Georgia Bulldogs: Sometimes, Perception Is Everything

Playing the "what if" game is always dangerous, but let's do it anyway—just for today—and rewind to Georgia's first championship season under Mark Richt.

It was 2002, and that David Greene led squad was pegged by many as the best team in the SEC, ending their regular season at 12-1 while securing their first SEC title in twenty-years.

The only thing standing between them and a BCS bid was a loss by either Ohio State or Miami.

Unfortunately for them, both teams won out and, eventually, played each other for a shot at the national title.

Now, fast forward to the here and now and ask yourself, if given today's college football landscape, you could see a scenario where a one-loss SEC team is overlooked in favor of an undefeated Big East one.

I'll go on the record and say it wouldn't happen—not today.

The media is securely on the SEC's bandwagon. Many sportswriters and pundits believe that even a two-loss SEC team is better than most any undefeated WAC, Big East, or Mountain West one.

However that wasn't the case in 2002 when Miami was still the media darling and considered, by many, to be unbeatable.

So when did the SEC become king?

Well, despite BCS Championships by Tennessee (1998) and LSU (2003), the shift officially began in 2006 when
Urban Meyer actively campaigned for his one-loss Gators to be extended a bid to the BCS title game based on the premise that their schedule was tougher.

He felt, and this appears to be the reigning sentiment even now where SEC teams are concerned, that there was no schedule more grueling than an SEC one.

He won the argument, much to Michigan's chagrin, and Florida played Ohio State for the national title.

The rest is history.

In 2007, LSU benefited from the same logic, as they were offered a spot in the BCS title game as a two-loss team—and won—giving further credence to the idea that the SEC is "the toughest conference in the nation".

Now, what if Georgia were given those same benefits in 2002?

It seems fair to argue that they would have leap frogged either Ohio State or Miami for a spot in the title game—undefeated records or not—and then who knows?

Now, I know what you're thinking, I'm taking a whole lot of license with this argument, and I probably am, but it has to make you think...just a little bit.

Of course, most would be quick to point out that even though you can't get 2002 back, you still have to justify the lapses since.

A loss to Tennessee in 2007 left room for LSU to make their move.

A bad loss to Alabama in 2008 negated Georgia again.

Add to that, attrition, injuries, coaching changes, and a rising level of competition, and the perception of your program, within the SEC, as a stand-alone product—particularly judged against the successes of LSU, Alabama, and Florida—becomes as much a factor as the play itself.

Coach Richt deserves responsibility for recruiting misses (the years he failed to close the borders and great talent got away) and being too loyal to both coaches and players (redshirting Knowson Moreno, keeping Willie Martinez for too long, and starting Joe Tereshinski over Matthew Stafford in 2006). By no means can Richt be let off the hook—and he isn't.

The only point here is to state that the perception of the SEC, since 2006, has played as much a role in the opportunities that have been granted as anything.

Sure, LSU and Tennessee won titles in 1998 and 2003, respectively, but ask anyone how many people—outside of Knoxville and Baton Rouge—thought they would?

The SEC was still playing second-fiddle to the Big 12 (Oklahoma), the Big East (Miami), and the ACC (Florida State/Virginia Tech) in those early BCS years—and the teams in those conferences were given far more respect.

Georgia's luck in 2002 might have been different had that team played in today's landscape.

Perception is everything, and sometimes, too, it's just bad timing.

What say you?

NFL Trade Bait: Where Might Kyle Orton Land in 2011?

The Denver Broncos are ready to start the Tim Tebow era in Colorado, and that means they no longer have any use for Kyle Orton. Their price for the team that wants him, a second-round draft pick and that price seems steep when you consider the fact that Orton doesn't do any one thing great.

While he's an adept passer, he lacks any type of mobility in the pocket—so he's often at risk of being sacked...a lot.

He's got great instincts in the redzone, but he can be hit or miss outside the 20's.

His ability to find the open target, and hit him in stride is pretty good, but he's every bit as likely to play it safe and rely on making the short throws all game long. Which, after a while will be sniffed out by opposing defenses—allowing them to cheat up and break-up many a pass play.

Even with all that, though, his 2010 stats were still better than you might have guessed.

He ranked in the upper half of the league in nearly every conceivable passers category—including total yards (3,653), interceptions thrown (4), yards gained per attempt, quarterback rating (87.5), and completions. His problem this year was a lack of protection by the offensive line.

Orton routinely found himself running for his life—which isn't his strong suit—and that meant a lot of yards lost due to bad sacks, and an inability to get out of his own way.

If a team can give Orton a decent line and a more consistent running game, he can be a serviceable quarterback and there are plenty of teams out there that could use him as a good insurance policy against injury or as a possible stop-gap until a more favorable alternative can be acquired.

Tennessee, Arizona, Carolina, Washington, and Miami all come to mind as possibilities as each of them have issues at the quarterback position— all could do much worse than Orton.

Denver isn't likely to get their second-round asking price but, if they're willing to bend—perhaps a third-rounder will suffice—they should have no problem finding a new home for Orton.

Channing Crowder on The Jets: "They're Cheaters...I Wish They'd Have Tripped Me"

The Jets are, once again, embroiled in controversy. This time it's for an alleged trip of Miami defensive player, Nolan Carroll as he attempted to make a play during their contest. Miami strength coach, Sal Alosi is thought by many to be the culprit and, thanks to YouTube and Jeff Darlington, we now have the reaction of some of the Miami players—Crowder's comments are particularly hilarious:



Some may still question whether or not the incident happened or not, but you can be the judge:



Certainly looks like more than just an involuntary leg cramp—we'll see what Mr. Goodell thinks, but, obviously, someone will be looking for a job on Monday morning.

Related articles

• Jets strength coach Sal Alosi identified in tripping of Nolan Carroll (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)

CFB Rumor Mill: Kill The Noise, Mark Richt Isn't Headed to Miami Either

Here we go again, more rumors surrounding the head coach at the University of Georgia. You know, for a guy who no one really likes all that much, Mark Richt sure seems to be on a lot of "wish lists" lately.

First he was tabbed as a possibility at Colorado. However, his big salary at Georgia nipped that rumor quickly in the bud.

Now, his name is being floated about for the, newly vacated, Miami Hurricanes coaching position. Randy Shannon was fired late yesterday—shortly after the Canes' lost to South Florida in overtime.

Richt is a Miami alumnus. He played quarterback there from 1979-82, backing up future NFL Hall of Famer, Jim Kelly.

Some feel he is the perfect guy to get Miami back to it's winning ways, but someone needs to let Georgia AD, Greg McGarity, in on the conversation because, as far as he's concerned, Richt will be calling Athens home through, at least, the 2011 football season.

These rumors are just that—rumors. Mark Richt is still the coach at Georgia, and he isn't assumed to be going anywhere. He's planning on being in Athens for as long as the university will have him and he's made it very clear that Georgia is his "home".

So, why all the speculation and rumor-mongering about him being lured to go elsewhere? Well, that's easy, teams will try to go after the best out there, regardless of their current situation. Tommy Tuberville's name has also surfaced as a possibility, and he's only been at Texas Tech for one season.

This is a lot less about Richt's job at Georgia being in jeopardy, than it is about a school (Miami) planning for its future.

Don't believe the hype, folks, there's simply not much to it. 

*Photo courtesy of webshots.com/canesunited—click photo for more info.

LeBron James' New NIKE Commercial Shows He STILL Doesn't Get It (VIDEO)

Have you seen LeBron James' new Nike commercial? You know, the one that is really not about shoes? It's pretty darn cool—must admit—but in it one thing becomes very clear: he still doesn't get it.

Take a look at the commercial below:



The refrain: "what should I do?" resonates well because it's clear that LeBron is asking everyone that very question—Cleveland fans in general. After all, if not for the public backlash he's suffered from his home state, thanks in large part to his decision to do the....well..."decision", he might not need to do any soul-searching at all.

That said, much like "The Decision", LeBron shouldn't have bothered making this commercial because, on its face, it makes him look like a scared kid who really still isn't all that sure he really did the right thing.

The fact of the matter is, he doesn't need to be asking anyone what he should do. He's already done what he did. It's over. The fans of Cleveland won't ever forgive him, the NBA will continue to pimp him and the Heat for their own benefit, Nike will keep paying him ridiculous amounts of money to shill shoes, and he will garner a new set of fans in Miami.

No one will care—take Don Johnson's advice on that one, LeBron: the heat will die down.

What should you do?...Play basketball, Lebron. That's all anyone should expect you to do.

Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert, The Gift That Keeps On Giving...

Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and part owner of the company known as  Fathead (the one that sells those "Real. Big" vinyl wall posters) has again done something grand to make us all smile.

Early yesterday Mr. Gilbert decided it would be cute to mark down the price of all the LeBron James' Fatheads in which he's wearing a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey—to the low, low price of just $17.41.

Fatheads normally start at $99.99 and up!

Well, the price itself wasn't as jaw-dropping as the reason he gave for choosing it—it corresponds with the birth year of Benedict Arnold—a revolutionary war general whose inability to stay loyal to any one side made his name synonymous with betrayal and dishonesty long after his death.

Now, I don't know what Dan Gilbert is trying to prove with his childish antics, but all he really did was give the millions of LeBron James fans who could not afford a Fathead with his likeness on it before, a reason to get it now. Once again, Dan...you lose.

If you check the Fathead site, all of LeBron's Fatheads are marked "sold out". The only one remaining at the time of this posting is the one titled "LeBron James Slam Dunk" (pictured).

I suspect it too will be gone before long.

Explain to me again how this makes you look like a genius? Actually, you know what, forget that, how about you just concentrate on not continuing to look like a whiny, little baby—it's not becoming of the owner of a major franchise. Particularly one who has "guaranteed" a championship before LeBron gets one in Miami.

You should really start focusing all of your energy on making that impossibility come true because you are going to need all the help you can get to make it happen—perhaps Tinkerbell is available to assist you in that endeavor.

Oh, Dan, when will you learn?...tsk...tsk...tsk...(consults clipboard and awards another point to LeBron James).

Somewhere LeBron James is laughing at you, Dan. In truth, we all are. A few words of advice—sit down and shut up—because you are treading dreadfully close to becoming a really bad punchline.

James—2. Gilbert—nil.

Not Smart, Dan. Not Smart at all.