Heading into the 2007 season most Georgia observers agreed that the offensive line and linebacker groups were two of the biggest areas of concern. The offensive line returned just two scholarship players with game experience, and the linebackers were replacing all three starters.

Now as we enter the fourth game of the season, those two areas are still being tweaked. A week after announcing new starters for Western Carolina, the offensive line and linebackers are getting shuffled again.

Clint Boling made his first start last week at tackle as the Dawgs started a pair of freshman tackles against the Catamounts. This week, Boling moves inside to start at guard. Redshirt freshman Chris Davis will start at the other guard. Scott Haverkamp, who started the first three games at guard, will not start. This move had some fans scratching their heads since Davis seemed to be the weaker of the three guards, but it makes more sense if you believe speculation that Haverkamp might still be fighting an ankle injury. Sturdivant and Adams will anchor the line at tackle, and of course Velasco will be the rock at center. I thought Boling had a solid game last week, and I’d really like to see how the line looks in SEC play with he and a healthy Haverkamp in there at the same time.

Marcus Washington will make his first start at middle linebacker at Alabama. Washington has battled weight and injury problems in his career, but given the opportunity against Western Carolina he played rather well. At the very least, he made plays. The move frees up Ellerbe to go outside where his speed might be a factor. The other starter is still undecided. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dent start over Miller again. Not to get down on Miller – he had some nice special teams plays last week – but I don’t see him returning to the starting lineup after losing both an inside and outside linebacker starting job.

Coach Jancek is a favorite target for criticism, but one thing you have to give him this year is that he hasn’t been hesitant to try different approaches if something isn’t working or if there might be a better solution.

Mark Richt’s decision to close practice this week has drawn a lot of reaction from the indignant to the indifferent. I agree that it’s really not that big of a deal. The only thing the media is losing is the opportunity to watch or photograph stretching and positional drills – there is still access to the coaches and players following practice. It’s not just the media being singled out. The rule extends to "any face that we don’t really recognize."

Even the tightest security can be thwarted from within. Perhaps the "closed practice" mentality will give some of those people who like to impress their buddies with inside information a hint.

You’ve got student assistants this and student assistants that, and they might want to tell dad something. (People) might see something and want to say it to a friend, and the friend puts in on the Net, and it becomes clue for someone.

I do have a bit of a problem with those framing Richt’s decision completely in the context of the New England Patriots /Belichick / Saban stories. Reporters in the local media should know better – they were there over a month ago before the season when Richt spent a long time on the subject.

The roots of this decision go back to early August. You might remember that Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer closed preseason practices (ironically enough, there were vague accusations that Georgia had spied on VT practices). When you read Mark Richt’s comments related to Beamer’s decision, those quotes lay the foundation for Richt’s decision this week.

"I wish I could close it down completely, but it is kind of hard to do with our set up. I can see why any coach would want to close everything that they do, especially with the Internet…."

"…Even if we let our fans come in who love us, they would just talk about everything that happened and then people would read it and be able to find decipher some things that would help them win…."

"…I have seen enough things and people cannot help themselves. Like if you (TV) guys had a camera rolling on stuff all day long, you would be thinking that you are getting b-roll (footage) for the eleven o’clock news, but when you show the b-roll, you show something a good defensive coordinator could say, “oh I like that. I did not know they were doing that. They did not do that last year.” I do not think anyone is purposefully trying to sabotage Georgia."

Don’t those sound as if they could have been said this week instead of at the beginning of August? Richt’s view on the issue hasn’t changed much. Were current events a catalyst for the move? Maybe, but more likely is Richt following through on a decision that was 95% made several weeks ago.

I will give him credit for being very frank with this statement:

"The reality is what we do is big," he said. "People care about winning, and losing has a profound effect on peoples’ careers and everything else. The saying is, ‘Loose lips can sink ships,’ and it’s true."

People, especially the media, might feel inconvenienced and unfairly accused of spying, but if Richt feels that he can better do his job and prepare his team to win if there are not a few dozen strangers standing around practice, then he should do it.

A pretty generous assessment of a trip to see Georgia Tech play…Samford.

A sure sign of lowered expectations – when running into these guys is a highlight of the experience:

The Patriots’ release…

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots have signed quarterback David Greene and defensive back Ray Ventrone to their practice squad. Additionally, the Patriots have released offensive tackle Clint Oldenburg from their practice squad. The Patriots practice squad now stands at its limit of eight players.

Greene, 25, was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round (85th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft from the University of Georgia. The 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound quarterback has not played in an NFL game and served as the Seahawks’ third quarterback for 28 of 32 games from 2005-06. He was Seattle’s backup quarterback for four weeks of the 2006 season while starter Matt Hasselbeck was injured. Greene was released by the Seahawks on Sept. 2, 2007. At Georgia, Green became the winningest quarterback in NCAA history, with his 42 career victories as a starter passing Peyton Manning’s previous record of 39.

Brown scores against WCU (Photo: UGASports.com)

I guess I was a little surprised to read that only 11 Bulldog running backs had at least 2,000 career yards before Thomas Brown became #12 last weekend. Congratulations to Brown – he’s not far from becoming one of the top ten running backs in Georgia’s history.

2,000 yards certainly isn’t insignificant. It requires a certain amount of skill and longevity. Still, some college backs approach that figure in a single season. Spread over 3 or 4 seasons, it’s less than 700 yards per season or 60 yards per game – hence my surprise at there only being 12 Bulldogs in this club. The Dawgs have had many tailbacks with good seasons but relatively few with complete and consistent careers. One also has to deal with injuries, sharing time with other backs, and the fact that a four or even three-year starter at tailback isn’t common. Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Lars Tate, Rodney Hampton, and Kevin McLee are the only Bulldog tailbacks with over 2,300 career rushing yards. Some other recent notables:

• Robert Edwards: 1,955 career yards (some sources have him at 2,033 yards)
• Musa Smith: 2,202 career yards
• Jasper Sanks: 1,651 career yards

So while 2,000 yards might not seem impressive on one hand, Brown’s longevity has placed him right up there among the most productive backs Georgia has had in recent years. With just 40 more yards, he will pass Bulldogs like Tim Worley and "Gliding" Glynn Harrison to move into ninth place behind Musa Smith on Georgia’s career rushing list.

It should also be noted that Kregg Lumpkin isn’t far from becoming #13. He entered the season with 1,617 yards and needs about 380 over the rest of this season. 380 yards doesn’t sound like a lot, but considering Lumpkin’s current injury, the rise of Knowshon Moreno, and Thomas Brown getting plenty of carries, it’s not a sure thing.

Do you think Lumpkin will get there? Georgia only had two tailbacks from 1993-2006 break or approach the 2,000 yard career total, and now they might have two do it in 2007.

There’s news this week that the New York Times is dropping its Times Select "paywall" which placed a subscription barrier in front of columnists and archives. There is also speculation that the Wall Street Journal, one of the few remaining high-profile newspapers charging for online content, might follow suit under the new ownership of News Corp.

With this news, I couldn’t help but think about Rivals.com and Scout.com. These two networks dominate the niche of college team and recruiting news, and they have succeeded with a subscription-based model. This model was a very natural fit for these networks because they grew out of the 900-numbers and magazines that covered college sports and recruiting in the 1990s. Fans were used to paying for niche coverage of their teams. A much younger Rivals.com experimented with advertising-supported content around 2000, but both sites settled on the much more reliable subscription model after the shakeout in 2001.

I’m not bringing this up to suggest that Rivals and Scout drop their subscription model. It’s working for them. I do have one suggestion though: open up the archives.

It’s been nearly ten years since AllianceSports and TheInsiders networks launched around 1998. Following some name changes and the Web bubble, both networks have been relatively stable and archiving content consistently since 2001. At UGASports.com, this archive goes back into 1998. Among newspapers, only the Athens Banner-Herald offers archives as easy to search and navigate. Subscribers come mainly for current content – what happened in the last game, which recruit will announce this weekend, who are the best high school prospects this year, and so on. But there is also a wider audience of more casual sports fans with interests in a specific player or news story from the past. The sites are already destinations for news, but they could also become important research resources and the "archives of record" for college sports news. Archives can also be an effective marketing tool showing off the depth and quality of coverage that a site offers.

The Times "discovered" what many had warned them about before attempting Times Select:

In a statement, the paper said more users were coming to the site through search engines, instead of directly visiting NYTimes.com. Removing the subscription barrier to content available under Times Select will result in a boost in traffic and advertising revenue from that increase will replace the money that once came from subscriptions, it said.

In another ten years, think about the information that will be locked away behind these subscription paywalls at Rivals and Scout. You’ll be able to take an NFL Hall-of-Famer, look back to the end of his high school career, piece together his college decision, and follow his entire college career before he became a pro superstar. That information might already be out there in various places, but the databases and content management systems at Rivals and Scout pull it all together in one place. That’s just one application for the content and data.

It’s a completely different type of sports fan from the obsessive guy looking for instant news and updates on his favorite team. It’s also a group that probably won’t invest a month’s subscription to satisfy a few curiosities. As the Times found, they will arrive by search engines with a specific query in mind.

Rivals (Yahoo) and Scout (Fox Interactive Media) now both have partners with the experience in the online world to recognize that they have an opportunity in the years of content currently trapped behind their paywalls. Open up the archives, enjoy the increased flow from search engines and writers, and show off your networks to a wider base of sports fans.

No one likes dropped passes. They’re missed opportunities, and one expects a guy playing at the Division 1 level to at the very least catch the freaking football.

Fans of most schools have a tendency to over-exaggerate their own shortcomings and lack perspective and context because they just don’t follow what is going on with other teams. Watch me prove that statement by suggesting that Georgia fans are among the worst out there at agonizing over every dropped pass. Other schools, successful ones too, are dealing with the same issues.

Plus, as well as Ryan has played, things should be even better. BC coaches have counted more than 10 drops from receivers this season, including three in last week’s win over Georgia Tech — when Ryan played flawlessly against Tech coordinator Jon Tenuta’s aggressive, unorthodox blitzing schemes.

That fact doesn’t make me feel any better about losing the South Carolina game, but I’m just about tired of the woe-is-us stuff from Georgia fans since that loss. Does George Gibson’s sell red sackcloth?

Cats Gone Wild

Kentucky’s in high cotton, and they’re making the most of it. After being denied prime goalpost-crashing opportunities in 2002 by Georgia and in 2003 by LSU, the Wildcat fans have now stormed the field in 2 of Kentucky’s last 6 games at Commonwealth Stadium. The first celebration was last November in a game we won’t speak of. The second was after Saturday’s upset of Louisville.

The SEC enacted a policy in 2004 that "access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly credentialed individuals at all times." Kentucky was nailed as a first offender last November for tearing down the goalposts, and this second "offense" will cost Kentucky $25,000. A third time would cost $50,000. I believe a fourth offense would involve a firing squad.

At least Kentucky fans tore down the goalposts after a home game.

The answer: Thomas, Ramarcus, and the grass

The question: name three things in Sanford Stadium that will be Brown in a few weeks.

Athens-Clarke County recently tightened watering restrictions to completely ban outdoor watering, and Sanford Stadium isn’t exempt. Trucking in water and digging wells aren’t practical solutions, so things will remain parched Between the Hedges. One saving grace is that the cooler fall temperatures won’t be as harsh on the turf as the 100+ degree temperatures of August.

The fire marshal might start to sweat a little when he sees Knowshon Moreno entering the game.

What the heck is going on? First there was Tebow and Joiner and now this:

But the win did seem to restore some of that Alabama swagger, and not just among the fans. Asked about Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford, defensive end Wallace Gilberry said: “I don’t know anything about him. But after the game Saturday, I can tell you anything you want to know – his birthday, his telephone number, his home address. I’m serious, because I will know.

“I’ve got to know where to send the flowers after the game.”

Sideline embraces? Sending flowers? Not that there’s anything wrong with that. At least Gilberry seems like the kind who won’t forget his anniversary.

At any rate, the 2007 Cocktail Party now has a theme:

Western Carolina players and coaches have an opinion:

“That should be a good game, but I think Georgia should win,” said WCU quarterback Todd Spitzer, who completed 6 of 10 passes Saturday for just 16 yards before giving way to backup Adam Hearns. “In my opinion, Georgia is bigger and faster and a lot stronger.”

“I thought Georgia was a much more physical team, and I thought they had a little bit better athletes,” said (Catamounts coach Kent) Briggs. “Alabama can go out there and match up with them (better than the Catamounts did), but I think Georgia is the more skilled team overall.”

“They’re both tough teams, but I thought the way Georgia went after us was a little bit more difficult to deal with,” said (defensive end Jeff) Bradley.

Overall, the Western Carolina game didn’t do much to change what we knew about the Dawgs. No one got seriously injured, several players made their 2007 debuts, and the Dawgs got the easy win that everyone expected.

Quarterback play

Matthew Stafford had, on the whole and as you would hope, a better performance in this game. His accuracy improved, and the touch he showed on some passes was exceptional – one in particular to Massaquoi just before halftime was placed just out of the reach of a defender.

Stafford still has a disconnect with the receivers on passes longer than 20 yards. Watching teams from Bama to BC to Ohio State hit some deep balls makes it painfully clear how much we need that element. Richt admitted after the game "that we probably haven’t taken enough shots (down the field)." Alabama has a decent secondary led by All-SEC standout Tim Castille, but Arkansas wasn’t the team to test Bama’s pass defense. Georgia’s ability to hit a deep pass (and make an incredible catch) played a big part in the 2002 win – will it this weekend?

Kickoff coverage

Kickoff coverage is always an adventure. Kevin Butler had an interesting comment after the game about it – it seems as if our coverage guys seek out contact from blockers instead of avoiding it. The typical kickoff follows this pattern:

1. Coutu kicks to the right corner.
2. The first wave of Georgia guys is met and engaged around the 20. No one blows through the protection.
3. The returner brings the ball to the right towards the center of the field and then turns upfield into a huge hole.
4. The returner is eventually brought down around the 35 either from behind or by one of the safeties.

Richt doesn’t believe the problem is one of scheme, "It’s very sound, what we’re doing." At the same time, he is hesitant to replace the current ineffective group of players with ones less experienced. "I believe we’re gonna stay with the personnel we’ve got for the most part and just continue to work hard at getting better at it," he said in Sunday’s teleconference. "It’s hard to throw another guy in there with (no experience) and then he starts making rookie mistakes and all of a sudden you’ve got problems."

I’d say we have problems now.

Plays

A lot was made of the sluggish start and the relatively low point total. I don’t think it was as bad as some (especially Munson) made it sound. Including the fumble on Georgia’s second possession, the Dawgs still scored on 7 of their first 9 drives of the game before they went into complete clock-killing mode late. What might skew things is the fact that Georgia ran only 60 plays on offense. (Moreno was involved in 25% (15) of those plays – more than any other player except Stafford.) The Dawgs ran at least 70 plays in each of their first two games. WCU had a 7-minute drive in the second quarter that resulted in a field goal, but the Dawgs still managed three touchdowns in the period. You wonder how the score might have looked with a few more Catamount 3-and-outs.

Turnovers

For the second straight week, the Georgia defense didn’t create a takeaway. Georgia’s turnover margin for the season is now -1 (2 giveaways vs. 1 takeaway). The giveaway number is just fine, but one takeaway through three games is dragging the bottom of the NCAA stats. All other SEC teams have at least four takeaways.

About the closest Georgia came to a turnover against Western Carolina was a fumble that bounced right towards Akeem Dent but was ultimately recovered by the offense. It’s elementary to say that a big defensive or special teams play could really change an otherwise close game, but it’s true. A big part of Arkansas’ comeback against Alabama was an interception, and an interception also changed the game the last time Georgia and Alabama met.

Misc.

• Brandon Miller took his demotion like a man. He saved a big kickoff return by chasing the returner down from behind, and he also threw some nice blocks on punt returns. I think he even ended up near the team-high with 6 tackles.
• Moreno continues to impress and get a plurality of carries, but he’d better score from 20+ yards out. If the Dawgs get inside the 20, Moreno invariably heads for the sideline. I don’t know why either.
• The offensive line is still a work in progress. We knew that already, but Vince Vance and Clint Boling made the picture a little cloudier with some nice plays.

At least we know it won’t be as hot as 2002. Then again, what could be? UGA’s release:

The Saturday, Sept. 22, SEC football game between Georgia and Alabama in Tuscaloosa will be televised by ESPN with kickoff set for 7:45 pm ET.

This will be Georgia’s 49th appearance on ESPN all-time with the Bulldogs owning a 24-23-1 record.

Other SEC televised games on Sept. 22 include: Florida at Ole Miss, 12:30 ET, Lincoln Financial; South Carolina at LSU, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS; Kentucky at Arkansas, 6:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2.

Yeah, but how’s his pass protection?

The AJC columnists have set aside this week to play "House, M.D." with the Georgia program. First it was Jeff Schultz’s diagnosis that Georgia and its coach were soft. Now Terence Moore offers that the problem is a lack of leadership – or, more specifically, someone "who can growl while throwing a chair across the locker room".

Moore’s point I think is closer to the heart of the matter. He does take an odd disapproving view of "leadership by committee" considering that he names several former leaders who were on the same team. Still, I tend to agree that the leadership issue is valid. I think we can put it even more simply: this is Matthew Stafford’s team, and we’re waiting for that big play or moment that cements it. There are locker room leaders, and you do need the veteran guys who keep everyone focused.

At the same time, you need the leaders and playmakers on the field. That the coaches are just as likely to have Tony Wilson as Sean Bailey in the game during key drives tells us that the team has a bunch of almost-but-not-quite playmakers. Go-to guys. Is Sean Bailey becoming one? How about Knowshon Moreno? In the end, though, I believe that the team will go as Stafford goes.

On to Western Carolina

Fans want a 70-0 bloodbath in part as a catharsis after last weekend’s loss but also as a demonstration that the team can really throw, catch, run, block, and tackle. Responding to the nebulous criticism of Schultz earlier in the week, they want to see some sort of "killer instinct" reflected on the scoreboard. If history holds, the Dawgs should win easily but not threaten that 70-point mark.

Mark Richt’s Bulldogs have played three 1-AA* opponents, and the results (at least on Georgia’s side of the scoreboard) have been steady:

• 2002: 45-7 over Northwestern State
• 2004: 48-28 over Georgia Southern
• 2006: 48-12 over Western Kentucky

Even as 1-AA teams go, Western Carolina is no powerhouse, so style points will be the main focus of the game for Georgia fans. With Alabama coming up next week, fans will inevitably compare Georgia’s performance against Western Carolina with the Catamounts’ season opener at Alabama. The Crimson Tide won 52-6. That’s about what I expect from Georgia: a score in the ballpark of 50 points while making it tough for WCU to get on the scoreboard. While we’d prefer a shutout, you never know what will happen when the 7th string is in.

While the guaranteed wave of substitutions will make a direct comparison next to impossible, there are a few stats worth watching. Bama held Western Carolina to 247 yards of offense – 76 rushing and 171 passing. Bama was also effective running the ball. Tailback Terry Grant rushed for 134 yards in his debut with three touchdowns. Will Knowshon Moreno or Thomas Brown have big games? Turnovers will also be something to keep an eye on. The Dawgs have turned it over only once this season – a Stafford interception against South Carolina – but they have also caused just one turnover. While the Bulldog defense has generally been stingy holding two good opponents to an average of 15 points, they could do a good bit more to make plays and cause turnovers. We’ll see if they are able to create some things against a lesser opponent.

* – I’ll still refer to this level of competition as 1-AA. 1-AA was good enough for Erk Russell, and it’s good enough for me. The "we actually play college football with a playoff" subdivision is a nice attempt at rebranding, but "1-AA" reminds us that there is a hierarchy to things and that "Appalachian State" is a Cherokee phrase meaning "Chaminade."

Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com is reporting that Dennis Felton received a commitment today from 6’8″ forward Drazen Zlovaric for the 2008 class. Following the stereotype of European big men, Zlovaric is said to be more finesse than power, but building up his body is a priority this year according to his high school coach.

Zlovaric, a Serbian native currently living in Florida, had received offers from Texas, Maryland, Arkansas, and Ole Miss. Georgia and Texas were his top two, and the Dawgs beat the Longhorns in this head-to-head battle.

Zlovaric joins forward Howard Thompkins and guard Dustin Ware as commitments for the 2008 class.