15 Thoughts Gonna Be Just Fine

Okay, that was a disturbing turn of events. No way around it. You can sugar coat a lemon, but the sour will always cut through. Let’s get to it...

1. I hear a lot of chatter about how bad of a game Jim Chaney called. One can criticize a lot about the game plan with a valid reason, but when your offensive line is getting man-handled on virtually every snap, ain’t nothing gonna work. Despite this, we still had a few chances and none more emphatic than the pass to a wide open Riley Ridley that could’a, would’a, should’a.

2. The CBS announcers, and Gary D in particular, felt Georgia was too amped up for this game and remained too amped up throughout; a point ol’ GD made ad nauseum. I dunno. Seems like being amped up, particularly on defense, is a good thing. Sometimes, you just gotta give the other guy credit no matter how hard it hurts.

3. The thing is, Georgia did make defensive adjustments. But when you leap over a defender and prolong a drive that results in a touchdown, or muff a punt when you FINALLY get a break in the game after a lengthy video review on a non-catch, you come back out on the field and you get worn down - not just physically, but emotionally. We just couldn’t get off the field and out of our own way.

4. This team collectively lost its composure and the disturbing thing is how our upperclassmen lead the way here. I don’t think this will happen again. I’m sure Auburn was baiting us all afternoon, and we took the bait.

5. You are never as good or as bad as you think you are, unless you’re the ‘27 Yankees (good) or Florida (bad) or Tennessee (Chernobyl-bad).

6. There isn’t a single team in the top 10 that is not flawed. Some flaws are due to deficiencies of personnel; some are due to injuries. Good coaching gets you so far, but great coaching averts a crisis. Case in point is Alabama, but the chinks in their armor may be too great to overcome when they play against a very motivated Auburn team...

7. ...which leads me to how I believe that, right now, we will get another shot in Atlanta in a few weeks. And we are totally capable of redeeming ourselves on a neutral field. Make it so.

8. After our game, I gave a cursory glance throughout the evening at the other games of national importance - notably Miami (over at halftime) and Bama/MSU. Then, I cranked up Season 2 of “Stranger Things,” and, strangely, I began to feel better about what transpired only a few hours earlier.

9. Georgia-Auburn is a bitter blood-feud. It always has been, but the intensity has ratcheted up mightily from the early 80’s to the present. So listen here, mainstream sports media: Do not send some Yankee talking head into a studio or onto a sideline and talk about some mythical, imaginary brotherly love that doesn’t (insert favorite expletive) exist. Auburn is not practically in the state of Georgia. They’re in Ala-damn-bama. We don’t like them; they don’t like us. We bitterly fight over the same recruits year-in, year-out. Gus Malzahn is THE most negative recruiter in the Conference, and any suggestion to the contrary of any of my points shows a complete lack of understanding about this rivalry.

I loathe Florida and pray we whip ‘em each and every year. There’s nothing better than beating the Gators.

I really don’t like Tennessee and would still favor scheduling Clemson over Tech every year.

South Carolina? Simply the most annoying ex-ACC team we play every season.

But I HATE Auburn. I always have, and I always will.

10. Having said that, I hate Auburn.

11. Time to focus on the rest of the season. I have no doubt that this team will come out focused next Saturday and take care of Kentucky. I’ll be there, too. First trip “home” this season and I am looking forward to it.

12. Redemption, like humility, is a week away.

13. Sometimes, you just get beat. We got beat, nothing more to see here.

14. There are 14 teams in the SEC. Each one of them is a stock. You have $100 to invest. Bama costs $100/share. Every other “stock” is $1 share. Who are you buying? Florida? Tennessee? Auburn? Don’t forget to look at things people tend to ignore: Management, assets, history, legal stuff, P/P ratio (similar to P/E, but we’ll call this “player to potential” ratio). It all counts.

So, who are you buying? Even IF I was an outsider looking in and not emotionally connected to Georgia, I’d have to say I’m putting most of my money on Georgia.

15. It’s always Great to Be a Georgia Bulldog.

As Always,

GO DAWGS!