The Bulldawg Blawg

Can Something Good Please Happen?

2008-07-01T09:05:00.005-05:00

What is going on lately? First Billy Humphrey is arrested and subsequently dismissed from the basketball team. Then Uga dies. And now we have three linemen (two offensive, one defensive) arrested.

Michael Lemon was arrested for getting in a fight of some sort. The arrests of Trinton Sturdivant and Justin Anderson stemmed from an incident separate from Lemon's. The ABH has a more detailed story up on Anderson and Sturdivant's arrests.

In separate affidivats, it is alleged that Sturdivant and Anderson each "did intentionally make physical contact of an insulting nature with (the alleged victim), who he does not know, when he approached her and touched her stomach."

I'm guessing we'll hear more about this in the future. At least no one jumped out of a closet though...

R.I.P Uga VI

2008-06-28T21:25:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you've heard by now that Uga VI passed away on Friday night. I was traveling all day today, so I didn't even know until I just got an email from the Deaner.

I once met this Uga up close and personal with not many people around. Damn good dawg.

The Georgia Sports Blog has every link known to man on this, so be sure to check them all out.

Rest in peace Uga. You will be missed.

Crap!

2008-06-26T21:59:00.000-05:00

Billy Humphrey. Arrested. Again.

Isner at Wimbledon

2008-06-23T21:24:00.003-05:00

John Isner will play his first match at Wimbledon on Tuesday. Play begins on Isner's court at 7am eastern time, and his match will be the 2nd on the court. As for TV...who knows. If you have DirecTV, tune in to ESPN2 throughout the day. They have an interactive channel that will let you watch multiple matches at the same time. That's your best bet to find him.

Oh yeah...he's playing this guy.

Tony Taylor Featured on AF.com

2008-06-18T20:41:00.005-05:00

AF.com has a feature story up on Tony Taylor today. J. Michael Moore talks to Tony and his coaches about his progression in the NFL.

Apparently Tony has been running with the first team at times this off season. The common opinion is that Curtis Lofton is going to take over at middle linebacker with Brooking moving to his natural weak position...I mean weak-side position. I don't necessarily think Taylor will start this year. But, I do think he'll play a lot more defense this year, whereas he played mostly on special teams last season.

There's some quotes I want to grab from the article. This was a funny one from Tony...

"I was trying to trim my baby fat off and, at the same time, build muscle," he [Taylor] said. "I feel like I'm a step further than I was at this time last year. It's hard not to eat Zaxby's all the time but every once in a while you've got to leave that to the side."

Come on Tony. Zaxby's? Guthrie's is where it's at.

Then there was a trend from the coaches...

"I think he's a guy that's very sharp mentally," linebackers coach Glenn Pires said. "That's what's allowing him to continue to grow. He understands the game and is a very good instinct guy. (With) those instincts he keeps getting better and making good decisions."

"Tony has done a nice job," [Head Coach Mike] Smith said. "He's a very intelligent football player and has played extremely well for us. Tony doesn't necessarily have all the measurables you look for but there are a lot of guys that have been successful in this league that don't have those measurables. Tony has done a really good job; he's a good communicator and gets us lined up."

It's nice to see these comments made about a black player for once. If you watch the NFL draft, it's amazing how all of the black players have raw talent and natural ability. On the other hand, white players are often described as being intelligent and maximizing their potential. It's refreshing to hear coaches not following the stereotypes that the so-called experts always seem to go by.

Falcons Sign Thomas Brown

2008-06-18T20:32:00.002-05:00

Thomas Brown signed a contract with the Falcons today. Look for The Thomas Brown Affair to be returning kicks in the fall...

Gone Fishin'

2008-06-08T21:19:00.003-05:00

I'm out of town. If anything is going to be posted here this week, odd's are it will be from the Deaner. I'll be back next week.

Another Quincy Article

2008-06-02T21:54:00.000-05:00

I came across another article on Quincy Carter. This one is by Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. It is a much more in depth article on Quincy's realization that he has a problem, his rehab stint, and his latest comeback attempt.

The article is four pages long, but here is the part that will jump out to Dawg fans.

Carter says he started smoking marijuana in high school, and says he used in college once or twice a week.

Makes you wonder about that injury he had his final year. I'm just sayin.

Out of Chances????

2008-06-02T21:51:00.002-05:00

ESPN.com is reporting that word is Odell Thurman has violated the league substance abuse policy...again. Odell's story is well-chronicled and he looked to be on the way back. In the last few weeks Thurman has been reinstated, released by the Bengals (later blamed on 'family issues'), rebuffed by the Falcons, and now this. If this is true it seems like Thurman will be worrying less about football and more about getting his life back together.

Latest Dawgs/Falcons News

2008-05-29T05:45:00.000-05:00

J. Mike over at AF.com has a story up on Martrez Milner. From the article...

The current roster seems right for Milner to make his move. With the departure of Dwayne Blakeley and Alge Crumpler, Milner is the only tight end on the team with game experience from 2007. Thus far he's worked opposite veteran tight end Ben Hartsock, who was signed in free agency.

I couldn't agree more. The Falcons have been signing "blocking tight ends" left and right during the off season. I'm looking for Martrez to lead tight ends in receptions this season for the Falcons.

In other former Dawg/current Falcon news, Steve Wyche of the AJC tells us that...

D.J. Shockley has been medically cleared to take part in all football-related activities and even ran some sets with the first-team offense at Wednesday's offseason workouts.

I love that he's already getting to run with the first team some. I already feel like this coaching staff is giving D.J. more of a shot than Petrino's did.

We'll continue to follow Shock's chances on staying with the Falcons in the coming months.

Isner Loses in 1st Round of French Open

2008-05-29T05:40:00.000-05:00

After quickly jumping out to a two set lead, John Isner fell to Juan Ignacio Chela in five sets in the first round at Roland Garros.

So far as I know, this match wasn't on tv at all (even with the Tennis Channel showing five matches at a time over the weekend), so I can't really comment on what happened.

What I do know is the match was supposed to be played on Sunday. As usual at a grand slam, the match was delayed until Monday. Play in the match stopped on Monday with Isner up two sets to one but down 1-4 in the fourth set. Honestly, I don't remember if play was stopped due to rain or darkness on Monday. On Tuesday, they never resumed play due to rain. Finally, the match was finished on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for Isner, the time off couldn't swing the momentum back his way, losing 3-6, 4-6 in the 4th and 5th sets.

I wasn't really expecting John to do anything on the clay at Roland Garros, but when he jumped out to that early lead, I got my hopes up. Oh well.

I really, really hope John gets to play at Wimbledon. I can't imagine what his serve will be like on grass.

Quincy in KC

2008-05-28T20:02:00.003-05:00

No, Quincy Carter is not a teammate of David Greene on the Kansas City Chiefs. Quincy was just put on the active roster for the Kansas City Brigade of the AFL (Quincy was signed to the practice squad earlier this month).

Believe it or not, this is actually a step up for Q. Last year he played in the Arena League 2, whatever that is.

Don't worry, I know what you are thinking...are there highlights of Quincy in the AFL 2? Surprisingly...yes.

Well, I've said this before and I'll say it again. I really hope Quincy can get his life back together. Hopefully, this is the last time I say that.

J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Musa!

2008-05-28T19:27:00.003-05:00

Muuuuusa signed with the New York Jets on Tuesday. The Jets already have Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, and Jesse Chatman at tailback. I mean, obviously Musa is better than these stiffs. Last season, Jones was not the back from Chicago's Super Bowl run. If that stays the same in 2008, and Musa can avoid the injuries that have plagued his NFL career, maybe he can do some damage. If not, the Jets can always rely on their great draft picks...or not.

Sigh...Another DUI

2008-05-23T10:31:00.005-05:00

This time it's young Offensive Lineman Clint Boling. A Chattahoochee High grad, Boling was driving "erratically" on 120 in Alpharetta when he was pulled over and refused to blow. The projected starter has hired a lawyer but regardless of the outcome he will probably be suspended for at least the opener. Stay in your friends' nice houses if you're going to underage drink Clint.

How far away are we from an "All-DUI" wing at Butts-Mehre? This is the 3rd alcohol-related arrest this offseason. Super. This is what Richt needs to be worrying about while painting bombs in the Middle East.

I think it's important to realize that the kids getting in trouble aren't just poor student-athletes. Boling is a white, upper middle-class kid from the suburbs. A lot of conjecture around problems in college athletics revolves around race and socio-economic class. The public love to point it out when a poor kid ruins his "opportunity" but people are slow to jump on a white kid who has all the advantages in the world. Isn't this situation worse? Boling is a product of the Alpharetta sense of entitlement and privilege and the "turn a blind eye" style of parenting that is so prevalent in the suburbs. I'm sure his lawyer will get him out of any real trouble so let's hope Boling learned something from the incident. I hope there isn't a "Don't you know who I am?" element that comes out later...

Charles Grant Indicted...

2008-05-21T08:25:00.004-05:00

It seems like you can't go two days without an athlete in legal trouble these days. Of course, when it's Pacman Jones it doesn't feel so bad but when it's C. Grant...well, it kinda sucks.

The charge stems from the nightclub incident we reported on here. Grant, along with other participants in the fight, have been charged with involuntary manslaughter. He also faces a misdemeanor fighting rap as well . Another defendant will face felony murder and feticide charges for the true victim of this story, the pregnant woman who was killed outside of the nightclub.

This has all been said before but how/why professional athletes put themselves in these positions bewilders me. Leave the club at one if you need to go out. Have the party at your house, bring private security, or just don't go out to these clubs. Then you won't have situations like getting stabbed in the neck and charged with manslaughter. Call me crazy... Charles Grant was a likable, affable, and funny guy at UGA. He was always willing to chat with you and as a student reporter he always answered my questions but he apparently has not been making the best choices. We at the Blawg will do our best to keep you up to date on developments as they happen.

Entering the Playoff Debate

2008-05-20T19:56:00.003-05:00

Everyone and their brother has been debating bowls vs. a playoff as of late. The latest round seems to have been a reaction to Ivan Maisel's article on ESPN.com yesterday.

The biggest fear from the bowl supporters is that a playoff will devalue the regular season. Maisel's article has two examples of how this could happen.

Example 1:

On the final weekend of the season, Washington at Hawaii received a 2.0 TV rating. An estimated 1.96 million households saw the game, even though it ended a 3:14 a.m., ET because the Warriors' victory all but assured them of an at-large berth in one of the five BCS games.

My response:

A playoff would have made this game even more attractive to viewers. As it was with the BCS, Hawaii was playing for a chance to get waxed in a BCS bowl. A BCS bowl that had they won, there was still ZERO chance they'd win the national title.

If an 8 team playoff existed, Hawaii would have been playing their way into a tournament where they would control their own destiny on a path to the national title. Now, they probably would have been waxed in the first round anyway, but we don't know that and certainly didn't know that when Hawaii beat Washington. A playoff would mean Hawaii was in the hunt for the national title in beating Washington, rather than a chance to play in a meaningless sideshow to the national championship game.

Example 2 (from Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese):

"Pitt played West Virginia in the last [Big East regular-season] game of the year [2007]. Everybody in the country watched the game. It did an incredible television rating. If we were in a full-blown playoff, who would have watched the game? West Virginia would have already won our league. What the BCS has done is, people who used to watch football in isolation -- the conference of their interest, the team of their interest -- are now watching it across the board because all those games have an effect [on the national championship]."

My response:

Who cares about the Big Least? A world where no one watches the final game of a so-called conference with no championship game is a better place in my opinion. If the Big East was a real conference, their final game on that same day would have been a conference championship game. Presumably, winning that game would earn an automatic bid into an 8 team playoff. People would watch that.

I have a whole lot more to say on this topic, but I'll leave it here for now. Feel free to disagree with me. I know a ton of people do, but I think those of you are wrong :-)

Odell Cut

2008-05-19T11:37:00.004-05:00

Well, it looks like the Bengals have turned the Odell Thurman page in their history.

While I love Odell as a player I don't think even the biggest nonsensical Georgia homer can blame Cincinnati for washing their hands of the whole situation. I hope that they don't know something that we don't know.

I know that a large number of teams were looking for LB help at the draft so Thurman should not have a huge problem finding an invite but I am worried that this is a bad omen for him:

"The NFL provided Odell the opportunity to earn his way back onto our team, but we have not seen the right steps taken by him," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

Dave Bliss Signs With Athletes in Action

2008-05-18T20:57:00.002-05:00

No, not our Dave Bliss. The other Dave Bliss. You know, the one from Baylor who did all kinds of crazy bad stuff that I'm not going to get in to.

Here is what I want to know. Who is your favorite random player you remember seeing play for any of these type of teams (Athletes in Action, Marathon Oil, etc.)

I'll kick it off with Derrick Dukes, who one of these teams plucked out of Hibbett Sports in Athens.

Oh, and I owe an apology to the Deaner. I know I totally stole yours...

Watch Shockley's Live Chat

2008-05-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

If you missed D.J.'s live chat today on AF.com, you can catch the whole thing here.

The topics of discussion range from rehab to where D.J. sees himself on the depth chart (which he kind of dodges) to "Georgia homers" that want him to start to Georgia's high expectations this upcoming season.

It's worth watching. Enjoy!

Louis Williams on 680

2008-05-14T21:25:00.003-05:00

Louis Williams was live in studio this morning on The Rude Awakening on 680 The Fan.

I actually called in to ask a question. I wanted to know if Lou Will continued to follow Georgia basketball this season through the SEC tournament considering that his high school teammate Mike Mercer was dismissed from the team. Apparently the show's producer didn't think that was an appropriate topic to be discussed on air, because it wasn't brought up.

They did ask him if he regrets missing out on college. He said no which I would expect. Things have turned out pretty well for Louis after a shaky start in the NBA.

Ouch!

2008-05-14T21:01:00.005-05:00

Current Cincinnati Red and former Georgia Bulldog shortstop Jeff Keppinger broke his kneecap on Tuesday.

Keppinger fouled a pitch off his knee in the second inning. He drew a bases-loaded walk, giving the Reds a 2-0 lead, and played defense in the third and fourth innings before departing.

So he broke his kneecap, and then played two more innings. What a beast. Here's to a speedy recovery.

More Falcons/Dawgs News

2008-05-13T18:42:00.003-05:00

Today I was checking out the mini camp wrap up piece from J. Michael Moore on AF.com when a sub header in the article caught my eye..."BULLDOG REPORT." Ha! Like I said yesterday, the Falcons have learned to try and make Georgia fans into Falcons fans. At any rate, J. Mike has some good info in there, so you should check it out. Now, it did take him three times in the article before he finally spelled Shockley right, but I'll cut the guy some slack. The Deaner corrects stuff in my posts all the time (thanks Deaner).

In other Falcons/Dawgs News, A.J. Bryant was among several players the Falcons tried out during last weekend's mini camp. The team has yet to announce if any of these players made the team. I'll keep you posted on that when I hear something.

Finally, don't forget about the live chat with Shockley Wednesday at 1:30 pm. I'll be at work, so I'll miss it. Fill me in if you check it out. Oh, and if you want to meet D.J., he'll be at Flagstar Bank in Duluth on Friday signing autographs from 5-6 pm. Again, how many teams can do this kind of stuff with their 4th string qb?

Falcons No Longer Afraid of Dawgs

2008-05-12T19:30:00.008-05:00

From this picture, it looks like Thomas Brown is fitting just fine with his Falcons teammates. Of course, it helps when the teammate was your quarterback in college.

Image from AF.com

A few years ago, I never would have believed that the Falcons would have so many Bulldogs on the roster. The Falcons I grew up a fan of passed on the likes of Rodney Hampton, Hines Ward, and Jermaine Phillips, only to draft lesser players at the same position. Steve Broussard, Jammi German, and Kevin McCadam anyone?

But looking at the current roster, you can tell the new regime is not afraid of having some former Dawgs. Here's a rundown:
Thomas Brown
Brandon Miller
Martrez Milner
D.J. Shockley
Tony Taylor

And I'll tell you something else. The Falcons' marketing people are using this to their advantage. It's not often you see a marketable 3rd, or now 4th, string quarterback, but that's what Shockley is for the Falcons. You can even have a live chat with D.J. this Wednesday.

I'll try my best to link over to content on AF.com featuring former Bulldogs, but it's quite possible I may miss some of it. There's a lot of them to cover these days.

Joe's Magic

2008-05-08T19:07:00.006-05:00

On Friday November, 28 1998, a special edition of the Jim Donnan show (the radio version) aired on the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network. For some reason, Coach Donnan and Larry Munson were taking calls the day before the game. At least that is how I remember it. Anyway, a few nerds called in to talk some smack. One asked the following...

Coach Donnan. I'm just wondering how you plan on stopping Joe Magic?

The name Joe Magic was an instant classic amongst my friends, Georgia fans and nerds alike. We still call him that to this day.

This week Joe has lived up to his nickname in many ways. Not only was he puffing the magic dragon in his car, leading to his arrest...he also was able to make his spanking new job magically disappear. Way to go Joe. Way to go.

Image from AJC.com

UGA Undrafted Free Agent Signings

2008-05-01T07:01:00.010-05:00

Can Kelin go from Dawg to Hawk?

The list below is as updated as I could find. The "8th Round" of the draft has been kind to the Dawgs so far. If anyone hears of other signings please post in the comments!

Atlanta Falcons DE Brandon Miller

Seattle Seahawks S Kelin Johnson

Green Bay Packers RB Kregg Lumpkin

Tennessee Titans OL Fernando Velasco

Kansas City Chiefs WR Sean Bailey