(Note: There are no April Fools' jokes within. I hope.)
The Georgia Bulldogs held a scrimmage yesterday, signifying the official midpoint of the Dawgs' spring practice. There has been a lot of news coming out of Athens since spring practice started on March 20, and very little of it has been encouraging. In fact, just thinking of commenting on the state of Georgia football right now makes me a little nauseous.
As such, I should probably stop beating around the bush and just let the following people know that, for the rest of spring practice, 2012, You're On Notice, Dawg!
(This picture has been lawya'd)
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 seen... "lingering"... around the testing facility after Georgia's post-spring break drug tests. (It's crazy how rumors get started.)
2) Somebody's momma - You know how overprotective mammas tend to run off their son's girlfriends, because they're afraid the girls are going to steal their little boy away from them? (Looks at Derek Dooley.) Well, I really think that some DB's momma is doing that with his fellow position players. I mean, dang, what other explanation can there be? Bacarri Rambo gets a suspension, Sanders Commings gets a suspension, and overall, we've had 9 defensive backs (just defensive backs) either dismissed, transferred, or suspended since last September.
I'm just warning the DB's that are left now... if you see your momma spending time around any of your teammates, get them the heck out of there. We can't afford any more attrition.
Just saying... they could be capable of anything, you know. (This picture has been lawya'd)
3) Jay Rome - Not for anything bad, because he had a magnificent day yesterday in the mid-spring scrimmage. With the way our luck is running, however, that means he's due for a blown ACL some time in the next week or two. For the sake of all of our sanity, just take care of yourself, sir. Ok?
4) Mike Bobo - In spite of all the #FireMikeBobo fervor, I admit that when participating in in-game open comment threads, I have defended about 75% of his in-game strategy. His most recent decision, though, gives me serious pause and finally has brought me over to the "I don't know if he's the right man to lead this awfense, PPAAAWWWWWLLL" camp. He has consented to allow Malcolm Mitchell to play linebacker on defense on a "temporary" basis, a la Champ Bailey (though in reverse order, since Champ was a defender first).
What, was Mitchell so good at wide receiver after one year that he could not possibly get better with additional practice? Was he going to transfer if you didn't let him get some time on the Grantham side of the ball? Or were you just itching to invite an injury to one of our best players by dropping him into a position he's never played before at the college level against the best athletes he's ever seen on offense?
Yeah, mark me down as a critic of this latest move.
Somehow, I suspect that even this move is written in the green notebook. (This picture has been lawya'd)
5) Richard Samuel IV - Frequently lost among all the recent hand-wringing over departures and suspensions is the fact that we are still so thin at the fullback position that Richard Samuel has been compelled to take snaps at fullback this year. I celebrate Richard the Intravenous's willingness to play wherever he is needed. Much like Hines Ward, he is willing to do whatever is needed for the betterment of the team, and I applaud him for it. The fact remains, however, that Samuel is built as a tailback or a linebacker, not a fullback. If Zander Ogletree gets injured, our running game could be dealt a serious blow before the season even begins. Let's hope Samuel is learning well, and can fill his new role ably. He most certainly will get some play as Zander's relief, so we need him to step up.
6) Basketball - Dude, is basketball season over yet? No?? You know, something's just wrong in a world where the basketball season is longer than the baseball season.
Sorry, coach. Just not my sport. (This picture has been lawya'd)
7) Scott Lakatos - It might be stating the obvious, but Coach Lakatos' ability to coach up his players is going to be sorely tested this year. With only one starter remaining at that position still eligible for the first two games (Shawn Williams), it's now his job to get players to step up their level of competition. Aaron Murray won't be taking it easy on them in the G-Day game, and Missouri certainly won't. Not with a quarterback named James Franklin, at least.
8) Everybody third or lower on the depth chart - Spring practice is a great opportunity to get better, and it gives early-enrollees a chance to get started acclimating to SEC football. The reality is, however, that when a great signing class is coming in, as it will be this year, much of the lower part of the depth chart will be getting pushed down even further once the fall comes. I don't doubt that this might be part of the reason behind certain recent departures that were ostensibly because of "playing time" issues. Because of that, if I were hovering between second and third-team, I would do my best to step up as much as I could. Because, as the old saying goes, it's not the guy ahead of you that you need to worry about; it's the new kid coming in behind you that's going to be pushing you for playing time.
That's it for today! Probably not my best effort, but like our Dawgs, I'm still working through my spring drills and trying to get back into shape for the season. I guess I was rusty, too, given my recent record.
I'll be back with another "On Notice" post before the G-Day game (and Dawg Sports multi-sports-day gathering) on April 14. Until then...