Is a stay on bench answer to Dogs’ turnovers?
Turnovers have been a recurring problem for Joe Cox. (Brant Sanderlin / AJC)
This turnovers madness has to stop.
Without the fumble and two interceptions against Arizona State, that wouldn’t have been a close game. Georgia was by far the more talented team.
And that’s really been the case in all four of the Dogs’ games so far. Mark Richt’s troops are squandering a tremendous talent advantage with their unfocused, sloppy play. Opponents have scored 54 points off the 12 turnovers by the Dogs, who rank 115th out of 120 teams in the country in that category.
On the other side, takeaways continue to elude the Georgia defense, and even when they get one, as with Bacarri Rambo’s interception Saturday, they’re not getting points out of them, with just six points off three recovered turnovers this season.
This is a week that trend needs to turn around, as LSU leads the SEC and is tied for fifth in the nation in turnover margin.
As the level of opposition rises, the chances of the Dogs overcoming multiple turnovers per game decrease severely.
So what’s the problem? Is this primarily players not taking care of fundamentals? You could certainly make that case about Saturday’s giveaways. Mark Richt said Caleb King’s fumble resulted from center Ben Jones’ pads bumping the ball. Obviously, King isn’t securing it properly. There was another notable example Saturday night when he was running down the sideline with the ball clearly in the wrong hand, as my brother Tim pointed out at the time and some blog commenters also have noted.
And while Joe Cox was hurried in his throw on his first interception, on the second he threw a ball he shouldn’t have while ignoring an open secondary receiver. Cox, considered one of the smarter players on the team, has been responsible for six turnovers, five of them interceptions.
So it’s player mistakes, yeah, but well-coached teams don’t turn the ball over repeatedly. As Richt put it to the Macon Telegraph, “I’d like to remove some of the drama if possible and just play a solid 60 minutes of football … but that’s coaching, too. I’ve got to do a better job of getting these guys prepared. It’s not only what I might say before the game or at halftime. It’s what we demand of them throughout the week, and maybe we need to do a better job of that.”
Obviously, whatever Richt has been doing, from harping on the need for improvement to making players run the bleachers, hasn’t been working. As Georgiadogs.com quoted him: “We can’t do a whole lot more than what we’re doing in practice. We may add some more ball-security drills or get our scout team to strip the ball. You can’t simulate a guy getting blasted or whatever it might be when it comes out. And not all the fumbles have been by running backs; we had a punt mishap, one on a kickoff return and some interceptions. We hope the guys who have had issues won’t have them again.”
If they do, perhaps the answer is an automatic in-game stay on the bench. Turn the ball over and you sit for one entire series. Even Cox. (The way things are going, that’s about the only way backup Logan Gray will get any meaningful playing time at QB before the Tennessee Tech game.)
I know, some folks think punishments like that are akin to putting a kindergartner in the time-out corner. But, hey, it’s effective because kids don’t want to sit in time-out. Just like football players don’t want to sit on the bench.
Maybe everything Richt needs to know about solving this problem he learned in kindergarten.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
111 comments Add your comment
Hold Richt Accountable
September 28th, 2009
4:25 pm
Sic ‘Em…go ahead and bury your head in the sand.
I’m with you senoiadawg. The status quo isn’t working.
swimdawg68
September 28th, 2009
5:21 pm
Does anyone believe that Alabama has more talent than us? I don’t so what is the difference? I can only assume it is coaching, their defense only gave up 7 points to Arkansas the same team that ran up and down the firld on our defense.
One of my best friends played for Dooley in the late 70’s he was on the OL, I asked him what Dooley would do about false starts he told me it was so bad that you hated to go to practice on Monday if you had any false starts. Dooley and his coaches would call you out before the entire team and the entire OL would be punished for your mess-up.
I recall in the Dooley era we had few penalities in games and very few turnovers. Are the players different today? YES! they are bigger and faster. What is the answer? It’s called COACHING! Can it be corrected? YES! The head coach needs to take charge and develop the attitude among the players to not make these mistakes or they will pay a severe price. Coaches talk all the time about developing a “winning attitude” well, they need to develop an “error free” attitude.
Hold Richt Accountable
September 28th, 2009
5:36 pm
swimdawg68…will you please email your post about Dooley to AD Damon Evans?
We need all the help we can get.
jack thompson
September 28th, 2009
5:38 pm
did i miss something? did we lose saturday?????????//
go pull for mississsippi state
AltamahaDawg
September 28th, 2009
6:07 pm
Benching a QB for throwing a pick is a not appropriate and nobody in the country does it to the starter to prove a point. You work that out in the film room with a lazer pointer and a WTF. Either he knew the coverage or he didnt. Benching him ain’t going to fix that. Now if you need bring him over to correct something going on, great.
We have always held our RB out for a series after a fumble, if we have had a suitable substitute. That isn’t something new.
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
6:21 pm
AltamahaDawg – I concur. You don’t take your players out of the game because of a mistake.
You hope they learn from their mistakes and move on.
Hold Richt Accountable
September 28th, 2009
6:29 pm
Jack apparently you missed how badly the team is playing this year and how UN-UGA we are looking. Rebuilding year or not…fumbles and penalties and bad coaching are taking their toll.
Right the ship, Richt.
AltamahaDawg
September 28th, 2009
6:38 pm
If that was some sort of formula for correcting a mistake I would say yes, I just don’t think it is. Bonehead play, lost temper, something stupid, yes, and there isn’t a coach in the country that doesn’t pull guys in that situation to get thier attention. But not a physical mistake. Take care of that in the training/film/meeting/drills.
Dawg Days
September 28th, 2009
6:39 pm
33-17 hahahahaha!!!
Barkin'Dog
September 28th, 2009
7:29 pm
45ACP
September 28th, 2009 – 4:20 pm
Has anyone seen King, Samuel or Cox totin the rock to class and around campus?
Do coaches still make them do that?
That’s a great idea! Used to see that in high school 4 decades ago – everyone tried to knock it out of their arms going to class. By gametime, they rarely dropped it. Must have worked. Oh, the days gone by.
DOGGIE IN NC
September 28th, 2009
7:29 pm
Good Grief! Can’t wait until we beat LSU so I can hear everone gripe about what we did wrong in that game! Give it a rest people! We all hate mistakes, but what team does not make them. Dawgs played a great game, in adverse conditions, against a very talented defense. Just a taste of what Florida will bring against us. I say we take ‘em Saturday! GO DOGGIES!
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
7:38 pm
Class of 1973. Chamblee Bulldog. The good ole high school days.
Probably politically incorrect to require a player to do that now.
Someone’s feeling might get hurt.
OoltewahDawg
September 28th, 2009
7:48 pm
Maybe the coaches need to inflict the same punishment on fumblers that Wally Butts did – Make them carry the football everywhere they went until the next game. A little humiliation couldn’t hurt.
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
7:49 pm
BLACK OUT BLACK OUT
Time for a BLACK OUT.
Go Dawgs!
Question?
September 28th, 2009
8:05 pm
Did the Carolina Panthers bench Jake D for INT’s?
LSU is next(for Florida)
September 28th, 2009
8:28 pm
The Tigers will maul the Dawgs, Tennessee will bite the Dawgs, and Florida will death roll the Dawgs and eat them for lunch.
Jethro
September 28th, 2009
8:31 pm
45ACP- Last time there was a blackout do you remember what happened? Oh yeah, Alabama was leading 31-0 at half time against Stafford + Moreno and the #1 Pre-season Dawgs. Yeah time for a blackout!! Go Gators, 49-10.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
8:38 pm
Coach Richt on his radio show just called for a blackout on Saturday. He just did not say what Saturday. Well he said he was open to it at some point. Probably coach speak for next year.
trey
September 28th, 2009
8:47 pm
LSU is vastly over-rated. Who has LSU beaten this year? Only cupcakes. And none of those wins have exactly been whippings. I believe LSU will lose to UGA, Fla, Bama, and Ole Miss this year. Even Auburn might catch them.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
8:52 pm
Coach said he would be open to requests for the fourth quarter dance show. I’m thinking Boot Scootin Boogie.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
8:58 pm
Coach made the point about the dancing that the players are full of nervous energy. He feels that the dancing in the fourth quarter keeps them loose and ready for the next play. He admitted that at least fifty percent would probably disagree with him. He also pointed out that the other team was dancing too.
Hold Richt Accountable
September 28th, 2009
9:06 pm
Les Miles to his team after their victory this past weekend:
“LSU coach Les Miles’ words were the kind no football player wants to hear.
Especially after a win.
“The team better show up at home on Monday ready to work,” Miles said.”
Richt, take note…hopefully you were ready to go to work today. And not on dance moves.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
9:13 pm
Bust a move coach.
Can’t touch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c4L4CPfQY8
DawgNation
September 28th, 2009
9:19 pm
Cuz,
Put Mark in those parachute pants and open chest vest. That would be a sight. As for the team doing it during the game as I stated before if he condones it on the side line then fine but on the field behind or tied in the score is not the place or time. If he wants to loosen them up then call them to the side line and pump them up with his own words.
CentralFLDawg
September 28th, 2009
9:23 pm
You know, I recently started reading the blog comments and posted a couple that were, hopefully, rational and objective. But, after this post I’m done reading this trash.
A previous poster noted what a pleasure it was not to read the comments, and he is right. I’m no blind loyalist; the penalties, the turnovers, shaky play calling and, God knows, the defense frustrate me to no end. But, all the ‘experts’ and mere no-nothings who rant and rave are more than I can bear.
So, Bill, I enjoy your comments and will continue to read them. And, to the thoughtful commenters, I’ll miss your insights. But, to the others who think they are smarter than everyone else, expect absolute perfection on every play, expect to win every game by 30 points and, in reality, don’t know their a$$ from third base, I don’t need it anymore.
And, for those I just described, don’t waste your time slamming my comments. I won’t be there to read whatever nonsense you may write.
Goodbye
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
9:25 pm
Dawg, I would tend to agree about time and place. Tied or behind is no time to be working on dance moves but on spin moves and tackles. You get ahead in the fourth, I don’t have a problem with the dancing. The whole stadium used to dance to that electric bass pumping out the bass line on Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs.
DawgNation
September 28th, 2009
9:27 pm
Ahhh yea Cuz now those were the days. I agree with ya 100%.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
9:28 pm
Coach Richt dressed as MC Hammer, now that would be must see TV. The other team would be laughing so hard we could run up and down the field.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
9:29 pm
Nation, I spilled more than one bourbon and coke dancing with girls to Dooley’s Junkyard Dawgs in the stadium.
DawgNation
September 28th, 2009
9:39 pm
Cuz Again I must live vicariously through you. Spilled the drinks but at North Georgia College listing to the Dawgs on the radio and partying with all my Junkyard Dawg fans.
WildBill
September 28th, 2009
9:39 pm
This time next week, wondering what the blogs will be about. My guess, what in the world happened during the blowout? Who is gonna pay? Bench CMR, CWM, CMB? Lets hope it doesn’t come to that.
Hold Richt Accountable
September 28th, 2009
9:58 pm
Wildbill, if UGA is blown out, it has come to that. It’s already come to that for Martinez.
DawgNation
September 28th, 2009
9:59 pm
Lets see WildBill,
If the Dawgs win then I’m sure it will be CMB. It wont be a pretty win and a lot of questionable play calling but the dump Bobo/Richt camps will still be here in spite of a win.
If the Dawgs lose then I will bet it will be CMR and CWM due to the same problems that have plagued this team for the last few games.
No matter what there will be those who will pick apart any game win or lose.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
10:24 pm
How about this scenario. We directional kick all evening giving LSU great starting field position. It is a high scoring game going back and forth with the lead. Questionable play calls on both sides of the ball. At the end of the game LSU is behind one point but is in position to kick a field goal. AJ Green once again blocks the kick and one of the Brandon’s picks it up and races to our endzone for a touchdown. Dawgs up by eight. LSU gets the kickoff with five seconds and the kick returner runs the ball all the way to the Dawg five before getting knocked out of bounds with no time by Blair Walsh.
The “Fire Everybody” bandwagon roars to life.
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
10:27 pm
I think it’s time fo a Black Out vs LSU.
If your scared, get a dawg.
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
10:29 pm
Pun intended
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
10:42 pm
The Dawgs are an early 2.5 – 3 point favorite in this game.
Don’t turn the ball over CWM and the Dawgs should win.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
10:59 pm
Looks like a red out 45. Probably no blackout til the bowl game.
Cuz
September 28th, 2009
11:00 pm
Just so long as CWM does not throw a pic six. Or fumble the ball.
45ACP
September 28th, 2009
11:08 pm
A Red Out will be cool also. Just get the fans and the team rockin.
LSU is #4 in the polls. We are the 2.5 – 3 favorite acording to the people that know.
Who are those people?
If the Dawgs play a smart game, no turn overs, I have to believe the Dawgs will win.
Whoooooo Whooooo Go Dawgs!
KJ
September 29th, 2009
2:30 am
“blasted”? Most, if not all, of the fumbles were not the result of getting “blasted”, so CMR should not be using that as an excuse.
Lane
September 29th, 2009
6:32 am
Kiante Tripp goes from potential super star on the OL,to forgotten DE. OL, goes from being strong point to questionable @ best.
This move has puzzled me for the last year.
Carl Spackler
September 29th, 2009
6:57 am
I think this coaching staff would be afraid to bench anybody…with the way this season has gone, who knows where the next big play will come…new guys, young guys, fifth year guys, guys who never played, guys who haven’t played, this team has no flow, little leadership, but lots of talented potential, that hasn’t touched the field, or has played little…Cox is fiery, but all the “heart” in the world can’t make up for his limitations/lack of talent…too many ebbs and tides w/ every game (int’s, fumbles, penalties, dropped passes, etc.), and certainly the coaching dosn’t inspire confidence…either start to get ready for next year by working in the younger players, or get ready for more of the same…can’t believe the coaches got caught so flat footed this season…may be they should be the one’s taking a turn on the bench, or at least a “time-out”…
Thuga
September 29th, 2009
7:46 am
Yeah CMR shouldnt have a problem with hot doggin or dancing because he did go to THUG U Miami. Can u say hypocrite?
Cuz
September 29th, 2009
9:07 am
Thuga, it all depends on if CMR is a Baptist, since they do not allow dancing. It might lead to kissing.
Cuz
September 29th, 2009
9:37 am
And we all know where that leads. Well except for the Tech stalkers.
uuugh...
September 29th, 2009
11:21 am
45ACP…don’t trust the line. We never cover at home. At least I don’t remember the last time we did. Heck we don’t really cover away either.
Can anyone remember the last time we covered at home? I think Reverend Richt is trying to teach some of us a lesson about gambling on football. If so it is working for me…haven’t bet on the dawgs (or against) in 4 years now. Slot machines offer better odds than betting on the dawgs.
Anybody remember a real live blow out? I know we have been playing difficult schedules but we should still be crushing some of these teams.
Every team takes us to the wire and younger folks don’t get reps. Coach wants to win by 1 point every game…which is great until the next year rolls around and you look up and don’t have anybody with any game experience. Then you play everyone close again…it is is vicious circle.
The lesson: Don’t gamble…but if you do bet on someone else.
barneyb
September 29th, 2009
11:51 am
Heck, if you start bencing them for penalties & turnovers, who are you going to put on the field? so many of them, coaches included. Seriously, this team and coaching staff have some very serious systemic issues. Why not start with focus & discipline? No more gangsta rapping & dancing on th esidelines, and get the thug players to either hise their dreadlocks under their helmets or cut them off. Embarrasing appearance, embarrasing play. As a lifelong fan & alumn, this year has so far been horrendous on so many different levels.
Cuz
September 29th, 2009
12:19 pm
barney, do you remember the Seventies. My parents hated Led Zeppelin. They were Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman types. I had hair that reached down my back halfway to my belt. All of my friends and I were thugs or so they thought. Only half of my friends were really thugs. Where am I going? Todays kids are different. I can’t stand rap music. The kids like it. It is a generational thing. I look at the dreds as the same as us former long haired maggots. Of course now I have no hair but that is not germane to the conversation. If you want these kids to be you, it aint gonna happen. Just as my parents could not get me interested in Dean Martin or Perry Como. Quit worrying about the kids being kids and worry more about the defense making stops and the offense turning over the ball. I think there is less correlation between the dancing and the ball control than most believe.
Now where is my Rick James CD?
Mike T.
September 29th, 2009
12:29 pm
Don’t start the crap about a Blackout. If the team wants to wear Black, let’em just come out in black on game day, and quit giving the other team bulletin board material.Making the announcment and having everyone come
in black garb isn’t going to do one thing in helping us beat LSU.