Justin Houston Failed A Drug Test In February...But, Ummm, It's April

Photo Credit: Brant Sanderlin/AJC

Justin Houston, the former Georgia Bulldog linebacker who parlayed his great 2010 season into a possible late-first round selection at this year's NFL Draft, reportedly failed a drug test at the NFL Combine in February.

Okay, so now that it's May, can someone please elaborate on why anyone should care?

Let me make this clear, I don't advocate the use of marijuana. I have never used it, never cared to use it, and don't see it being used anytime in my foreseeable future—unless I develop severe cataracts and just need a hit (sorry, bad form there)—but what Houston did seems irrelevant now.

Maybe if we had not been privy to Ryan Mallett's admission of recreational drug use during his time at Arkansas, I might be more inclined to raise a little sand. But, in fact, the main issue (at least from my perspective) isn't the fact that Justin Houston was using sometime last winter, but whether or not he was using while he was still enrolled at Georgia—which given the party atmosphere that has been known to surround the UGA football team and Athens, GA, in general, would not surprise me one iota.

If he was in fact using when he suited up, then it's possible he wasn't the only one and, if that's the case, then a whole other can of 'what the hell' is about to be opened in the blogosphere.

But back to the question at hand: what will this news do to Houston's draft status? If I had to take a guess, I'd say nothing. He's not a bad character guy and it's clear that he could excel if placed in the right system at the next level.

Plus, forgive my license here, but the NFL hasn't exactly been all that great about keeping it's players clean and sober—just saying. And, even if this latest revelation hurts his stock a bit, it's not likely to carry any more weight than the questions that were already being lobbed his way—the most important of which appears to be is he a 4-3 defensive end or a 3-4 linebacker?

Justin Houston tested positive for marijuana and that's unfortunate for him as that could tarnish his legacy for some Georgia Bulldog fans who came to respect him as a person and a player, but none of that will mean much come April 28th.

UGA Pro Day: Live Blog

Georgia Bulldogs: Aaron Murray Is Ready To Take A Few More Hits in 2011

Aaron Murray (standing left of center) has gained weight and muscle under the guidance of Joe Tereshinki's strength and conditioning program—and it shows:



While you hope to see the offensive line protecting the backside of No. 11 a lot better in 2011, it's nice to see that Mr. Murray is ready to take a few shots, if necessary.

Keep pumping that iron, boys.

Georgia Bulldogs: What You Really Hope To See In 2011... (VIDEO)

Though no one can be sure that another Herschel Walker will come along in the near future, it most certainly would be nice to see some tough running like this 'Tween The Hedges next season:



"My God, a freshman!"

Just a little flashback to get your Friday morning started off right.

Georgia Football: Seniors Asked to Return Plaques—Wins Miscalculated

Perhaps Blair Walsh wasn't just speaking for his teammates when he spoke of their feeling "entitled" to win the bowl game against Central Florida last Friday night.

Claude Felton, UGA's spokesman, announced that the seniors would have to return the plaques they received at the teams' annual awards gala—held prior to playing in the Liberty Bowl.

Apparently, the plaques posted a 7-6 record—assuming a bowl win over UCF—that didn't actually happen. According to Felton, it's a common practice at Georgia to include the bowl games as wins and corrections have had to be made at least once before.

How embarrassing.

Perhaps, the idea that the players feel entitled has longer legs than I thought.

We've been hearing a lot about changes coming to the overall culture of Georgia football, and it's obvious that's something that needs to happen across the board.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Former Georgia Bulldog, Verron Haynes, Has a Message for UGA Haters

Verron Haynes is a former running back for the Georgia Bulldogs. He solidified his place in Bulldog lore with the well-known "P-44 Haynes" play...you know the one:



Yeah, that one.

The play that started the run of wins and championships for Mark Richt at Georgia. The play that, arguably, marks the moment the tide changed in Athens, GA and Georgia football went from perennial mediocrity to national contenders.

Well, Mr. Haynes has a message for all the people who decided to call for Mark Richt's head when the chips were down.

He, along with many other former players, didn't take too kindly to the shots that coach Richt, the program, and the team took during the four-game losing stretch. So, he had this to say to the bandwagon jumpers who are now back to being "loyal" to the red and black:

Gotta love that. I always did like, Mr. Haynes.

Herschel Walker Was In No Hurry To Sign in 1980 (VIDEO)

Found this video on YouTube (h/t ghostoferkrussell who always finds some great clips). It's an interview by Bill Hartman with Herschel Walker who, at the time, was just a 17-year old prospect with a decision to make about where to spend the next four-years of his academic life.

The most intriguing part was the very beginning of the report where it was alleged that Walker's might have been bought—he was shown driving a shiny new Pontiac Trans Am. As it turn out, his daddy bought him the car, but the mere mention of it shows just how far back the idea of questionable recruiting tactics actually goes.

Of course, Herschel eventually chose to sign with the Bulldogs, but not before national signing day had long since come and gone:




My favorite line was the one offered by Walker's teammate, Brill Jenkins, who said "He loves his homework...I think he would give up football, give up sports, just to do his classwork".  Classic.
I don't know that No. 34 valued the paper and pen over the gridiron glory, but he certainly was one heckuva running back...and dancer (h/t ghostoferkrussell):



Gotta love that...

Georgia Mascot Gets Some ESPN Love...

I have to give some props to Senator Blutarsky over at Get The Picture for queuing me into this little video. I particularly love the part at the end where Hairy knocks the remote out of the guy's hand—classic!

Enjoy...

In Todd Grantham, Georgia Hopes To See Some Shades of '76' (VIDEO)

When you mention the name Todd Grantham around a Georgia Bulldog fan these days, you hear a lot about him being the man who will return the Georgia defense to a "GATA" brand of football.

For those of you who aren't aware of exactly what "GATA" means, it's an acronym for "Get After Their A--es" or, the more PG version, "Get After Them Aggressively".

It's a term that was born during the days of Georgia coaching legend, Erk Russell. Russell once roamed the sidelines of Sanford Stadium as the Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator. He is considered by many fans to be the symbol of how a defense should be—the father of the "Junkyard Dawg" (JYD).

He was also the man behind the stifling Georgia defense that would eventually win the National Championship in 1980. He is still thought of fondly by many a Georgia Bulldog fan, both old and young, because he was a hard-nosed, take no shorts, kind of coach who expected and often received the very best that his guys had to offer.

In his 17 years as coordinator, Russell coached the defensive unit to 27 shutouts. Georgia's opposition was held to less than 17 points in more than half of the games he coached (135 out of 192) and,  no opponent ever scored more than 28 points on an Erk Russell led defense.

Since his departure, there have been few who could come close to that kind of dominance.

Brian Van Gorder (2001-2004) was great, but his early departure did not set well with many and his replacement, Willie Martinez, didn't pan out.

Enter Todd Grantham.

He's a no-nonsense guy with a nose for defense. It's impossible not to listen to him and feel like you want to go out and hit something as hard as possible. He inspires the very essence of "GATA" already—without having coached a down—and if he ends up being anything close to advertised, Georgia is well on it's way to regaining their SEC respect.

So, with Alabama being the 'King of the Hill' right now, and Georgia being the underdog with, what many feel, little chance in hades of making the SEC Championship game this season, it seemed only fitting to post the video you see below because even the mighty ones have been known to fall.

Here's to a season where, hopefully, Georgia can make that happen...a girl can dream, right?



GATA...indeed.

Georgia DB Jordan Love's Family Retains Attorney—Statement Released

Georgia defensive back Jordan Love's family has retained an attorney in order to further expedite the matter surrounding his arrest on Monday night.

To recap, briefly, Love was charged with misdemeanor obstruction of justice after failing to divulge his middle name to campus police. He was booked into Clarke County Jail and release a couple hours later on bond.

It was later reported that his failure to state his middle name was due to his inability to spell it for the police at that time—apparently Love seldom uses or goes by his middle name. His family explained this to police chief Jimmy Williamson and the chief feels that may be sufficient to clear him of any wrongdoing,

However, the Love family felt it was necessary to retain legal services to be certain that nothing slips through the cracks during this process. That attorney, William Stiles, released the following statement to the media late Tuesday evening:

The family is hopeful that this minor issue will be resolved soon.