to expect from the Red and Black. Scores of 9.9 or above were received by Hilary Mauro (beam), McCool (floor), Grace Taylor (beam), and Shayla Worley (beam and floor). Kentucky limped home with a 48.65 on the beam and a 48.725 in the floor exercise to tally a 195.45 mark.
That’s more like it! While a victory over Kentucky in a home meet only proves so much, the collective score posted by the Gym Dogs offered a very encouraging sign that quality Georgia gymnastics did not end when Suzanne Yoculan retired. Nice job, ladies.
I’m almost hesitant to say this, but it’s been a pretty good week in Bulldog Nation.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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Mark Richt Rounds Out Georgia Bulldogs' Defensive Staff by Hiring Warren Belin
by T Kyle King on Feb 5, 2010 9:29 PM EST
in Football
16 comments
Fortunately, vineyarddawg was all over this story when David Hale brought us the news that Warren Belin is Georgia’s new linebackers coach, completing the staff that has been at least a man down since Willie Martinez and two other defensive coaches were sacked.
I know what you’re thinking . . . we’re hiring coaches from Vanderbilt? Yes, that’s right, and here’s why:
Who was Bobby Johnson praising two days ago when he announced his best recruiting class ever?
His recruiting coordinator, Warren Belin.
And now Belin, who is also the Commodores' linebackers and special teams coach, is joining Mark Richt's staff as linebackers coach at Georgia. You can read the entire press release and get some analysis on David Hale's excellent Georgia blog.
Belin was with Bobby Johnson for the past eight years and helped develop linebackers Hunter Hillenmeyer, Marcus Buggs, Moses Osemwegie, Jonathan Goff, Patrick Benoist and now Chris Marve. If you're a Georgia fan and don't recognize those names, let's just say that all those guys were two-star recruits who developed into All-SEC players under Coach Belin's tutelage. Most of those guys are playing or will play in the NFL, and Hillenmeyer is the son of a stockbroker and the Bears linebacker who stripped the ball from Adrian Peterson in overtime of a late-season Monday night game to stun Farve and the Vikings.
Imagine what Belin can do with four- and five-star talent, if those guys are willing to learn and achieve their potential.
After the disappointment of this year’s signing day, that ought to be music to your ears. Since poor recruiting efforts can doom a program long-term, Coach Richt decided to cure what ails us by bringing in a coach who can (a) improve our recruiting down the road and (b) get the most out of athletes with fewer stars in the interim. That sounds to me like a smart hire for now and a smart hire for later.
Bear in mind that Coach Belin’s service on the Commodores’ staff has included stints as linebackers coach, recruiting coordinator, and special teams coordinator. Had I asked you twelve hours ago to name the Bulldogs’ five or six biggest areas of need, three of them likely would have been coaching up the linebackers (particularly in the 3-4 scheme Georgia will adopt under Todd Grantham), recruiting, and special teams. Also, Coach Belin brings what Coach Grantham and Scott Lakatos lack: SEC experience.
Joke all you want about how it’s just Vanderbilt; even leaving aside the fact that Coach Belin was there for the most successful period of Commodore history in nearly three decades, the fact is that Brian VanGorder’s resume consisted of coaching stints at Grand Valley State, Wayne State, Central Florida, Central Michigan, and Western Illinois before Coach Richt tapped him to be the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator. Say what you will about the ‘Dores, but at least they don’t have a directional indicator in their nomenclature and at least you’re 100 per cent sure of the state in which their campus is located, which is more than you can say about any institution that employed Coach VanGorder prior to his arrival in Athens. Did that hire work out for us? Well, then trusting Coach Richt on this one wouldn’t be altogether out of line, then, would it?
All three of Coach Richt’s recent staff hires have been light on the sizzle but strong on the steak. That’s fine with me. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had my fill of sizzle in Sanford Stadium lately. Sizzle is breaking out new uniforms for big games. Steak is wrapping up when you tackle. Sizzle is a long bomb on first down. Steak is establishing the run. Sizzle is a preseason No. 1 ranking. Steak is a postseason No. 1 ranking.
Enough with the sizzle, already. We need steak, because it’s time to let the Big ‘Dawg eat.
Welcome to Bulldog Nation, Coach Belin.
Go ‘Dawgs!
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You might want to pre-cringe for this one Georgia fans...
... because to fill the last slot on the Georgia defensive coaching staff, the Dawgs reached out and struck fear deep into the hearts of our enemies...
by hiring a coach from Vanderbilt.
I can feel the trolls coming already. This one is gonna hurt.
3 days ago
vineyarddawg
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