By Ned Colegrove
Foxsportssouth.com
May 28, 2010
For most schools, an 8-5 season, second place in the division and a convincing bowl win would be cause for celebration. The bar's been pushed a little higher at Georgia however, and the team and fans alike were searching for more in 2009. After a defensive overhaul in the offseason and a highly-anticipated spring QB battle, the 'Dawgs will hit the 2010 season with a new look. Many of the usual suspects are back offensively- A.J. Green (1,771 career receiving yds, 14 TD's) at receiver with duo Washaun Ealey (717 yds, 5 total TD's in '09) and Caleb King (594 yds, 8 total TD's in '09) lining up at tailback. Adding a veteran line that should be one of the best in the conference, the big question is: how quickly can redshirt Freshman QB Aaron Murray get comfortable under center?
We talked with the man who boasts the game's sixth-highest active winning percentage at .769 (90-27) about new beginnings at quarterback and on defense in 2010.
Q. OK, coach. As we hit the summer months, fans tend to think of this as the down time, but I'm sure you're as busy as ever- what kinds of things are on your plate these days as you hit this summer stretch?
A. Well, our coaches just got off the road- they were on the road the last four weeks, gathering information about 2011 prospects... 2012 and 2013 for that matter. We're trying to make offers to young men, trying to get them committed if possible. We're trying to line up guys to come to camp so we can further evaluate them and teach them the fundamentals of football.
When the coaches came off the road, we spent a whole day with them gathering up their information in a systematic way. Then, we spent all our time just going over every guy that each coach saw and where we would rank them. We thought about who should be offered and who was close to that point and exchanged information on these young men to try and get the best class possible in 2011 and beyond.
Q. For this recruiting period and camp season, is there a certain theme or point that you're trying to sell to recruits these days- what makes Georgia "Georgia" right now?
A. I'll say this, if we get a kid on campus, they're going to like it. It's just amazing how these guys leave our place from an official or unofficial visit and realize it's a great city, a beautiful campus, and our facilities are unbelievable. Our coaches are very competent and committed to helping them grow as young men and we get a bunch of players that are just good guys. Every recruit comes through here feeling like they can fit in here. I think Georgia pretty much sells itself.
Q. It's still early, but talk about Aaron Murray coming in to an offense that returns more or less 10 starters. How well has he stepped in to a unit, especially an O-line, that was pretty tight beforehand?
A. I think he's going to be very blessed by that. He'll be playing behind a line that is very veteran, with some running backs who can do it and have matured... some receivers that have already made some very big plays and tight ends who have grown up so much. So he's really blessed by that. Even our fullback position is in great shape. Knowing all that, he's got to understand that he doesn't have to win the game by himself, he just needs to manage this thing, make good decisions and put the ball on the money. And when things aren't going just right, learn to cut your losses and just play another down.
Q. As good of an athlete as Zach (Mettenberger, dismissed in offseason) was, I imagine it's got to feel good for the guys to be able to say, "OK- Aaron's our QB for 2010, let's go full speed ahead with this guy and not be wondering who's going to start in the fall."
A. I think there is some peace in knowing who will be the guy pulling the trigger for you. One thing about Aaron, he is about "team", about work- he will prepare. The guys will see that. They'll appreciate that and I think they know the more he succeeds, the more Georgia succeeds. So, I don't think there's any doubt that they'll be excited about helping him out.
Q. Orson Charles (So. TE)- it seems like this guy is capable of monster numbers. Is he a guy who can take pressure off A.J. on the outside just as well as any secondary receiver?
A. He can. In our base set- two receivers and a tight end- he is basically on the same side of the field as A.J. So if they choose to double A.J., there's no way they can also double the tight end right next to him, so Orson- and Aaron White (Jr. TE) for that matter- really benefited from the double teams that A.J. was getting. Now that Orson has established himself in our TE position, people are going to have to think twice about leaving a linebacker on these guys.
Q. Talk about what the return of Kris Durham (Sr. WR) means to this squad both in game situations and being able to help the younger guys come along in practice.
A. Well he's a very mature guy. He's already a graduate so he's going to be able to spend the time preparing and helping his teammates all summer long to grow and really learn how to do things right. He wants to have a big year for himself, too, and I don't see any reason why that won't happen.
Q. Who is a guy that fans may not know about who's done well in spring ball that you're really excited about and expecting to come on strong on offense in 2010?
A. It's so hard to tell because when you talk about our offense, it is the one side of the ball that has so many returning players. There aren't many surprises out there, but it will be interesting to see if Dontavius Jackson (RSo. RB) can really get healthy and push Carlton Thomas (RSo. RB) and the rest of the backs for some playing time because he has shown some sparks of making some big runs and some crafty runs.
This gentleman didn't participate in the spring, but Tanner Strickland (Jr. OL) had a very good chance at starting for us a year ago and he tore up his shoulder in the weight room and wasn't able to participate. But now he'll be healthy when camp rolls around and he may find himself pushing for a starting job again.
Q. A similar question about the defense- who's been a guy who's really adjusted well to the 3-4 scheme this spring where you think to yourself, "this defense was made for him"?
A. I do think Justin Houston (Jr. DL/LB) is going to benefit from it. I think he's going to be put into a position to make a lot of plays for us. On the other side, opposite him is Cornelius Washington (RSo. DL/LB). Cornelius is a guy who is tailor-made for this defense as it will allow him to become more of a playmaker. Quite frankly, he's matured to the point physically and mentally where this should be a big year for him whether we had changed our defensive scheme or not.
Q. Even though this defense is somewhat new to some of your players, that means your opponents won't have much to go by either- is this almost like a secret weapon?
A. It will be nice to have people not be very confident in what's coming at 'em. We ran the same defensive scheme nine years in a row so people had a pretty strong familiarity with it. Like you say, because it's new and there's not a whole lot of film to go off of, they don't know for sure what we're going to do. So, in some ways, you're right- it is a secret and it will be interesting to see if that can play to our favor or not.
Q. How has this (new defensive scheme) been received by recruits?
A. I think very well. I think they have to be educated a little bit as to the difference between the 4-3 and 3-4, but once they see it in practice and on the board and begin to understand the job description of these positions, I think they can see themselves being a big part of it.
Q. So as you look out at your schedule for this season- who's a team you really think could be 2-3-4 wins better from last year- really on the rise.
A. That's a good question. I haven't really thought much about it. I have a lot of respect for everybody we play. When you start talking about 2-3-4 game improvement, you're talking about teams that were winning 7-8 games last year. My guess is Arkansas has a chance to take a run at the (SEC) Western division. South Carolina, and everyone in the East, is probably feeling like they've got a chance at this thing. South Carolina is one of the few teams that has a returning starter at quarterback (Jr. Stephen Garcia) who is very capable so I'm sure they feel like they could make a run for it.
Q. We know about "Finish the Drill"- is there a new slogan or phrase that sums up what 2010 Georgia football is all about?
A. "Win the turnover margin".
Q. Finally then, just sum up the feeling from your guys, heading into the season.
A. I would just say that our guys are looking forward to playing hard and getting after people, really going back to the Vince Dooley and Erk Russell days, we just want to get after people. I think that's going to be an attitude that this team is really going to embrace.
