Dogs need discipline on the field as well
With preseason practice beginning today and still no Bulldogs players arrested so far this year (fingers crossed), the turnaround from last year is drawing some media attention — though, of course, not as much as last year’s troubles did.
Talking with the Athens Banner-Herald, Mark Richt attributes the improvement in part to team leaders. “”I do think that that was a big focal point of our leadership of our team for the players to be more accountable to each other,” he says. He also thinks having seniors paired as mentors with younger players helped, and he introduced a player disciplinary panel to deal with violations of team rules.
That’s a great idea. In fact, it’s such a great idea that I hope Richt will do something along those lines to deal with the other recurring problem last season: excessive penalties. As the most penalized team in the SEC and fourth most penalized team in the NCAA last season, the Dogs too often killed their own drives and extended their opponents’ drives with unnecessary infractions. The 2008 Dogs were a very undisciplined team.
For much of last season, Richt didn’t really seem to take the problem seriously, sending his players mixed messages about needing to cut down on penalties but not wanting them to play less aggressively. Eventually by midseason, with Georgia leading the nation in penalties, he started assigning extra running and said he regretted not acting more forcefully earlier.
“Before I was a little reluctant to make such a strong point,” Richt said before last year’s Tennessee game. “My strategy and my thoughts were wrong. Penalties have not slowed down and have cost us and I did a poor job on the front end of it. We’re trying to correct it.”
The situation improved slightly after that, but not enough. So perhaps this season Richt should challenge his team leaders and disciplinary panel to crack down if the yellow flags start to mount up.
Talking about the crackdown on off-the-field violations, Geno Atkins told the ABH that using peer pressure helps. “It’s player to player, not coach to player. You’re able to get their point of view and see where they’re coming from, and you’re able to talk as a player and tell them they need to straighten up.”
Surely, the same approach on the field would help.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
24 comments Add your comment
superDawg
August 4th, 2009
2:10 pm
saint simons is dead.no post.
Otto
August 4th, 2009
2:10 pm
Ledership starts with upper classman and the QB. It seems they are doing their job. Atkins and Ownens need to lead the defense and Cox by all reports is a more vocal leader at QB. I am catiously very optimistic.
JayRoot
August 4th, 2009
2:29 pm
.
How ’bout a pre-trial intervention program?
This way some of this criminal activity(the Ugag way) can be prevented or at least the severity of those crimes could be reduced.
.
bubba
August 4th, 2009
2:31 pm
the dawgs need to get in better shape. a tired team commits penalties
Andy
August 4th, 2009
2:35 pm
7 and 1?
45-42, bleah
August 4th, 2009
2:50 pm
Penalties killed the Dawgs last year, especially the late hits by the defense and the unsportsmanlike conducts. Start the season with fewer penalties and I believe the refs will give the Dawgs the benefit of the doubt later in the year. I think several of the penalties called in the last third of the season were just because the refs expected to call them.
Old Dawg
August 4th, 2009
2:59 pm
I know it was high school football and 35 years ago, but for every yard in penalties during a we had to run a lap at the start of Monday’s practice. Same for turnovers. Amazingly, we always had the fewest penalties and turnovers in our region. Despite lack of overall talent, we always had winning seasons and made the playoffs. If a player got out of line, the seniors had a little chat and the problem was solved.
It looks like CMR is working off the same page and I hope he keeps it!
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2009
3:05 pm
I agree with somebody named bubba. A lot of those penalties were from players that were tired and getting beat grabbing or jumping. Or a step too late and trying to make up for it, turning into a late hit. I am not sure “get in shape” really was the issue as much as just short suppy of reserves.
Too Easy
August 4th, 2009
3:12 pm
JRoot: We know you’re a tekkie, so the subject of arrests should be comfortable to you. Drugs (R. Houston), beatings (those brave linemen against the pizza girl), rape (Tarrant), drunk driving (J. Hamilton) – those are all on your side of the ledger. Ours? Underage drinking, scootering the wrong way, expired license, etc. You win.
RxDawg
August 4th, 2009
3:12 pm
Penalties, Injuries, and Tackling is why lost 3 games last year.
Class of '98
August 4th, 2009
3:13 pm
Yeah, there is nothing more frustrating or deflating than getting a big 3rd-down stop, only to see a yellow hankee on the field for a late hit or roughing the passer.
If there is no roughing call on Bama’s first drive could it have changed the momentum of the game? Maybe, maybe not. I just don’t want to be considering “what-ifs” about penalties like this NEXT August when looking back at 2009.
2008 is over. Let’s just stop making dumb penalties like that and move on.
The2Davids&VernLundquist
August 4th, 2009
3:14 pm
I think UGA is the greatest.They will win em all this year. If they don’t they will be great at least the next 3 years after that.
kmarkvii
August 4th, 2009
3:23 pm
Who was #1 in the SEC in penalties last season? Too many penalties will hurt you.
Dawg'94
August 4th, 2009
3:34 pm
With practice starting today, can ALL future articles & posts be about THIS year & not LAST year? I am ready to focus on THIS year and I believe the Dawgs are going to have a GREAT season. FINALLY the team has some leaders. GO DAWGS!!!
AltamahaDawg
August 4th, 2009
3:49 pm
eh, UF was second in the SEC and committed only 10 less on the entire year, seemed to work out Okay for them. UF was also #1 in penaties in 2006. Obviously tehre is more to the story. Penalties were a symptom last year, not the desease..
Saint Simons
August 4th, 2009
4:29 pm
32 days till toe meets leather!!!!!!!!!!
DawgGirl32
August 4th, 2009
4:41 pm
The problem was not the number of penalties. The problem was WHEN the penalties occurred. I wonder how many opposing turnovers were negated by our penalties last year. That absolutely kills momentum. And I agree with Bubba and AltDawg that fresh bodies vs. tired bodies might be the solution.
dawgjammin
August 4th, 2009
4:41 pm
the penalties that moved Bama down the field the first drive of the game last year couldn’t be attributed to “lack of reserves” and “being tired”…it sure set the tone for that game though. its the mental mistake pentalties that killed us…the roughing the passer, late hits, personal fouls…the ones that moved the chains and kept drives going for the opponents, ones that changed field position. lets hope this year all we see is the occasional off sides or holding.
Long Dawg
August 4th, 2009
5:00 pm
This will be a better team than last year in about a dozen ways including being more disciplined. When there is no leadership on the field there is no peer pressure to stay straight and perform. When 20 guys stand around ans wait on two to win the game you get what we got in 2008. It will no happen this year. Last year reminded me of the 1979 season when we lost to Wake Forrest at home. I thought the program had just died. The next year we won the NC.
Cuz in Minnessotta
August 4th, 2009
5:34 pm
Can we get Penn Waggers or whatever his name is to move to Notre Dame?
Ken
August 4th, 2009
7:43 pm
Old dawg, Same here. I played football in the late 70’s in upstate NY for state power house Henninger High. We did a up-down for every yard in penalties every practice and ran a 100 yard sprint for every point scored against us. I’ve seen Falcon, Bulldawg and Bronco practices as an adult and they are ballet recitals compared to what we did in high school.
Coaches used to hit us, spit on us, drive our faces into the ground. We were lucky to get one water break. We played hard football back then… I don’t see that anymore, not at any level.
What if...
August 4th, 2009
9:52 pm
Im so tired of the what if excuses of last year. Penalties, injuries or youth. 3 big games last year was 3 big butt whippings. Two of which in our own backyard. Now some will argue that the Tech loss wasn’t a butt whipping ok an embarrassing loss will suffice then. You can slice it and dice it but the fact is it happened. Ken…. you are so right! This day and age there is no mental and physical toughness instilled in the young men today. Its called the coddling effect. Maybe just maybe the sleeping Giant has been awakened this season…….
Saint Simons
August 5th, 2009
6:59 am
Roddy Jones just scored again!
Bulldog Bites: Who’s kicking off? Yeah, that’s right | The Junkyard Blawg
August 6th, 2009
2:00 pm
[...] I’d just written a couple of days ago about the Dogs’ problems with penalties, it was great to see that Mark Richt is really cracking down on them in practice. I just hope he [...]