Good coaching hire a vote of confidence in Richt?
Kirk Olivadotti apparently is casting his lot with Mark Richt. (Washington Redskins)
Assuming all goes as the Washington Post has reported, Georgia luring Washington Redskins assistant Kirk Olivadotti to Athens looks like a good hire.
It gives UGA another veteran coach with NFL ties and plenty of experience working with linebackers in the kind of defense Todd Grantham wants to run.
But to me the most interesting aspect of this impending move by Olivadotti is that he was the longest tenured member of the Redskins coaching staff, having worked under seven head coaches over the past 11 seasons (including Steve Spurrier), and yet he’s leaving to join a college coaching staff that might not still have jobs a year from now if things don’t improve quite a bit this season.
Talk about your leap of faith.
Either Grantham did a heckuva selling job on the turnaround under way with Mark Richt’s program or this guy really wanted out of D.C.
STINKING UP THE STEG
Wednesday night saw another epic collapse by Mark Fox’s basketball Bulldogs in the second half, this time against Vandy, with Georgia getting outshot and outrebounded down the stretch, scoring only three free throws in the final 9:47 while squandering a 13-point lead.
The Dogs’ fourth loss in the past six home games may not have eliminated them from NCAA bracket consideration, but their grasp on the bubble certainly is a lot more tenuous. It looks like UGA has to beat Tennessee or Florida on the road now or make quite a run in the SEC tournament to nail down a spot.
What’s wrong with the Dogs? Travis Leslie, one of Georgia’s two underperforming NBA-bound players, said he thought “we got a little complacent in the second half and let them back into it.”
A little complacent? I’d say “we couldn’t be bothered to play a full 40 minutes and just gave up” would come closer to it.
Coming into the season, everyone expected Leslie and Trey Thompkins to do big things in what’s expected to be their last season at Georgia. Time’s running out for them to live up to those expectations.
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170 comments Add your comment
schmeckdawg
February 17th, 2011
4:24 pm
@WIN WITH RICHT: Anytime! Glad you go that one. I thought I might be one of the oldest guys on here and nobody would get it!
UGA FRIEND
February 17th, 2011
4:24 pm
Has anyone noticed that the 11:44 a:m cut/paste post of Byers refering to the Jan Kemp scandal which bashes Vince Dooley has now appeared on this blog again? This must be at least a dozen times. This person must have a serious personal grudge against Vince or simply cannot think of anything new to write. Poor guy.
schmeckdawg
February 17th, 2011
4:25 pm
@ WIN WITH RICH: Sorry meant got!
schmeckdawg
February 17th, 2011
4:25 pm
@UGA FRIEND: Good call! It’s getting very old!
schmeckdawg
February 17th, 2011
4:27 pm
@WIN WITH RICHT: Sorry again, my brain is working faster than my fingers! Left off the “T.”
Hunker Down!!!!!!
AltamahaDawg
February 17th, 2011
4:29 pm
Good heavens. SC had one decent year, not great, and they are the new model of excellence now? please!
schmeckdawg
February 17th, 2011
4:32 pm
@AltamahaDawg: Great call!!! They got CLOWNee and all of the sudden, they are the second coming. We’ll see!
Go DAWGS!!!!!!!
Richie
February 17th, 2011
4:50 pm
Looks like all u buuullllllldogs have past the plate around and now they r hiring good coaches.Its about time.Now u need to upgrade the facilities so these kids can get ready for the season.
tell me again
February 17th, 2011
4:53 pm
All of you whiners need to just shut up – geez….we have one losing season out of 10 and you act like we’ve been in the tank for a decade…..and as for Florida this and that – tell me WHO WAS BEATING FLORIDA WHEN TEBOW WAS THERE????NOBODY! It’s not like we were the only team losing to them then – good grief – get over that piece of useless logic. We are looking GOOD right now for the coming year – get excited about all of the positive stuff that has happened this year! It’s good stuff!!! GO DAWGS!
Go Dawgs!
February 17th, 2011
5:14 pm
Question to all the Richt haters- What makes you so sure we’re going to drop games to Boise and SC right out of the gate? Or even UF for that matter?
Richt has made some good moves this off season and we will get a boost in the right spots with some of the incomming class as well as some who were redshirted last year.
I don’t think people realize the Dawgs aren’t that far off from being able to be a good team this year.
Fact: We had a FRESHMAN QB last year who came very close to Stafford’s production his freshman year
Fact: Granthum was running his 3-4 defense with 4-3 personnel who were all learning new terminology and in some cases positions.
Fact: Of the 7 losses – 4 were by a TD or less not to mention we went the first four games without our best player.
We will be fine and should have a great season this year. I just hope all of the Richt haters will be man/woman enough to admit they’re wrong when he turns this thing around, though I doubt they will. Most will likely adopt a new blog handle and act as if they’ve been in his corner all along.
Go Dawgs!!!
WIN WITH RICHT
February 17th, 2011
5:23 pm
Go Dawgs!!
Amen, Brother!! TEll IT LIKE IT IS!!!
Fire Mark Richt
February 17th, 2011
5:35 pm
“and as for Florida this and that – tell me WHO WAS BEATING FLORIDA WHEN TEBOW WAS THERE????NOBODY!”
Ole Miss and Auburn for starters, but why quibble. Richt is 1-5 against Florida when Tebow wasn’t playing. Combined, Ole Miss and Miss. St. have a winning record against UF since 2000.
LSU, Alabama, and Auburn play Florida even, and that includes the Tebow years.
Florida was 0-3 against Georgia when Emmit Smith was there starting tailback. There’s no excuse for Richt’s 2-8 record against Florida. Even when Florida was down and Richt’s teams won their two SEC Championships, we lost to Florida. Is that acceptable to you?
LA
February 17th, 2011
5:37 pm
“Run down to Toomer’s Corner and chop up that kindling wood.”
Why, does your trailer need some fire wood?
jackson
February 17th, 2011
5:37 pm
I didn’t know the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
Fire Mark Richt
February 17th, 2011
5:38 pm
“Question to all the Richt haters- What makes you so sure we’re going to drop games to Boise and SC right out of the gate? Or even UF for that matter?”
I’m not a “Richt hater” for one, but let me answer the question about Boise St. and South Carolina – I’m not sure at all we’ll lose to them, and I’ll be rooting like hell it doesn’t happen.
In response to your question about UF: are you serious? Richt’s .200 winning percentage against the Reptiles doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Auburn Fan
February 17th, 2011
5:39 pm
“Fact: We had a FRESHMAN QB last year who came very close to Stafford’s production his freshman year”
Fact: UGA didn’t win against any good team and finished 6-7.
“Fact: Granthum was running his 3-4 defense with 4-3 personnel who were all learning new terminology and in some cases positions. ”
Fact: UGA went 6-7
“Fact: Of the 7 losses – 4 were by a TD or less not to mention we went the first four games without our best player.”
Fact: Even with your best player, UGA was blown out by Auburn.
“Most will likely adopt a new blog handle and act as if they’ve been in his corner all along.”
Mmmmmmm, doubt that.
Auburn Fan
February 17th, 2011
5:40 pm
“WHO WAS BEATING FLORIDA WHEN TEBOW WAS THERE????NOBODY!”
Auburn, twice. Tebow was 0-2 against Auburn.
waytogoRicht
February 17th, 2011
5:48 pm
Great! Richt supposedly had his best recruiting class, although he sure as heck did little with any of his other classes. And he supposedly now has a good coaching staff, although when he had other earlier good caching staffs he did the minimal with them. And the schedule without Bama and LSU supposedly lines up Well for Richt, although since Richt cowers when he faces Florida, Richt as well as us, knows he ain’t gonna beat Florida(if your three year old daughter was coaching Florida)
Bottom line, shut your mouth and get the heck out of dodge Richt, if you stink it up again this year. And, personally with your ten year track record Richt, you ‘ve done nothing to convince me you have it in you to stay around after next year.
Dawg 39
February 17th, 2011
5:51 pm
The 11 years prior tp CMR against UF with Dooley, Goff, & Donnan the Dawgs were 1 & 10 against the Gators. 2&8 is not much better but it is better.
I am a lifelong Gator Hater but I know superior coaching is not rhe reason for the 2&8 record.
There is a mental block involved just like there was for the Gators before Spurrier became the coach. I was there during the Dooley years & know that the mental block for the Gators was real.
Now, Until that changes again for the Dawgs, it will remain very difficult for the Dawgs to win in Jax. That is fact.
Trey
February 17th, 2011
6:27 pm
Richt’s in a period of atrophy.
2007- 11 wins
2008- 10 wins
2009- 8 wins
2010- 6 wins
Richt can’t turn the ship around. Nothing Richt tries has worked. For 3 years, IN A ROW.
Fire Mark Richt
February 17th, 2011
6:30 pm
“The 11 years prior tp CMR against UF with Dooley, Goff, & Donnan the Dawgs were 1 & 10 against the Gators. 2&8 is not much better but it is better.”
But those 11 years cover the best decade Florida has ever had, the 90s. In the past ten years, Florida has had 3-five loss teams (’02, ‘03 and ‘04) and 2-four loss teams (’07 and ‘10). They’ve hardly been dominant year in and year out. Take away two of the Tebow years, and Florida hasn’t been much to brag about this century.
There’s no excuse for going 2-8. If that’s improvement, we don’t need it. We need a coach who will play Florida at least even. Like LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Ole Miss and Miss St. does. Is that asking too much? If so, maybe we need to move to the ACC.
RAID
February 17th, 2011
6:31 pm
Enter your comments here
Trey
February 17th, 2011
6:36 pm
I wonder how much worse this season will be than the last? 4 or 5 wins? It is a 3 year trend, Richt’s not been able to reverse it, I say 5 wins.
Gravy Train
February 17th, 2011
6:53 pm
…and here come the swine.
Fire Mark Richt
February 17th, 2011
7:14 pm
Gravy Train, try to be a little more melodramatic, will you?
Trey
February 17th, 2011
7:15 pm
Richt’s career has been 2 good years, followed by long periods of atrophy.
2002 13-1
2003 11-3
2004 10-2
2005 10-3
2006 9-4
So during this period, Richt’s teams got worse 4 years in a row before he finally reversed the trend.
2007 11 wins
2008 10 wins
2009 8 wins
2010 6 wins
During the 2nd period of atrophy, Richt has only gone 3 seasons in a row of atrophy. Following his pattern, expect 1 more down year before Richt reverses the trend.
2011 likely a 4 or 5 win season looking at both Richt’s 2002-2006 slide and also his more recent 2007-2010 slide.
1970Dawg
February 17th, 2011
7:49 pm
Auburn Fan, Fact–UGA beat Auburn in 2006, 2007,2008 and 2009.
Fact this…
1970Dawg
February 17th, 2011
7:53 pm
Trey, Your atrophy statement is absurd. If you think a 10-3 season is a bad record in the SEC, you might want to switch to Boise St.
Trey
February 17th, 2011
8:00 pm
Richt finihed 2nd or 3rd in the SEC East 4 out of 5 of the last years. So what will it be in 2011, 2nd or 3rd, 80% chance…
athdog
February 17th, 2011
8:10 pm
These are Felton’s recruits. Don’t forget that just yet.
Dawgman in South GA
February 17th, 2011
10:28 pm
To all the Mark Richt blind loyalist, you have a right to express your opinion of how much you believe that Mark Richt is going to turn things around, but please come with some reliable evidence man! CMR just finished a losing season with a loss to a CONFERENCE USA team. Someone please tell me why am I supposed to have any faith that this coach will turn things around when the lowest recruiting class ranking he’s had was number 15 if im not mistaking, so obviously talent cant be the problem. You people need to wake up and smell the coffee, Mark Richt wins when he has the better roster… (Central Florida aside)… but when faced with equal or better talent his laidback, touchy-feely mentality is reflected on the field by his players. Here’s my evidence, go and pop in the Blackout Bama game in 2008……..the plaintiff rest his case your honor.
reality bites
February 17th, 2011
10:34 pm
Florida has owned UGA for years, sad but true. That is a “head-to-head fact”. What UGA or Florida did against other teams during that stretch has no bearing on the fact that UGA is presently “owned” by Florida. Here’s another fact: UGA has beaten Auburn 4 of the last 5 years.
Another fact: Next year is a new year, for everyone.
Here is a common opinion: Auburn was a one-year wonder.
Leroy
February 17th, 2011
10:50 pm
This column used to be informative and fun to read but Bill has become a gloom and doom blogger like his brothers Jeff and Mark. Why in hell do you continue with this garbage about Coach Richt leaving. No matter how you wish for it CMR is not going anywhere until he is ready. He is one of the top coaches in America and all your whining is not going to change things. Bill just clean up your appearance and your thoughts if you are a real Dawg fan and if not please put on a hat with a big bee on it and get it over with.
Byers the gay lover of Trey, 1953dawg and the moron called Fire Coach Richt
February 17th, 2011
10:56 pm
Yes we are different in our sexual preferences but we truly love each other and resent a Christian being the coach of UGA. We will continue to make idiotic statements and show our ignorance. Anyone else wanting to join us for a Hate Coach Richt the Christian sleepover at my house please continue your hate statements and you are invited because we know that you are one of us. Let’s plan a trip to San Francisco gang.
Trey
February 17th, 2011
10:57 pm
In the last 8 years, Richt has only imporved the number of wins above the previous season, 1x, that was back in 2007.
7 out of 8 of the last 8 seasons, Richt’s team gets less wins than the previous year.
Lakedawg
February 17th, 2011
11:00 pm
Coach Fox next year loses Thompkins, Leslie, Price, and Barnes with just one DIV-1 player coming in. Will be a rough W/L record next year. Following year however stste is loaded with 4-5 star BB player and CMF is in on all of them. He needs two more years to get the roster competitive with the top programs.
Good hire for linbacker coach. With a year of learning for players and Grantham the D will be much improved in 2011. If we can only block somebody a 11 or 12 win season is very possible. Also Coach Richt will be around longer than will most coaches currently in league.
Trey
February 17th, 2011
11:02 pm
Richt doesn’t know why he keeps losing more games each year, or else he would reverse his trend. But because Richt doesn’t know why, Richt keep losing more games than the previus year, every season, 3 in a row now. He has no clue.
Lester Miles
February 17th, 2011
11:07 pm
Auburn Fan AU has been receiving a lot of sympathy from UGA fans for the poisoning of the trees in Auburn by a Alabama nut but your ravings make us think the plant killer would be put to better use on you. You sound like a egg plant with brain damage. Lighten up dufus. You had a good year and we feel sorry for the trees. Don’t ruin it. Eat some gumbo. Have a great day.
Ga Alum 79
February 17th, 2011
11:55 pm
Agree this was a good hire, and now with the good recruiting year, no reason for Richt to not be able to dramatically improve the team’s record for the upcoming season. If not, then I think we know what happens then..
Fire Mark Richt
February 18th, 2011
12:05 am
“Why in hell do you continue with this garbage about Coach Richt leaving. No matter how you wish for it CMR is not going anywhere until he is ready. He is one of the top coaches in America”
No rational observer of the game thinks this. Richt at best is a second-tier coach in his own conference, much less “one of the top coaches in America.”
college football
February 18th, 2011
12:08 am
You techie blowflys want to slam Georgia former players. After leaviing that garbage pit on north avenue, Sammy Drummer and James Forrest became custodians with that techie degree.
Pirtdawg
February 18th, 2011
12:10 am
You people make me sick. You claim to be “Dawgs” yet you never have anything good to say. Hell if we won a national title you’d be the first to claim Richt as the worlds greatest coach. We’re in the toughest conference in football, do you really expect every season to be perfect? Where the hell is your loyalty? If you have a bad week/year do you decide its time to switch from Christian to Muslim as though God isn’t on your side any more? No I doubt it. In 2007 you loved Richt, your pathetic and you give real Dawgs a bad name….Oh yeah and after we spank Boise and USC this year don’t try coming back and supporting Richt. I think Paul Johnson is more your type of coach, he loves a double standard.
Pirtdawg
February 18th, 2011
12:29 am
Sorry I went of the deep end there with the religious thing but this crap is getting old. I know as well as anyone these haven’t been the best couple of years for UGA. However I do believe in loyalty and as long as Richt is our coach and proudly wears the red and black then I am behind him. I’ve seen what happens when you rush to fire a coach, look where Tennessee is right now. Given I believe Dooley can turn it around,but their last two seasons have been far worse than ours. Richt will have my support for as long as he is at UGA. I may not agree with all his decisions but I am not going to bash my teams coach like some back stabbing rat. If the day comes and UGA releases Richt then I wish him the best and I will pledge my loyalty to the next coach. Not because I do or don’t like Richt or the coach in question but because I AM A DAWG!!!!!!!!!!!
Columbus
February 18th, 2011
1:46 am
@FIREMARKRICHT Your perspective on Mark Richt is a joke and he is not going to be fired and he will be the coach at UGA for the next 15 years if he chooses. WHY? Because while there has been a decline in the program the last few years it is an understandable decline to ANYONE who is not ignorant or biased or cant take the good with the bad. How old are you? 18? The period of decline IS OVER and last year was just “one of them years”. It was not expected to be good with a freshman QB, suspensions AND a new defense to install with players not recruited for that system to begin with. 2009 was CERTAINLY expected to SUCK, We lost Stafford and Moreno early plus others to the NFL and we had COX at QB and inadequate replacements at running back too. Now the program hit bottom last year and that happens to ALL programs and now get aboard for the RISE and support the team and coach because YOU ARE WRONG about the direction of the program and the abilities of the head coach, who by the way is in the TOP TIER OF COACHES IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL and could have left UGA but did not. AND HE WILL ONLY GET BETTER BY GOING THROUGH ALL OF THIS. THIS IS HIS FIRST HEAD COACHING JOB! ALL COACHES HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AND THIS WAS HIS TURN SO GET OVER IT AND GET A CLUE AND SUPPORT RICHT AND THE TEAM with YOUR MORAL SUPPORT OR…… LET THE DAWG FAN IN YOU………DIE SIR.
Ferdie
February 18th, 2011
8:08 am
There were a lot of things for the dawgs to celebrate this year. Let’s see…
1. A drunken, whoring athletic director with red panties in his lap.
2. Twelve players arrested. And 41% of UGA football players are arrested during their time at UGA.
3. A player suspended for violating NCAA rules.
4. Winning the Fulmer Cup for the most players arrested.
5. Winning the title of #1 party school (i.e., the most drunken student body in the USA).
6. A sleazy assistant coach who razzes opposing players, unethical coaching conduct in violation of NCAA rules.
7. A super sleazy head coach who thinks he’s a saint, but recruits thug wannabes, gangbangers, and illiterate morons.
8. A 6-7 record despite having a team full of 4- and 5-star recruits.
That’s really something to be proud of!
UGA, winner of the Fulmer/Richt Cup and known worldwide as The Cesspool of the South.
woebegong
February 18th, 2011
8:16 am
I am just curious. How long is the average tenure of most coaches in the SEC? Fulmer was the exception and in my humble opinion, I believe it was a mistake to get rid of him, as the last two years have shown.
CMR is a great coach, but more importantly, he is a great man. If you look at all of the accusations concerning a lot of the coaches around here in the SEC, a lot of universities wish he were their coach. You all seem to equate NC’s and nothing but winning as being the earmark of a great coach. How about how much pride you should feel, that you have such an honest, decent and caring man in charge. How many coaches would continually, give some folks like Ealey, chances to correct their ways and grow up into men that society is proud to know. I don’t recall any major violations that resulted in a major UGA probation in his tenure here. I could be wrong, but I am old, so I could be forgetful. He self reported a minor violation that a recruit actually caused concerning a call the recruit made to him, during a no contact period. Surely he is not the only coach that this has happened to, but I don’t see where any other coach has done that.
The only thing that CMR might be guilty of, is becoming either a little complacent or maybe too administratively bogged down, and let his coaching slip some, but he will fix that problem this year, thanks to the AD we now have. Did anybody think about our former AD, and the fact that he really did not support CMR, or equip him with the help he needed. CMR is reenergized and I believe the next couple of years UGA is going to be a force to be considered, no matter whom they play. I applaud his “Dream Team”, concept, as he is trying hard to keep our top atheletes in the state and going to UGA. Simply because he can not offer scholarships at a rate of 40 each year, doesn’t mean he is doing a poor job in recruiting. He is successful in that area and a great deal more.
If you are a true supporter of UGA football, start showing it and give the man and our team his your full support.
My dad always said, “If you have nothing good to say about a person, best to say nothing at all”.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Harvey Almorn Updyke
February 18th, 2011
8:20 am
I poisoned the Auburn trees and ur stupid dawg!!! Roooooll Tiiiide!!!
Scooter McDoogle
February 18th, 2011
8:26 am
This will be a great hire. Its a vote of confidence that Richt has in Grantham, letting him hire guys he actually wants to work with. Now I wanna see TG yelling at his boys like he did that first game. After that it looks like Richt told him to calm down. We dont need him calm, we need him yelling and breaking things, maybe punch a player or two right in the face. Ok, not that far but I liked seeing him yell at his boys and hold them accountable. I could see CMR telling him “we dont yell at our kids here Todd.” F-that! Yell scream, get some intensity!!!
Snoop Dawg
February 18th, 2011
8:26 am
This Redskin coach looks like a solid citizen. Richt isn’t stupid. In order to continue to bilk the State of Georgia out of $3 Million per year, he will surround himself with competent assistants now that his is on probation. The sad part, though, is that Richt is still the fake imposter he has always been and will continue to be. He’s nothing more than a con artist. UGA will win in spite of him, I hope, but the Bulldog Nation should not count on any championships as long as he is the head coach.
Snake Doc
February 18th, 2011
8:35 am
No confidence – Coach really wanted out of D.C..
Is it a good hire? Probably – Its about time the CEO tried to hire a few real coaches instead of promoting friends and family!
Will this hire make much of a difference. Not a chance in the world!