Latest / Beliefs, Ballots, And BullDawgs / Monday July 27, 2026
Transcript
- Greg: Hey, good morning friends. It is Monday, July twenty-seventh. I'm your host, Greg Miller, and this is the latest episode of Beliefs Ballots and Bulldogs. So it's about that time. I guess we're going we're gonna start getting ready for football season again. The ⁓ the cool air hasn't hit us yet, but there's there's something out there when you walk around outside. It I can feel it coming. The those ⁓ the countdown is on, the the cooler Saturdays are getting closer and If you're like me, if you're ⁓ if you're a Georgia fan or Georgia Grad in my case or or just somebody who who likes to watch the dogs on Saturday, then you you can feel something in the air starting to build for us. And I think as we start our our our Georgia themed messages for the day, and ⁓ I think we're gonna start with a pretty simple question today. We've we've obviously been on a pretty darn good run as Bulldogs for the for the last decade or so. And the the question we want to start with rolling into this season is are are we still the standard? Not Not are we any good? Because yeah, I mean, we're we're Georgia. We're gonna be good. Not are we talented, absolutely roster wise gonna be one of the top three or four most talented teams in the in the nation yet again. Not even, you know, can we win the SEC or or make a playoff run? I mean, at this point, those those things almost feel like a given. I absolutely expect us to contend for the SEC. I would be almost shocked at this point if we don't get a playoff invite as as big as the playoff system is now. So Everything we all the goals that will set out for us are are right there for us. But but beyond the the the scheduling and the wins and losses, I I'm talking about something ⁓ a little bigger than all of that. I'm talking about are are we as the University of Georgia? Is is UGA still the measuring stick of college football? Are we still the program that everybody else in the nation looks at and says, that's that's what we're trying to emulate, that's what we're trying to become? Because I mean, heck, it was, you know, for a few years there, there was there was no real debate. We were not just winning games. We were we were suffocating teams. We lined up with future NFL players at every position all over the field, just punched teams in the mouth and and frankly sometimes made some really good teams look cr rather ordinary. It it just that became the brand of Georgia football. That was that was the standard. And you know, I think as we as we head into this twenty twenty-six season, I think we're I think we're in a little bit of an interesting spot. I there's not not much doubt in my mind. I I know we're still elite. Kirby Smart is still Kirby Smart. The the recruiting machine is still rolling. The expectations are still massive. But I feel like this year rolling into the season, there's there's just enough questions for for teams to wonder if Georgia is still the team, not just one of the teams. Clearly we're one of the teams, but are we still do we still have a chance to to be just a little bit better than everybody else? And honestly, I think that's I think that may be what what Kirby wants this year. I think Kirby may be embracing this role because I think ⁓ you know, ⁓ a Kirby smart led Bulldogs team is and much like other other teams and other units, they're they're more dangerous when when people start questioning things a little bit. And you know, one of those questions this year is obviously gonna be it's gonna be the offense. It it it you know put up statistically good numbers. You know, you there wasn't a whole lot to complain about, but it just felt like something was missing. ⁓ last year, Gun Gunnar Stockton rolling into this season is going to be one of the huge storylines. And you know, we know as Georgia fans, we we don't need some cute offense. We don't need these video game type systems where they're just throwing the ball all over the field. We don't need to be flashy just for the sake of being flashy, but we do need to be dangerous. We need to scare people. We need we need an offense that at least makes the defenses a little bit nervous. We need to we need to be able to make the safeties back up. We need to be able to make teams pay when they stack the box because they're gonna. and and we need a quarterback who can keep us on schedule. We need Gunner to take care of the football, but then he's gotta be able to cut it loose and hit the big throws when they're sitting there. The the difference between whether, you know, we're gonna be a good championship caliber team or whether we're gonna be elite i isn't gonna be whether or not we can move the ball. It it's it's gonna be whether we can whether we can just break somebody's will, whether we can hit those three or four big plays a game to to just crush the other team when when when we need some momentum. ⁓ and then just break somebody's will in the fourth quarter like Kirby's always been known to do. And that's where, you know, the second question, it's it's back into the trenches. This is this is where the the brand of Georgia football that was so dominant for for six or seven years, this is this is where we were built. This is where this thing was was originated. The D line, the O line, the physicality, the depth, just grown man football. This is this is when Georgia's at its best. When when we're right, we're we don't finesse people. We wear them down, we lean on them, we make them tired, we make them uncomfortable, we make teams want to quit the game before the fourth quarter even starts. So so if we're asking whether or not Georgia is still the standard of college football, for me, that's where it starts. Can we can we bring Get back to controlling the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball every single Saturday. Can we run the ball down somebody's throat when everybody in the stadium knows we're about to run it? Can we protect the quarterback when when the game gets tight and we need to we need to make a few plays? Can the defensive front, you know, get some of those negative chaos plays and get back to just hunting the quarterback and and and making chaos plays for us? Because Georgia is At our best, Georgia is not just a talented football team. We've got talent across the board, but at our best, ⁓ Georgia is almost a a a violent, it legally but cleanly, but just an aggressive, disciplined, aggression-led football team. And then that brings us to the third question, and that's the mentality, that that mental edge. You know, and that's that's something that's obviously harder to measure, you know. That talent is is easy to measure. Recruiting rankings track that. You we've got NFL prospects all over the field. That's easy to identify. Just you'll you'll see scouts from the NFL at every Georgia practice there. But that that mental edge, that's that's a difference. It's it's whether a team plays like it still has something to prove. And and I think this Georgia team does. And I certainly think Kirby Smart's got them believing they do. You know, we we've all heard the noise. We we know people are questioning Gunner and the offense. You know, we know people are talking about Alabama coming back, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon. Look, I I'm I'm fine with all those other teams getting some offseason love. You know, we we know some folks are wondering if if Georgia's championship window has has shifted because of the NIL and the transfer portal and some of the things. If if it's if maybe that trend that that championship window has has shifted from a dominant dynasty to just a really good playoff contender year in and year out. And You know, honestly, it it it kind of irritates me a little bit. I feel like people are writing us off a little bit too quick. And frankly, I I know it irritates Kirby Smart and I hope it irritates every player in that locker room. The the best Georgia teams under Kirby Smart have have not just been the most talented, they they've been the teams that that that are hungry and angry and focused and and just physically relentless for four quarters every game. They they they played like disrespect was oxygen to them and And that's what I think we as Georgia fans all want to see again. We don't we don't want to see a Georgia team that just rolls out and expects to win because we've got that G on the helmet. And we we want to see a Georgia team that that plays like it has to earn respect every single Saturday, because that's that's when we're at our best. We're we're we're not at our best like like most people. We're not at our best when we're comfortable. We're not at our best when people are patting us on the back and telling us how good we are. We're not at our best when everybody assumes that that we're already in the playoff conversation. We are at our best when when Kirby can walk into that building at Buttsmare and say, Look, they don't think you're the team anymore. That's when things get dangerous. So as we get ready to to get into this season and and we start doing UGA segments on the regular, ⁓ the the question that's that's the question I'm really gonna be watching as I start paying attention to to fall practice is, you know, do we still have that edge? Because If if we've still got that edge and that mentality's right, and and Kirby can get those boys locked in and fired up, then I think the rest of the college football world may be ⁓ may need to be put on notice. Y'all may have a problem this year. The the schedule lines up, we'll we'll we'll get the answers. That the SEC grind will always tell you whether you're any good or not. There's gonna be some tough road trips, there's gonna be a bunch of physical games, some some massive rivalry, heated games, and and some of those just Ugly, nasty Saturdays where you just find out can you squeak out a win that maybe you don't deserve? So before we get into to predictions and records and playoff paths and all that good stuff, I think right now we just we just need to start right here with with the simplistic. Look, Georgia doesn't need to prove anything to anybody. We don't need to show anybody that we belong. We belong. Everybody knows that. We just need to prove that we're still the standard and Frankly, I think if if the offensive line can settle in and if if Gunner can take that next step that we're all hoping for, I'm excited. I think this defense is gonna be nasty. If this defense can get back to hunting, then then I think this is a this may be a team that kind of resembles that those Georgia teams of a few years back that just has that nastiness and that edge to them. And lo and behold, I think we may look up in November and realize that we never really left the top of the mountain. Those below us just got a little bit louder. Go dogs. All right, guys, we're gonna we're gonna ease into the real stuff today and get to t today's message out of the ⁓ out of the book of Luke. This is a a similar topic. This is less about what we're chasing, but more about the perspective to to be grateful for it. And the I I kind of spent some time over the weekend thinking about this. And and I want to ask yourself, like you when's the last time that you just spent, you know, five uninterrupted minutes just thinking about or talking about everything that's going right in your life. Not things that need fixing, not the not the things that you're frustrated with, not what's broken in America. Not what's going wrong at work, not what your spouse forgot to do, not what your kids are doing, not that backache you've been dealing with, not how bad the economy is, certainly not this political nastiness we're all dealing with, and you know, not football or anything like that. Just just some time to think about everything that's going right. And if you're like me, it you know, it actually it's actually a little harder than it sounds. We we've all become incredibly good at at noticing what's wrong. I think we're all wired to be such fixers that we we just look around for something to fix sometimes. And and maybe that's not entirely our fault. You know, every everywhere we're turned, we're we're surrounded by reasons to complain. The the news only seems to highlight the negative and what's broken. Social media obviously rewards outrage and and vitriol and you know Politics often succeeds by by convincing us that the sky has fallen. If if they can make us afraid, then they can control us. Advertising these days is constantly whispering to you, hey, you'd be happier if you had this, or you you really need to have this. But I I wonder if the the whole society around us has just created this lens to where we've become experts at spotting problems and and only spotting things that need to be fixed. I I wonder sometimes if maybe we've forgotten to notice or or even recognize blessings at all. You know, the the the messages we hear every day from from the world around us, you know, nothing's ever good enough. Your your phone's not good enough, your house isn't big enough, your paycheck's not enough, your vacation wasn't exciting enough, people are always disappointed. And there's always, you know, one or another reason just to believe that that happiness is just one more step away. This is this is what we talked about last week. And And when we start believing that that happiness is always one step away, we we start to lose our sense of gratitude, and gratitude just disappears because you you can't be grateful if you're constantly dissatisfied. It's just not possible. So we we look into chapter the the the gospel of Luke and let's let's see what God has to say. God tells us in it's one of the more more fascinating stories to me. It's chapter 17. Jesus is in this passage, he's traveling between Samaria and Galilee and And he's approached by ten men with with leprosy, and they they cry out to him from a distance. They say, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest. And then as they're walking, they're they're just healed. So I mean, imagine in that moment, you've you've dealt with something for years. These people had been outcasts, they were forced to live outside of their communities, they've been separated from their friends and families. That they've been told that there are only certain spots where they could live, where they could walk, and they weren't allowed to touch other people. And then just in a single moment, everything changes. Let's listen to how Luke describes this passage and what Luke writes to us in verses 15 through 19. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, We're not. Ten cleansed, where are the nine? Was no one found to return and praise to God except this foreigner? And he said to them, or he said to him, Rise and go on your way. Your faith has made you well. So ten people received the miracle, and yet only returned back to the one who performed it. It it it makes you, if if you if you read the Bible as I do, and it and it causes you to become more self-reflective, it makes you question which. In that scenario, which one am I? You know, if if something had haunted me, you know, if I'd been dealing with something that long, how is that possible? But but we wrestle with this because if I'm honest, you know, there's thousands of things I've I've prayed for and and then been blessed with. Lord, bless my family, bless my work, bless my health. Lord, please bless this decision I have to make, bless this opportunity, bless this nation. But then how often do we really circle back just to say thank you? But not circle back because we want to say, hey, thank you. Now can I have this? But just to say thank you, just because God has been so good to us. We we've discussed it from this angle. And I think, you know, one of the one of the biggest dangers we we have in in our society these days, it's it's not political, it's it's it's not the wealth we deal with. It's not technology, it's not the sense of entitlement. I guess maybe it is the sense of entitlement. Maybe that's what it is. It's not all the things that we have. It's the fact that we feel like we deserve them. The moment we start believing we deserve something, we we stop being grateful for it. If if I think I deserve good health, then then I don't thank God when I wake up healthy in the morning. If I think I deserve freedom, then I'm going to spend all my time complaining about its imperfections. If if I feel like I deserve success, then then I'll become angry every time something doesn't go my way. Entitlement doesn't make us happier. It makes us impossible to satisfy because when you feel like everything is deserved, then nothing can feel like a gift. Let's let's try to bring this a little a little closer to home. Let's let's talk about this particular nation we live in. We we live in one of the most prosperous countries in in history. And again, we've talked about it on here. I'm a patriotic guy. I absolutely love this country and feel absolutely blessed to be an American. But this isn't mean America's. Perfect. It's it's far from perfect. We have real problems, real divisions, real challenges, and and all of those challenges deserve and need honest discussion. But sometimes I wonder if we've we've become so focused on fixing what's wrong that we've forgotten to appreciate what's right. The fact that we have the ability to to worship freely, to open a Bible without fear, to to gather and spend time with our family, to to pursue professional opportunities, to to help our neighbors to have free speech and speak openly about what we think. And you know, these these aren't things that that every generation or every nation in the past has enjoyed. You know, we are we are fortunate and blessed to to enjoy these things. And you know, gratitude does it doesn't mean you have to pretend like the problems don't exist. It just gratitude gives the ability to to it refuses to let the problems blind us to God's blessings. It just helps you shape your perspective a little bit. I mean imagine what would happen tomorrow if if before you criticized something, you you focused on and were thankful for the for the good parts of it. Before you you posted another complaint, you you shared a blessing instead. Before telling everyone what America has lost, what if we remembered all of the things that America has been provided by God? That doesn't ignore reality. It just changes the posture and perspective of our hearts. The greatest gift God ever gave us isn't going to be in and wasn't financial security or comfort or success. It wasn't even physical well-being. The greatest gift God gave us was Himself through Jesus Christ. The ten lepers in this story. They they received restored bodies, but one man received something even greater. He found himself back at the feet of Christ. And and maybe that's the reason why he was the only one that came back. He was the one that realized the greatest miracle wasn't simply in being healed physically. It was meeting the one who was capable of doing the healing. So as we as we roll into this week and and and who knows what this week is gonna have in store for any of us. But try to try to spend some time with this perspective and think about this. If if someone listened to every conversation you have over the next seven days, would they conclude that you're a grateful person or a critical one? Would they hear more complaints or would they hear more praise? More frustration or more hope? This week, so let's let's become the kind of people who notice God's blessings just as quickly as we notice the world's problems. Grateful people don't ignore reality. We just refuse to let the darkness keep us from seeing the light. Have a great Monday, and thank God for something today. That'll do it for today, guys. As always, get in your Bible, say your prayers, love one another, and tell the truth. God bless.