Dawgs Focused on Notre Dame Offense

By: Donny Karr (@1788Sports, @DonnyKarr)

Georgia Bulldog fans and sports media analysts have honed their focus in on Jake Fromm since the freshman came into last week’s game and lead the Dawgs to a decisive win over Appalachian State, but Kirby Smart seems to have a different focus on Georgia’s upcoming matchup: Notre Dame’s offense.

During press conferences this week, Smart has stressed the importance of stopping Notre Dame’s powerful rushing attack, which posted more than 400 yards rushing against Temple.

“Notre Dame has always been a very hard-nosed football team,” said Smart. “They are a big, physical team.”

Smart noted that his Dawgs have been working to defend the Fighting Irish offense, but have little game film to go from as Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Chip Long just joined the team this year.

Smart said the Notre Dame offensive line will be a monumental test for Georgia.

“Their line is as good a line as we’ll see this year,” said Smart. “They have four returning starters that are big, physical guys. Once you take the line and include the tight ends, it’s a very impressive group.”

According to Smart, what’s equally impressive is the athletic ability of junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush.

“Their quarterback is an explosive athlete,” said Smart., “He looks like the fastest kid on their team. The backs they have are big and physical—much bigger than our backs, and they run downhill at you. This quarterback will be much faster and more athletic than what we saw last week.”

Georgia is preparing for the Irish to be quick with their offensive tempo. Smart said the Dawgs are readying their players for high-intensity crowd noise as well. Stopping the run game, and a shifty quarterback will be crucial to a big-time Georgia road win.

“Their offense is very hard to defend,” said Smart. “With every run, they’ve got plays they can throw off of it. All of their wideouts are big and fast. It’s going to be a great challenge, and we’re going to find out a lot more about our defense. They are bigger and faster in every position.”

Smart commented on Jacob Eason’s injury and possible return.

“After our medical staff did x-rays, we determined it was a sprained left knee ligament, which is a non-surgical injury,” said Smart. “He will be back this season, but we don’t know when. We’re not sure on length of time he will be out. It will be week to week for now.”

Smart spoke on Jake Fromm’s performance, noting that the freshman is eager to take over the starting role.

“Jake is a gamer,” Smart said. “He’s a kid that grew up around the game. I look at him and compare him to a coach’s son—a football junkie. He likes the game. He loves being around it.”

He also commented on Brice Ramsey’s poor performance, adding that the senior signal caller should take advantage of more practice time this week.

“Brice didn’t get a lot of reps last week,” said Smart. “He will get a lot more this week and hopefully he will use those the right way.”

Smart also said redshirt freshman guard Soloman Kindley will be back in action this week against Notre Dame. Kindley suffered an ankle injury shortly before last week’s game, but looks to be good to go against the Fighting Irish.

Senior defensive back Aaron Davis’ return should also boost the Georgia defense. Davis got more reps during Wednesday’s practice, and could be ready to go for Saturday’s game. Malkom Parrish is still listed as “week-to-week.”

This will be the first time ever for Georgia playing in South Bend, which Smart says is very exciting for his Dawgs.

“These kind of games in college football are really cool,” said Smart. “You get to play somebody you don’t normally play in a big game. It’s very exciting for us.”

The Morning After 9/7/17

Gohara K’s 6 in debut loss, Schroder shines, Falcons disrespected?

Cred to: @Braves Twitter

By: Bryce Sparling (@1788sports, @BryceS89)

Gohara losses ML debut.

In his first major league start, Luiz Gahara went 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R/ER, 4 BB, 6 K. Three of four walks led to runs. Hopefully what is not overlooked in his outing is his control. Despite giving up 6 ER in 4 IP, he didn’t look to bad. His command was decent and didn’t look rattled. Don’t let the stat line fool you, this LHP is still a prized piece of the Braves organization. Atlanta did take the 2nd game of a double-header however, behind 5 strong innings from Teheran & a pair of RBI’s from Freddie. Inciarte went 5-8 in the double-header today.

Schroder leads Germany into Rd of 16.

There’s no guessing about who the offensive focal point for the Hawks will be this season. Luckily, we’re getting a glimpse of what’s to come this year from our young PG. Schroder lead the way for Germany putting up a  26 point, 3 assist, 3 steal line in a 89-72 loss to Lithuania to end pool play. Schroder is 2nd in points per game in the tournament and faces an elimination game against France on Saturday.

Why no love for the Falcons?

In a poll released by ESPN Matt Ryan was picked to finish 4th in MVP voting...behind Derek Carr. Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady fitting lead the way, but to think Derek Carr will have a better year than Matt Ryan seems to be a bit of a slight. Add that to the fact that the Falcons are 3rd in favorites to win the NFC & you have yourself some prime bulletin board material. As much talent as they are returning, I wouldn’t bet against them.

Other Notes From 9/6

• Braves prospect Ronald Acuna named USA TODAY Sports' Minor League Player of Year.

• Atlanta Hawks sign PG Quinn Cook

• Atlanta’s Douglas Lima, Bellator Welterweight champion, signs new longterm contract.
• Falcons NT Dontari Poe earned $125,000 as he weighed in under 330 pounds.

Looking Ahead

Atlanta Braves open a 4 game series with the Miami Marlins at Sun Trust park. Sean Newcomb will take the hill for the Braves and Dan Strailey is on the bump for the bad guys tomorrow night. 72 with 0% chance of rain tonight at time of first pitch, you couldn’t ask for more beautiful baseball weather.

Falcons should update their injury report. Only two names on it as of right now. Tackle Austin Pasztor and RB Terron Ward both listed as Questionable.

The Bulldogs will be travel to South Bend, Indiana ahead of their Saturday night tilt against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Georgia & true Freshman QB Jake Fromm hope to establish their spot in the national spotlight Saturday with a resounding win over the 24th ranked team in the country.

Atlanta United: Know Your Opponent - FC Dallas

                

By: Chandler Johnson (@1788sports)  

Atlanta United looks to bring home a victory Sunday night in their new home stadium against FC Dallas after not winning in four straight matches. The energy and passion of the atmosphere will bolster the Five Stripes’ chances of succeeding. However, the playoff-contending FC Dallas will have hopes of spoiling the new homecoming for Atlanta. Let’s look at what Tata Martino and his squad should look out for when they lace up for Sunday’s fixture.  

Currently in 6th place, FC Dallas is barely in a playoff spot with having just one point over the current 7th place San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference and just two over 8th Place Real Salt Lake. This pressure itself is enough to light a fire under Óscar Pareja’s squad as every point is going to matter in the final push of this season. FC Dallas has an away record of 3-5-4 vs their 6-2-6 and home record. Hopefully, these woes will continue for the Toros.  

Currently, FC Dallas ranks 13th out of the 22 MLS teams in terms of goals scored over the season. The Toros attacking side consisting of Urruti and Lamah looks to expose the Atlanta defense. Dallas will be without the services of midfielder Jacori Hayes as he is serving a suspension after getting a red card violation in the previous match. Atlanta may find that getting past goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez to be quite a task as he allows the 8th fewest goals on average in the league with 1.29 goals a game.

Even though I don’t buy into these much, FC Dallas is ranked #14 in the most recent MLS power rankings, with Atlanta coming in at #10. This match between the current 6th place holders of both of the Major League Soccer conferences will prove to be an exciting and thrilling match. Dallas does have some weapons, but they are not invulnerable. Expect a close game with a lot of emotions given what is at stake for both sides.

The Morning After 9/6/17

Braves Rained out, GT QB gets ACC honors, Falcons release depth chart.

By: Billy Lindahl (@1788sports, @billylindahl)

Braves Rained out

The one thing on our schedule last night was the Atlanta Braves playing their second game of their series with the Rangers and well, Mother Nature said Nope. Braves got rained out last night after announcing they brought up Luis Gohara to make his Major League debut. A bit of news because of the Gohara information: Braves have decided to go down the stretch with a 6 man rotation. They’d like to see more of Max Fried, obviously like to see what they have in Gohara, and they’re moving Lucas Sims to the bullpen.

TaQuan Marshall Wins ACC Offensive Back of the Week

A day after having probably a career day against an SEC opponent, QB TaQuan Marshall takes home some hardware. ACC announced he won the Offensive Back of the week after rushing for 249yds and 5 TD’s and throwing for another 120 yards on 5-10 passing. His 369 yards of total offense ends up being ranked 11th in Georgia Tech history.

Falcons Release Unofficial Depth Chart for Bears Game

Dan Quinn and the Atlanta Falcons released their unofficial Depth chart for the week 1 matchup vs the Bears.

No real breaking news, a lot of this was already decided prior to camp starting.

Other Notes from 9/5

• Falcons signed LB Jordan Tripp to the roster. He played for GB and played a lot of special teams.
• UGA Wide Receiver Javon Wims on Jake Fromm “No Moment is too big for him"
• New Hawks F/C Miles Plumlee was allegedly arrested for marijuana possession in August.
• Dennis Schroder’s German squad defeated Marco Belinelli’s Italians 61-55 in Eurobasketball. Schroder had 17pts, Belinelli had 12.

Looking Ahead

The Atlanta Braves will have a doubleheader today beginning at 1:35 with Luis Gohara making his Major League debut. The nightcap will begin at 7:35 with Julio Teheran on the bump for the good guys.

Don't Call it a Rebuild

Atlanta Hawks 17-18 Preview

By:Bryce Sparling (@1788sports, @BryceS89)

The Hawks we've known for the past 10 years are gone. Only a few players remain from the 60 win team of 4 years ago. With so many question marks and unknowns going into the season, we take an in-depth look at the new faces on the roster, the schedule & what it could mean at the end of the season.

The Roster

The Atlanta Hawks return 7 players from last years 43 win team. The Hawks are trying to replace the production of Hardaway, Millsap & Howard which is 46 points per game, 23 rebounds per game & 7 assists per game. For a team that averaged 103 points per game (22nd/30), replacing 44% of your scoring will be a tall task. The most important man returning this year is Dennis Schroder. Seeing his development last year & culmination in the playoffs where he averaged 7 points and 1 assist more than in the regular season, gives a Hawks fan hope and optimism for the future. We also saw “Master Shredder’s” turnover per game go from 3 in the regular season to 1.7 in the playoffs. Something that is welcoming to see from a guy who will be the franchise player & face of the organization.

Schroder’s running mate, Kent Bazemore, will look to improve on his number from last year. Kent saw his production stay about the same, but the $15 million price tag the Hawks placed on him, left a lot to be desired. The 16-17 Bazemore saw his wins shared drop from 4.1 to 2.1 and his per 13.4 to 11.5. For a bench or support player, that Kent was in 15-16, these stats would’ve been acceptable and fine, but when you pay someone $15 Mil a year, you expect more. Although the numbers you would expect from a player getting paid that much weren’t there, the effort was. Through all the tumultuous times, Bazemore’s effort was always top notch. Rarely did he take plays off or have mental lapses. This is why I believe Baze will be the Hawks most improved player in the 17-18 campaign.

The 3rd player in the Hawks young frontcourt trio is Taurean Prince. After describing what a rebound is & getting drafted by the Hawks, Prince only received sporadic playing time. After only playing 10+ minutes in 12 of the first 54 games, Prince saw his playing time skyrocket in the last 28 games of the season where he only received less than 10 mins of playing time in 3 games. Taurean’s playing time and opportunities only expanded in the playoffs where he averaged 31 minutes per game, 11.2 points per game & 5.3 rebounds per game. At times, during a stagnant stretch of offensive ineptitude from the Hawks, Prince was the one bright spot in the playoffs. While others were standing and watching, Taurean was extremely active. Running the baseline & setting pick & rolls. If his activity and production in the playoffs are indicators for things to come, Taurean could turn out to be a very special player.

After the established 3 “stars”, there’s not much to be happy about on the Hawks 17-18 roster. Atlanta added rookies John Collins and Tyler Dorsey over the off-season. While both impressed during the NBA summer league, Collins in particular, both are untested against true NBA veterans. It’ll be interesting to see if either received significant minutes as coach Bud is notorious for bringing rookies along quite slowly. The Hawks also added veteran Marco Belinelli and arguably the most overpaid, under producing playing in the NBA: Miles Plumlee. Belinelli will be a rotational guard, but Plumlee’s role will be the most interesting. Bud prefers to use a 3 man rotation at the 4-5 position. Bud will have rookie John Collins, Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala, Miles Plumlee to choose from. Newcomer Luke Babbitt & returning rotational player Ersan Ilyasova could also see minutes at the PF position. Malcolm Delaney and DeAndre’ Bembry will be rotational pieces that will mix in with the Hawks young backcourt. Both players saw productive summer leagues, but the production wasn’t anything to make you believe either will be more than 2nd team players for the Hawks 17-18 season

The Schedule

The Atlanta Hawks open up the season on a 5 game road trip that sees us pair up against Dwight in the 2nd game in Charlotte. The road trip won’t be too tough of a start as only 1 of the 5 teams made the playoffs last year. The Hawks should take 3 of the 5 and come into the home opener with the Nuggets and Paul Millsap with a winning record. Don’t get your hopes up too much for the home games to open the season as we take on The Greek Freak after the Nuggets. Dropping both games will get us to 3-4 on the season. The rest of the first 20 games sees us face the Celtics and Snek twice at home, the Houston Rockets come to town, as well as an away trip to Cleveland & San Antonio. The first 20 games aren’t easy, and it’s a lineup that could see the Hawks only massing 5-7 wins. 7-13 is my prediction for the 1st 20 minutes.

The 2nd group of 20 games are quite a bit easier than the 1st set of 20. We’ll see the Hawks host Cleveland, Washington & the Dallas Mavericks in what might be Dirk’s last game in Philips Arena. We have away games against the Thunder, Memphis & we’ll also get our 1st look at self-proclaimed MVP Lonzo Ball and the Lakers. This stretch sees the Hawks go 12-8 with a cumulative record of 19-21. For a team playing in the depleted East, this record could be good enough to sniff the 8th seed.

The 3rd set of 20 games in the Hawks 17-18 see the 1st 8 of the 11 games at home. This could be the stretch, if the Hawks are truly in the playoff hunt, could make a run. 5 of the 8 however made the playoffs last year. Despite the massive amount of home games. This stretch won’t be friendly. The schedule pairs this young Hawks team up with many playoff caliber teams that we simply won’t have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with. 6-14 seems likely, which will put the Hawks at 25-35 overall for the season.

The last 22 games of the season should be treated as an experiment for the 18-19 season. Dorsey, Muscala and Collins need to maximize their playing time to better assess what the Hawks will have coming into the next season. 50% of the last 22 games are on the road, 6 of which are a road trip that pairs the Hawks up against Milwaukee, Utah, Golden State, Houston & Minnesota. Luckily, home games against Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix & Charlotte could prevent the ending of the season to be completely embarrassing. 7-15 seems to be a reasonable assumption for the last 22 games, bringing the seasons overall record to 32-50. This would be the Hawks worst record since the 06-07 season which saw the Hawks lose 52 games.

The Expectations

After running through the roster and schedule, we can assume the expectations for the team this year is quite low. Vegas has set us as a +1400 to make it to the playoffs. What we want to see this year from the Hawks is a couple of things that won’t reap immediate rewards. First, we want to see the progression of Taurean and Schroeder. These guys are the future and face of the Hawks franchise and could turn out to be an amazing dangerous duo in the post-Lebron East next year when he goes to LA. Next, what will the rookies production do? Will Dorsey and Collins get enough playing time to impress and progress? Can Collins turn into and surpass the void Horford filled in Bud’s offense? Lastly, what will Bud do? Coach Bud never has been on a team poised to…...rebuild? Schlenk keeps repeating that the Hawks, “Are not tanking”, but I can’t see any other way to describe the 17-18 Hawks. Rebuild, retool, re-assess…..all of these are fancy words for TANK. In the NBA, you have to get worse to get better. So grab the bottle of Jack and settle in for a long season.

2017 Atlanta Falcons Linebackers Preview

By: Ricardo Russ (@1788sports, @ricardolruss)

Playing fast and physical are the key tenets of Dan Quinn’s system, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the linebacking corps. All 3 starting ‘backers combine elite speed (De’Vondre Campbell, Deion Jones, and Vic Beasley all ran in the 4.5’s at the combine) with a willingness to hit. The linebackers also played a key role in forcing turnovers and making big plays, as Vic Beasley was the NFL sack leader with 15.5 sacks and and forced 6 fumbles, while Deion Jones had 3 interceptions and and 2 pick-sixes, including the final points in the Falcons’ defeat of the Saints in the Superdome.

Furthermore, I believe that the Falcons’ linebacking corps will only become more effective in the 2017 season as they will be able to play even faster with better knowledge of NFL schemes as both Jones and Campbell were rookies last year, and Vic Beasley was only a second year player. In addition, The Ringer’s Robert Mays explains that the linebacking corps has been built to withstand the challenges of the modern  pass-happy NFL with the speed and quickness of Jones and the size and speed of Campbell, and they will only be more effective as they gain more experience.

During the offseason, the Falcons’ also acquired new LB talent, including  Deion Jones’ former LSU teammate, Duke Riley, and undrafted rookie from the University of Miami and training camp standout Jermaine Grace. Grace also deserves mention for his special teams skills and hitting ability, and he will certainly help improve our special teams play, if nothing else this season.

Depth Chart:

Strongside Linebacker (Sam)*	Middle Linebacker (Mike)	Weakside Linebacker (Will
Vic Beasley	Deion Jones	De’Vondre Campbell
	LaRoy Reynolds	Duke Riley
	Jermaine Grace	Kemal Ishmael

• 
  
  Breakout Linebacker of the Season: Deion Jones
  
  In 2016, Deion Jones was a revelation in the heart of the Falcons’ defense. He led all rookies with 108 tackles and finished with 14 pass defenses, second most in the NFL among linebackers in 2016. As mentioned above, Jones also had a knack for making big plays, as he had 3 interceptions and 2 pick-sixes in the regular season, and he also had a tip drill interception against Seahawks and helped force a LeGarrette Blount fumble in the first half of Super Bowl LI. Amazingly, Jones was able to make all of these plays while also being responsible for calling and communicating signals as a rookie. However, Jones did initially have some issues with run fits and play calling duties, as Tim Rohan explains. Jones was able to clear up some of these issues before the postseason, and it is likely that he will be able to be even more impactful on the defense  with a full year and offseason under his belt.
  
  

Final Outlook:

In 2017, I am confident in saying that the Falcons’ young LB corps will continue to grow and improve, and will be at the heart of the Falcons’ defensive gameplans. Barring major regression, I feel that they will continue to make big plays that end drives and give the ball back to the offense, and that their continued growth will be at the heart of the Falcons’ defensive rejuvenation.

The Morning After 9/5/17

GT loses in 2OT, Braves get smacked around, and Falcons updates from game week.

By: Billy Lindahl (@1788Sports, @billylindahl)

Georgia Tech blows a 14pt lead in the 4th and loses in 2OT

On a night where Tennessee couldn’t do anything against the Georgia Tech offense, giving up 535 rushing yards(a school record), they leave Atlanta with 2OT victory winning 42-41. Georgia Tech controlled the game for most of the game, but ultimately couldn’t close. The Jackets, as mentioned earlier, ran for 535 yards and 6 TD’s. That’s right, 535 yards...and 6 TD’s…..And they’re going home with a loss. GT fans have to be disappointed in the 4th quarter effort, including a blocked FG from 36yds out as time expired. Georgia Tech now has a short week to get ready for the Gamecocks from Jacksonville State.

Braves, Dickey get smacked around by Rangers

R.A. Dickey, 5 days after throwing a season high 121 pitches over 8IP of great baseball, throws 96 pitches in 4.1IP and looked like he was throwing batting practice. Giving up 7 runs (6 earned) and two home runs, Dickey just didn’t have his best stuff. The Braves bats, on the other hand, didn’t seem to have the clutch hits to really keep up with the 8 runs scored by the Rangers. Braves batters went 0-8 with RISP with the only RBI’s on the night coming from a Matt Adams 2 run bomb in the 4th. Unfortunately for Braves fans, the Mark Teixeira trade from a few years back is still haunting us with Elvis Andrus (a key cog in that trade) hitting a HR.

DQ has post practice presser

• Talks of the release of Ra’Shede Hageman: “Based on the information we received, we weren’t comfortable keeping him on the team”
• Names Wes Schweitzer starter at RG. Quinn said it came down to consistency as to what won him the job.
• LeRoy Reynolds is probably out for this week with a pectoral injury.
• On Bears: The offensive line stands out. Said it will be one of the best lines they see all season.
• Said they’re preparing for both Mike Glennon and Mitchell Trubisky at QB for the Bears.

Other Notes from 9/4

• Kirby Smart says that Jacob Eason has a sprained left knee ligament, but it’s non surgical. He’s out this week, but will be week to week after that. Which means Jake Fromm will get his first career start.
• CB Aaron Davis (hamstring) and RG Solomon Kindley (ankle) look to both be on track to make the trip to South Bend and be available on Saturday.
• Kirby says the Irish offensive line is “as good as you’ll see”.

Looking Ahead

Game 2 between the Braves and the Rangers begins tonight at 7:35. Julio Teheran, who has been awful at home, will start for the Braves while Miguel Gonzalez takes the hill for the Rangers.