Fleeting thoughts: On 2010, and looking ahead

I’m traveling today – flying to Washington, then driving to Athens – so you’ll forgive me if this can’t quite be that in-depth. Here’s the ol’ college try:

- This will certainly go down as one of the most disappointing years in recent Georgia history. At least in 2008, when there were all those national championship expectations, the team still got 10 wins. This year the expectations were a bit lower, but to finish with a losing record, as Mark Richt said after Friday’s game, nobody would’ve predicted that.

- A.J. Green’s four-game suspension to start the season will be remembered for derailing the season, at least the start of it. But Green was on the field for the Liberty Bowl debacle, when his team managed just six points.

It’s possible that the offensive performance against UCF was an isolated event, a product of a bowl system that creates a month-long layoff. But it certainly shows that Georgia’s offense, despite all the points it scored in the second half of the season, had a lot more problems this year than just the absence of Green for four games.

- Aaron Murray’s performance in the Liberty Bowl was a big reason for the loss. Blame the gloves all you want, but it just seemed that the month-long layoff stunted the momentum Murray had coming off the season.

Still, Murray will remain one of the lone bright spots from 2010, and is setting himself up for a long, record-breaking career. But the strength of his win-loss record remains an open question.

- The grade on the hire of Todd Grantham and his defensive assistants is incomplete. Grantham brought a fire to the sideline, along with the meeting room, that apparently had been missing under the previous regime. But the numbers were only slightly improved, and too often the defense couldn’t make stops when it needed them most.

- There were few standouts on this team: Murray, Green (when eligible), Justin Houston and Akeem Dent. The kickers too, and Brandon Boykin’s kick returns.

But ultimately what this team lacked this season was enough playmakers, and enough stability at a bunch of spots: Offensive line, tailback, secondary. That says a lot, obviously.

There were also players whose potential seemed under-utilized, either because of their youth or just not being able to get them involved enough: Orson Charles and Alec Ogletree are the first two that come to mind.

So what now? Here’s what to watch in the coming days and then weeks:

- Anyone clamoring for a coaching change, or any further changes on the staff, is almost certain to be disappointed. The administration at Georgia made its decision on 2011 a long time ago, and a four-point loss in a bowl, no matter how ugly, shouldn’t alter that.

But Richt and the current staff will definitely feel like they’re on notice for next year. I wouldn’t put a specific record to be hit, but Greg McGarity said when he was hired he wanted the team to be “in the hunt for championships.” For Richt, that'd be a good start.

- A.J. Green should make it formal within the next week or so and announce he’s going pro. Few can blame him. Houston is also likely to make the jump, although I think there’s still a chance the staff could convince him to return. (They’ll try to tell Houston that one more good year could vault him into top 10 status).

Guard Cordy Glenn is a 50-50 shot, in my estimation, to go pro. Boykin seems more likely to return, but that will change if he gets a high draft rating from the NFL advisory committee. It’s harder to get a read on tackle Trinton Sturdivant.

- The recruiting trail will be quite busy for Georgia, which hasn’t received a commitment since August. The month before signing day could be as critical as any in Richt’s tenure, with a number of targets capable of playing, or even starting, right away. That includes tailback Isaiah Crowell, junior college nose tackle John Jenkins, defensive end Ray Drew and possibly a few others.