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
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:11 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:09 pm
Dont ask dont tell
============================
awww my doppelganger returns. Imitation is the pruest form of respect
DawgBuzz
May 18th, 2010
5:12 pm
I think the AJC has run out of UGA sports articles to write about.
doppelganger
May 18th, 2010
5:12 pm
Patrick Sulley is the worst form of respect.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:13 pm
Hey Gaitorbait….I wonder if any of that had to do with arguably the best college player in history? Naw…it was all Meyer.
.
Lets see how he does with out tearblow…then come back in five years and if he even remotely accomplishes what he did with tearblow I will admit he is DA BOMB
Dawg1970
May 18th, 2010
5:14 pm
Pure BS. This is a result of wishful thinking by GT, Vols, gayturds, & other jealous fans who would like to see UGA fall. Mark Richt is a solid coach and an even better person. As for all the whiners in the Bulldog Nation, We could do a LOT worse and I don’t see anybody I would rather have. Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp are totally unproven . Meyer and Saban are great coaches but they aren’t available and I for one don’t want them. I’m betting that None of the bloggers on here including the sportswriters have a vote on this matter.
Geez now you've resorted to this
May 18th, 2010
5:15 pm
Oh it was al Tebow…How pathetic.
I didn’t see Tebow out there playing Defense when UF shut down Richt’s offense in Meyer’s 4 wins vs. him.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:16 pm
Geez now you’ve resorted to this
May 18th, 2010
5:15 pm
Oh it was al Tebow…How pathetic.
I didn’t see Tebow out there playing Defense when UF shut down Richt’s offense in Meyer’s 4 wins vs. him.
===============================
no? I wonder why the only time UGA beat Fla Tearblow was injured. Hmmmm
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:16 pm
No dawg70 we hope richt stays forever, its only when a delusional dawg like patrick defends richt, it makes all of you look like idiots.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:16 pm
oh and Charlie strong…NOT….Meyer did the defense.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:17 pm
Well Patrick I’m waiting, maybe you didn’t see the post—here
it is again:
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:10 pm
Patrick,
What awards has Richt won?
Put them up against this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In five seasons, Meyer has guided the Gators to a pair of national championships, two Southeastern Conference Championships, three
SEC Eastern Division crowns and five straight January bowl games, including three BCS bowl games.
His .851 winning percentage (57-10) is the best in the history of the school and his .800 winning percentage (32-8) in SEC play is the tops in league history
among head coaches who spent five or more years in the conference.
Meyer, who was named Sporting News and Sports Illustrated “Coach of the Decade” in December of 2009, is the
first coach ever to win two BCS National Championships outright National Titles.
and he is one of only two coaches in the history of the SEC to win two
Since the SEC’s inception in 1933, no coach had begun his SEC career faster than Meyer. With
his win vs. Arkansas in 2009, Meyer collected his 50th win as an SEC
head coach, reaching that mark in just 59 games. That ties
Frank Thomas of Alabama for the fastest to achieve 50 wins as an SEC head coach.
Meyer is the only coach ever to have three wins over a No. 1 team in the BCS rankings, defeating Ohio State and Oklahoma in the 2007
and 2009 BCS Championship Games, respectively, and Alabama in the 2008 SEC Championship Game.
The 2009 team said goodbye to the winningest class in the history of the SEC after posting a 48-7 record.
Meyer earned multiple National Coach of the Year honors in 2004 after leading Utah to a perfect 12-0 season, the school’s first in 75 years. Meyer collected the
Home Depot National Coach of the Year, the George Munger Award for the Collegiate Coach of the Year presented by the Maxwell Club and the Eddie Robinson
Coach of the Year (Named by the Football Writers Association of America). He also was named National Coach of the Year by Pro Football Weekly and
earned the Woody Hayes Trophy Award and the Victor Award.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:17 pm
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:16 pm
No dawg70 we hope richt stays forever, its only when a delusional dawg like patrick defends richt, it makes all of you look like idiots.
==============================
How are you Gagator….why are u using another name?
hmmm
May 18th, 2010
5:17 pm
Patrick it was because they started 6 true freshmen on defense. UF still scored 30 points that day, so it was defense dumba$$
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:18 pm
gaitorbait???? what are you waitng for…I answered that…see my post at 5:13
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:18 pm
Gagator????
Bulldog59
May 18th, 2010
5:18 pm
JS, agree totally, one more “bad” year and CMR is in trouble. To rectify the situation, he has gone back to the formula that won 2 SEC Titles in his first 5 years.
A real X-O guy running an attacking D. Yes, I know BVG left after 2004, so WM was DC in 2005. But BVG coached those guys and made them the D they were in 2005, not WM.
CMR is re-asserting himself into the O. Reports are, during spring practice, he spent half or more of each session working with the O. You think that got Bobo’s attention?
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:13 pm
Hey Gaitorbait….I wonder if any of that had to do with arguably the best college player in history? Naw…it was all Meyer.
.
Is this the best you’ve got?
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:20 pm
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:18 pm
Gagator????
==========================
if you are an UGA fan then point out a single error in anything I said. Or admit you are a Fla fan acting like an UGA fan
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:20 pm
Bulldog59, was him spending more time with the O why Murray sucked so bad at G day?
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:21 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:19 pm
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:13 pm
Hey Gaitorbait….I wonder if any of that had to do with arguably the best college player in history? Naw…it was all Meyer.
.
Is this the best you’ve got?
============================
the only one I need…do you think Vince Dooley would have won a NC without Walker? No. Do you think Meyer would have that record without Tearblow? No
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:21 pm
Patrick,
What about Richt’s awards?
No answer as usual, just a diversionary tactic.
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:22 pm
Nothing in my post would indicate that I am a UGA fan, Please!! I said it makes all YOU not us.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:22 pm
5:13 is NO answer
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:22 pm
#1 Hater/gagator
.
Facts are facts….just because they dont support your reality doesnt make them go away or change
Willie the chihuahua
May 18th, 2010
5:23 pm
Patrick my water needs changing.
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:23 pm
what facts patty?
Gillislee
May 18th, 2010
5:24 pm
Meyer has 2 National Titles for Florida and Richt has 0 for UGA……..Nanny Nanny Boo Boo
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:24 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:22 pm
5:13 is NO answer
========================
No sir that IS the answer. No tearblow…no NC (no USC loss no NC either but…) lets reserve crowning him the best coach ever UNTIL after we see what he does WITHOUT superman. OK?
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:24 pm
I bet Richt cried when he fired his best friend to save his own butt.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:25 pm
Patrick,
I guess you have not noticed, these awards just keep following Meyer
from school to school———Bowling to Utah to Florida-he must be the
luckiest sob on earth.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:25 pm
#1 hater
May 18th, 2010
5:23 pm
what facts patty?
=========================================
UMMM YOU OBVIOULSY PAID ATTENTION AS YOU SAID ALL OF MY POST MAKES SOMEONE LOOK BAD….SO YOU ALREADY KNOW WHICH FACTS. PUDDIN
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:26 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:25 pm
Patrick,
I guess you have not noticed, these awards just keep following Meyer
from school to school———Bowling to Utah to Florida-he must be the
luckiest sob on earth.
==========================
Oh we are counting High School quality conferences…OK I didnt know
Ace
May 18th, 2010
5:26 pm
FL is a given, UT and KY — this is why UGA is not top 25 and the SEC laughs.
DawginLex
May 18th, 2010
5:27 pm
I’m predicting a big rebound by the dawgs in 2010.
10 wins minimum
Folks, the reality is that Mark Richt created these expectations. UGA football won 6 SEC titles in 25 years under Dooley and he is considered a legend. 200 wins in 25 years with 6 SEC titles and 1 National title. Richt has 2 SEC titles in 9 years and had shot at a national title in 2002.
Richt will rebound this year.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:28 pm
I guess if Richt was a coach in a high school conference he would not have done as well as Meyr? Is that what you are saying? Seems a bit of a stretch
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:28 pm
Meyer just may be a good recruiter and then coaches his player better than Richt. Even Spurrier said, Georgia gets all the best players, then we win all the games—what happens to these kids at Georgia?
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:29 pm
alright gagator/#1 hater/false UGA fan and Gaitorbait…I need to go. Talk to ya again soon
Bulldog59
May 18th, 2010
5:29 pm
#1 hater, don’t worry about Murray, early on all he’s got to be able to do is hand-off 40 times a game and pass 10-12, and half of those will be screens. Look for UGA to capitalize on the veteran O-line and try to control the ball and the clock.
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:30 pm
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:28 pm
Meyer just may be a good recruiter and then coaches his player better than Richt.
======================
ummmm Meyer used Zooks recruits. he is just now using his. (according to your analysis of Richt and Donnan from earlier)
Patrick Sulley
May 18th, 2010
5:31 pm
also, Meyer was only at Utah for two years…those were someone elses recruits not his…same at Bowling G
Bulldog59
May 18th, 2010
5:31 pm
Gatorbait 17-3. Spurrier made that comment when Ray Goff was our coach……need I say more.
Jaydawg
May 18th, 2010
5:32 pm
74Dawg at 3:20.Grantham was not linebacker coach but defensive line.
DawgDad
May 18th, 2010
5:32 pm
Mark Richt is not a job-hopper like a lot of other high-profile coaches, so yes, he has created a vulnerability for himself. Character in a head coach can absolutely be exploited as a weakness.
To say he’s on the hot seat right now would be preposterous. But the U always has to look forward, not backward. Even 53 wins and a playoff series win with a rag-tag misfit roster lacking a point guard and a center can get a character coach fired if the Org thinks the prized puppies are tuning him out, spoiled flawed characters though they might be.
Richt needs to right the ship this year, fielding a team that looks cohesive, plays disciplined, and competes as hard as fans can expect. Wins and losses depend on how the ball bounces, injuries, and who made or missed curfew the night before the big game. He has to stay on top of the lower echelon programs and compete head-on with the big boys, otherwise the U and it’s fans will be out for blood. The expectations are tough, but they haven’t changed a bit.
How we end up and where we go
May 18th, 2010
5:32 pm
If UGA ends up around 10-2 with a win over Floirda but losses to SC and Auburn and if Florida loses another, and UGA ends up tied with Florida for the East, then Richt will be safe. If we lose to only Florida and end up first in the East ( Florida loses once to Alabama and again to LSU or SC ) then Richt will be safe. If we win the East and go undefeated, Richt will be safe.
If UGA ends up second in the East at 11-1 and Florida does not lose, but we get a Capitol One bid, Richt will be safe. If we end up like 10-2 and second or third in the East and get an Outback Bowl bid, then Richt will be safe.
To lose to two SEC schools and to then lose to tech ( three losses) and then end up in the Music City or worse …………………Richt in 2010 might escape ………….until 2011, when he must win and win big.
Such is life. When you compete at high levels and with high expectations, then you push and push hard to succeed. This is true in any enterprise gang. This is why Urban Meyer and NickSaban are like they are. They grasp and embrace this reality.
Richt and Turbeville and The Ole Miss coach and the LSU coach are more similar. LSU won the NC with luck and with key players that returned for what was expected to be a great run by LSU, Miles or no Miles. They are all very, very fine big boy coaches and in a big boy league. Richt is ultra successful and is part of why UGA is the ONLY SCHOOL TO WIN 8 OR MORE OVER !# and SOON TO BE 14 YEARS. Period …………..Richt is a winner, especially EARLY in his UGA career.
The haters have not a clue one way or other on this subject.
Go Dogs.
UGA, class of 71 & 73
Dawg1970
May 18th, 2010
5:33 pm
#1 hater, Why don’t you identify yourself by your school of choice. It’s kind of cowardly to sit back and lob barbs at UGA without doing so. We have a lot of haters i.e GT because we have dominated them under CMR. At any rate, you don’t have a vote on our coach so who really cares? You’re IRRELAVENT dude.
kevin
May 18th, 2010
5:33 pm
@ Patrick Sulley and Gatorbait
Actually, Meyer won a NC 2 with Chris Leak just before Teblow took over. So, he can win without Teblow. Who cares though. Meyer is a tool and acts like a jackarse. And, Tebow, despite being a great college football player, is the most annoying sports player of all time. Painting bible references in his eyeblack–sounds like something a 6 year old would do.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:35 pm
You’re right Bulldog59, but you get the drift. All Richt’s classes have been highly rated.
Gatorbait 17-3
May 18th, 2010
5:37 pm
kevin
That wouldn’t be sour grapes since Tebow is now the most ‘Marketable” athelete
in American———turning down 7 figure offers right and left.
YELLOW HAMMER
May 18th, 2010
5:38 pm
sulley, as a bama fan i sure hope CMR’s not on the hot seat cause if he ’s gone the next time we play we wont get to see them black jersey’s . RMFT
superDawg
May 18th, 2010
5:40 pm
UGA is on the way up.The changes have been made,recruting has picked up and Richt will be around for a long time.All you haters should be very worried and it shows in your post.
Gator Hater
May 18th, 2010
5:40 pm
The seat is gettin a little warm. But that tells you somethin when you win 8 games a people think something is wrong! We are going 12-2(including bowl game) this year 11-2 worst case scenario!