If Grantham coaches like he talks, Junkyard Dogs era has returned
Dogs defenders will have to earn playing time, Todd Grantham says. (Associated Press)
This time last week, we were examining what little we’d heard so far from new UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and getting excited about his pronouncements that he favored an aggressive, attacking style.
Over the past few days, Grantham has been making the rounds of the sports talk stations and sat down Friday with reporters to elaborate. And he’s still saying what we want to hear. Of course, it’s often a big leap between talking the talk and producing on the field and we’ve yet to see how Georgia’s players will execute what Grantham wants.
But from what I’m reading and hearing, reaction across the Bulldog Nation has been very positive to what he’s saying. Grantham thinks recruiting successfully close to home is the answer to winning the SEC and beating elite teams like Florida. He embraces the passionate, impatient fan base and says he understands who Georgia needs to beat.
And he is stressing to his players that they’re going to have to compete and produce if they want to take the field for the Red and Black.
He said his first message to the team is “we want to be physical, aggressive and relentless in our approach. … To do that, you’ve got to be in great condition and I think you have to have great preparation.”
More importantly, he said, “I think it’s important that you find ways to get your best players on the field. … Ultimately, you have to make plays on defense and to do that you have to have guys that are playmakers. I think you do that by getting your best players on the field.”
And players won’t be on the field just because they’re a senior or have started in the past. Grantham says he’s opening up all the positions and playing time will be earned. “I think competition makes everybody better, and I think you have to work to win a position before you can help us win a game. … The bottom line is you’re going to put the players out there that are going to be the most productive.”
As for which current SEC defense Dog fans can expect Georgia’s D to resemble, Grantham said exactly what I wanted to hear: “Alabama.”
All good stuff. Now we’ve got to see if he coaches as good as he talks.
WILL RICHT EMBRACE SPECIAL TEAMS?
On another note, Grantham also said that while it’s “not etched in stone right now,” the final member of the coaching staff still to be hired likely will join him in coaching linebackers, meaning no full-time special teams coach.
Considering the task ahead in fashioning a new defensive scheme, I can understand that thinking. I assume the special teams coaching will still be split up among various coaches and one of them will be asked to be the special teams coordinator in addition to his regular duties, as has been done in the past.
But what that really means is that if Georgia’s special teams play is going to improve and become more consistent, the onus is going to be on Mark Richt, who to date has never appeared to attach as much significance to that aspect of the game as some other coaches do. If Georgia’s special teams play is going to improve, that means more time spent on it in practice. Upgrading the personnel on the kickoff coverage team. And demanding a higher level of execution.
It’s not enough to have a terrific placekicker and punter if you’re populating your kick coverage team with walk-ons and regularly give up great field position on returns. Or if you consistently fall for fake punts. Or if your return men don’t seem to know when to run it out of the end zone and when to take a knee.
At the schools where special teams are truly special and viewed on an equal footing with the offense and defense when it comes to winning games, that mindset starts at the very top.
Richt needs a come-to-Jesus moment with himself about what he’s going to do to make sure that special teams play becomes a strength for the Dogs across the board.
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155 comments Add your comment
$750K
January 23rd, 2010
6:02 pm
Actually, Mr. Me, you are the one with a tiny brain, no doubt due to your obsession with watching 20 year-olds chase around an inflated (that means blowed-up) bladder.
So many people associated with the university wish the football team, and especially its ignorant, redneck, tobacco-chewing followers would disassociate themselves from the school so we would have a chance to stop being the laughing-stock. You all are really embarrassing.
Do you really believe in Everything for football, and to h*ll with everything else? $750K for a freaking football coach. I don’t really care where the money comes from. It shouts out loud and clear how screwed our priorities are in this backwards, inbred state.
Since you like to cheer, here’s one all the other states are going to be shouting soon enough: “Thank God for Georgia! Thank God for Georgia!” I doubt if you care as much about education as football, but you should.
You, Sir, are the one with an intellect permanently stuck in early adolescence: woof, woof, woof. It’s a pity that’s enough for grown men.
Senator Blutarski
January 23rd, 2010
6:02 pm
c’mon Dog fans–where’s the spirit?–where’s the guts?–LET’S DO IT!!!!!!
Winderdawg
January 23rd, 2010
6:12 pm
Hey Dawghater, tell your mom she left her keys at my house last night.
Dunkley
January 23rd, 2010
6:18 pm
Georgia isn’t tough enough to win a BCS Title, they will slip up somewhere on their schedule.
UGA Fan
January 23rd, 2010
6:23 pm
Boo Hoo, ESPN stole the National Title away from us in 2007 even though we didn’t win the East and never played in the SEC Title Game. How dare ESPN put SEC Champion LSU in the title game that year, it was all a big conspiracy against Dawg Nation.
jesse james
January 23rd, 2010
6:27 pm
Talk has never beat anybody. I hope we can return to the Junkyard Dawgs and really get back into forcing turnovers the way we use too. And any team that let’s Chism dress like he is into today’s basketball team has no pride in the way their school is represented. Pearl may be the greatest coach (Clown) but he is an embarrassment to NCAA athletics.
ga gator
January 23rd, 2010
6:31 pm
$750K , do you really understand how much cash comes into an institution by the athletic programs? Without major college sports, the tuition, taxes or both would have to be raised to support “intelectuals” such as your self!
$750K
January 23rd, 2010
6:55 pm
ga gator,
Your posting contains so many errors that I can only assume that you are functionally illiterate. Did you not pay attention in class?
Yes, the football team brings in money, but how much it benefits the university is questionable (that means not certain) at best. For example, we faculty are taking furlough days, and there are budget cuts to instruction for next year. However, and I’m sure you think this is great, we have $750K to pay a freaking football coach, not mention what St. Mark gets.
Try this real slow if it is too difficult for you: “Thank God for Georgia.”
Maddawg
January 23rd, 2010
7:04 pm
Please be careful with your irreverant use of God’s name. It’s very offensive to those of us who hold His Name high and dear. Thank you.
Big L
January 23rd, 2010
7:05 pm
Alright you guys, lay off gagaytor, he’s got that whole stutter thing happenin and he’s got it real tuff. They quit carryin jean shorts at wal mart and he can’t afford the ones at kohl’s. He won’t meet requirements for his gaytor club meetins where they watch UF on the big black and white. Plus in the recession, natty lite case prices are goin up. Gagaytor has it real tuff right now.
Downtown Gator
January 23rd, 2010
7:14 pm
$750K evidently, you are just stupid. What are you a non-tenured Sociology prof? Without bigtime college athletics all Major Institutions would have to raise tuition. Big L, the only thing Ive seen in Walmart is Inbreds wearing UGA sweatshirts.
904DAWG
January 23rd, 2010
7:24 pm
gator fans are seeming like their scared a loss this year might just turn the tide!
Boca Baby
January 23rd, 2010
7:32 pm
Come to Jesus moment? I personally do not think that Jesus is interested in special teams play at UGA. And what if the other guy has a “come to Jesus moment” before Richt does? Whose moment carries more weight? And I understand the cute phraseology and it’s context but it is not necessary. Let’s try to leave Jesus out of this. Jesus is more interested in a person’s character and future. Win or lose.
tony
January 23rd, 2010
7:35 pm
Krogunner, you nailed it dude, it does start at the top. Like you said, Mr Richt does less with high recruits than Florida, Alabama, USC and even LSU. If it weren’t for Brian VanGorder’s firery personality and his aggressive defensive approach, Mr Richt would not be as successful as he is.
It took Mr Richt 41/2 years to realize that he needed a better defensive coordinator. He should have change coordinator after we lost to WV in the Sugar Bowl. Not only does he need to hire a new DC, but he also need to hire a new OC. How many times have we seen our boys pick up 5 or 7 yards on the ground and then throw the ball on the very next play? They do this every singleyear.
I like what I’m hearing from our new DC. Now our boys won’t have to stand around like robots and let opposing teams throw the football down their thoats. Now instead of letting the action come to us, now our boys will be allowed to go to the action. He also mentioned that he will put his best athletes on the the football field rather they are seniors or not. If Mr Richt had done this from the get go he would have won a NC by now. Starting with DJ Shockley. With DJ’s mobility and arm strenght we would have won a NC if he was the starter in his 4 season especially when VanGorder was the DC. Marcus Howard was a better pass rusher than Quentin Moses but Mr Richt played Moses instead. Knowshone Moreno was a better rb than Thomas Brown but Mr Richt played Brown instead. Aaron Murray is ten times better than Cox but Mr Richt wanted to play his senior qb instead.
Buckhead Bulldog
January 23rd, 2010
7:38 pm
Dawghater
January 23rd, 2010
11:39 am
Actually, UGA played for, and lost the Nat. Champ game to Penn State in 1982….I still hate Todd Blackledge for that! Although, I do like him as an announcer.
Boca Baby
January 23rd, 2010
7:42 pm
While I would really like to the return of the junkyard dog defense we will surely not be seeing it in a 3-4 defensive scheme. Coach Russell ran a “Wide Tackle Six” defense which was based on a lot of the things we just fired Martinez over. The defense was designed to flow everything inside and was a bend-but-don’t-break scheme. It was when the opposing defense moved the ball down to the 30 to 40 yard line that Erk would then turn on the pressure. If I understand coach Grantham it is his intention to turn on the pressure right from the start. So, lets bring back, in spirit, “The Junkyard Dog Defense.” As long as the results are the same.
Boca Baby
January 23rd, 2010
7:43 pm
Correction: offense not defense.Sorry.
Buckhead Bulldog
January 23rd, 2010
7:45 pm
$750K
January 23rd, 2010
6:02 pm
Yet, you pay $75 to watch male figure skating at Philips Areana. Where is the sense in that, huh?
ga gator
January 23rd, 2010
7:45 pm
tony, I agree with everything you said until you said that Murray is 10 times better than Cox. He might well end up better and even 10 times better. But if he is what does that say for Richt for red shirting him? If he is 10x better he won’t be around 4 more years.
ga gator
January 23rd, 2010
7:46 pm
Buckhead Bulldog
ditto Buckhead!!
Buckhead Bulldog
January 23rd, 2010
7:48 pm
Right on….Boca Baby!
Buddy El
January 23rd, 2010
7:56 pm
I agree that Bobo is not a big league OC. If Richt is going to spend time in actually coaching some unit it should calling the plays. He did pretty good doing that at FSU.
One thing I still don’t understand is Richt said he was going to play everybody that deserved to play, be they true freshmen or 5th year senior. Why didn’t he give one/both of our stud QB’s an occasional chance on the field? Maybe he thinks neither is a stud QB.
Big L
January 23rd, 2010
8:16 pm
Richt did’nt let Murray or Mett play cause he can’t let go of that old style thinkin. Damn shame too. Murray is the real deal. A little experience woulda made a world of difference.
PT
January 23rd, 2010
8:16 pm
$750 – You might get 92,000 people to come watch two college teams debate if you paid them $40, but i doubt it.
tony
January 23rd, 2010
8:18 pm
ga gator, everybody will be shock when they see Aaron Murray throw for 300 yds a game except me. Mr Richt is going to look like a fool for red shirting Murray when he set the sec on fire next season.
Reggie Ball
January 23rd, 2010
8:21 pm
goot one PT
.
January 23rd, 2010
8:23 pm
tony, say what?
ga gator
January 23rd, 2010
8:25 pm
tony
You are correct man, I saw him play in Tampa when he was a junior and he was the real deal then. My friends who have kids who go to Plant say he has Tebow-like leadership ability and quality of character. He will make the Dawgs proud. I just don’t understand why Richt didn’t play him some instead of Logan Gray.
DawgtrappedinFL
January 23rd, 2010
8:38 pm
I welcome the return of the JYD Defense, and like what I have read and heard from Coach Grantham. An aggressive, attacking defense is what we need, but we also need discipline. Too many penalties in the past and many of them were late hits or roughing the passer and those type of penalties which are signs of an undisciplined team. Maybe a reporter needs to ask Coach G about how he plans to instill discipline in a defense that has been lacking in the past. GO DAWGS!!!
Buckhead Bulldog
January 23rd, 2010
8:41 pm
Maybe, Richt is timing his development to coincide with the O line and Ealey hitting full stride so the Dogs hit pay dirt in 2 years???? Who knows….
KM
January 23rd, 2010
8:57 pm
Haha, he says he wants his D to resemble Alabama’s? He must be a good DC! Now if Bobo would just go on the radio and say he wants Aaron Murray to resemble Peyton Manning, the Dawgs will be number 1! Arf arf arf!
suwaneedawg
January 23rd, 2010
9:26 pm
Great news gator fans, Urban is going to coach the spring game. The, and only then, will he annouce he is stepping down due to health reasons. Then he will be arrested for having dog and cat porn on his computer. Bad times in Florida lie ahead.
gtfanfrom1951
January 23rd, 2010
9:39 pm
Grantham is going to have to use to facing different offense that the NFL. College offenses change from week to week depending on who you are playing. In the NFL they all run the same offense. He will need to adjust to having work with young people who will nor be there for a paycheck and he has been away for college for 12 years.
UGA will need to be ready to play each week or they will get beat and out of it before they get to Fla. It would be something if both Georgia and Tech were both undefeated in Nov. Would that be something!!
hind tit
January 23rd, 2010
9:48 pm
did you notice how quite it got in the war of words after grantham was hired and then after a few days the propaganda started.same thing happened with hitler just before the allies gata.
FL Dawg
January 23rd, 2010
10:04 pm
Tony, GA Gator and For all those wondering why Murray didn’t play this season…HE WASN’T READY!!! Murray suffered and injury to his throwing arm in fall camp. By the time it had healed enough for him to get meaningful practice it was four weeks into the season. With the missed practice and repitition, he was never there. This is not a knock on him…it just the reason we didn’t see him this year.
exNFLplayer
January 23rd, 2010
10:34 pm
“And he is stressing to his players that they’re going to have to compete and produce if they want to take the field for the Red and Black.”
That statement tells me everything I need to know about this guy’s approach. It’s a page right out of the NFL playbook. You produce or get cut. At the college level it means produce or grow callouses on your butt. Earn your playing time with your work ethic and bring your A game everyday. Be teachable. You will get what you earn. And folks it’s real simple. The guys that want it, the guys that practice hard, the guys that soak up the coaching, the guys that perform and produce will be the guys that play. Guys like this make the cream rise to the top and Grantham will play the producers. This approach will also develop the tools these kids need at the next level if they have that ability. Grantham is going to give them nothing they don’t earn while at the same time giving the ones that deserve it everything they need to succeed. I trust this coach to have the best players on the field at all times. He will bring professional ways to these kids. Teach them that there’s a bottom line in college too. Grantham is exactly why I wanted an NFL guy in this job.
Dog haters are just exactly like Obama lovers
January 24th, 2010
11:08 am
Most current Dog haters are aware that their time to crow has very likely come and gone. TG will make UGA come up on D and play with wreckless abandon and the Dog Haters know that 2010 and likely 2011 and 2012 will be quite good for UGA. If they do not believe that, then they are exactly like the Obamarons that have Boston mud splattered all over their faces and in DENIAL about Downtown Scott Brown and the fact that UGA is gonna ATTACk on D.
The CWM era is over …………like Obama’s is. Over. UGA is back.
AltamahaDawg
January 24th, 2010
11:43 am
There is absolutely no evidence that Richt “has never appeared to attach as much significance to that aspect of the game as some other coaches do.”
My heavens Bill, the only person who spends more time talking about it is Mark Richt himself. What exactly would you want him to “appear” to do?
UGA special team have held their own with any team in the SEC during Richts tenure. With the exception of KO, and that is a very recent issue, coinciding with 2 very distinct factors.
And on KO, every team (including teams coached by whoever these other coaches are) has struggles at times. Saban just won the NC with one of the worst KO team in the SEC, and nation. If he is attaching significance to it, he failed miserably. Most SEC teams have been near the top and bottom of this category before. Spurrier had one the best 2 years ago, one of the worst last year.
And Meyers has had his various personally-coached squads be in the bottom of the barrel at times as well. Didn’t outperform UGA in several categories just this past year.
AltamahaDawg
January 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
Meyers won the NC in 2006 being next to last in both Ko coverage and Ko return. I know he was coaching both of those squads, but that must have been before he was attaching significance to that aspect of the game.
exNFLplayer
January 24th, 2010
12:20 pm
Saban’s D eased that pain Altamaha. Amazing what a defference good D will make. With Grantham UGA is about to get real familiar with that safety net. Any team that has to rely on offense to carry their water is a house of cards getting ready to fall.
exNFLplayer
January 24th, 2010
12:24 pm
Alabama 12 – Tenn 10. Prime example. That game was the test of a champion. D and STs carried the day.
AltamahaDawg
January 24th, 2010
2:17 pm
I’m sorry, are you in agreement with me, or disagreeing. I;m saying that having KO issue in certain year (as Bama and FL both did during thier NC runs) is not some kind of indictment that the HC doesnt think that it’s important.
For example, Bama gave TN the 35 yrdln on Ko in that game, which is about what UGA has done for the past two year.
Preston
January 24th, 2010
3:30 pm
It doesn’t matter to me whether they hire a coach that focuses solely on ST or not as long as they realize that they need to spend more time getting better at it. Sometimes ST is the difference in the game.
Fairtax.org
January 24th, 2010
3:37 pm
I can’t wait til next season! GO DAWGS!
shane#1
January 24th, 2010
3:52 pm
Alt, the media has been hyper-critical of Richt for the past couple of years and most of their criticism turned out to have no factual basis. I contend that the firing of Fabris had as much to do with KO team goof ups as poor defensive end play. Firing a long term associate is not a sign of someone being unconcerned with special teams. Then some AJC writers said Richt had bungled the coaching search and could not get the coach UGA needed. Well it turns out that Richt and Grantham had been having talks since mid-December! It was said on some blogs that Richt would stick with Willie and make no changes. Wrong again, the two coaches that were offered contracts both use the 3-4 D. Does anyone think that was by accident? I contend that Richt decided in 2008 that changes might be necessary in UGA’s defense and by mid-season ‘09 he had decided the 3-4 may be the way to go. The 3-4 offers so much flexability against all the different types of spread offenses in vogue today. I don’t think Willie was fired because of a couple of bad seasons, I think Richt wanted an entirely new approach for his defense and I believe he has been studying the situation for some time. It amazes me that so few reporters listen to what Richt says, he said that it might be the middle of January brfore a coach was hired when the search began, by January 1 some writers were calling the search a failure. I have found that Richt is too open, if anything when asked questions, why reporters and some fans ignore what CMR actually says is beyond me.
Fairtax.org
January 24th, 2010
4:29 pm
Very well said shane#1. I’m very happy that we have CMR and I truly believe that if there were a playoff system (by the grace of God, we’ll have one soon), we would have played for at least two NC’s under him. It’s going to be exciting to see how our defense comes together under CTG!
exNFLplayer
January 24th, 2010
5:09 pm
I’m agreeing with you Altamaha. Just saying that when you have a D like Alabama that flaw doesn’t hurt so bad. Of course Saban cared. Richt cared. It’s no indictment of the coach, They all attach significance to that part of the game. Did you catch the look on Richts face aftr a couple of those kicks went out of bounds? He cared.
AltamahaDawg
January 24th, 2010
5:10 pm
Good point shane. I have contended that I think Richt would be better off clamming up, since no matter what he says, it’s crafted in order to maximize tire advertisement hits anyway. It seems to confound some that he is actually telling the simple truth.
BTW, some of our bloggers were jumping on that DC search panic button too werent they? “Total embarassment” as I recall from a particular poster that I notice now brags about the hire.
exNFLplayer
January 24th, 2010
5:17 pm
I’ve said here before I absolutely despise those directional kicks. It seems to me that the damage is greater if the return man breaks contain. Kick the ball as far as you can right down the pipe. If it gets returned and the return man breaks the wedge it seems to me the the rest of the KO coverage guys have a better angle to him and can funnel him inside or pinch him on the sideline. When the return man breaks contain with those directional kicks he’s got a lot of grass to work with.
exNFLplayer
January 24th, 2010
5:20 pm
Let these big leg kickers attack the ball. Be aggressive. Those directional kicks are like playing in fear.