No news is usually good news in preseason practice. There will eventually be some hard news as the depth charts take shape, but much of the real information coming out of the first few weeks of practice is often bad – injuries, suspensions, and so on. So take it as a good sign that Bryan Evans’ hamstring injury is the only update of substance to come from the weekend.

One of the reasons why I appreciate listening to press conference audio is that you can get a sense of how different writers will try to establish themes that will become the basis of future articles. There’s nothing wrong with it – writers need an angle and perspective for their stories. After a while, you can tell who the regular beat writers are, and you can tell who the infrequent visitors are. The visitors are pretty easy to spot: they’ll already have their storyline decided, ask a few questions that seem completely random to get some quotes for that storyline, and they won’t ask anything else. We saw that Saturday when Mark Bradley started asking Richt about the importance of a single back getting 100+ yards per game.

There were some good table-setting features this weekend. Thomas Brown is 100% back. The receivers claim they have something to prove.

When the first couple of days are dominated by a disciplinary non-issue and "Scooter 101", you can relax a little. Let’s hope the long-term injuries continue to stay away.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Frank Beamer was accusing Georgia of spying on Virginia Tech’s Chick-fil-A Bowl practices:

“We practiced out at Georgia Tech and we let all kinds of people through there … people we didn’t really know,” Beamer said. “And I thought it hurt us in the bowl game. I’m not blaming anybody … but I thought Georgia knew exactly what we were doing in several situations.”

The plan was masterful:  allow Virginia Tech to get up 21-3 in order to maintain the illusion of a close game.  It didn’t matter that Virginia Tech constantly let the tight end slip past them.  It didn’t matter that they tried to block NFL-bound Charles Johnson with a freshman tight end.  Never mind film study and preparation.  “I’m not blaming anybody…”  Sure, Frank.

Virginia Tech has now closed “team” part of practices to the public.  It’s a policy that most schools use, including Georgia.  Now when his quarterback implodes in the second half, Beamer will have to look elsewhere for an excuse.

Citing “medical reasons”, Mark Richt announced Friday that Georgia center Ian Smith has left the team.  He will remain enrolled at Georgia.  The sophomore was one of only three returning linemen with playing experience.

Smith was in the middle of a season-spanning suspension that would have placed him on the bench for the first five games of 2007.  Following his second alcohol-related arrest during 2006, Smith was placed on University probation for the remainder of his academic career.  Smith, once a likely starter at center, now will try to hang on and earn a degree.

In other disciplinary news, Richt announced that quarterback Blake Barnes and starting tight end Tripp Chandler will receive one-game suspensions for their alcohol-related arrests in June.  They will miss the opening game against Oklahoma State.

The preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll is out this morning, and the Dawgs check in at a respectable #13.  That’s third-highest for any SEC team (LSU and Florida are #2 and #3).  Too high?  Too low?  Who knows?  We do know that poll position matters when it comes to the national title race, and the Dawgs aren’t far away from cracking the top 10.

The preseason top 10:

• Southern Cal
• LSU
• Florida
• Texas
• Michigan
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Oklahoma
• Virginia Tech
• Ohio State

Six SEC teams are ranked:  LSU (#2), Florida (#3), Georgia (#13), Auburn (#14), Tennessee (#15), and Arkansas (#20).  South Carolina, Kentucky, and Alabama also received votes.  Out-of-conference opponents Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State were also among the “others receiving votes” category.

As a reminder, here’s Georgia’s consensus preseason position over the last decade or so:

This came via e-mail today.  You probably got it too.

The 2007 football season is rapidly approaching, and the anticipation of another successful year continues to build.  Season tickets are scheduled to be shipped the week of August 10th.  We would, however, like to make you aware of a revision to the originally scheduled single home and out-of-town shipment date of August 10th.  The University of Georgia Athletic Association Ticket Office is awaiting delivery of ticket allotments from two institutions before fulfillment of all orders is reached.  The traditional mail date will be delayed until the week of August 20 in order to include these tickets with the single game ticket shipment. We appreciate your patience, and thanks for supporting the Dawgs.

Considering the news last week that Tech and Florida point total cutoffs are still unknown, I think we have a pretty good idea which schools and games are holding up the second shipment.

A pair of Bulldogs, one a veteran and the other a newcomer, received news within the past day that they’ll be playing football on scholarship for Georgia this fall.

First, incoming defensive back Vance Cuff learned this morning that his academic credentials were finally accepted by the NCAA.  Cuff had been denied eligibility based on a disputed core class,  but he got a call from an athletic administrator letting him know that his appeal was successful and a waiver had been granted to allow Cuff to count that class.  Cuff will be able to enroll later this week and join the team as preseason practice begins next week.  Safety John Knox is the only 2007 signee whose qualifying is still in doubt.

It’s the dream of every walk-on to contribute to the program and eventually earn a scholarship in recognition for his efforts.  From Billy Bennett to Verron Haynes to Brandon Coutu, some very famous recent Bulldogs have taken that path.  Snapper Jeff Henson of Gainesville is the latest to realize this dream.  He won the job last year, and he’s now on scholarship as a junior.  “Jeff has done an outstanding job handling this very difficult position,” said head coach Mark Richt. “He’s provided stability at an important spot and we feel he’s well-deserving of the scholarship.”

Congratulations to both of these guys.

The Senator has some thoughtful posts up in the past couple of days about preseason polls and their effect on the postseason.

I looked at the story of Auburn 2004 myself last month (more from a scheduling perspective) and came to a similar conclusion but with one key difference: Auburn’s problems started long before the preseason polls. I believe that the mess left after the 2003 BCS established default 2004 contenders from the second that the final whistle blew. The 2004 preseason polls were just the culmination of the controversy and eight months of debate.

We see a similar thing already happening this season. Even before any official preseason polls have been released, those who help to guide the discussion are already setting the table for a Southern Cal – LSU national title game. It’s theirs to lose.

I don’t disagree with the merit and logic of delaying official polls. It’s clear that "name" programs get the benefit of the doubt. I do think though that delaying polls runs contrary to the nature of a football fan. We are constantly measuring ourselves against our rivals and opponents in everything from recruiting to scheduling. Many of the preseason polls included in Stassen’s analysis do nothing but drive magazine sales. If an Auburn fan can hold something over the head of an Alabama fan, it doesn’t matter how premature, inaccurate, or trivial the poll is. Mascots? Been there. Stadiums? Done that. Coaches? Finebaum stirs that pot every summer.

Will that change if official polls are delayed? I don’t think so. Fans will still support the preseason magazine industry, and the rankings are the core of that business. I even suspect that the official polls themselves wouldn’t change much. Why? Because, as the Senator reminds us, people who vote in polls are lazy. How true that is. What that means in terms of releasing polls later in the season is that the pollsters will "cheat". The groupthink would be established over the summer by the pundits and the magazines, and no observer of the game can remain untainted. Why take the time to pour over a month of football when Phil Steele has done all of the work for you? Take the preseason consensus, adjust for the losses over the first month of the season, and you’re done. For that reason, I don’t expect that any poll released for the first time in October would be much different than the polls we already see in the fifth and sixth week of the season.

While the flaw the Senator points out is very real, I’m not so sure that delaying polls would provide any real changes.

The Georgia-Florida game as-is still has at least three years left. All it took was a mention from Coach Richt to get opinions flying again on the subject. Nearly every Georgia fan has a pretty strong opinion on the issue, and variations on alternatives are about as numerous as playoff proposals. As we get closer to the decision, just think how much more heated this discussion will become.

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that any change to the Georgia-Florida game, especially if initiated by the Georgia side, will have as divisive an effect as the Dooley-Adams flap of 2003.

A limited number of single-game Georgia football tickets are still available for upcoming home dates against Oklahoma State (Sept. 1) and Kentucky (Nov. 17).

Beginning on August 1 @ 8:00am, these remaining tickets can be purchased online www.georgiadogs.com or by calling the Athletic Association’s ticket office toll free 1-877-542-1231. There is no limit per order.

Tickets are $40 each plus a processing fee and orders will be mailed out beginning August 20.

Last night’s Atlanta Bulldog Club meeting was the typical preseason pep rally, but the nagging topic of Florida naturally came up.

Coach Richt didn’t back down to the challenge and matter-of-factly stated that the Gators stood in the way of Georgia’s goals. "If we are going to win an SEC East title, and that is our plan – to win it, we are going to have to beat them," he explained. "If they are in the way, then so be it." That sounded great until the topic of the venue came up.

"Do I truly think it is a neutral site?" Richt said. "No, I don’t. That doesn’t feel very neutral to me. If you want to have a neutral game, let’s have a neutral game in Atlanta. I would not be against rotating the thing around."

Forget about defending the tradition of the Cocktail Party for a second. We’ve got a bigger problem.

Florida is a tough enough opponent without things like the location becoming a mental block for the head coach. In a game of this magnitude with not only a rivalry but often an SEC East title on the line, that’s not good news. When the Top Dawg gets off the plane thinking, "neutral my left toe," you’re at a disadvantage before the game is ever played. The game has been decided by a touchdown or less in the past five meetings, so you can appreciate the significance of the mental advantage when two pretty evenly-matched quality teams play.

I don’t think it’s a reach to suggest that this mental block has manifested itself in Georgia’s offensive performances in Jacksonville. For all of the attention paid to Spurrier and Meyer and their offenses, Georgia’s biggest impediment in Jacksonville has more often than not been on the other side of the ball. In Richt’s six games against Florida, the Dawgs have scored 10, 13, 13, 31, 10, and 14 points against the Gators. It hasn’t exactly taken Norm Chow on the other sideline to beat those meager point totals, and it’s not an accident that Georgia won in the only year in which they broke 20 points. Mike Bobo was under center for a big loss and a big win in Jacksonville, and we’ll see if his promotion to coordinator can do anything to snap Georgia out of this funk on offense.

Maybe I’m wrong for dwelling on this point on a night where Richt confidently praised his quarterback and said "I don’t think we are too far away" from bringing a national title to Athens. It’s just that any national title run in the near future is going to go through Jacksonville. The Dawgs need a dose of that same mental toughness that they bring to Columbia, Knoxville, and Auburn, and dwelling on the neutrality of the site isn’t a positive first step towards building that attitude.

Richt is resigned to play the game in Jacksonville for the time being, "Whatever Damon says goes. The bottom line is we have got to win the game." That conclusion, while true, doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence when we’re reluctant to be there in the first place.

One of the themes coming out of the Georgia camp from SEC Media Days was the relative absence of Bulldogs in preseason media honors. As Ching wrote,

The Bulldogs were shut out of the first-team balloting for the first time since the Media Days event started in 1992. Only two Georgia players – place-kicker Brandon Coutu and linebacker Brandon Miller – earned second-team honors, tying Georgia with Mississippi State and Ole Miss for the fewest all-conference players in the league.

Georgia was the only SEC team without a first-team player. Sounds pretty ominous, right? Yet the same media also picked the Dawgs to finish third in the tough SEC East, and they were a lot closer in the voting to second place Tennessee than they were to fourth place South Carolina. That apparent incongruity could mean any or all of these:

• The press is going out on a limb that a proven coach like Mark Richt will put a good team together despite the lack of stars.
• The press believes that the Dawgs have a lot of above-average-but-not-quite-great players.
• The press acknowledges that Georgia doesn’t have many all-SEC players based on previous production, but they expect a few to emerge this year.
• Georgia will be hurt by their lack of star power, but the press isn’t ready yet to move teams like South Carolina or Kentucky into the top half of the division.

Take your pick – you could make a case for any of them. If you ask Coach Richt, the answer might be the third option. "Whether we rise or not is the big question,” he admitted at Media Days. “But I believe in this team. I think we’ve got a chance to do as well as any team that we’ve had since we’ve been here.”

The Dawgs are facing a double-whammy: not many teams have fewer returning starters, and those returning starters are either young or have had average production to this point. Florida, on the other hand, has only eight returning starters, but six of their key contributors are on the preseason all-SEC team. To illustrate the point, think back to 2003. Georgia’s offensive line was decimated after 2002 and gave up over 40 sacks in 2003. At least the Dawgs had a stout defense with proven playmakers on which to lean. In 2007, Georgia has no such glaring strength to carry the team. Instead of Pollack, Davis, Thurman, and Jones, the 2007 Dawgs will lean on guys like Stafford, Massaquoi, Lumpkin, Sturdivant, Owens, Miller, and Johnson.

Those guys are hardly stiffs, but almost all have inexperience to overcome or have spent careers out of the spotlight to this point. Richt’s "whether we rise" question hits the story of the 2007 season dead on. Some talented guys will be thrust into key roles by necessity, and Georgia’s fortunes will turn on their ability to turn preseason anonymity into postseason glory.

Though most of the NFL spotlight was focused on Michael Vick today, the NFL announced that Odell Thurman’s request for reinstatement to the league was declined. Thurman missed the entire 2006 season after missing a drug test and an arrest for DUI.

After two seasons on the shelf, one wonders if Odell Thurman will ever see an NFL field again.

Rivals.com is reporting that Wake Forest men’s basketball coach Skip Prosser has died after collapsing during a jog. Prosser rebuilt Wake into a top 10 program and was in the middle of assembling one of the nation’s best recruiting classes. Our thoughts are with the Wake Forest fans this evening.

Georgia coach Dennis Felton joined Prosser this spring as part of Operation Hardwood in Kuwait, so we’re almost certain to have a comment soon from Coach Felton.

It’s that time of year when you begin going through the garage and taking inventory of your tailgate supplies. The chairs probably have to be dusted off. Menus must be planned. The generator might need some oil. You might even need a new tent. Yesterday the Georgia Sports Blog highlighted the latest in tailgating toys – a giant, inflatable canopy dwarfing anything you have at your tailgate now. Nice, huh? I can’t get past the fact that 1) it looks like a spider and 2) anything inflatable reminds me of that insect they have filling empty seats in Atlanta. I have no idea how that bee kept deflating during games in the early 1990s.

They take a slightly different approach to tailgate preparation in Iraq (h/t Deadspin):

Iraqi fans have been stocking up on gasoline and ammunition in preparation for their national soccer team’s Asian Cup semi-final against South Korea.

Outstanding. Those Iraqi fans must’ve done their postgraduate work at N.C. State.

It’s not necessarily a good feeling to look at the Georgia wide receiver depth chart and alternate between "he’s a senior now?" and "he’s still on the team?"

When we last left the receivers: It wasn’t exactly a banner year for Georgia wide receivers. Blame whatever you like – coaching, talent, new quarterbacks, or the granite bulldog – Georgia receivers had a grand total of four touchdowns last year. Four. Mohamed Massaquoi and Mario Raley had two apiece, and no other Georgia receiver found the end zone. You can point to a diverse offense that spread the scoring to tight ends and even fullbacks, but only Ole Miss and Mississippi State had fewer receiving touchdowns last year. The stigma of drops and a lack of big plays continued to haunt the position.

What’s happened since: The biggest news at the receiver position is the return of two upperclassmen from injury. Sean Bailey tore his knee after a two touchdown performance in the 2005 SEC Championship game and missed the entire 2006 season. Demiko Goodman was finally starting to turn it on late last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Kentucky. Senior T.J. Gartrell is also back after missing 2006 with a torn patella tendon. Gartrell has yet to find his place, but as a senior he could have a limited but productive role similar to Raley last year. Mikey Henderson stood out in spring – enough to rocket past most others on the depth chart and challenge for a starting spot.

What to look for in preseason practice: The Dawgs have a lot of upperclassmen receivers, and at times you want to make all of them and none of them a starter. The depth chart and rotation is very much up for grabs. Massaquoi is the most likely starter, but anything could happen after that. Will Bailey step back into a prominent role? Goodman was pushing the starters before his injury last season; will he pick back up at that level?

You also have the question of some veterans who are hanging around, occasionally making plays but never quite breaking through. We’ve touched on Gartrell. A.J. Bryant came into the program as the #1-rated "athlete" in the nation, but his success at receiver has been spotty and slowed by injuries. Kenneth Harris likewise has had his moments but has not been a consistent standout. You’d like for one of these upperclassmen, especially Bryant, to make a move forward before their eligibility runs out.

There are also a group of younger guys looking for playing time. Kris Durham made a name for himself with several clutch catches as a true freshman. Michael Moore also looked decent in his first season. Tony Wilson looks to join the fray this year after being named Most Improved Receiver in spring practice.

While the receiver class of 2008 is already building hype, we forget that Georgia signed two good receivers last February. Israel Troupe was probably the best receiver in the state and will play for Georgia despite being selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. Walter Hill is a football/basketball star recruited for both sports. At 6’4", he’ll be a tall talent with great leaping ability. Last year Durham made an impact as a true freshman. Unless there is improvement from the upperclassmen, Troupe and/or Hill could likewise see time in 2007.

Concerns? Optimism? Challenges? With so many names listed above, you’d think that Georgia has more than enough depth to field a decent or even above-average receiving corps. So far, the production hasn’t matched the recruiting hype. Massaquoi began to shake off his sophomore slump in the Tech game, and that must continue. The opportunity is there for any receiver ready to step out of the shadows. The good news is that Georgia’s receivers have one of the best passers in the league under center. The stability at the quarterback position should help a great deal.

Since the departure of Gibson and Brown in 2004, the Georgia receiver position has been largely anonymous. Massaquoi emerged quickly as a fan favorite, but the praise hasn’t resonated far beyond Athens. With the window of opportunity in the Matthew Stafford era entering its prime, the receivers must step up to keep up.