Central Georgia Sports ReportComment

Monday Morning QB: A Saturday like most others (really); the new Falcons? They still need O; Loughdmouthings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm …)

Central Georgia Sports ReportComment
Monday Morning QB: A Saturday like most others (really); the new Falcons? They still need O; Loughdmouthings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm …)

          A Saturday like no other, it was.

          Well, except that for one game, it was like just about every other Saturday the last decade.

          Upsets, surprises, routs, hotseats getting warmer. Every Saturday. Cringe whenever anybody says they’ve never seen anything like this, no matter what this is, because if you ask them when was the last time they’ve seen anything like this, they have no answer.

          Folks love to hyperbolize.

          In this case, well, no, we’ve never seen Vandy beat a top-5 team, and we haven’t seen Alabama lose to a team with this weak a reputation and tradition since Louisiana-Monroe baet the Tide in Nick Saban’s first season.

          Contrary to another missed take by a national “media” person, this wasn’t an NIL win, this was a portal win. Vandy has a lot of new bodies, almost none of him foretold this as a possibility.

          I say that because none of us outside of metro Nashville paid much attention to Vanderbilt’s portal workings. We will now.

          As nice as it was overall, know this; If Alaba tamackled at all, at all, like Georgia didn’t tackle in the first half of the Alabama game, the Tide would’ve won. Period.

          Bad, lazy, weak tackling is losing more games than anything. Just watch. Bad tackling, foggy pass coverage. Bad fundamentals are being sold as great plays.

          Vanderbilt, a running team, got the ball with 2:44 left on its 18, and was able to run out the clock. Got 19 on a short pass on second and 12, ran for eight on second and 7, and that’s the ballgame.

          I don’t care about the offensive plan or formations or philosophy. If a team runs it 54 times, even if for only 3.1 yards a carry, there are missed tackles galore. Team converts on 12 of 18 third downs, there are missed tackles galore.

          A lack of fundamental play is increasingly an equalizer.

          Nevertheless, we haven’t seen an upset like that in awhile, which is bad news this week for underdogs. But soon enough, somebody will raise our eyebrows.

          Which are raised every Saturday.

Falcons do it again (a rerun)

          Yes, Atlanta has one “ohhh, those Falcons” loss left this season.   But they’re still fine, and in better shape than better programs.

          Note that only five teams are better than 3-2, which is where Atlanta is.

          It’s worth noting that Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston, is the only team with a winning record and still a negative points margin, minus 4. Shoot, for all the praise of the Texans, they’re 4-1 and minus 12 points.

          Scoring 36 points in an overtime game, contrary to what the broadcast clowns offer, doesn’t mean the Atlanta offense has arrived. One game is one game, it’s not a trend or statement.

          They need to win some games without relying on Younghoe Koo to drag their butts out of the sling.

Loughdmouthings

          Dear high school football officials: Honestly, if marking off a five-yard pre-snap penalty takes more than 15 seconds, one of you needs to drop and do 10 pushups.

          And for the love of God, how do y’all miss so many spots on a five-yard penalty, or any penalty that’s not a spot foul? Fundamentals.

          I can handle most anything with officiating, but poorly administrated games are brutal. …

          I’m rarely surprised too much, but yeah, Vanderbilt over Alabama was  good-thing-I-was-sitting result, because otherwise, I’d have fallen down.

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          And certainly the way it went, with Vanderbilt dominating the line of scrimmage and time of possession, and answering every Alabama threat, and then being able to seal it at the end, in large part because of the football epidemic of fraudulent tackling. …

          Noise/web pollution: Last week, thebroadcastcomtwits and online clowns fretted about Georgia’s playoff status after losing to Alabama.

          Which, of course, is a dumb thought. Which, of course, is standard for those two groups.

          Book this: 10 of the 12 playoff teams will have a loss, maybe all 12. And some will have two losses. And there will be an argument for a three-loss team to be in there.

          That argument will be legitimate. If, say, Texas loses to Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas A&M – all ranked – do you automatically keep the Horns out?

CENTRAL GEORGIA’S BEST HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COVERAGE

Last week
* Roundup, coming Saturday morning: Benedictine tops Warner Robins, Mary Persons wins, Upson-Lee & Dodge County hold on, Tattnall survives, Brentwood tops champs
*Thursday’s roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games, coming Friday morning
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Missing the point - and tackles - on UGA-Bama; Falcons getting there, but about the O …; Loughdmouthings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm …)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Two weeks ago
* Saturday roundup
* Saturday scouting reports
* Friday roundup
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* Central Georgia rankings
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Two good weeks of football for Atlanta? Loughdmoutings galore (the wit, the wisdom, the sarcasm)
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

Three weeks ago
* Roundup: No trouble for Warner Robins, Peach County, Northeast, Southwest, Dublin, Jasper County, others; Thriller wins for Washington County,Putnam County, FPD; Howard, Westside with surprises
* Scouting Reports: This week’s GHSA and GIAA games
* Maxwell Predictions
* Who’s going to win this week’s games
* Central Georgia state composite rankings
* What do the Central Georgia area rankings look like?
* Monday Morning Quarterback: Another black and blue battle in Lexington; Loughdmouthings: Falcons, silly second-guessing, county records …
* Macon Touchdown Club players of the week

          If Georgia loses to two out of Texas, Tennessee, and Mississippi – all in the top 10 – do you automatically keep the Bulldogs out?

          Alabama’s loss was staggering, but in no way knocks the Tide out. The leash is tighter because of the “quality” of that loss, and they can’t afford another unranked loss.

          Plus, it was inevitable. As is Alabama getting pissed and on a run from here on out. Probably. Folks want to whine about Kaleb DeBoer, but players have to look in the mirror. Players who don’t do what they’re told, or don’t play hard. …

          Coaches calling out fans is a little interesting, and funny. Coaches who don’t do any public fan or booster gatherings during the offseason and call out fans is a little interesting and funny.

          Sure seems like making 8 mil or more a year and having two or three times as many “coaches” and “analysts” and “quality control” people and video people would have time to actually engage with the public in a public setting.

          A team coming off a loss or poor performance and then playing a team on a slide on a hotter-than-usual afternoon isn’t going to necessarily be an electric gathering. And if the other team doesn’t bring a crowd, and the game is a little dull, yeah, it’ll happen.

          Perhaps fans would be a little more jazzed on such days if they and their five- and six-figure incoming hands got to shake the $8 mil hands every so often, maybe take a picture.

But they’ll “respond” and people will make a big deal out of it, as if there was chance of a fan base not cowtowing to its head coach, even if they were sort of “right”. …

          Ahem, from last week: “Prediction: Kyle Pitts will have a game with – OK, I’ll say it – seven catches, and everybody will lose their minds. …”

          And there was Kyle Pitts, just a few days later, with seven catches for the Falcons. Thankyou, thankyouverymuch. …

          No, Miami isn't back until it's still playing in November like it was in September when broadcastcomtwits and web clownies breathlessly said Miami's back. No. Sure, it owns September (and perhaps early October), though. …

          Stunning. More props to the Vanderbilt. The Commodores knocked off Alabama despite opening the door to the secret meeting room and posting a posting the depth chart long before the game.

And, come on, Dores, playing after the game Nick Saban’s comment about Vandy being the only place in the SEC without a homefield advantage? Guys, it’s one game. One game. You haven’t proven him wrong yet, and won’t until you have 70 percent of the stadium full and have winning records.

People sure do love avoiding reality.