If it's Monday then you're likely beginning another work week filled with opportunity, challenge, and leftover Chinese food of undetermined origins in the office refrigerator. But before you plow into those (the opportunities and challenges that is, believe me, you want to steer clear of the Chinese food in the fridge) you should take a moment to figure out what odds and ends need to be cleared up from your weekend of college football viewing. My list looks like this:
1) Send a thank you note to whoever in maroon and white had the idea to jump on the "G" before the game. This individual clearly got his October delivery from the Dumbass of the Month Club on time. A 2/3 full stadium and a noon start? I know! Let's give them something to get fired up about! I know Mark Richt said after the game that he didn't think anyone fromMSU intended any disrespect. But the bouncing around at midfield in opponents' stadiums is almost a cliche now. They might as well have urinated on the Hedges for Pete's sake. Hey speaking of which, I need to . . .
2) Try to forgive Mississippi State corner Nickoe Whatley for relieving himself on the hedges Saturday. Because when you gotta go (to 0-3 in the conference) you gotta go. Again, Dan Mullen's team looks a little worse every time I see them. With South Carolina, Alabama and Arkansas left on the schedule, I just don't see a way that the Bizarro Bulldogs finish any better than .500 in the SEC. Fortunately they play perhaps the limpest nonconference slate in the nation: Memphis, Louisiana Tech, UAB, and Tennessee-Martin, so if Dan Mullen's not coaching in a bowl this season he should probably face legitimate questions about it.
3) Take yet another shower. Even two days later pulling for Auburn still makes me feel really dirty.
4) ReconsiderCarlton Thomas'splace in the UGA backfield. He was running hard in the second half, and may have earned some additional carries with an 8 attempt, 35 yard outing that most importantly included no fumbles. Because I'd ratherIsaiah Crowellnot carry the ball 30 times in a game, I'm totally fine with seeing us figure out a way to get Carlton Thomas out in space with the ball in his hands.
5) Stay the he'll out ofTrent Richardson'sway . Is he flashy? No. But in the fourth quarter he pushes the pile rather than getting pushed back. Not every tailback does that, and the ones that do are worth their weight in fine menswear and luxury SUVs with large rims.
6) Stand directly in front ofChris Relfwhen he's throwing grenades. It's the safest place to be. Relf throws a truly awful football. There's just no use sugarcoating it. His delivery makesTim Tebow'slook Drew Brees-esque, and a breezy day in Sanford Stadium didn't help things for him. Todd Grantham continued to earn his money by absolutely stonewalling Relf in the running game and forcing him to try to beat us with his arm. If the Bulldog defense can continue to play at the level its attained the past 2 weeks, there should not be a game that we're completely out of this season. Unless of course the offense or special teams play us out of games. Both have been a threat to do so at times this season.
7) Delete the video of Aarom Murray's three interceptions from my mental DVR. Aaron Murrayhas got to do a better job not turning the ball over. There's just no two ways about it. Murray mentioned after the game what a great defense MSU has and that they made him pay for some throws that were a little off. That may have been the case with the first interception, but the second one was a matter of not seeing the linebacker sitting back in zone coverage and the third was a ball into double coverage that never should have been thrown where it was, period.
8) Stop bragging on freshman receivers Michael Bennett and Malcolm Mitchell until they do a better job holding onto the ball. Both had some bad drops in the game.
9) Ask Mark Richt "If we didn't take our foot off the gas in the third quarter, does that mean the total lack of offense in the second half was lack of effort and/or execution from the players?" Because if we're fortunate enough to have a 24-10 lead against Tennesse or Florida and just stop moving the ball, we'll get passed like we're standing still. From where I sit, the lack of production looked less like a case of "Bobo's gonna Bobo" and more like the offensive line decided they weren't really needed in the third quarter. Some of that is lack of depth. But I am a little worried that it is that attitude that we saw creep in at times during 2008 and 2009 when we kept forgetting that the game doesn't end at halftime no matter how big our lead. I sure hope I'm wrong about that.
That's what's keeping me busy today. Feel free to include your lists in the comments. Until later . . .
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment