Gurley, Bobo, Gobo, Burley and Mr. Allen

(Posting delayed by technical difficulties)

            The venom-filled and embarrassing reaction – folks are allowed to say all that and vote and reproduce? – of Todd Gurley’s screwup – and that’s all it was, a screwup in the scheme of relevant life – aside, Georgia folks needn’t sprint to the ledges again, jump on the panic button.

            The pick here was Georgia early in the week, and it’s stayed at Georgia. Frankly, hardly thought about changing. Maybe I still don’t take Missouri serious enough yet.

            But there are scores of reasons to stick with Georgia.

            A) There is little reason to tweak the game plan a whole bunch. Tailback has been, even with injuries, a position of strength for Georgia, and people have already started easing Gurley out the door for Chubb, as people are wont to do.

            There will be adjustments, of course, but not drastic. Fine tuning here, ‘let’s not do this as much’ over there, and a “Hey you receivers, catch the damn ball and block the damn man.”

            B) Missouri is decent at most things, not particularly great at any.

            The Tigers are in the top 25 percent of the FBS in sacks and tackles for loss

            They’re in the bottom 30 percent in completion percentage and time of possession.

            C) This is the right time to be on the road, considering the distractions.

            Coaches really like road games because of the bunker mentality, fewer distractions and chance for team-building. The “us against the world” thinking develops more on the road, and coaches have more time with players. It’s unifying.

            Expect Georgia to be unified, and sharper.

            D) Huston Mason is due, and sometimes there’s stepping up in dire circumstances.

            We see it all the time in sports. When it comes down to nut-cutting time and odds have fallen the other way, somebody comes up big. Georgia also tends to turn in a "why can't they do that all the time?" kind of game when backed up to the wall.

            He has to put it on his shoulders, and he’s a confident guy who now has a pretty full complement of receivers, which is a huge difference as far as his gameday confidence and the during-game playcalling adjustments.

            Missouri loses one thing to worry about, adds a few more.

            The bigger key is, again, Georgia’s defense, not quite revolutionary under The Next Erk (Yeah, I keep pounding on that because of the frothing at the hire for no legitimate reason other than delusional wishful thinking).

            Georgia’s not-really-the-problem offense won’t be able to throw up a bunch of points almost automatically and save the defense. This is the game the defense has to bow up and maybe save the offense.

            Note that Missouri is 93^rd in completion percentage. Georgia is 12^th.

            Are there differences in the game today than as of Tuesday? Yeah. Is it the mammoth difference people want to say? No.

            But folks overreact and prepare for the worst, so exaggeration is convenient.
          
            E) Georgia's season isn't done. The Bulldogs should become more diverse on offense, will get healthier at RB and have a new  underdog mentality that will help. Nothing is out of the picture.

            As for the other aspect of Gurley’s absence:

            1) This happened in the spring. Months ago. And Gurley knew.

            The rule is the rule, teams and coaches hammer about five key ones home to players on a regular basis, and this is one of them.

            And Gurley’s no idiot.

            2) Differences in violation and punishment aside, Gurley just saw this situation with Mr. Manziel only months earlier. Not years earlier.

            It was a fairly well-covered topic. And Gurley ignored it.

            3) The rule may not be perfect, but in theory, it’s needed, and the “ah, screw it, let’s cheat” reaction of so many backs up that it’s needed.

            Same people bitch about “regulations” on one hand want to break them on the other.

            The deal: money corrupts and college football has plenty of money. Obsession corrupts, and ditto.

            Take it out, and you’ll have boosters and others setting up big-money autograph sessions or dropping 5Gs on an autograph.

            In reality – sorry, I throw that word out every so often – that’s a bit much for a 20-year-old, yes?

            Many rules are imperfect, but fairly fitting an imperfect and very-hard-to-govern institution.

            It can’t just be about money, and the rule helps with that.

            4) I’m pretty sure Mr. Allen was just about money, and isn’t so wise to plan a massive scheme – last spring, away from football, before Gurleymania took full effect – to sabotage Georgia before it played Florida.

            Come on, man. Guy is what he is, looking to make money – hey, where’s our talk about capitalism? – and not giving a crap about how he does it. Manipulation – as in recruiting – is part of the game.

            You seen Florida the past few years? That’s a lotta sabotaging to work on. Gurley was just a name on his money-making list, not THE name.

            5) Folks need drastically to get a grip and grow up. It’s become almost psychopathic.

            Like most every other reaction the past decade, hypocrisy teams with a closed mind and suddenly non-existent memory.

            It happens to somebody else: haaaa haha ha. What a douchebag/idiot/moron. They get what they deserve. So typical of (fill in school).

            It happens to us: Maaaan, everybody’s against us. NCAA must love this. Why is that rule in there in the first place? That’s just wrong.

            Fan base goes flat apeshit with paranoia, threats, and wails of persecution: Jeez, they’re nuts. Glad our fans aren’t anything like that.

            And then: Bryan Allen better move out of state and change his looks. Dead man walkin. Better have the cops ride by his house for awhile. I’ll kill him.

            Really? And people need to get over themselves and this arrogance of importance and feeling of entitlement, as if Gurley wanted to make you feel bad.

You volunteer to watch and pay, and that’s all. You own the ticket and your souvenirs. Nothing else, and certainly no body.

            More need to invest in Prozac. Maybe we can start putting logos on it.

            There is a vast difference between passion and obsession.

            Passion: “a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something.”

            Obsession: “a state in which someone thinks about someone or something constantly or frequently especially in a way that is not normal.”

            Obsession isn’t healthy, and no, it’s not funny. It’s almost medical.

            We are a nation of the obsessed.