Players take steps to "address the mood" after Saturday's loss

Georgia fans aren’t the only ones having a hard time with the Bulldogs sitting at 4-3 heading into the final five games of the 2016 season.

Players like wide receiver Michael Chigbu are perplexed as well.

So much so, Chigbu revealed there was a player’s-only meeting earlier this week to discuss some of the team’s shortcomings and what can be done to address them.

“It was just a little small talk,” Chigbu said earlier this week. “Without the coaches, between us.”

Although Chigbu declined to say what was talked about amongst the group, Jeb Blazevich said the mood of the team has been an issue that players like himself have attempted to address.

“I feel it’s like with any team, there’s going to be guys that you need to focus on,” said Blazevich, who recalled something he learned as a player a long time ago.

According to the tight end, he once heard a coach say that 80 percent of a team’s players are going to follow the other 20 percent.

Of that 20 percent, 10 percent are going to do the right thing, encouraging teammates and pushing the desire to improve while the other 10 percent tends to take a more lackadaisical approach.

“The 80 percent is going to follow the two 10 percents; whoever is loudest,” he said. “So, we’re trying to be the loudest ones, drown out these guys, weed these guys out and then we’ll have everybody on board, on the same page.”

If the Bulldogs want to end the season on a winning note, it’s going to be important to do just that.

“The season’s not going how we want it,” Chigbu said. “But instead of like saying it’s okay, we’re still working to be a better Georgia as a team, be a better unit. We’re still going to work every day.”

Left guard Isaiah Wynn seemed to suggest that Monday’s meeting helped clear some of the air.

“We talked about it on Monday, just about focusing on what’s to come,” Wynn said. “Ever since then, we’ve just been getting after it. We’re not focused on the past or any of those other games. We’re all focused on the future.”

While most of the team’s goals are out the window, Blazevich said the Bulldogs can still salvage their season.

“We’re obviously trying to win out, but for me personally, and I know for everybody on the team, it’s not about that. It’s about what we need to focus on today,” he said. “I mean coach (Kirby) Smart always says it, but that’s really what we identify with as a group. How can I get better today, how can I play better for this game?”

If the Bulldogs do that, Blazevich feels everything else will take care of itself.

“We could ‘Screw it, we’re 4-3,’” Blazevich said. “A lot of fans may be thinking, ‘Hang your head’ but it’s like, look, tomorrow we can have a tough practice, so what can I do better during that tough practice, what can I do for me to get better, so I can help the team, so we can continue to salvage the season.”