Shame On...

The fallout from the USC debacle has been substantial, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon, I'm sure.  The "Fire Richt" crowd is elated, as they now have fuel.  It's been a difficult row for them to hoe ever since that ten-game win streak last season.  Even the loss in the SEC-Title game was defendable by the apologists.  But now, now they can stand up proudly and thump their chests and say "See, we told you Richt sucks.  We lost to South Carolina!!!!"

Shut up.

In the wake of that loss, there have been a number of fingers pointed, a great amount of blame placed, and an uncountable number of sofa-A.D.s calling for a regime change.  There was poor fan behavior.  There was poor blogger behavior.  None of it, though, will do anything towards making the season any better from here on in.

And neither will this blog.

But, what I want to offer here are just a few opinions about the state of things Georgia Football.


Shame On ...

1. The fans who egged and rolled Christian Robinson's home.  You're almost as classy as an unshaven Gator Fan in jorts vomiting beenie weenies on himself.  Way to go.  The saddest part is that you were likely in a bar downtown just minutes later bragging about it.  I hope those who heard you telling that story inform the players of who you are, and where you live.  And I hope the ACCPD, GSP and Campus Police all forget to investigate the ass-whooping you take (which will be eerily similar to the one that inspired your actions to begin with).  Shame on classless fans.

2.  The Murray's Father excuse.  I'll start this by saying that I feel for Aaron Murray.  My own father had medical issues while I was at UGA, and I know how wholly distracting and troubling that can be.  So, it's not the fact that he's dealing with this that I say "shame on".  I'm saying "shame on" those who are using it as a an excuse.  I don't know when Murray found out about his father's condition, but I know that I read he found out "Just before the game."  Ok - that's awful.  That's awful for multiple reasons.  A), if it's not true- it's an awful thing to say just to excuse poor performance.  B), if it IS true, it is HORRIBLE that he was informed of that just before that kind of game.  I'm sorry, but unless his father is in danger of death (and thus Murray should leave Columbia and go be by his side), you shouldn't tell the kid about the procedure.  There's nothing he can do.  Let him play the game, then tell him, and he'll be able to deal with it.  C) If he knew for the days leading up to the game, he was in a bad position...but I'd have to wonder if the distraction manifested in practice.  Either way, it shouldn't be an excuse.  Shame on those who use it as such.

3.  My desire to believe.  I had almost turned a corner with AM.  Those who've been reading me for years know that I've held a "jury's out" opinion of him, because I've seen the amazing talent he has, and yet the tendency to wilt under pressure.  With the Tennessee win, I thought he had moved beyond it.  I saw a Championship-type bounce back in that game.  That was the first game (going back to the beginning of the 2011 season) where Murray had a pick-six and a fumble, and we didn't lose.  I did not blog about it, though...because at the end of the game, when we needed to prolong drives to seal the victory, he missed badly on a few passes.  I was cautiously optimistic.  Then the USC game.  Shame on me.

4.  The "if a few plays went our way" crowd.  Forget that.  That game was a T-Total Asswhipping.  Yes, if Bacarri picks that ball off the game coulda been different.  Sure, if Wooten gets into the endzone maybe we get something going.  Of course, if Commings picks that ball off, we would have had a shot.  Naturally, if we block Clowney better maybe AM throws better balls.  Absolutely, if Robinson could outrun Shaw they don't sustain their drives.  Yeah, if the block-in-the-back is called on the punt return, we're only down 14-0.  Sure, if we just keep running on that drive in the 2nd, maybe we punch it in.  That's a hell of a lot of maybes, y'all.  No, this wasn't a result of a few plays not going our way.  This was not a result of bad luck.  This was just an annihilation, plain and simple.  Shame on those (including some of our players, from the post-game interviews) who think otherwise.

5.  Bobo.  Now, you guys know I'm not a Bobo detractor.  In fact, I've probably been one of his biggest proponents ever since doing an entire series on whether or not he was cutting the mustard as an OC.  He's called some brilliant games this season.  This past Saturday featured some classic questionables, though (as did one series in particular against TN - but I digress).  For instance, Murray was having trouble with his accuracy.  That was obvious.  So why, then, did we continue to go back to the WR screens he wasn't completing?  He was constantly throwing behind his receivers on those.  Made no sense to me.  Then, when we had a chance to score, with 1st and goal, we ran the ball twice and picked up yardage each time.  Why did we stop?  It seems to me that this season he had been "going with what works" and "moving on from what doesn't"... but that seemed to change here.  And damn it, can we stop running end-arounds that get us two yards?  My guess is he's using it to set up something later in the season...but damn, it's frustrating to see a play develop so slowly and then get us very little.  Shame on Bobo.

6.  Whoever decided C-Rob should Spy a running QB.  There's really not much to say on that one beyond the fact that it's a poor decision.  Perhaps whoever is our "running qb" on the Scout Team doesn't have the quicks Shaw does.  I don't know.  When I watched the game, it was clear after one run that Robinson doesn't possess whatever it is that is needed (I'm guessing speed) to effectively spy a good running QB.  Let's cut that out. (btw...both of our next two opponent QBs have been known to tote the ball from time to time)

7.  The Fire-Richters.  We lost a game.  Going back to 1892, Georgia has lost a game in every season outside of (I believe) three.  Shut up about it.  In fact, since I've been familiar with Georgia football, the only "good times" that have existed (outside of my own playing years, which were incredibly fun even though you guys call them a disappointment all the time), have been under Mark Richt.  I'll admit, I'm not a lifetime Georgia fan.  In fact, I'm not really a Georgia "fan" as it were.  I love the Dawgs.  I played there, and I will always cheer for them.  But, a loss doesn't ruin my day.  It doesn't destroy my world.  I don't really have to deal with it.  Know why?  I'm not playing.  I'm not coaching.  I'm simply watching the game.  So are you.  If your life is so void of accomplishment that you have to live vicariously through a bunch of kids whom you don't even know, you need to rethink your decision making paradigm.  I've said it 100 times, I'll take Richt 10 times out of 10 over a coach like Gene Chizik.  I may live my entire life and never see Georgia win a title, but as long as Richt is in the driver's seat, I know the program will be one I'd be proud to have my Son be a part of.  Can't say that for many of the programs out there.  Shame on the Fire-Richters.

8.  The Apologists.  We lost a game.  Got our butts kicked.  There's no "ifs and buts".  There's no "coulda shoulda woulda".  There's no "at least we have a great man as our coach."  There's no "young team".  There's no "suspended guys are rusty."  We got our butts kicked.  Now the team will have to figure out what happened, correct it, and work to salvage the season.  No apologies.  Just fix it.  Shame on You.

9.  Our Defense.  I'm not referring to players, or coaches, or playcalling or anything other than the actual PRODUCT that I see on the field.  I don't know where the blame can be placed.  Bacarri Rambo, a hell of  a playmaker, went up for a ball and didn't bring it down.  That's getting outplayed.  Jarvis Jones, a hell of a playmaker, got straight embarassed by Shaw's fakes.  That's getting outplayed.  Our pass-rush was ineffective for much of the night.  That may be a scheme thing, it may be a player thing, I don't know.  I'm not re-watching the game to find out.  Whatever it is, the defense isn't getting it done.  Say what you will about the end of the tennessee game, because I was there with you.  I said "when we had to get them off the field, we did, with three straight turnovers."   But then I also said, Championship Teams force field goals when their offense turns it over in the redzone.  We don't do that.  I watched Florida versus LSU and all I kept thinking was "Why doesn't our D fly around like that?"  They used to.  I feel like they were more intense last season.  I don't know.  I watch Florida's Elam just BLOW PEOPLE UP and always be at the ball and I think...man, it'd be nice to see that in a Georgia Uniform.  Don't get me wrong, we have some guys who are making plays all over the field.  We have some strong young talent that I look forward to watching play for years to come.  BUT....against South Carolina, in the second half, when we absolutely HAD to get them off the field, we didn't do it.  Championship Defense do that.  We didn't.  Shame on our Defense.

10.  Bloggers like me.  The poison I've seen coming out of some of the blogs has been immense.  I'm not standing "above the fray" on that line either.  I know that for a fact.  Some of the things I write are seen as "picking on a kid."  I'm not.  I say things that are valid statements about gameplay.  You won't find me saying a kid is a bum with no work ethic.  You won't see me saying the kid doesn't care about Georgia Football, but only himself.  What I say is, this kid got outplayed, this kid didn't do his assignment, this kid needs to work on this thing or that thing.  These are all criticisms, and they're ones that I believe any sane player could read, and while the criticism could sting, he could also take it to heart and improve upon the play that inspired the comments to begin with.  But, the DisneyDawg crowd out there doesn't want us to say anything that can be seen as "negative"....ever.  They want us to accept everything with a smile and a "Thank You, Can I have another?"  Well, I don't really want another butt-whipping like that.  Shame on bloggers like Me.

Go Dawgs.