Willie Martinez let his defense know that Tuesday marked the start of a new campaign.

“Get back over here. Are you kidding me? I said to take charge,” the defensive coordinator yelled out after a poor performance by his second unit in an initial pre-snap alignment drill.

Ready or not, the first organized practice of the 2009 season had begun.

The first team defense didn’t stumble, with junior linebacker Rennie Curran and senior safety Bryan Evans calling out loudly when the offense made an adjustment. The whole unit chimed in, creating a buzz of communication.

And when the defense left from the huddle, they broke it down with the chant, “Set the tempo!” The slogan means more to the defense than just words spoken.

“Setting the tempo is going to be a big theme for this year,” Evans said after practice. “Just to come out for the first game of the season, to set the tempo for the whole season. We come out strong for the first game and we can only build momentum, and it can only get better.”

It was only the first day, but this is a defense hungry to get back to form, after a 2008 performance that failed to receive a passing grade. Ask Curran if the defense lived up.

“Definitely not. There were times when we showed greatness, but it wasn’t consistent,” he said before practice at a media luncheon. “That was the main thing. If you want to play like a Georgia defense, like ‘Junkyard Dawgs,’ you got to be consistent. You’ve got to be able to perform even when your back is against the wall, when you are in a bad situation or if the offense throws an interception. You’ve got to be able to make plays and make turnovers, and I don’t feel like we did that consistently.”

Curran was heard during practice instructing, telling a fellow linebacker, “You’ve got to break down or you’ll miss that tackle. We’ve got to do it out here like we’re doing it in a game.”

Martinez has noted a strong work ethic this particular offseason, most likely sparked by a strong leadership core of Curran, Evans and senior lineman Jeff Owens, among others.

“I just know that our guys, this year are doing a great job. They’ve done a great job since January,” he said. “I like our leadership. We’re trying to be flexible, trying to figure out who are the guys, develop a two-deep. I think our leadership is solid, and we’ve got a tremendous amount of experience and very productive players. We’re just trying to develop more depth and see where we’ll be on September 5.”

For Evans, entering his final season as a Bulldogs, time is of the essence. A national championship is his main concern.

“We’ve always had to set the tempo, the slogan or whatever, but the thing that caught our attention is we’re not ranked No. 1,” he said. “We’re trying to get back up to that status. We want a national championship. I think as hard as we’ve practiced and worked we deserve it. Set the tempo is just something we feed off of. If we set the tempo we feel like we can’t be beat.”

Charles Impresses

Freshman tight end Orson Charles certainly doesn’t look like he was born in 1991. Already at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Charles has the build. But Tuesday still marked his first practice as a Bulldog.

On one play, tight end coach John Lilly had to remind Charles to buckle his chin strap. Charles strapped it, and secured the next pass that came his way.

The Tampa native must utilize preseason camp more than any other freshman, due to the lack of depth at tight end.

Aron White is the only player with game experience at the coaches’ disposal while junior Bruce Figgins serves a six-game suspension.

Charles received work with the first team, and displayed quickness to accompany his size, and good hands as well.

Lilly was constantly coaching Charles up, an indication the staff is preparing Charles for a big part on offense. According to Lilly, summer workouts have aided the progression of both Charles and fellow freshman Arthur Lynch.

“I think Aron White and Bruce Figgins have done a good job this summer trying to get them schooled up,” he said. “Because when you can walk into a meeting room for the first time with guys, and ask them some questions, even some basic questions, and they can fire the answers back at you, it means something.”

A.J. Green, as a freshman, led the Bulldogs in receiving last season. But Lilly doesn’t think it fair to expect Charles to duplicate such a feat.

“I don’t want to put expectations on any other freshmen to have a season like A.J. had last year,” he said. “You don’t see that come along too much in a lifetime.”

Still, Charles is working toward a contributing role in the offense, and has the skills to bring the tight end position back to an integral mark in the box score.