Just in time for the season, ToonDawg (or more appropriately TuneDawg!) has put Anti-Orange Radio back on the air. If heaven had a radio station, this is what they’d play. Just a few minutes of listening should have you ready to pack up the truck for gameday.

Last year, Andy Landers took his undermanned team up against defending champion Baylor in the season opener at the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. The Lady Dogs played well until the final minutes when their lack of post depth was painfully exposed.

This year, Georgia will once again participate in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Oklahoma, and will face Rutgers on November 12. Rutgers isn’t the defending champ, but they always have a good team and are coached by C. Vivian Stringer, one of the best there is. Rutgers lost superstar guard Cappie Pondexter to the WNBA, but they bring in a top-rated recruiting class headlined by high-scoring Epiphanny Prince.

This opener is just part of a typically-challenging Lady Dogs non-conference schedule which will also feature Stanford, Georgia Tech, and FSU.

The first coach’s poll has been released, and the Dawgs start off at #14. That projects to a nine or ten win season. As expected, Auburn, Florida, and LSU all start off ranked higher, and Ohio State is the preseason #1.

Perhaps my favorite Jamie Henderson play was at Arkansas in 2000 when he jumped an Arkansas pass early in the game and took it all the way back to start one of the more impressive routs in the Jim Donnan era. Love me some Pick Six.

Anyway, Henderson went on to the NFL and the New York Jets, and you might remember that his career was cut short by a motorcycle accident. Unlike Big Ben up in Pittsburgh, Henderson was wearing a helmet, and it probably saved his life. His injuries were severe thought and ended his NFL career. He was in a coma.

The happy ending is that Henderson has come back from that devastating accident to earn his degree from the University of Georgia this summer.

The NY Daily News has the story of his road to recovery. Well worth a read.

The Gainesville Sun reports that Georgia’s Sept. 2nd season opener against Western Kentucky will kick off at 12:30 and will be televised by the Lincoln Financial network (formerly JP Sports). The Dawgs move into that time slot because other schools, including Florida, didn’t want to change their kickoff times from the much later (and cooler) 6:00.

Damn, that’s gonna be early and hot, even for a season opener.

Dawg fan Al Daniels put together a great video montage to get you ready for the season. If you’re not jumping around by the end, check your pulse. No promises about this causing epileptic seizures. Kudos to Steve Patterson of UGASports.com for providing the bandwidth for this video.

Announcing a new contract is one thing, but it’s not done until the deal is signed. Looks as if Mark Richt has finally taken care of that last detail. $2 million a year for eight years with some bonus potential. Hopefully he’s here through those eight years and then some.

Tonight marks the unofficial start of the 2006 season – the annual Atlanta Bulldog Club meeting at Colony Square. Mark Richt fires up the fan base, and then it’s time to get to work – practice begins this weekend!

I’m not going to be able to make tonight’s meeting, but I did have the pleasure of listening to Coach Richt at the Roswell meeting a few weeks ago. I took some mental notes, and they were well-enough received on the DawgVent that it might be worth it to republish them here. It’s just a stream-of-consciousness recollection of some of Richt’s comments, and I hope it’s faithful to what he actually said. To me, the most interesting comment was about the tailbacks and their use in the passing game or in a two-back formation. It was a nice answer to a question most of us have asked at some point – why can’t (one of our talented backs) be our Ronnie Brown?

Overall notes:

It was a relatively short program; Richt was the only speaker. He went a little longer than he might have if there were a full program. I’ll try to avoid editorializing.

Recruiting: very happy. Possible that 3 or 4 "silent" commitments might go public before the start of the season. Happy with both the football ability (it starts there after all) and the personal qualities of the players we’re getting. Spoke about "you attract who you are" and that we want to be a model of doing things the right way.

Currently: players, all of them, are in Athens. Only a handful weren’t here at the start of the summmer for various reasons (Knowshon was still in HS!). Player-led workouts (you’ve heard all about pass skel, etc). Coaches aren’t allowed to enforce attendence, but players are…they’ve held a meeting to call some folks out when the effort wasn’t there. Leadership seems to be getting it done.

Coaches will begin their annual hideaway next week where they will for all intents lock everyone in a room for most of the days, turn off the phones, and do a lot of planning for the season. Everything from xs and os to philosophy to making sure the coaches don’t kill each other after working long days next to each other all year for 5+ years.

Positional notes:

QB…JT3 will start camp as #1, not necessarily the season (though he would if he won the job of course). Hope by practice 15-18 to have it narrowed to 2 and maybe even 1 if that’s how things go. Hopes to have a starter by the season, but they might be in a position like 2001 where they have "co-starters" entering the first game. Sometimes you never know until you take the green no-contact jersey off a guy.

RB…three good backs, all of whom have looked like the starter at some point, etc, etc. Nothing new there. Mentioned Moreno already getting looks…broad shoulders and is in fantastic condition. Won’t rule out playing him this year if he earns it.

FB…deep with the two vets, the two newcomers, and Jason Johnson a FB/RB combo.

TE…Milner has it all, just needs to catch better (as does everyone). Chandler is #2. Mentioned Ward, but Ward isn’t in playing shape yet. Still working to get up to speed.

OL…thin as we know, particularly at tackle. Richt isn’t too concerned (until he thinks about next year’s line). Nick Jones at center is a great fit. Velasco is very close to his target weight.

WR…says a lot that MoMass was able to make an impact as a frosh (both about him and our need). Kudos to Henderson. Hoping Raley can produce along the lines of McClendon last year. Basically waiting for someone to make a move…either Goodman, Gartrell or one of the newcomers (Moore, Wilson).

DT…Owens and Weston two great young guys. Gant should be very good if he can avoid the little injuries. Dixson and Elmore expected to help too. Crawford will play. Mudcat is up to 295 which should help him.

DE…two of the best. Hoping that Battle makes a move this year.

LB…starters are pretty much set, but Danny V-W is pushing for a starting job and a good guy to bring off the bench. Washington is straight MLB. Ellerbe, once he "gets out of the doghouse" is a good WLB. Richt is VERY impressed by the speed of the newcomers – Dent, Dew, and Gamble mentioned specifically.

DB…Oliver set. Other corner up in the air. Mentioned Flowers, Evans, AA, Prince. Battle at one safety, Kelin at the other. CJ Byrd has been making quite a push though. Coates already looks like the prototypical safety…just a question of if he’s back from the injury. Donovan Baldwin could see time at either S or CB.

Kickers…no one has a better combo.

Trying to remember specific questions….

We will see some two RB sets, but only one guy can carry the ball. Would usually rather have the other guy be our best blocking option. Also (in comparison to Auburn’s use of Ronnie Brown as a receiver)…Lump and Brown aren’t particularly good lined up out there. Ware slightly better. Ronnie Brown was a natural lined up as WR, ran very good routes. It’s not a strength of our guys.

Richt took responsibility for the punt fake in the Sugar Bowl. Said he trusts his assistants (who know much more about special teams than he does), but he could have called for the "punt safe" look. Said while some teams are really good at blocking kicks and others are good at returning, we are one of the best of doing both, and he has full faith in Fabris.

He considered giving the staff a day (Sunday) off during the season to deal with the 11 straight games, but honestly it creates more stress as people feel they get behind on their prep work. What he’d like to try is using technology to allow the staff to do their prep work at home on Sunday on their own schedule.

That’s about it. No huge news but a nice rundown. If you think I left something out or wonder if he mentioned anything/anyone, just ask.

DawgSpiel over on the DawgVent found a blurb in the Seattle paper that contains this little gem:

The (Oregon) Ducks are putting the finishing touches on a contract with Georgia, a program notorious for refusing to travel outside the Southeast.

Greeeeeeeeeeat. Anyone at all see the appeal of this game for Georgia? I mean, other than an overreaction to the “notorious for refusing to travel outside the Southeast” bit. The program dances for the media, plays a few games west of the Mississippi, and fans dig deep or stay home.

Make no mistake about who benefits more from these arrangements. Oregon has a clear reason to seek out games like this. “Oregon has fought hard to earn legitimacy, and the program’s ambitions under Bellotti and athletic director Bill Moos have paid off with the ultimate sign of respect: home-and-home game contracts with big-time foes.” Georgia doesn’t have such a legitimacy problem. But because writers and talk jocks rate quality opponents by distance, the Dawgs seem willing to cross the country again.

Seriously, Damon. We get it. Those big, bad bullies in the media will shut up now about UGA’s scheduling. That’s three games out west in the foreseeable future. Now if you’re looking for some more quality nonconference games, how about a few in this time zone next time?

UPDATE: As a followup to my post earlier this week about the informational GamedayGameplan site, UGA has now added some more details to the site. The locations for the "Family Friendly Tailgate Zones" (FFTZ) have been set, and it’s caused quite a bit of reaction. Some of the best greenspace on campus has been reclaimed. The campus’s gateway, the Arch, lies within one of these areas. I’ve been pretty positive or at least lukewarm about most of the gameday changes, but we begin to part ways today.

Georgia Sports Blog already has some good comments on the plan, and I echo most of them. The point about the mixed group is especially strong. Most tailgates of any size fit into this group – you might have a mix of singles, relatives, couples, kids, and so on. If any of them prefer to have a drink before the game, the group has to make a decision, and it likely won’t be in favor of the FFTZ. Let’s face it – you’re probably talking about the more interesting people in your group. It will be interesting to see what kinds of tailgates migrate there. I can see some church groups setting up shop, but many of them already have private tailgates at their own campus facilities.

We can get rid of the "family" label right away. Everyone knows this is all about alcohol, and UGA admits as much. "Providing certain ‘alcohol-free’ zones preserves the tradition of families enjoying UGA sporting events together without the disruption of fans who refuse to drink responsibly," claims the site. Apparently the presence of alcohol at your tailgate makes it hostile to families. This is the South, after all – most of our families need alcohol in order to make other family members tolerable.

Almost everything about the zones set them up for very limited use, and perhaps that’s the intent. The North Campus location runs right by President Adams’ North Campus office, and it’s no accident that this area was the place that got trashed after the Auburn game last year. I’d find it hard to believe that claiming much of this area for the FFTZ wasn’t a reaction to that incident. There isn’t much parking in the immediate location of either zone, and anyone wanting to set up a serious tailgate in these areas would either have to arrive early to claim what parking there is nearby or haul their equipment from one of the parking decks within walking distance. Neither case seems very likely.

So because students couldn’t handle themselves at the Auburn game, we get this plan. You can bet these Prohibition Zones will be strictly enforced. With President Adams’ publicized crackdown on student drinking, there is no way they will be lax with a high-profile gameday alcohol-free experiment. It’s much easier to rope off entire areas from responsible tailgaters than it is to identify those who do trash the campus. The likely outcome is that a much smaller number of people will choose to tailgate in these areas, and tailgating will be pushed further out into the periphery of campus away from these core areas as affected tailgates look for new locations. As I said before, isn’t it likely that this is exactly the intent?

If it weren’t the intent, why aren’t the family areas out in the wide-open spaces of the intramural fields? There are plenty of parking spaces, no stray drunks from downtown wandering by, and shuttles to the stadium. There is easy access from the bypass for typically late-arriving families. Friendly, friendly, friendly.

As each day passes, I’m more glad that my group has invested in private parking this year. The extravagant prices of Tailgate Station aren’t necessary – for a reasonable amount not much more than the $20 per game that they charge in the University parking decks, you can be in a private lot near campus with a guaranteed spot and without this whimsical and reactionary nonsense.

Here’s a nother good response.

Now buying.

One good, one not so good.

First the good. D.J. Shockley signed with the Atlanta Falcons, a four-year deal worth $1.663 million including a signing bonus of $53,750. He sounds like someone who appreciates the opportunity and recognizes that he still must compete to make the team. It’s not a certainty that he will survive the training camp cuts.

It’s kind of like one of those dream-come-true moments. Everybody doesn’t get to make it here, and I get to sign a contract with the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a new thing for me. I’m ready to learn and see where it takes me. I’m trying to earn a spot on this team, and the best way to do it is to work hard.

Now the bad news. We’ve known for a while that Odell Thurman was in trouble for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and Wednesday the punishment came down: a four-game suspension. Odell was the Bengals’ leading tackler last year as a rookie, but I guess the pot was a bit more important than building towards a pro bowl season.

(One side note to the Thurman story…he has a child by Kara Braxton, a former basketball player at Georgia and a current member of the WNBA’s Detroit Shock. The WNBA wrote glowingly of the pair last year around draft time. She was enough of a mess to get kicked off the Georgia basketball team, and I just hope for the kid’s sake that Odell’s problems are treatable and aren’t shared by Braxton. Those two don’t exactly have a history of good choices in each other’s company.)

Steve Patterson of UGASports.com has an interview today with enigmatic defensive tackle Marquis Elmore. Elmore’s had every nickname from "Mudcat" to the self-given "Zeus", but none of them have been heard much over the Sanford Stadium PA. He is one of those figures in sports more well-known for what he hasn’t done. This is his senior year, and it’s his last chance to make an impact.

Elmore arrived at Georgia as an elite five-star defensive prospect out of Charlton County. Given the success of some men named Bailey from his neck of the woods, the notion of another blue-chip defender from Folkston had Dawg fans salivating. But Elmore was a classic "tweener" on defense. While his combination of speed and size was devastating in high school, he was too slow to be an effective linebacker and too small to be an effective lineman in college. The coaches made that observation early in Elmore’s career and moved him to the defensive line where he could begin adding bulk. A chronic back injury early in his career was the first of several medical setbacks, and he wasn’t able to progress much neither in learning the techniques of a down lineman nor in adding strength and bulk for the leverage he’d need.

Boss turned out OK in his senior season. (Photo: UGASports.com)

Georgia could use the depth at the defensive tackle position. Jeff Owens came on strong late last season to earn a starting job as a sophomore. Senior Ray Gant is the other starter, and he has had his share of injury setbacks. Redshirt freshman Kade Weston hasn’t seen a second of action yet, but he’s backing up Owens. Elmore and Dale Dixson are the other "veterans" on the line, but neither has done much with limited playing time. True freshman Ricardo Crawford is almost assured of playing time this year to help with the depth. With Crawford and the promising Owens and Weston pushing for playing time, the opportunity for a meaningful senior season won’t be handed to Mudcat. "I know I am a senior, but anything I get I have to work for," he said. "I am going to push, push, and keep pushing."

Mark Richt told the Roswell Bulldog Club last week that Elmore is now up to 295 lb., a very reasonable target weight for a defensive tackle. Elmore is finally healthy. "I have been here four years and I feel like I have been injured the whole time," he told Patterson. But he knows that’s not an excuse. "I am not the first guy and I am not going to be the last guy to come in and be plagued by injuries." Very true, and some of them have come back to leave their mark on Georgia football.

Right now, Elmore is unfortunately most well-known as the poster child for those who downplay the importance of recruiting rankings. The great thing about sports though is that all can be redeemed with one great season or even one great play. Boss Bailey, another top prospect from Folkston, was also feeling the heat entering his senior season. After decent but unspectacular freshman and sophomore seasons, Bailey’s career was sidelined by a knee injury on the opening kickoff of the 2000 season (helluva omen, wasn’t it?). He spent his junior season coming back from that injury, and it wasn’t until his senior season in 2002 that Boss exploded into the stuff of legend (and earned himself a nice NFL paycheck).

I don’t mean to suggest that Elmore is set up for a Boss Bailey-like senior season. Boss had much more of a foundation of success and playing time in his first few years and had earned a starting job. But the fact that we remember Boss as a star and an otherworldly blocker of kicks instead of the "bust" label some were throwing around entering the 2002 season shows that it’s not too late for Mudcat (or anyone for that matter) to salvage his Bulldog career and contribute something enduring to the program’s legacy.

The SEC media days begin today. Those who have more or less stayed tuned in to the Dawg news in the offseason shouldn’t be surprised by much that comes out of the Georgia camp. It’s sometimes entertaining to see what the other programs have to say, but the net effect is usually the depth of analysis from a preseason magazine. It’s an important annual milestone, though – practice is right around the corner! Here’s about what we can expect the conventional wisdom to produce:

• Georgia will have a new quarterback. That can’t be good.
• Quentin Moses can play ball.
• Georgia has running backs.
• Some kind of human-interest story. Did you know David Greene and David Pollack were roommates?
• Lip service will be paid to Mark Richt and Georgia’s recent accomplishments, but they will still pick Florida, LSU, and Auburn as the favorites.

Some might wonder why quarterback incumbent and senior leader Joe Tereshinski III wasn’t one of the seniors that will accompany Richt (Nick Jones and Moses will be this year’s player representatives), but last year Gerald Anderson and Max Jean-Gilles made the trip instead of D.J. Shockley. Don’t read much into it – and appreciate the chance to get some linemen rare time in the spotlight. If anything, this might be a good debut and introduction for Jones who could certainly propel himself into the NFL draft with a solid senior season at center.

And I’ve gotta say….it’s not that bad.

Check it out: http://www.uga.edu/gameday/

The two pages most fans should read right now are the ones on parking and tailgating.

Many of the changes we’ve heard about to the gameday experience are collected here, and fortunately many of them are clarified. The key points:

• You can park before 7 a.m., but you can’t start setting up and making noise until then. Pretty reasonable. Not too many people crank up the tailgate that early, and being able to at least park before that time will help to alleviate the 7:00 mad rush to grab spaces I was concerned about.
• Parking on grass and other vegetative areas is not allowed (except as designated by the University). I guess we’ll have to wait and see where those “designated” areas are.
• One vehicle per parking space. Big one here. No parking and then setting up shop in the parking space next to you. I like this…you have limited open parking spaces, so put cars in them.
• Fans using a tent or canopy over the tailgate of a vehicle should keep travel lanes open for vehicle traffic and should not take up space in other parking spaces. Along the same lines – park in your space and keep the lot and other spaces open for other cars.

They’ve also addressed the space taken up by so-called “corporate tailgates”. Excellent. Now these behemoths that take over entire lots are to be regulated by the school.

UGA also promises more trash receptacles and portable restroom facilities. Long time coming. We’ll see if it’s enough.

The site is a little short on details right now, such as a parking map and the exact locations of these alcohol-free “family” zones, but it should be enough information to put 95% of tailgaters at relative ease as we make our plans for the upcoming season.

The AJC reports that junior point guard Kevin Brophy was killed Thursday in an auto accident near Greensboro, Ga. on Hwy. 15 while driving home to Savannah.

There’s just not much more to say. This is terrible and devastating news, and we offer our prayers to Kevin and those close to him.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better kid if he was my own,” said Mark Sussman, the athletics director at Memorial Day School in Savannah and the person with whom Brophy lived the last three years. “He came to this country to play basketball and get his education. His dream was to play at a big-time college and he was able to do that.”

Update: WSB radio in Atlanta reports that Brophy wasn’t wearing his seat belt. The most tragic thing about this story might be the fact that it might have been prevented. Brophy was driving a borrowed car (his girlfriend’s late-model BMW), probably wasn’t terribly familiar with the handling of the car, lost control in a storm, and wasn’t wearing his seat belt. Be careful out there folks!

Coaches Felton and Hermann had to identify the body. That must be one of the hardest things they’ve ever had to do in their coaching careers.

Further coverage:

• ABH
• Teammate and coach comments (ABH)
• AP story
• Legacy.com guestbook
• Nice tribute from UGASports.com’s Brad Harrison