Earlier this week I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Audible, with Stewart Mandel and Bruce Feldman, both writers (and in Feldman's case, on-air talent) with Fox Sports.
If you love college football, I highly recommend it. Fair warning though, there is the occasional cuss word (mostly from Feldman) if that bothers you.
Anyway, on the podast the other day they were talking about who they'd select for their "Mount Rushmore of College Football" for the past 20 years. They listed guys like Cam Newton, Vince Young, Tim Tebow and Adrian Peterson.
It got me wondering about the University of Georgia, and which players we'd put on our Mount Rushmore if we had one in Athens.
I'll give you my answer two ways: all-time, and the last 20 years.
ALL-TIME
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Herschel Walker and Frank Sinkwich, the only Heisman winners for the Bulldogs, are in, without question.
But after those two ... who are the next best players in Georgia history, and how do we measure it?
Are we going purely on talent, with players like Champ Bailey, Hines Ward, etc. who were stellar athletes, but otehrwise played on less-than-stellar teams?
Or do we base it on the players who starred on some of the best Bulldog teams?
I'm shooting for a blend, and I liked Feldman's idea when he answered this question, where he chose two offensive and two defensive players.
So, Walker and Sinkwich fill the offense. Who takes the defense?
I'm starting with Jake Scott, who still holds the record for most interceptions in Georgia history and went on to be the Super Bowl MVP of the undefeated Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII.
My next choice is on the D-line, and I chose David Pollack.
Pollack starred as a defensive lineman from 2001-04, where he was part of the Bulldogs' first SEC Championship in nearly two decades in 2002.
Pollack had that transcendant personality and the proverbial "motor that never quit." He finished his career with 36 sacks and was named an All-America three times, among a host of other hardware he brought home.
LAST 20 YEARS
So from 1996-2016, which players would be post on our Mount Rushmore?
Pollack fits the mold, but for the sake of fun, I'll leave him off this one.
On offense, I'd start with Aaron Murray, which might lead to a few eye rolls since he never led Georgia to any form of title, though he very nearly did, in spite of Todd Grantham.
Murray remains the SEC's all-time leader in passing yards, led the Dogs to the SEC Title Game twice and led some of most prolific offenses in Bulldog history.
Oh, and he beat Florida three times. No other Georgia quarterback has beaten the Gators more than once in the past two decades. Mike Bobo did in 1997 and David Greene did in 2004. Murray did it in 2011, 2012 and 2013. (And went to OT in 2010.)
So that's one.
The other offensive player has to be, in my opinion, Todd Gurley. (Also considered: Terrance Edwards, Nick Chubb, David Greene and Hines Ward.)
Gurley is such a rare athletic form. In essentially two-and-a-half years he moved up the charts to No. 2 in all-time rushing yards in Georgia history (trailing that Walker guy), but was recently supplanted by Chubb on that list.
The first year Murray and Gurley co-existed in Athens, the Bulldogs went 11-1 and came within a few yards of and SEC Championship and a spot in the BCS Championship game.
Let's move to defense, where I think I'll have one from the secondary and one from the front seven.
In the front seven (Pollack aside) I'd choose Jarvis Jones.
Jones transferred to Athens from Southern Cal, and dominated opposing offensive lines for two years from his outside linebacker spot.
The reason I chose him was not only for his insane pass rushing ability, but also the legacy he left, which, again, would've been more if Murray had pulled the miracle in 2012 in the Georgia Dome.
Remember in the off season after the 2011 season that Jones, Baccari Rambo, Shawn Williams, Jon Jenkins, et. al. decided to come back for one more try at a title?
Jones could've jumped to the NFL and made millions right away. Instead he came back for one more fight, and got one last jab at Florida, where he wreaked two solid games of pure havoc.
That leaves the secondary, where I would put Champ Bailey.
As far as pure athletic abilities go, Bailey is rarely paralleled in Bulldog history, if ever.
Sure, he didn't play on any championship teams, but he brought home the Nagurski Trophy in 1998, when he was named an All-America and received a few Heisman votes in the process.
Oh, and he played two ways, frequently. He wasn't a "Let's put in a few packages for Champ on offense" (a la Branden Smith/Brandon Boykin). No. Champ was a legitimate wide receiver, defensive back and return man for Jim Donnan, and he excelled at all three. Probably could've played quarterback if you needed him to.
Put him on the mountain.
(Also considered on defense: Rambo, Charles Johnson, Geno Atkins, Dominick Sanders, Sean Jones, Thomas Davis.)
So that makes our short-term Rushmore: Murray, Gurley, Jones and Bailey.
Who would you pick?
