Apr 28, 2009

Stafford does Top Ten List on Letterman

In case you missed it, Matthew Stafford appeared on late night TV again, this time reading the top 10 list on David Letterman. The subject was, "Top ten thoughts that went through Matthew Stafford's mind on draft day." It was pretty funny, but I'm afraid Stafford may have a new enemy in Tony Romo.

You can watch the Stafford on Letterman clip below:



By the way, right after Stafford did the list, the next guest on the show was Matthew Fox, the actor who plays "Jack" on ABC's "Lost." Last time we saw Stafford on late night television, he appeared on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" following actor Michael Emerson who plays Ben on "Lost."

I find this Stafford-"Lost" connection intriguing. The only thing left to do is find a way to get Stafford a cameo appearance on "Lost." And for any Lost fans out there, could Stafford be the smoke monster? We'll have to wait and see.

Apr 24, 2009

NCAA Football 2010 Covers REVEALED

If you haven't seen already, EA Sports has released the official covers for NCAA Football 2010.

The athletes on each cover are:

X-Box 360: Michael Crabtree (WR) Texas Tech
Playstation 3: Brian Johnson (QB) Utah
Playstation 2: Brian Orakpo (DE) Texas
PSP: Mark Sanchez (QB) USC

The choice of Sanchez is a little confusing, considering he only started at USC for one full season, culminating in a Rose Bowl win (which is pretty commonplace for USC). Matthew Stafford was the starter for the Georgia Bulldogs in 3 straight seasons, leading his team to 3 bowl wins including a Sugar Bowl victory, racking up 7,731 yards and 51 touchdowns along the way. Oh yeah, and Knowshon Moreno as a 2 year starter racked up a total of 2,736 yards and 30 TDs, with 1,400 all purpose yards and 16 TDs in 2008. Just saying.

Nevertheless, trying to start lobbying EA Sports in order to get your favorite player on the cover of any of the NCAA Football 2011 games would be a worthless effort. It's almost certain that NCAA 2011 will have Tim Tebow on all 4 covers. Then, they'll release a new game, called NCAA Missionary 2011 in which Tim Tebow will have a 99 rating in every category, yet somehow exceed a perfect rating in the "Circumcision" feature of the game.

Stafford: Welcome to the Big Time (Don't mind the paparazzi)

Stafford's in New York for the NFL draft, and it appears that the paparazzi are already sensing blood in the water. A guy from TMZ hassled Matt Stafford with some strange questions as he exited an airport, and they posted the video on their website. It looks like #7 did a pretty good job just smiling, looking away, and answering questions with the expected, "I don't know...."

Go check the video out HERE.

Be warned that they'll force you to watch a 5 to 10 second advertisement when you click on the video. Oh, and leave some nice comments below for Stafford, it looks like he'll need them.

Apr 21, 2009

Georgia: Everything is Alright

Tony Barnhart (AKA: Mr. College Football) has a great blog post on the AJC.com about Mark Richt's success at Georgia, including the most wins and SEC wins out of any coach during his time here. It's a good read, although it ends with the doom and gloom of the Gator Empire. Check it out.

Apr 20, 2009

What's all the buzz about?

Mark Bradley at the AJC wrote a nice little piece on Sunday fawning over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. The title of his article declares Tech's offense as "a given" with question marks on the defensive side of the ball.

The first line declares that "Georgia Tech’s offense is going to be great. Not pretty good, not really good —- flat-out great." Then, of course, the conclusion, that "If it can stop somebody when it matters, this team should play in a BCS game. Maybe even the BCS game."

I thought it would be interesting to take a look at how Georgia Tech's offense performed overall last season. (All stats and rankings below come from cfbstats.com)

First, in the ACC, Tech placed as follows in offensive categories:

Scoring offense: 6th with 24.4 points per game
Total Offense: 1st (372 yards per game)
Rushing Offense: 1st
Passing Offense: 12th

Nothing too unusual there, as you would expect Paul Johnson's triple option offense to rack up rushing yards with very little passing. The total offense is impressive as it topped the ACC in 2008. But when you look at the national stats, things are much more underwhelming.

Nationally Tech ranked as follows:
Also, just for fun, Georgia's 2008 rankings will be placed in parentheses:

Scoring Offense: 74th (UGA was 29th)
Total Offense: 50th (UGA was 22nd)
Rushing Offense: 4th (UGA was 56th)
Passing Offense: 117th (UGA was 16th)

In scoring and total offense, Georgia Tech was far from impressive in 2008. Their passing offense last season was 3 spots away from being the lowest in FBS college football, which is to be expected. The only statistic that does stand out nationally would be (surprise!) rushing offense, where Tech was 4th behind Navy, Oregon, and Nevada.

Just for reference, Navy went 8-5 in 2008, losing to Ball State, Duke, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest.

Nevada went 7-6, losing to New Mexico State and Hawaii along the way.

The best team in rushing ahead of Tech last season was by far Oregon, with a 10-3 record and bowl win over Oklahoma State. But take note that Oregon was also 67th nationally in passing offense which, while not amazing, is a LOT better than 117th.

Georgia Tech certainly has high expectations going into 2009 after a 9-4 season in 2008 which concluded with a 38-3 loss to the (at the time) unranked LSU Tigers. It's almost as if this finish to the season was purposefully forgotten by the sports media (and GT fans) who are convinced that the only way to go is up. They may be right. It's generally accepted that a unit returning most of its starters will improve with experience. But why assume that an offense that wasn't statistically spectacular last year will be able to lead a questionable defense to a BCS game, or even the BCS Championship?

Is it simply the allure of a run-only offense that is extremely rare in college football? Are people fooled by the rushing numbers that the team put up and ignoring the offensive struggles of parts of the season?

Keep in mind that Georgia Tech was held to 10 points or less 3 times in 2008, scoring 3 against LSU, 7 against North Carolina, and 10 against the juggernaut Gardner Webb.

I will concede that yes, Tech did beat Georgia last season for the first time in 8 years. Tech was a surprise in the ACC with a new coach and a new system. Georgia Tech COULD win the ACC next season, and even the national championship (as any team has that chance). But are they really deserving of such praise at this point? Is their offense clearly "flat out great?" I think we'll just have to wait and see this fall.

So why pretend like Tech's offense is "a given?" What's the buzz all about?

Apr 17, 2009

This just in: Stafford HATES flying plates

Just kidding. If you watched "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" last night, you might know what I'm talking about. Fallon had Stafford throw footballs skeet-shooting style at plates tossed in the air. Stafford had a 75% completion percentage (3 of 4 plates). He also showed that he has drastically improved his game-time decision making by choosing not to throw the football when Jimmy Fallon's head was right beside a flying target.

Apr 14, 2009

Stafford On Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

I first saw this a week or two ago, and news of it is quickly spreading, but if you haven't heard already, Matthew Stafford will be a guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon this Thursday night (Friday morning) at 12:35 AM. Should be interesting to see, since Stafford can sort of let loose and just chat about how things are going for him.

It's strange to think about how only a couple of months ago, Stafford was just a (famous) student at UGA, and now he's appearing on late night TV with Rachel McAdams on Jimmy Fallon's show. Oh, and Michael Emerson, the actor who plays Ben on ABC's "LOST" will be there too. Maybe Stafford can ask him about the whole bulldog sweatshirt thing for me, since Jorge Garcia (Hurley) never got back to me.

This is probably the first time in years that I'm actually planning to watch an episode of a late night TV guest show. You should too.

Apr 10, 2009

Why the Dawgs Should be Bearded

(Note: The following post is completely ridiculous and purposefully unsubstantiated.)
(Note #2: Click the title of this post to see pictures in full size.)

David Hale at the Bulldogs Blog wrote on Thursday that Georgia's head football coach Mark Richt is tightening the rules for players this spring, by making tucking in shirts and snapping chin straps mandatory. It seems that enforcing small rules such as these actually helps players to find more success academically and to stay out of trouble when not on the practice field. I love the fact that the coaching staff and the players are working hard to succeed on and off the field, but I believe that one aspect of the new rules program is restricting something that is natural and glorious in God's creation of man (and some women): the beard.

According to Coach Richt, the players used to be allowed to have facial hair, as long as it was trimmed and neatly presented. Now, however, prohibition of beards will be in full force.

Shocked and confused, I commented on David's blog, asking if I read the quotes correctly. He replied that although beards will be allowed during the spring (and summer I presume), in the fall, hair "from the lip down" will be punishable (by death, I presume. Or running laps).

I simply don't understand. Beards are the purest symbol of manliness, an outward expression of the strength and boldness of all that is male. Beards also symbolize wisdom and experience, and thus should be worn by our team's leaders.



Besides, plenty of famous athletes have beards, sometimes even during the best parts of their sports careers.

Ben Roethlisberger recently led the Pittsburgh Steelers to win SuperBowl XLIII, all while sporting a goatee+moustache combo.


Brian McCann, one of the Atlanta Braves' star players and representative in the past 3 MLB All Star Games, almost always sports a full beard, which is possibly responsible for his strength and finesse while hitting homeruns with ease.

And this is Rasputin. As far as I know, he was never an athlete in any sport, but he did have a pretty awesome beard. With a beard like this representing his manliness, it's no surprise that it took him getting stabbed, shot multiple times, clubbed, and thrown into an icy river to finally die. In other words, he'd probably be able to take plenty of hits at the running back position.


Now I understand that allowing facial hair above the lips means that moustaches are alright, but not all moustaches. For instance, the "fu manchu" 'stache by definition reaches below the lips on the sides of the mouth. So, Coach Richt, if these rules really are to be enforced, you won't be able to pace the sidelines wearing one of these.


Sorry, Coach, but rules are rules.

Apr 8, 2009

G-DAY REMINDER

Visit the GeorgiaDogs.com site here for all the info you need on the upcoming G-Day game this Saturday.

If you click the link above, you also get to see a cool picture featuring Rennie Curran, AJ Green, and a peculiarly terrified-looking Joe Cox.

The game, as most of you probably know, will be televised on ESPN, but that's no excuse for not going if you can to support our team.

According to the official site linked above:

  • The gates will open at 10:30 AM
  • a Georgia alumni flag football game will be played at 11:15 AM
  • and the G-Day scrimmage itself will kickoff at 1:00 PM
By the way, admission is FREE, but "fans are encouraged to bring food donations to benefit the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia."

Come on out and have a fun Saturday supporting the Dawgs.

Apr 5, 2009

It's Great to be a Georgia Bulldog

Just thought I'd throw in a little optimistic feeling I had recently. If you look at the current state of Georgia sports, you have a lot to be proud of, UGA fans.

First we have football, where our Dawgs finished 10th in the USA Today Coaches' Poll last season, after being preseason number 1. I have 3 things to take from this:

1. It takes a lot of program recognition for a team to be preseason #1 in college football. Before the season begins, AP voters are making very bold predictions with these often seen as meaningless rankings. However, the number one spot is not given away easily, even in the preseason. Even if the preseason top team doesn't end up in that position, they are still always a national powerhouse team who is recognized by people everywhere. Before Georgia was preseason #1 in 2008, the other teams to share this early rank were USC (2007), Ohio State (2006), USC (2005), USC (2004), and Oklahoma (2003). When you think of the biggest college football programs of recent times, those 3 teams will likely come to mind. Georgia, like them got that preseason #1 ranking.

2. The Dawgs still finished 10th in the coaches' poll with a 10-3 record, which may be a lot less than what most fans wanted/expected, but it was a great ending nevertheless. If your team gets 10 wins, wins a big bowl game, finishes in the top 10 in the country, and you're angry about it: you know that your program is really good. We don't get excited about 8 wins, 9 wins, even 10 wins. We're all in for a SEC title and a national championship. That's how the top teams are.

3. Georgia will likely be ranked in the preseason top 25 next season. Even if the polls don't matter, it says a lot about our program that with losing two superstars, one maybe the first pick in the NFL draft and the other the top running back (as well as some other great players like Massaquoi), our team is still recognized and respected as a top team. We are nationally known for having great coaching and great players every season.

But let's move onto other sports, shall we?
(Most polls are listed here)

Baseball: #1 in most polls
Softball: #6
Men's Swimming: #12
Women's Swimming: #2
Men's Golf: #1
Women's Golf: #10
Men's Tennis: #3
Women's Tennis: #2
Gymnastics: #1 (going for their 10th national championship since 1981 and their 5th in a row)

and:

Basketball: Looking optimistic with a new coach, Mark Fox, from Nevada.

(And academically speaking, U.S. News and World Report has UGA as the number 20 best public college in the country for 2009 and Forbes.com has us at #19)

Some more tidbits: Our beloved mascot Uga seems to always be ranked the top college mascot in the country.

The city of Athens, Georgia is one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" to visit in 2009 and is one of the 29 destinations to visit (in the world) for 2009 in the Los Angeles Times (Athens is up there along with other places like Australia, Borneo, and Iceland).

Not many colleges have such a great combination of wonderful academics, top athletics, unique tradition, and a one-of-a-kind city (built around the university).

Apr 1, 2009

Famous Dawgs: Episode 4

Today's Famous Dawg: Newman (also known as Wayne Knight)

THE DESCRIPTION:

Wayne Knight is best known for playing the role of Newman on the long running NBC show Seinfeld. According to Wikipedia, Newman is "an overweight and despicable, though curiously well-educated, postal worker" who "goes out of his way to make Jerry's life miserable." Although for the past decade we've only been able to watch repeats of Seinfeld in syndication, most everyone remembers who Newman is when you mention him. He is also well known for being Dennis Nedry, the only non-dinosaur bad guy, in the 1993 instant classic Jurassic Park. Knight has appeared in many other television shows (such as 3rd Rock from the Sun) and films (Cheaper by the Dozen). Finally, if you somehow don't recognize the face in the picture above, you'd probably recognize the voice, as Knight has performed as a voice actor in a multitude of animated projects, including cartoon shows on Nickolodeon and the Disney Channel, as well as animated films like Toy Story 2. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot: he was in Space Jam too. This guy probably has the best film resume in the world. Seriously.



THE VERDICT:

Basically, once you see how awesome Wayne Knight is, you have to realize that he's a Bulldog. A UGA bulldog, that is. His bio on IMDB says that Knight was born in Cartersville, Georgia in 1955. He was an honor student as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, but left just shy of graduating to pursue a career in theater. Just imagine, without this former UGA student, the world wouldn't be the same. (I have to go ahead and let it be known that Wayne Knight is my favorite Famous Dawg, and I'm proud to say that Newman/Dennis Nedry attended our school)

Here are some great video clips of Knight.

First, a good Newman clip from the golden days of Seinfeld.



Next, a fantastic tribute in song to Dennis Nedry of Jurassic Park. (NOTE: If you don't remember the movie well, you might be confused and disturbed after watching this.)