The injuries were decimating – no question – and everyone agrees that the offensive line was a tragedy. And 45 points per game by the defense – another tragedy – no question.

You mentioned the seniors – another great point, because in fact the seniors were specifically mentioned by several of the underclassmen that were complaining about the lack of drive, determination, unity, accountability, and leadership. So a great question, indeed – where were the seniors???

I’ll throw this point out there, though – Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford, Jordan Shipley, and Colt McCoy are just four examples of guys that absolutely would have been drafted in this year’s NFL draft if they had declared for it. No question. Yet every one of them returned. Where is the dedication to the team in Georgia? Where were the seniors last year? Why weren’t they making sure that every last man was dedicated to Georgia football? Why aren’t Stafford and Moreno returning? Why are the superstar underclassmen not returning to Georgia to bring their team and their fans a shot at the national championship? It turns out they may have a shot at it without those two – and I’d love to see something like that happen! But why aren’t they returning?

I know the arguement about getting injured and missing your shot at the NFL – and that’s not good enough. Their time would have come in the NFL – it’s almost a certainty. The University of Georgia made a commitment to those players and the fans were there to back them every step of the way. And although they performed on the field, their hearts were clearly not with the University of Georgia and the Bulldog Nation. Neither were the hearts of many of the seniors. So the question is, why?

Somebody is to blame for the lack of unity and dedication to the Bulldog’s program. Is it the seniors from 2008? Is it the superstar players in 2008 – namely Stafford and Moreno? Was it Mark Richt? Why don’t star players want to return to a team with a shot at a national championship? Why weren’t seniors motivated – and why weren’t they motivating others? Where is the sense of history, pride, and commitment to the Bulldog’s program? Clearly the superstars were out for themselves, and the seniors failed to step up and lead. Is this all a symptom of a coaching staff who isn’t instilling the right attitude and getting the proper commitment from it’s players? Is the coaching staff failing to motivate and inspire?

Hopefully for the Bulldog faithful these questions will be answered, the injuries will heal, the underclassmen will step up, and the seniors will lead in 2009. If so, you just may find the Bulldogs playing in the biggest bowl game of the 2009-2010 season – the only one that really matters.

Excellent points grid_Fe one and all. It’s people like you that make me love talking sports!

And where were the seniors when all of this was taking place? Massaquoi, Southerland, Chandler, Ellerbe, Owens?

By the way, that team did not underperform. With 19 season ending injuries that team performed about on par on what they should have performed. A 10-3 season with that many injuries, greenhorns on the O-line and a defense that was giving up 45+ a game is a good season.

I would also write this off as one or two guys complaining, but it was a pile of guys complaining! I mean tons of them! Offense and defense. Every grade level – multiple positions. Even the incoming freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger – who was around a lot last year in the locker room with the team even said it!

So it seems to me that too many guys on the team agreed that last year there was a lack of leadership, a lack of accountability, and a lack of unity on the team. You absolutely must look to your star upper classmen to lead the team – especially your quarterback – and they apparantely failed to do so. The team underperformed in a big way – there’s no denying it.

I’ve got nothing against Stafford and Moreno as players – their talents speak for themselves – but their team spoke for them as leaders and the overall consensus was not good.