Can’t quite bring myself to bail on Mark Richt … just yet
Mark Richt is at a turning point in his coaching career. (University of Georgia)
Some of you are ready to write off the Mark Richt era in Athens.
I’m hearing this from fans who normally are not quick to call for a coaching change. They look at the downward trend in Georgia’s SEC results since the last conference title and figure the die is cast, even though most concede that Richt’s past record has earned him another season after this one, no matter how badly it ends.
And they’re not looking forward to watching that prolonged scenario play out.
Me, I’m not a big fan of change, as my wife frequently notes. I tend to stick with something way past when others would have bailed, whether we’re talking cars, VCRs, old shirts or football coaches.
I’ll admit, the precipitous decline of Georgia’s football program has me teetering when it comes to the Bulldogs’ prospects under Richt. The recruiting obviously has been subpar for several years, the development of talent has been less than impressive, and the players frequently look undisciplined, on and off the field, raising serious questions about the coaching.
It’s true, a couple of key blue-chip recruits can turn around a program nearly overnight, but as I’ve heard more than one fan say in the past couple of weeks, “Why would a five-star recruit want to come to Georgia right now?”
For me, the most disturbing aspect of it all is the seeming lack of urgency among the players and coaching staff. Facing the prospect of starting out “one and whatever the crap we are,” as Mike Bobo put it Saturday, they still were outhustled in Starkville, for crying out loud!
And yet … if Richt coaches his tail off and somehow turns this season around — which at this point would pretty much require winning out, including beating Florida — it will make for one of those feel-good stories that fans and sports media alike love.
Do I see it happening? Frankly, at this point, no.
Still, I can’t yet bring myself to say the words I heard an ardent and intelligent UGA fan utter Saturday night: “I’m done with Richt.”
A COUPLE MORE THOUGHTS ON THE GAME
I know, I know, it’s like picking at a scab, but I can’t let the Mississippi State game go just yet …
Like, for instance, what was going on with that Georgia drive in the fourth quarter where Bobo not only insisted on continuing to try to run up the middle, but was trying it with little Carlton Thomas, the Dogs’ third-string back. Had even Bobo given up on Washaun Ealey and Caleb King?
It sounds like Richt was wondering a bit, too, as he said after the game, “At times we just called running plays blindly. We were going to run the play no matter what, and there were times where we had success and times where we got hit in the mouth.”
Maybe now Richt will bigfoot Bobo and insist on a change in direction. With the Dogs’ offensive line getting manhandled and the backs not breaking many tackles, it’s obvious that continuing to try running play-action out of the I-formation just isn’t working. Our main running threat is our quarterback!
Perhaps it’s time to go to the spread most of the time with Aaron Murray in the shotgun and let him just make plays, whether it’s slinging the ball around or running the QB draw. Spreading things out might make it a little less easy for opposing defenses to jam the line like they’ve been doing so successfully. And if we make opponents defend the pass first, maybe that increases the odds of occasionally breaking a long one on a misdirection counter play with our backs.
Couldn’t be any less effective than what the Dogs have been doing the past three games. …
As for the defense, I still think the linebackers and secondary will figure out the pass coverage one of these days. But Georgia is as soft up the middle as I’ve ever seen them. With our undersized line, everybody’s going to try to run up the gut against the Dogs. It’s well past time for Todd Grantham to figure out a way to bolster the middle.
The Dogs can’t wait for him to recruit the big bodies he needs up front. By the time that happens, this staff may not be in Athens any more. Time to earn those big bucks now.
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621 comments Add your comment
UGA Bandwagon
September 27th, 2010
1:45 pm
Plenty of good seats still available.
PREZ ADAMS
September 27th, 2010
1:46 pm
Listen up losers. Let me lake it plain for you. WE WILL NOT BE CHANGING ANYTHING!!! Nada, no-thing, zip, zilch. We will play a pat hand, let it ride. Not one iota of change is needed in our football program. That is my position and will continue to be as long as I am here.
just a fan
September 27th, 2010
1:46 pm
Mark nneds to do trhe play calling the next couple of games and let Bobo set out like he would one of the players if they miessed up.
Richt the Master Strategist
September 27th, 2010
1:48 pm
Have we tried silver jerseys, red pants and white helmets yet???
chilidawg
September 27th, 2010
1:48 pm
If Tennessee looks like they are in the huddle with us again (like EVERY defense we have played so far this year), heads will have to roll.
rincon dawg
September 27th, 2010
1:49 pm
Yeah bring back the red britches.
Tired of This
September 27th, 2010
1:49 pm
Can we buy our way out of the Fla game this year or do we have to play them?
rincon dawg
September 27th, 2010
1:51 pm
Florida 63 Georgia 6
BOBBY JACKTARD
September 27th, 2010
1:51 pm
Is the blackout still on for the Tenessee game? Ohhhh. Even if we lose it will be soooo exciting! I love you. BJ
Dawg 1
September 27th, 2010
1:53 pm
Jacket fans – are you really that stupid. You have the same record, playing an inferior group of teams and you lost to UGA last year.
Either school has NO ROOM to talk smack to anyone right now. Both houses are in disrepair. Fix your own glass house before throwing stones at another..
azdawg
September 27th, 2010
1:54 pm
UGA doesn’t have the def players to execute the 3-4 much less learn it in a season. They’re undersized and their backups are very young or out for the season. It’ll take years to recruit the right players and by then I doubt these coaches will still be there if this current trend of losing continues. Its dumbfounding why the DC continues to run the same defenses where oppenents are eating our lunch. GD it blitz a few times!!!! MSU sent the entire student body time after time and it worked!! There’s a whole lotta blame to go around on both sides of the ball and the entire coaching staff. Terrible playcalling time after time. Bobo has a whole playbook he’s ignoring by calling the same running plays up the middle that work less than half the time. And forget our special teams. They’re lost, especially punting, not the kicker, but the coverage and returns. For crying out loud go for the block!! There is nothing there but when other teams try trickery on our special teams they get away w/it. It’s coaching or lack of it.
Petersen isn’t coming to GA but the Stanford HC may. He’s a heck of a recruiter and has landed a lot of GA HS players. UGA has lost that recruiting battle for several years now. Even when they had Stafford and Moreno they couldn’t win the big ones. Players just weren’t coached the way Saben runs his team at AL. They’re tough and hard as rocks. They make great players even better. UGA will never break this trend of down hill exhibition w/the current staff. Its time for a change, now.
keith
September 27th, 2010
1:54 pm
I was willing to give Richt the benifit of the doubt last year but he has used it up. Our program is in decline. We are recruiting to many of the wrong kind of player as our arrest record will attest. Sadly and reluctantly Richt must go.
chilidawg
September 27th, 2010
1:54 pm
Operator: “Information, what city please?”
McGarrity: “Boise, Idaho.”
Scott Spivey
September 27th, 2010
1:56 pm
Bill, good article, but you probably don’t follow recruiting much. We had a down year in recruiting last year, albeit we still finished top 25 in the rankings, but every year we are top 10 in recruiting.
patrick is on drugs again
September 27th, 2010
1:59 pm
go play with willie the chihuahua again.
SEC Spokesman
September 27th, 2010
2:00 pm
Give a Richt a lifetime contract.
GDAWG65
September 27th, 2010
2:00 pm
It’s hard to believe that Richt really wants to coach at Georgia anymore. If he did he would have taken over calling the offensive plays and let Bobo handle cleaning up the showers.
Gator Hater
September 27th, 2010
2:01 pm
No matter if he stays or goes, one thing I would like to see is more in state recruiting. So many of the other SEC teams have players from GA, I wish they would get more of the good players from Ga to play for the dawgs.
Disappointed
September 27th, 2010
2:02 pm
Here’s the status of things at UGA: Our place among the SEC’s elite programs-GONE. Tailback U-GONE. The fear that opponents once had when playing us-GONE. Our ability to recruit the best players-GONE. Our collective faith that we could out muscle, out think, out play and/or out coach an opponent on any given Saturday-GONE. Our confidence that our coaching staff could keep good players from making bad decisions off the field-GONE. The chance that I will, next year, support this grease-fire with my donation and season ticket purchase-GONE. And Dog-GONE-it, I’m sad.
Careful What you Wish For
September 27th, 2010
2:05 pm
Michigan, Tennessee, Miami and Auburn all failed to get their top choices in recent head coaching searches. Just because we want a coach, doesn’t mean that he’ll want our job. We’d better have someone lined up before pulling the trigger.
Jethro Dawg Tull
September 27th, 2010
2:05 pm
Bill, I hate losing just as you and everybody else does. As one of the players put it last week, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth until you win again. Our players don’t play to lose and the coaches don’t coach them to lose. Time for us to hunker down with these young players and some of these newer coaches and support our team.
R. Goff
September 27th, 2010
2:07 pm
I’m available. Just sayin’…..
LHardingDawg
September 27th, 2010
2:11 pm
Sound’s like “Disappointed” is a fair weather fan. Alabama is looking for more fans, maybe you can end up over there.
rincon dawg
September 27th, 2010
2:13 pm
The only young player we have on offense is the QB who actually is playing better Jethro. And we have all the same coaches on offense as well including the head offensive genius CMR.
rincon dawg
September 27th, 2010
2:18 pm
If we dont play not to lose then why do we just stand around when the opponet punts the ball? Why dont we ever set up for a return? In order to win you have to fight to win.
Disappointed
September 27th, 2010
2:28 pm
Jethro: We all “support the team.” But don’t be naive. College football is big business and, like all businesses that pursue success, it requires and demands ROI (return on investment). The problem is not the first handful of dreadfully played and coached games this season…the problem is the inarguable downward trend of the Georgia program over the last handful of years. In business, trend is truth. Changes must be made, with or without Richt.
ED F
September 27th, 2010
2:33 pm
First UGA is the only BCS conference school to play 3 conf games in the first 4 games.
Second if UGA had played Ohio States schedule they would be at least 3-1 and ranked between
15th to 20th.
Third change is a good thing if you make the right choices. With the wrong things just get worse like the economy Huh!!!
duane grantham
September 27th, 2010
2:35 pm
Has anyone else noticed that we do not even have a freshman running back we could be begging to get in the game? Redshirted or not.
LD
Disappointed
September 27th, 2010
2:35 pm
LHardingDawg: Fair weather? You got it wrong, sparky. I’ve had season tickets for 34 years and have been with Dogs over both wonderful and woeful stretches. And guess what? The worst of those stretches have ended in a head coaching change. (I’ll wait while you go look it up.) Fair weather? I’m flying to Boulder on Friday to follow the Dogs and yell like hell for ‘em no matter what. Where will you be?
woofwoof
September 27th, 2010
2:48 pm
One of the primary duties of any coach is to mentor his players. 10 of Richt’s have been arrested this year. Good job, Coach.
B H
September 27th, 2010
2:52 pm
Bobo was an idiot in college, on and off the field (I know, I was there). He is an idiot now….mostly on the field. I couldn’t stand him then and I can’t stand him now. New Campaign: NOMOBOBO!
Ohio State Grad and Fan
September 27th, 2010
3:04 pm
Mark Richt is the best coach Georgia could hope to have. He is a fine, upstanding, high character coach who is as interested in player character development as he is in winning. He certainly is a role model for the school and other coaches. If GA gets rid of him, it will show just what lack of character the school has.
B H
September 27th, 2010
3:06 pm
OSU GRAD – What a role model! How many arrests have we had this year? He is influencing the wrong people. If he wants to influence the playas he should listen to crap music and wear a kangol. I’m starting to believe the thUGA moniker.
Jim
September 27th, 2010
3:15 pm
What causes him to deserve another year???????? Not the last five years which is ENOUGH nother years!!!!
We are Kentucky, South Carolina, Mississippi State, etc.
Strive to be greta, not ok.
Die Hard Dawg Fan
September 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
Unlike the rest of you fair weather fans I believe that CMR is no better or no worse than the rest of the coaches in the SEC. I also believe he has recruited players well enough to compete in the SEC and the nation. It is my firm belief the bulk of fault for the performance of the past few years should be laid squarely on the players themselves. They continue to behave like a bunch punk thugs off the field and a bunch of scared sissies on the field. It is way past time for the players to man up and act like they give a crap about the outcome of the games. For goodness sake all you offensive, defensive and special teams players hit somebody and make a play!
Gman
September 27th, 2010
3:21 pm
The University of Georgia and their fans are very happy with being mediocre(moderate to inferior in quality). What else would you expect from people who are seriously considering electing an ethically, financially, and morally challeged individual as governor.
mcdaviddawg
September 27th, 2010
3:24 pm
Richt has already had a couple of bad years that should have set off change. He hasn’t coached for at least 5 years. I don’t think he has it in him to do the hard work it would take to bring this team back. I will likely not buy tickets next year if Richt is still head coach. Thankfully, I had already decided to never go back to Jacksonville until Richt was gone. He doesn’t want to coach but I guess the money is just too good. It time for a change.
SOUTHGADAWG88
September 27th, 2010
3:27 pm
Well the Offense will get better for 4 reasons.
1.AJ Green will back.Hey I’m sure there are many folks who have watched these 4 games that will not say with Green we are not sitting on 1-3.The thing is we should be better than this on Offense without him.
2.Sturdivant looks to be back in the mix.I pray that he’s playing at LT because he feels confident in that knee.It should take another 2-3 games for him to get back into a groove having been out two seasons.
3.Murray gains more experience with every game.The young man is a gamer and looks more confident each time out.This is going to be a great player real soon… maybe by the end of this season.
4.The running game will improve as the season progress.It has become standard under Searles that for some reason the OL can’t ever get it together until the 5-6 game…different year ,different reasons.
So I expect Bobo to get a decent gameplan together for the next game but that Tenn game is huge.How he does with that game dictates how it goes the rest of the way.
The Defense may or may not get better we shall see.I still have my reservations about that for a few reasons.
1.The DL is already what it is.Wood,Dobbs and Tripp aren’t going to improve much.Kwame and Jones have to get more PT as the season go on but why haven’t they played much by now?We are 1-3.What’s up with Rodney?
2.We don’t seem to have an elite pass rusher.Houston is good but he can be effectively doubled.We were supposed to see all kind of blitz packages to help in this area but we haven’t seen them yet.At 1-3 I can’t see why Grantham would be holding anything back.
3.The safties are young and inexperienced.Safety is an important position on defense with us playing more nickle.. they are more important than the LB’s IMO.Rambo hasn’t played as much as at S as some folks seem to think.He has some growing to do that’s evident,Hamilton is to small to make an impact against the run but he looks like he knows his coverage responsibilities better than Bicarri.Shawn Williams is physical enough to be a great SS but this is his first extended look so I can expect some ups and downs with him in coverage.The disappearance of Nick Williams is a mystery to me but I like Shawn’s game.
Even if we do get it together I still say Bobo and Searles need to go.If they had both been doing as good a job as was expected of them we wouldn’t be at 1-3 to begin with.This has been going on for a bit to long.
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2010
3:31 pm
Quote from the Wikipedia entry on Jim Donnan: **Read the last sentence**
“Donnan was fired by University President Michael F. Adams, against the wishes of athletic director Vince Dooley, in 2000 after the Bulldogs struggled to two consecutive eight-win seasons, and three consecutive losses against Georgia Tech. Donnan’s inability to return the program to the national prominence of Dooley’s era and to compete with longtime SEC Eastern Division rivals such as Tennessee and Florida, combined with certain off-the-field problems for players, are believed to be the reasons for his dismissal.”
Disappointed
September 27th, 2010
3:35 pm
OSU GRAD: OSU and UGA have both had the same number of head football coaches (four) since 1970. So don’t bore us with your holier-than-thou pronouncements about the evils of change when change is needed. Just keep your Buck-eyed perspectives north of the Mason-Dixon. We’ll figure this one out on our own.
jeff
September 27th, 2010
3:36 pm
Youre a football genius..even a seven year old could figure out boo boos offense. Thrown in five or six spread plays, use the shotgun, maybe a few draws out of the shotgun and use brannden smith at least 3 to 5 plays a game. Boo boo is making over 300K to waste talent and not use the talent he already has. Come one Richt man up!!!!!
Real Fan of Ga Football
September 27th, 2010
3:37 pm
For all you folks wanting to get rid of CMR who do have to replace him? There’s no other GOOD coaches available. There are plenty of AVERAGE coaches.
King Gator
September 27th, 2010
3:42 pm
SC, Ark and now MSU = F-UGA-LY!
Delbert D.
September 27th, 2010
3:48 pm
Good coach? Average coach?
And this isn’t counting 2010:
Jim Donnan’s last 4 years:
10-2
9-3
9-3
8-4
36-12 (75%)
Mark Richt’s past 4 years:
9-4
11-2
10-3
8-5
38-14 (73.1%)
Jim Donnan’s SEC record, last 4 years:
6-2
6-2
5-3
5-3
22-10 (68.8%)
Mark Richt’s SEC record, past 4 years:
4-4
6-2
6-2
4-4
20-12 (62.5%)
Rick
September 27th, 2010
3:49 pm
Patrick, I don’t know what kool-aid you’ve been drinking, but I’d like to have some of it myself before I try to watch the UF game!
Itsover
September 27th, 2010
3:53 pm
I say forfeit every game and start rebuilding.
Pantiesaurus
September 27th, 2010
3:53 pm
More arrests than wins or touchdowns in the last two years. We’re #1. Go Dawgs!
Arm Chair QB
September 27th, 2010
3:53 pm
Bill, game started bad with the opening kick when Fred turned and ran back to tell Brandon to down the ball not realizing that Brandon had caught the ball on the goal line, was committed to bringing it out, and had to run. Add to that no blocking and boom down at the 12. Three and out, can’t stop the running QB on the edges, down 7. Just seemed to go downhill from their even when we moved the ball. Seemed like we digressed back to that no-disciplined highly penalized team. Couple of points other than Bobo or Richt:
1) Special team other than field goal kicking have been mediocre at best. Boykin was threat everytime he returned a kick last year. Just don’t see that same explosiveness through the first three games other than the one return last weekend. Appears to be really poor/soft blocking, but since I don’t study game films, can’t say.
2) Can the 3-4 D stop gimmick offenses that are run in the college game. With the proliferation of running QB’s, of size (i.e. see C. Newton and that guy we played last weekend) that like to run around the quarters with an option back available I don’t know that the 3 – 4 is suited to stop these types of offenses. Our linebackers appear to be getting pummeled by 300 pound linemen that are getting up a head of steam coming off the line on the corners which is allowing the the QB or option back to get an easy 5+ on almost every carry.
Very disappointing. If these kids are really the players they are rated to be, then we definitely have serious problems.
3) 3rd down defense – has to be one of the worst in the country, whether 1 yard or 20, when we really need a stop we cannot consistently make one.
SOUTHGADAWG88
September 27th, 2010
3:57 pm
Delbert you are leaving out the records against GT,AUB, there aren’t you?I think it was Donnan’s last year that he said he “didn’t know the GT and AUB rivalries were such a big deal”In his last year at the school and he could say something like that out loud?He hung himself.
jobojacket
September 27th, 2010
4:01 pm
Bill King – what have you been smoking “The recruiting obviously has been sub par for several years”
Look at the numbers – according to rivals.com here is how UGA ranked in recruiting every year since 2002
2002 – #3
2003 – #6
2004 – #6
2005 – #10
2006 – #4
2007 – #9
2008 – #7
2009 – #6
2010 – #15
As a Yellow Jacket fan our BEST year was 2007 – #18 and we sent 4 players early to the NFL from that class. The second highest class rank was #43 last year and most classes did not make the top 50.
Quit crying about lack of quality recruits and recruit better people -