Georgia Bulldogs: Good vs. Perfect

By W. Michael Lawson, [email protected]

I have a dear friend (our friend group calls him Miami Jones, among other things) who likes  to quote an aphorism by Voltaire when encouraging others to, “Do not let the perfect be the  enemy of the good.” It is sage advice. Most of us have heard that utterance or something close to it. In fact, Montesquieu, Shakespeare (King Lear), and even the Chinese have similar proverbs or exhortations that make the same point. The phrase suggests that, in the pursuit of excellence, reaching perfection may be impossible, but the pursuit of that perfection should not prevent us from recognizing good work. After our Georgia Bulldogs gave Oklahoma the work last week, it might do us some good to sit and chew on this.  

Like many, this writer came into the season with high hopes, coupled with a sense of resignation to the foibles and fixtures of having Mike Bobo as the OƯensive Coordinator, a  physically limited Gunner Stockton at Quarterback, and the seemingly ubiquitous Stacy Searels in the Offensive Line group room. In short, the expectation was a championship-calibre team that will probably be limited in predictable ways due to past performance. As a fan that last part can be frustrating.  

And that sentiment popped up this past week after Georgia “swept the leg” in Athens on  Saturday. It seems pernicious and entitled for fans to complain about winning a home game (41-13). It seems especially entitled when that team is the Oklahoma Sooners. Yet,  there were many grumbles coming from Dawg Nation after the win due to the anorexic and drunken offensive performance in the 2^nd half. Those grumbles weren’t without merit.  

In fact, the oƯense didn’t really play all that well most of the game. That unit hit 4 or 5  explosive plays that made up most of the production. The offense only garnered 177  passing yards, was 3-for-12 on third-down conversions, and had two turnovers.  

The 2^nd half was mostly atrocious. That unit had a 17% success rate in the 2^nd half. This involved a short field turnover that resulted in a field goal, a long pass to Talyn Taylor that ended in a field goal, and that marvelous 54-yard TD run by Dwight “Peanut Phillips.  Without those two long plays in the 2^nd half, the offense averaged 2.1 yards per play with an  11% success rate and had two turnovers. That’s not perfect. That’s not good. That’s just bad football.  

In discussing this with my cousin this weekend (we call him Cousin Kregg), we agreed that the first thing you have to do is tip the cap to Oklahoma’s defense. They had a lot to do with those terrible 2^nd half results. So, good for them. But we’re a championship-level team. Fans are right to say and know that it shouldn’t look like that. Ever. 

If you have read this column enough, you know how I feel about Coach Bobo. I’ll always love him for his playing days, but he is an incredibly inconsistent OƯensive Coordinator who usually can’t recruit elite Quarterback talent and, even when he does (see: Stafford and Murray), there is little development. He will give you some great play calling at times,  some good, some bad, and some outright losses. Just depends on the week, game, half,  quarter, or series. It’s always been that way.  

And you know what, “So What!”. One of the things that has been percolating lately is this feeling of not being able to enjoy the halcyon years of the Georgia Football program. The  1940s were a special time for this program. The late 70s and early 80s were an elite time.  But neither of those epochs compares to what we are living right now. It is the greatest 10- year period in the history of Georgia Bulldog football that has ever been known.  

As fans, do we want to focus on the garbage 3^rd quarter results in a game that was a complete and utter demolition of a storied opponent? Should we dissect the discrepancies and ineƯiciencies of an otherwise “chamber of commerce” type of day for our Dawgs in The  Classic City? I say no!  

I’m doing my best Stuart Smalley and looking into the proverbial mirror while typing this. I  don’t want to let the imperfections of limitation rob me of joy as we watch Coach Kirby  Smart and his Junkyard Dawgs run roughshod through another SEC season. As Coach  Smart said, “We will not be the hunted. We will do the hunting.” There’s joy in hearing our coach say those words and mean it.  

The Commodores of Vanderbilt are the next scheduled offering “Between the Hedges” this  Saturday. They bring with them the latest 5-star Quarterback recruit to spurn Coach Bobo on signing day and there will be a lot of attention paid to that aspect of this game.  

But as fans, as we get into the teeth of the schedule…at Bama, Florida in ATL, at Ole  Miss…let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are witnessing the greatest coach in Georgia  Football history molly-whop SEC teams on a weekly basis. It’s a glorious thing.  

Let’s not let the fact that the team isn’t perfect keep us from enjoying the resonant fact that they are the best we’ve ever seen over this last decade. And if the oƯense ever does apologize for looking like a directional school, we’ll just tell them what our friend Sloff Dizzle says, “Don’t be sorry. Be better.”  

As the Chinese proverb goes, “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without one.”  Vandy will find that out on Saturday.