Posts tagged Caleb King
The Never-ending Wait
Feb 23rd
I am not going to lie, news on the Georgia Bulldogs is scarce these days. It’s out there, but it’s not particularly noteworthy. Hale provided the injury picture heading into spring, beyond that we are living on hoops and non-revenue sports.
Aside from injury updates, most of the news is just affirmation of what we already know. A lot of people attend SEC football games, especially in Athens. Southern Cal cheats and apparently is allowed to do so. Down on the Bayou, people are ready for Miles to trade his purple for blue.
Personally, I am ready for the SEC basketball tourney. A trip to the beach awaits with an earlier than normal return. Three days of The Masters sandwiched around the G-Day game. Then comes the really tough part of the year.
The Braves will serve as a distraction for only so long. New ownership is the same as the old ownership. Even the best General Manager can only do so much when sent shopping on a flea market budget. The Phillies and the Mets are carrying platinum cards, the Braves are exchanging rolled coins. Not pretty.
The Atlanta Hawks are a ray of sunshine, but my tender heart is guarded. As good as this team can be, they are also capable of playing really dumb. Josh Smith jacking up three’s comes to mind.
It is an even year, The Diamond Dawgs may be Omaha bound. Ping!
All of this only serves a distraction, mere time-passers. My craving is football. I am ready to get to know the next incarnation of the Georgia bulldogs between the hedges. Who is going to step up? What’s this defense all about? Can the quarterback manage the game?
The questions all came into focus the moment the Independence Bowl ended. Signing day added to the list, but not significantly.
Marcus Dowtin, Cornelius Washington, and Baccarri Rambo all made names for themselves last season. Can the continue their progress?
Caleb King got it rolling, as did Washuan Ealey. The offensive line remembered how to play Georgia football. Will we continue to move forward?
Quarterback is an unknown except to for one crucial tidbit. Whoever plays the most important position on the field will be doing so with little or no experience.
No matter what I write in the space, these are the issues that always remain in the forefront.
Tick, tock.
Friday Film Study
Feb 19th
Let’s look into the future and analyze the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs offense. Without getting to deep into the weeds of statistics I will assess the offense position by position and as a unit focused on talent and experience.
Center
We start with center, because that’s where it all begins. Ben Jones (6’3”, 298 Jr.) is a returning starter and has started since his freshman year. Ben is a heady football player with great desire. Everybody loves Ben.
Chris Davis,a senior, provides solid depth at the position.
Nobody’s perfect: Ben Jones is not going to be the guy people point to when defending Coach Van Halanger’s program.
Guard
We have a great deal of experience at the position. Starter’s likely will not be identified until game week.
Chris Davis (6’4”, 295 Sr.) and Justin Anderson (6’5” 328 Jr.) will have a battle on the right side, both will play. Davis was the starter last year, Anderson came on strong late in the season.
Cordy Glenn (6’5”, 329 Jr.) looks solid on the left side with AJ Harmon (6’5”, 310 So) providing solid depth.
Nobody’s perfect: You never want to have “situational linemen”. Chris Davis is excellent in pass protection, but sometimes struggles firing off the ball in the running game. Justin Anderson get off the ball good, but struggles in the passing game.
Tackle
Talent is abound at the tackle position, however this is also where we face our biggest questions. Trinton “Soul Train” Sturdivant and his surgically repaired knee will provide the answers.
While the focus will be on defense during the G-Day game, I will be paying close attention to the number of reps, if any, Clint Boling takes at the right tackle. If Boling is taking snaps on the right side it is a strong indication we expect Sturdivant (6’5”,305 So) to be ready to go come fall.
With Sturdivant healthy and manning the left, Clint Boling (6’5”, 304 Sr.) can shift to the right and our new QB can rest easy.
Without Sturdivant, Boling stays on the left and Josh Davis (6’6”, 305 Sr.) is plugged in on the right backed up by Casey Nickels (6’4”, 277 Sr.). Cordy Glenn is always an option at tackle if things go south.
Nobody’s perfect: This one is a strech, but the uncertainty around Trinton forces more cross training than even Coach Searels can be happy with.
Overall Interior Line
Without question, this is the strength of our football team, both in terms of talent and depth. This men have been through the battles, some earlier than we would have liked. They are tested and ready. A good off-season conditioning program and there is no stopping this unit.
Tight End
We have a very interesting mix at tight end. Orson Charles (6’3”, 232 So.) is a downfield threat in the passing game but is not much of an asset to the running game. Same can be said for Aron White (6’4”, 234 Jr.).
Arthur Lynch (6’5”, 254 So.) has the potential to be good in both phases of the game. Bruce Figgins (6-4, 270 Jr.) is underrated in the passing game and is an absolute road-grader in the running game. Bruce’s return is going to have an impact. The strong side will once again be strong.
Nobody’s perfect: We have the talent and ability to fill every role you could ask of the position, we just do not have one player that can do it all. I expect we will see Charles and Figgins on the field at the same time.
Wide Receiver
There is a ton of yet to be fulfilled potential at the position. AJ Green (6’5”, 205 Jr.) is a known quality and will be fun to watch in his probable final season in Athens. Beyond AJ, blocking will determine who gets on the field the most.
Tavarres King (6’1”, 182 So.) is my preference opposite of AJ. TK can stretch the field and is willing to block. Expect to see a great deal of Kris Durham, he may be the starter. Kris is sure handed, a big target, an exceptional down field blocker, and has been in the program a long time.
A slew of potential is backing them up. Marlon Brown (6’5”, 212 So), Rontavious Wooten (5’10”, 173 So.), and Israel Troupe (6’1”, 209 Jr.) all have enormous potential. If Israel gets serious about blocking, and the play book, he could have an impact this year. He has all of the physical tools. If he doesn’t do it this year, he may never get the chance when Brown and Wooten mature.
Nobody’s perfect: AJ Green is as close to perfect as you can get. A lot of people are down on this group, not me. I like the mix. As always, they better be determined blockers if they want to play for Georgia. Breaking in a inexperienced quarterback may hamper this group’s production.
Full Back
Like other positions, full back was a disappointment for much of 2009. We we re-dedicated ourselves to running the ball the full backs came through. The Independence Bowl blow-out ended up being a full back showcase.
Shaun Chapas (6’2” 246 Sr.) looks to get the majority of snaps with Fred Munzenmaier (6’2”, 242 Sr.) providing excellent depth. Justin Fields (6’1”, 245 Sr.) will also get on the field.
Nobody’s perfect: This is more of a 2011 concern. The top three are all Seniors.
Running Back
Caleb and Washaun, Washaun and Caleb, the order doesn’t really matter. They both came into their own last season.
Caleb King (5’11”, 211 Jr.) answered all of the doubts last year. He bacame our best blocking back in the passing game. He was destroying blitzers. He also shook that nasty habit of trying to outrun SEC defenders laterally. His vision and instincts began to shine. Potential became production.
Washaun Ealey (5’11” 211 So.) answered any questions that come from playing against inferior competition in high school. He has the “it” factor in gross reserve. Pass blocking and playbook were limiting factors for him last year. I expect even greater things from him this year as his knowledge grows and the speed of the game slows down for him. He could be scary good.
Dontavious Jackson (5’10”, 204 So.) and Carlton Thomas (5’7”, 179 So.) will see the field, as well. Jackson’s reps will be limited to spelling the “stars”. Thomas is too dynamic a threat for Mike Bobo to not find a way to utilize. Hint: Pounding it between the tackles is not the way!
Nobody’s perfect: It is possible we may be ultra-conservative early in the season. If we are one-dimensional, teams may load the box against the run. Still, with our line this may not be much of a problem against our early schedule.
Quarterback
Logan Gray is fighting to remain a quarterback. Zach Mettenberger does not want anyone writing him off. Aaron Murray says it’s his job and they are going to have to take it away from him. It is going to be an interesting battle.
Logan Gray (6’2”, 182 Jr.) has done everything the coaches have asked of him. He has sacrificed practice reps to sure-up our special teams. You have to love this kid from Missouri. I thought he was impressive in last year’s G-Day game. The position is a lot easier to play in a green jersey. Just ask Joe Cox.
Logan deserves his chance and I am glad he is going to get it.
Zach Mettenberger (6’5”, 239 Fr.) sounds as if he has progressed both physically and mentally. From my stand point, he is as unknown as one can get. I can’t wait to see him this spring.
Aaron Murray (6’1”, 207 Fr.) comes with the recruitniks stamp of approval. Personally, I believe winning is a habit. This kid was a winner in high school. I also believe in body language. Murray was involved on the sidelines last year. He was into the moment. He just looks like a leader.
I expect Murray to win the job based on this observations. It may not be his on opening day. Gray may very well open the season behind center. By the time we host the Vols, Murray will be the man.
Should Murray not be that guy, it will not be due to his losing the job. It will be that someone beat him out. Either way, we should be good.
Conclusions
Many people are making comparisons to 2006. At first glance this looks to be a fair comparison. I just don’t think that is how things will shake out. We did not run the ball very effectively in ‘06, at least not early in the season.
Our line, on paper, is stronger now. Logan is certainly better prepared physically than JoeT III was. Be it Zach or Aaron, both have the benefit of a red-shirt season that Stafford simply did not have. Mark Richt and Bobo also have that 2006 season to learn a few lessons from.
Furthermore, if you look at the competition, we are not going to be facing the same caliber of defenses we saw in ‘06. Special teams should be a plus to our offense. Butler’s punting and Walsh’s range will take a lot of third down pressure off of these kids.
We may very well be a year away from really putting it together on offense, but I see no reason why this unit cannot compete for the Eastern Division title. Of course, this is assuming Todd Grantham’s group holds up their end of the deal.
I am ready for some football!
Dawgs' Ten Defining Moments of 2009
Jan 5th
In an attempt to put the 2009 football campaign to rest, I have compiled a list of ten moments that I beleive will forever define this season for the Georgia Bulldogs. The order is debatable and there are probably some that I missed. I welcome your comments.
10. Cox sees Kentucky blue
After building a 14 point halftime lead, the Dawgs could not finish the drill against the Wildcats. Not content to run the ball and bleed the clock, the Dawgs were pass happy and Cox threw two of those passes to the other side. Many will point to the fumble by Ealey, but the game should have been decided by then.
9. Georgia goes Grambling
Perhaps it was designed to confuse historians generations from now, I have no idea, but Georgia came out a little yellow shy of being Grambling. They then proceeded to play exactly like Grambling. The uniforms were ridiculous looking, but not as ridiculous has the motivation behind wearing them, whatever that motivation could have possibly been. This was the lowest point of the season for me.
8. Caleb King takes it to the house against Tech
Perhaps the high point of the season, Caleb showed he has the speed to take it to the house. The run was the defining moment of a night where Georgia was committed to running the ball. It was beautiful and made me wonder why it took so long. Sure, the line gelled that night, but we lacked a commitment to the running game all year.
7. Boykin Kick return for touchdown against Gamecocks.
In a game that produced many highlight clips, Boykin’s 100 yard kick-off return really took a lot of wind out of the Gamecock’s sails. Branden Smith’s reverse was great, but Boykin’s came at a time when it looked as though the Gamecocks were going to run us out of our own stadium.
6. Rennie saves day against Gamecocks.
This game was not over until the Gamecock’s final play. Ironically, it was the Dawg linebacker’s inability to cover the South Carolina tight end that kept the Gamecocks in the ball game. Fortunately, when it counted most, Rennie stepped up and made the play.
5. AJ Green jumps to the 300 level to block field goal.
In horrible conditions, the Dawgs let an inferior team stay in the game. If not for AJ Green’s Superman assault on the Sun Devils’ field goal attempt to take the lead late in the fourth who knows what would have become of this season.
4. Opening kickoff in Knoxville
Perhaps it was just the hangover of the LSU game, perhaps it was a case of not taking an opponent seriously. Whatever the case, the Dawgs just did not have it in Knoxville. The defense and special teams put more points on the board than the offense. It was truly “beyond Crompton.”
3. The excessive celebration penalty against LSU
A story book ending had been pinned. All Joe Cox ever wanted to do was be the quarterback at Georgia. A late drive, a miracle catch. The Dawgs had just taken the lead late. Dawgs are congratulating one another, the crowd goes crazy and so does Marc Curles when he reaches in his pocket and throws a flag for reasons no one has yet to define. LSU gets field position, is not forced to be pass only, and Rennie misses a tackle. A confluence of events sure to break the Dawgs’ collective hearts every time.
2. The second offensive drive of the Oklahoma State game
After running the ball down the Cowboys’ throats and mixing in a little play-action on the opening touchdown drive, the Dawgs come out in the spread formation on their second series. I still maintain our coaching staff fell in love with Mike “I’m a man” Gundy’s offense after watching it on tape all summer. We would not get back to Georgia football until the Tech game.
1. Richt dismisses three defensive coaches
I admit, I did not think Richt would do it, especially after Richt’s decision to have Walsh attempt an uber long field goal with the game in the balance against Tech. That decision spoke as much about Richt’s confidence in Willie’s boys as it did his confidence in Blair Walsh’s ability. Ultimately, the decision was probably made in Knoxville and confirmed in Jacksonville. Of course, Arkansas, South Carolina and Kentucky were all decent enough reasons to make a change. One thing I am sure of, there is no more defining moment than this.
So what do you think? Did I leave anything out? Is the order wrong?
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