Word: Good times, bad times

Georgia’s two most prominent football teams head into the season with very different prospects. The rebuilding Atlanta Falcons are expected to scrape the NFL’s dregs; the Georgia Bulldogs enter today’s opener as No. 1 in the NCAA.

“Unless Richt is holding that crystal football in Miami at around 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2009, this season will be a failure.”

-- Pete Fiutak, FOXSports.com

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“Our goals won’t be measured in wins and losses this year. We need to move forward and grow as a team.”

-- Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff

“I think everybody is expecting good things.”

Georgia head coach Mark Richt

“He’ll be running behind a shaky offensive line that looks as if it’s held together by duct tape purchased from one of Arthur Blank’s old stores.”

-- The Sports Network’s Scott Garbarini, on new Falcons running back Michael Turner

“It’s cool to say you were part of that team that was preseason No. 1, but it would be a lot nicer to say it at the end of the season. There’s a lot of time between now and then.”

-- Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford__