Dawgs' WRs working with Tennis Balls

ATHENS - The Bulldogs’ pass-catchers have adopted an unconventional training technique first made popular by Texas Tech coach Mike Leach. Georgia’s tight ends and receivers have recently begun catching tennis balls out of a machine in order to improve their hands.

Dropped passes have been a problem for the Bulldogs all season, but Richt still dismissed the procedure the first time he saw a television segment of one of the Red Raiders’ practices. When another network aired the same show, he gave it some more thought.

“I watched it a second time, and I was more convinced there was a lot of sense to it,” he said. “You can’t catch a tennis ball up against your body. You have to catch it with your hands.”

So Georgia borrowed a ball machine from the tennis team recently and set it up in a racquetball court near the team’s weight room.

“I think we’re going to be purchase a machine or two and make it a part of our routine,” Richt said.