Final Feelings: Show Me the BBQ (If it is so Good)
ATHENS - The Dawg Post crew tells you what to look for this Friday night and Saturday, and their final takes, views and predictions for this weekend.
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Dylan’s Final Feelings:
Practice this week was pretty fun. It wasn’t ridiculously hot outside, so I wasn’t sweating through my shirt. I got to see a blowup of epic proportions from Sam Pittman. The dude tore the offensive line a new one, having a carpet bomb of F-words and GDs. I had seen Chaney go off before, but not like this. He usually stops after getting his few words in. Pittman was at it for minutes. It honestly took my eye away from the practice for longer than it maybe should have (worth it). Seeing James Coley run after the quarterbacks was also new-level funny. Definitely an A+ for the coaching staff this week by my grading criteria.
As for the more serious parts of practice - D'Andre Swift was there all week. He’ll play Saturday, I would be beyond confused if he didn’t. I’m not to the same level of confidence of J.R. Reed, but I’m almost positive he’ll play too. Reports say he was just sick on Wednesday, but when I tried to confirm that information I didn't get a firm answer. As for Andrew Thomas, I think he’ll be in Columbia and suited up. From what it sounds like though he probably will not play. He’ll be ready to go incase things on the O-line turn sour in Missouri. But if Cade Mays holds his own, and I think he will, Thomas will be watching this game from the sideline.
I’m not going to see a high school game tonight. Rather, I’ll be getting down on some delicious barbeque up in Kansas City with Dean.
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For the game: I think Missouri is good and will be a tough offense to deal with. Probably one of the tougher ones they see this year. But Georgia will be able to do whatever they want with them on offense. Give me the Dawgs and I'll take the over on the -14.5, too.
As for the Horns and the Aggies:
Don’t buy stock into Texas. I did a couple years ago when they beat Notre Dame at home. ND finished that year 4-8 and UT wasn’t too far behind at 5-7. I don’t think USC is that bad, nor Texas, but they aren’t worlds better either. TCU looked good against OSU and will be able to make some big plays in Austin. The Frogs are gonna win that one and cover (TCU -3).
The Aggies are pretty screwed. If this game were in College Station it would be a close one. But in Tuscaloosa? They are going to get trampled. Bama is favored by 26, which is crazy for a top-25 matchup. I don’t think it will be that bad, but it will be close. I would love to be wrong on that though.
Matt’s Final Feelings
I’ll just come right out and say it: My girlfriend of 8 months got her hair done this week, and she’s no longer a blonde. She went back to her natural hair color, which is brown. She said it had something to do with her “roots” or something like that. Whatever that means. I’m sure it looks great, and I’ll see her on Saturday, but I was really digging the blonde.
Oh well.
Anyway, that was as bad as my week got. The Bulldogs are 3-0 and head up to Missouri to take on Drew Locke and the Tigers. Yes, I think this will be a test for the secondary and the defense in general, but this is another game that should be over at the half. Georgia should have no problem scoring close to 50 in this game. For the 4th game in a row, I think Prather Hudson will get a carry or two in the 4th quarter. I think Georgia gets the win 49-20.
As for the Gators and Vols, I think the Gators win a close, terrible football game. It will be tough to watch. Turnovers left and right. Penalties left and right. I think the Vols blow it at the end with a chance to win the game. Classic Florida/Tennessee game, right? This year won’t be any different. Gators top the Vols on the road 24-20.
The Falcons are going back to the Super Bowl. I’m back on the Falcons train. Yes, they almost blew the game against the North Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but they looked pretty good doing it. They completely choked against the Eagles in the season opener, but they’ll bounce back. The Birds will beat those damn Saints on Sunday, too.
Book it.
Barring one of the biggest September collapses in the history of baseball, the Atlanta Braves will win the Eastern division and head to the playoffs. They can essentially wrap up the division for good this weekend as those losers up in Philadelphia travel down to beautiful SunTrust Park for a 4-game series. The girlfriend wants to go to a Braves game before the season ends, so instead of watching my Birds beat the Saints on Sunday, I’ll be at SunTrust cheering on the Braves while constantly checking my phone for NFL scores.
She’s going to hate me on Sunday.
On Friday night I’ll be watching TE commit Ryland Goede play. He’s a guy I’ve known for a while, and he’s a big Dawg Post fan now. He's a real big kid at 6-foot-7 who can be a big threat in the passing game. There’s quite a few good TE’s around the state in 2019, but Goede is the guy Georgia wanted. Like the rest of the 2019 class, I’ve got high expectations for him. I’ve seen him play for years so I don’t plan on learning anything new about him, but It will be interesting to see how he’s developed since the end of last year.
Also, I tried working out again this week. It didn’t go well. I’m putting the Bud Lights down and hitting the weights for the rest of the year. At least that’s the plan. Anyway, I lifted some weights and did some leg work on Monday and Wednesday, and I’m paying the price. My fat ass is sore all over but I guess that’s what I deserve. I’m a badass though so I’ll push through it and look like the Rock by December.
Dean’s Final Feelings
No. 2 Georgia heads into this game as a anywhere from a 14- to 15-point favorite on the road at an undefeated team. I am having a hard time figuring out why Georgia loses this game. Missouri had to save themselves last weekend at Purdue - a bad Purdue team - kicking a game-winning FG as time expired to win the game.
There is value in winning. It always beats losing. There is also playing well and looking good when you play. What Georgia is doing isn’t an accident. This has been a consistent thing for some time now - dating back to the start of the 2018 season. That’s 18 games ago. What you see is what you get from this team.
There is no more goofing around with the likes of South Carolina. UGA simply cut off the heads of the Chickens at the start of the second half. The same could be said for nearly every game Georgia has played since the start of last season with the exception of the Notre Dame trip, the first game against Auburn and Oklahoma and Alabama.
Those teams all have something in common that much of Georgia’s schedule right now doesn’t. They are quality foes capable of making a playoff run. Can we say that about Missouri this week? Can we? I'm asking. If we can’t: Are we really contemplating Georgia losing this game? It is hard to think that this UGA - with throat-cutting Kirby Smart as its head coach - will play lower than the level they’ve established these previous 18 games.
I don’t see it. Georgia wins, and I think they cover the 14-point line. Scoring, which Missouri can do, is not the same thing as winning. The Tigers are going to struggle to stop Georgia’s potent offense - so is nearly everyone else left on the Bulldogs’ schedule the rest of the way… including Auburn and LSU.
So we are headed to Kansas City for the Missouri game, and for all of the hubbub about BBQ in Kansas City we will see if it stacks up. Everyone thinks they have good BBQ. Fine. You’ve got perfectly adequate BBQ - random place on the map. And, please, hold the phone on telling me about how great your BBQ is... (now I'm getting worked up)
South Carolina with its ridiculous mustard-based BBQ.
Memphis with its dry-rub
Texas with its brisket
St. Louis-style ribs are vastly overrated. Why? I need meat on the bones. If I am going though the trouble of making ribs I need them to not be dried up, etc. Also, there is no need to over smoke ribs or any other type of meat.
We get it - you know how to put wood on a fire. Congrats.
The skill is in putting the “correct” amount of smoke on the meat. The meat should be tender - not dried out. The No. 1 mistake, and I can do this from time to time, is overcooking any food. Quit overcooking chicken. I understand salmonella is a real thing. You know what else is? Really bad, dry chicken. Salt, pepper and some other herb isn't saving clucky.
Also, if BBQ is quality you don’t “really” need a sauce to go with it. Yes, it can add to the food, but too often it covers up your shitty attempts to grill. In addition,
What else to rant about? I’ve stayed away from french fries (are people still calling them freedom fries?) since middle August, and I plan on staying away from them until Halloween when I will have to eat them for comfort food. If you have a 5-year old and 2-year old gearing up for post-Trick or Treating candy distribution you need all of the starch you can get in your diet. And, yes, I plan on throwing away as much of the candy as I can over the 72 hours following Halloween. You have to have a plan.
Right now Vampirina is a 1.5-point favorite over Witch Sara (because my daughter met someone named Sara lately), but Vampirina is only a 0.5-point favorite over Fancy Nancy. Remember, once more, that Witch Sara has been the Halloween choice the past three years.
We’ve yet to break out the witch skeleton that my daughter insists on sleeping with from time to time. Pray for us... please.
It looks like Matt’s Falcons figured out how to beat Cam Newton and the Panthers. Cam losing is only slightly better than his post-game outfits.
Then this from Matt: “The Falcons are going back to the Super Bowl…”
You know what. Don't pray for us. We will be OK. Pray for Matt and his delusions of grandeur. I’ve seen this twice already Matt - it doesn’t end well. In addition, let’s be honest: they aren’t going back to the Super Bowl anytime soon. The Birds can barely score.
For just a moment on Sunday I was confused - I was not certain if it really was Ryan Fitzpatrick or Conor McGregor at the Bucs’ post-game. McGregor just signed a big deal with UFC once more. And his former foe/business partner Floyd Mayweather is back at it again. Bro… you really think folks are dumb enough to shell out another $100 for a fight against a guy you beat three years ago? Then again, there’s a sucker born every day. Are we going to have to live with this until Floyd is 60? Probably.
I checked out Texas-USC last Saturday night. Not great football. The Pac 12 is bad. The Big 12 is not great. For all of the hubbub the SEC throws into people’s faces all of the time, it is clearly the best college football conference.
I also caught the first leg of the Champions League on Tuesday of this week. Interesting competition for sure. It seems like those soccer guys run forever. They might be the most in-shape athletes in the world. The constant jogging; then springing; then falling on the ground and rolling around.
It really is a heck of a sport, but the crying could slow down a little, and everyone would be fine. It also seems like only men attend these games. I rarely see a woman in the crowd.
Nonetheless, it is time for us to get ready to depart for Kansas City, most of which is neither in Kansas or much of a "city". I hope Dylan has fun back there in coach. Daddy will be riding first class, and drinking all of them fancy tomato juices in a can he can get.