Be Careful What You Wish For...

...you just might get it.

By now we all have heard the news that Todd Grantham has taken the DC position up at Louisville for motorcycle boy Bobby Petrino. This is what gives me pause: we have just witnessed an unprecedented deal for a coordinator in college football. Five years? Million per? Obviously, Petrino and company really wanted to make this happen. 

Naturally, part of that was being able to simply lure him away from what is generally considered a top-notch job, not to mention the fact that Grantham's contract was up for renewal next year. But again - five years?

Some of you may know that I was somewhat in the minority in the Dawgosphere for thinking that UGA had made the right decision to stick with Grantham for one more year. We had some young guys and we saw some growing pains. I felt like the D had made some improvements over the year, and had not, as many have said, shown no improvement from game 1 to game 13. But I get where folks are coming from...

I don't know...What I do know is that we've got to get it together and hire a really good coordinator (not to mention secondary and possibly D-line coaches) and we've got to do it quick. Signing day is barrelin' down on us.

The Sunday Treatment: 1/12/14

It's a beautiful day in Georgia! Hope all is well out there. I was hoping by this point in January to be back up to a least 2 or 3 posts a week but that has not yet happened. Hopefully soon. A few things to cover for the week that was...

How 'Bout Them Hoop Dawgs! 

Big, big win for our Hoop Dawgs last night: 66-58 over the Tide; huge games by Mann and Gaines. Perhaps not as big an actual game as our surprising and thrilling victory over MIZZOU earlier in the week, but because it now has us at 2-0 in SEC play, this one really means a lot. Gaines and Mann are both such ballers! Throw in guys like Thorton, Williams, and Djurisic and you've got the key components for a very good basketball team. We knew going in that it would take awhile before it all came together. I think it is coming together! But as a friend of mine who really knows his basketball said last night, there are some consistency issues with some of these guys. And let's not even get started on the foul shots (although that seems to be improving), but man, what a way to start league play! The Dawgs are now 8-6 overall. 

It's the End of Lakatos, and I Feel Fine

I'm inclined to agree with Tyler over at GA Sports Blog. But I'll take it a step further. I think it is a good thing he is gone. There were deficiencies that needed to be addressed. And while I don't think he was forced out, I think the "personal reasons" thing is not entirely accurate. And he himself has said that he expects to be coaching somewhere next year. I think there's more to this story that we probably won't know, but that's cool - as long as we get someone in that can coach up these DBs and safeties, that's all I care about. 

A Final Goodbye to the 2013 UGA Football Season








National Championship Game 

That was one hell of a game. My hat's off to FSU. Great team, great game. I tip my hat to Auburn as well. They really brought it. I was honestly surprised with how well they played.

A few thoughts:

• After "Miracle on the Plains" versions I & II, many thought Auburn was a team of destiny. Monday night was a good reminder that things don't usually work out that way. College football, and life, has a way of reminding you of that.

• Winston is one amazing player. He might be bat-shit crazy, but he's incredible.

•   I still say that Jimbo Fisher is one weird dude. He's such a freak! 

  It's kind of a Catch-22 for us Dawg fans, I think. Sure as hell didn't want Auburn to win, but in terms of recruiting, a victory by a FSU team that runs a similar offense could be just as tough to overcome. There really was no good scenario. I was just glad that it was a good game. 

I'll definitely have some more thoughts later in the week. Hope everyone is having a good Sunday. 

A Fitting End to the Season

Well, dang. That sucked. As a friend of mine said yesterday, losing always sucks. End of story.

He had said that in response to what I had said, which was basically this: In the grand scheme of things, losing this game really doesn't mean much. We got the 15 extra practices, Mason got the extra reps with the starting O, the players got their swag bags, etc. But my friend was right - losing sucks. End of story.

But, in a way, this game was an encapsulation of the season and really was a fitting end to the 2013 UGA football campaign: major highs and lows; terrific individual plays and some that weren't so much; great coaching decisions and the obligatory head-scratchers; moments of sheer joy, and moments of absolute disgust, etc.

I was proud, however, that our boys fought hard to the very end. They never showed any quit at any time this season. It would have been easy for them to have mailed it in on this one, but they didn't. On a final note, I hate it for Artie Lynch. His superb UGA career should not have ended that way. But then again, Aaron Murray's shouldn't have either. Nobody said life was fair, I guess. Arthur Lynch and Aaron Murray are both DGDs. They have both forever endeared themselves to the hearts of the Bulldog Nation.

So...goodbye 2013 and to hell with ya! I'm glad we've gotten that one out of the way. Such a weird and crazy season. On top of the mountain after the month of September, going through that awful stretch in October with all of the injuries, the heartbreaker against Auburn, and now this. But, I remember that feeling walking out of Sanford Stadium after we dispatched USCe and especially after the LSU game. I remember the pride we all felt after beating the dreaded Gators for the third year in a row. And hey - we beat Tech. Again.

Highs and lows. And my mind turns to the one and only Jerry Jeff Walker:

Pickin' up the pieces wherever they fall
Just letting it roll, letting the high times carry the low
I'm just living my life easy come, easy go

I'm pumped about 2014. I think we're gonna be real good. This just might be the year we've been waiting for, right? I think A. Pope had it right. "Hope Springs Eternal."

Today, as is the case everyday, is a damn fine day to be a Georgia Bulldog. 
GO DAWGS! 
GATA!!!