There Simply is No Basis for Believing the 2009 Georgia Bulldogs Will Succeed
by T Kyle King on Jun 12, 2009 12:15 AM EDT
in Football
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Print(Author’s Note: What follows is, after the fashion of our favorite football coach, somewhat tongue-in-cheek . . . which is to say, the exaggerations that follow are, like Mark Richt’s mention of the relative humidity in the Sunshine State, hyperbolic expressions of beliefs the speaker genuinely holds at the most basic level, albeit not to the extreme extent indicated. If this also happens to remind you of anything else you may have read here recently, well, such a resemblance probably is not coincidental.)
Summer is upon us and optimism is in abundance, from donkeydawg to charlottedawg and from DavetheDawg to Doug Gillett (who is a loyal Bulldog fan, despite not having any variation of "Dawg" in his handle).
Well, I, for one, have tried my hand at viewing the glass as full half-full anything other than empty not broken into sharp jagged shards, and the experienced left me burned, bloodied, and convinced that Larry Munson was overly inclined to look on the bright side. Move over, Wallace "Weeping Wally" Butts; step aside, Vince Dooley . . . the dour doubters, dejected doomsayers, and Chicken Littles of Bulldog Nation are about to crown a new King. (See what I did there?)
Seven weeks ago, I was bold enough to declare that Georgia was going 7-5. I’ll be straight with you, folks: I have the 2009 schedule magnet affixed to my refrigerator, and, every time I look at it, I get a shiver up my spine. I think the bottom’s about to fall out, people.
The Bulldogs open against a current Big 12 school in a venue other than Sanford Stadium. The Red and Black have done so twice in their history, opening the autumn against Texas in Atlanta in 1957 and in Austin in 1958. Both outings ended in Georgia losses to start seasons that ended with the ‘Dawgs finishing under .500.
The Classic City Canines’ second opponent is South Carolina, which kicks off the campaign in a Thursday night game on September 3 and therefore has nine days in which to prepare for the ‘Dawgs. Georgia’s third opponent is Arkansas, which has an open date the Saturday before facing the Athenians. The Bulldogs’ last opponent is Georgia Tech, which also has a bye week prior to ending the season against Georgia. (The comically soft "gauntlet" the Yellow Jackets must run in the stretch leading up to their date with the Red and Black consists of Virginia, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Duke, so the Ramblin’ Wreck starters should play a combined total of about eight quarters’ worth of football in the five weeks prior to Thanksgiving, which should give them a lot of clean old-fashioned rest.)
Many other Georgia opponents might as well have open dates before taking on the ‘Dawgs. Auburn faces Division I-AA Furman, Arizona State meets Louisiana-Monroe, and both Florida and L.S.U. catch Mississippi State seven days before squaring off with the Red and Black.
As if all that weren’t bad enough, now Joel’s even got me worried about Lane Kiffin, for crying out loud!
Joel, you had me at Kristin Davis. Adding bacon and "Kyle hates Auburn" was just piling on, really.
The 2009 Bulldogs must replace a number of star players at key positions, so there are bound to be some growing pains, but the new starters had better do their growing in a great big hurry. Georgia opens the season by playing seven straight games without a break and only three of the Red and Black’s first eight games are between the hedges.
That would be bad enough even against a manageable slate, but this year’s schedule is far from manageable.
To make matters worse, we had no sooner begun to feel a modicum of confidence about the defensive end spot than Justin Houston got himself suspended for the games against the Cowboys and the Gamecocks. The ability to apply pressure with the front four without an inordinate amount of blitzing is the lynchpin of the Brian VanGorder/Willie Martinez defensive philosophy; what basis do we have for believing that the ‘Dawgs will be better at it this year than last?
All right, I’m not truly as down as all that, and nothing would please me more than to have the team prove me wrong, but, where Doug sees the possibility of a ten-win season including a bowl victory, I’m beginning to wonder whether we’re staring down the barrel of a five-win season and no bowl eligibility. At best, we could be looking at a 1985-type season, in which a so-called "upset" over the No. 1-ranked Gators (I consider a win in Jacksonville inevitable, making the Florida game the only "guaranteed" Division I-A win on Georgia’s schedule) is required to reach seven victories for the fall.
Does anyone want to try talking me down (or, rather, up) from that position?
Go ‘Dawgs!
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I suppose "waiting to see some actual football" is out of the question?
Relax, everybody. No one knows nothin’, either way.
(sarcasm powers, activate)
Beat me to it...
That’s the first thing I thought when I saw the headline.
Great post as usual Kyle.
Talking You Down
Okay, Mr. “Contrarian” King, I’m a blogger myself, and understand why you are baiting us into a push-back, but I can’t resist. I have to admit my opinions about the 2009 Dawgs are heavily influenced by my rejection of last year’s MNC hype; I felt all along that 2009 would be our year, and I’m sorry Stafford and Moreno won’t be along to help make that happen.
Your notations about the byes and weak opponents our enemies will enjoy before meeting the Dawgs are interesting and scary. But I don’t really think two extra days (South Cackalacki) or weak opponents are the same as a bye, and if Georgia doesn’t have the talent and motivation to beat teams like Arkansas and GT, they will certaintly disappoint everyone.
I take a pretty simplistic approach to the ‘09 Dawgs: are they better or worse than the ’08 edition that so many people thought merited MNC status? Both lines should be much, much better. So, too, the LB corps. The secondary should be no worse, and perhaps much better at tackling. And I’m with Phil Steele: the receiver corps should be better, too.
So it all comes down to QB, running backs, and of course, the schedule and motivation. We don’t know exactly how the QB and RBs will fare, but there is an amazing amount of talented depth and both positions, with an OL to make them both look very good. The schedule couldn’t be tougher than last year. And all the signs, so far, about motivation are good.
Think about it: the ’07 edition looked mediocre at first, feckless against UT, and then invincible the rest of the year. The ’08 edition, with a plague of frogs of injuries, lost badly to two superior teams, and then lost to GT in one of those upsets that will happen once or twice a decade between rivalry teams.
To come full circle, 2009 should be the Year of the Dawg. Unless you really think Stafford and Moreno are the only factors that separated the last two teams from mediocrity or worse, you should be optimistic as well. Though God knows I’m in no position to bet on it.
One thing:
Can someone please tell me why they think the receiving corps is going to be better? I see people putting this in articles, but never with any substantiation. I have refuted it, but with no responses. How do you get much better than having the top two receivers in the conference, especially when one of them just graduated and is now on an NFL roster?
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 12, 2009 7:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree
The loss of MoMass is being overshadowed by the loss of KnowMo and Stafford.
Losing Massaquoi might very well be just as big a loss as anybody from last year to this year. The guy was money his senior year. I do have a feeling Tavarres (sp?) King will have a breakout year, but I admittingly don’t have much to base that on. And then there’s the incoming freshman we got who is coming from 1A. He has high expectations, but so did lots of people. And then we’re counting on the inconsisent MIcheal Moore.
I think a lot of people are couting on the tight ends and running backs to pick up the slack with receiving from the dropoff of losing MoMass, and maybe that is what people are basing those ideas off of. But the fact is, other than AJ Green, we’ve had some pretty bad luck on WR’s. Not to say none of them have been good or very good, but overall as a whole they’ve disappointined in my opinion.
by UgaBulldog14 on Jun 12, 2009 8:21 AM EDT up reply actions
It won't be easy, but....
if the team can get to the bye with only one loss, then I think the season could be surprisingly better than most are thinking. Like always, UF is the only team I see that has a clear talent advantage at a few key spots. Other than that, we should be able to athletically play with everyone on the schedule, but we HAVE to play smarter than last year and Richt/Bobo/Martinez HAVE to decide what type of team we’re going to be and what our formula for winning is going to be. Last season it felt like we never developed one….probably b/c of the cluster of injuries on the lines.
@%&*@!!!! You convinced me, we're Screwed!
Where is Larry Munson when you need to feel better about things like this? All i need is a “What do ya got Loran?” and i’ll be fine.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
I Corinthians 9:24
wow, that bit about our opponents scheduling worries me the most considering the recent evidence surrounding GA/Fl and the bye week. I didn’t realize that almost everyone we play has an easy week right before us. Maybe it will force us to keep focus all year instead of another gameday/blackout fiasco. But really, you killed my optimism…thanks!
I love that this is A Thing now.
I want a solid gold ruby-encrusted rocket ship that runs on liquid gold. And there is simply no basis for believing I won’t find one in my living room today.
________________________________
I will give my shirt for Tennessee today.
by Holly Anderson on Jun 12, 2009 12:08 PM EDT reply actions
I meant no offense, Holly
I only quoted your post because you were the first Vols fan to post in Kyle’s previous thread.
by vineyarddawg on Jun 12, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Could not care less if you had meant offense.
We’re interlopers here, after all. Orange interlopers at that.
________________________________
I will give my shirt for Tennessee today.
by Holly Anderson on Jun 12, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Not interlopers, so much as guests . . .
the kind of guests who eat your food, don’t replace the toilet paper roll and then ding your car on the way out.
I kid, I kid.
I was just saying
to my wife last night that I thought we would be ok and surprising next season. After reading this, along with the prepetual let down the Braves are, this is going to be one long, hot, depressing summer!
Why receivers could be better
hailtogeorgia:
I understand what you are saying, but I think we may be trading one great receiver (at least in his first and fourth years) for several really good ones. Sensational as he was, Green was playing hurt much of last year; he said it affected him, so I tend to believe it. Moore improved greatly at the end of the year; King and Troupe are each capable of a breakout season; and then there are the freshmen. An improved O-line will help pass protection and thus productivity as well.
Steele’s rationale for highly rating this receiver corps is that he values talent nearly as much as past performance, and we’ve got a lot of talent here.
This is all speculation, of course, but all in all, if only because of Green, I’m more optimistic about the receivers than about the equally on-paper-talented but unproven RBs.
Thank you for the response,
and I agree that they could be good. I still don’t think they’ll be better, but I agree that Mikey certainly has promise. I would really like to have Kris Durham on the field, simply because all of the guys you refer to fall into that terrible category called “potential”. The guys certainly can be great, but here is the problem with this:
Unless I’m wrong, we pretty much have two receivers who will be on the field this fall who have ever taken a hit from a FBS linebacker or free safety on a crossing route in a game. I know they’ve been hit in practice, but a game is different. That kind of thing changes people. It turns potential greats into Fred Gibson (if you’re reading, sorry, Fred).
On another note, While A.J. Green certainly had an outstanding year last year (and your playing hurt thing is valid), he benefitted immensely from sharing the field with MoMass. I don’t question his ability, he is undoubtedly an elite receiver. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, to see his numbers diminish from last year as he moves into the number one spot without a highly talented possession receiver opposite him.
As you say, this is, of course, mere speculation. I simply prefer to follow the “I’ll believe it when I see it” theory as opposed to banking on potential. I want to see the potential put to use. The main reason I’m bothered is that in Stillwater, our receiving situation will look like this:
Significant Playing Time – A.J. Green, Mikey Moore
Decent Playing Time – Aron White
Minimal Playing Time – Tavarres King, Israel Troupe
No Playing Time – Marlon Brown, Rantavious Wooten, Orson Charles, Branden Smith (if he plays)
Hurt – Kris Durham, Tony Wilson
This just isn’t promising to me. They CAN be good, there is no doubt. The problem is, the proof is in the pudding, and in this case, we don’t even know how most of the ingredients taste.
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 12, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Also,
I left out Arthur Lynch and Bruce Figgins. Figgins, as we know, is suspended six games, and Lynch hasn’t played a snap.
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 12, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions
The same rationale applies to Michael Moore
I agree that Moore came on strong at the end of last year, but that was partly a function of opposing defenses having to focus both on Massaquoi and on Green. Moore took up the slack, but there will be a trickle-down effect to the loss of Massaquoi, forcing everyone to step up his game. (It’s like when Laurence Olivier, the greatest actor in the world, died and every other actor in the world moved up one notch.)
While I have hope that several of the receiver prospects could do just that, there won’t be a lot of time for boys to become men. The schedule starts out tough and doesn’t slack off significantly for more than one game at a time.
Go 'Dawgs!
I agree with you completely,
having Massaquoi and Green certainly benefitted Moore last year. Nonetheless, he did a pretty good job of actually CATCHING the ball, which is something that I never take for granted with our receivers. Like I said, I’m not going to believe that we’re any better than last year until I’m proven wrong.
On another note (and speaking of everyone having to step up their game), I agree with the Laurence Olivier thing in principle. Having been to Cat Island, where he is from, and having met his daughter, I always had an affinity for To Sir With Love thereafter.
I think, however, that a better example of having to step up would be using the trio of Moe Howard, Larry Fine, and Curly Howard. When Curly was gone (my personal favorite), Shemp Howard had to come in and step up his game to fill the shoes, and did a pretty good job at it, though others may disagree. Curly Joe Howard, however, certainly failed miserably. The question is, will our receivers be Shemps, or will they be Curly Joes?
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 15, 2009 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah.
That was a big goof on my part. Realized it after I posted it. Let out a big sigh and bemoaned the fact that there is not an edit button after you’ve posted something on here.
by hailtogeorgia on Jun 18, 2009 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Mixed Emotions
Maybe I am in the minority…but a 7/8 win season with a VICTORY in Jacksonville doesn’t sound too bad. Kyle, I know how much you hate Auburn, but there’s no greater pleasure as a Dawg (to me) than beating Florida. Not sure I would trade the aforementioned for a 10/11 win season with a loss to the Gators, but it would certainly feel no worse to me than our 2008 campaign. If it’s like you said (“at best”), then I guess it would have to suffice.
I may be a bit biased because I was in school in Athens from ‘01-’05. I had to return home in defeat from Jacksonville 3 times before we finally won in ‘04…I will NEVER forget that feeling. Because we have been pretty consistent in beating our other rivals under CMR, I wouldn’t hate losses to some other teams if we are victorious at the WLOCP. I know it sounds small-minded and that I’m missing the bigger scope of the season, but I DESPISE losing to the Gators.
As far as receivers go…I wouldn’t be too surprised if Brown, Lynch and Charles get some playing time in Stillwater. I believe I remember reading an article where Coach Lilly told Arthur Lynch specifically to be prepared to contribute against OKST. This could be more specifically in a blocking role, but nevertheless we could see some new guys get baptized under fire.
The flood pic
Properties say Chinese Flood, but that’s Hangul (Korean) in the background- I know everyone else was thinking the same thing
by the bomb dot com on Jun 13, 2009 3:38 AM EDT reply actions
Most impressive
I did a Google image search for “torrential downpour” and that was the best shot that came up in the search. The Google caption mentioned China, so I saved it with “Chinese” in the title, only to notice afterwards that the source of the photo said it was a picture of Korea. I didn’t figure it was a big enough deal to go back and correct it. I should have known Dawg Sports readers would be sharp enough to catch it, though.
A lukewarm half-finished can of Fresca with a crazy straw to you, sir . . . now what, precisely, were you doing right-clicking that photo, anyway?
Go 'Dawgs!
Ha!
Didn’t expect a response to my post!
Anyway, I’m a long-time lurker and had nothing of value to contribute to the discussion- pretty much everything I was thinking had been said.
I right clicked it out of curiosity- I currently live in Seoul and was curious what area that was.
Kanji is the set of Chinese characters in Japanese, btw.
by the bomb dot com on Jun 14, 2009 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions
And so it begins
No more 100 cocktails to you, sir. I think a small part of me has died knowing that witty and well researched comments are now rewarded with a “lukewarm half-finished can Fresca”, although the crazy straw is a nice touch.
http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/
That's my fault
I should have never brought up the 100 cocktails. I feel bad. Now everyone’s deserved kudos from Kyle will be in the form of opened, flat soft drinks that no one would drink if they were cold and fresh.
Kyle, if you’re reading, please bring back the 100 cocktails. I promise not to take your offer literally if I ever see you.
by marktheshark on Jun 15, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
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