The bloom is off the rose on our beloved Dawgs...

[DawgNatty]

we've crossed over as a team many nationwide cheered for to a genuine villain.  Additionally, our own fan base, and I'm at the front of the line, is guilty of expecting nothing short of near perfection.   

I've found myself this season just having a hard time comprehending us NOT being able to stop a team on 3rd down.  We went the better part of 3 years and rarely did you see teams convert on 3rd and long.  This season and I honestly haven't looked at the stats, it sure seems like teams are converting on the regular.  Likewise, I feel like the opposite is also true for the offense.   We've been very used to, and somewhat spoiled by the offense converting 3rd downs.  As a team, but, moreover, as a fan base, we are used to execution!!  This team has been a bit hard to watch through that lens.  

As a fan base, we had back to back seasons where our indulgences were met.  We had a third season where we fell just short.  Now, we are a highly touted team that is scrapping to get back to the top.   As Kirby has noted, the world has changed a bit when it comes to building depth.  But, we still outclass a team like Texas when it comes to 4-5*s on the roster.   So, either we've likely gotten out recruited or we are getting outcoached?   I say, it's not that easy and hard for just the 4-5* numbers to tell a tale.  

Complacency as a fan is hard.   I sure don't have the hunger I had 3+ years ago...but, I still have the desire.  We'll see what happens.  

Go Dawgs!!

[Tomato Sandwich]

34-31 Dawgs IMHO

[RockmartDawg]

We're following the normal path that these types of things take. We had something to prove for a while, and opposing teams were kind of on their heels even before kickoff. Now we go into each and every game and our opponents are laser-focused, salivating for a program win to knock off the giant, etc., etc., etc. It takes something to keep ratcheting it up another notch, and another notch.

Yet, here we are, toting that one ugly loss to Alabama (that we somehow miraculously almost won). We do have our expectations set way high. Anything but a championship is seen as failure. The fan base needs to temper that, but human nature says otherwise. That's just what we do, over and over.

This week is setting itself up a bit more favorable for us, as Texas is the home team, the favorite, ranked #1, etc. Let's see how well we deal with that scenario at their place.

[Toasty B]

bloom might be oft the rose BUT...

[DawgNatty]

Agree with everything you said and you probably stated it more eloquently than I did.

[ugafan49]

Go Dawgs, We get the win in Austin.

[RockmartDawg]

What makes it ugly is when fans start becoming vocal in the stands, making ludicrous statements like calling for coaches to be fired, etc. It makes the entire experience a big fat zero. It happens at every level. I've seen high school coaches take a program out of the ditch and immediately... and I stress, "immediately"... start winning and start winning big. They start getting into that oh-so-narrow championship caliber and everybody starts finding fault. Worse yet, they start blathering it out loud, as if they're somehow an expert. Those same blatherers weren't to be seen back when the program was sure-enough-ugly.

We humans.

I thought you worded it quite well, yourself.

[JC-DAWG83]

I think my biggest issue is that we haven't looked disciplined or dominant in any of our games. Watching Georgia play for the past four or five years was like watching a well oiled machine run on the field. Now, we look like a jalopy rattling and clattering down the road. We are going in the direction we want to go but it seems obvious that wheels could start coming off at any moment.

[Toasty B]

Laloosh this SHIT TeeDeeKay....JC-DOUG just compared the Cawgs to Tek

[RockmartDawg]

That's another "we humans" element that happens when a team starts winning. People/players start wanting to play relaxed, as if they're supposed to win, regardless. Teams want to enter the field like the English northern army was depicted to enter the battlefield at Stirling Bridge in "Braveheart". Waltz in, in pomp and glory, while the Scottish army is over there waiting for you, foaming at the mouth.

Discipline starts becoming more of an issue. It doesn't help with all of the NIL, transfer portal, various elements of instability. "Big TEAM little me" starts developing cracks. Many new hurdles start getting introduced. It just makes it all the more admirable when you see some coach who can have their teams play at that level, sustained. It's an absolute feat.

[DawgNatty]

That's another "we humans" element that happens when a team starts winning. People/players start wanting to play relaxed, as if they're supposed to win, regardless. Teams want to enter the field like the English northern army was depicted to enter the battlefield at Stirling Bridge in "Braveheart". Waltz in, in pomp and glory, while the Scottish army is over there waiting for you, foaming at the mouth.

Discipline starts becoming more of an issue. It doesn't help with all of the NIL, transfer portal, various elements of instability. "Big TEAM little me" starts developing cracks. Many new hurdles start getting introduced. It just makes it all the more admirable when you see some coach who can have their teams play at that level, sustained. It's an absolute feat.
[/quote]

I think this nails it!!!  Last year we had the "eat off the floor" saying coming from Kirby.   He knows it.   I've heard from a good source this is the hardest team to motivate in Kirby's tenure.   We need some leaders to emerge.   Saturday is a really good opportunity.

[McDonoughDawg]

Jmac is right.

[DawgNatty]

Nah, he's not.  I'll never agree that UGA fans are the dumbest fans.   We may not do it right or how you/him want it...but, I'll never call my fellow Dawg brethren dumb.   UGA fans are no different than any other fan base.  We wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and then found tremendous success.   IT's hard learning how to deal with being at the top.   

These are the golden years!  

I did a poor job in my post, but, it really wasn't about UGA fans so much.   It was more about how we are perceived nationally....thus my comment about being the villain.

[Toasty B]

Nah, he's not.  I'll never agree that UGA fans are the dumbest fans.   We may not do it right or how you/him want it...but, I'll never call my fellow Dawg brethren dumb.   UGA fans are no different than any other fan base.  We wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and then found tremendous success.   IT's hard learning how to deal with being at the top.   

These are the golden years!  

I did a poor job in my post, but, it really wasn't about UGA fans so much.   It was more about how we are perceived nationally....thus my comment about being the villain.
[/quote]

[McDonoughDawg]

Nah, he's not.  I'll never agree that UGA fans are the dumbest fans.   We may not do it right or how you/him want it...but, I'll never call my fellow Dawg brethren dumb.   UGA fans are no different than any other fan base.  We wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and then found tremendous success.   IT's hard learning how to deal with being at the top.   

These are the golden years!  

I did a poor job in my post, but, it really wasn't about UGA fans so much.   It was more about how we are perceived nationally....thus my comment about being the villain.
[/quote]

I just don’t understand all the pissing and moaning I’m seeing here…it’s not my style..some of the folks here must be a blast at parties..

I’ll add that Jmac called many of the fans sorry, not dumb, big difference.

[DawgNatty]

Nah, he's not.  I'll never agree that UGA fans are the dumbest fans.   We may not do it right or how you/him want it...but, I'll never call my fellow Dawg brethren dumb.   UGA fans are no different than any other fan base.  We wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and then found tremendous success.   IT's hard learning how to deal with being at the top.   

These are the golden years!  

I did a poor job in my post, but, it really wasn't about UGA fans so much.   It was more about how we are perceived nationally....thus my comment about being the villain.
[/quote]

I just don’t understand all the pissing and moaning I’m seeing here…it’s not my style..some of the folks here must be a blast at parties..
[/quote]

That’s fair and hopefully you aren’t putting me in that category.    I think there’s a fine line between being critical and discussing flaws vs complaining about how bad we are.   It’s hard to find that line sometimes.   

Also, a part of my point was to say we’ve been spoiled a bit.   

It will all get better or sooooo much worse come Saturday.

[FeralDawg]

Agree. Far from expecting us to be the most dominant program on Earth, I at least expect us to look prepared that someone might throw a forward pass.
The so-called 'eye discipline' is lacking and it is almost funny watching us look as hapless as some of the teams we have beaten down these last 4 years -
Like when we get burned on a pass in the endzone and no one is covering but it's called back due to a PI and the motherfuckers run the SAME DAMN play
on us again and we look just as lost the second time. I used to enoy thinking 'this team is so lost they don't even know what we are doing to them', but the tables have turned

[McDonoughDawg]

Nah, he's not.  I'll never agree that UGA fans are the dumbest fans.   We may not do it right or how you/him want it...but, I'll never call my fellow Dawg brethren dumb.   UGA fans are no different than any other fan base.  We wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and then found tremendous success.   IT's hard learning how to deal with being at the top.   

These are the golden years!  

I did a poor job in my post, but, it really wasn't about UGA fans so much.   It was more about how we are perceived nationally....thus my comment about being the villain.
[/quote]

I just don’t understand all the pissing and moaning I’m seeing here…it’s not my style..some of the folks here must be a blast at parties..
[/quote]

That’s fair and hopefully you aren’t putting me in that category.    I think there’s a fine line between being critical and discussing flaws vs complaining about how bad we are.   It’s hard to find that line sometimes.   

Also, a part of my point was to say we’ve been spoiled a bit.   

It will all get better or sooooo much worse come Saturday.
[/quote]

Agree and generally I enjoy many of the post here…unless we get blown out, there is still a lot to play for..our road schedule is brutal this year..f Texas

[FeralDawg]

Agree. Far from expecting us to be the most dominant program on Earth, I at least expect us to look prepared that someone might throw a forward pass.
The so-called 'eye discipline' is lacking and it is almost funny watching us look as hapless as some of the teams we have beaten down these last 4 years -
Like when we get burned on a pass in the endzone and no one is covering but it's called back due to a PI and the motherfuckers run the SAME DAMN play
on us again and we look just as lost the second time. I used to enoy thinking 'this team is so lost they don't even know what we are doing to them', but the tables have turned
[/quote]

All that said I can still HOPE that we can play better this Saturday. That's why I tune in.

---

And we are a long way from what I recall from the middle 90's where I could be happy about a player getting stats while our team lost.

[gulfportdawg]

It was bound to happen. We started seeing the slow starts last season in several games. This season it has worsened. Depth and injuries are playing hell on this team but so is a lack of discipline. Missed tackles and blocks...not good. Again I have to ask...with the amount of 4 and 5 star players on this roster, why are they struggling this much?