Morning reading

There are a smorgasbord of stories out there, so here come some links. In addition, today is mailbag day, so if you have any questions, send me an e-mail (semerson@macon.com) or leave a question in the comment section below.

Onward and upward, or forward, or whatever:

- Herschel Walker has weighed in on the state of the Georgia football program, with some critical words on all the arrests this year. Strange timing, you might say, considering the two-game win streak has everyone feeling good for awhile.

But Walker, during an appearance on ESPN's "College Football Live" on Wednesday, said the losses "concern" him, but the off-field problems are worse.

"Because (if) they’ve got off-the-field problems, there’s something going on with that program, and I think Coach Richt has got to get a hand on it. I love Coach Richt. He’s a great coach, and there’s no doubt: I do not think Coach Richt should be fired. We’ve got to find out what is going on within that program when you’ve got 11 guys since March that have been in off-the-field problems.”

- Things are moving towards Chris Rainey being on the field when Florida plays Georgia in a little more than a week. Gators head coach Urban Meyer said on Wednesday's SEC teleconference that Rainey would be "eligible" for the Georgia game, but didn't come out and say he would play.

- You don't often have coaches calling out each other in public. So the comments by Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer on Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino are priceless.

Zimmer was Petrino's defensive coordinator during Petrino's abbreviated stay with the Atlanta Falcons. Zimmer called Petrino "gutless" and a "coward" for leaving the team early. Zimmer also used some colorful language you can't use on a family blog.

Petrino clearly doesn't make many friends in the coaching business. It started in 2003 when, as Louisville's head coach, he agreed to a covert interview with Auburn, which was still employing Tommy Tuberville, who had hired Petrino at that school.

So I'd be curious if Tuberville sent Zimmer a fruit basket Thursday morning.

- Finally, a bit of shameless plugging for my stories in Thursday's papers:

Bacarri Rambo, Shawn Williams and Richt weigh in on the NFL's hard-hitting issue of the week. Rambo, as both a safety and someone who has suffered a concussion, has an interesting viewpoint.

In my other story, I delve into just how and why A.J. Green's presence has lifted the Georgia offense. Derek Dooley and Robbie Caldwell talk about how they tried different coverages and didn't work, and Aaron Murray suggests other teams start worrying more about Kris Durham and Tavarres King.