Little Things a Big Deal for Ball

When Tony Ball swapped jobs from running backs coach to wide receivers coach, the general consensus was that he made the switch just in time, considering the departure of star tailback Knowshon Moreno.

As it turns out, working with Georgia's stable of replacement running backs might be an easier task that what Ball now faces, with just two veteran wide receivers on the roster. But while Ball will be tasked with trying to find some suitable cohorts for Michael Moore and A.J. Green, the general consensus is that he's just the right man for the job.

"(Having Ball) helps a lot," redshirt freshman receiver Tavarres King said. "He's helped me with so much in the short time he's had me, and I feel a lot better about myself and my abilities."

While former wide receivers coach John Eason was a big-picture guy in terms of approach, Ball is just the opposite, spending most of his time focused on the small details and reteaching the basics of the position. That's exactly what the young crop of receivers needs, according to Georgia's lone senior receiver.

"He's a lot more intense," Moore said. "He has more attention to detail. He wants you to get out of your break as quickly as possible. He wants you to be able to break the DB off. When you line up, they could put anybody in front of you and he wants you to have confidence you can break him off. Coach Eason was a more laid-back guy. Coach Ball, he's focused on our technique and trying to get that together."

It's not a drastic change, King said, but the lessons Ball is teaching fit the students in the classroom, and that's had a big impact.

"It's nothing different, he just works us, works us on the small things," King said. "He's a technician and that's what I like about him."

Of course, that doesn't mean Ball has left his old lot of Bulldogs high and dry. Even without Moreno, Ball's still keeping tabs on how the running backs are doing, and he's made sure they know where to find him, too.

"I still talk to him every now and then, ask him for a few little pointers and give him a few updates on how I feel, what I'm doing," sophomore tailback Richard Samuel said. "I still check in on him, and anything dealing with the running backs, he makes sure we can still go and talk to him even though he's no longer our position coach."