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Sprints // 05.11.09

Are those crickets I hear? Not a bunch going on right now, to be completely honest. Sure, there's the normal stuff -- preparations for summer workouts, conference meetings, Georgia players getting suspended -- but other than that, quiet. We're at the high point (or low point, depending on how you want to look at it) of the summer doldrums.

Dawgs on Drugs. At least that's the reason Schlabach gives for two players spending a few games of quality time on the sidelines. Another player who was already leaving for medical reasons faced undefined "discipline" for the dreaded VOTR (violation of team rules), also the official reason given for the suspensions of Bruce Figgins and Justin Houston.

"I'm very disappointed in the poor judgment of these players," Richt said in the news release. "They'll have to pay an appropriate price and I'm confident they will learn an important lesson from their mistake."

Hydrate, gentlemen, hydrate. Oh, sorry, I think he means another lesson ...

How big could these losses be? Well consider this DawgsOnline post from last week about injuries and potential depth issues along the Georgia lines.

The defensive end position is even more unsettled than the offensive line. Other than the emergence of Justin Houston during the spring, can anyone even pretend to know anything about the rest of the group at this point?

Oops.

'It's hotter for us, it's cooler for them.' With all due respect to Mark Richt, this has got to be the lamest reason for moving the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party Cocktail Party Cocktail Party away from Jacksonville that C&F has ever heard. For one thing, it's factually untrue -- the temperature in Jacksonville is precisely the same for both teams. Funny how that works. Second, the game is played in late October or early November. It's not usually snowing in Jacksonville that time of the year, but it's usually not blazing hot, either. Is it relatively cooler for Florida players than Georgia players? Perhaps. But -- let's be serious.

Going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, going, gone. Boy Wonder's regime has seen 11 players leave since he took over. No need to fear.

In fact, it would have more cause for concern if the Vols hadn't lost players.

UT has lost 11 players since Lane Kiffin replaced Phillip Fulmer as coach. Some were booted, some quit over the raised expectations and demands, and others left because the depth chart they had in mind didn't coincide with the one assembled by the coaches.

Will the attrition hurt UT? In the short-term, maybe. In the long-term, no.

In fact, this will help with RECRUITING. And if there's one thing Lane Kiffin knows how to do, it's RECRUITING. Winning football games? Who cares? He's good at RECRUITING. As Tennessee fans will tell you, that's all that matters.

Mr Irrelevant could make the Chiefs. Whether this is good or bad for Ryan Succop, I suppose, depends on the value of being on a very bad NFL team.

Albert Einstein anticipated this. This being the Big XII coaches sticking with their tiebreaker. (Who wants to bet the vote was 11-1?) Anticipated here.

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While Mark Richt's excuse is silly on its face . . .

. . . it’s even sillier in context.

It would be one thing if, say, a Big Ten coach was using this as an excuse for losing a Sunshine State bowl game in January. It’s still wrong, but at least it holds some water (or humidity).

Many Bulldog players are from South Georgia or North Florida. They literally have lived in that heat and humidity their whole lives prior to coming to Athens. Even if the Classic City is slightly cooler and mildly less humid (and, if so, the differences are very, very small), a lot of these kids grew up in that and played high school football in it.

Athens gets plenty hot and humid. We need to quit looking for excuses and go play some dadgum football.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on May 11, 2009 7:22 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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