Super Bowl 44's Radio Row was fast-paced today. The big names were working the room. Our people were talking to their people. Most of the time Buck & Kincade Show Executive Producer Jason Cofar could work something out. Let them sell something and we get to hang for a few mintues. 
    Joe Montana & Dwight Clark talked about "The Catch" in January of '82, which beat the Cowboys in the NFL Title Game. It was a Bill Walsh designed play that had Clark as a secondary option late, in the back of the end zone. Joe was supposed to throw it high, where only Dwight could get it. Joe also said his son seriously considered Georgia, but Murray & Mettenberger already on campus redshirting made him shift his focus to Washington. Clark also tells the story about how Bill Walsh discovered him at Clemson. Coach Walsh worked out QB Steve Fuller and left impressed with Dwight. 
    Stafford and Moreno look happy. Both worked the room today. Knowshon was selling the new Reebok training shoe. Matt was pushing Axe shampoo. The "Georgia Man" should be proud of these two guys. They respresent. Polished and confident. Genuine, with some deep pockets, without flaunting it. These two careers got off to an impressive start as rookies. I'll admit it, they made smart decisions to leave Georgia early, But they both loved their days at Georgia. Stafford must have been on 50 stations and was selling Axe shampoo from 9:00-to-6:00. Must have been a sweet deal.
    Nick Faldo was a surprise guest. Loved this one. Nick became interested in the game, after watching Jack play in the 1971 Masters. Signed up for his first lessons the next day. And the rest is history. He was selling clean water. Nick believes the tour players should agree to not play those old wedges. And he says Tiger coming back for the WGC Match-play event would be smart... all the cameras and attention might make his opponent mess up.  
    Got to ask Tony Dorsett if he thought Ed "Too Tall" Jones was....too tall? Archie Manning is cheering for the Colts, but wouldn't feel bad if the Saints won. Eddie George is passionate about College Football. He said Joe Paterno wanted to make him a FB, so Ohio State looked a lot better. Shaun Alexander was beeming over Alabama winning the title and Ingram taking the Heisman. He's taken Ingram under his wing, knowing his Father is away in prison. Falcons LB Curtis Lofton looked like he wanted to tackle Kincade. Roger Daltrey of The Who is looking old. Kerri Underwood is flashing a huge diamond. Jamie Dukes might be the coolest dude here. Tony Dorsett won the Heisman, beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, went to Dallas in a draft day trade, and won the Super Bowl with the Cowboys in year one...back in New Orleans. Cool cat. He was Chris Johnson, way before Chris Johnson showed up. Jim Mora, Jr. sure texts a lot. The food is lousy on radio row, but the hot coffee always flows. Marshall Faulk loves him some Kurt Warner, like we all should. 
    Wonder what tomorrow will bring?
    Can't avoid the Super Bowl merchandise tents. Got a Super Bowl ball signed by all of our guests today. Had to keep track of who signed...can't make out some of the autographs.

  

    This recruiting tale has gotten interesting. Really interesting. The press is on. Time is running out. The mind game card has been played. And it's almost time to find out if it worked or not. Will it be Georgia or Tennessee?
    Coach Richt was in Calhoun on Tuesday to see where Da'Rick's head was at. Try to put out the fire. To reassure him. 
    The Tennessee sneak attack started with Kiffin and Orgeron. They played the "come to Tennesse with your buddy" card, by offering Calhoun HS QB Nash Nance, a Vanderbilt commitment. After they split for USC in the middle of the night, Derek Dooley has taken advantage of the open door, by catering to the young man's ego. And that's legal. 
    The message: come to Tennessee with your HS QB. Come play for Coach Baggett, who coached up Moss, Carter, Chambers, Burress and Rison. And by the way, we've got jersey #21 waiting on you. Kiffin and Orgeron had already planted the seed of sitting on the bench behind A.J. Green at Georgia. Come to Tennessee, and you can start immediately.
    Okay, reasons NOT to choose a college.
    1- BECAUSE I GET MY HIGH SCHOOL JERSEY NUMBER. That screams out SELFISH. ME, ME, ME. By the way, Georgia has retired #21 to honor the great Frank Sinkwich. I had some coaches use that "number" card on me and I found that silly. One coach told me, "Go to Georgia and you can't wear #7...Pyburn already has that." My attitude was: not going to let a jersey number stand in the way of where I wanted to be. Just don't give me #13.
    2- BECAUSE MY FRIEND IS GOING THERE TOO. This decision should be based on you. Not your friend, or girlfriend. 
    3- BECAUSE THEY PROMISED ME I CAN START IMMEDIATELY. What about showing up and earning a spot? Do you want to play for a coach promising starting spots before they even step on the field? How does a coach explain that one to guys already on the roster busting their butt? Had some coaches use this one on me too. Pepper Rogers told me that if I came to Georgia Tech, I'd win the Heisman Trophy. Yeah, right. Promises, promises. Don't be afraid of the competition. 
    Couple of thoughts. If Da'Rick Rogers comes to Georgia he won't be sitting on the bench behind A.J. Green. The 'Dogs are in a 3-WR set 48% of the time. Another 48% of the time, they are in a 2-WR set. Come earn a spot next to A.J. And the last time I checked, the Georgia program has sent some impressive WR's to the NFL too...Mohamed Massaquoi and Reggie Brown just made the jump. Might be time for a call from Bobo's buddy Hines Ward.

  

    Make plans Saturday night for Herschel Walker's mixed martial arts debue. Showtime at 10 o'clock. That's Showtime, the movie network. Herschel's on the main card in a heavyweight fight against some dude named Greg Nagy. Get ready to see Herschel rumble. This is serious stuff. Enter the cage and it's about surviving.
    Talked with Herschel today. He thinks Nady is going to try and brawl. Grab and tackle. Get him on the ground. Wrestle him. This sounds like a poor plan to me. The best tacklers in the world couldn't tackle Herschel at Georgia or in pro football. What makes this guy think he can get him down? Crazy stupid. By the way, he's new to the MMA thing too. Nady claims to be trained in wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
    Herschel told me that he's going to be on the offensive. He won't be counter-punching. He's going after him. Plans on attacking this dude. "I'm ready to fight," Herschel said. "I'm going to knock him out." Like the sound of that. Herschel is a 5th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and now has additional training in Muay Thai and Kenpo. He's spent the last 2 months training in San Jose. 
    And one more thing, Herschel says he "doesn't feel 47." Hope he feels the same way after the event.

        

  

    The Falcons are busy in Mobile this week. Dimitroff & Coach Smith are taking a good look at outside linebackers, defensive ends, and offensive linemen prospects. Those are the top needs moving forward. Not that the Falcons personnel department needs my input, but I've got a short list of the guys they should be looking at this week.
    1- Tim Tebow. Dimitroff and Smith will take a peek or two, even though they don't need a QB. Tim's the top name in Mobile and he's there to impress. All the personnel guys will be checking that out. Everyone is curious to see how he performs this week. 
    2- Eric Norwood. The Falcons need outside linebacker help in the worst way. This guy is a playmaker. Serious ball skills. He can bring pressure off the edge (South Carolina's all-time sack leader) and he can drop and cover. Dude is from Ackworth and came out of N. Cobb High. He's always around the ball, can tackle, and force turnovers. Right now, he's considered a 3-4 round pick. This guy would look good in a Falcons uniform.
    3- Chris Scott. Got to get bigger and more physical up front on the O-Line. He played LT for the VOls this season and RT earlier in his career at Tennessee. I see him as a guard in the NFL. Check out the size: 6-5, 346. Chris is a Lovejoy High product here in the Atlanta area. Looks like a 4th round pick.
    4- Javy Arenas. Falcons still searching for cover guys and this cat performed against slot receivers in nickel sets. He is also a dangerous return man, which the Falcons need too. Championship character is a plus. May be around in the 3rd round. 
    5- Sean Weatherspoon. Outside LB from MIssouri. Athletic and 6'1", 245. Can run. Maybe around in the 3rd round. 
    6- Antonio Coleman. DE out of Auburn. Might be better fit in a 3-4 as an OLB, but worth taking a close look at. Probably a 4-5 round pick. Can rush the QB. Played a lot of football.
    7- Sam Young. OT from Notre Dame. Set a Notre Dame record by starting 50 games. Prospect as a right tackle in the NFL. Entering process as a 3-4 round pick. 
    8- Perish Cox. CB out of Oklahoma State. Did a nice job on A.J. Green in game against Georgia. Tough cover guy. Can return kicks too. 
    9- Trevard Lindley. CB out of Kentucky. Outstanding cover corner. A playmaker. Get to know him, Flacons might like him.
 10- Rodrick Muckelroy. 6'2", 235 LB from Texas. Good tackler, tough competitor. Experience at inside and outside. Played 40 games. Muschamp loved him.

  

    Todd Grantham's hire and the Bulldogs changing their scheme to a 3-4 defense is a very compelling storyline right now. Recruits want to meet Grantham and hear about the 3-4. The current players are energized and are anxious to see how they fit in the new scheme. Fans are excited about the thought of a more attacking style of play. More pressure on the QB, more turnovers. There are certainly a lot of benefits. 
    A third of the NFL teams are in a 3-4 scheme now. Not many Top 25 college programs are using it. The 'Dogs will now be unique in what they do. And Grantham can obviously teach it, so recruiting should benefit. Coach Grantham can sell it too. The message: Come join us at Georgia, help us win, and I'll teach you the 3-4 and help get you to the NFL. That's a mighty strong selling point. 
    The current players are looking forward to spring ball, so they can see how they fit in the new scheme. Grantham is busy studying tape and formulating a personnel plan. Who fits where?
    Here's an educated guess.
    DeAngelo Tyson will take over the nose tackle position and thrive. He can get off the ball and get off blocks. He can penetrate. Grantham will get him excited by showing him tape of Jay Ratliff, the Cowboys nose tackle, who plays at about the same weight. It'll be important to find a guy that can back-up Tyson. Not sure who that is.
    At defensive end, Justin Houston is a beast and will hold on to that right DE spot. The left side is up for competition. Dobbs might not be the best fit here. Brandon Wood is probably a good bet to win this job. Abry Jones & Derrick Lott are young players with some upside. These 4 guys are strong, physical players. There will be some good competition at this spot. Montez Robinson and Cornelius Washington need to add some bulk to play at DE in the 3-4. But they both can play in the nickel package, when Grantham wants to rush the passer in a 4-man front.
    The inside linebacker spots look like good fits for Dowtin & Gamble. In the 3-4, these are the guys that can run downhill and make most of the tackles. Dowtin came on strong last season. Gamble is a reliable senior. The competition behind those two will be interesting. 
    Grantham is probably thinking the 2 outside LB spots are wide open. And it's critical that some playmakers emerge at this position. Could Richard Samuel make the switch from RB and grab that weakside, playmaking spot? That appears to be a good fit for him. Georgia has a number of young linebackers that will get a look. Nick Williams is athletic and probably factors in here. Christian Robinson will be in the mix. Gilliard and Vasser get a look too.
    On the back end, Boykin, Cuff, Brandon Smith and Rambo will lead the way. Grantham is looking for another safety to emerge. Banks, Commings and maybe Alec Ogletree fight it out for a spot next to Bacarri.

  

    So I listened to Georgia's new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham on 680 The Fan on Thursday morning and left very impressed. His reputation on the field is "fiery." Off the field, in an interview setting he was very personable. Didn't hear him talking down to the guys, as he explained his 3-4 scheme and how it would fit at Georgia. Impressive. This guy looks to be a great fit.
    Grantham is busy recruiting and analyzing his new personnel. He plans to meet with his new players starting tomorrow (Friday). In perperation for those meetings, he has put together tapes on each player, involving about 30 plays from last season. After the meetings, he will begin putting together a depth chart for spring football. 
    Richt is playing this recruiting angle correctly. Not much time is left, so Grantham is targeting guys that are hanging in the balance right now. That's smart. Let him sell Jeffrey Whitaker, Mike Thornton and Deon Rogers. 
    Coach Grantham's sales pitch is right on the money too. We want guys that want to come to Georgia and win. And I'll coach those guys up "just like I was coaching DeMarcus Ware or Jay Ratliff." Recruits know Grantham can help them develop and get a shot at the NFL. I like the first part...guys that want to come to Georgia and win.
    The transition from the 4-3 to the 3-4 shouldn't be that radically different, once they get the personnel in place. DeAngelo Tyson wants to be the nose tackle. Abry Jones is thinking he's a better fit at DE. There will be some shifting around on the D-Line. And one of the big keys to a smooth transition is finding some playmakers at the OLB position. Not sure who those guys are right now. 
    It took 42 days, but it appears as though Georgia found a good fit for the job. Todd Grantham is a very impressive guy right now.

  

    Out with Lane Kiffin, and in with Derek Dooley. That's an upgrade at every level, well except defensive coordinator. The new head coach at Tennessee is everything that old coach wasn't. Vol fans should feel good about that. Integrity is back in. Trust is back. Doing things with class and dignity is back. Mike Hamilton has hit a homerun here with this hire.
    If Derek Dooley's introduction speech didn't get Tennessee fans fired up and excited, well they should flee to the west and join that stiff Lane Kiffin in L.A. Man, that was impressive. Vince and Barbara must be so proud. I guess I could be described as an extended family member, and I was proud just listening to his comments. 
    Tennessee hired a good man and an outstanding coach. Threats, cheap shots, and smack talk left town early this week. And the Vols welcomed a class act to town as his replacement. I'd say that is a huge upgrade.
    

  

    Why didn't Kirby Smart take the Georgia offer? Couldn't have been the money. So, what prevented him from taking the offer? After talking this over with a handful of former players and people close to the situation on both sides, I've come to some conclusions.
    Again, it wasn't money. Reportedly, Damon and Mark offered Coach Smart a 3-year contract worth $700,000 per year. It's doubtful Alabama will be paying his 700k in 2010. He'll get a raise from the 2009 salary of $369,000, but it won't hit the 700 level.
    I'm told it comes down to 3 things. 
    The first is Rodney Garner. These two guys have some sort of rivalry thing going on that started out on the recruiting trail. One of those competitive situations. Recruiting the same guy and one coach accused the other of something. They've been knocking heads ever since. Garner is the Assistant Head Coach. Kirby needed that title at Georgia to help make it a non-lateral move. Garner is the D-Line coach. Smart wanted to bring in "his guy" to coach the DL (that probably being Travis Jones). And remember, these guys coached together on Richt's staff in 2005. There is some history here. And the word is, Kirby Smart didn't want to work with Rodney Garner again.
    Reason #2 is the Georgia strength program. It's got a reputation of being less than outstanding. Some football guys even refer to it as being "outdated." There are reports that have some Georgia players going to see a strength coach outside the program. Spoke with one NFL guy who commented that even when Van Halanger was at FSU, the OL/DL prospects coming out of there were great athletes, but not NFL strong. Coach Smart was concerned by this, after all doesn't Alabama have one of the top strength programs in CF right now? Another person close to the program told me that Richt has been approached by 2 former Georgia strength coaches, who were interested in helping again, and they were told by Coach Richt that "they don't have a strength issue." The DC wants his DL strong. Sounds like this was an issue.
    Reason #3 is that Saban put the hammer down with this idea that he doesn't support assistant coaches making lateral moves. When that head coaching opportunity comes up for Kirby, maybe Saban trashes him behind his back. That thought isn't encourarging. Don't want to upset Nick Saban, right? Play it safe, work for Nick and get that awesome endorsement when the time comes. 
    Richt has stayed loyal to Garner and Van Halanger. But it cost him Kirby Smart. Guess he thought the "knock his socks off" contract offer would trump those concerns. Kirby Smart was in a situation were he didn't need to take this job, if everything was not as he wanted it. So he stayed at Alabama.

  

    The Kiffin's lasted but 13 months in Tennessee. The Vols rolled out the red carpet for young Lane and he stuck around 1 year. See you later. I'm out of here. Taking the wife back to L.A. And taking Dad and crazy Ed Orgeron with him. Wow. This guy has no conscious. 
    National Signing Day is but 3 weeks out and Kiffin is turning his back on these guys he's been working on for a year now. Juwuan James, the N. Gwinnett OT who was rated the 11th best prospect in the state, just enrolled at Tennessee on Monday...he trusted in Kiffin and now he's stuck. Bet he's not happy about that. Ambles, rated #4 in Georgia, has his head spinning. What to do? Warner Robins DT Jeffrey Whitaker was considering Tennessee, but I bet that just changed. Lane got Gainesville playmaker Blake Sims to backout of his verbal to Alabama and make plans for a visit to Knoxville...wonder what he's thinking now? Back to Juwuan James...he must be really upset with how this went down. He should be filing for an instant release with the NCAA.
    One day Lane Kiffin is selling Tennessee like it's the greatest place in CF, and the next day he's selling USC. This guy cares about 1 thing...and that's obviously Lane Kiffin. Tennessee gets an $800,000 buyout on a salary of $2.3M per year.
    Phil Simms son, Matt has enrolled as a transfer at Tennessee. The Simms must feel like they got a raw deal. Join the club guys. You are not alone.
    A.D. Mike Hamilton has to work quick. Who are the candidates? Names are already being mentioned. Will Muschamp. Kirby Smart. David Cutcliffe. Gary Patterson. Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun. Stay tuned.
    
    

  

    A Georgia man turns his back to his alma mater, even after it offers an unprecedented contract. Make no mistake about it, this is a blow to Richt and the Bulldog program. There will be a backlash. Bad P.R. will surround this move. This hurts. There will be no joy of a big homecoming. The big splash isn't going to happen. Perception says Richt and Georgia is a second-class citizen right now.
    But Damon Evans and Mark Richt owed this to the Georgia program. They needed to go after the best man for the job, and that was Coach Smart. Perhaps they didn't realize how strong a pull Alabama and Saban had on Kirby. Maybe they were led to believe the "knock his socks off" offer would be enough to lure him away. They obviously couldn't control the timing of the Tide playing in the title game, so they had to wait. 
    The only Georgia man that's relieved is Rodney Garner. Reportedly, he and Smart have knocked heads out on the recruiting trail and Garner was a good as gone, if Kirby took the job.
    Georgia didn't get their man, but I'm encouraged about Richt & Evans stepping up with a legitimate contract offer. It shows they are truely committed and all in, when it comes to competing against the top programs. 
    Where do they turn now? Signing day approaches. The next move needs to be clean and swift. Coach Smart isn't the only guy that knows good defense. So, target a winner and go get him.
    Here is a list names: Groh, Glanville, Tenuta, Mora, Jr. Okay, eliminate those guys, even though it would be interesting to hear about Richt approaching the same guy Tech is going after. Glanville's name just makes me smile, because it would make for such an odd mix. Tenuta and Mora have some Atlanta area ties and are available, but let's be real...they don't appear to be good matches.
    Another list of names: Grantham, Travis Jones, Sal Sunseri, Tim DeRuyter, Kevin Steele. These guys know defense. And Jones, Steele and Sunseri learned defense from Nick Saban. Grantham might be a short-term solution. But DeRuyter appears to be a long-term solution. Richt would be smart to target that dude AND Travis Jones. Pair them up. 
    Stay tuned.