SB Nation User Blog: MaconDawg

Free Form Friday. Waiting For September Edition.

MaconDawg — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:26:15 -0000

July is the horse latitudes of the college football offseason. National Signing Day, spring practices and the NFL Draft all push a little wind into the sails of a football fan. But there's nothing like that in July. The air is dead still. There's no momentum. And if you're Nick Saban you have to decide whether you're going to throw Terrance Cody over the side of the boat to lighten the load, or feed him to your starving crew. It's a tough choice.

In the meantime, a college football fan can only look for other means of sporting amusement.

For example, there's always baseball. Speaking of which, can someone please explain to me how the Atlanta Braves are only 2 games out of the lead in the N.L. East? Every time I watch them they're either trying to end a losing streak or gacking one up to begin a new streak. Then either the Phillies, Marlins or Mets forget how to play baseball for a week, and the Bravos are right back in it. Watching someone try to take control of that division is like watching a chimp try to open a walnut with knitting needles.

And then there's soccer. Of course the United States' team just completed an exciting run in the Confederations Cup, which I understand to be a reasonably big deal in the world of soccer, though not as big a deal as the World Cup. I think it's sort of the MAC Championship Game of international futbol. Which I follow about as closely as the price of guava futures on the Curacao Commodities Exchange. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea of the United States being competitive in international soccer. But I've learned from experience that the U.S. National soccer team is the organized sporting equivalent of your ne'er-do-well cousin Walter. Everytime you think he's going to get it together, he shows up on your doorstep with four days of stubble after a three day drunk, a truly sad state of affairs for a guy with a Ph.D. from M.I.T. I'm curbing my enthusiasm regarding the futbol for the moment.

If, like our fearless leader, you're looking to unwind with a good book, I'd recommend Bill Heavey's If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat? Heavey is a longtime columnist for Field & Stream whose wit and self-deprecating style should resonate with all outdoors enthusiasts who possess more zeal than skill. In other words, most of us.

Of course, you could also follow football recruiting through the summer. I'll be doing a good bit of that next week, as I try to catch up on the TMI previews of some of our newest commitments for the class of 2010. If anybody has any requests, I'd certainly be willing to listen.

In the meantime, August cannot get here soon enough. Unfortunately, as Railroad Earth points out, we've still got a long way to go:

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Maybe If He'd Just Driven Through the Living Room and Left . . .

MaconDawg — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:28:06 -0000

I rarely delve into college football police blotter news. That's partially because Orson Swindle does it so, so much better than I ever could. And because it's a slippery slope. This time of year, if I wrote up every legal indiscretion involving a member of the college pigskin community I'd have time for nothing else. Including bathing, and none of us wants that. But just occasionally, there is a convergence of perp and circumstance that just cries out for recognition.

While it certainly lacks the panache (and horsepower) of Sergio Kindle's midnight ride, just such a moment occurred over the weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. Former University of Tennessee quarterback and All-Name teamer Jim Bob Cooter was arrested on charges of aggravated burglary Friday after a tip from a female 911 caller. That Cooter was in her bed. Stop laughing. Why is everybody laughing? No, I'm not making this up.

Cooter allegedly crawled in the woman's window, stripped down to his skivvies, then jumped in the sack. It's been a while since I took criminal law, and I've never read the Tennessee penal code. But I always thought that "breaking and entering" or "trespassing" were when you broke into someone's house, and "burglary" was when you broke into someone's house with the intent to steal stuff. I have no idea what Jim Bob was allegedly trying to steal when the nice lady jumped out of bed and called the cops. I'll leave that one to your imagination (and the prosecution's).

At any rate, kudos to Jim Bob Cooter, for perpetrating a crime which actually sounds more like a long lost Three's Company episode (with Peyton Manning as Mr. Farley and Travis Henry as Larry the swinging bachelor neighbor) than a serious transgression. My guess is that he stumbled drunk into the wrong apartment without his keys. Which is funny at 19 but not so much at 25, which Jim Bob will be tomorrow. Happy birthday, sir. Also, kudos to VolunteerTV in the link above for pointing out that Jim Bob's real name is "James Robert". Because Knoxville may be the only place on Earth where that doesn't go without saying.

Until later, lock your doors and windows, and . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Texas Linebacker Sergio Kindle Hits Like a Ton of Bricks.

MaconDawg — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:33:22 -0000

Just ask the folks at the Jefferson West apartments in Austin. At some point early wednesday morning the senior Longhorn linebacker appears to have been texting behind the wheel and managed to drive into the apartment of UT student Ashley Zapata. Said her roommate "She would be dead if she had been sitting at her desk."

But, like most college students in Austin, she was not home at 1:30 a.m. on a wednesday morning. For this her parents should be thankful. If the poor girl were a student at Rice she might have been seriously injured. Kindle was not too seriously injured in the wreck to push his car out of the apartment and back down the street, then go home to get some rest, according to his lawya' Brian Roark. Actually, Roark appears to be a proper lawyer, quite possibly one hastily retained to explain things to the Austin authorities. Roark did just that, explaining that after the incident his client "knew he was hurt at the time and that he needed to go home and go to bed." Not call the cops. Not go to the E.R. Get some rest.

Now, "going home to get some rest" sounds a lot like "leaving the scene of a serious accident" to me. And I seem to recall hearing that going to sleep is about the worst thing a concussed person can do. Other than getting concussed again. It is the best thing you can do after a night of drinking. And Kindle has had a previous visit from the D.W.I. fairy (who, for reference, is a dead ringer for Jerry Glanville with a wand that looks a lot like a Pabst Blue Ribbon bottle), so at least so far as the Court of Public Opinion goes, this may not have been a great move. Put another way, I don't know what Kindle did, but I know what it sounds like. Amazingly, ESPN reports that leaving the scene of a vehicle/building collision may not be against the law in Texas. This is however the sort of thing that any self-respecting NFL GM in a post-Donte Stallworth world will likely place near the front of his mental rolodex. Al Davis on the other hand is intrigued by the young man's decisionmaking ability, and the various members of the Rankin Smith family may try to buy the Falcons back just for the chance to draft him. Assuming he's slow enough.

Now, as a Georgia football fan I cannot seriously chide any program for vehicular hijinx. Because in Athens we've dang near cornered the market. But really, the only reason for posting this is that it was a conspicuous excuse to also post a picture of Kindle's car*, precrash:

Hook 'em Horns, indeed.

And the absolute best part of the story? The piece de resistance? The car, at least according to one report, was registered to Kindle's father . . . . . . . . Johnny Walker.

What can I say? When the world of college sports serves up a high soft one, we here at Dawgsports like to swing from the heels. Until tomorrow, keep it between the lines Sergio, and . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

* Not really Sergio Kindle's car. Life couldn't possibly be that poetic. This is Mack Brown's car.

Mike Leach, Party Pirate.

MaconDawg — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:44:12 -0000

When you write for a sportsblog, people email you things. Obscene rants about what an idiot you are. "Tips" from a guy they know whose ex-girlfriend's accountant once spent a weekend in Tijuana with Steve Spurrier and a Uruguayan hand model named Pepe. Cease and desist orders, usually from Pepe (which I'm ignoring by the way because, dammit, my source was credible).

But, if you're really lucky, they email you the link to a Webshots gallery from the opening of Jimmy Johnson's bar in Key West, J.J.'s Big Chill. And that gallery includes a picture of Mike Leach getting his party on Margaritaville-style, while wearing a shirt with dozens of blue marlin and sailfish on it, some of whom appear to be decapitated:

I'm not entirely sure why he seems so hesitant to put his hand on the woman in blue's shoulder. Maybe she just got through telling him what a big Ole Miss fan she is.

Seeing most college football coaches (besides Mike Price) during their downtime is like seeing your high school principal at T.G.I. Friday's. They're quietly drinking iced tea and reading the latest issue of Golf Digest while waiting for an order of loaded potato skins. But one would have to imagine that the forecast for an offseason spent with Mike Leach would include a 60% chance of sailing through a hurricane, a 50% chance of entering Cuba via johnboat under cover of darkness, and a 40% chance of cigars with Zbigniew Brzezinski. And for all of this I salute him. The man should get a royalty for those Dos Equis commercials featuring "the most interesting man in the world".

What does this have to do with college football? Not a thing. But if you don't find the notion of Jimmy Johnson and Mike Leach on the loose in Key West mildly entertaining in a general, nonsporting sense, then I feel for you.

Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

SB Nation Goes to the Hawgs.

MaconDawg — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:41:16 -0000

Confession time. I often feel a slight twinge of guilt for not properly linking to other blogs around SB Nation. I mean, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of seven thousand good ones, and that's just in the realm of college sports. And on any given day most of them put out solid content that we'd all do well to read. The problem is that doing so would require about 12 hours a day of concentrated study. So, I usually just keep my head down and concentrate on writing for this site. In fact, I didn't even realize there was a new college sports blog on the network until Orson Swindle clued me in to it.

So to tamp down my guilt and to lighten your Tuesday, I'd like to note that SB Nation now has an Arkansas blog, Arkansas Expats, and they have a funny look at 10 other ways the NCAA could have punished Alabama for Textbookgate '09. One that didn't make the list? Require Andre Smith to attend all future letterman's club events. Shirtless.

If you're keeping score, this brings the total of SEC blogs on SB Nation to 12 (including the estimable Team Speed Kills), and means that we're one Vanderbilt blog away from a complete set. Surely one of you 'Dores has nothing better to do after reading this month's issue of Brandy Aficionado, right? At any rate, welcome to our new Hog callin' brethren.

Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

The Hottest Football Prospect for the Class of 2011?

MaconDawg — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:21:19 -0000

While the Georgia coaches have been out scouring the nation for the best players to add to their roster, they may not have ranged as far as the folks at Scout.com. They're the ones who are following t he recruitment of Adler Football Club (Berlin, Germany) RB/CB Duplicate Duplicate.

We don't have nearly enough 5'7, 155 pound German cornerbacks, so I'm hoping he chooses us over Alabama, Florida and Miami. That way I could interview young Duplicate (or "Double Dupe" as he's probably known to his teammates") as part of my continuing search for a German phrase to replace schadenfreude in my blogging lexicon. The early leader is derfaupinmeyerbluten, which I'm told means "to laugh uncontrollably at Urban Meyer's haircut." I'm sure Dupey and I could do better.

When the worlds of computer programming and college football recruiting collide, hilarity is just bound to ensue, right? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch some film of Munchie Legaux, who while not a Berlin Adler Eagle (yes, it's a real football club, no it doesn't appear that they have a tailback named Duplicate) is most assuredly real. I know because Da Coach O already dropped off his scholarship offer for 2011. And if Da Coach O believes in Munchie, then I guess I do too. Until the folks at Rivals take down Double Dupe's profile . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Free Form Friday: Confirmed Rumors Edition.

MaconDawg — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:13:34 -0000

It's college football's offseason. That's not my problem. It's not your problem. It's our problem. And collective problems call for collective solutions.

Thus we present Free Form Friday. Until further notice, I'll spend Fridays posting a vaguely organized compendium of non-sequiturs, pop culture observations and college sports miscellany which you may discuss in the comments, or ignore in favor of your own topics. Think of it as your weekend open comment thread.

As you've no doubt heard by now, the Georgia Theatre in Athens caught fire early this morning. Paul Westerdawg has some photos of the blaze (along with a comment thread that will take you down memory lane), and the Banner Herald has photos showing that the facade at least appears intact, and confirmation from owner Wilmot Greene that he intends to rebuild. That said, when a building that old catches fire there can be all sorts of structural gremlins which come out of the woodwork. Here's hoping the place is properly insured and can be repaired, so there'll be more of this:

As you've also no doubt heard, Dennis Dodd sometimes writes things that makes you scratch your head. I know the feeling. You put a few hundred words in print every week and you'll eventually type something dumb, confusing or inflammatory. But it's a real feat of literary prowess when you write something that gets bucket hat wearing wunderblogger Orson Swindle in on defending the Georgia Bulldogs arrest record. If the world were fair, Dodd would have to give us all access to his driving record so we could see how many parking tickets he got in college and then flap our gums about how out of control he was, and how his adviser and/or resident assistant should be held accountable for it. But the world is not fair, which probably explains why the Georgia Theatre is smouldering and Urban Meyer hasn't come down with a minor, treatable infestation of Egyptian blood flukes.

Three Words: Adult. Kickball. League. Now I just have to find out if Brandon Coutu has plans for the offseason. If not, I have cash money which I hope will secure his services as the cleanup hitter for the team I'm putting together.

Finally, as you've no doubt heard, Georgia State will be playing football in 2010. But have you heard that they'll be playing a game against Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2010? I understand that Alabama fans want one last chance to throw things at Bill Curry. I know a few Bulldog fans who feel the same way. But this is no way to schedule if you want to be taken seriously as an SEC powerhouse. If you're going to play 1-AA schools, at least play one coming off a 3-9 season which included a stirring victory over Gardner-Webb. Or one that lost at Liberty by 6 touchdowns (Go Gator!). Because life is all about the standards you set for yourself, Crimson folk.

Feel free to pepper the comments with a) your favorite Georgia Theatre memories, b) your appraisal of Dennis Dodd's writing, c) a really gross story about your own bout with egyptian blood flukes (or Urban Meyer, whichever), or d) which playground sport is most suitable for adult league play. Other than dodgeball, because Dodgeball references are the low hanging fruit of sports blog comment sections everywhere.

Until later . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

TMI 2010: Jalen Fields.

MaconDawg — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:41:18 -0000

As you've probably noticed, the football recruiting coverage has been pretty sparse in these parts over the last couple of months. But I swear I had my reasons. For one, as long as Coach Perno has the Diamond Dogs in contention for a trip to Omaha, they get prime billing. Also, while spring football is going on, I'm way more focused on the guys who have already arrived in Athens. For another, Georgia's main prospect camps have occurred in the past couple of weeks. Every report prior to those was base innuendo, which wouldn't have made it through The Mayor's creepy filter. And all recruiting coverage on this site has to pass cleanly through the creepy filter.

But by now a majority of the scholarship offers that will be going out have (at least verbally). There will be some additional camping opportunities in July, but most of the guys we're really targeting (and who are seriously considering us) have made it to Athens at least once. There's never real clarity in recruiting coverage until the first week of February. But things are a lot less murky than they were a month ago.

As a result, I feel safe beginning our overly exhaustive analysis of University of Georgia football recruiting for the class of 2010 in earnest (though we've taken a couple of quick glances in that general direction). We begin with Dalton High School defensive end Jalen Fields.

Fields was the first player to commit for the class of 2010, giving his verbal pledge back on March 21st. He chose Georgia over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and West Virginia. While a couple of those schools have a reputation for offering a scholarship to everyone and everything that moves*, especially out of state, it's still an impressive list, especially only a month or two after the prior class's signing day.

The recruiting services like Fields just as much as college coaches. He's one of Rivals' top 250 players for 2010, and is currently listed as the 11th best strongside defensive end in the country. But as you know, around here we see those rankings as a jumping off point, not the end of the journey. So let's look a little deeper. From your friends at Dawgpost, via Youtube, here's some brief camp footage of Fields:

Fields is listed as 6'5 and 250 pounds. If accurate, that's not a bad set of numbers. You can tell he doesn't have an overpowering upper body at this point. He'll need to get bigger and stronger in the chest and shoulders. While he's not flabby by any stretch, I don't imagine that Fields is a guy who'll hit the weightroom, put on a bunch of muscle mass and suddenly become a 290 pound defensive tackle. I suspect that as he matures and trains, he'll lean up some and fill out into a 255-270 pound defensive end.

He already has a stout lower body, which is a good start. As one coach of mine often told us (usually while supervising grueling squat sessions) "80% of football is played below the waist." Suggestive as that may sound, he was right. Good football players, especially good linemen, must have strong leg drive. While I haven't see Jalen Fields in the weightroom, and while it may sound, as the kids say, teh gay, the guy has the kind of quads you want on a defensive end. Let's just leave it at that.

Continuing in Body By Jake mode, another feature I noticed about Fields in this video is his arm length. Seriously, the kid's built like a condor, with fingertips that seem to brush his kneecaps. That wingspan is important, especially for a pass rushing defensive end, because it allows him to use his hands to shed blocks from mammoth offensive tackles before they can get their hands on him. Let's face it, if a 340 pounder like Cordy Glenn locks up on a 250 pound defensive end, the play is usually over. An effective defensive end must be able to get body separation from offensive linemen both to rush the passer and to read running plays. Fields should be able to do that, if he can bulk up.

You probably also noticed in this video that Fields is actually running routes with the wide receivers and tight ends. While his hands are clearly not an asset, he's quick off the line for a guy that big. And there just aren't a lot of strongside defensive ends out there running 4.67 forties. That's just fast. I imagine this is one reason the coaches were so quick to offer. Coach Fabris can teach him to spin, swim and upper cut his way through blockers. But this type of natural athletic ability can't be learned.

As far as I know, that's about it for the video in the public domain. However, from the other gamefilm I was able to watch on Fields, I would describe him as a raw defensive end with incredible potential. He reminds me a little of a slightly thicker Quentin Moses, a guy with a basketball player's body still learning to play football. He has a tendency to pop up on the snap and not play with great pad level. He doesn't use his hands as well as you would like, just kind of running past blockers too small or slow to stop him. He also has some trouble getting to the ball on running plays, and just doesn't seem to "feel" where the ball is going the way that some guys do. But a lot of that may be a matter of experience. With Fields's physical gifts he'll only get better with more repetitions and film study. He has the raw tools.

All in all, I'd grade this a very solid pickup. Contrary to popular myth, we have defensive ends in Athens. Demarcus Dobbs will be fine if he stays healthy, as will Justin Houston when he returns from suspension. Jeremy Longo and Cornelius Washington are at least physically ready to contribute, and we still don't really know what Kiante Tripp, Neland Ball and incoming freshman Montez Robinson can do. Darryl Gamble will see snaps at defensive end (at least in the nickel package we play a lot of these days), and Darius Dewberry might also put his hand down this season. What we really lack is certainty about how good these guys will be. As such, picking up Fields and 1-2 other ends 9like B.J. Butler, who we previously profiled) is a sound contingency strategy. Hopefully, some of the guys listed above will grow into their roles, and Fields will be able to redshirt in 2010. But if we need somebody to come in immediately and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, I don't doubt that he could do that, too.

Until Free Form Friday . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

*True story: Houston Nutt once offered a full ride to the janitor at an Itawamba, MS high school because he liked the guy's upper body strength while he was emptying the trash cans. Plus the Head Rebel thought the guy "looked well developed for his age." Only later did he realize that age was 38.

Free Form Friday. Into the Wild Edition.

MaconDawg — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:48:34 -0000

I've been watching Expedition Africa on the History Channel on Sunday nights, and I'd highly recommend that you do the same. Any television show that involves the very real danger of tangling with a gabon viper or angry rhino is good television, and beats the heck out of watching a dozen self-absorbed boobs forced to live in a beachhouse together and engage in petty backstabbing for the cameras. If I'm going to see petty backstabbing, I'd prefer it take place among people half-dazed from tropical dehydration and wielding machetes, thank you very much.

I was wondering the other night, as I watched the intrepid team of adventurers scale a mountain (then try not to fall off the other side) which SEC football coaches would do best with this type of situation. I mean, college coaches are all the time going to visit the troops in war zones. A march across sub-Saharan Africa isn't that far-fetched is it?

I think Coach Richt would do well. He's in good shape, he's reasonably tanned, and unless he hides his limp well, his knees are in better shape than the average former college football player. I bet Rich Brooks would also make it through the jungles and savannahs because, unless I miss my guess, he's just too mean to die. Bobby Petrino would probably jump ship halfway through to join the Maasai, then live comfortably off their food and water. Opportunism is a legitimate survival skill. Never forget that.

Either Urban Meyer or Lane Kiffin would not make it. There's no way one of them doesn't off the other in his sleep. Houston Nutt, generally hailed as crazier than a road lizard anyway, would certainly have no problem eating whatever critters or biting plants could be scavenged in the bush and drinking the most impotable of water after a cursory boiling. His odds of being mortally wounded in a cape buffalo wrestling accident are better than 50/50 however, and that's an issue.

Les Miles, given his natural tolerance for risk taking, is a safe bet to do somethng dangerous at every turn. Of course, he also has the kind of hardware that says "I'm sorry, I would have heard that bit about not going over Victoria Falls in a canoe if I didn't have this big crystal football stuck in my ear." Les Miles might emerge from his African odyssey sunburned, swollen and missing one or more appendages, but he would likely emerge nonetheless.

The Old Ball Coach is, well, kind of old, and that doesn't bode well for his chances. He doesn't strike me as quite as flinty as Rich Brooks. Tanzania is no country for old men, Spurmeister. I don't like your odds. Nick Saban would almost certainly set an unsustainable pace by marching 20 hours a day out of sheer force of habit. Fueled only by Red Man and Little Debbies, I imagine him slowly winding down, then winding up as sundried hyena chow somewhere on the Zambian plains. Believe me, child stealing wild canids are patient killers. They would definitely have time for that s***.

I had to think long and hard about what fate might await Vanderbilt coach Bobby "Sarek" Johnson (God bless wikipedia). I mean, the guy doesn't exactly look like Crocodile Dundee. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized Johnson would almost certainly complete the trek across Africa, or a trek across Antarctica for that matter. Because if you can not only survive seven years as the football coach at Vandy but also make a bowl appearance, you can probably do most anything.

As previously alluded to on this site, I will remain a little circumspect regarding Gene Chizik's decision making ability until he gives me reason to think otherwise. I imagine Chizik's demise on the dark continent would result from something equal parts mundane and macabre. Such as a decision to leave a successful wilderness expedition to serve as the head football coach at Iowa State. That's it. Gene Chizik would probably get dismembered by a hippo on his way back to Zanzibar after falling out of a boat while talking on his satellite phone. Attempting to book a direct flight from there to Opelika.

Dan Mullen has already made it for 6 months in Starkville, which makes the Democratic Republic of Congo look like Chuckie Cheese, so I'm guessing he survives. Actually, that's not fair. It's easier to get a flight into or out of the Congo than Starkville.

Feel free to lay out the odds of survival for any other college coaches in the comments, as well as their likely misadventures (I'm imagining Charlie Weis attempting to drag some poor lion into the bush to feast on him, in an ironic reversal of fortune).

Play us out, Delta Spirit . . .

By the way, Delta Spirit will be playing this weekend at Bonnaroo. Dawgsports favorites Drive By Truckers will also be in Manchester, Tennessee for Wyatt Sexton's favorite music festival. You'll be able to catch DBT's performance live via AT&T's Music website, along with Booker T. Jones of Booker T and the MG's fame. It's happening Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., for those who may be interested.

Until next week . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!

Dawgsports at the 2009 Pigskin Preview, Part 2.

MaconDawg — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:52:17 -0000

Yesterday I brought you the first part of my quick notes from the 2009 Peach State Pigskin Preview, hosted by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon. Yesterday's notes centered on the offense (Aron White's progress, etc.) and the arcane (Bill Curry's conspicuous dearth of lackeys).

Today I'll focus on the defense. Remember, these are just the quick hits. I'll be back with more in-depth stuff (quotes and statistics and such) over the next few weeks. It's not like we have a whole lot else to talk about.

On the defensive line as a strength of the team: Coach Richt noted that Deangelo Tyson may be the only guy in the defensive tackle rotation who's not a senior (including West Georgia transfer Brandon Wheeling). Perhaps this says something about Ricardo Crawford and Brandon Wood, or perhaps he just forgot to mention them. I'm not sure which.

On safety depth: I'll have more on this later, but suffice it to say Coach Richt thinks we'll be fine. Bryan Evans seems to have found a home, if Quintin Banks comes back healthy he'll contribute immediately, and Nick Williams may crosstrain at will linebacker and safety, because the coaches think he's athletic enough and has a good enough grasp of things to do that. Also lots of positive comments about Reshad Jones, especially his leadership of the defense. As long as his tackling improves I'll be satisfied.

On safety John Knox's return to Athens: Coach Richt says it's not likely. Somebody asked him for a reason. Coach Richt replied "because I have my reasons." Next question . . .

On where the defense is strongest: A lot of coaches like to play defense from the middle of the field out, believing that if you can't control the A-gaps you can't control the rest of the field. Coach Richt thinks that with Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins, Rennie Curran and Reshad Jones we're very strong up the gut, and that's important.

On the general health of the defense: Coach Richt couldn't think of a single guy on defense who shouldn't be ready to go when they start fall camp. I honestly cannot remember that ever being the case in Athens.

On uber-recruit Branden Smith: He'll work primarily at corner. They may give him a shot on offense at receiver, but he'll have to learn to play corner first.

On linebackers moving to defensive end: No permanent moves at this point. Darryl Gamble might see action at defensive end in the nickel package. Darius Dewberry may see time at end, but it will depend on how he progresses during August.

If you have any specific questions about certain players or issues, feel free to ask in the comments. I may well have left some things out yesterday and above just because so much ground was covered.

Until Free Form Friday . . .

Go 'Dawgs!!!