It's college football's offseason. That's not my problem. It's not your problem. It's our problem. And collective problems call for collective solutions.
Thus we present Free Form Friday. Until further notice, I'll spend Fridays posting a vaguely organized compendium of non-sequiturs, pop culture observations and college sports miscellany which you may discuss in the comments, or ignore in favor of your own topics. Think of it as your weekend open comment thread.
Perhaps you haven't heard, but the University of Georgia football team is facing some questions as they enter the 2009 season. Questions at quarterback. At tailback. On special teams. At defensive coordinator.
It's tempting to become fixated on those questions to the exclusion of all others. Doing so is probably not healthy or productive. Really, Caleb King's gimpy hamstring notwithstanding, on September 5th when the 'Dawgs take the field in Stillwater our tailback will be a heralded young blue chipper looking to make his mark in the college game. I feel confident saying that because we have 5 guys who meet that description. And that's leaving out veteran walkon Kalvin Daniels, who could probably crack the rotation at several schools himself. Believe me, none of these guys is Knowshon, but none of them is a nobody. Catch my drift?
So, rather than focus on the questions everybody in Bulldog Nation is asking, this week's Free Form Friday will focus on the questions nobody is asking. For example:
Have you thought about our quarterback situation after the Joe Cox era? No matter who wins the job, we'll be starting our third different QB in three years come 2010. That kind of turnover is never good. All other things being equal, veteran quarterbacks are a lot less likely to louse things up. But the good news is that whether our starter in 2010 is Logan Gray, Aaron Murray or Zach Mettenberger, we'll have that guy for anywhere from 2 to 4 years.
Did the Philadelphia Eagles make a mistake by signing Michael Vick? I know, I'm breaking my own rule here because everybody is talking about this story. But I'm not really asking about the moralities of the situation. I'm asking if it's a poor business decision to award a multiyear contract worth $6.8 million to a guy who's been out of the game for two years and is likely the next Antwan Randle-El (one of the league's preeminent quarterback/wide receiver/kick returner/water boys). I can only hope that future editions of the Madden NFL franchise will allow us to play defense against the Eagles as a jersey wearing German Shepherd. That would be poetic. Bonus question: Now that Vick is being mentored by Coach Richt's good friend (and partner in the All-Pro Dads program) Tony Dungy, what are the odds that he shows up in Athens at some point to talk about how not to totally destroy your career?
Where might A.J. Green end up on the University of Georgia's all-time receiving list? After tallying the third most prolific receiving season in UGA history as a true freshman (963 yards), Green seems like a shoe-in to reach Brice Hunter's third place mark of 2373 yards. But he'd almost certainly have to either play four years in Athens or turn in the two best receiving seasons in school history to reach Terrance Edwards's record of 3093 yards. This should serve as a reminder that Terrance Edwards caught a lot of footballs in the Classic City, even if he's (perhaps unfairly) most remembered for one dropped ball in Jacksonville.
Can you spare a sandwich for a needy college football team? The New Mexico State University Aggies, to be specific? The NMSU athletic department is asking community members to help feed the team during workouts to help fill holes in the department budget. While it would have been tempting to make light of this at one time, I just can't quite do it nowadays. The fact is that while Georgia (the state) has some budgetary issues these days and Georgia (the university) likewise is in full-on belt tightening mode, Georgia (the athletic association) is still throwing off cash at a rate which is both staggering and a little bit obscene. Obviously the money which is being spent on football at the University of Georgia is private cash, voluntarily given. But it's worthwhile to remember that life outside the SEC is definitely different these days.
Have you ever seen anybody throw a football more accurately than Drew Brees in this excerpt, courtesy of Chris Brown at Smart Football? Yeah, me neither. And while the comparison with Olympic archers is probably not as close as the producers of this segment would have you believe, it's still pretty amazing to consider precisely how specialized a talent guys like Brees possess.
Have you picked up your tickets to see the Drive By Truckers at Macon's refurbished Capitol Theatre next Friday, August 20th? Why not?
Can you listen to Canadian ska act Bedouin Soundclash without tapping your foot? I can't.
Until later . . .
Go 'Dawgs!!!