If Malcome doesn't play...

So, Caleb King's been suspended for two games. First off, let me say that I'm not the biggest fan of just "letting things slide" but if what I hear about this story is true, I think a two-game suspension is a bit much. Now, since Mark Richt is a hell of a lot closer to his program than I am, I'm going to assume that perhaps what I hear about this story isn't quite accurate.

What I hear: King couldn't afford to pay the fine for his speeding ticket. His Uncle said he'd take care of it. He gave the ticket to the Uncle. Unc didn't do what he said. King got arrested.

Now, this doesn't show the best judgment by King. I mean, if I gave a ticket to my Uncle under the assumption that he would pay it, you better believe that at least 2 weeks before my court date, I would call that Uncle and ask if it'd been taken care of. I also might put away a little money each week just in case he didn't come through. But, I don't know King's uncle...perhaps he's someone who generally comes through. Either way, what's done is done - but if that's the whole story, two games seems kinda rough. It's not like he sold a jersey for $500.

Anyway, I said all that to get to this: Ealy now becomes our top choice at runningback. What does that mean? Well, for me it means that our redzone offense is now pass-heavy. Inside the ten, I think the fullbacks should be carrying the ball. I know the coaches have more confidence in Ealy, and that he carried the ball inside the 10 once without fumbling last week (though he did fumble inside the 5 earlier in the game)...but I'd be curious to see what his "fumblin' in side the ten" percentage is. Don't get me wrong, Washaun is a pretty good back. He's not the best in pass protection, but he's a big fan of fighting for tough yards, which I like.

Carlton Thomas is still hampered by a hamstring injury. So, the list at HB gets shorter and shorter. Could Fred Munzenmeier be a possibility at tailback? I say yes. I mean, I don't expect him to get a ton of work there this week, but the kid is a strong blocker, and he's got some deceptive wheels as well. He could definitely spell Ealy from time to time. Plus, I just like the thought of a Chapas-Munzy backfield...that's some serious size. Line up Bruce Figgins at tightend, and let's run some off-tackle!

There's also Wes Van Dyk. Now, I know most of you have absolutely no idea who Wes Van Dyk is. He's a Junior Walk-on who impressed me at G-Day. Any of you who were at G-Day may remember a white kid getting in at TB late in the game, and running straight through the defense. That was Wes Van Dyk. I'm not saying he's some hidden weapon who is primed to become a big-time starter at UGA. I'm saying the kid is a role-player who works his tail off, and could fill-in and get some carries. Plus, the Mark Richt era has always been good for producing some Walk-On kid who becomes a house-hold name...Verron Haynes, Tra Battle, etc. And this isn't a national title game - let's be real...this is Vanderbilt we're talking about.

I know there are some closet Vandy fans out there. Hell, I "coach" Vanderbilt in my PS3 online Dynasty (UGA was already taken by my friend Chris...Damn you, Chris!). I've always kinda liked Vandy simply because they give it their all in a conference they know they'll never win. Love it. Still, this game shouldn't be close. The way Murray, Green, TKing and Troupe can stretch the field, Vandy shouldn't be able to hang around with us. That should open up the run game even more. Left Defensive End Tim Fugger worries be, because the guy likes to cause fumbles. I don't want him anywhere near Washaun Ealy.

Anyway, If Malcome doesn't play, he keeps his redshirt, he keeps learning, and we still have the depth at TB to let Ealy take a break every now and again. Hey, maybe we'll even go Shotgun-Empty some. And, I could definitely see more WR runs in the package this week. I'm a big fan of keeping redshirts on kids once you've decided they "ain't ready for prime-time." Some proponents of playing Malcome think back just a few years to when Knowshon was redshirted. They believe Knowshon should have played his true freshman year. But really, he didn't start getting the majority of the carries until well into his redshirt freshman year. If he was ready-to-go as a true freshman, he would have been getting the carries. Aaron Murray wasn't ready-to-go last year. People want to think he probably was, but he wasn't. You can look at how much he's progressed just from the beginning of the season to now, and from G-Day to now. Then think about how much further along he is BECAUSE he had a year to learn the system.

If the coaches haven't thought Malcome was ready to go yet, then I hate the thought of burning his redshirt simply because of a two-game suspension during a two-game span when we should win games rather easily. Also, do you burn a kid's redshirt simply so he can "spell" your starter? I certainly don't think so. But then, I don't get paid millions a year to make those decisions.


Go Dawgs.