We’re getting to the point where there’s a “Dear Arthur” letter once a month, headed north to the Falcons’ boss.

          Because he’s turning into a human Stairmaster: exhausting my fat tush.

          Wrote here back early October: “… verbal dancing at the time aside, you signed 30-year-old ex-NFL starting QB Taylor Heinicke for a reason. It’s OK. Liked the signing, and read more into it than just as a straight backup.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          That was before the loss of three picks, and the win despite three fumbles. In those games, Ridder threw many sweet passes, a lot of ropes, a lot of strikes, was inspiring. But that’s nullified by doing the opposite of what’s been taught and talked about for a decade, about the time a player starts becoming a possible varsity player.

          Ridder’s physical game is improved, the other part hasn’t. And unless Smith wants to botch this up and be fired after next year, if not earlier, just pull the bleepin’ trigger.

          The reality is nobody wants to hear the boos that’ll come this week if Ridder goes out on that first possession. That’s not a step forward, and he’ll have to just about have a turnover-free game – unless he completes 73.4 percent for 329 and four, and targets Kyle Pitts eight times or more – to regain public confidence.

          And, in reality, privately, teammate confidence. Just take away one turnover in each of those two games, and, hmmm, are we talking about 6-2 or a more optimistic 5-3?

          For all of the chemistry the Falcons seem to have – they’re pretty enjoyable to watch – Smith is in danger of starting to crumble that if he can’t break out of the coaches’ inherent stubbornness mentality.

          It’s understood you don’t want to lose Ridder, but he’s old enough and seems mature enough to know the deal. And quarterbacks need to learn the standards can’t be all that different than with everybody else.

          Now, yes, that in-the-area-of-12-5 has changed, and we’re looking more at a 10-7 season. The potential is still there, but somebody has to be in charge of a technical glitch with Smith’s headphones, and a shoulder-shaking conversation with him at halftime.

Last week’s upsets

          Bleckley County sure dropped the boom Friday night, taking down powerful Swainsboro with as clutch a performance as any team in the area all season, as an 11-point (Maxwell) underdog that came up epic down the stretch.

          Southwest was 14-point underdog, and was down by 14 twice against ACE. The Gryphons suddenly went scoreless in the second half, and the Patriots kept digging in.

          Dodge County was a 14-point underdog, and finally had a game one might expect from a one-win team, falling 28-0 to Berrien.

          Baldwin was a 15-point favorite over Westside, and the Seminoles bowed up and won by four with a late score.

Last week’s surprises

          Houston County made folks sweat more than expected with Tift County, which raises an eyebrow for the postseason, on the road or not.

          Maxwell was close on Spalding by 2 over Perry, the Jags coming up big – thanks to some sloppy tackling episodes – late to win by nine.

Loughdmouthings

          Granted, the Maxwell computer doesn’t take human stuff into account, but it’s pretty accurate.

          Last week, it called the winners right in Central Georgia to a 24-4 record. It was within 7 points of the margin on 13.

          Unfortunately, that’s better than this here human did. …

          Am late to the “believer” table for Warner Robins. The Demons have progressed amid a transition year, a notable transfer, and general inconsistency.

          They’re on a roll at the right time, and doing a lot of familiar things the last several years: Physical and fundamental, and coming up with some big plays from a variety of playmakers.

          Apparently, all the old Warner Robins fans who liked that kind of football have completely passed on watching some quality old-school ball, based the availability of good seats at every home game. …

          “So, what jobs are going to be open?”

          There are some smaller places where the door to the football office tends to be one of those revolving hotel doors.

          But it might be a little quiet, considering that there have been about two dozen changes in the last two years. …

          Funny – OK , annoying – how fans complain about a team lacking discipline until the coaches start disciplining. Then the problem was a team outta control. …

          Brock Bowers is only a little less covered on the sideline than he was 64 percent of the time when he was playing. And few people are covering Travis Kelce on a regular basis still. …

          It’s a decent year for Georgia’s Division I teams. Georgia is 8-0, Georgia Tech is 4-4 with a bad loss and two good wins over ranked teams, the battlin’ GSUs are both 6-2, and Mercer is 6-3. Division II Fort Valley State is 7-2, and junior college GMC is 6-3.

          In-transition Kennesaw State is struggling at 2-5. In Division II, Albany State is 5-2, but Savannah State, Morehouse, and Clark Atlanta are a combined 2-25 in the SIAC.

          In the Gulf South, Valdosta State and West Georgia are 5-1, Shorter muddling along at 1-5. …

          More depressing examples of surprising support, and lack thereof, appeared again because you’d have never known how big Jones County-Warner Robins was by the home side, nor that it was homecoming at Northeast.

          Skip the excuses. …

          Why the struggle is real: Region 6-A/II standings and schedules are all over the place.

          Teams in 6-A/II play seven region games.

          Manchester’s record, as per MaxPreps, Georgia High School Football Historians Association, and the GHSA, overall and region: 6-2/3-0, 6-2/4-1, 6-2/4-1

          Central-Talbotton: 3-7/0-3, 3-6/0-4, 1-5/0-4

          Greenville: 3-6/2-2, 2-6/3-4, 2-6/2-3

          Say what?

          Now, Central has played Southwest Georgia STEM on consecutive weeks. But where are the accurate schedules and records? Entering the final week of the season?     Why, uh, why isn’t everybody playing the same number of region games? Why can’t one find information … never mind.

          Upon further review, the GHSA standings are pretty much a mess all over, in part because of the difficulty for coaches/teams to update information properly.

          It’s really and truly not that hard or time-consuming. Really and truly. Why can’t folks maintain an accurate roster, accurate scores, and accurate records?

          Don’t preach about details and organization if you’re sloughing off on both, folks. …

          So, let’s check in with the receiver who told us all in August that he was transferring to a school next door for the next two years.

          Can’t, because he wasn’t eligible in the first place.

          Let’s check in with the offensive lineman who told us in mid-September with an in-caps yelling to coaches that he would be playing at a school in the county next door for this season.

          Can’t, because he’s not been ruled eligible, though he’s listed on one version of the team’s roster and not on the other (speaking of which, anytime a head coach has five minutes – and they really do have five minutes more often than admitted – is a good time to check the rosters and make sure however many are out there are the same). …

          As per the Maxwell Ratings, who has the toughest schedules in Central Georgia? Here are latest overall rankings, next to in-classification rankings:

          28/3. Northside, 65.22
          44/2. Warner Robins, 61.69
          48/12. Houston County, 60.97
          61/2. Perry, 58.48
          64/20. Veterans, 58.37
          As far as GIAA:
          311/1. FPD, 34.22
          349/3. Tattnall, 30.07
353/4. Mount de Sales, 29.59
393/8. John Milledge, 22.97
414/14. Westfield, 17.04

           Me? I have to give Tattnall the toughest GIAA schedule, with a GHSA No. 1 and No. 5 on the menu. …

          Your early time-saving, not-paid-by-the-word, no performance art kickoff weather: High of 67ish, low of 44ish, pretty much clear. That’s brisk goin’-home weather.

          If you actually go and stay past halftime like a good supporter. 

Polls

          So much for the Division I tie, but Houston County and Perry are still mighty close.

          The gap is tighter in Division II up top, and, well, throughout the poll.

Division I (6A-5A-4A-3A, 13 teams)

1. Houston County, 7-2
2. Perry, 7-2
3. Warner Robins, 6-3
4. Mary Persons, 8-1
5. Jones County, 6-3
Division II (AA-A, FGIAA, 34 teams)
1. John Milledge, 9-0
2. Bleckley County, 8-2
3. Northeast, 7-2
4. Dublin, 7-2
5. Lamar County, 7-2
6. Macon County, 7-2
7. FPD, 5-3-1
8. Washington County, 5-4
9. Putnam County, 5-4
10. ACE, 7-2