Thinking about the 05 dawgs has me thinking about the 09 dawgs
by charlottedawg on Jun 10, 2009 8:40 PM EDT
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PrintI know speculation at this point is futile, but . . . hey if one can't do it on this board where can one do it? What that said, I can't help but feel like this year's squad has a lot of similarities to that 05 team. Obviously like the 05 team, there's gonna be a lot greats to replace. Also like the 05 squad we've got a 5th year senior QB who has bidded his time to lead the dawgs. Things worked out fairly well for those 05 dawgs. And I can't help but think things aren't gonna be much diffferent for these dawgs. Why? Well this dawgs team is much deeper than that 05 team at most every position (QB, RB, WR especially). That 05 squad was not particularly deep and Shockley's injury against Arky derailed our "potential NC hopes". [Although upon reflection I agree that the BCS probably would have screwed us out of the game to setup the Horns vs. Trojans matchup]. If Joe Cox gets hurt this year, Logan Gray is more than capable of leading us. Heck, Joe Cox is fighting like heck to keep the spot. Moreover, our WR corps should be really good as well (with Marlon Brown being this year's AJ Green). And while our D's performance against BAMA, UF, UK and GT certainly has to be an issue of some concern this offseason, I can't help but think that will be corrected as well. They shut down Michigan State and seemed pretty stout in spring. With all this said, I know that unlike the 05 squad the 09 squad has an absolute monster Florida squad that according to ESPN and other programs is going to embark on a path of utter world domination the likes of which have not been seen since the days of Julius Ceasar. Clearly this has the potential for making things a bit difficult for both UGA and the UN. However, every empire's gotta end some time right? Why not in 09?
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That's the spirit
Every time I look at the schedule magnet on the refrigerator, I tremble at the very real possibility of a 2-4 start, so I admire the optimism of others.
One other similarity: both Georgia teams opened the season with high-profile games against high-octane out-of-conference opponents looking to make statements on the national scene. If the ’Dawgs can turn the tables on Oklahoma State in 2009 like they turned the tables on Boise State in 2005, we could be looking at something special.
However, the Cowboys will be playing at home with greater depth than the Broncos possessed, and they will be coming off of a solid season against a strong schedule, so I’m just hoping to get out of Stillwater with a one-point win, but we’ll know soon enough whether this team has any shot in the world at all.
Go 'Dawgs!
I agree
Over the past 10 years or so, I have slowly come around from the “eternal optimist” mindset to the T. Kyle King-endorsed “perennial pessimist” persona. Call it Munson mania, Dooley disease, or some other alliteratively clever name, but I have come to agree with your view that if you always expect the worst, then you can only be pleasantly surprised at the outcome.
A 2-4 start is not only very possible… if the Dawgs fail to unseat the Cowboys in Stillwater, I would say it could be likely.
by vineyarddawg on Jun 10, 2009 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
I like you're thinking, but
the major place where I disagree is calling the WR corps “deep”. Other than A.J. Green and Mikey Moore (I like any man who is in his twenties and is still referred to as Mikey) we have very little proven depth at the position. Kris Durham is hurt, Tony Wilson is now off of the team, Tavarres King and Israel Troupe have very little experience and even less playing time of any significance. Marlon Brown, Orson Charles (should he play the position), Rantavious Wooten, Branden Smith (should he play the position), have no experience. I don’t want to rain on the parade, but there is simply no basis for believing that our receivers will do anything of significance this year. Also, charging Marlon Brown with being the next A.J. Green (though I’d love to see it) is a pretty tall order. I’d say lower the expectations a bit.
and of course,
I meant to type “your” in the title and not “you’re”. To hell with accidentally hitting post instead of preview.
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 11, 2009 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions
To Perhaps Cheer You a Little
As a Bama fan living in exile in Oklahoma, I wish you the very best against the ugly orange (but then isn’t all orange ugly?) Cowpokes…who may be the most overrated teams in America. They have no defense; never have, never will…at least under the 40 year old man. In fact, Gundy goes and sits on the bench while his defense is on the field to figure out what to do next on offense! I’ve never seen another head coach do anything similar.
OSU lost a ton of talent, including their best receivers from a team that didn’t beat a single good team last year (unless you count Missouri, which I think is a stretch). I think it sets up for you guys a lot like the Clemson game did for us last year. You get to play a team that most people are really high on that really isn’t that good, and when you beat them, you’re going to get a huge confidence boost that sets up the rest of the year. I see Georgia probably going 9-3, maybe 10-2, especially since you can’t possibly have the same kind of bad injury luck you did last year.
I think Watchman might be right regarding OSU
They might end up being just another ASU for y’all. Plus, we’ve seen that a solid SEC defense can slow the runaway train offenses of the Big 12.
If I had to venture a prediction for UGA at this early stage – I would guess 8-4, with a plus or minus 1 game as there are a handful of games on your schedule that could go either way depending on how your season flows. I think your tougher games are late in the schedule which favors a team with a “new” QB (understood that Cox is a 5th year? senior). I see UGA starting out 4-0 heading into the LSU game, which should really be the turning point of your season. Following LSU is a tough 3 game stretch away from Athens. After that, you have 3 “should-wins” at home and then Tech across the street from the Varsity…..mmmm, rings and a F.O.
I am not sure that you can really count on the freshman players coming in and making an impact right away, but you do have some monster talent coming in. I would predict that 2010 lines up to be the next big year for UGA.
2010 sounds nice . . .
Particularly since it coincides with a change of personnel under center (or five yards behind it) for Florida.
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
I like the optimism
I, along with Kyle and vineyarddawg, take the position of “perennial pessimist”. One of my all-time favorite quotes is from the 311 song “Flowing”; “You can’t be let down if you don’t expect the world.”
Many don’t want to agree, but I don’t think that the situations of Joe Cox or DJ Shockley are all that different coming into the years where they are “the man”. Sure, Shockley had more playing time over his career than Cox due to the dual QB system that Mark Richt employed at times, but in his three games with significant playing time; 2002 Clemson, 2003 LSU, and 2004 Georgia Tech; he was pretty atrocious in two of them. Most of what we’ve seen of Cox has been mop up time, but nevertheless he has been impressive each time.
Certainly, there wasn’t a juggernaut like the 2009 version of the Gainesville Lizards, but the 2005 schedule was certainly no slouch with back to back games against Florida and Auburn, a road game at Tennessee before they fell apart, and Spurrier’s first South Carolina game between the hedges. As mentioned earlier the Dawgs open with a team touted as a highly rated offense, but questionable defense (wait, haven’t we heard this story before? Oh yeah, 2005 and 2007).
I mentioned in another thread, and I hate to keep harping on it, but I wish Georgia fans would quit with this idea that an undefeated 2005 Georgia team would have been “screwed” out of the BCS title game. While it would have sucked to gone undefeated and be left out of the title game in 2005, you can’t take anything away from those 2005 Southern Cal and Texas teams who by all rights were amazing teams that would be equally deserving of, if not more, a title shot as the hypothetical undefeated 2005 Georgia team. Those two teams gave us possibly the greatest championship game of all time of any sport (of course, that’s other than the 1991 World Series which I still contend was the greatests championship in the history of athletics).
I appreciate the optimism and wish I could share it with you. Unfortunately, my pessimistic nature must take over so that I can either be proven right or be pleasantly surprised. Either way, you’re never disappointed.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
props to Audit for his statement about 2005 what ifs
I agree with Audit that USC and Texas deserved to play for it all that year regardless of what anyone else woulda, coulda, or shoulda done. They put on one heck of a show for everyone in that game.
Now, a “thanks a lot” to Audit for bringing up the ‘91 series which still sickens me to this day. Between Hrbek’s wrestlemania-like move on Ron Gant at first, Lonnie Smith’s baserunning blunder, Justice and Lemke playing Bad News Bears in the field, and Cox bringing in Liebrandt to throw BP again? really? it still pains me to this day knowing that the Braves could have easily won that series 72 different ways….
Ugh
You had to bring up the Hrbek wrestling move and the Liebrandt stuff. I think I got over that one a lot better because it came so far out of left field that we were just happy to be there. Now 1996 is a whole other story. I still have nightmares of Jim Leyritz vs. Mark Wohlers. 1996 was the only World Series that I felt the Braves truly lost to an inferior opponent.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
Not me
I will never get over that Hrbeck move. I still HATE him to this day. Seriously, if I saw him in the street, I would probably try to give him a fat lip, lol. I was only 10, he ruined a little boy’s dreams that day… :(
Great post but gotta disagree about that USC team deserving over an undefeated UGA team
the schedule disparity aside, their were a terrible defense team that year. They didn’t stop anybody. There on-line and offensive back field were so much better than their comp that they won. Dude they put up 500 plus yards of O against Frenso State and barely won. They were not that desserving. Texas was, and that’s why despite being down by 14 at one point in the third (or close to 14) they still beat USC.
by charlottedawg on Jun 11, 2009 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions
AuditDawg sorry if my post immediately above sounded a bit harsh, I meant no disrespect
to ya. I honestly believe that every USC that went to the BCS title game, was even given a split (by the associated press) or made a brew ha ha about not getting an invite to the BCS title game had a valid arguments in their favor. However had UGA been undefeated we should have gotten it over them b/c of the poor defensive play against subpar comp.. But’s neither here nor there, the worst thing about message boards is when you get the jerk poster. I know I’m knew and have immensely enjoyed this board so far, so I don’t want to become that guy.
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