So yeah. That one time I told you that you should totally still watch? My bad guys. You should totally probably stop watching now. At least until the draft. In the meantime, it’s Labor Day in Atlanta! That magical weekend when GADOT issues alerts on Tuesday to totes warn you about about impending traffic doom on Thursday, and that’s before the weekend of SEC+DragonCon cray even starts. All the pre-con weekend traffic already up and clogging. 65K or so for the Falcons final preseason. And GA Tech kicking off the season with a tuneup against Alcorn State.
You may recall that Tech is the defending state champion, having beaten Georgia Southern in a nail-biter at home before travelling over to the ag-subsidy campus in Athens to put away the third tier squad. That game was probably closer than it should have been, given the obvious talent and coaching advantages the Yellow Jackets bring to bear, but sometimes an also-ran will get hyped up to play better competition on their home field. It happens.
The Jackets come into 2015 as the favorites in the ACC Coastal. They return the best QB they’ve had for coach Johnson’s system to date, Justin Thomas, while adding a big full back from Stanford, Patrick Skov. Skov is a grad student transfer who got few touches as an undergrad at Stanford and has his senior year of eligibility left. As per usual, the defense is the question, but you can have bad defense when you run all over your competition and milk the clock while doing.
Meanwhile, the second best state squad looks to improve on a fantastic freshman year showing in the Sun Coast Conference, where they missed a bowl selection only due to league rules that they couldn’t play in a bowl game their first season in. The third place also-rans just named the guy UVA cut this spring as their starting QB. While, it’s not hard to hand the ball to Nick Chubb, per se, well. Ya know? Cut by UVA. Threw more interceptions than TDs last year for the Cavs. Turr-ble.
The Jackets, however, barring catastrophe, should move through the Coastal relatively well and take another shot at the same ACC title game and a bid for the Playoffs, where Paul Johnson’s system will reek havoc on all comers. UGA may manage to beat Tennessee or Mizzou, but probably not both.
This is Tech’s best team of the Paul Johnson era. Trouble is I think Clemson’s team is the best of the Dabo Swinney era. Won’t matter if they can’t beat FSU–Tech only has to beat the winner of that game to win the ACC
UGA will beat Tennessee. Of course, the Vols will probably struggle against Off Week, too.
That Sam.
This has team quit. It is shameful
This has team quit. It is shameful
So a typical September under Fredi?
Fredi’s consistent.
I didn’t think we should blame Fredi a few weeks ago. I’ve changed my mind.
Olivera getting hot would make me feel better.
Olivera has a ton of movement in his swing. He’s actually giving me nightmares of BJ.
WHAT ???? We gave up oir #1 prospect and a top of the rotation starter for this 30 year old chump at 3B ?? Thats a head scratcher there .. even I can tell his swing is too long and loopy .. what a waste …
If Tad takes the under, I’ll bet the over every time.
I agree with Tad. Olivera is coming around the ball to try to mash it out. He is the antithesis of Fredi Freeman’s quick hands approach. I pray this is simply jitters. I doubt it though.
Well, he sure hit that one with authority. Maybe there’s hope.
What are we doing?
A whole lot of folks thought Hector was worth significant dollars. He was out for a long time and is trying to regain his timing against big league pitchers. He may turn out to be nothing much, but jeez! Give the boy some time.
Olivera may or may not work out and Wood may or may not decline, but I’m pretty sure of one thing: We did not give up anything that will be missed when we gave up Jose Peraza.
And yeah, we won’t know what we have in Olivera until well into next year. Not that I don’t expect carping until then, just know that you’re not being 100 percent fair…heh.
They may win this one tonight. Blind squirrels and all that…
@16, says the guy who is 100% certain we gave up nothing that will be missed in Peraza. Please teach me to be 100% fair!
Olivera is trying to hit everything out. That is better than what most guys on the team are doing
In my defense, I said “pretty sure.” I’d put it somewhere between 80 and 90 percent.
@20, which is about as harsh as anyone was on Olivera, and more harsh than most, especially given we’ve seen Olivera flail a few dozen times and haven’t actually seen much of peraza
Apparently we can’t even tank properly.
Olivera is silencing his critics tonight.
But I still say his swing has a ton of movement.
@21
I see a lot of Gwinnett games, so I saw Peraza play plenty, if that helps you any. I’m not totally uninformed on the topic. I’ve seen way more of him than Olivera at this point, actually.
Also, there’s your power.
I’m liking him better than I did yesterday.
Win, win, win.
Huh. There’s a W next to the Braves name. Can anyone explain to me what that means? Is it some new advanced stat that we’ll hear Joe griping about soon?
I had almost forgotten what it felt like for my team to win a baseball game.
Hector Olivera
he’s found philly pitching phairer
his four RBI’s
clearly for the cynics somewhat of a surprise.
Williams Perez
there’s nothing to it he sez
an easy seven
i was more than ready to go eleven.
Beating the phillies is like winning a Grammy.
Did 29 people win a Grammy this year?
Yeah yeah…when you haven’t won a game in two weeks, beggars can’t be choosers.
Hey, a win, which reminds me…
Mark Richt 12
Humble Bumbles 2