With week off, Bulldogs have work to do
Cedartown football enters Week 3 of the 2019 season with two losses. Fortunately, the slumping Bulldogs will have a chance to regroup and get some extra reps with this weekend’s bye week.
Up next for Cedartown will be Sept. 13’s road matchup at Bremen. The non-region contest with the Blue Devils may not have any playoff implications, but could help pump some much-needed confidence into the program.
With that being said, let’s delve into some key categories the Bulldogs need to improve sooner rather than later:
Penalties
It is important for Coach Kelley’s squad to play more disciplined ball. He would tell you himself that it is at the top of their list.
The coaching staff did a much better job of making changes to put the team in a position to win in Friday’s close loss to Alexander, but multiple offensive fouls brought back a couple of Cedartown touchdowns that could have proved to be the difference in the game.
Offensive Line Play
Entering the season, Kelley told WGAA Radio that “I am unsure of just who will be starting on the offensive line. We lost a lot of guys and have some players who have definitely stepped up, but we will just have to see how it shakes out.”
The young line performed well in both scrimmage wins over Morrow and Chattooga, but fell apart for the most part against Rockmart. Though they did better in Douglasville on Friday, they need more consistency as a unit to reach their full potential.
Defense
What was seen as the most talented part of this Cedartown team in the preseason was the defensive side of the ball. Through two games, an argument can still be made that the D is one of the best in the area.
The reason this department gets an asterisk is because it is difficult for the defense to play well when they are on the field all night. However, the Bulldogs still allowed 17 points to Alexander in the first quarter alone last Friday night.
This cannot happen if the team expects to win big games. They simply came out flat early on, but settled in later.
The defense has the talent to produce numerous All-Region and even All-State players. A quick morale boost could go a long way in helping Cedartown’s defense in their next game at Bremen.
If the Bulldogs can improve in these areas, they will be right back on track.
After Bremen, Cedartown will head to Southeast Whitfield for another nonregion game. Following the matchup in the Dalton area, they open the region schedule at Cartersville.
As everyone in these parts know, the 1985 Cedartown Bulldogs started out 1-3 before sweeping the region and making it all the way to the state playoffs.
If some things can change, who’s to say the same thing would not happen to these Dawgs?