Grantham now providing the right highlights at Georgia
Mark Richt and Todd Grantham both earned contract extensions. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
ATHENS – Once you get past the standard, astronomic, cartoon-like expectations of spring — Will Georgia go 13-1 next season? Maybe 14-0 if the dang, cheatin’ refs ain’t from Bessemer? — it’s worth noting that Todd Grantham has accomplished something pretty significant in Athens.
Something even bigger than evolving from sideline sideshow on YouTube — and who knew that was possible?
The Bulldogs, the team headed by a former offensive coordinator (Mark Richt), the program that recently had produced the likes of A.J. Green and Matthew Stafford — only to too often get punched in the mouth by Alabama, Florida or LSU — has discovered the key to success in the SEC.
Defense.
Who knew?
It’s important to note that college football in general, and the SEC in particular, doesn’t mirror the changing NFL. The pros have become pass-happy on offense. That means nickel defenses are now the rule, not the exception (which means old-school middle linebackers such as Curtis Lofton, who neither pass rush nor drop into coverage, can’t command the lofty free-agent dollars they used to).
But defense still rules in the SEC, and this is where Georgia’s return to relevance comes in.
When Grantham — Richt’s fourth choice as defensive coordinator — was hired two years ago, the Dogs were coming off a season in which they ranked 38th in total defense and 63rd in points against. The question wasn’t whether Willie Martinez would get fired, the question was whether he would be able to make it out of the parking lot.
Oh, boy. Here we go again.
Grantham, now in his third spring with the Dogs, has brought success — the defense ranked fifth in yardage last season, 23rd in scoring and third in third-down efficiency– but more important he has changed the mentality and the focus at Georgia.
When asked what is different now from what he saw on tape from Georgia players when he arrived, Grantham said, “The biggest thing we’ve done is we’ve become more resilient. We’ve learned to play every play. Did guys learn our system better last season? Yes. Were guys more comfortable? Yes. But playing the next play, competing, playing the game the way you’re supposed to, with effort, with toughness — that’s it. We’re tougher mentally. We’re tougher physically.”
There will be no cartoon-like predictions here. But that change in philosophy, combined with the Dogs’ soft-as-nougat-schedule next season, does set up for a potentially — potentially — special season. Also, Grantham seems to have learned from his own head-exploding tendencies.
“I’m driven,” he said, in comical understatement.
Driven — sort of like how Yosemite Sam was driven to get Bugs Bunny, only to inadvertently wire his boot to the dynamite.
Grantham admits he has “lived and learned. There are cameras everywhere.”
Two years ago, one spotted him grabbing his throat and yelling, “You’re gonna [bleepin'] choke” at Florida kicker Chas Henry, as the 21-year-old was lining up for a potential game-winning field goal.
Last season came the postgame skirmish with Vanderbilt coach James Franklin, fueled in part by Grantham’s beliefs that the Commodores were playing dirty.
Days following each incident, Grantham expressed regret. “I’ll use it as a learning experience,” he said of the Franklin confrontation.
So it won’t happen again?
“We’ll see,” he said, smiling. “When you put a hundred hours a week into something, you’ve got a pretty vested interest in it.”
Two embarrassing incidents had the potential to derail things. But Grantham has managed to overcome, well, himself.
The defense succeeded last season despite having 11 different lineups in 14 games because of suspensions and injuries. Georgia has great athletes, but that always has been the case. College teams aren’t defined by the number of stars on letter-of-intent day, they’re defined by how players develop and play.
“In this profession you either get better or worse, so you can’t stop teaching,” Grantham said. “In the pros [as an assistant with Dallas] I saw that if a guy knew that you could make him better and extend his career, you never had issues with him. At this level, you’re obviously developing more. But when players know you have a genuine interest in them and they believe in you, that goes a long ways.”
Grantham spent 11 years in the NFL. When asked if he prefers coaching in college, he said, “Obviously, I wanted to come here. I was friends with Nick Saban and used to watch him when he was at LSU. Systematically, we’re pretty similar. I felt like we could have that kind of success.”
The Dogs aren’t nearly at the Saban level of success. But at least they’ve figured out which side of the ball matters most.
By Jeff Schultz
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458 comments Add your comment
Gulf Shores Dawg
March 27th, 2012
11:26 pm
You bunch of panty waisted Liberals…CTG is Erk reincarnated…He should have bitch slapped whiney Franklin & I give the choke sign to all Gators…this is SEC football not tennis…man up or shut up!
daddo
March 27th, 2012
11:28 pm
It will be a great defense….until it plays against a ranked team. Then u get destroyed as usual.
6-18 Against Ranked Teams Since '05
March 27th, 2012
11:35 pm
I’ve posted before that UGA football program is alot like Dukes of Hazzard……Pres Adams is Boss Hogg, Mark Richt is Roscoe P. Coltrane, Greg McGarrity is Deputy Enos
…..for some strange reason, the Sherrif Buford Pusser (Grantham) walked onto the wrong TV set!!!
ChrisATL
March 27th, 2012
11:36 pm
GTBob,
You’re persistent anti-UGA comments get old. Thanks for “trying to keep the conversation going” but I’m pretty sure the the discussion would go on without you. You are right though, dissenting opinions are good sometimes. Just not from Tech fans.
ChrisATL
March 27th, 2012
11:38 pm
Well said, PJ. Well said.
sb
March 27th, 2012
11:40 pm
Thought Vandy Played Dirty? Am i the only one that watched the game? I wish CTG would have got his hands on that Criminal. They are thugs, and their POS head coach is the biggest one of them all!!! I use to pull for Vandy some, but now I would pull for Iraq over Vandy. I hope they never win another game!!!!!
5150 UOAD
March 27th, 2012
11:50 pm
sb….you were watching the game through your Red&black glasses drunk on the Richt Kool-Aid. UGa players did their usual crap. They were talking crap from before the kickoff and were yelling things at the Vandy sideline the whole game. Richt preaches real good but the players are too dumb to understand him. Richt is the same talking out of both sides of his mouth christian bobby bowden was.
GTBob
March 28th, 2012
12:01 am
You’re persistent anti-UGA comments get old.
There are plenty of pro UGA blogs on the internet if you are so easily offended. Go find one.
GTBob
March 28th, 2012
12:02 am
He should have bitch slapped whiney Franklin
Yeah, losing your job and never coaching again is worth proving your manhood.
Grantham's The Man
March 28th, 2012
12:05 am
”The Dogs aren’t nearly at the Saban level of success. But at least they’ve figured out which side of the ball matters most”
At the rate Grantham’s improving Ga’s defense it may not be long before the Dawgs are at that level. From 38th to 5th in only two years, that’s getting it done!
Dawg101
March 28th, 2012
12:09 am
5150uoabama: yaya..hatin as usual…talks dont talk trash.they whup ace!
GTBob Jr.
March 28th, 2012
12:13 am
Chris ATL: Forgive my Daddy, please….He still thinks Eddie Lee Ivory is running the rock! Also, since there are no Tech blogs he feels compelled to jump on” the only team that matters in GA” blogs.
Profiler
March 28th, 2012
12:16 am
OK, so the “choke sign” was embarassing and he apologized.
The “James Franklin incident” was completely ontarget and NO apology deserved. Franklin was the idiot in that fiasco (and many other scenarios as we have come to realize) and Grantham gained considerable traction with his players and true UGA fans by standing up for his players. He let Franklin know that if he had a problem that he needed to address it on a coaching level. BTW, not much has been said about it in order to preserve harmony, but CMR’s remarks caught by the Nashville camera crew was the embarassing moment in that post-game.
I am more excited about the defense since Erk. You can have any of the others including CBVG. Do not let CTG get away!
Go Dawgs!
5150 UOAD
March 28th, 2012
12:17 am
bob jr you are stupid cause you can’t read. This Is A JEFF SCHULTZ Blog not a UGa Blog. You are not smart enough to be GTBob’s son.
GTBob Jr.
March 28th, 2012
12:21 am
Correct. I’m not. I’m 5150sammys Jr…always dawg hatin.
William
March 28th, 2012
12:26 am
Can we quit talking about a cupcake schedule and a special season? It’s about the same schedule as last year. Missouri for Boise St. Everything else is about the same. We have the same players minus three offensive linemen and TE plus now our best receiver is on defense. Remember narrow wins over Florida, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky and GT. This team will have to play really good to win ten games. It’s a lot tougher schedule than you think. I’m optimistic about the season but it will not be a cake walk like some people think. To GT Bob, get a life. You are on the computer all day on Georgia blogs. What is wrong with you?
The Conqueror.
March 28th, 2012
12:32 am
Agree! We have the players for an undefeated SEC East but do we have the WANT and HEART and DESIRE?…and COACHING?
Todd.0
March 28th, 2012
12:58 am
I am happy we have Todd, and I love how he had his players back in the Vandy game. I want his spark to extend everywhere. In all honesty though, Martinez had a great plan as well. A lot of the time the offense just put him in a bad position, so I don’t think it’s fair, and Martinez was playing better teams. I still like Todd better. I like the fire he brings.
Contractor
March 28th, 2012
1:17 am
I love the intensity from Coach Grantham. It’s nice to see the hate for Florida and the want to knock other teams into the dirt, instead of a lackadaisical approach like our offense has. On another note, I am sick and tired of hearing about how this is our year and that the schedule favors a championship season. I wouldn’t want to be known as the team with the weakest schedule in the conference and back dooring it into the Championship game. This crappy schedule will not toughen our team up enough to compete with an LSU or Alabama, and then another Championship worthy team if we can get past the SEC Title game. So quit talking about this being our year, because with this schedule we outta demolish the competition with the talent we have, and should expect to win, not wishfully think.
slydog
March 28th, 2012
1:58 am
Georgia will never be on Alabama’s level as long as Saban is there and Richt is in Athens. Richt does not have the experience or the flexibility to run a program on that level. Saban comes from the Parcells coaching tree; Richt from the Bowden tree. Which one you think has been more effective and successful concerning developing men into hard nosed football players? This is Richt’s first and only job. He does not see his mistakes because each new contract tells him “he knows what he is doing.” Georgia will always be good, but not ever great under Richt. If so, they would have played in one BCS title game in 11 seasons. Richt is like Paul Hewitt, Bobby Cremins, Rick Adelman, Doc Rivers, etc.: They can’t win unless they have a team full of stars at every position. And even when they do, they screw it up on the biggest stage. That group of coaches I named, can’t develop players. The players must be “extraordinary” before they hit campus. Now will Georgia be good as long as Richt’s there? Sure. But everybody in the country knows they have under achieved.
slydog
March 28th, 2012
2:02 am
To add: Grantham’s defense can be all world, but sooner or later, people figure you out. The Head Coach is inflexible and unchanging and does not know how to make the proper adjustments. Just look at the SEC title game. How the heck did Georgia lose that game 42-10 after allowing LSU no first downs and 10 net yards in the first half? Despite the fact that Georgia matched LSU athlete for athlete, LSU prevailed as a “team.” That comes from coaching. More specifically, head coaching.
slydog
March 28th, 2012
2:08 am
@Profiler
Right and wrong. Grantham had no business addressing Franklin. He IS NOT A HEAD COACH, but Franklin is. it should have been handled at the head coaching level. Most schools do not even allow their assistants to address the media, even during spring practice. If he wanted to address Franklin directly, he should have done it in a “cooler” manner, and let Richt be the one to scream and yell at Franklin (yes, I know, it would have never happened). But it’s the right thing to do.
slydog
March 28th, 2012
2:12 am
And before some idiot mentions it, I am aware Adelman and Rivers are pro coaches. I am aware that Rivers won an NBA title. But who was on that team? Adelman has had 3 NBA title caliber teams that were deemed favorites on two occasions and he still lost. To be fair, A Jordan-led Chicago and a Shaq-led Lakers squad stood in the way.
legionaire
March 28th, 2012
5:14 am
Grantham understands that D wins in football. Dooley owes most of those winning seasons to Erk Russell and his D players. Offensive guys were often recruited and put on D ( George Patton comes to mind) because Dooley understood the need to shut the other team down or at least hold the score down to keep you in the game. It took Richt a while to learn this and in my opinion UGA will quickly be on par with Bama and LSU.
Buzz2011
March 28th, 2012
5:39 am
Grantham is a tug like bulk of Dog players. Nothing but a ” slawdawg looking fo a bone in the SEC basement. When do Dogs play Bama, LSU or Arkansas?
red&black
March 28th, 2012
5:51 am
@buzz, 5150, gtboob, when does Tech play meaningful football? When is Tech ever relevent in anything?
JSS
March 28th, 2012
5:51 am
LSU, S. Carolina, and Michigan State sure love Grantham! D-1 football suxs!
Bigdsel
March 28th, 2012
6:13 am
Hope he stays for a while
"Chef" Tim Dix
March 28th, 2012
6:15 am
Jeff’s ToDo list:
Wake up.
Fit “nougat” into column.
Year of the Dawg
March 28th, 2012
6:23 am
It kills me to see everybody talk about how easy our schedule is . Its still in the SEC thought people on here and the ajc had football knowledge. Go Dawgs it;s going to be a long hard fight.
Columbus Dawg
March 28th, 2012
6:34 am
Jeff, I would compare Grantham’s second year D favorably with Saban’s second year D when he arrived at Bama, (notice I didn’t say Smart’s D). UGA’s 2011 season was comparable to Saban’s second year team at Bama when Parker Wilson was a senior, and oh yeah, if I remember correctly UGA beat Bama that year. For obvious reasons, as stated by Grantham in your article, the UGA players had to be taught a tougher attitude among other things after “Soft Willie” was in charge for several years, but he has the bull by the horns now, and as his players have bought into Grantham’s teachings will be one of the top defenses in the nation in 2012. We will see performances like the first half of the SEC Championship Game against LSU every game for four quarters in 2012.
As far as the big mouthed Bama fans go, I remember like it was yesterday when UGA had a dominant team in the early eighties how myself and all of the rest of the UGA faithful ran our mouths about how good the Dawgs were and this and that. As much as Saban runs his team like a pro team, he did lose a heap of experienced talent from last year’s team, and I predict this will result in similar results as 2010 for Bama, losing at least two, maybe even three games, but they will probably be hard to deal with again in 2013.
UGA is primed for a special season in 2012, but will lose much talent after the season and will have to get the next round of starters experience as well. Such as it is in college ball.
Paddy
March 28th, 2012
6:44 am
Gulf Shores Dawg……right on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grantham's Mother
March 28th, 2012
7:06 am
Doesn’t my boy look like Beacer Cleaver? He is soooooooo cute in his hat.
Hooter Girl
March 28th, 2012
7:09 am
Something is wrong on here if you guys are talking about man boobs.
Wednesday morning buffet | Get The Picture
March 28th, 2012
7:14 am
[...] Jeff Schultz thinks it’s just dawned on Mark Richt that defense is important. Hmm… wasn’t there some VanGorder fella that everyone in red and black was sorry to see go a few years back? [...]
Spike
March 28th, 2012
7:15 am
All is right in the Techie world. Nerds on here living vicariously through other teams because their team cannot hang with UGA. Now they are all Tide, Gator and Razorback fans. Sad, but not unexpected.
jeffrey d
March 28th, 2012
7:17 am
Finally, could it be a pro-UGA article in the AJC?
Oh sweet Lord…
TC
March 28th, 2012
7:30 am
Grantham is a better overall coach than CMR. We need him at UGA.
Columbus Dawg
March 28th, 2012
7:33 am
If you want a good belly laugh go to the Bleacher Report’s article predicting Auburn’s wins and losses for the 2012 season and read these idiot Auburn fans blog post predictions of their game with the coming game against the Dawgs, about how expectations are high for UGA and how Richt can’t deliver, ect. blah, blah ,blah. All Mark Richt has done is whip your sorry teams butt five of the last six seasons with the exception of your bought and paid for one hit, one semester wonders in 2010. 2012 will be NO different.
I agree that in time, and given some experienced players that the Aubie’s D will improve under Van Gorder, as long as “Soft Willie” is held in check, but their offense has no play makers, that little scrawny running back that they have left after the pos Dyer was kicked out of Opelika ain’t gonna get it done by himself. Is there a QB on the Plains? Sorry boys you have a ways to go to again become relevent and the 2012 beat down of the War Eagles is on the way. Can’t wait.
Jimmy Crack
March 28th, 2012
7:35 am
1) If the Bulldogs are even going to sniff “undefeated”, Aaron Murray HAS to take care of the ball better.
2) Those “embarrassing moments” helped recruit a bunch of top defensive players who wanted to see some passion come out of that emotional morgue at UGA that Richt had in place.
Keep the passion, Coach.
Bulldog Dave
March 28th, 2012
7:49 am
Jeff,
Willie Martinez got a bum deal at OU too. Stoops’ brother comes back and Willie gets the boot.
202dawg
March 28th, 2012
7:50 am
Jeez Schultz, forget about VanGorder much?
chilidawg
March 28th, 2012
8:03 am
Keep paying the man and keep him in Athens. We don’t want another post-BVG debacle.
PapaDawg
March 28th, 2012
8:04 am
Defense is the key to winning? Well DUH! Dooley used to win because of Irks defense and we’ve had nothing close to that since Irk left
ole yeller
March 28th, 2012
8:13 am
Everyone seems to be talking about Coach “G” firey temperment. The thin line he walks coaching and defending his troups. Does anyone remember Coach Eric Russell. Talk about a firey man Coach “R” was that and more. Coach “G” reminds me of coach “R”. Coach “G” in my opinion is the best “D” coach UGA has had since coach “R”. ENOUGH SAID…..
ole yeller
March 28th, 2012
8:18 am
Remember the old saying, “D” win CHAMPIONSHIP, “O” SELLS TICKETS. Enough said…
Thomas Brown
March 28th, 2012
8:26 am
06-17 Loss Sakerlina 2010 # 22**
24-31 Loss Arky 2010 # 12
12-24 Loss Missy State 2010 # 15
31-34 Loss Crocodiles 2010 Unranked**
31-49 Loss Auburn 2010 # 1*
27-29 Loss Colorado 5-7 in 2010 Unranked**
06-10 Loss Central Florida 2010 # 21**
21-35 Loss Boise State 2011 # 8*
42-45 Loss Sakerlina 2011 # 9*
10-42 Loss LSU 2011 # 2*
30-33 Loss Michigan State 2011 # 11
Who exactly has he beat since he got here ?
Joey
March 28th, 2012
8:30 am
JSS, the Grantham D held all of those teams to 24 points or less. LSU had 237 yds total offense. Poor special teams play and our QB’s turnovers led to the other points.
DePort
March 28th, 2012
8:44 am
Where are all the Grantham haters… I read some pretty nasty stuff on here after the Vandy game … speak up people!
Larry
March 28th, 2012
8:46 am
Hey this brings back memories of Erk Russel and The Bulldogs in the 70’s and 80’s… All Grantham need to do now in start to head butt his defensive players…