Coffee: The longest offseason

Tuesday, August 28

Da'Rick Rogers won't be a member of Tennessee's team this year.

Something tells me that when touted WR prospect Da'Rick Rogers spurned UGA and opted to play his college football in Tennessee, he certainly didn't have this Tennessee school in mind.

Rogers was announced Monday as the newest member of Tennessee Tech's football program, bringing an official end to a tumultuous University of Tennessee career that was quite successful statistically (so long as wins and losses weren't included).

Considering the timing and the talent of the player, Rogers' dismissal from the Vols would have been more of a bombshell if it didn't represent such a common occurance this offseason.

Man, this offseason ...

I mean, Isaiah Crowell wasn't considering Alabama State out of high school, obviously, but that's where he is now after being kicked off Georgia's team last month. The Honey Badger was dismissed at LSU. Greg Reid couldn't make it anymore at Florida State.

There are more.

It's hard to tell in all this carnage if college football is cleansing itself with these actions or merely underlining problems already there. Rogers' dismissal was only the latest sad story in what has been a downright horrid offseason.

Obviously, the Penn State situation trumps all player issues that could be discussed. It gets no worse than that. Period.

So the taste in our mouths as we eagerly await the first game is a bad one.

Few programs were immune. Georgia sure wasn't. Not only was there Crowell's dismissal. But there is also the merky case of possible player suspensions to start the season. Some have been announced. Some have not. Some -- like Branden Smith -- have been cleared.

The secrecy has been aimed at the Missouri game, of course.

Was it worth it? Who knows?

UGA's unwillingness to be more forthcoming in this area may indeed result in a competitive advantage, but it has also prolonged negative publicity and rumors associated with the whole situation, making the conversation in many cases more about guys who may not be playing instead of ones who are.

This, however, isn't about that or Crowell or Rogers or any other particular example, even one as heinous as Penn State.

It's about a sport that appears to have lost its way, where the bad is beginning to drastically outweigh the good, where the titillation of NCAA trouble or suspensions for a rival team threatens to trump success for your own, where the offseason has seemingly become a more painful procedure for fans each year, routinely challenging passion and resolve through the spring and summer months.

We've been here before. The NCAA's agent crusade prior to the 2010 season seemed a low point for the sport, with the embarrassing memory of media at multiple schools having to rush around minutes before games just to try to find out which players were eligible and which were not. Georgia's best player at the time was one of them. That was bad.

But this latest offseason may have been worse. It has seemingly dragged on forever, and the negative headlines have been plentiful.

But now, thankfully, we are about to be reminded why we endure all this and still care as much as we do.

The games are about to begin.

I think all of you will join me in saying, "It's about time."

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ON THE AGENDA

Tuesday will bring the first game week media day of the season for UGA's team. Mark Richt will hold his weekly press conference around noon. Then we'll have practice later in the day with assistant coach interviews afterward. Plenty of coverage on The Junkyard of this, as always.

Meanwhile, there is this on tap for Friday night: David Richt, the 17-year-old son of Mark Richt, will be making his musical debut at an event called "Bulldog Fever Friday" in Athens.

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LINK(S) OF THE DAY

The official UGA site has come up with a good video to get you ready for the season.

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TWEET(S) OF THE DAY

The sun is out a breeze is flowing by, great day to get better. Five days left #GODAWGS!!!

OL Zach DeBell

I be crossing and juking ppl all day on campus with an imaginary basketball or football lol

TE Jay Rome

#Gotta stay on the grind the digits will come, bottom line we gotta shine...no matter what you become

LB Jarvis Jones

You always know someone's character by the way they treat the people they don't have to treat well.

LB Christian Robinson

Finally game week. Full focus on buffalo from now until we can put the first W in the books on Saturday

FB Merritt Hall

Can't believe college football starts this week! I hope y'all are just as excited as I am.

DB Sanders Commings

College football is more important to y'all then your own birthday. #Gottaloveit

DB Damian Swann

My mind messed up plus iGot bad trust issues... So ya waisting ya time tryna get close to me.! My circle already sewed shut.!!

DB Josh Harvey-Clemons

I'm about to put in an application for the Clarke county mentor program.

WR Justin Scott-Wesley

i been through so much it feels like i traveled the world.. twice to be exact.. #noregrets

DB Marc Deas

My momma always said if a girl can't wash your back or pick your nose, you don't need to be with her.

DB Corey Moore

The state of Georgia's new license plates looks like we must have lost a serious paper, rock, scissors with somebody.

Dawgs247's Rusty Mansell

Tryin hard to stay up #sociology

WR commit Uriah LeMay

I'm too young to be feeling this Old

LB commit Ryne Rankin