Georgia Bulldogs: The Compound Effect 

By W. Michael Lawson, [email protected]

I’ll excuse you, dear reader, if you aren’t a cycling expert. In fact, if you are, I might judge you a little. In my opinion, the people who wear those cycling jumpsuits for casual riding on our roads are just behind clowns, protestors who destroy art for their niche causes, late-night TV Show hosts, people who refuse to return grocery carts, people who use the speakerphone in public, YouTube ads, and anything that involves Bruce Springsteen or Barbara  Streisand in my totem pole of contempt. So, annoying.  

However, there is a lesson to be learned from the recent history of that sport. For nearly 100  years, the British cycling team wasn’t just bad; they were a punchline, winning only a single  Olympic gold medal from 1908 to 2008. They were so bad that major bike manufacturers refused to sell equipment to the team out of fear it would hurt their brand. They were the  LFO of 90s Boy Bands. The Dr. Thunder of soft drinks. We’re talking the Mulkey Brothers of the bicycle world.  

Enter Dave Brailsford. In 2003, he was appointed as Performance Director to completely overhaul the program. Brailsford introduced the “Aggregation of Marginal Gains,” the idea that breaking down every single thing that goes into riding a bike and improving it by just 1%  creates massive cumulative growth. Otherwise known as the “Compound Effect”.  

The team optimized non-traditional elements alongside training, such as testing pillows in hotels for better sleep, painting the truck floors white to spot dust that could aƯect bike mechanics, and teaching riders the best way to wash their hands to avoid colds. Seat design, nutrition, sleeping habits, and recovery routines were all examined and adjusted.  

Within five years, the team dominated the 2008 Beijing Olympics and repeated the feat at the 2012 London Olympics. British riders like Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome went on to win multiple Tour de France titles. The “Compound Effect” of those marginal improvements led to championships.  

This came to mind this Sunday when rewatching the destruction of the Tennessee State  Tigers at the hands of our beloved Georgia Bulldogs. It was a (63-3) molly-whopping that felt good from starting kick to ending buzzer. A huge number of players saw the field and made the stat sheet; execution was clean and tight, and there were no injuries. That last one being of highest import.  

But what can we take away from beating TSU like The Four Horsemen or The Midnight  Express beat the Mulkeys and the Italian Stallion on TBS every Saturday night in 1985? Not much other than the Compound EƯect.

With the beat-down Saturday, and the coming match-up with Western Kentucky, the idea is to put on live film, examine the small things, and adjust to improve. The beautiful thing is there were no obvious gaƯes or critical deficiencies in this game to address, aside from a couple of silly penalties and a few drops. It is hard to give fulsome praise to someone or a team for doing what they are supposed to do, but we absolutely should!  

Think about this: At least 15 true freshmen played for Georgia against Tennessee State,  based on players specifically identified in postgame reports. 15 Wide Receivers caught a  pass. 31 different players recorded a tackle. And yet, with all of that youth and inexperience on the field, the Georgia Bulldogs looked like they were supposed to look. Efficiently dominant.  

All of those reps play into what is known as “The Saban Way”. Blow teams out early and allow those underclassmen and depth pieces to get valuable live reps. By November and  December, they aren’t “freshman players” anymore and can hopefully contribute when depth is needed most. This will be especially important this year with an additional 9th SEC  game on the regular season schedule and an expanded 12-team playoff. A depth piece now may be a starter come January.  

So, as we turn our focus to the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky, a much better challenge than Tennessee State to be sure, hopefully the “Compound Effect” of clean execution and depth development will continue. The small incremental improvements this week in technique, communication, and process will be needed for the first road trip of the season and the beginning of SEC play the following week.  

That British cycling team went 100 years without winning anything. Our Georgia Bulldogs are looking to win their third straight SEC title and third national title in this decade. The small improvements now can lead to big championships later.  

After a whole summer of waiting for Georgia football to come back, Saturday sure did feel good. And you know that question that’s asked: “What’s that coming down the track? The  Tennessee State Tigers got the answer Saturday. It was a huge machine that’s Red and  Black.