Is it ‘hot seat’ time already for Mark Richt at Georgia?
Mark Richt is coming off a 4-4 SEC season at Georgia. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
Sometime last season — probably between the 45-19 loss at Tennessee and the 41-17 loss to Florida — I lost track of the number of times I was asked on blogs, emails and radio shows if Georgia coach Mark Richt was in trouble.
My response now is the same as it was then: He’ll be in trouble if he has one more bad season. I’m not sure if that qualifies me as being among the “handful of anonymous Internet trolls,” that Bill “Junkyard Blawg” King referred to this morning.
Fact is, even most fans who wake up every morning in their Bulldog boxer shorts must understand that life in the SEC is different than any other conference in America.
This is a topic now because a few publications are compiling their coaches-under-the-gun lists. The latest came today: The Orlando Sentinel is running a five-part series on coaches on the hot seat.
Part I focused on Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez, and you can hear the laughter all over West Virginia from here.
Part II focuses on Richt.
An excerpt:
Two words: National Championship. It’s been 30 years since the Bulldogs won their last title and Georgia fans are getting restless. Watching Florida, LSU, and Alabama win the past four BCS titles hasn’t probably helped either. Or the fact that Georgia has gone 2-6 against the Gators during Richt’s tenure.
But problems have dogged the Bulldogs program in recent years.
In the offseason, Richt decided to shake up his staff, firing defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two other assistants. The Bulldogs went after several big-name coordinators eventually settling on Todd Grantham, an NFL coordinator [sic] with the Dallas Cowboys.
Then the program was hit with a string of arrests culminating with starting [sic] quarterback Zach Mettenberger’s arrest outside of a bar in Valdosta, Georgia.
In many ways, Richt is under more pressure now than ever before. While expectations certainly aren’t meteoric like two years ago, when the offense included Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, Richt knows going 4-4 in the SEC again won’t cut it in 2010.
Because if that happens, folks, the seat would be very hot in 2011.
Agree? Or do you think Richt is on the hot seat already?
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Bud Selig, Phil Jackson get it right on immigration law
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736 comments Add your comment
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:29 pm
Richt has not played a schedule against all Akrons then how about his SEC record mr chihuahua?
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:30 pm
Richt does not lie to Utah and say I am your coach I am not leaving…Meyer does
Valdostan (surrounded by nothingness)
May 18th, 2010
4:30 pm
192 comments in 90 minutes, up to
a 2.33 per minute average. Dawg
fans must be stuck in traffic with
nothing to do but blog on their
Blackberries. Watch out King,
Schultzie is blitzing you.
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:30 pm
Richt does not lie to Bowling G and say I am your coach I amj not leaving…Meyer does, no he just lies to players saying he isnt going to recruit a QB and then brings in Hutson Mason.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:31 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:28 pm
Richt does not cry after losing a game…Meyer does.
.
Richt does not go off on reporters for doing their job…Meyer does
.
Richt does not complain of chest pains after losing a game….Meyer does.
You are like every little liberal, when you can’t beat a team or win on the facts,
call people names and make personal attacks———I told you get back on your pills.
DALLAS DAWG
May 18th, 2010
4:32 pm
Col. Mustard why don’t you change teams to root for if everything is so bad in your opinion. The rest of us would like to let the season play out with all the changes that have been made and see where this new season takes us. Stop the belly aching and whinning you sound constipated and in a pain in the ass more ways than one.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:32 pm
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:29 pm
Richt has not played a schedule against all Akrons then how about his SEC record mr chihuahua?
====================================
to get an accurate stat you have to get comparable years…try first 5…we dont know how Meyer will do with his recruits…He has done well with Zooks recruit. Sooooo figure the first 5 and get back to me
5 minute poll: Patrick is an Idiot___ Patrick is not an idiot___
May 18th, 2010
4:32 pm
He practices all night in front of a mirror.
74Dawg
May 18th, 2010
4:33 pm
South Ga dawgs,I didn’t think Jim Donnan deserved to be fired either,but there is absolutely no question Richt has turned out to be an upgrade. If people think Richt is not doing enough with the talent at Ga. now, imagine winning 8 games every year with the players Donnan had his last couple of years. The team was loaded with future successful NFL players , many of whom under achieved at UGA in rivalry games. And if Donnan were better than Richt, why is he out of coaching? As far as I know,never had another HC offer.
mcdaviddawg
May 18th, 2010
4:33 pm
I’ve already decided not to return to Jacksonville until Richt is gone. He’s on the hotseat for not doing his job. The Tenn games, the ALabame balckout, a couple of bowls in Atlanta, even some Kentucky and Vandy games when we were abvously unprepared with any kind of game plan. When your comments like he’s meeting with the offense this year, you begin to wonder what he’s been doing this last couple years as everything was falling apart. Last years recruiting class is far short of what it takes to compete against FL or AL. Again a lack of effort. This is Richt’s year to show he can get the job done. If not bring on Muschamp.
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:33 pm
He did well with Zook recruits and his own, winning a BCS with both. Richt did great with Donnans but not so well last 3 years.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:33 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:31 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:28 pm
Richt does not cry after losing a game…Meyer does.
.
Richt does not go off on reporters for doing their job…Meyer does
.
Richt does not complain of chest pains after losing a game….Meyer does.
You are like every little liberal, when you can’t beat a team or win on the facts,
call people names and make personal attacks———I told you get back on your pills.
==============================
I won on both.
.
Richt has more bowls….more bowl wins…more time top ten…. better winning average against better teams. AND he is a better person
Richt's Rule
May 18th, 2010
4:34 pm
As long as richt wins 8-9 games, he’ll be OK. Losing to florida every year in blowouts is starting to get old, however.
A...Blank
May 18th, 2010
4:34 pm
thanks ..I am now dumber for reading this crap
Raul
May 18th, 2010
4:34 pm
Any “REAL” Georgia fan knows Richt is not on the hot seat.
It is easy to hide behind a computer and claim to be a Georgia fan, especially for Tech nerds and their computer programs.
shane#1
May 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
Richt on the hot seat? Not hardly. Four years without an SEC championship? Richt has won two, the first in twenty years at UGa. He has also brought UGA up in APR so that they are second only to Vandy. He has made UGA a consistant finisher in the top five nationally in net football revenue. The big money boys won’t fire a man that brings in the big money. When you see Sanford Stadium half empty for a big game, then CMR will be on the hot seat.
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
74, the only school that would offer Richt if fired would be tech.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:33 pm
He did well with Zook recruits and his own, winning a BCS with both. Richt did great with Donnans but not so well last 3 years.
Link Report this comment
==========================
not so well last three years? He finished 2nd in the nation in 2007 (last three years) which is BETTER tahn any UGA squad in 30 years. You are lost.
OC_Dawg
May 18th, 2010
4:35 pm
Settling on Todd Grantham? You don’t settle for some of Grantham’s caliber. You thank your lucky stars he agreed to coach you!
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:25 pm
That was a sick post, you should read it again to see how silly you sound.
5 minute poll: Patrick is an Idiot _X__ Patrick is not an idiot___
May 18th, 2010
Ron Zook
May 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
I wish Richt coached in the Big Ten.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
and I am a constitutional conservative…not a LIEbral
Terry
May 18th, 2010
4:37 pm
You may think so; if you’re a dumb ass.
Russ, the Temporary Mascot
May 18th, 2010
4:37 pm
HOT SEAT is relative. I don’t think Richt has any idea what a hot seat feels like. Let somebody paint his a$$ and then go off and soak his a$$ in thinner to get the paint off and then, maybe then, he will have an idea of what a hot seat really is. If Richt isn’t in the hot seat he needs to be. What kind of program paints a little dog’s a$$? Grantham is the new boss in town and Richt will be second banana this season. Wait and see.
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:38 pm
finished second in nation? now talk about lucky. Loses to South Carolina and Tennessee and was LUCKY enough to play Hawaii in Sugar Bowl. He should of bought a lottery ticket in 07.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:38 pm
the 4:25 comment was inaccurate how?
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:38 pm
I really believe that CMR will retire from coaching and run as Sarah Palins running mate in 2012.
bulldog74
May 18th, 2010
4:39 pm
When you play in the SEC wins are very hard to come by unless the whole teams performs from the coahes to the players. However it always comes down to the coaches that can drive the team to
Victory.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:39 pm
5 minute poll: Patrick is an Idiot _X__ Patrick is not an idiot___
……………………
typical libral….loses on facts and resort to insults
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:40 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:38 pm
I really believe that CMR will retire from coaching and run as Sarah Palins running mate in 2012.
==============================
nice!
Ron Zook
May 18th, 2010
4:40 pm
How is this stat Patrick? If I only coached against Richt, I would win 66% of my games.
Pay attention Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:41 pm
If Richt were coaching at UF, Bama, Tenn or LSU he would be on the hot seat or gone. But in Athens they are happy to get an occaisional SEC title. They have always been a mid-pack SEC team that will sometimes have the stars align and win in Atlanta. Similar to Big Ten team named Michigan St. Check the pulse of big time Dawg supporters they are satisfied.
Dr Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:41 pm
I really believe that CMR will retire from coaching and run as Sarah Palins running mate in 2012
Now I know the boy is ill.
Hershel #4
May 18th, 2010
4:42 pm
I knew Patrick in rehab.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
Patrick,
Richt was 42-10 in the SEC his 1st four years (10.5/year and won 80.75 of the games aginst SEC teams.)
Richt 2nd 5 years, he is 48-17 against the SEC (9.6 wins/year and a 73.8%) I would think
even you would notice the trend is DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DawginMemphis
May 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
The difference between the old Richt (01′-05′) and the new Richt (06′-09′) is the routine beatings we take from Tennessee. We were beating much better Tennessee teams when we had their number during the first half of this decade. Now, its like we’re scared of them because they are (admittedly) one of the most physical teams in the conference. Getting our doors blown off by mediocre Tennessee teams has been the thorn in the side of this program. Debacles like the Alabama blackout don’t help either. Even in the occasional loss, the early Richt teams would go toe-to-toe with everyone. If we are ever toe-to-toe with anyone nowadays, its because its a shootout.
Personally, I think we need to recruit more bluechip LBs and D-Lineman. We are getting solid 3-4 star players when we need all-stars at both levels.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
So to recap.
Richt to Meyer
.
Richt has more top ten finishes.
.
More 10 win seasons in a row.
.
Has been to more bowls
.
Has more bowl wins
.
Has never lost to a midmajor
.
Does not lie to his employers
.
does not cry after losing a game
.
Does not complain of chest pains after losing a game
.
Does not contemplate retirement after losing a game
.
Has done nothing less than Meyer as far as NCs as both needed a team ahead of them to lose (not in their control) to get in.
.
I could go on but you get the picture
Paul "ManBoobs" Johnson
May 18th, 2010
4:45 pm
Russ — What kind of program does that you ask? The kind of program that ran for 4,000 years against my ACC Championship squad last year, at home, on national TV.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:45 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:43 pm
Patrick,
Richt was 42-10 in the SEC his 1st four years (10.5/year and won 80.75 of the games aginst SEC teams.)
Richt 2nd 5 years, he is 48-17 against the SEC (9.6 wins/year and a 73.8%) I would think
even you would notice the trend is DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
==============================================
You use first four years then use next four years…dont put the Joe COX year in. The trend is not down…ONE YEAR IS
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:45 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:36 pm
and I am a constitutional conservative…not a LIEbral
There may be hope for you yet.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:46 pm
ONE YEAR does not make a trend.
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:47 pm
If Meyer only faced Richt he wouldn’t have chest pains, only belly aches from laughing.
Dawglasville
May 18th, 2010
4:47 pm
I love the guys joking about Richt’s appearance. The guy on North Ave. looks like the woman in Throw Momma From The Train.
AltamahaDawg
May 18th, 2010
4:48 pm
With the exception of 09′ Richt’s UGA team has been right around 18/19 T/O a year. What made last year noticable, aside from the spike up, was the lack of takeaways. Even in 06′ when the TO were up over the average, UGA ended up -1 overall with a good many back. Historically Richt has his teams T/O margin right around the top of the league. So NO, that not a 3 yr issue, it’s a 1 year issue.
Penalties IS a 2 yrs issue. Although not 3. The majority of them have been on the O-line and it cannot be a coincidence that we happen to have had instability in that line-up for those 2 years. Just for fun, look at UF over Meyer’s time and notice who has had more penlaties. Also look at what team are historically in the top penalized teams in the nation. I think you will recognize the names. The problem is that UGA has not been able to absorb them like some otheres because they have had had no margin for error in the past couple of years.
Complaing about new QB’s is just a plain silly. Both Bama and FL will be starting thier 3rd qb in 4 yrs at the 2012 season. It happens. Who doesnt? Name the coach. Stafford leaving messed up a pretty good pattern I would say. And I believe we are about to see another multi-year starter.
About massive arrest…well there have been 3 and they got kicked off the team. Not exactly sure what kind of “fix” you had in mind beyond expulsion. I suppose we have a 4th, in a walk on linemen awaiting his underage drinking deal to flush out.
And beating Fl (or rather, not) is not an “issue”. They have had a better football team. Only one program in the SEC been able to beat UF more often than UGA in the past few years. There is only one fix for that, and it’s not a big mystery. In case you haven’t noticed, he is working on it.
npgator
May 18th, 2010
4:48 pm
Born the same year as Chuck D of Public Enemy – LOL! That is good stuff.
Patrick Sulley "I'm happy finishing 2nd or 3rd"
May 18th, 2010
4:49 pm
Kept posting bubba. Your a fine example of what happens after being a Dawg fan for years. Very comfortable with finishing 2nd as long as I can brag about 10 wins with three against Chattanooga, Western Kentucky and Georgiua Southern. With your schedule 9 wins should be a minimum. Keep your 2nd place trophy while Bama, LSU, Tenn and UF celebrate multiple NC titles.
Hey pat you idiot
May 18th, 2010
4:49 pm
One question for all your utter non-sense since you like to spout off all this meaningless “records” about Richt vs. Meyer.
WHAT IS THE RECORD FOR MARK RICHT VS. URBAN MEYER?
Answer that please…
Dr. Phil
May 18th, 2010
4:49 pm
Patrick your math does not add up. Richt is 69% against the SEC as a career HC.
2001
Georgia
8–4 5–3 T–3rd L Music City
25 22
2002
Georgia
13–1 7–1 1st W Sugar †
3 3
2003
Georgia
11–3 6–2 T–1st W Capital One
6 7
2004
Georgia
10–2 6–2 2nd W Outback
6 7
2005
Georgia
10–3 6–2 1st L Sugar †
10 10
2006
Georgia
9–4 4–4 T–3rd W Chick-fil-A
23
2007
Georgia
11–2 6–2 T–1st W Sugar †
3 2
2008
Georgia
10–3 6–2 2nd W Capital One
10 13
2009
Georgia
8–5 4–4 T–2nd W Independence
2010
Georgia
Georgia: 90–27 50–22
Total: 90–27
Richt 76.9 SEC record 69%
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
4:50 pm
first four year he is 42-10 in the SEC
.
his next four years (one a #2 finish) he is what? 44 and 13?
.
then he had one bad year. I dont see a trend down
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
4:50 pm
Patrick, I didn’t put Joe Cox in, that genious HC Richt did!—-don’t blame me
for an 8-5 season, and it does count–no “do overs”