You're on notice, dawg! Week 10

Alright, let's get the obvious out of the way.

I wish we were consoling each other like that woman is consoling that Bulldog.  Instead, people here seem to be insistent on kicking each other in the...  well then.  Moving on...

For week 10, I'm letting the following people know, You're on notice, dawg!

In no particular order:

1) Michael Adams - Why Michael Adams?  Because he's a jerk, has stolen money from and is a disaster for University, and everybody that has ever worked with him hates him. Plus, I have it from a very authoritative source inside the UGA administration that he was heard squealing with glee when Aaron Murray's pass was intercepted in overtime.

2) Michael Adams - Why twice? Because I'm really ticked off today, and Michael Adams pisses me off more than any other person that is currently associated with the University of Georgia.

3) Georgia's Defense - Florida had a bye week and all, and that is a natural disadvantage for a defense.  It is directly the defense's fault, however, that Georgia didn't start the game with a minimum of a 10-0 lead (more likely 14-0) instead of being tied 7-7. (There is no excuse for trying to scoop-and-score instead of just falling on the ball at the 20, especially when you're in the middle of a scrum while trying to scoop. And on the play before Florida's second touchdown, Sanders Commings should either have had an interception or a batted-down pass to force a long 4th down or a long FG miss try.) And no matter how the game started, they still gave up 31 points in regulation in an SEC game... and that's almost never going to be good enough to win in our conference.

I don't think I said this on the blog (I was too busy hating to say much else), but I told everyone at my tailgate that this game was either going to be double-digit Bulldog win or a Gator win; there were no other choices.  I figured that if the Gators had a chance to win late in the game, ol' Lady Luck would figure out a way to smile in their direction, and I was right. Call it fatalistic, call it defeatist... it's just a fact right now.  They're in our heads, like it or not.

Actually, to be 100% honest with you, I knew when they went up 7-0 that we were going to lose.  The Gators have not scored first and lost in this series since they started their epoch of dominance in 1990. 

I hate Florida.

4) Aaron Murray - I really hate to do this, because Aaron is a great kid with a fighter's heart, and he's played well beyond his experience in the first 8 games of the year.  Murray's underperformance on Saturday, however, was by far the most notable Bulldog effort of the game. He looked and played like a freshman yesterday for the first time all season, and he picked a heck of a time to do it. 

I give them 100% credit on doing his best to overcome that adversity, and he did lead the Bulldogs back to ultimately tie the game.  When it mattered most, however, he made his worst throw of the entire game, and that directly led to the Dawgs' defeat.  He also consistently either significantly overthrew or threw behind his receivers throughout the entire first half.  Georgia's first two turnovers were directly his fault, and they led to 14 of Florida's 21 first-half points.

I think Murray's fight and talent will cause him to win a great many more games than he loses at the helm of the Bulldogs' offense.  On Saturday, though, he showed that he is vulnerable to the same kind of disease that has infected some of the greatest Dawgs of the last 20 years in Jacksonville.

5) People who think we're going to beat Auburn - If I were capable of optimism (which I'm not), I would admire you folks' optimism on this thing.  But tell me this... exactly which team with a mobile QB have we stopped thus far in 2010?  Steven Garcia fooled us, Tyler Hansen had a career day, and Chris Relf carved us up like a Thanksgiving turkey. And how did the defense do on that Tim Trey Burton run late in the 4th quarter?  As you might have heard, the Tiglesmen have a fairly good, mobile quarterback, as well. 

I also have an additional question:  Why do you think that we're going to blow Auburn out?  Because, in 2010, we have played 5 close games and 4 games that have been blowouts.  In the 5 close games we've played, we're 0-5.  In the 4 blowouts in which we've been involved, we're 4-0. 

Finally, you have to consider that when we play Auburn, that game will be our 11th consecutive game without a bye week, and that kind of run takes a huge toll on your team.  Now, it is true that Auburn will also be playing their 11th consecutive game... but remember, they're a much, much better team than we are.  That has to count for something.

I know history in this series bodes well for the away team that is also the lower-ranked team... but that assumes that your team is good enough to even be considered for a ranking.  I see no reason to have any positive outlook whatsoever as we look towards our trip to the Plains.  I see the 2004 Auburn game here... except that our team isn't anywhere near as good as the 2004 Georgia team was, and the 2010 Tiglesmen are just as good as their 2004 edition.

If Auburn was a 20-point favorite in this game, I'd pick the Tiglesmen to cover.

6) Beating Florida - Dude, you have bailed on us so much in the last 20 years that I don't think you even know where we live any more (Hint: We're right across the damn field!).  I can't disown your sorry tail, because we need you more right now than we need any of your cousins (Beating Tech, Beating Tennessee, and Beating Auburn, with all of whom we are well-acquainted).

At this point, I'm wondering if we're ever going to see you again.  You suck, man.

7) Okefenokee Oar - As if it were not enough that we can't seem to beat Florida unless they play with 8 men on the field, some set of geniuses (who I'm going to collectively call "Michael Adams," which I now declare to also be, in addition to a proper name, a plural term describing a group consisting of a bunch of idiots) turned this into a "trophy game" beginning with the 2009 season. Yeah.  That's just great.  I was hoping we could be more like a Big 10+2 team.  Who would you say we are... Michigan? or perhaps Purdue?

If we ever gain possession of it, I say we dump the friggin' oar in a random muck-pile in the Okefenokee Swamp on the way back to Athens.  We don't need a stupid trophy to feel good about beating the Gators.

8) "Richt must go!" - I didn't think I'd have to be posting this again this year... but here we are. The first phrase that springs to mind when I think about this topic rhymes with what they frequently say on the turkey inseminating crew in Tennessee when they're tired... "Give me a plucking break."

I want every single person who has posted a statement saying that we need change at the head coaching position to listen to me closely.  Are you listening? 

STOP SAYING SUCH STUPID THINGS.

None of the following arguments matter to those fans observers who have such a short attention span and narrow-minded focus that they think two poor years is sufficient reason for firing the best coach your program has ever known, but I'm going to state them anyway.

• Mark Richt has the best winning percentage (74.6%) of any Georgia head coach that has spent more than 2 years in Athens.
• Georgia has experienced 6 seasons with 10 or more wins during Mark Richt's tenure to date, and has suffered 2 seasons with 5 or more losses (including 2010).  During the 10 years prior to Mark Richt's arrival, Georgia experienced 2 seasons with 10 or more wins, and suffered 3 seasons with 5 or more losses.
• During the 18 years prior to Mark Richt's arrival, Georgia won zero SEC Championships, and finished in the Top 3 in the polls zero times.  During the 10 years of Mark Richt's tenure to date, Georgia has won 2 SEC Championships and finished in the Top 3 in the polls twice.

Mark Richt is the man to lead the Georgia Bulldogs' football program.  As of this day and this time, this fact is indisputable. If, for some reason, Richt's teams fail to make progress in the coming years, we can revisit this issue. In 2010, however, and for the foreseeable future, Mark Richt is our man.  If you don't like it, go root for Alabama.  Or Florida.  Or just go away.

That's it for this week. If any of the "on notice" items above offends or otherwise makes you upset, well, then I apologize.  But unless you're so mad that you're randomly spewing shamefully foul language at both your computer and your television for no apparent reason, you're not nearly as upset as I am.

This coming Saturday serves up a meaningless game against an overmatched FCS 1-AA opponent.  And if we don't show up and we let our team come out just as crushed as we feel right now, Florida will beat us twice.  Get out to Sanford Stadium this Saturday, Dawg fans, and support your team against Idaho State!

Go Dawgs!