10 things a Bulldog fan hopes not to see
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, it’s not so much who will start at what position that concerns me, but whether Mark Richt and Co. can fix some of the recurring problems that nagged the Dawgs throughout the 2008 campaign and even before. The kind of problems that put you in a hole and give the other guy an advantage.
A lot of these problems speak to coaching, or a lack of it. They’re fixable. But I’m not convinced Richt’s staff has a handle on some of them; at least, they didn’t last year.
So here we go, in no particular order on things I’d love never to see again from the Dogs:
1. Those high, short directional kickoffs that either sail out of bounds or give the return team a head start, resulting in the opponent getting the ball at the 40-yard line or even near midfield. Richt has talked on both sides of this issue; at season’s end he was lamenting the need for a kicker who could boom it out of the end zone, while earlier in the season he defended the directional kicks, saying they were easier to defend than a returnable kick down the middle. The latter is a problem because Georgia doesn’t seem to be able to get rid of that big seam down the middle of its kick coverage, which generally is slow getting to the ball carrier. And those pooch kickoffs? Don’t get me started!
2. Awful special teams play. No. 1 on this list is actually a subset of the bigger problem: special teams at UGA aren’t special. I know, I know, I’ve harped on this incessantly. But it’s the second longest-standing problem of Richt’s tenure, after clock management difficulties. Special teams coach Jon Fabris, who also handles the defensive ends, hasn’t gotten the job done and Richt doesn’t seem to put a whole lot of importance on special teams, unlike Urban Meyer, who coaches special teams himself and puts great emphasis on them. Meyer knows, like some other great coaches, that special teams win and lose games for you.
3. The Dogs offense suddenly going conservative in the red zone. We saw this time after time last year, including in the Florida game and even the bowl win over Michigan State. What is it with Mike Bobo and the red zone? Georgia came out looking great in its no-huddle offense and raced down the field against the Spartans, only to go away from the no-huddle and sputter once they were inside Michigan State’s 20. Why does Bobo depart from what’s working when Georgia gets within scoring territory? And why does Georgia so often go into a mid-game lull of predictable playcalling that leads to too many three-and-outs? Without Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to rely on, we’re going to see whether Bobo is really capable of blossoming as an offensive coordinator.
4. Penalties, penalties, penalties. The Dawgs’ ridiculous penchant for drawing flags played a big part in Alabama’s first two scoring drives and deprived Georgia of the fast start they needed against the Tide. Early in the season, Richt sent mixed signals on this, too, saying he wanted the team to stop putting themselves in a hole with needless penalties, but also saying they were the result of aggressive play and he didn’t want them to be less aggressive. The penalties were part of a larger problem last season that Richt does appear to be addressing already: a lack of team discipline. I don’t know if making them tuck in their shirts and shave their goatees will do the trick, but at least it shows he’s thinking about the problem.
5. Penn Wagers and his inept officiating crew working another major Georgia game and blowing another call by not knowing what the rulebook says. I know UGA has no control over this, but it’s just gotten ridiculous over the past couple of seasons.
6. Georgia showing up for a game looking unprepared and unfocused. Last season, this manifested itself in the team’s difficulty putting together two good halves of play, most noticeably in the Alabama game but really throughout the season. And that was still the case in the bowl game, where Georgia kept the Spartans in it through turnovers, penalties and poor special teams play in the first half. Again, this would appear to be a coaching problem.
7. A Georgia opponent scoring more than 30 points. Or, worse, Georgia scoring 42 points and losing. This isn’t the Big 12 or Mountain West. You’ve got to play shut-down defense in the SEC. Georgia played four major games last season and had fatal meltdowns in three of them for losses. And even the LSU victory saw our defense hemorrhaging points. Same thing in the too-close-for-comfort victory over Kentucky. Yes, Georgia had some personnel deficiencies and didn’t get much pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but that’s no excuse for the rampant poor tackling that was a hallmark of the D for most of the year. The defense looked much improved in the bowl game, but can that be sustained? Whether Richt is willing to acknowledge it or not, his pal Willie Martinez is definitely on the hot seat in the upcoming season. One way or another, things have to change.
8. Georgia just squeaking by teams that it should thrash and looking less than impressive even when it wins easily. Playing down to their opponents’ level is a longstanding problem with Richt teams and the one that made Georgia’s tenure as the nation’s No. 1 team so short last year. I know we’ve upgraded our schedule, especially compared with some other SEC powers, but the problem really seems to be a lack of killer instinct. The Dawgs need to develop it. And I don’t think Richt’s “Hey, a win is a win” attitude helps.
9. Another epidemic of pass-dropping. I know the G-Day game isn’t really indicative of what we can expect this fall (at least, I hope not), but wasting scoring opportunities because you can’t hold on to the ball is the worst way to lose. Remember the South Carolina game two years ago?
10. The Dawgs wilting in the face of adversity. This one’s related to the earlier problem about not playing a complete game. Think back to the season before last. After Georgia’s opening score and end zone celebration, the resulting flags helped the Gators race back down the field for their own score. But Georgia didn’t flinch. That wasn’t the case in the 2008 season. Too often, the Dawgs played scared. Perhaps that was a result of the reported lack of on-field leadership. And maybe fiery redhead Joe Cox, known for rallying the troops in that long-ago win over Colorado, is part of the solution. We’ll see.
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205 comments Add your comment
Big Dawg
April 24th, 2009
3:31 pm
3. The Dogs offense suddenly going conservative in the red zone.
This has disturbed me greatly since Coach Richt has been at Georgia and the thing that sticks out in my mind most is personnel. The Dawgs seem to be able to move the ball then when they get inside the opponents 30 yard line they seem to sputter. IMHO from watching a lot of Georgia’s games over the last 8 years that is because the Dawgs have a tendency, which was highlighted last year, either a player would take themselves out or the coaches changed personnel. I have noticed that a lot under Coach Richt the Dawgs would get into a good rythym and personnel changes would cause a misfire, also to be successful in the red zone you have to be able to consistently pound the ball, except for 2002 with Musa Smith we haven’t had that.
JB
April 24th, 2009
3:31 pm
CWM had a bad year for all the reasons stated, but because of injuries could not hit during the week ( Mark says that will not happen this year. What concerns me about CWM is his trend. look at the last three years stats and it will alarm you…..The conference is getting better. Our D is not. This will be the year to watch close..
Charlotte Dawg
April 24th, 2009
3:36 pm
I think Bill’s list is right on time!
And I like to point out he again mentioned Richt not having a killer instinct. Very true, very true. Just now way around that.
I mean did you see how he acted after the 2007 Vandy game? It is football coach Richt…NOT GOLF!! They celebrated and jumped on the logo. Countless #’s of teams have done that to us in Athens. GT even ripped out our hedges. But you didn’t see PJ crying about it and apologizing for his whittle kids actions. His troups hit Goliath right in the mouth and he let them celebrate.
Richt does not want to kick the enemy when he’s down, doesn’t believe in payback, and is way to calm and accepting of pathetic play, etc.
I want the meanest S.O.B out there for a coach. To be feared is to be respected.
He’s just too nice!
Huh?
April 24th, 2009
3:37 pm
The most hilarious thing about all this whining is that this time last year Richt was a frickin football zen master and on top of his game according the same whiners that are whining like little babies now. Do you idiots really think he forgot how to coach in those months between the 2007 and 2008 seasons? Think about it, if you’re able.
TC Dawg
April 24th, 2009
3:42 pm
What a load of crap. However, the AJC has what it wants, controversy and readers. Look at how many people have responded to this piece of crap article. Let’s see, the golf team just won the SEC tourney, the baseball team is off to one its best starts, great recruiting class in football, we were able to keep what most of the other coaches in the SEC consider the best offensive line coach at a cheaper rate, same goes for Rodney Garner, the Gym Dawgs just won an unprecedented fifth national title, etc., etc. Give me a break about time past in UGA football. Other than the 80’s when Hershel was here, we were a team only feared by Florida and at that time, nobody cared about Florida. What a peice of crap written by someone who looks like a cartoon character.
Jacket Steve
April 24th, 2009
3:46 pm
45-42!!! GO JACKETS!!!
Soulja Boy
April 24th, 2009
3:46 pm
His Holiness left out entitled thugs mugging for tv, victory dances after giving up long gains, arrrests, arrests, arrests.
i heart fl jorts!
April 24th, 2009
3:47 pm
I heard Eston likes little boys…sicko…
hop
April 24th, 2009
3:50 pm
it is easy to lament about various mistakes,errors, mental lapses,but one major problem was the loss of more experience players due to injury.
we lost a total of 25 plaeys at one point or the entire season, and they were replaced with less experience players including a freshmen kicker!
a team cannot survive that many injuries especially with so few players allowed on scholarship from the ncaa and expect to have a banner year.
we did very well last year especially with all the injuries and i think the coaches did a yomans job having to find replacement players to come in and compete in the toughest conference in america.
the dawgs were one of the very top teams at the close of 2007 and ,but that was due in part to very limited injuries.,
I don’t know if that translates into more victories or not this year since we lost our two best players the passed season,but we will be far more disciplined this year, unless we again have a rash of injuries due to playing a more experience plaers on the field.
i think this team will surprise us all this year.
austindog
April 24th, 2009
3:50 pm
11. The Shotgun Draw play. Handing off to a flatfooted tailback from the shotgun formation. The only positive effect this ever had was making the defence think our OC was insane and could try anything.
austindog
April 24th, 2009
3:51 pm
“defense” (dang)
PeligroPero
April 24th, 2009
3:55 pm
OK, I have a stupid question. When you refer to “MNC”, what does the “M” stand for? I understand the National Championship part. It can’t be for “Men’s” since there is no Women’s NC in football.
bulldog ellis
April 24th, 2009
4:02 pm
Fire Bobo,Martinez.Problem solved
uga_b
April 24th, 2009
4:05 pm
The only one that I want to never see again after the Kentucky game is this:
1) Playing Nickel in the redzone against a running QB>
Go back and watch the tape. When we went back to the 3-4 we stopped them. Nickel is awful against the run.
uga_b
April 24th, 2009
4:07 pm
Austindog, you can add the slow moving QB draw to your list.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
4:08 pm
No stupic question Pero. MNC stands for Mythical National Championship. Since there is not a playoff, even with the BCS you will have an MNC. The two best teams do not always play. Heck if you don’t give us a shot in 2007 because we did not play in the SECC, USC should have gotten a shot to play in the MNC. I am an SEC fan and was pulling for LSU but I thought USC could have beaten LSU and the Ohio State University.
clemdawg
April 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
I would rather read a story on the college football player, that will, as a mentor, make a difference in in a trouble youths life. Negative stories like this does nothing for anybody. bye
BeachGaBulldog
April 24th, 2009
4:26 pm
I couldn’t agree more! Especially #5. Its bad enough when you are having to battle your opposition, but having the refs screw you, its time to bend over and touch your ankles.
I hate Penn Wagers! I can’t stand to look at his ugly face. And, everytime I see he is doing one of our games, I know that he is going to stick it to us.
Todd
April 24th, 2009
4:29 pm
Couldn’t agree more Bill. I’m still numb over the out from nowhere ass whippin from UF in Jax and Stafford and Moreno sitting on the bench at the end of the game, not even standing. Last yr.’s special teams play was unbelievably awful. Logan Gray returning punts spoke volumes as to the coaching of special teams.
A few consistent themes of the MR era. 1)cannot beat UF, Tenn in the same season and sweep the East 2) mystery blowout games, Tenn. a few yrs. ago in Knoxv. and 31-0 at half last yr. to Bama…..3)MR’s playcalling in the early yrs. particularly against UF in the Ron Zuke yrs., those brutal, awful to sit thru 13-10 games, not laying it out on offense, kicking and missing field goals.
As much as you can list the MR achievements in 8 yrs. and how can you not like what the guy stands for and goes about his business, I think he’s blown his opps. in the SEC and I just can’t see him getting over the hump. Aron Murray & co. is the last chance.
LSU
April 24th, 2009
4:40 pm
You people are the biggest bunch of crybaby b!thces!! Only a uga fan would actually have a referee as somthing to blame for the short comings the team. You wonder why so many people make fun of uga fans.
BS Patrol
April 24th, 2009
4:50 pm
10 things doggie fans REALLY hate to see:
1) Gailey leaving
2)Ball leaving
3)Paul Johnson coming
4)J. Dwyer coming
5)Roddy Jones coming
6)Rasheed tackling
7)Staffy leaving
8)Knowshow leaving
9)Mass leaving
10) 45-42
ACCblows
April 24th, 2009
4:53 pm
ACC>SEC…………Are you retarded? Yes the ACC slips up and has a decent season against the SEC, but history shows and will continue to show that tha ACC is mediocre at best. pathetic comment, truly pathetic.
HAHAHAHAHa
April 24th, 2009
4:55 pm
BS Patrol are you in middle school?
P B R
April 24th, 2009
5:00 pm
Does anyone know if Wyoming had rings made after they beat Tenn? What cheezy pathetic school does that? Hmm…
UGAfan
April 24th, 2009
5:02 pm
I hope not to see the DEFENSE wait half way through the 3rd quarter to make adjustments.
chazz
April 24th, 2009
5:09 pm
I am a big Mark Richt fan, but my one criticism of him is his conservative play calling, specifically in the red zone. This problem existed before Bobo took the coordinator position. I remember David Green all but willing a touchdown after a long succession of settling for three. Yeah, I think its time to blow it out.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
5:10 pm
I agree with you LSU, a heap of whiners. And when I point out the glass is half full not half empty, well you can read earlier posts attacking my optimistic outlook. Football is supposed to be fun. Heck I went to UGA because we beat Bama and Tech in ‘76 and I thought this was the most fun I had ever had with most of my clothes on. I still think UGA football is the greatest show on earth, win or lose. So call me a blind Homer Simpson, I don’t care. As Lewis, I am Bulldawg born and Bulldawg bred. And when I die, I will be Bulldawg dead.
chazz
April 24th, 2009
5:20 pm
You can’t blame the tech fans. It is so unusual to pull of a vicotry, it is all they can talk about. I guess we will have to hear about that 45-42 score until the evening of November 28th. Brag while you can yellow flies. Brag while you can.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
5:26 pm
Is it just me or is anyone else tired of the homophobic comments. What is next, racist allegations for opposing fans? Why don’t we just go back to my Coach can beat up your Coach?
DawgGirl32
April 24th, 2009
5:28 pm
I agree with Crazy4GT: I would say that 8 out of the 10 things on that list were caused at least partly by injuries. I know we’ve heard it time and time again but when you have to keep moving people around to different positions and playing kids that have never played college football before because half your team is injured, you’re going to have these problems.
Bill, I understand what you’re trying to say about “wilting in the face of adversity” but couldn’t you also say that with 22 season-ending injuries (A LOT of adversity), 10 wins was a damn good feat? I mean, if you had told me how many and which players we’d have on the sidelines at the beginning of the year, I would think that 10 wins would probably be impossible. As crazy as it sounds, I think this year might have been one of the better coaching jobs in the Mark Richt era considering what he had to work with.
We have to remember that we’re just one year removed from an 11-2 season and a BCS bowl win…..with the same coaches. Did they just forget how to coach? I doubt it. I think the biggest improvement we’re going to have as a team next is healthy bodies. That’s something you can’t coach. I think we should reserve judgement until then.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
5:33 pm
Chazz, I remember the last time we beat UF in 2007. I still have my 42-30 ring though I was tempted by cash for gold. Let Tech have some fun, what else is there to do on North Avenue.
SoCal Dawg
April 24th, 2009
5:37 pm
Cuz its not about and optimistic outlook or if 10 wins makes a good season. Its about living up to your potential. Its about being the best you can be. If UGA were a bunch of over achievers 10 wins would be great but unfortunately it is an under achieving program.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
5:39 pm
DawgGirl, you are wise beyond your years. You go girl. Has anyone ever told you that you can see the forest for the trees.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
5:44 pm
SoCal, I will agree that there were plenty of underachieving moments in 2008. The first half of the Bama game. The third quarter of the greatest beatdown in UGA-Tech history, well they think so. Failure to just put away the little brother in the opener. And the beat goes on. But I can say the same thing of the 2006, 2005 season, Sugar Bowl. Big letdown then a battle to make a comeback. I just think we were snakebit in 2008. I blame the pre-season polls and my friend gator-the-dog-catcher just because I can.
macrotech
April 24th, 2009
5:47 pm
Yellowsforpiss, it’s not hard to remember ‘the year’….last year! Would be REALLY great if this could become a consistant response to ‘remember when Tech beat the dawgs’ question. Of course, I’m biased in my thoughts and will, PROUDLY, make this statement in public. By no means, do I think that CMR is losing his touch. uga had a tough year at a time that Tech had an amazing year! Should make for some fun football for the next few years…time will tell. Can’t we ALL just get along? Group hug in Between, Ga.? GO TECH!!!
john
April 24th, 2009
6:24 pm
Well it’s good the vast majority of the UGA fans are happy with mediocrity. Because that’s exactly what the UGA football program is under Bobo and Martinez. There will always be some lame azz reason for why UGA lays an egg in a big game: an injury, somebody missed an assignment, the official flagged us unfairly. On and on. Always something to blame to avoid admitting it’s Bobo or Martinez. I wonder how long Bobo or Martinez would last at Florida? I’d say 1 season, maybe 2. But that’s the difference in their coach, their AD, their alums, and their sidewalk fan base.
But, oh well. Let’s just be happy as pigs in mud that UGA chokes in at least 2 to 3 big games each year.
Jack Schitt
April 24th, 2009
6:52 pm
I am a UGA gradiate and love thim Dogs and what I dont wont to see is them Tinnasee Vols beeting us we dunn stole sumthin. That thar Lane Kiffin will have hour nomber four yeers to cumm.
I'll take 10 wins every year
April 24th, 2009
7:13 pm
Not win the SEC Title or a National Championship……EVER!
AltamahaDawg
April 24th, 2009
7:59 pm
The Florida program of 2008, or the Florida program of 2007?
AltamahaDawg
April 24th, 2009
8:15 pm
elvis, its the same reason a squacky parrot says the same thing over and over….to get attention. Not difficult to learn what to say to make a handfull of people pat you on the head.
BT
April 24th, 2009
8:46 pm
I’m tired of HAIR and DREDS sticking out of players helmets! Richt came in with a rule on long hair and somewhere along the way forgot about it. I’m also sick of everybody having a different pair of cleets. This sounds picky and it is. The bottom line, get rid of all this individual crap on the field! What happened to BIG TEAM-little me?
UGA FOOTBALL JUST AN AVERAGE PROGRAM
April 24th, 2009
8:58 pm
Keep your ten wins while LSU and Florida win National Crowns, UGA always watching from the sidelines.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
8:59 pm
I’m tired of tatoos. Anyone with a tatoo, yank their scholly. What, you’re kidding me. Okay I have been told we cannot field eleven men on either side of the ball without tatoos. Throw that idea out.
Cuz
April 24th, 2009
9:05 pm
Hey Alt, I feel like David Letterman. We finally got a fan give us our own top ten list. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Somehow I think they meant flatulance instead of flattery.
Skip Jacobs
April 24th, 2009
9:19 pm
Bill:
I do not think Willie Martinez is the problem. Last year’s defensive problems resulted from two
issues
1. Penalties-which you correctly addressed(and I mean offensive penalties too!!!)
2. Injuries-which you partly addressed.
Not only did the rash of injuries deplete top talent on the field, but coach Richt made a decision to limit live tackling in practice after the first few games for fear of losing more players. This resulted in the defense losing their edge; and Richt acknowledged(after GT) that in
hindsight this hurt the defensive performance. Coaches live and learn-they make mistakes
and learn from them just as we all do in our professions.
To say that coach Richt does not seem to be concerned with emphasis on special teams I
think is fairly flippant statement. Anyone who has been around football for very long- much less coached-knows the importance of special teams.
You correctly observed that the defense looked much better in the bowl game- I understand
coach Richt returned to regular schedule of live tackling in the bowl practices-and it showed.
Sissy Dawg
April 24th, 2009
9:20 pm
CMR is a great guy, but all the teams problems relate to one thing, “No Discipline”. On the field or off the field, the players don’t take him seriously. Georgia will be lucky to win eight games this year.
Buddy El
April 24th, 2009
9:24 pm
Eston: Is there anything else you do other than pick your nose, wet the bed and sleep with your mother? I’ll bet your parents were just doing it for fun in the bed of a pickup the night she got pregnant with you.
Buddy El
April 24th, 2009
9:31 pm
Obviously the injuries were a huge part of the problem but I saw several Dawgs that were playing with very little intensity. If all played with intensity, play after play, like Rennie Curran it would have not only have looked a lot better but probably would have made a huge difference in certain games. When one gives his/her best it is hard to criticize regardless of the final score.
BS Patrol
April 24th, 2009
9:34 pm
While you’re at it, make sure they know their ABC’s.
Whoops! Couldn’t field a team then either, you say?
Buddy El
April 24th, 2009
9:38 pm
Why do I keep seeing all this hype about “Florida and LSU”? Florida yes indeed. LSU’s record against UGA and several others is so-so. I do really appreciate their spanking……make that mauling……the Bunglebees in the Fruit Bowl.