I remember watching G-day. I remember looking at the score in the 4th quarter and saying “Man, I think we might have a team this year.” I remember calling my friends and having them call me just to talk a little bit of football…and being excited about it.

After watching a replay yesterday on a Sunday afternoon, those memories are a little bit more fuzzy.

I’m not saying that we looked bad at G-day. The talent we have is abundant but young. Stafford still has a cannon of an arm and a field presence that makes him look like he’s the best that’s ever going to don the uniform…and he’s a sophomore. Knowshon is going to be an important cog in a strong running game for the next 3-4 years. We definitely did not look “bad.”

What I am saying, though, is that we’re still young and/or inexperienced EVERYWHERE except for place kicker, WR, RB, and FB. Other than that, we’re young on the OL. We’re still young at QB. We’re young at CB and Safety. We’re young on the DL and at DE. Our LB Corp is thankfully not young. They have some playing time underneath them, but that playing time is in different positions that what they are at now, which makes them inexperienced in their new roles.

We’re basically a brand new team...even more than last year.

Last year we were uncertain about one position (albeit the most important one) and that was at QB. This year, we need guys to step up their game in nearly EVERY POSITION ON THE FIELD. This is a daunting task, even for a group of guys as talented as ours. You’re basically asking one guy from each position (10 total) to step up their game every Saturday and get others to fall in line. Right now, we don’t have that kind of leadership.

What I remember from G-day this second time around is that we looked unorganized. Coachable, but unorganized. Yes, we had some very key throws in traffic, guys going across the middle (TEs specifically…something that hasn’t really happened since the McMichael days), running backs that can “get skinny,” and safeties that can ball hawk (Sean Jones, anyone?). These are all good things. But what I didn’t see was linebackers that stayed disciplined, a QB that is on the same page with the receivers, a QB that takes his time and doesn’t rush his throws (there were a lot of balls thrown on the run and were behind receivers), an OL that handles the blitz, and a front four on defense that is more intimidating than Georgia Tech’s Flag Boy.


"Click-Clack" mother f*cker.

I’m not saying that we won’t get it together. I’ve heard a lot of good things from reports about the pass skeleton workouts and there are some incoming freshmen that are going to make an impact and provide us with some depth. We will find simpler protections for the OL to process, and hopefully Martinez will use the speed in our LB Corp to bring 5 and 6 to the line on most plays.

If we can do that, and manage to put some points on the board with our talented group on offense, we might win a few games…and I think we will. I really do think we are legitimate contenders for the SEC East crown and we have an outside shot at the SEC Championship. Is this the year for a National Title run? I don’t think so, but I’d point to 2008 and 2009 as definite possibilities.

What we need to do is get the fire in our belly and under our ass. It’s time to gel on defense, find some clear cut leaders, and show some firepower on offense. If we make it through our first two games unscathed, then we might just be headed for a VERY good season.


More of this would be nice, wouldn't it?

Time will tell, though.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know.

Until next time kids.

Be safe.

Labels: College Football, Tuck Fech, UGA Football