Don't take my word for it, the DAWGS said it.

So what is the marquise match-up on tap at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party? Well it may be the flash and lightning that could be on display on the edges.

Joe Haden/Janoris Jenkins vs. AJ Green

5’11” 190 lbs vs. 6’5” 205 lbs

You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, Gators.



A lot of the time, all the talk leading up to a game like the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party can be shrugged off as coach speak or cliché. Most of the noise coming out of the camps involved is no more exhilarating or meaningful than yesterday’s newspaper. However, given the jabs exchanged between Mark “Evil” Richt and Urban “T is for timeout” Meyer over the last couple of years, one might expect a little rancor rattled bulletin board material making it’s way out of Gainesville and Athens this week. Usually the really passionate outbursts are more likely to be found on fan blogs or message boards, but the sounds swirling around the gauntlet that is the WLOCP this week are rather tasty indeed.


Make no mistake, the Gators are feeling themselves a bit leading into the game, even with their perceived struggles of late. Meyer said Florida "had the best Sunday practice we've ever had." He added: "Everyone knows exactly what this game is." That’s all fine and good, but the DAWGS are hardly cowering in the days leading up to the game.

Don’t take my word for it, the DAWGS said it.

Joe Cox

“We know this game could change our season. This is our first step toward the rest of our season.”

I often refer to A.J. Green as Lethal Weapon 8 because he is silent but deadly from any distance. Green wasn't a part of the end zone celebration in the 2007 game, but the mild-mannered and soft spoken wide receiver is raging about the 2008 timeouts.

"That's motivation for me," he said. "That's a sign of disrespect. So I'm going to go out there and play my heart out."

LW8 remains bothered more by the outcome.

"The way they physically beat us, I feel like we have a statement to make."

Defensive end Justin Houston made a statement Tuesday when asked about Saint Timothy Tebow:

"He's like every other quarterback. I don't see anything special about him. He's a quarterback and he's a good quarterback, but nothing special."

Yep, that one’s got a little bite to it.

As for the DAWGS defensive heartbeat Rennie Curran, well he seems to be taking a very man-to-man attitude:

“That’s our main thing…..We all know how much he’s respected, the reputation he’s built for himself and Florida. If you want to stop Florida’s offense, you’ve got to stop it from the head, with their leader, and that’s Tebow. That’s our main thing. We’ve got to get that guy to flinch.”

I think Coach Richt is saying a lot in that he isn’t say too much. In the recap from his radio show on Monday night, the head DAWG is reported as saying

“This game is different in that it’s 50/50, and Richt wants the fan base to get excited and jacked up for this game, because excitement is coming.”

Last year, senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens could only watch as things unraveled on the DAWGS. That’s not the case this year and as for Tebow, well he had this to say:

“If I can get a nose-to-nose shot, it will be nasty. He’s a quarterback. He’ll try and run over the (defensive backs) and probably linebackers, but linemen? He ain’t going to do that to any defensive linemen.”

On a less heated but hopefully just as telling note, defensive coordinator Willie Martinez had some interesting things to say this week. I totally agree with his statements about attitude being the difference.

"I don't want to speak schematically, but people who have had success like when we beat them in 2007, it's really the style that you play, the mentality that you play, the attitude that you bring on every play that's going to be the difference. You've got to be physical. They are a very talented football team but we try not to make it about them. It's more about us and what we do."

Like I’ve said here before, football is not just a contact sport, it is a violent sport. The team that plays with a higher level of acute violence will most often be victorious. I hope Willie's statements are a harbinger of things to come.


In case you haven’t heard, I HATE Florida. Knowing that we GATA so often in the 70s and 80s only makes the losses of the 90s sting that much more, but it also makes the victories that much more glorious. That is why these DAWGS are dangerous. They have nothing to lose. They have no pressure on them. They have nothing to do but show up, play fast and free and GATA just like the DAWGS before them did on a regular basis back in the day. Don’t take my word for it, The Dawg-gone blog said it. But, I sure as Gainesville (HELL) agree with them.

And finally, didn’t I ask THIS question just a few days ago?

I am fully aware that there isn't much in the pregame notes or the stats that should lead me to believe that I should expect an upset this weekend, but it doesn't matter. I just have a really good feeling about how things are going based on the vibrations coming out of Athens and Gainesville this week. As irrational as it may seem, I believe. The DAWGS may win or they may lose, but I know that they are going to fight. The best part is, you don't have to take my word for it, the DAWGS said it.

GO DAWGS!!!

DAWGBEASTS of the week, LSU thoughts and the birth of a nickname...Green, the Domin8oR

A! J! Green!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!? You don’t have to look hard at what happened at Sanford Stadium on Saturday to know that #8 was the Georgia offense. Everything else on the GO side of the ball was so disjointed it’s hard to know where to start. You also don’t have to be too bright to know that the much maligned Bulldog D played what was by far it’s best game of the season. However, great defenses can close opponents out to finish a game. This defense could not, therefore it is not. That doesn’t mean the young men did not give it their all, but it is undeniable that due to a confluence of factors a dominating unit they are not.

DAWGBEAST of the week:

Here is where I join the chorus with David Hale from BULLDOGS BLOG….AJ is absolutely amazing. I think I’m just gonna pencil him in as the DAWBEAST of the week (at least offensively) every week until someone shows me a reason not to. Green, the Domin8oR rocked the game again this week, coming up just one yard short of his third consecutive 100 yard receiving game. His final numbers: 5 receptions, 99 yards and a TD.

(It’s a shame that what could have been a storybook finish to an ugly game has been relegated to no more than a footnote in the end story that is most likely to be dominated by the “excessive celebration” penalty discussion going forward; MORE ON THIS LATER)

I’m a defensive minded guy, so here is your defensive DAWGBEAST of the week:

-- Justin Houston – Houston continues to grow and develop as a difference maker off the end for the DAWGS. Need proof? Thanks to BULLDOGS BLOG for the following info:

After having just 12 tackles for a loss in the first four games, the Dawgs have 18 in the last two, including seven sacks.

That’s impact folks. Houston’s final stat line from Saturday reads as follows: 4 solo tackles, 2 assists, 6 total tackles, 2.0 sacks for -8 yards and 2.0 tackles for loss

I chose to spotlight Houston this week, but Rennie Curran is much like Green, the Domin8oR could arguably be penciled in weekly for this honor, but for this week here is his very honorable mention: 7 solo tackles, 9 assists, 16 total tackles, 0.5 a sack for -2 yards and 1.5 tackles for loss for -3 yards

Another very honorable mention for the defensive DAWGBEAST of the week is Kade Weston. This week more than any other I can recall, we had an attacking presence from the interior defensive line and that effort was led by big Kade. His final line: 2 solo tackles, 3 assists, 5 total tackles, 1.0 sack for -8 yards and 1.0 tackle for loss.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

For all we heard about and expected from a unit that returned so many players that had real playing experience, our offensive line has sorely under-produced. Run blocking is all about execution and attitude and this bunch has displayed very little of either so far this season. The leaders of this group seemingly need to do some soul searching and find an identity….quickly.

Where is Mike Moore? In my mind, this question is nearly as important as the questions surrounding the offensive line. Moore is someone that I championed throughout the off-season as the already present option to Green, the Domin8oR in the passing game, but for whatever reason Ochodos has been absent from the final stats of consequence the last two weeks. I don’t know if Joe Cox is locked in to #8 (by comfort level or coaching), if it's the defensive schemes that are taking him away, but Moore is a proven play maker and we NEED someone that lines up wide to contribute in a meaningful way. Moore seems to be the logical answer for me. As Green, the Domin8oR draws coverage away from the middle of the field Moore (since King is the other wide starter in the two receiver set) and our TEs should be just KILLING teams with routes over the middle.

**As an addendum to the previous paragraph, it is amazing to me how effective the play-action fake still is despite our lack of an effective running game up to this point.

Many others have covered the topic of special teams in great depth so there is no need to say too much here, but there are glaringly obvious issues with the blocking, coverage and overall philosophy of these units. This is particular saddening to me because it has been my observation over the years that you can tell a lot about a coaching staff by how well they perform on special teams. This was a great point of pride for the DAWG faithful early in Coach Richt’s tenure in Athens, but things have changed. We will occasionally still make a big play with a block or random return, but when you have the level of skill that is on hand in Athens right now, that skill should be given a chance to IMPACT every game. This coaching staff has made a point of recruiting a certain type of athlete with a certain type of body over the last few years…think athletic DBs and LBs, Ramarcus Brown and Brandon Miller as examples…and it should be more effective on these teams. Yes, this generally means that you will have a lot of youth on the field in these situations, but if coached correctly that should be overcome and the results should (on the whole) outweigh the concerns of youth. Speed is great, but it is worthless if it is not put in a position to be used. These units should be feared by the DAWGS opponents weekly, but I just don’t think that is the case currently.

On a defensive note, I do believe this is the best pass coverage I’ve seen all season from the secondary….most likely tied to pass rush effectiveness. BRANDEN SMITH is really coming. His technique and recognition get better with every series he is on the field and he is quickly becoming a BALLER and a game changer. There are flashes where I would swear he was wearing a #4 on his jersey as I’ve seen him plastered on a receiver. On that same note, BRANDON BOYKIN is rapidly improving in pass coverage and will be a fine corner for us going forward. Both need to continue to work on their ball skills while it is in the air, but as they become more comfortable with “playing the game” against opposing receivers, the pace of the game will slow and they should be responsible for more PBUs and turnovers as we move forward. At the other end of the spectrum, based on his play thus far, BRYAN EVANS has not improved at all since his first real playing time as a RSFr. I was on the field for the Chick-Fil-A Bowl a few years back and Evans showed flashes of speed and ball skills (even though he was struggling a bit, I chalked it up to inexperience) that led me to believe we would be in good hands. Unfortunately, I cannot see where he has progressed. Baccari Rambo or one of the other young safeties should get every chance to prove they can get the job done.

OTHER FINAL WORDS ON LSU

The wonderfully informative GET THE PICTURE is a very good read this week and you can find it HERE.

And as always, David Hale and BULLDOGS BLOG put a nice, thought provoking bow on this Saturday’s events.

My PRO DAWG of the week is Cleveland Browns rookie and Damn Good Dawg Mohamed Massoquoi. MoMass turned in his first 100 yard effort in a losing cause as the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Browns 23-20 on Sunday. Massoquoi’s final stat line from Sunday: 8 receptions, 148 yards (18.5 ypc)

and FINALLY…..

Tim Brando…well, I just really don’t know what to say about THIS. Check it out starting around 4 minutes 45 seconds in.

GO DAWGS!!!!