Mark Richt has lost control of his players’ mouths

It’s one thing to be facing an Alabama team gaining steam in its drive towards history. It’s quite another to be facing that Alabama team when it’s pissed off. The Tide needs absolutely no extra motivation to play its best in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. That isn’t stopping Georgia football players, who are spewing streams of locker room material. Mark Richt has totally lost control, you guys.

Baccari Rambo, speaking via telephone on ESPN’s College Football Final, said "I feel like we are more talented. We have better players at each position, across the board, especially on defense.” Really? Across the board? Rambo is a heck of a defensive back and he’s a lock for either first or second team All Name honors. But he’s not very smart.

“I think we’re the best defense in the country,” senior cornerback Sanders Commings said Monday after practice.

“I think confidence is just another word for swagger. We step on a field and our swag is turned way up, like we can shut anybody down and shut anybody out. In order to be good, you have to be confident. You have to have that swagger.”

UGA noseguard John Jenkins has been quoted as saying that Alabama’s offensive line—widely regarded as one of the best in college football—is “nothing special.” When specifically asked about his counterpart Barrett Jones at Center, he said he couldn’t really tell the difference between him and any of the others.

Smack talk like this is a major reason why Nick Saban limits media access to only certain players on the team and it’s absolutely the reason he doesn’t let freshmen talk at all.

It’s Ok to express confidence in your team. It’s Ok to think that you’re good enough to beat anybody you play. It’s borderline insanity to directly compare yourself to an upcoming opponent and trash them.

Both teams are 11-1. They are ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the BCS, and the winner will play Notre Dame for the national championship. You don’t reach this level in college football by being “nothing special” and that’s especially true in the country’s toughest conference.

Alabama Strength and Conditioning Coach Scott Cochran is a master at using opponents’ trash talk to motivate the football team. You can bet that every bit of smack coming out of the mouths of the Bulldog players is either being plastered all over the weight room, or being played back through the audio system.

Whoops.

Update: I originally had both teams at 10-1. I guess I’m still stuck in the 90’s.

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