McGarity still calm amid storm, expresses confidence in Richt
Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity is not oblivious to the storm around him but he remains confident in coach Mark Richt.
ATHENS – Stationed in his first fire storm since becoming athletic director, Greg McGarity last Saturday chose to go in a different direction than some of the angry, torch-carrying villagers in Athens who believe the best course of action following SEC losses is to open more “Fire [Coach]” Facebook pages.
McGarity waited for Georgia coach Mark Richt to address his team after the home loss to Arkansas, waited until Richt released most of the players from a holding room under the stands at Sanford Stadium and then walked in.
“I don’t generally go into the locker room because I don’t feel I really belong in there,” he said. “What I did do was go in there after the game, but before the media came in, just to see Mark and the 12 or 14 players who were still there waiting for interviews. I just said, ‘Mark, let’s get ready to go next week. Call me if you need anything.’ I just felt he needed to know I was there to support him.”
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: McGarity said he has confidence in Richt and the direction of the football program. He responded, “Absolutely,” when asked.
But he also was wary of even going down that road.
“I know how the spin goes on these things,” he said. “I’ve seen how things are written and what’s said. People think, ‘Oh, he gave him a vote of confidence. You know what that means.’ But it’s not like that. I just want people to know that we’re working hard and we’re driven to get better every day.”
The Bulldogs are 0-2 in the SEC for the first time in 17 years. The coach in charge then (Ray Goff) is associated with a low point in Bulldogs’ history. That isn’t the case with Richt. He won two SEC championships in his first five years at a school that hadn’t won one in 20.
But national championships at Alabama, Florida and LSU have changed the landscape. The Dogs leveled off. South Carolina, Arkansas and Auburn are on the rebound.
The good news: Mark Richt's Bulldogs could be favored in their next five games.
Barbarians are at the gate.
There are Facebook pages to fire Richt and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. There’s a “Fire Mark Richt” website. Juvenile or not, it’s the reality of life in the SEC. McGarity knows that, but he’s not walking around campus, swinging an ax.
“You can’t make a snap judgment on things, especially sitting in my chair right now,” he said. “I haven’t even been here a month.
“We’ve played one-fourth of the season. In athletics, people can turn things around in a hurry when they believe in themselves and they believe in their leadership. I think if our team had not fought back in the fourth quarter [against Arkansas], we would have some concerns, but that’s not what we saw.”
The Dogs conceivably could win their next five games, beginning Saturday night at Mississippi State, before heading to Jacksonville. But losses to South Carolina and Arkansas — following the summer’s arrests, last year’s 4-4 SEC record and the 2008 slide down from a preseason No. 1 ranking – appears to have split the fan base on Richt.
McGarity spoke at a quarterback club meeting Monday morning in Athens. Reading the audience wasn’t difficult.
“It would’ve been very easy to show up there if we were 3-0 and ranked,” he said. “I knew some people in that group were upset. I’m sure everybody is disappointed. But at the same time, I have to do everything in my power to support the team and show leadership. People look to leaders at times like this, just like players look to coaches.”
Asked if there were any harsh remarks at the breakfast, McGarity laughed and said: “No, but I don’t know what happened after I left.”
It’s probably for the best.
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SACK SCHULTZ: I’ll have an update on my slow climb to No. 1 later this week. Meanwhile, there’s still time to join the fun. Click here for more info on the weekly college football picks contest and then sign up at ajc.com/go/sack-schultz.
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247 comments Add your comment
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 21st, 2010
11:59 am
pee on a bee and I bet your lil stinger will not feel to good. CPJ is in hie 3rd year, but Richt is in his tenth with all the talent in the world. CPJ has averaged 8 wins a year since 2001. That is not too bad considering he did it at Navy and Tech. Richt has alway had the best talent and still don’t have much to show for it. I would also hold my talking crap about Kansas until you guys TRAVEL west and have to play in Colorado. Yes, Kansas ain’t that good and neither is Colorado, but the Travel is a killer.
averageuga
September 21st, 2010
12:00 pm
http://pricezack.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/can-georgia-win-a-championship-with-mark-richt/
Terence Edwards
September 21st, 2010
12:01 pm
All I did was drop a single pass,
and I got death threat phone calls at my parents house.
Oh well,just typical UGAG fans.
gdawginkalamazoo
September 21st, 2010
12:06 pm
bamadawg, I wouldn’t be so sure of that. Mallett WILL rip a few defenses this year, maybe even one next week. Doesn’t Bama have a couple of new starters on D? Next week I believe Bama controls the game on the ground and doesn’t give Mallett the time or too many chances to burn them. That’s what a very good team would do and what we should have done. Still I lie Scoutdawgs take on the heart of the team and them not quiting on the game. I would hope you would agree with that at least.
bamadawg
September 21st, 2010
12:07 pm
5150, good point. I pull for both teams and don’t like the hate.
gdawginkalamazoo
September 21st, 2010
12:07 pm
5150 POAD, that travel would be killer on your little bee wings flying all the way out there. You guys should have taken a plane.
Colorado REAL 1990 Champions
September 21st, 2010
12:08 pm
We are so tired of the insects from Atlanta trying to latch themselves on to our National Title. Don’t they try and do the same thing with Michigan St.’s title from 1952?
We played 4 conference champions in 1990, while the bugs played ZERO.
We lost to Big 10 champion Illinois early in the season on the road. While the insects tied a pathetic UNC team late in the season that wasn’t even bowl eligible.
Why do the bugs continue to try and steal our title?
bamadawg
September 21st, 2010
12:09 pm
@12:o6 agree
I love Yech fans!!!!
September 21st, 2010
12:09 pm
GTbob,
I’m not in the “feeling good” business. Just reporting the facts. Thanks though
o-me
September 21st, 2010
12:12 pm
1990 is the PAST- 20 years- get a life?
gdawginkalamazoo
September 21st, 2010
12:12 pm
What I expect the new AD to do is come up with a plan to stop the off the field discipline problems. That’s where this whole thing is killing us. It is nothing but a big distraction from focusing 100% on the football field. You can’t have a team with players being suspended for X number of games then coming back like nothing happened.
Chuck
September 21st, 2010
12:13 pm
I think what concerns me the most is that I’ve heard CMR say on more than one occasion in the last 3 years that the coaching staff is doing the same thing today that it was doing back in the first 5 years at UGA. Any good business leader (believe me this is a business) knows situations change, personnel changes and what used to work may not work now. We all have to change to continue to reach the goals we set before us. I hope CMR knows and understands this.
Reggie Ball
September 21st, 2010
12:13 pm
All I did was not be able to count to four. And I got death threats at my baby mama’s house, and my other baby mama’s house.
gdawginkalamazoo
September 21st, 2010
12:15 pm
Colorado, probably that 5th down you guys got on the goal line! LMAO! Tech had a QB a number of years later who thought he could have 5 downs and threw it out of bounds on 4th down.
WonderDawg
September 21st, 2010
12:20 pm
I tend to pull for Bama, as well as other SEC and southern teams (even Tech), but I’d snicker a little if Arkansas could knock em off. The Bama fans who come on here are insufferable. Go Hogs, I guess! Hell, they’ve waited longer than us for another National Title.
100% correct
September 21st, 2010
12:20 pm
@ Colorado,
You are absolutely right. Tech does try and tout your 1990 title and Michigan St.’s title as their own. And the other two they try and brag about occurred way back in the day when slavery was still legal.
jtdawg
September 21st, 2010
12:21 pm
… and Colarado, even besides your 5th down play (hehehe)….
Gerogia Tech tied UVA early in the year (I think it was the 4th or 5th game… a UVA team that was ranked #1 in the country at the time…
Dawglasville
September 21st, 2010
12:23 pm
I wish Emory would field a Div. 1 team so they could joke about how remedial Tech is. U.S. News: Emory #20, Tech #35, UGA #56. Do you feel as inferior to Emory grads as you would like Georgia grads to feel about you?
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 21st, 2010
12:26 pm
jtdawg Tech beat #1 Virginia. We Tied 13-13 with UNC at UNC.
TazzDawg
September 21st, 2010
12:32 pm
MR apologist plan for UGA football. Wait until Saban and Meyer leave the SEC then second and third tier teams can move up to the top rung of the ladder. Then they will be able to crow for 2 or 3 seasons until a new breed of high profile coaches are hired at those schools, and UGA is again relegated to a second or third tier program.
Wash, Rinse Repeat!
TazzDawg
September 21st, 2010
12:34 pm
let me add, UGA will still not win an National Championship, will continue to recruit thugs, will continue to win the fulmer cup!
But its ok, we love MR
Half Century Dawg
September 21st, 2010
12:36 pm
@ A Fan, well put, great post
Kool Aid
September 21st, 2010
12:46 pm
Everything’s fine. We have the nicest coach. Every team has arrests. 2-6 In the SEC is OK. So, we can’t seem to beat FL. It’s OK since we own our big ACC rival! “Richt lost his best player. UGA will be fine starting with a beatdown this week.” Mark My Words!
bushwacker
September 21st, 2010
12:47 pm
First let me say I support CMR mainly because I don’t know who you would get that’s available that would be better.
I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Coach Richt’s greatest success cam in the first 4 years he was here?
Was that because he was playing with Jim Donnan’s recruits?
I believe CMR is an excellent x’s and o’s coach, but you’ve got to have the horses no matter who the coach is.
Think about the number of Dogs in teh NFL from Donnan’s days and CMR’s first few years.
I think we simply do not have the great players anymore.
Maybe CMR should hire Jim Donnan as his head recruiter??
Dawglasville
September 21st, 2010
12:49 pm
If I was Tech, I would be very proud of the 1990 Championship. I’m sure I would use it as weapon in the blog war. I think a few facts get forgotten. We remember the 5 downs. We remember the “clip” during the Rocket return. No one remembers that Colorado went into the bowl game with it’s second string qb and it’s third string tailback. I believe the second string qb got hurt and was out of the game during the first half. Tech played in a second tier bowl against the #17 team in the nation and some how leaped over Colorado. I think Notre Dame was ranked around #9. Again, I would gladly take the title. I wouldn’t scream too much about having to share it.
bushwacker
September 21st, 2010
12:50 pm
that the coaching staff is doing the same thing today that it was doing back in the first 5 years at UGA.
IF THIS IS TRUE IT PROVES MY POINT
We do not have the talent we did back in CMR’s early days, Coach Donnan’s players!
Colorado Played Football?
September 21st, 2010
12:58 pm
“Why do the bugs continue to try and steal our title?”
Ugh, maybe the polls voted a tie?
5150 P.O.A.D.
September 21st, 2010
1:04 pm
How much for AJ Green’s Arkansas game jersey? That would be like owning a piece of the Iceburg the Titanic hit.
Roy Barnes
September 21st, 2010
1:07 pm
There is no storm at Georgia but there is one at the AJC !
lifedog
September 21st, 2010
1:15 pm
New qb and a new defense. What did you expect, really?
how2fish
September 21st, 2010
1:16 pm
5150 P.O.A.D. we lost to two pretty good SEC teams you lost to a team that got beat by N. Dakota and then by a team that SC destroyed and you dare open that cesspool that is your mouth…and the Jayhawks didn’t even have rings made…how many teams in the ACC are worst than NC….hmmmm that’s a question that will keep a Bug up at night.
jtdawg
September 21st, 2010
1:16 pm
Thanks 5150 for the correction… that UVA GT game was a great one
how2fish
September 21st, 2010
1:17 pm
bushwacker truly you are and idiot..how many of CJD’s players were no.1 picks in the NFL draft?
Pitbull
September 21st, 2010
1:30 pm
I love the way the media now tries to create controversy and “stories” so that they can attract readers. Actually I hate it.
We lost a couple of games to 2 good SEC teams. We are not at the top of the heap. BFD.
In every game someone has to win and someone has to lose. Some teams just have better teams some years than others. That is reality.
I have a lot of confidence in CMR. He has won 90 games in 9 years and will probably win 100 games in 10 years. He runs a stable ship.
I hate the media for trying to hold a football coach responsible for their players’ mistakes off the field when the coach has had them for 2 or 3 years and their parents had them for 18 or 19 years.Hold the parents accountable or would that not be politically correct for you.
Its always the teacher or coach. It never is the kid or his parents. The crap gets old.
Vince Dooley won 201 games in 25 years and for you non math majors that averages out to approx 8 wins a year – and colleges started playing 11 games during the regular season and a bowl game in 1971 which was 8 years into Coach Dooley’s 25 year career. Based on that, he would be run out of town by today’s unreasonable media jerks and jerks that call themselves fans.
Real fans stick by their team and a good coach through thick and thin. But today’s media writers and younger fans do not have the class of those 25 years ago. I mean lets face it Jeff, you are no Jesse Outlar.
So Jeff, quit pandering to the negative. There are plenty of wonderful things to write about the Bulldogs including graduation rate compared to the rest of BCS schools, GPA’s, the success that former players find as a result of their experience at UGA and oh yeah the 90 victories the football team has over the past 9 years which puts them towards the top of the list as one of the most successful BCS programs in the country.
And Jeff -by the way – go soak your head and shut your trap while you are doing it.
Mike Smith
September 21st, 2010
1:33 pm
This year is a lot like 2001. The defense needs a total revamping, and a freshman QB is at the helm. That 2001 team won 8 regular season games and lost the bowl game to Boston College. Well, that freshman (Greene) became the all-time leader in wins, and Van Gorder’s defense became one of the best in the nation. Richt spent the next 7 years at the top of the SEC averaging over 10 wins a season.
It would not be a disaster if this year’s team did the same. As long as similar improvements are made, there is no reason to believe Richt wont have the Dawgs right back at the top next year with another top defense and a seasoned Murray at the helm for 3 more years.
Jax Gator
September 21st, 2010
1:34 pm
Russ, The Temporary Mascot,
Your posts are a hoot; hope you keep up the good work. Don’t let them knock you about being lazy; all I have ever seen Uga do in Jax is sit his rearend on a bag of ice. You certainly deserve more than being a mascot for the losing leghumpers. Thanks again for the great humor. If people want to know why a Gator troll is on “their” site; tell them that it is because of Russ, The Temporary Mascot’s entertaining posts. Do me a favor, find out from UGAKev exactly how the leghumpers are going to beat the Gators this year; wearing all red and dancing the watusi in the endzone maybe. I know that we will not be outcoached.
Loran Smith
September 21st, 2010
1:36 pm
Well coach how do you think not winning is going to effect attendance? There were at least 7000 empty seats saturday maybe more. What about recruiting with a losing record? How do you compete for recruits when Nick Saban,Urban Meyer and Les Miles have all won National titles?It seems Nick Saban is who everyone is being measured against.How do you think you measure up?
I’ll let you answer now CMR………..
Paddy
September 21st, 2010
1:37 pm
We should not be rebuilding EVERY year, should we? At some point the house must be finished and given a COO.
Honky Talkin'
September 21st, 2010
1:40 pm
Let the excuses roam free! UGA fans need to admit they are destined for medicrity with CMR. He has lost control of this team, on and off the field. What a waste of great recruits.
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:43 pm
If they lose to Missy State, I think Richt’s in trouble. He will then be 0-3 in the SEC with UF,Tenn,& Auburn left. We just might see pretty boy sweat and get angry for a change…
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:46 pm
How does having a new defense get a pass for being sorry ? they had all spring to implement it. Its still 11 on 11. Its still top UGA defensive recruits doing it and they came from high schools with various types of defenses. Excuses,excuses…
nofightinthesedogs
September 21st, 2010
1:49 pm
Vote of confidence=kiss of death.
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:50 pm
I’m glad some teams don’t let history dictate who their coach is today. Florida won a championship then had a couple bad years and booted the coach to Illinois. They hired Meyer and won 2 more titles since then. UGA looks at Richt’s past accomplishments and gives him a bye for current and recent poor teams. Go freaking figure…
Pitbull
September 21st, 2010
1:52 pm
I hate the Tech posers that come on UGA blogs.
I hope McGarrity drops Tech from the schedule like second period french. We could pick up Clemson or Notre Dame or FSU every year earlier in the schedule.
We might not win as many against them as we win against Tech, but those schools’ people have a lot more class than Tech haters, you know – the Wanna Bees.
And it would cut into Tech AA revenue so deeply that the GTAA would probably start running financial deficits (again).
So what do you think? Would all of you other real Dawg fans out there like to dropkick Tech off the schedule and be done with their smart mouth arses?
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:52 pm
Defense is simply tackling and coverage. Man on man. Yeah, some zone and blitzing but pretty much man on man. Blown coverages and arm tackling has killed UGA this year.
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:54 pm
Remember Fire Ron Zook.com ? Now there’s a Fire Mark Rict.com
Ouch !
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:57 pm
In-state battles like UGA-Tech,Bama-AU,FSU-Fla.,Clemson-SC,etc. are big fan draws every year (= $$$) for in-state bragging rights. I think you are confirmed stupid to suggest dropping these games.
Honky Talkin'
September 21st, 2010
1:57 pm
The frustrations from Georgia fans stem from having great recruiting classes followed by mediocre results. UGA has slipped off the radar and will be a 2nd tier program like Kentucky and Vanderbilt while CMR is at the helm.
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
1:59 pm
Does Richt still have the former AD over for dinner ?
Hoochie Grandma
September 21st, 2010
2:02 pm
You summed it up Honky. Exactly. Well put.