Bust poll: Bobo (Georgia offense) vs. Groh (Tech defense)
Mike Bobo (Georgia offense).
Al Groh (Georgia Tech defense).
In the interest of full disclosure, here goes: When Georgia and Georgia Tech both hired new defensive coordinators in January, I had more confidence in Paul Johnson’s decision to bring in Al Groh than I did Mark Richt’s decision to hire Todd Grantham.
The reason was simple: While Groh was a disappointment as a head coach at Virginia, he was a proven commodity as a defensive coach in the NFL and college, working with the likes of Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick. I also believed that taking a college coordinator’s job at 66 indicated that he must be truly motivated to win again. Conversely, while Grantham came highly recommended, most recently as the linebackers coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he had been a coordinator only once before: with the Cleveland Browns, where he had mixed results (2005-07). Grantham was closer to an unknown commodity.
Loading ...Now, while Grantham hasn’t beeen stellar in Athens, Tech’s defense has been a disaster. That has to be a reflection on Groh. I’m not saying the guy forgot how to coach defense, but neither do I buy into the notion that the Jackets are completely devoid of any talent.
In fact, I will now pose a question that before this season would’ve seemed unfathomable: Who has been worse — Groh as Tech’s defensive coordinator or Mike Bobo as Georgia’s offensive coordinator. (Vote in our poll. This should be interesting.)
My view: Groh is the bigger bust because he is in complete control of the defense at Tech. Bobo works for an offensive coach (Mark Richt) and designs the game plan with his boss in mind.
The Jackets were smoked by North Carolina State, 45-28. They have allowed 12 offensive touchdowns in the last three games.They have an ACC low two interceptions, rank eighth in the conference in total defense (367.8), ninth against the pass (212.5) and 10th in scoring (26.8).
They didn’t have to be great defensively this season — they just had to be better than in the last two years under Dave Wommack. That hasn’t happened.
Johnson is trying to temper the criticism of Groh. Quoting from Tuesday’s news conference: “As I said when [Wommack was fired], I don’t want to put all that on Dave Wommack. Guys have to make plays, too. You can’t change coaches every time you don’t tackle somebody.
“We’ve got guys who have played for two or three years here that are doing things there’s no explanation for.”
Johnson is equally upset about the Jackets’ play on both sides of the ball. He counted 85 missed assignments against N.C. State — 43 on one side of the ball and 42 on the other (he didn’t remember the breakdown). He believes the team is playing with a lack of urgency, saying, “We need to go to Winston-Salem and play like our hair’s on fire.”
As for this excuse by some that Tech just doesn’t have enough talent, he said: “It’s like anything. The more talented you are, the more mistakes you can make. Do we have guys as talented as Derrick Morgan? No. But that doesn’t mean we can’t play better defense if everybody didn’t do what they’re supposed to.”
That’s mental, not physical. That’s where coaching comes in.
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284 comments Add your comment
Chuck Uga
September 28th, 2010
11:32 pm
Mike Bobo is a small-minded hayseed who belongs on a high school staff. Not to say Richt and his out-dated Bobby Bowden philosophy works either. Neither will be in Athens in 2012.
I find it funny that Mr. Barnhart says not to blame Richt because he doesn’t have the material on hand to run a 3-4. Well Tony, let’s give him another 2-3 years to get those players meanwhile let’s just act like it’s the old Dooley days of the 1970’s and suck up 7-5, 6-6 or 5-7 seasons until then. Never mind all the other SEC programs around us who turn around their programs in 2 years! Then again, this is Georgia where the number of hayseeds rationalize stupidity, delusion and ignorance.
GT '93
September 28th, 2010
11:43 pm
***JEFF***
When the heck am I going to get another article titled “THE SONNY SIDE OF THINGS”?
It was a classic!
Love your and Bradley’s objective take on Georgia and Georgia Tech’s sports.
Please teach Roberson to be honest, tell it like it is, and not always report the “sunny side of things”!
As for your question… It’s obvious, and you know it. They’re both busts.
Buck Commander
September 29th, 2010
12:11 am
If I saw Bobo lying in the middle of I-75 like a pile of roadkill that had been hit by an 18 wheeler doing 90 mph and a flock of buzzards was picking his guts and eyeballs out for supper I would say to myself, well at least he did something good while he was here on this earth. He kept the buzzards from starving to death. They most likely died later from e-coli though after eating his sorry rotten a$$.
Coach Paul Johnson said
September 29th, 2010
12:39 am
You’re in man coverage and you turn your guy loose to chase the quaterback.
and
You’re in 4 deep and you let a reciever get behind you for a TD.
NES
September 29th, 2010
5:05 am
FIRE BOBO! Coach Richt needs to go back and be head coach and offensive coordinator! Bulldogs were very,very good when he did this when he came to UGA! He is a offensive whiz and to turn it over to BOBO was a mistake! Bobo just too conservative until they get two scores down and then starts calling stretch the field passes when it is usually too late for it. Those short hitch passes and screens and stuff doesn’t fool the other teams anymore, afterall same plays year after year and doesn’t change the play-calling to match the personnel on the team and on the field. Players do graduate and new recruits are not the same interchangeable players as ones they are replacing. You must match your offense to the players you have–get that BOBO? Coach Richt, you can delegate duties but ultimately you are in charge and will pay the price for sticking with Bobo, he should have been fired with the Defensive coordinator last year-your fault Richt!
zack
September 29th, 2010
6:36 am
http://rebuildingthedawgs.blogspot.com/
Yellow Fuzz Facts
September 29th, 2010
7:03 am
5 weeks ago Georgia had the NCAA’s oldest veteran O line. 4 weeks ago the dog nation was walking loud and proud after running all over Louisiana Lafayette. This week they rank 11th (of 12) in the SEC with an average of 124.2 yards rushing per game.
And 12th (of 12) in the SEC
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah
FRED
September 29th, 2010
7:23 am
IF YOU THINK THAT CMR WOULD DO A BETTER JOB THAN BOBO THAN I HAVE A BRIDGE TO SELL YOU.
james bradford
September 29th, 2010
7:41 am
i would like to propose a new BUST POLL……shultz vs bradley……please vote early and often
Florida Dawg
September 29th, 2010
7:46 am
Your “poll” results thus far is “only” a reflection of reader/voting “interest”.
Not nearly as many GT voters as UGA voters, so results will be and are grossly flawed.
loving a good show
September 29th, 2010
8:01 am
It hurts to see all the Dawg fans jumping ship. Now that AJ is back we are back in this thing. If we run the table convincingly we can still make the big dance in Atlanta. Florida is a win possibility this year. I really don’t see anyone on the schedule that we can’t take down to China town. AJ is the MAN> So please let us unify behind our great coaches and hunker down one more time. The ULL game showed that Bobo is a great offensive mind and can get the job done. If Mark trust him for the job, shouldn’t we?? Just because we have spent thousands on seasons tickets does not give us the right to beat up on the coaches and the players.
Bobo The Clown
September 29th, 2010
8:04 am
Put the two together and they would go 0-10 in pop warner. But I am saying Groh, just because he has already been fired once.
loving a good show
September 29th, 2010
8:04 am
Bobo showed me something when he busted up his snout butting heads with helmeted players befopre the last game-just like Erskine used to do.
Corninmypooh
September 29th, 2010
8:52 am
Schultzy -
You’re comparing apples with Motto Guzzi’s. First, this is stupid poll for a variety of reasons, all of which are obvious to those of us with an I.Q. over room temperature. Secondly, you’re seeking performance grades on coordinators when we haven’t even reached mid-season. Jeff, I know you only finished the 8th grade, but even you can recall teacher assessments weren’t sent to Mommy & Daddy until after you completed your mid-term exams.
I think you’re more qualified to assess Bishop Long’s performance than you are Bobo’s or Groh’s.
John Galt
September 29th, 2010
8:52 am
BOBO- we finally win oimething at UGA!
Jeff
September 29th, 2010
8:55 am
GoDawgs….you are a moron if you think Kirby Smart is the mastermind of Bama’s defense. You want real problems??? Hire Kirby to be UGA’s headcoach…..Everyone and I mean everyone (except you, perhaps) knows Kirby is a pupet to Nick
750K down the drain
September 29th, 2010
9:18 am
How many coaches coming from the NFL back to college coaching have been that successful? A few, but not many. Baby chicks have and instinct to peck a weaker chick to death as it stumbles through the brood seeking safety. Similarly, Dawg fans are turning on this team and ripping them to shreds. Richt has made mistakes, and hiring TG is one of them. I hope I’m wrong. He deserves a chance to right the ship.
gt45
September 29th, 2010
9:28 am
Guys out of position! We’ll get there.
whyvoteinpoll
September 29th, 2010
9:41 am
Amazed at preseason rankings of both teams. If writers and prognosticatos used some prescience they as well as their readers would be better served. Was the article about Bobo or Groh…Groh. Let’s not link Bobo’s failures to Groh. Groh had a full roster whereas Bobo has not. Saw Bobo’s shortcomings in 2007 as has most SEC DCs.
jon gruden!!jon gruden!!
September 29th, 2010
9:58 am
jon gruden!!jon gruden!!
Scrap
September 29th, 2010
11:31 am
Schultz…..I’m sacking ya……you didn’t gain any ground on me this past week……..now this week’s games are a different story….I’m lost on a couple…….Groh’s not to blame with Tech’s defensive woes just yet……..As CPJ said, Saturday’s blowout was the result of poor execution on both sides of the ball……missing tackles is one thing, but totally blowing assignments is another…….When it comes to head games and having the kids ready to play like their hair’s on fire, that’s as much the head coach’s responsibility as anyones…….Tech may loose some more games, but I think the kids will be ready to play come every Saturday from here on out.
Yellow Fuzz
September 29th, 2010
11:50 am
Enter your usual excuses here
becks
September 29th, 2010
4:57 pm
Jeff,
As a lifelong Dawg fan I have to say you should have expected what the poll results would be. Bobo has been in the system forever at UGA and is still horrible. Groh, like Grantham, is new to his system and doesn’t have his own recruits in there yet.
The problem at Tech I believe is that their fan base may have had a ton of issues with Gailey, but the guy could recruit. Something Johnson clearly cannot do. Gailey is still out recruiting Johnson at Tech and he’s been gone for 3 years now. You can judge that by the number of Gailey’s boys that have gotten drafted over the past 3 years compared to the number of Johnson’s that won’t be going to the NFL.
Tyler
September 29th, 2010
5:00 pm
Kirby Smart is no coach. He calls plays, Saban’s plays, for the defense and if he says anything Nick doesn’t approve of he’ll cut him off. All Kirby does is jump around like a tool on the sidelines and is the face of the defense. No one truly believes he is the mastermind behind it.
Tron Carter
September 29th, 2010
5:58 pm
My best guess on the bust poll is that CPJ is a 34DD.
Tron Carter
September 29th, 2010
6:05 pm
I agree that Bobo is a MAJOR bust, but Groh is only getting 16% of the vote?
He should be getting at least 30 to 24 percent of the voting.
If the poll were taken 9 times, he would probably lose 8.
If it were taken 104 times, he would probably win only 39 times.
Brooking 56
September 29th, 2010
7:02 pm
Stewart, I am a believer that a fan base must always answer the question “And hire whom?” before they talk about firing a coach. If you cannot name a better option than the current guy, forget it. I find myself teetering on the Mark Richt discussion. If he goes, who would be your hire?
– Dave, Atlanta
I’m with you, Dave. If Georgia runs off Richt this year, it will be textbook Clemson/Ole Miss Syndrome. (Note the example cited in that link: Minnesota. How’s that working out?) Historically, Georgia is more prestigious than either of those teams — but not as much as Dawgs fans like to think. In all my travels, I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a fan base whose self-perception is so far from reality. Georgia fashions itself a national power in the vein of Ohio State, USC, et. al., based primarily off one glorious three-year run 30 years ago with Herschel Walker (and some kick-butt years in the 1940s).
Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/stewart_mandel/09/29/mailbag/index.html?eref=sihp#ixzz10xetXgGQ
Week 4: Bobo vs Groh & Missing #8 Badly… | Georgia Tech: Ramblin' On
September 29th, 2010
10:03 pm
[...] With all due respect to Jeff Shultz, how can you compare Mike Bobo and Al Groh? [...]
Pitbull
September 30th, 2010
12:46 pm
Neither Tech or Georgia has anything to be proud of so far.
PLUS the AJC sports writers suck too.
We all deserve better.
TD DAWGS
September 30th, 2010
1:32 pm
BOBO THE CLOWN IS THE BIGGEST BUST!
Weekend Predictions: Falcons, Jackets win (Dogs? Feh) | Jeff Schultz
September 30th, 2010
2:35 pm
[...] defense has allowed 12 touchdowns in the last three games and has an ACC low two interceptions. Is something wrong with Al Groh’s flamethrower? Blow this, it’s over. Jackets cover 9 [...]
'94 UGA Alumni
September 30th, 2010
3:19 pm
10 returning starters and all we can muster is 14 points a game against SEC opponents. And the 1 non-returning starter has been one of the few bright spots on offense. Pathetic. Inexcusable and someone needs to be held accountable. My vote is for Bobo.
Billy Ocean
September 30th, 2010
7:56 pm
Both the UGA offense and the Tech defense are really bad this year. The Tech offense however can score and keep them in games, however their D gives it right back most of the time. UGA’s D can’t stop anyone either, but they are never in game because their offense can’t score it seems like ever
John Montague
October 1st, 2010
7:44 pm
I’m a Virginia fan, and I saw this coming from a mile away. GT has the same D that went 3-9 in Charlottesville last year. I guess AG can’t blame his failures on lack of talent anymore.