Greene believes 12-0 possible for Georgia

photo David Greene

Ten years ago, David Greene was about to embark on a 10-2 senior season as Georgia's quarterback, which resulted in him collecting more career wins (42) as a starter than any quarterback in NCAA history at that time.

Greene will have a role with the SEC Network this season and was a recent guest of "Press Row" on Chattanooga's ESPN 105.1 The Zone.

Q: What do you like most about this year's Georgia team?

A: "The talent that is back, especially among the skill positions offensively. Any time you have guys like Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall -- we are so loaded at running back right now. I think the offensive line will be an area of strength this year, whereas in the past there has always been something we've been concerned about.

"There is a lot of good talent at the receiver position, and obviously everybody has their fingers crossed with Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley, because it doesn't seem like Justin has recovered quite as well as we would have liked."

Q: What is your biggest concern?

A: "That young secondary. I love the hire of [defensive coordinator] Jeremy Pruitt. I love his whole philosophy and everything he's coaching, and I wish he could have been here a year or two ago when we had all that talent when Aaron Murray was here. You can't fast-track experience, and there are a lot of good teams that can put up a lot of points in the SEC, so it's not the talent that concerns me defensively but the experience."

Q: If Mitchell and Scott-Wesley can't play in the first couple of games, how much will that stress Hutson Mason and the offense?

A: "It could be a huge deal, but they do have Todd Gurley. I would give him the ball early and often. They do have Chris Conley, and Reggie Davis can stretch the field. It's good to have Michael Bennett back as well, because he's a guy who can move the chains. Another question mark is tight end and who will be the guy out there?"

Q: What are your thoughts regarding NCAA governance and the recent ruling regarding the likeness of athletes considering all the No. 14 jerseys being worn when you played?

A: "I don't think college athletes need to be getting paid tons of money like the professional guys, but I do think they need more than they're getting. The stipend you get every semester is really not a lot. I remember thumbing through my cup holder and putting together some quarters to go to Taco Bell, but that was just part of it.

"As for the likeness of the players with the jersey numbers, I do think universities need to set aside a little fund or something so when guys are through playing ball they can have access to that money. They were selling a lot of No. 11 jerseys last year in that bookstore, and they weren't selling Georgia. They were selling Aaron Murray. Selling the 'G' is selling the university, but everybody knew that when you were walking around with a No. 11 jersey last year, that's Aaron Murray."

Q: What will you be doing for the SEC Network?

A: "It's going to be a fun gig. I'm actually going to fly out and meet with a different SEC coach every week and do an X's and O's film study with them. It will be a 30-minute show, and we will talk about the game they played that Saturday and why certain plays were successful and why certain ones weren't."

Q: Turning to rapid fire, who is a Georgia player nobody is talking about now but will have a breakthrough year?

A: "[Senior receiver] Jonathon Rumph."

Q: What is your go-to lunch order?

A: "Zaxby's, and you can tell by my belt line."

Q: What will be Georgia's toughest game?

A: "South Carolina."

Q: What was your favorite play in your Georgia career?

A: "Flatback Rooskie, where I would hide it. Wait a minute, you guys are up there in Tennessee, so I would say the Hobnail Boot."

Q: What is your second favorite SEC team?

A: "I grew up an Auburn fan, so I will say Auburn, but the one year I hated them was when Nick Fairley was gorilla dunking Murray. They lost some kudos from me that day, but I always kind of treated Auburn as a sister school until we played them. Then I wanted to kill them."

Q: Who has the best uniforms in the SEC, and you're not allowed to pick Georgia?

A: "LSU."

Q: What will be Georgia's record for the regular season?

A: "12-0."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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