It was fun while it lasted! Athens got more snow than I ever thought possible for Georgia! Click Uga for the rest of the photos from the ABH. That was probably one of the prettiest snow storms I’ve ever seen and I’m so grateful I had the day off from classes today to enjoy it. But back to real life and responsibilities tomorrow 
I’m gonna blog more this week as soon as I figure out something worthy to say. The off-season really sux.
I’m not a stats geek, but I’ve always loved keeping a baseball card version of Dawg player stats in my head, the starters at least. I learn as much about a player’s background as I do their 40 time. I was made to be a scout, though I think my gender hampers my lofty aspirations a bit. So having the opportunity to just be a fly on the wall at Lucas Oil Stadium this week for the NFL’s biggest job fair would be a dream come true. No joke – I would kill to spend the next 6 days, watching the workout & position drills, taking the Wonderlic, and sitting in on the interviews. Add to the mix the fact that Georgia has 8 Dawgs competing, and I’m more than just a little giddy at the thought.
But since no one’s beating down my door in desperate need of my expertise, I’ll be scouring teh interwebs & the godforsaken nfl network like everyone else for every little morsel of info I can get my hands on. For those interested, here’s the official schedule of events from Sporting News. Be sure to check here for the video series on Matt Stafford’s path to the Combine and here for official stats & interviews. And the NFL network will be airing portions of the Combine starting Saturday at 11am as well. Before all the drills & interviews get started though, here’s a look at the NFL Draft Scout analysis of the eight Dawgs participating in this year’s Combine:
Matt Stafford
Positives: Perhaps a bit shorter than preferred, but has excellent bulk and strength for the position. …Durable performer who never missed a college game due to injury, despite a leaky offensive line. … Efficient footwork and depth on his drop from center. … Quick to scan the field and go through his progressions. … Elite arm strength. … Can make all the throws and shows power and toughness getting the ball deep even when defenders are closing and making contact. … Consistent with excellent accuracy to all levels of the field. … Consistent placing the deep out on the far shoulder of his receiver, away from the defender. … Has good deep accuracy and trajectory. … Lofts the ball high enough to allow his receiver to run under it. … Aggressive, but has developed into a smarter passer over his career and will take what the defense gives him by dropping to his second and third options. … Learning to look off the safety. … Underrated core strength. … Keeps his eyes downfield and will step up in the pocket and is willing to take a hit to complete the pass. … Surprisingly nimble in the pocket and can avoid the rush. … Underrated straight-line speed and will take what the defense gives him. … Takes his own success and that of the team very seriously. … Extremely competitive. … Team captain. … Undefeated in bowl games.
Negatives: Can get fundamentally lazy… … Though he has an efficient overall release, should be able to speed it up for underneath screens passes to take better advantage of the surprise to the defense. … Sloppy footwork. … Will get lazy and throw off his back foot, which could lead to turnovers in the NFL… … Willing to throw into tight spots, though more often than not he places the ball where it needs to be… … Not great accuracy on crossing routes. … Too often leads his receivers too far or forces them to reach back, slowing their momentum and limiting their ability to generate yardage after the catch.
Knowshon Moreno
Positives: Tight-skinned athlete with good overall musculature. Good quickness to the hole. Reads the defense and anticipates where the hole, including cutback lanes, will appear. Exceptional lateral quickness and elusiveness in tight quarters. Very rarely tackled by the first defender. Good acceleration past the initial wave of defense and into the secondary. Good spin and stiff arm, and has phenomenal leaping ability to jump over tacklers. Attacks the line of scrimmage and is a tougher interior runner than given credit for. Can drop his shoulders and has good leg drive. Runs through a lot of tackles due to his competitive drive and toughness. Keeps his legs churning and will spin away from tackles. Soft hands for the reception. Natural receiver who poses intriguing possibilities to be split out wide. Good quickness and effort as a route-runner; isn’t just a threat on dump-offs in the flat or screens. Provides a pop in pass protection. Extreme competitor who can put the team on his shoulders. Wants the ball with the game on the line.
Negatives: Questionable top-end speed. Lacks the prototype size and bulk some teams are looking for in a bell-cow runner. A bit flashy, and will celebrate a bit too much after big plays.
Brannan Southerland
Positives: Solid build for the position. Experienced fullback with the athleticism to contribute as a blocker, runner and receiver. At his best blocking on the move. Locates his target and can break down in space to hit him squarely. Keeps his legs churning and maintains good contact with his target. Hits the hole quickly as a runner and has flashed the leg drive for short-yardage success. Earned the Leon Farmer Award for his dedication to the UGA strength and conditioning program and was named a team captain in 2008 despite only appearing in eight games.
Negatives: Flashed impressive leg drive and toughness as a runner early in his career, but has become less of a factor in the running game each of the past three seasons – dropping in touchdowns from eight (2006) to five (2007) to one (on only two total rushing attempts) in 2008. Only marginal hands out of the backfield. Not a natural receiver. Marginal initial pop as a lead blocker. Relies on agility and technique to clear lanes, rather than pure power or aggression. Didn’t appear to be the same player this season after missing the first half of the year with a fractured foot. Surgically repaired navicular bone in his left foot requires a Combine check.
Asher Allen
Positives: Shorter than scouts would prefer, but has a good build. … Good straight-line speed. … Legitimate cover skills. … Loose hips to turn and run with receivers. … Accelerates smoothly. … Cuts smoothly and generates burst to close quickly out of his cuts. … Should be able to handle the nickel role early due to his agility. … Secure open-field tackler who flashes some pop, considering his size. … Natural kickoff returner. … Sees the field well and can accelerate through the pack. … Mentally tough. … Responded to the challenge of playing on an island as a sophomore in the SEC and looked like he belonged immediately. … Isn’t a finished product.
Negatives: Lacks prototype height to play on the outside. … Aggressive and will bite on the double-move. … Lacks the elite recovery speed if beaten initially. … Responds to the challenge of bigger receivers, but loses out too often on jump-balls. … Has obvious athletic ability, but hasn’t yet “arrived.” … Allows too many passes into his chest and will drop easy interceptions. … Broken hand requires a Combine check.
Dannell Ellerbe
Positives: Well-built athlete with the frame to add additional mass. … Versatile defender with experience at all three linebacker positions. … Aggressive to attack the line of scrimmage in run support. … Good speed to the outside to meet the back at the edge. … Reads his keys quickly and puts himself in position to make the play. … Good overall athleticism. … Among the better inside linebackers in the country in pass coverage. … Gets good depth on his drops and reads the quarterback’s eyes. … Good short-area quickness and balance in coverage. … Can beat blockers to the action due to his lateral agility and aggression. … Effective blitzer who combines his explosiveness with legitimate hand technique to disengage from blockers. … Flashes explosiveness as a hitter.
Negatives: A bit undersized for the traditional inside linebacker position. … Relies on his athleticism and aggression to beat blockers to the ballcarrier but struggles disengaging from blocks when confronted. … Flashes explosiveness as a hitter, but too often tackles high, leaving him susceptible to missed tackles. … Struggled with a knee sprain in 2008 and wasn’t the same player. … Some concern that he played soft in 2008, trying to protect his stock.
Mohamed Massoquoi
Positives: Prototypical NFL build for the position. Good height and surprising overall musculature with the frame to add additional mass. Possesses at least adequate straight-line speed to challenge deep. Can throttle down to separate from defenders. Long arms which he extends well to make the tough reception. Flashes good leaping ability and body control to snatch high passes out of the air. Good vision for the cutback. Good elusiveness for a receiver of his size. Good size and strength to run through arm tackles and create positive yardage after the reception. Stepped up his level of play as a senior. Became a vocal and on-field leader as a senior.
Negatives: Simply drops too many passes. Prone to lapses in concentration or not looking the pass into his hands before trying to make a defender miss. Allows passes into his frame too often, resulting in some ugly bounce-backs. Bit of a long-strider with build-up speed. Lacks elite foot quickness and agility to consistently gain separation from NFL-caliber cornerbacks. Tends to disappear for long stretches.
Corvey Irvin
Positives: Long arms with a square build and room for additional growth. … At least adequate initial quickness off the snap. … At least adequate lateral quickness to generate some pass rush from the interior. … Learning to utilize his long arms to keep blockers off his body. … Locates the ball and plays with good hustle in pursuit. … Good lower leg drive to anchor against the run. … Gets his arms up to provide obstacles in the passing lanes. … Improved throughout the week of practice at the Senior Bowl.
Negatives: Raw and lacks the eye-popping athleticism to indicate high upside. … Not quick enough off the snap or when moving laterally to generate much of a pass rush. … Only short-area quickness. … Needs an open lane to close. … Adequate size and strength to hold up against the run, but struggles to disengage.
Jarius Wynn
Positives: Looks the part. … Appears to have the frame to handle adding additional mass and make the transition inside to defensive tackle. … More technically refined than most junior college prospects. … Good hand usage to take on and slip blocks. … Has the lateral agility to force the play out wide. … Can break down in space and make the secure tackle. … Might be an ascending player.
Negatives: Lacks burst off the snap. … Bit of a “tweener.” … Lacks the speed off the edge to generate a consistent pass rush from the outside and the bulk to play inside at this time. … Needs an open lane to close on the ballcarrier. … Never established himself as a playmaker in the SEC despite plenty of hype.
Maybe I’m a little biased, after reading some of the negative assessments I have to wonder if these scouts ever watched any film on the guys they’re critiquing. The part about Knowshon being a little too flashy and tends to celebrate too much after big plays? Huh? Knowshon is famous for popping back up and running to the huddle – he’s the antithesis of the Ray Lewis & T.O. mold. And the same tired complaint about Mo Mass disappearing for long stretches? Seriously? That may have been true his sophmore year, but certainly hasn’t been true for the last 2 years. The line about Dannell palying soft this year to protect his stock flat-out pissed me off to be honest. But what really irked me though was the knock against Brannan Southerland in terms of his production. What should have been noted here was that with the emergence of Knowshon, the fullback wasn’t utilized as much in scoring opportunities, but his blocking ability alone is the best in cfb! Hopefully all our guys will test well & show they’re just as much a part of the reason why UGA is consistently one of the top producers of NFL talent in all of Div 1 football. Best of luck to all our guys at the Combine this week from a grateful & proud Bulldog Nation.
GO DAWGS!!!
The good thing about the offseason in football is that it gives bloggers like myself time to write more human interest posts involving the student-athletes to whom we obsess. Too often we get caught up in following the stats our players rack up on Saturdays and forget to focus on the high grades they’re earning during the week. Personally, I’ve always been more interested in the player than the playbook anyways. And fortunately the last couple of days there’s been some noteworthy buzz that, let’s face it, doesn’t typically top the headlines in Fall nor garner near the attention it deserves.
Coach Richt anounced on his blog Friday that Ricardo Crawford, a rising Junior DT will be spending a couple of weeks in June across the pond. Ricardo was selected to participate in the prestigious Oxford Study Abroad Programme through UGA. As most know, Oxford is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading academic institutions and is the oldest University in the English-speaking world. Oxfo
rd has also been the home, for more than a quarter century, to the Rhodes Scholarship which brings exceptionally accomplished students worlwide to study as postgraduates. As a point of pride two of last year’s Rhodes Scholars were from the University of Georgia. And UGA was the only school in the country to produce more than one Rhodes honoree – that includes Ivy League Schools as well. *So suck it Yech!* But I digress… According to CMR’s blog, Ricardo will have the opportunity to select from courses such as 19th century British Literature, Shakespeare, and Tudor-Stuart history during his stay. He’ll also have the opportunity to travel during his weekends to places like London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and other major cities on the main continent of Europe while he’s there. This is an incredible honor and amazing opportunity for Ricardo, to say the least, and I know his family must be so proud. I hope he knows that all of Bulldog Nation is proud of his accomplishments as well. Congratulations to Ricardo & bon voyage!
As Ricardo heads for England another great student will be moving to Athens. Incoming freshman Georgia signee Chris Burnette (OG) of Troup County has received a great deal of press lately, especially before signing day. Chris, as you may have already heard, is a candidate for Valedictorian of his graduating class. His final class standing won’t be determined until the comp
letion of his class’ spring term, but right now he holds a 5.012 GPA and a slight lead over 2 other students. And it should be noted that Chris has earned straight A’s since kindergarten, so it’s probably a safe bet to assume he’ll continue his dominance in the classroom.
After Chris committed to Georgia, Coach Richt promised that he would attend Chris’s graduation to hear his valedictory speech. However, the NCAA unfortunately will prevent Coach Richt from fulfilling that promise. Apparently celebrating the academic achievements of a signee’s graduation is prohibited. This should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the bureaucracy that is the NCAA. I’m sure some will claim there is a method in the madness, but it’s hard to overlook the hypocrisy. First of all, the graduation is set for the month of June – well after National Signing Day (which was 2 weeks ago) and well after the last day for seniors to decalre (which is April 1st). Chris not only will have signed his letter of intent 4 months prior to his graduation, but the date for any possible recruiting for next year’s class will have passed by 2 months as well. The larger issue here though is the conflicting messages from the NCAA. On the one hand the NCAA pushes the banner of “academics first!” yet on the other hand they limit a coach’s ability to celebrate those accomplishments. I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials with this famous tagline: “There are over 380,000 NCAA student-athletes and just about all of them will be going pro in something other than sports.”
The NCAA spends a great deal of time & resources peddling the importance of an education, at the same time allowing red tape & technicalities get in the way of truly setting that example. What a shame. Hopefully the Burnette family will film Chris’s big day so that Coach Richt and the staff can view it. Surely that won’t be a violation. Most importantly though, congratulation to Chris Burnette from Bulldog Nation and welcome to Georgia – we’re thrilled you chose to be a Dawg!
The academic news isn’t just limited to present & future students though. In case you didn’t see it, the AJC is running a story this week on several former players that left UGA early to pursue their NFL career and are now back on campus to finish their degr
ees. Randall Godfrey, former Georgia ILB, left school after the 1995 season and spent 12 years as a badass linebackerfor the Cowboys, Titans, Chargers, Seahawks, & Redskins before retiring. Point of fact: He was famously a part of one of the NFL’s best defenses EVER – the 2000 Tennessee Titans. Randall & his D allowed the fewest yards in the league & was even statistically better than the famed 1985 Chicago Bears Defense. His senior year was my freshman year (1995). I remember what a monster he was on the field (probably because we haven’t seen that kind of defense in a few years thanks to Willie) that year & was sad to see him go. He was just a mean sumbitch, and consequently a Damn Good Junkyard Dawg!
He’s now settled outside Atlanta with his wife Rhonda and their 4 children. When he left Athens years ago he was just 10 courses shy of his Bachelor’s Degree. Through the years Randall’s always had the desire to finish what he started at UGA but the demands of the NFL & a growing family made that an impossibility. But thanks to a promise he made his mother that he’d earn his degree and the flexibility of retirement, he’s finally back on campus. He’s taking 4 classes this term & will finish his final 2 classes this summer.
“I’m just waiting for that moment that I can walk across that stage and pick up my diploma,” Godfrey said. “That’s something I’ve been looking forward to doing for a long time.”
And Godfrey isn’t the only athlete returning for unfinished business. There are 4 other former players also currently enrolled at Georgia as well: Chester “Big Cheese” Adams, Terreal Bierria, Kelin Johnson, and Ken Shackleford. You may remember that Kelin also teamed up with GXtra this past season providing sports commentary, interviews, and game breakdowns for Georgia football as well as other UGA sporting events. And two other former players were among the 11 Dawgs that graduated this past December. All together 102 former & current players earned degrees since December 2004, a tremendous improvement from years prior.
It’s a great time to be a part of Georgia football. Thanks to our AD Damon Evans, and of course Coach Mark Richt, academics are not only on the frontburner, where they should be, but a top priority. Graduation rates are on the rise and athletes are working harder in the classroom than ever, as evidenced by the more than 50 players with GPA’s of 3.0 or higher last term. In addition, we’re recruiting not only some of the most talented athletes in the country, but scholar students as well. A degree from the University of Georgia is more valuable & prestigious than ever before, a fact that is evidently not lost on future, current, and former players alike.
Go Dawgs!
“The game was won before the game even started,” [Dustin] Ware said. We came out, and I could tell in warm-ups we were just energetic and excited. I hadn’t seen that in months. I could tell before the game we were going to have a great game.”
February 8, 1992 was the last time Pete Herrmann won a game as a Head Coach. That win was at the expense of Colgate and at the hands of his Navy team, 89-57. Since then Coach Herrmann has spent his years assisting other Head Coaches, namely his good friend Dennis Felton, and leading young men on the court and off to be winners in the game and especially in life.
When Coach Felton and UGA parted ways last month, I don’t think we as fans fully grasped just how difficult carrying on the season would be not only for our players, but for Coach Herrmann as well. Despite having a lot of talent on the team and on the sidelines, the Hoop Dawgs drifted through the tough waters of the SEC schedule like a ship without a rudder. Most fans, myself included, doubted whether the Dawgs would get another win this season. Eleven straight losses, some of them blowouts, speaks volumes. While watching the Dawgs get pounded by UT Wednesday night, I honestly hoped we could somehow just forfeit the rest of the season and move on to focusing towards next year. Sad, but true. It was clear to me, or so I thought, that they’d just given up on the team & on themselves.
As you can imagine, the locker room evidently wasn’t the picture of optimism either. Thankfully Coach Herrmann didn’t share that negativity and decided to pull out all the stops to inspire a comeback against the SEC East leader. He reached out to another Coach on campus that knows a little something about the Georgia-Floriduh rivalry - Coach Mark Richt.
“I called Mark and asked him if he’d come over,” Herrmann said. “He’s as respected a person as we have on this campus and I wanted him to, you know, say a few words about what he loves. He loves Georgia. He loves the coaches here at Georgia, he loves the athletes, and he talked about that. And he talked about playing it all the way through.”
Smart move Coach Herrmann. As David Hale reported, CMR talked to the guys about our 2006 season when the Dawgs lost 4 of 5 games, but rebounded to win the last 3, all against ranked opponents. I’m sure he talked about going down to #5 Auburn, defeated & unranked, only to beat the dogshit out of the barners. He had to have mentioned how sweet it was to upset Yech at home between the hedges. And he must’ve talked about what it was like to come back from near defeat at the Peach-fil-A Bowl to stun Virginia Tech in the second half.
“That really inspired us,” senior captain Corey Butler said. “He said ‘G.A.T.A.’ Wrote it on the board. I don’t want to say what that stands for but we all know what it means (Get After Their Ass). He told us about some of his experiences and how nobody believed in them when they went down there in play them [in 2007]. He said we have to play for us and that’s what we did.”
He was indeed the perfect person to call in for motivation; no one rebounds & pulls off the upset like Coach Richt! It’s a familiar refrain we’ve seen time & time again from Richt in his 8 seasons at UGA. And it reminds me of the cameo role he played in the movie Facing The Giants. In his scene he comes in to talk to his former player, now a Head Coach himself, and reminds him of how powerful it is to believe in yourself, your ability to face down a giant and WIN. It’s not a stretch to suggest Mark was made for that role. He was certainly made for the role he plays at Georgia, and I’m not just referring to his position as Coach of the Dawgs.
Well the Hoop Dawgs faced down their giant Saturday and walked away winners, that’s for sure. They came onto that court as the weakest team in the SEC – winless in conference play, and winless since December 31st, 2008. But they left Stegeman as a stronger team and no longer owning the title of the SEC’s whipping boy. Yesterday’s win was the Hoop Dawgs’ biggest since beating Ole Miss 89-82 Feb 26, 2002. Terrance Woodbury had a career night with 32 points. Albert Jackson, my favorite Dawg, had an incredible night as well with 9 points, 7 rebounds, several blocks, some bad-ass dunks, and aggressive play that epitomises GATA! Much like the miracle run last year for the SEC Tournamant Title, this team proved once again they have the talent, desire, and ability to win any given day. Congratulations to the boys in red & black for never quitting in the face of adversity. A heartfelt thanks to Coach Herrmann & his staff for leading this team through a difficult time & never giving up! Here’s to hoping a new day has dawned for the Hoop Dawgs in 2009 and beyond!
“I couldn’t even explain how big a weight this is off my shoulders,” [Corey] Butler said. “It’s been four years I’ve been here, and we haven’t beat Florida. We owned them (Saturday). It’s as simple as that. We owned them.”
GATA DAWGS!!!
It’s great that he’s finally garnering the attention he’s due. Matt’s always received high praise from Mel Kiper, as he continually points out, and even predicted that Matt would be the #1 pick in the draft when he was a high school senior.
Speaking on a conference call, Kiper reiterated his view — first expressed when Stafford was a high school senior — that Stafford has the “physical gifts” to be the No. 1 pick. In fact, Kiper said, “very few quarterbacks” have ever come out of college who can throw the football better than Stafford. And Kiper’s latest mock draft has Stafford going No. 1
I guess being courted in the press as the hot new franchise QB-in-the-making has it’s privileges too. Stafford just got back from a trip to the Super Bowl, was interviewed recently on Dan Patrick’s show, just signed a mega-marketing deal with IMG, and hired uber-sports agent Tom Condon as well. Yeah, that’s the same Condon that worked Matt Ryan’s $72 million dollar deal with the Falcons & reps both the Manning Brothers. In addition to being crowned King of the NFL Draft Prom, Matt’s being filmed while training at the famous API Center in Tempe, Arizona.
For those that don’t know, API (Athletes’ Performance Inc.) is the premiere training center for elite athletes in a variety of sports. Their ground-breaking NFL Combine preparation program is considered the best at assisting athletes with a focused training regimen geared towards improving draft position. It’s also where the NFL’s best athletes train in the off-season. Ironic such an exceptional facility was founded by a Yech grad. Despite that one minor flaw, Matt has the opportunity to train with famed QB Coach Terry Shea. Hopefully Coach Shea’s relationship with the Chiefs will benefit Stafford. I’d much rather see him be taken at the #3 spot & go with a team like the Chiefs than get saddled in God-forsaken Detroit.
All of this press and buzz surrounding Matthew is terrific for him, but it’s also fantastic for UGA. Our reputation for sending and keeping top talent in the NFL is among the best in college football. Adding two top talents like Matthew & Knowshon to that elite list is definitely a bonus & a source of immense Georgia pride. It’d be incredible to know that the next Elway once wore silver britches, right?
Go Dawgs!
*Note: Be sure to click on the link for the Dan Patrick show btw-it’s a great interview & Matt’s comments about Teblow are pretty interesting. Trust me.
As our economy continues to circle the toilet and Democratic leaders seem hell-bent on flushing the American taxpayer right down with it, you can imagine my utter disgust when I read this in the AJC yesterday. That’s right folks, we’re at 7% unemployment right now, the banks aren’t lending, interest rates are on the rise, and jobless claims are projected to increase. The private sector isn’t hiring, but the Federal Government sure as hell is! Yep, Obama promised more jobs all right, he just didn’t specify that he meant jobs on the taxpayer’s dime.
To keep myself from having a coronary as I helplessly watch Congress steal more money from my bank account & investments, I had to find something to make me laugh. This little gem was being passed around the twittersphere today. I damn near choked I was laughing so hard. The language is pretty foul so I’m warning you now that its NSFW. But even if you have to watch this on your phone in the john, do it now! You’ll thank me later 
AFSCME: the f#ckin’ Union that works for you! Capiche asshole?
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