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
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:32 am
“I can’t stop laughing at that one. You are correct by using “Dumb” in your post name. Let me guess, though you talk a tough game you do NOT have a college degree
There you go ASSuming again, cupcake. Yes, I have a degree but since this is a sports blog I’ll stick to sports. I was trying to lighten up the argument but you had to go back to making asinine comments.
“My 11 year old son enjoys those as well.”
You must be one sick parent if you put your kid in a cage match.
“Now I know exactly the IQ that I’m dealing with.”
Higher than yours, troglodyte.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
11:32 am
so much for football talk
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:33 am
“Who else thinks Dumb Dawgs got dropped on his pointy head a few times?”
Gorilla Biscuit, his mama told him that they were love taps……
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:33 am
I love the insults from dawg fans.
Stay classy, biscuit.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:35 am
“Gorilla Biscuit, his mama told him that they were love taps……”
tick..tick…tick….
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
11:35 am
@Dumb dawgs… dude you have been insulting anybody that says anything to you. you need to take a look in the mirror before telling anyone to stay classy.
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:35 am
I can just imagine the smoke fuming from Dumb dawgs ears right now!
Sorry to the rest of you guys, you’re right, this is a football blog so I won’t get post to this guy any more
Gorilla Biscuit
March 28th, 2012
11:37 am
“…his mama told him that they were love taps……”
I could see myself giving him some “love taps”, and then proceeding to give him a gorilla stomping, a tidy bowl swirly hairdo, and top it off by breaking his protractor.
5150 UOAD
March 28th, 2012
11:38 am
Fake 5150……….You wouldn’t know if I was posting under another name if your life depended on it.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
March 28th, 2012
11:39 am
you guys are a hoot! I give you a hardtime but it’s just as Nick Dundee said “just some kids having some fun”. UGA’s big problem is lack of discipline and it’s easy to see just by the way the team conducts themselves on the sidleine during games. Those not playing act like thugs when things are going well and that is on the HC! It shows in the arrest and other off the field issues. Every program will have an event or two but UGA is a yearly event and you know that. I had to laugh at the salary of the weight staff at UGA! The weight program is serious business but UGA isn’t treating that that phase like it carrys that much weight. Look at the Alabama players in uniform compared to the Dogs! You loose in the weight program then you will get your azz beat on the field and that is plain and simple.
GT…with no more talent than Tech has I don’t see how the defensive folks can get a real picture from the scout team each week. The offense gets the advantage each Saturday due to the opposing team can’t create the speed of the option so that is a big +. However the Tech defense is behind the 8 ball trying to get a good read on how to stop the opposing offense. Nick Saban wants 85 good players on his roster and that is damn hard to do these days but that is his goal and you saw on NSD just how much he does believe . I would think Tech might have 50 decent players with the rest not so good yet the scout team has to come from that other 35 plus walkons. That has to be difficult for Groh and staff to overcome.
Gorilla Biscuit
March 28th, 2012
11:39 am
You guys are right. He’s dragging us down to his level.
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:39 am
And luckily my life does not depend on it. Thanks for playing
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:44 am
“I can just imagine the smoke fuming from Dumb dawgs ears right now!”
Cupcake, I’m laughing at you right now. I don’t get upset with trolls call me names.
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:46 am
In response to Wet Willie…
My opinion the reason why Tech has a hard time against a pro-set offense is the fact that during practice his defense does not get much time practicing against it. The offense will always get more reps in to prepare for the game and so the defense sees the run more thatn a passing attack. Hence, when you play a team with a heavy passing attack they fail. Just my opinion.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:46 am
“I could see myself giving him some “love taps”, and then proceeding to give him a gorilla stomping, a tidy bowl swirly hairdo, and top it off by breaking his protractor.”
Ah, threats from internet trolls. Jeff Shultz loves it when trolls make threats to other bloggers.
See ya, troll.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:47 am
“Just my opinion.”
A terrible one at that.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
11:48 am
“Fake 5150……….You wouldn’t know if I was posting under another name if your life depended on it.”
5150 UOAD The Richard Head = Gorilla Biscuit
Same troll.
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:52 am
To get back to the subject matter at hand. I like what CTG has done for the UGA defense. Are the stats padded a bit against some of the easier teams? Maybe. I agree that it’s imparative that UGA wins at Mizzou and SC to begin to get that monkey off their back. I’m not saying that they will before someone makes the claim that I did say that.
I’ve been hearing that the D is looking good. I have not heard too much on how the inexperienced O line is doing so far. Anyone have a scoop?
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
11:55 am
@Dumb dawgs… can you explain how a georgia fan can be a troll on a georgia blog? You sir are the troll considering this blog has nothing to do with anything except georgia and you aren’t a fan.
Gorilla Biscuit
March 28th, 2012
11:57 am
“5150 UOAD The Richard Head = Gorilla Biscuit”
Thanks for the compliment. Nope. Wrong as usual.
Dumb dawg The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
11:58 am
Let’s just choose to ignore him guys. I should have some time ago.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:00 pm
@5150… looks like there are a lot of moving parts on the o-line obviously. they are trying to find the top 5 guys and then figure out positions. from every report i have read the only one to solidify himself is gates at LT. The past few practices the first unit in is: LT-Gates, LG-Kolton Houston, C-Dallas Lee, RG-Chris Burnette, RT-Austin Long. I think if we played a game tomorrow this would be the line up but it will be interesting to see who the first team is G-Day. I really like dallas lee at center though he came on strong at the end of last year before his leg injury.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
12:00 pm
“can you explain how a georgia fan can be a troll on a georgia blog?”
See: 5150 UOAD The Richard Head
Oh look, cupcake decided to take on a third blog handle. How classy.
Dumb dawgs
March 28th, 2012
12:02 pm
“I agree that it’s imparative that UGA wins at Mizzou and SC to begin to get that monkey off their back.”
Spell check is your friend. It’ll also take more than those two games to get the proverbial monkey off their back. They can start by stop declaring national title wins every year.
32 years and counting.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:03 pm
@Dumb dawgs… can you explain how you are not a troll?
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
12:05 pm
@bham dawg
We seem to have more bodies than I first thought we had. Just getting them ready for SEC play is the key. If they can some how gell before the Mizzou game it could be a good year.
How ever, I believe that SC will throw so many different defense schemes at them that it could make their heads spin. That O Line will be key. Once Murray has to scramble and has to make quick decisions with the football, that’s when it goes down hill. Plus, we all know how tough it is to play in Columbia.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:16 pm
I wish the offense would bring back more bubble swings and sweep plays. I also wish we would install the pistol formation. It seems like when the run game isn’t working we have nothing but the traditional shot gun formation to go to. It kills me when we aren’t running the ball that bobo still calls play action even though the defense knows we have to throw it. We need more diversity in the offense. We have to many good skill players we just need to get it in their hands quick and let them do their thing.
5150 UOAD The Richard Head
March 28th, 2012
12:19 pm
I could not agree with you more!
You know, last year Bobo did such a poor job using his resources. Only 1 fullback run all year. I mean how big was our fullback!! In all honesty the TE’s were not used in full capacity. My gut tells me if this line can find a way to block for Crowell he will have a great year. From what I hear he is looking great and can into spring in shape and wanting to produce. That right there is a good sign.
Spike
March 28th, 2012
12:28 pm
GT.. You might have some credibility if Tech beat UGA once a decade or so. But since they don’t you have no standing to come on here and criticize UGA football.
The rest of the SEC
March 28th, 2012
12:29 pm
Nothing like the fresh optimism of dawg fans before the regular season crushes them. Dawg’s defensive stats were good but its pretty misleading. They were good because they played a horribly weak schedule in the watered down east. The few decent teams that they did play like Boise and LSU racked up 35 and 42 points against UGA. Frankly I’m not impressed given that. Plus a middling big 10 team took it to the dawgs in a bowl game. Shameful. Just shameful. Good thing is that the dawgs have another weak schedule this year in avoiding bama, lsu, and Arkansas. They had Bama but the schedule realignment with 2 new teams coming in saved the dawgs. Don’t you just know the dawg fans are breathing easier knowing they missed a major bullet like Alabama.
Columbus Dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:32 pm
Maybe Bobo can find some footage of Dooley’s Dawgs running that ball. Dawgs utilized the toss sweep to perfection in those days. When they ran a draw play they lined up and gave the back a few steps to get going instead of the play where Murray looks like a statue holding the ball and making the running back come and get it. By then defenders are already in backfield. Bobo can also watch footage of the way Drew Brees runs the draw.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:33 pm
Yea i haven’t read one negative report on IC this spring. Seems like his teammates are starting to take to him too. Everyone is saying how he has turned a corner and really understands what it means to be a rb for the university of georgia and the preperation that goes into that. IC has all the talent in the world and i really hope he has turned that corner. I think we can thank mr. marshall for a lot of this. I have a feeling that Richard Samuel is going to be our fullback and if that is the case i think you will see a lot more handoffs to the fullback. Zander didn’t look bad on the couple runs he had last year either but the one where he fumbled but got it back sums up why they didn’t get more oppertunities.
Mark this down. 2012 is the coming out party for arthur lynch. He is a true beast and is very underrated as a pass catcher.
A Father
March 28th, 2012
12:33 pm
Our offense will never improve as long as Aaron Murray is the starter!!!!!!!!!!!!
any passes AM cant see, pass to outside with Def End in way, really cant see!
Properly timed passes by AM, to weak an are arm and very inaccurate!!!
Pressure, it turns into black out and AM panicks, results in loss of yardage, fumble, turnover, just plain chaos.
AM is killing the GA offense
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
12:41 pm
A Father… Don’t say our when referring to the Dawgs. Thanks.
tony
March 28th, 2012
12:53 pm
I like the job that Todd Grantham has done with the defense. We lost to SC, LSU and MSU because of turnovers. Turnovers create momentum for the opposition and elevate them too another level.
Against SC, their offense only scored 24pts(7pts were a result of Crowell’s fumble). Ingram scored on a fate punt and their defense scored 14 points on 2 of Murray’s turnovers.
Against LSU, we kicked to Honey Badger. As a result, he scored a td: LSU goes in @halftime with the momentum. 1st series of the 2nd half Murray fumbles the ball deep in their territory. A few plays later LSU score a td. LSU maintain momentum and psychologically manhandle the DAWGS.
Against MSU, our defense and special team scored 9 points and the offense only scored 7 points in the 1st half. The defense held the Startans scoreless @halftime(16-0).
In the 2nd half the momentum shift towards the Spartans when Murray’s pass was intercepted. That led to a MSU touchdown. Own Aaron Murray’s next pass interception @their own 38, Darqueze Dennard returned it for 38 yards for a td. I believe that play killed any momentum the dawgs may have had left.
Until Mr Richt start holding Aaron Murray accountable for his poor decisions the way he holds his runningbacks accountable, the momentum will always favor the other team. I’m keeping my fingers cross that he will make better decisions this season and that they will run the ball more in the power-i formation. I don’t think their is a team own our schedule that can score more than 1 touch on own defense this season.
5150 UOAD
March 28th, 2012
1:00 pm
WISTtECH HAD A REAL TEAM!
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:12 pm
@The rest of the SEC… bama’s schedule got weaker also by taking uga off. just saying
over paid, over hyped, and over rated big mouth
March 28th, 2012
1:17 pm
Oh yeah! Let’s not forget the second half meltdowns with LSU, Boise State, and MI State! He’s a joke.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:20 pm
and the turnovers and short fields had nothing to do with that
over paid, over hyped, and over rated big mouth
March 28th, 2012
1:20 pm
“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”
Oh HELL no!!! He’s a winner of Championships!
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:23 pm
he’s also ridiculously short and dyes his hair.
Cleveland Brownies
March 28th, 2012
1:24 pm
Ya know….we fired his sorry butt.
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:24 pm
Its hard to trust a short man with dyed hair though
GTBob
March 28th, 2012
1:25 pm
So from what I am reading, it seems that UGA fans have decided that the 39 points per game average that UGA gave up to ranked teams was all Aaron Murray’s fault. Is that right?
it's not 1980
March 28th, 2012
1:31 pm
We won the first half!!! We won the first half!!!!
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:34 pm
@GTBob… every loss we had last year with the exception being boise our offense and special teams gave up a lot of pts. I am not blaming it all on AM but yes a lot of his mistakes cost us pts. at the worst time. So yes i believe the defenses true scoring average would be less if not every point that is put on the scoreboard was attributed to the defense because that is exactly the case.
tide roll
March 28th, 2012
1:34 pm
Yada, yada, yada. Easily the most under acheiving program in the history of college football. With the talent pool in thes state, to have only won one national title, and that one coming way way back in 1980, would be laughable if it wasn’t so pitiful. You win in the SEC with defense AND a running game. Richt and Bobo, two former QB(s) who simply parrot one another, will never understand this. Those two have managed to put together easily the worst offensive line depth EVER. And that’s saying a lot.There’s absolutely no excuse for the program to be in this condition. Michigan State?! Are you kidding me?! Come on. Is anyone up there ever held accountable? ROLL TIDE TIDE ROLL!
ROLLLLLL TIIIIDDDDEEEE
March 28th, 2012
1:40 pm
Enter your comments here
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:40 pm
@tide roll… if you are going to troll our blogs and try to look like a bad a$$ at least know your facts dude. 2 national titles
bham dawg
March 28th, 2012
1:42 pm
@tide roll… “You win in the SEC with defense AND a running game. Richt and Bobo, two former QB(s) who simply parrot one another, will never understand this”
————————————————————————
I think they do understand this. I also think recruits understand this. Considering we signed the 2 highest ranked running backs in back to back years.