Offense convert at nose

No Georgia player has made more than 10 career starts both offensively and defensively since Mark Richt has been the coach, but one could be on the way.

Justin Anderson earned seven starts on the offensive line in 2008 and five last season, but he was moved this spring to defense while sitting out with a shoulder injury. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound junior from Ocilla, Ga., has been competing this month at the nose and, according to defensive line coach Rodney Garner, would be a starter if the Bulldogs opened today.

Anderson has been excited since Garner and new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham approached him about moving.

“They were talking about moving to the 3-4 scheme, and they needed some big bodies playing in there,” Anderson said Friday evening after practice. “I was like, ‘Hey, I’m interested.’”

Richt called Anderson into his office to offer his support, and then Anderson went to work learning his new role. He began camp bracketed with redshirt freshman Kwame Geathers as the backups to No. 1 nose DeAneglo Tyson, but Garner said shifting Tyson to end and having Anderson at nose is currently the best combination.

“I’m impressed with his knowledge of the system,” Garner said. “Other guys would say, ‘I only have to learn the base package and not the nickel and all that,’ but he’s done a good job for a guy who wasn’t able to get out there in spring practice. I think he’s going to help us. I really do.”

Grantham said Anderson has flourished in recent days because of his conditioning, something he didn’t have this spring.

The biggest difference in playing offense and defense, according to Anderson, is that he now is getting double-teamed as opposed to helping double-team. He is quick to defend the nose position, which Garner said players usually try to avoid.

“It’s one of the least glamorous positions on the team, but at the same time the nose tackle is just as important as both of the end positions,” Anderson said. “If the nose tackle gets blown up on a play, then we’ve got some serious problems.”

Though he is at a new spot, his nickname hasn’t changed. Anderson has been called “Bean” since arriving in Athens in January 2007, and he had the name long before then. His granddaddy gave it to him at birth.

“I was only seven pounds,” Anderson said. “I was a pretty small baby, but I had a pretty big head, and that’s kind of how that came up.”

So that explains it

Junior receiver A.J. Green told reporters Friday that he developed a knack for juggling in second grade and got to where he can juggle four items at a time. He said he learned to ride a unicycle in fourth grade and then learned how to juggle while riding.