Greetings Bulldog fans, it’s great to be back under the hood (or really behind the laptop) for our 13th year of producing the print issues of Bulldawg Illustrated. Yes, we are aware of all the negative connotations of the number 13. However by now, surely you the reader can appreciate that we’ve never been your typical publication, so a magical 2015 season in our 13th year seems like the ideal fit to me.
[su_spacer size=”20″]
Yes, you are right to sense a bit of confidence in my opening paragraph. The fact of the matter is UGA football is trending in the right direction on most fronts. Our coaching staff is killing it on the recruiting trail and our players have bought into their various new coaches that came on board since the beginning of the year.
Without question, the positive morale coming out of Athens is off the charts. Earlier this week, a friend of mine who occasionally caters food for the football department said, “man is there excitement around that place like never before.” Then to read Loran Smith’s column on page 29, saying the same thing brought even more music to my ears. However, I think we can all agree that lofty expectations are never lacking for Georgia football, particularly in the preseason. The question now is whether Mark Richt, his staff and his team are truly ready to take the championship step in 2015?
Obviously, the answer to that question will be decided on the field, but I’m happy to report that everyone at Bulldawg Illustrated is in championship form with this 2015 Season Preview issue.
Rightly so, my great friend and BI extraordinaire from day one, Jeff Dantzler starts our coverage off on page 4 detailing game by game the 2015 schedule. It’s a manageable slate, but Steve Spurrier’s mastery of Georgia could derail things early, if our team isn’t ready.
[su_spacer size=”40″]Then on page 6, JD analyzes position by position, giving his thoughts on who will be seeing the most playing time when toe meets leather at the end of August. For the title of this article, I borrowed from JD the old coaching saying that he lives by, “It ain’t the Xs and Os, it’s the Jimmy and Joes.” Thankfully, I truly believe this current coaching staff under Mark Richt completely gets this. And it’s going to be a blast to watch our playmakers put in positions to shine this season.
The middle section of this issue is what our publication has and always will be about … fan photos and features. When we created BI 13 years ago, Cheri was agreeable to the concept and the hard work that it would entail, but under one stipulation. “By no means are we letting this just be a boring sports publication, we have to cover the fans and have Bulldawg lifestyle content that appeals to both men and women,” she said.
I think after you enjoy the excellent content that she has put together in this issue, you will agree that she knew what she was talking about. And it would be remiss, not to give a shout out to the all the businesses that support our vision for BI. We are so thankful.
Wow, I’m closing in on all my allotted space and I’m barely halfway through talking about this issue. What can I say about the job Murray Poole did in writing nine articles for this issue? Outstanding work fits the bill. Murray didn’t flinch when I sent him my long list of things that needed to be covered this goaround. QB race, Tailback U, Big Uglies, The Schotty Era, Pruitt’s D – Year 2, the Georgia Way 2.0. I know you will find all of Murray’s articles informative and will appreciate the fix they will provide for the long, hot summer that we must now all painstakingly survive.
Tick, Tock … the football … the fans … the fun is at least coming around the final stretch now. Until our next issue for the first game, please keep up with recruiting and UGA happenings on our website and social media.
In the words of Ben Crenshaw, “I have a good feeling” about the 2015 season and our 13th year of Bulldawg Illustrated.
[su_spacer size=”40″]Finally, I sincerely encourage you to mark your calendar for July 11 for the Countdown to Kickoff Fan Festival, which will again be held in Sanford Stadium. It’s such a great treat for all of us at Bulldawg Illustated to be included in this marvelous annual event put on by Matt and Jon Stinchcomb (pictured below with some of last year’s attendees) and David Greene to benefit Georgia Transplant Foundation and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Go to page 30 for information or http://ugakickoff.com/2015/ fanday/. We look forward to seeing you there.
Go Dawgs!!!