The Joe Cox Conundrum

All he ever wanted was to be UGA's QB

Today, Joe Cox is the best quarterback on the Georgia Bulldogs roster. I don't think there is any debate there. He has the most time in the program, the most experience and he has some ability. I like Joe Cox. The problem is, I love the Georgia Bulldogs.

Last night, I needed to clear up some space on TIVO and it occurred to me I had yet to watch the LSU game.  I didn't really watch the whole game, but I did watch the complete fourth quarter. Gary Danielson was narrating a Joe Cox and AJ Green fairy tale ending. The story of AJ Green never wavering in his recruitment was good. The story of Joe Cox only wanting to be the quarterback at Georgia was great.

This was going on as the Dawgs were rolling down the field for the go ahead score. Then came the pass to Green in the end zone. Wow! They had this thing set up and it was great television sports drama. If only it had ended there.

Because it didn't end there, and because of the flop on Rocky Top, the questions has to be asked; just what are our priorities?

Cox took all but one of the snaps in a less than stellar performance against Okie State. Immediately following the Game, coach Mark Richt began eluding to the flu and how it may have effected his quarterback's performance. This past Saturday, Cox started fairly well, took a pretty nasty hit that resulted in a 300 pound defensive lineman landing on him. His performance was not so great after that. Again, coach Richt brought up the hit and the effect it may have had on Joe right after the game.

Let me restate, I am a Joe Cox fan. I like him, but this is not the University of Joe Cox, nor is it the Georgia Coxes. If something is wrong with Joe, the coaches need to use that as reason to get him out of there, not as an excuse after the game is over.

There is still much to play for in 2009. we are still, technically, in the running for the Eastern Division title. Perhaps more importantly, there are three huge rivalry games that would go along way toward taking the sting out of the season. Inversely, they could go pretty far in the other direction, too.

I guess I am trying to say we are at a fork in the road. On the one hand we still have conference championships hopes, however dim, and mega-rivalries that can make it all better. On the other hand, we have a season to play next year with no real quarterback experience on the roster. At too next season the so called "hot seat" affect to go along with a tender foot at the most important position on the field and you have a recipe for disaster.

Further complicating things, we still need to win three of our final six in order to get bowl eligible. At this point, I don't really care about the bowl, it is getting that additional bowl practice that matters most to me.

Joe Cox has been a fine Bulldog. All the kid ever wanted to do was be the quarterback at the University of Georgia. Mission accomplished. As devout as he has been to his school, I am sure he will understand the need to get some seasoning for his replacement. Joe may even end up on the coaching staff as a graduate assistant, thus benefiting from the experience Logan Gray or Aaron Murray gets.

Prior to his mop up work in the fourth quarter Saturday, Logan Gray had fielded more fair-catch punts than he had taken snaps at quarterback. His progress has been severely stunted by his time spent on special teams. This does not bode well for our future.

Logan "fair catch!" Gray

Obviously, Gray may not be the starting quarterback next fall. Even if Murray is the next coming of Matthew Stafford we shouldn't forget about the growing pains we endured as Stafford adjusted to the game.

In the end, I do not want a problem at quarterback this year become a problem at quarterback next year. Unfortunately, I don't have the solution, but then again, I'm not in the million dollar SEC coaches club.

It is time to commit ourselves to playing Gray the first series of the second quarter, regardless of the situation. It is not exactly like Cox has not led us to several three and outs, healthy or otherwise.

"You've got to take what the defense gives you", Say What?

Where was this on Georgia's second drive in Stillwater? I can;'t believe Bobo said this. Sure, it is sound football, but in no way is it relevant to his play calling performance this year.  Apparently, he thinks the defense is giving us the spread sweep QB option. 

Personally, I think Bobo needs to go back and look at some of Georgia's offensive tape from the last 8 years and kill this love affair he has developed with the spread running game.

Georgia's turnovers a concern against LSU  | ajc.com

"You've got to take what the defense gives you, and you've got to respect the football," said Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

Just who are These Vols and How do we Beat Them?

In preparation for the Georgia Bulldogs visit to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers we might as well go ahead and examine the Vols and give a knee-jerk prescription for a win. Surely they can be no more of a mystery than the Dawgs have been thus far.

I haven't seen every UT game so my point of reference is limited to their matchups with Florida and Auburn.  Comparing the Vol's performance in those games is eerily similar to comparing our Okie State or LSU game to Arkansas or South Carolina. If not for the uniform, you would have a hard time telling it was the same team.

Against Florida, Tennessee displayed little to no offense. Montario Hardesty was the offense. Jonathan Crompton, the Vols' QB, looked like a fish out of water. The defense did a pertty decent job, especially when you consider they were on the field for what must have been about 50 miutes of game time. It was obvious Lane Kiffin was not playing to win, but merely playing to keep it respectable.

Against Auburn, Tennessee's defense, despite on giving up two more points than against Florida, was nowhere near as impressive. It appeared to take DC Monte Kiffin a little longer to figure out Auburn's spread offense. This scares me for only one reason, it will probably encourage Mike Bobo to run more spread this Saturday, ugh.  Another reason for concern, Crompton appeared to remember how to throw the ball. He did not give up an interception against Auburn, the first time he has accomplished hat feat. Furthermore, Crompton got the Vols going running the hurry-up offense.

Despite Crompton's improvement against Auburn, I believe the key for Georgia will be shutting down Hardesty. He is a hard to tackle runner with great vision averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Despite Goergia's defensive stength being against the run, I still expect Kiffin to try and play ball control against us.

The Vol's defense presents a significant challenge. We are all aware of Monte Kiffin's reputation as one of the greatest defensive minds to ever wear a headset, at any level of football. We also know about Eric Curry and what he is capable of, but beyond that, I like our talent edge.

If Bobo tries to turn this into a coaching battle against Monte, as he did last week against John Chavis, we are in trouble. If we go all cute and gimmicky, as we did for three quarters last week, we are playing into thier hands. We have the talent edge and there is no reason we should not dictate to the Vols. Against LSU we were at our best offensively when the game plan was discarded and we played with desperation.

In my opinion, we have the offensive talent to just do our thing and win. If Bobo tries to come up with a totally new game plan, again, our young players will be too busy thinking to play at full speed. If we run our base offense, the plays everyone knows, and just let our talent take over we should be fine.

Defensively, the song remains the same. Stop the run and prevent the big play. Make Crompton complete seven passes to get them in the endzone. If we are shutting down Hardesty and preventing the deep play, Crompton will not be consistent or patient enough to beat us.

Of course, this all assumes we do not have any lapses on special teams or with unwarranted penalties. If those rear their ugly head again we may be in for another nail biter, this time away from home in front of 100k fans that are very hungry for a win.

In short, let's not try to out coach these guys, let's just go out play them!

It is Time for the Return of Evil Richt

It is time. The Georgia Bulldogs have their backs against the wall once again. It is time to go nuclear. It is time for the Return of Evil Richt.

It's time to circle the wagons and have an "us against the world" attitude. No time for niceties. No time for aw shucks reverence.  No time for taking prisoners. No time for mercy.

This isn't the time for stoicism. Not the time for calm, nor is it time to panic. Put simply, it's time to whip the man in front of you.

No time for trickery. No time for rest. It's time to put the meanest eleven on the field and let them give it their best.

We have been here before. We have seen talented teams play down to the level of the competition and we have seen the lesser teams beat us by simply wanting it more. It is time for Mark Richt to get his mojo back.

It is time to stop playing it safe and turn the Dawgs loose. We have far too much talent for this. We may lack discipline, nothing new there, so why fight it. Let's stop trying to be a finesse team and let these players play with wreckless abandon.

We control our destiny. All the ingredients are there. We have the talent, however young and inexperienced it may be, we have the coaching, however helter skelter it has been. Let's quite trying to reinvent the wheel and let these guys go out there and have fun. It has worked before and it will work again.

There should be only two goals for every game, win and have fun. To hell with balance. To hell with getting player x touches. Take what the defense is giving us and keep taking it until they have prooved they can stop it. Simplify things and let the talent take over. Let these kids have fun playing the game they were born to play.

We cannot let this game become Mike Bobo against Monte Kiffin, or Willie Martinez against Lane Kiffin. It has to be about our players winning their individual battles. We can't send our kids onto the field looking like they are taking a chemistry exam. Let them go out there and play the game the way they know how to play it.

Let's stop playing to cover up our weaknesses and start playing to our strengths and the wins will come, along with the fun.

Bartender!

Three Keys to Saving the Season

The Georgia Bulldog's loss to LSU was painful, but it did not eliminate the Bulldogs from achieving their ultimate goal of a SEC Championship. In order to get back into the SEC East race, the Dawgs must eliminate three major problems.

1. Special Teams
Blair Walsh and Drew Butler have both done a fine job of kicking the football. Coverage of those kicks has been less than stellar, especially kick-off coverage which has been absolutely pathetic. While other top-level teams use premier starters on their coverage units, Coach Mark Richt and Jon Fabris continue to utilize second tier talent. Furthermore, they play with little to no discipline.

Blair Walsh is flanked by ten players when he kicks the ball. We all hope he boots it through the end-zone, but it cannot be expected everytime, especially following a penalty. We have to have players capable of getting downfield, maintaining their lanes and tackling the ball carrier.

Against South Carolina we had three great returns. Those returns may have been the difference in the game. Since that time, we have lost the special teams battle. We are losing untold yards in special teams due to our lack of returns in both the kicking and punting games due to our inability to muster returns and tackle the opponent.

The problem is not new and must be addressed. Special teams is not a time for rest.

2. Run the Football
A running game is a must. You cannot win in this league if you can't run the football. Joe Cox cannot be expected to carry us through the schedule throwing the ball. Slumps, like the first half last Saturday are going to happen. Joe rebounded well in the second half, but he must get help from a running game.

Blocking has been inadequate, but the scheme has been flawed as well. The running backs must have patience to find the hole, but the coaching staff must have patience to let the running game gel. The spread formation is not the answer. Joe Cox is not a running threat. Let's get back in the I formation and pound the football, use the play-action pass and pound the football some more.

We may not start the game on fire running it, but it will come. With more running attempts the line will block better and the backs will find a rythym. The defense will surely benefit from a ground attack that chews up clock and doesn't produce so many three and outs deep in our territory.

3. Defense Must Stop Giving Up Big Plays
The defense has played a bend but don't break style and has generally come up big at the end of games. Last Saturday the defense dominated the second and third quarters. They gave up yards in the first, but only 6 points. The big play at the end was a killer.

The big play has often been a killer this year. Okie State, Arkansas and Arizona State prior to LSU. The position is called SAFETY for a reason. We must stop allowing opponents to get behind us. IF a player refuses to play his responisiblity, get someone else in there. You cannot simply say someone is going to play more, you have to play them. Who knows, a few series on the sidelines may help to teach the player what he needs to do.

Get Back to Basics
These are all basics of sound football. Frankly, we need to get back to the basics. Let us spend less time on trick plays and new gimmicky offensive formations and get back to the basics. Hopefully, that will lead to a little more practice time for our special team's coverage units.

Bartender!

LSU: The Loss, The Aftermath and the Celebration

It has been 40 hours since the LSU Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 20-13 in Sanford Stadium. I still haven't fully recovered, today's blog is the first step in the healing process.

I love the Georgia Bulldogs, that is why it hurts when they lose. I believe in Mark Richt and everything he has done to re-invent Georgia football. That is why I was convinced we would come back and win the game Saturday. To have the game turn on special-teams and officiating is certainly more than mere mortals can handle.

The defense played their asses of for three and a half quarters. The offense found itself with a spark from Washuan Ealey and I just knew we had this thing. Saturday, however, would turn out to be a microcosm of the season thus far. When the offense struggled, the defensive was great. Perhaps it was fatigue, for they were out there all day, but when the offense got going, the defense disappeared. Heartbreaking.

The final four minutes are still too tender....

What Went Wrong, A LOT
Mike Bobo and Joe Cox just simply were not clicking in the first half.  Cox's throw were off target, even the completed passes were rarely in a position for the receiver to gain any yards post catch. Bobo's play calling was erratic at best. 

Are we now offically a spread team? It seems to me if you are having trouble running the ball, removing the fullback and tight end is not the answer. Yeah, yeah, we get numbers when we spread the field... but when you hand the ball off to a power running back going east or west, what is the point?

The defense played too much football once again. Early, it seemed they needed the goal line as an extra defender, but they came on in the second quarter.  LSU could not run the ball except on quarterback scrambles against man to man coverage. Expect more quarterbacks to simply tuck and run whenever they catch us in man to man.

In the final minutes, the defense was gassed and LSU did what good SEC teams do. They ran it right at us. There power back simply would not be tackled. That is how we used to do it. Hint, hint, Mike Bobo!

The thing that is hardest for me to handle is the breakdowns on special teams. Once again, our kickoff strategy is all about Blair Walsh. If he can't kick it through the endzone, we can't tackle then until they return it to our side of the field. Give Trindon Holliday credit if you want, but every team has done this to us.

Some very succesful teams have their head coach handle special teams, such as Florida and Virginia Tech. Apparently they realize the importance of the third phase of the game. These coaches take their best players and utilize them to gain an advantage. I thought we were moving in that direction this year, but the results are the same as they have been, terrible, and they were a major contributor to the loss. Just compare our starting field position following a kick to LSU's!

Three excellent points from Tim Tucker:

Joe Cox overthrowing a wide-open A.J. Green on a first-quarter deep ball and Blair Walsh missing his first field goal in nine attempts, a mere 32-yarder, in the third quarter. Those two plays might have meant 10 points in a game decided by 7.

Richt on  Trindon Holliday’s 40-yard kickoff return that set up LSU’s winning touchdown: “We got punctured right in the heart of our kickoff-coverage team. Their wedge did a very nice job.  And everybody knows Holliday is a special cat.”  Richt said another factor was that Georgia was kicking into the wind.

Georgia was penalty-free in the first half. Alas, the Dogs had seven penalties for 59 yards in the second half, including the very costly two for 20 yards in the final 69 seconds.

More on Richt era special teams woes from David Hale. He suggest having a drink before reading. Yes, sir! Really, wait until you can have a drink to read, it is thoroughly disgusting.

By my count, that's 22 miscues on kickoffs following either crucial Georgia scores or to start a half in just the past 18 games. Twenty-two! In 18 games! Loud noises!

What Went Right, Not Enough
The defense found themselves. Yes LSU shredded us on their last two drives of the game, but give them credit. We were wore out, our offense couldn't move the chains for 50 minutes. Given that, we really had no business being in the football game. The defense gave us an excellent chance to win.

As bad as Cox and Bobo were in the first half, adjustments were made and we took the lead TWICE late in the game.

Washuan Ealey saw his first action and reminded all of the player whose jersey he now wears. There is no denying we have boat loads of talent.

AJ Green is Superman. He has all the athletic ability in the world and is a flat out winner. He simply wants it more than any other player on the field. He has no business grabbing that ball in the endzone, he just out fought the defender. We are so very lucky to have him.

Excessive Celebration
I am still up in arms over this one and I am not trying to add salt to our wounds, but who remembers where this rule came from? That's right, Vince Dooley. Coach Dooley lobbied for the celebration rule while AD at Georgia and after it was implemented, he continued to press for it to be made more stringent.  Those of us in the old Gator Bowl watching all of Spurrier's Gators mocking Garrison Hearst with the Heisman pose remember why.

Tony Barnhart says it needs to be eliminated. Tim Brando was a tweeting fool on the subject following his on-air rant. Mike "It's great to be a gator" Bianchi even thinks it was a stupid call. We have to find a way to let the officials know they are to be the background, nobody show up, or tunes in, to see them.

The Lunatic Fringe
The calls for Mark Richt's head go beyond the pale.

My last season with an active student identification card was Ray Goff's first. Those in my generation have a pretty decent perspective of Georgia football. We were old enough to remember details about the glory days of Herchel, but never sniffed an SEC championship while a student. Then came Goff. Then Donnan.

Thus, most of us are very thankful we have Richt and do not want to lose him!! Fabs is another matter...

Let the mukraking begin:

Adam Krohn is back at it. Dalton, you are so lucky to have him. What an imbesil!

There are plenty of coaches out there that could elevate Georgia to a perennial BCS contender. If I’m Bulldogs athletic director Damon Evans, I would ask former defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, who currently holds the same title with the Atlanta Falcons, if he’d be interested in coming back to Athens as the coach.

While I remain a Mark Bradley fan, most in the Bulldog Nation are not.  The closing line of this post is a good example of why.

There was a time under Richt when Georgia made the one play, the winning play. That time was not Saturday. That time, it seems, has passed.

I visited dawgrant.com for the first, and last time. Unbelievable.

Bartender!

Flood is Done, Devils to Come

I must admit, win the clock counted down to zero in Fayetteville, I wasn't concerned with Arizona State. I was dreading Tennessee, LSU, et al.

I certainly hope that is not the case with the Georgia Bulldogs and its coaching staff. In yesterday's teleconference, Coach Mark Richt spoke at length about the Sun Devil's place-kicker. The place-kicker that will not even be suiting up.

Dennis Erickson is a proven winner. He has won everywhere he has been. Typical coach speak is all he is giving the media, but his players have admitted the UGA game has been circled on the schedule every since last season ended. A few ASU players have been quoted as saying their game two seasons ago with Oregon State in Autzen has prepared them for Sanford. Their coach isn't so sure.

Much like Arkansas last week, the Sun Devils have been prepping for the Bulldogs extensively. They have three quality games worth of tape to review. What will Erickson have in store for us?

Certainly, Georgia has a talent edge and home field advantage. The Dawgs are battle tested, but they have also been exposed?

As explosive as our offense has been the last two weeks, we must not forget the debacle in Stillwater. Flu or no flu, we didn't look prepared to face what was then thought, and has been since proven, to be an inferior Oklahoma State defense.

In Dennis Erickson we are facing out fourth offensive minded head coach in a row. Erickson has seen our defense get taken apart in various ways. The job does not get any easier for Willie Martinez and company.

ASU does not want to get in a shootout. Jeff Metcalfe, of the Arizona Republic, says "There is virtually no chance that the Sun Devils will outscore the Bulldogs in Athens, Ga. The chance for an upset hinge on playing a smart defensive game and exploiting the difference in turnover margin; ASU is No. 1 nationally, and Georgia is No. 116."

Not sure I agree with Mr. Metcalfe. They may want to shorten the game due to talent and depth issues, but something tells me Coach Erickson is licking his chops.

We better be ready!

Go Dawgs!

Just seeing who is paying attention

Save the Crown Royal for Special Occasions

I am still feeling the effects of the Arkansas hangover. Boy was my prediction for the game off, way off. There will be no grading of the game, we won, but boy were we ever exposed.

I defended the defense following the Carolina game. I credited Garcia with escaping pressure and throwing underneath. Saturday night we witnessed Ryan Mallett, who is about as mobile as a circus clown on stilts, escape the pressure and throw it over the top. Repeatedly! Now it is just time to accept that our defense is a liability the must be mitigated.

I have but a few pieces of advice regarding the defense, and no, one of them is not firing Willie Martinez. We are playing great against the run, so how about we coach Bryan Evans to just forget about run support. From this day forward Bryan, your only job is to be the deepest player on the field, nobody gets behind you.

Let the President rush the passer. Cornelius Washington needs more reps. He is the pass rush, at least as far as we have seen this year. A back side corner blitz may also be appropriate from time to time.

Branden and Brandon, you guys are going to be great, but you have to find the football. Prince, you ARE better than that.

The talent is there on defense, we will get better. We have to. In the mean time, we have to acknowledge our shortcomings and protect ourselves from them. As good as Joe Cox looked throwing it around to AJ Green and his understudies, we have got to play a little ball control offense.

They old adage is you have to run the ball and stop the run. I think we do both good enough to be in every ball game. I imagine getting Mike Bobo to stop throwing the ball is a kin to making a junkie go cold turkey. Neither is going to be too happy about it.

Having AJ Green on your offense is like having an unopened bottle of Crown Royal. Sometimes you have to save your best for special occasions.

We need to protect our defense. The most effective way is to keep them on the sidelines. We have to get back to running the ball and eating clock. We need to exercise some patience. I do not mean Lane Kiffin patience, we have to win the game.

Cox has a great game, no doubt about it, but there is no way we can expect that same kind of performance against Tennessee, LSU, Florida or Auburn. I do not expect it against Arizona State.

With targets like AJ, Orson Charles, Tavarres King and the reliable Michael Moore the inclination to throw the ball all over the place is great. It certainly is exciting to watch, but the goal is to win the game and the risk reward ratio just doesn't make it prudent.

By running the ball and eating clock, we wear down the opposing defense. Ultimately, this will lead to our opponent attempting to establish a running game to rest their defense. This plays into our strength, stopping the run. As talented as our offense is, getting into a shootout does not play to our strength due to our deficiencies against the pass, even if the time of possession is even.

We should deploy a smash mouth running game, with play action passing to keep the defense honest. If we continue to wear the opponent down and dictate the pace, our defense will will benefit. This has been the blue print Mark Richt has utilized throughout his time in Athens. Let's get back to it and give the defense time to rest, and improve.

Georgia, We Have a Problem

We are not going to sugar-coat it, Dawg Nation. Upon further review, things do not look so great. While BUI is given to hyperbole, my goal today is a sober, honest assessment of our beloved football team.

The offense was awesome. AJ Green is a man among boys, and there are plenty of play makers on the offensive side of the ball to keep defenses honest. Joe Cox, when given time, Is more than capable of distributing the football to those play makers. To use a baseball term, we can hit the three run homer with the best of them.

Drew Butler and Blair Walsh are about as good as it gets in college football. With the exception of that dad gum corner kick, the special teams were great. Coach Fabris reminds me of a mule that doesn't like carrots and can't feel pain. What are you gonna do?

The defense shut Arkansas down in the second and fourth quarter. (Warning: some of you may want to leave now)

@#$@&#!!! We looked like a gosh durn Hal Mumme coached Kentucky team out that Saturday night. Yes, there were a lot of points, but there were also a lot of penalties, turnovers and points from the other side. This may be exciting football, but it is not winning football, at least not consistent winning football.

There is a reason Mike Leach, June Jones, and Hal Mumme never win consistently. Offenses, especially offenses that depend on the home run, go into slumps. They all do. When that slump happens, you better be able to play defense.

Consistent winning football requires the ability to run the ball and stop the run. Sure the Arizona Cardinals can get hot and go on a win streak, but eventually, they will lose. Defense, good solid defense, never goes into a slump and always gives you a chance to win.

David Greene left Georgia as the all-time winning quarterback in NCAA history. Do you know why? Sure, he was a very accurate passer, has some weapons around him, and managed the game well. This, however wasn't the reason. Brian Van Gorder's defense was THE reason. You see, even David Greene had off days. All quarterback's do.

If I knew how to fix the defense I would tell you. I would tell you right after I sent my resume to Mark Richt. I just don't know. I know we are young, and very young at some critical positions. To say that there is “room for improvement” is not looking at the glass half-full, quite frankly, it is being a smart-ass.

Despite all my grumblings about our lack of a running game, or should I say lack of called running plays, I am a huge Mike Bobo fan. When Richt retires, I am in staunch support of Bobo for the job. With that said, he has got to help his cohort, Willie Martinez, out by controlling the ball in our upcoming games.

Sure, we fell behind in the past two games and had to open it up. Turnovers will do that to you. As well and Joe Cox and crew played, can we really expect that all year? Can we do it against Tennessee, or better yet LSU? Florida? Auburn? Georgia Tech?

This week's theme here at BUI will be “How do we get back to playing Georgia Football?” Step 1 is admitting we have a problem.