Best to cut bait now

Make no mistake, with all else being equal, the Dawgs would be better off entering the '11 season with last year's leading rusher, and the guy penciled in to either start or provide significant back-up playing time on an already thin O-Line. But, all else isn't equal, and each player had shown signs of unreliability in the past.

I am big on second chances. We all make mistakes. However, both Washaun Ealey and AJ Harmon ran afoul of team rules, academic obligations, etc. last year, and indications were they were heading down similar paths this year. This is too important a year for Richt to let these guys find their way through life like my Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner finds its way through my living room.

In the end, the Bulldogs are better off knowing what cards they hold going into summer, fall practice, and the season, rather than hoping a couple of guys get their heads on straight and pan out.

Bulldogs defense coming along

While hardly giddy, Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham sounds noticeably more optimistic and assured about his work-in-progress 3-4 defense this spring than he did at any time last year.

To hear your average Bulldog fan tell it, last year's defense was a broken levee. Although it was far from dominant, it wasn't nearly as bad as some would lead you to believe, especially given where it was the year before, and factoring in an entirely new scheme and new terminology.

The Dawgs finished in the middle of the pack in ppg allowed, and 4th in total defense. Improvement is most certainly needed, but that's not a bad jumping off point.

One thing lost in the shuffle of a new staff and scheme, though, is how much better all the defensive coaches (remember, except for Garner, the rest of the staff was new as well) will be at identifying the various strengths and shortcomings of their personnel. As a coach, there is a fine line between teaching a guy to do everything he needs to do (and do it well), and getting to a point where you say, "That's just not a strength of our team, so we need to find other ways to be successful."

Grantham has begun to echo a prevalent idea last year, which was that there definitely is a learning curve in switching to a new defensive philosophy, but the players are starting to play faster and with more confidence.

When you know what you're doing and how to do it, you can really let your ability come to the forefront. Hopefully, the Dawg "D" will begin to reflect the talent that has supposedly been assembled in Athens over the past few years.

Talk is cheap, but lack of talk is refreshing

Now that spring practice is in full swing for the Bulldogs, this is usually about the point where we start hearing how such-and-such is looking phenomenal, how nobody can block what's-his-name, and how nobody can cover Whositz (though, in AJ Green's case, that was actually true).

To be certain, there are far fewer known commodities on this year's squad than in years past, but in general, we've seen far less in the glowing comments department so far this spring. In fact, the best comments from coaches have basically peaked at lukewarm.

I suppose going 6-7 the previous year will have that effect. After all, it would be kind of silly to start talking about how great everyone looks, especially when your best offensive and best defensive players have left for the NFL.

It could also be the case that nobody really has looked particularly impressive thus far, though I hope that's not it.

I just can remember far too many seasons where this guy or that was tearing it up, only to flame out when the season came along. Remember Cedric Heyward? Heck, even Richard Samuel, who I hope gets a chance to reinvent himself as a linebacker, was the talk of the town two springs ago, when every day he was 'taking it to the house.'

In an off-season of changes across the board, it's my personal feeling that the coaching staff is (and should be) taking the approach that nobody deserves praise in the spring. Even if an individual is doing exactly what should be 96% of the time, there's still no reason to not get him up to 98%, to throw out some random stats that have absolutely no meaning in the real world.

Georgia was a model of inconsistency last season. The second you heap praise on someone, particularly a 20 year-old star athlete, he can easily begin to rest on his laurels and think that he's arrived.

So, maybe it's best that, in the season of renewal, the attitude, and maybe even the staff's mantra, be "Not Good Enough." Because, let's face it, "good enough" simply wasn't last year.

Georgia could find itself in Hewitt/Longoria spot with Mark Fox

Despite a couple of questionable late-game strategies, or lack thereof, Mark Fox's first two years have gone according to script. He's taken a team that was generally a bottom dweller in the SEC East under Dennis Felton, and promptly turned it into a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, it's been a team that has proven it can take virtually any team in the country right down to the wire (you'll recall a heart-breaking double OT loss to 2-seed Notre Dame earlier in the year).

As is the case with all successful coaches at schools not rich in tradition (at a particular sport) "big-time" schools and schools that consider themselves bigger-time than UGA are bound to come a-callin'. It's already rumored that NC State could be looking into making a play for Fox, though I don't know too many folks that consider NC State to be some giant leap up from Georgia basketball.

Whatever the case, UGA basketball doesn't have the same cache as UGA football (yet). So, Greg McGarrity and the Georgia athletic department could have some decisions to make.

Although for more monetary reasons than anything else, Georgia Tech was more or less forced to give Paul Hewitt a ridiculous contract based upon his early successes at the school. After all, he was recruiting well, and took the school to its first Final Four appearance in 15 years. As it turned out, he and his teams gradually slipped into mediocrity, even in a less powerful ACC. Basically, they felt they needed to do everything they could to ensure Hewitt would stay, rather than lose him to a school like Texas, Kentucky, etc. It bit them in the ass.

Conversely, much was made of the long-term, big-money contract given to Tampa Bay 3rd Baseman Evan Longoria when he'd accomplished little more than being named the organization's top prospect. Being a smaller market team, though, they knew they'd lose him to free agency as soon as he was eligible if they didn't. In their case, it worked out splendidly, as they're now paying him well below market value.

Sure, two different situations, and different to Georgia's, but the underlying concept is the same. Georgia will have a tough time convincing its head basketball coach to stay if he's courted by a traditional power. We saw it happen when Kentucky came for Tubby Smith, and don't forget that the Duke job will likely be opening in a few years.

So, Georgia may be forced to give Fox a big, long-term contract based upon a relatively small, albeit impressive body of work.

Is there a problem with Richt's statements regarding Crowell?

Even the most casual of Georgia fans have, by now, heard of Isaiah Crowell, the 5-star all-world running back set to enroll at UGA and play for the Dawgs this fall. If you've seen any of his highlight reels or read any of the comments made by those in the know, then you can understand the excitement surrounding his eminent arrival on campus. The Bulldogs are in need of another superstar back like Charlie Sheen is in need of a ball gag and about 20 new publicists.

However, as we've seen time and again, high school accolades and highlight reels don't always translate to success at the collegiate level, so it was surprising to read and hear coach Mark Richt saying that he wouldn't be surprised to see Crowell toting the rock on that first play against Boise St. this fall. Lest we get ahead of ourselves, he did include the caveat "if he does what he's supposed to," which could mean any number of things from just being academically eligible to actually having to be the best running back on the team. Still, to the best of my recollection, he's never come out with such a strong statement regarding an incoming freshman who's yet to step foot on campus (as a member of the football team).

The question becomes, was this some calculated statement that Richt felt would help motivate Crowell that much more? Was it something he used to actually try to motivate incumbents Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, whose careers have been somewhat lacking, at least in comparison to what was expected? Or, was it just something he was using to up the excitement from a deflated fan base after a poor 2010 campaign?

One thing is for certain. If Richt truly believes Crowell will be 'the guy' come September, then, to quote Clark W. Griswold, Jr., I think we're all in for a real treat.

Influx of new talent can pay off in both short and long term

With Georgia pulling in one of the top recruiting classes in the nation (which could be a consensus top 5 class should Junior College DT Jonathan Jenkins sign on Saturday), some of the heat has been turned down on Mark Richt and his staff. And, while the majority of the class will only see limited playing time in '11 if any, this class could prove valuable in other ways.

Many expect top RB signee Isaiah Crowell to make a strong push for the starting tailback spot barring any setbacks, and a guy like WR Malcolm Mitchell should vie for significant playing time given Georgia's relatively thin and inexperienced receiving corps. Beyond that, though, it's really anybody's guess as to who will arrive on campus with both the mental and physical maturity to compete at college football's highest level.

That being said, there's little debate regarding the overall talent coming in, and Richt has already said that starting jobs and significant playing time at nearly every position will be opened up this spring and into the fall. Where, in the past, you almost got the sense that if a returning starter had done even an adequate job, he was virtually assured of keeping that spot, now it seems that nobody's job is safe (except probably Aaron Murray's and Blair Walsh's). Just stoking the fire a bit by letting everybody think, "Hey, this guy coming in is pretty darn good, and he'll take my spot if I'm not busting my butt" could prove to be a catalyst for improved effort and play all around.

Nobody REALLY knows who is 'college ready' until they put on the pads and go through drills and practices, but this class seems to have fewer 'project players' or guys that need a year or two to develop. The simple experience factor and learning curve is going to be there for most everybody, but if all these kids can have their academics in order and avoid injuries, it should help to elevate everyone's play, even if just a few make a direct impact on the field next season.

Annual argument over "Rank Bank" building again

"Stars don't mean anything in recruiting," says one man.

"Then why are the top teams in the country always loaded with 4 and 5 star guys?" replies another.

And so it goes, like a never-ending story, but without Falcor. Too arcane a reference this early in the morning?

After nabbing two more of the top players in the country last night, and with two or three more 5-star players within reach, the Dawgs could easily end up with a top-5 recruiting class when it's all said and done.

As we know, statistics can always be bent to the will of the person wielding them, and I'm sure there are percentages, records, draft stats, and any number of other categories that will bear out the importance of highly ranked recruits.

Go up and down NFL rosters, and you're likely to find as many 2 and 3 star players as you are 4 and 5 (granted, there are far fewer 4 and 5 star players in a given year, but still). That being said, it's always nice to get guys that were heavily recruited by the Alabamas, Floridas, and LSUs of the world.