Richt needs to end speculation about Martinez
If Willie Martinez has coached his final game in Athens, we should know soon.
I’m not sure what to read into Mark Richt’s sudden decision to cancel his scheduled Sunday night conference call with media members because of a reported “family function,” other than, well, a reported family function.
But with strong and protracted speculation that there are going to be significant changes on his coaching staff at Georgia — including either firing or demoting defensive coordinator Willie Martinez — Richt should not let this matter linger much longer. Either announce the staff will remain intact or make changes. The public guessing game helps nobody.
This generally is the week firings happen. (Virginia already has fired Al Groh.) It’s an important time in recruiting, and teams also want to get an early jump on potential replacements. There’s no reason to wait until after bowl games. Bowls generally are inconsequential, as it relates to a coach’s job security.
All that said, it would stunning if Martinez is back, certainly as coordinator. Martinez’s supporters shouldn’t get too drunk over the 30-24 season-ending win over Georgia Tech. The Bulldogs played better defense at times against Tech than they had this season. But the Jackets were held to only a field goal in the first half largely because Georgia’s running game kept Tech’s offense off the field. They had only four possessions. (The others: missed field goal, interception, time expired.) If any coach redeemed himself Saturday night, it probably was offensive line coach Stacy Searles, not Martinez.
In the second half, Tech scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and fumbled to end another drive near midfield.
As our Tim Tucker points out, Richt has done little to defuse speculation that he’ll make changes. Sometimes saying nothing on the subject — as he has done most of the season — is a greater indictment than anything else. Bottom line: Martinez’s body of work, and certainly the Dogs’ defensive problems the last two seasons, speaks loudly. Change is needed.
But regardless of Richt’s decision, he needs to clear the air quickly.
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481 comments Add your comment
Sonny Clusters
November 30th, 2009
2:14 pm
ajc.com headline: “Bulldog lineman held in Athens”
Heck, Jeff, that’s not news. They been holding everywhere they’ve been until Saturday night. That’s why they’ve been losing . . . all those stupid penalties. When we was playing ball Coach said they was “no holding allowed”.
Richt's Elephant
November 30th, 2009
2:14 pm
Richt will not fire anyone—he’s too loyal. Damon evans or michael adams will have to do the job.
FLA DAWG
November 30th, 2009
2:15 pm
1. The fact that Richt has NOT commented about making NO CHANGES indicates change(s) will be made.
2. There is no reason to wait until after a bowl game to announce Martinez’s (or anyone else’s) future departure. Such an announcement will likely come by Wednesday of this week at the latest.
3. An announcement of the replacement DC / OC / Special Teams positions will be made AFTER the bowl game.
Louis Skolnick
November 30th, 2009
2:15 pm
flag, Jimbo can make a pot of money if BB doesn’t haul ass. And Les could use some help.
B-DADDY
November 30th, 2009
2:16 pm
Jeff, who(What Coach) would talk to to replace CWM?
Dawgfan
November 30th, 2009
2:16 pm
They should keep Coach Martinez. It is the players not the coach missing tackles. JS, PJ will not be at tech long if he keeps trying to sell to their fans that beating Georgia does not matter. It does mater, just ask every coach fired before him. Tech is still over rated even after the drop to 12th. Their ranking should not exceed 20 under any circumstances. A one dimensional team can not compete with the big boys. They had one player that caught a pass and it was only his 3rd catch of the year. Wow! That’s nuts! Georgia owns tech and I anxiously await the forthcoming articles about how wrong all the AJC sports writers were.
Willy Martinez
November 30th, 2009
2:17 pm
If Garner is the next DC, expect a track meet against Florida and the other programs that have eclipsed UGA. Garner is an dimwit who can recruit but is a total liability to “coaching up the players.”
Nick Saban
November 30th, 2009
2:17 pm
If y’all keep Willie Martinez my Tide will never get to play the Dawgs in Atlanta. But I will enjoy whipping y’all every time you rotate back on our schedule. Keep Willie!!! I’ll break 50 on you the next time! I like Willie!!!!
Sincerely,
Nick Saban
ToccoaDawg
November 30th, 2009
2:17 pm
Sonny Clusters the coach was talking about you holding hands with your “friend”
Cox vs Tebow
November 30th, 2009
2:18 pm
Cox-
23 TD’S, 2350 passing yards, 10 sacks
Tebow-
14 TD’s, 1945 yards, 23 sacks
Haaa haaaaaa haaaaa haaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
SadDawg
November 30th, 2009
2:19 pm
No way Myer goes to that mess at South Bend. He stays at UF until the NFL comes calling with a U-Haul truck full of money. Seriously, it will be an ego thing. He has nothing left to prove in the college game. Just my opinion.
gdawginkalamzoo
November 30th, 2009
2:20 pm
My favorite part of Saturday was when Tony Barnhart kinda of looked at the camera and said “Georgia Tech is going to ROOOLLLLL over Georgia BIG TIME”. He said that with a straight face too. H I L A R I O U S!
Urban Meyer to NFL?
November 30th, 2009
2:20 pm
If the CBS Story is right about Meyer to the NFL, who do you folks think will replace Meyer next year?
Dawgfan
November 30th, 2009
2:20 pm
Victor, I think Jerry was the defensive coach at Hawaii when we put about 50 on them. Let him stay in the mountains.
flagboy?
November 30th, 2009
2:20 pm
louis, i thought he had until the 2011 season to become HC
Reality Bites
November 30th, 2009
2:20 pm
Georgia Tech was soooooo OVERRATED that even Willie’s defense was good enough to win the game! The jackettes just aren’t SEC level competition. Tech was barely better than Vandy and Tennessee Tech.
Sonny Clusters
November 30th, 2009
2:21 pm
Clusters don’t hand hold but we know about Toccoa (wink, wink). Isn’t that where Deliverance come from, ToccoaDawg?
Willie Martini
November 30th, 2009
2:22 pm
Bobo’s offensive line was scary Saturday night! Bobo whips my ass every time we scrimmage. Hell, Bobo’s wife can whip my ass!
james
November 30th, 2009
2:23 pm
Who is in the mix for a replacement ?
Why Is Tebow getting worse each year?
November 30th, 2009
2:24 pm
Maybe this is yet another reason why Florida can’t get a good Pro Style QB to come their way. The stats on espn.com for Tebow 2007, 2008, 2009, are embarassingly bad for Meyer’s coaching abilities.
Tebow has gotten worse, every year, in TD’s, yards, etc. He was ok when he got there, but after Flrodia finished with him, he’s worse, and the NFL doesn’t want Tebow according to Mel Kiper and Jimmy Johnson.
To Sonny Clusters ignorant idiot!
November 30th, 2009
2:25 pm
Clusters,
You stupid uneducated moron. Toccoa was NOT where Deliverence was filmed you nitwit. Deliverence was filmed in Clayton (Rabun County) and it starred your mother as the banjo player!
I just slapped your face!
Soulja Boy
November 30th, 2009
2:25 pm
Georgia beat Tech because they knocked Nesbitt out of the game for a quarter with late hit worthy of Brandon Spikes, and Nesbitt’s replacement failed to move the team. That fact, and the usual unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, diminishes the otherwise good performance of Cox and the running backs.
SC Dawg
November 30th, 2009
2:26 pm
Buy Willie a Van, fill it with GAS and tell him to get the hell out of Athens.
Urban Oscar Meyer
November 30th, 2009
2:26 pm
I am not going anywhere as long as Willie boy stays at UGA!!!!
TEE
November 30th, 2009
2:27 pm
UGA OWNS TECH!! 15 OUT OF 17. And they should have never won last year. ACC = JV football. Good luck watching Tech and Clemson play in the ACC title game. What a joke! Tech is so overrated. Clemson probably wins that game and goes to a bcs bowl with a 9-4 record and embarrasses the league.
gdawginkalamzoo
November 30th, 2009
2:32 pm
Meyer could end up in Washington or Buffalo (Tebow will be their next qb). I doubt Oakland.
Better make an announcement and get it over with. Get a short list of candidates going and snag someone early. Maybe Monte Kiffin will come down. I hear his current boss is a dimwitted jerk who shoots his mouth off.
Tebow to Meyer
November 30th, 2009
2:32 pm
Coach Meyer,
How come I got worse every year here? I thought you said you’d IMPROVE my QB skills? Why do the experts say I won’t even be drafted in the NFL? I got you 2 Natl’ Champ, and all I get is this stupid engraving with my speech????–like that’s gonna pay my bills for the next 60 years. Thanks a lot Coach, I should have gone to Georgia like Matt Stafford.
Confused,
Timmy
Who died and left you in charge?
November 30th, 2009
2:33 pm
Mr. Schultz, Could you please explain to your readers why you think Coach Richt (or any other coach) has some obligation to adhere to an arbitrary timetable created by you?
Sonny Clusters
November 30th, 2009
2:35 pm
Whoa! Ol’ Sonny must have touched a nerve. Clusters don’t know much about Deliverance but seems like we may have one of the Deliverance boy blogging here with us. Calling a Clusters an idiot, moron, and nitwit is redundant. You can look that up at the Toccoa library on the way down to the gorge.
Sonny Clusters
November 30th, 2009
2:38 pm
Whoa! Ol’ Sonny must have touched a nerve. Clusters don’t know much about Deliverance but seems like we may have one of the Deliverance boys blogging here with us. Calling a Clusters idiot, moron, and nitwit is redundant. You can look up redundant at the Toccoa library on the way down to the gorge. Don’t forget your banjo.
Sonny Clusters
November 30th, 2009
2:41 pm
Whoa! Double posting. That first one was from the idiot. The next one was from the moron. This is like when we was in school, only better.
William
November 30th, 2009
2:41 pm
It is so sad that we have to even discuss this! I am sick of seeing UGA players hand tackling running backs. I should say attempt tackling.
TommyP
November 30th, 2009
2:42 pm
Yeah, I had to laugh at this blog headline. Uh….he’ll do it when he feels the time is right. The Monday after the Tech win, the Friday after, a week from today….it doesn’t matter right now.
I would imagine that Richt is first waiting on which bowl we go to.
Dooley's Cardiologist's Cardiologist
November 30th, 2009
2:42 pm
If Richt keeps Willie, UGA can keep my 2010 season tickets cause I don’t want ‘em.
this game means the world to tech!!!!
November 30th, 2009
2:43 pm
you Jeff shultz need to let Richt be accountable for himself and his program, even if it gets him fired… and you Jeff Shulz need to go write for Sesame Street..you’ll find Paul Johnson, your bed buddy is probably the new host!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ron D
November 30th, 2009
2:43 pm
Be patient, Jeff. We have to finalize some things and then we will pull the trigger.
D-DawgDavis
November 30th, 2009
2:44 pm
Can I go ahead and throw my number one request for DC replacement? Kirby Smart. Sorry, most of his family is in GA and that whole coming whole thing seems to work. Or how about a crazy pick, just to spice it up. Bat poo crazy Eddie-O?
hic
November 30th, 2009
2:44 pm
Can’t find UGAY ranked in any football polls!!! It sounds as if “one game” did make the season for the UGAY fans!!! Enjoy the Dalton Carpet Bowl.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/bcs/
UGA Grad
November 30th, 2009
2:44 pm
Still a lot of envy here on this blog about the Gators and Tebow.
Richard Dawson
November 30th, 2009
2:49 pm
PHIL, we let LSU return the kickoff into our territory (the penalty was only 15 yards, the poor kick coverage did the rest), then we let LSU run 35 yards for a TD.
Then, LSU gets a celebration penalty, but we only return the ball to our 30. Then, instead of scoring, we throw a pick.
If you blame that loss on the refs, you know nothing about football.
Sambo
November 30th, 2009
2:49 pm
Coach Garner will not return as well as Coach Martinez
This from sports director at Macon Telegraph
Tech is my Bee-otch
November 30th, 2009
2:49 pm
Who are YOU to tell CMR what to do or when to do it? Your man-love for CPJ would be enough for any coach to not take ANYTHING you say as being relevant…Where is your article calling for Womack’s head? I think Tech has a worse defense…get over your man-love for CPJ and write about how THEY need to make changes…..They gave up a TON of yardage….if they only had a defense they could…you now what to write…..but CMR marches to HIS own timetable….it hurts doesn’t it, but here it is again…30-24…..and Caleb and Washaun are STILL running
SadDawg
November 30th, 2009
2:50 pm
I’ve been called an idiot on this blog also, Sonny, so consider me kin! Just keep the funny stuff coming!!
op
November 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
UPDATE……. King just scored again, wait, or was that Ealey!
Journalists are annoying by asking to end speculation
November 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
Jeff, your job does not involve telling other people how to do their job. Especially when those people have the job skills way above yours that let them make millions of dollars. Learn your place in life and respect professional experts decisions to not tell you anything until they are ready.
Jeff Schultz
November 30th, 2009
2:51 pm
This game means….You have connections on Sesame Street? Who can I talk to?
C from Marietta
November 30th, 2009
2:52 pm
Soulja Boy = sour grapes. HaHa. To the Tech taunting us all game long. I hope you called the suicide hot line and did’nt jump off that bridge.
VentingDawg
November 30th, 2009
2:53 pm
New DC already on the staff? NO WAY! CMR has to know promoting Jancek is not what the DAWG nation is expecting. He’s viewed by many as part of the problem on D. Garner being promoted might be acceptable but most of us will be skeptical of that choice x & o wise which is the gripe against CWM. Garner has yet to sign his contract & does not have a good relationship with Evans so I’d buy the fact that he & CWM are both gone. If it’s up to me I think you try to keep Garner as the RC then change out the rest of the D staff while hiring a STC as well.
Pascual Perez
November 30th, 2009
2:55 pm
Agreed, Jeff. Willie must go! Any thoughts on who might replace him?
SadDawg
November 30th, 2009
2:55 pm
hic, 30-24.