5 reasons Georgia needs to demote Willie Martinez ASAP
Perhaps the D would perform better if it didn't have to lug its coordinator around all the time. (Photo by Eric Stratton)
1. Georgia is 97th among 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in total defense, 108th in scoring defense. The Bulldogs rank last among 12 SEC schools in both categories. Simple question: Do you believe Georgia — with Rennie Curran, Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Justin Houston, Kade Weston, Demarcus Dobbs, Darryl Gamble, Bryan Evans, Reshad Jones, Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith — has the worst defensive talent in the SEC?
2. Georgia has one interception, one fumble recovery and four sacks in three games. It ranks 76th (tied) in sacks, 116th in turnover margin. Simple question: Does anyone think the Bulldogs’ personnel ranks in the nation’s lower tier in terms of speed, strength and level of aggression?
3. Over the past nine games, Georgia opponents have averaged — averaged — 33 points. In 42 games under Brian VanGorder, whom Martinez succeeded as defensive coordinator, one opponent scored more than 30 points, and that was the 2003 BCS champion.
4. Georgia opponents have scored 102 points in three games this season. In 1980, the national championship team yielded 137 points in 12 games.
5. Georgia football is first-class in every way — the head coach, the personnel, the offense, the recruiting, the facilities, the fan interest — except one. Athletics director Damon Evans says he wants his coaches to win championships. Simple questions: Do you believe Georgia can win another SEC title playing this sort of defense? Is there any reason a program of such pedigree should have the worst defensive coordinator in its division?
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
© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
725 comments Add your comment
The Lone Trumpeter
September 21st, 2009
8:10 pm
Great points Mark,
I used to believe that Willie was the victim of field position and turnovers like Richt. However, the Ark game opened my eyes. You can not give up that many points playing zone all night. Players REGULARLY out of position is coaching. Our offense is now a plug new starter here and go score 35 kind of team. Our defense though is way too conservative. They have all the players, all the heart, yet lack a truly talented DC to put us in the elite category. I know we are young in the secondary, but blitzing and creating more pressure is another way to guard that weakness. A win is a win, but Richt is facing a difficult decision. With our offense now we could regularly score 40, but keeping the other team under that has become impossible with a very bland defense. I used to be a Martinez “wait and see” guy, but the time has come. Martinez just doesn’t have the ability to get us to the next level. Let Janeck finish the season. Enough is enough
paul in J-ville
September 21st, 2009
8:12 pm
Totally accurate MB, everybody that doesn’t live under a rock realizes how pitiful Martinez is at DC, everybody except Coach Richt. He has the Bobby Cox syndrome…..too loyal. The problem is, CMR would never let go or demote anyone during the season, and I don’t particularly disagree with that, it shows he will ultimately take responsibility for his teams performance withou making anyone a scape-goat.
Look for a change AFTER this season. Martinez can only use the “injury” excuse for last year…. this year he will probably blame the swine flu.
No excuses can be had, UGA still has the talent. If anyone ever attends a game in person, just watch the defense in between plays. They are looking at the sideline in bewilderment while the ball is snapped. Players are out of position and havent a clue much of the time, especially the linebackers, safeties, and corners. D-line is strong and has the gearth, but wouldn’t know what a stunt is if it bit them in the a$$. Poor coaching
Ryno
September 22nd, 2009
12:54 am
Richt’s blind loyalty to Soft Willie is exactly the type of thing that got Fulmer canned at UT. When a coach isn’t cutting it, and Martinez isn’t, you gotta cut him loose.
As a UT fan, I hope they keep him forever.
Gary
September 22nd, 2009
12:56 am
You can type all the facts until your fingers are nubs, Mark Richt will not change the DC unless forced by the school powers. Alum’s get on the phone and computer and let UGA what you think of the situation. Go Dawgs.
Dawg Man
September 22nd, 2009
12:58 am
Richt will never fire martinez—the dawg D will suffer in mediocrity for years, not winning anything. I need a drink.
Pecan
September 22nd, 2009
1:00 am
One way to figure out whether or not your coaches are doing a good job is to see how much interest other teams have in hiring them away from you. I haven’t heard of much interest by other teams in Bobo, Martinez, or Fabris.
Pecan
September 22nd, 2009
1:03 am
P.S. It IS time for Bobby Cox to go.
Mark Bradley
September 22nd, 2009
1:03 am
I think Bobo will be a hot commodity very soon.
Sprocket
September 22nd, 2009
1:08 am
Move CWM back to DB coach, fire CJJ (the real weak link), hire a DC/ LB coach.
Pecan
September 22nd, 2009
1:10 am
I said this two years ago and I’ll say it again: As much money as the UGA athletic department makes, there is no reason that we can not have the absolute best coach at every position. I think Coach Richt will be forced to make some changes after the bowls, if not sooner. The only thing that concerns me is that we have so many top defensive players committed and some may “de-commit” if their position coach is replaced.
Pecan
September 22nd, 2009
1:14 am
Why did we force Hugh Durham out? Georgia basketball will never recover.
Class of '98
September 22nd, 2009
1:26 am
Thanks, Mark. Number four alone is enough for me.
Enough excuses about turnovers leading to bad field position for the defense. What I see is completely uncovered receivers, and defenders that seem to be completely lost as to where they need to be at any given moment.
We scored 52 points and the game was still in doubt until the final couple of minutes.
He’s gotta go.
Class of '98
September 22nd, 2009
1:27 am
Actually, I meant number three. I think about BVG all the time. We’d be top 5 right now (and last year) with him.
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
1:31 am
You know, you go for years and years, reading the AJC and it’s sports writers refusing to take much of a stand on anything, always treading the line of kissing player-coach butt and trying as well not to pi$$ off the readers, who have a million different opinions.
I don’t know how and why this had changed (actually, I do, it’s called the internet and things like page views, which will either go up with a writer / blogger is willing to be brutally honest or sensationalist).
Well, Bradley is far too Southern to be sensationalist. That’s for the New York Post.
But this is as brutally honest as I’ve ever seen ANY writer at the AJC, either print or online, EVER be.
And that’s brutally honest while remaining intellectually honest, too.
So where are Cuz and Altamaha and atl-axman and all the others with their Red & Black glasses and their hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil attitude?
Try and defend the indefensible Willie Martinez now, you bunch of numbnuts.
He Hate Gator
September 22nd, 2009
1:32 am
Mark, you just made Bug Killer’s day! …the stats speak for themselves…
He Hate Gator
September 22nd, 2009
1:33 am
The special teams ain’t too hot either…
bkbroila
September 22nd, 2009
1:42 am
DADGUM….Mark…you had me at #1….inconcievable!!!
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
1:44 am
It is a totally different SEC since Van Gorder left…
In 2004, SEC teams scored 3,495 points.
In 2008, SEC teams scored 3,936 points (63 more touchdowns).
In 2009 (3 weeks), SEC teams have scored 1,156 points. That could be over 4600 points by season’s end.
And our non-conference play has been much tougher the past couple of seasons, too.
We’re facing better coordinators and better QB’s than under Van Gorder and Erk’s era.
A blind man can see that trend. Common sense tells you that Van Gorder wouldn’t meet his own standards in this SEC (have we seen what he does with inferior talent at the Falcons?)
We don’t have the pre-season All Americans that we had back in Van Gorder’s day. You can blame Willie for that. But you win with playmakers. Every coach will tell you that.
And your defense is defined by it’s personnel (that’s why Van Gorder runs a bend but don’t break defense with the Falcons).
Back in Herschel Walker’s day… it was 3 yards and a cloud of dust. Herschel would run for 160 yards. But the team would only score 10 points… That was offense and defense back then. Low scoring.
Too many fans are longing for the defenses of old… well the reality is that the offenses of new would kick the fanny of defenses of old (look at how Spurrier changed the SEC).
Martinez is far from perfect. But I fear a mob mentality that is looking at the results without looking at why (and no… mob mentality is never a good thing).
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
1:51 am
He Hate Gator…
… I’m not so inclined to blame Jon Fabris for the ST as I am Mark Richt.
For some ungodly reason, Richt has decided to make his DE coach also work special teams. He has a DE coach and a DT coach (instead of a DL coach), but no ST coach?
It makes no sense, but it speaks to the general lack of urgency and attention to the details that this coaching staff obviously lacks.
All of the successful, MNC-winning coaches either work as their own ST Coach (Meyer) or have a dedicated ST coach (all the rest).
I just don’t understand Mark Richt’s philosophy, as it comes to his coaches (it’s NEVER his coach’s fault, it’s always the players not executing the coach’s AWESOME schemes, ahem, but WHO’S coaching the players, dammit!?!?!?) or his thinking that he can keep on getting away without having a dedicated ST coach.
No attention to detail on this staff. No urgency. Why would they have urgency? They know Richt will never fire them.
It was the same thing that brought Tommy Tubberville down. The SAME thing. He had his BBQ Boys, and they KNEW they were untouchable.
You people don’t think Martinez and Fabris feel the same way? Why else would Fabris continue insisting that his kicker do these RIDICULOUS directional kicks when they’re NOT WORKING??? Why else would Martinez stick with his horrible gameplans without making ANY adjustments (besides, you know, that he doesn’t know how)?
They think they’re untouchable.
It’s time for Damon Evans to do what Mark Richt refuses to do.
This is a BUSINESS. It is not a country club for Richt’s best friends to have lifetime memberships to, or, you know, for Richt himself. I think Coach Richt is outstanding.
But his loyalty will be his undoing. And the shame of it all is, while I’m sure Willie Martinez is a great guy and deserves Richt’s loyalty as a FRIEND, Richt has confused the situation, and given Martinez his loyalty as a boss, when Martinez has done NOTHING to earn it.
Mark,
Some other things of note:
When Willie Martinez took over Central Michigan’s defense, they were one of the BEST defenses in the MAC.
When he left for Georgia two years later, suddenly, Central Michigan had one of the WORST defenses in the MAC.
This is NOT coincidence.
ALL of the trends are AGAINST success under Martinez. He’s horrible. He’s inept. He’s in-over-his-head.
He needs to go.
DaddyDawg
September 22nd, 2009
1:52 am
Mark:
It’s one thing to say that Coach Martinez should be demoted at the end of the year, but it is another thing entirely to say that he should be demoted ASAP after only 3 games this season. To date, the Dawgs’ defense have been hurt by injuries, youth, inexperience and a suspension, coupled with a difficult schedule against good teams (i.e., no patsies) with 2 games on the road and 2 games in the SEC. Yet, despite the fact that the offense and special teams have 9 turnovers in 3 games, somehow, someway, GA is 2-1 and 2-0 in the SEC, and has the talent to improve on defense as we develop much-needed experience and depth at defensive end and at cornerback, two vitally key positions in a successful pass defense, the area that has been the real issue in GA’s defensive problems to date.
Yes, GA has signficant issues on defense, but I believe we will see significant improvement on defense throughout the year as we develop experience and depth at defensive end and at cornerback (we lost our most experienced DE Rod Battle for the year, Justin Houston was suspended for the first 2 games, and Kiante Tripp, perhaps our most talented big athlete on the team, has yet to play, with redshirt freshman Cornelius Washington showing promise as he plays more and more; at CB, we’re looking for continued improvement from talented but young players like Brandon Boykin and Brandon Smith), but this must be done in the heat of battle on gameday. So, there will be some ups and downs on defense as these young players develop during the season, but the Dawgs will improve, just as they did after a poor showing in Knoxville in ‘07 when the Dawgs lost 35-14 and yet went on to finish #2 in the country! And if our offense and special teams can cut down on penalties and turnovers, our defense will become even better.
For all of the above reasons, Coach Martinez is going nowhere right now as he will be evaluated at the end of the season, as it should be. At that point, Coach Martinez can be fairly evaluated and his fate determined by how his defense responded after a difficult start, and only then it would be fair to let the chips fall where they may. But to suggest that Coach Martinez be demoted now after only 3 games into the season overlooks the causes for the defensive problems to date, and the likelihood that the defense can show significant improvement throughout the year as experience is gained and depth is developed at critical positions. More important, your article demonstrates a reckless irresponsibility on your part that speaks more of stirring the pot and fomenting controversy and conflict in an effort to generate web hits and ad revenue in a modern day example of yellow journalism. If only the AJC could provide such critical coverage of far more important things, such as President Obama’s policies to “fundamentally transform the nation,” as it has Coach Martinez, then perhaps the AJC would have a real chance to avoid inevitable financial collapse from such shallow “journalism,” if you can call it that, but admittedly, the practice of real journalism on such an important topic would adversely affect the AJC’s chances of a federal bailout!!
Gravy Train
September 22nd, 2009
1:55 am
I would like to see what a different scheme could do for this group, but then I really watch the entire defense play and I notice several things that any scheme in the world might not fix:
1. Our defensive ends are not getting off their blocks. Between Jeff and Geno on the interior, one of them should be commanding double teams, while the other gets in the back feild.
2. Our corners can’t handle man coverage. All of the deep TD passes Mallett had were in single coverages. How do you make a play on the ball when you have your back to it? They have their back to the ball because they got dusted and are trying to catch up.
3. Delayed LB zone blitzes are not very effective and leave the middle of the feild wide open.
I think Willy is bald from pulling his hair out trying to come up with ways to mask these deficiencies.
This squad has been stout against the run and they are very young in the secondary. I don’t remember Van Gorder ever having that problem. BVG had the luxury of inheriting a great group of seasoned players. That’s why I would be curious to see what he might do with this group, because I’m not sure there would be much of a difference.
Are Pete Carroll and Jim Tressell on the hot seat now? How about ole Turkey Neck down in Atlanta?
What happens to Dogs that bite the hand that feeds them?
Hairy Dawg
September 22nd, 2009
2:00 am
Simple question: Does you think the Bulldogs’ personnel ranks in the nation’s lower tier in terms of speed, strength and level of aggression?
I’m sure a few people does, but I doesn’t.
Gravy Train
September 22nd, 2009
2:05 am
Damn. Forgot about “i before e.”
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
2:05 am
Gravy train… you’re spot on.
Fixing this defense is tough. Martinez has shown man coverages. He has shown blitzes. But more often than not… they are not working. More often than not, the blitzes are getting picked up and the QB’s are making their proper reads against us (which yields them a big gain).
And the majority of the mob mentality (internet fans… of course) complain about a soft zone / bend but don’t break defense.
CWM has a lot of problems right now. #1 is to develop a pass rush without exposing our team to losses.
Grantland Rice
September 22nd, 2009
2:06 am
Sounds like Mark’s been hanging around too much with some Awbarn players when he starts a sentence with “Does you think …?”
misterwax
September 22nd, 2009
2:09 am
As a Tech fan and alum, I hope he sticks around to the end of the year…..gives us a better chance to take advantage….BZZZZZ
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
2:09 am
Willie Martinez HAND-PICKED every single one of these players.
BVG did inheiret some great players.
He ALSO took average to nothing players and MADE them great.
Martinez inheirited some great players. He then proceeded to coach them down.
Now that he has the MOST RAW TALENTED RECRUITS IN GEORGIA’S HISTORY… what is he doing with them???
He is NOT coaching them up. He is NOT making them better. He is NOT getting them drafted.
Willie Martinez is a FAILURE as a coach.
The afternoon show here in Athens had some interesting numbers.
Last year, Georgia had turnovers on their side 14 times. Our defense then gave up over 90 points.
Florida’s offense, surprisingly, turned over the ball 12 times on their side. Not that big a difference, CERTAINLY not as big as the Willie-defenders would have us believe.
The gave up 26 points!!!
The difference in BVG’s defenses and Martinez’s defenses is that when our offense was bad, and the offense was WORSE during BVG’s years.
Why don’t you people remember THAT? Why don’t you remember all the games when our offense couldn’t muster more than 17 points???
BVG’s defenses CARRIED this team.
Now, if the offense can only score 17 points, we KNOW we’re gonna lose.
When the offense is bad now, the defense doesn’t carry the team, the defense lays down.
That’s about COACHING. That’s about ATTITUDE.
COACHING!!!
What the hell is wrong with you people? What the hell is wrong with you Gravy Train? Why do you feel the need to defend the mediocrity that is Willie Martinez?
Why do you not want to see the Dawgs win?
And why in the high holy hell do you find every way you can to attempt to tear down BVG (and lying the whole time) while trying to defend the indefensible Willie Martinez???
I swear to God, dude, your worse than the Vick Fans. You’re worse than Bad News who has nothing else to say but calling Matt Ryan “Noodle Arm.”
How can people attempt to tear down one of the best DC’s this team has ever had, whose unit CARRIED this team for four years, whose unit NEVER let the team down, and then stand there and defend the WORST DC this team has ever had?
You people are mentally challenged.
How many times over the last 4 + years has Martinez’s unit carried the team? How many times have they let the team down? How many times did they need to make a stop, but couldn’t. How many times have they failed to pick up the offense when the offense made a mistake???
You idiots really need to take a long, hard look in the mirror, take off your red & black colored glasses, and firmly pull your heads out of your a$$es.
IDIOTS!!!
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
2:14 am
And again, yet another FACT that people like Gravy Train refuse to talk about:
When Willie Martinez took over Central Michigan’s defense as their DC, they had previously had one of the best defenses in the MAC. I believe they were No. 2 overall the year before he took over.
When Willie Martinez left two years later for Georgia, they had one of the WORST defenses in the MAC.
In two short years, Martinez DESTROYED the Central Michigan defense.
What is happening at Georgia is NOT coincidence. It’s happened before.
It is time for Damon Evans to step in and do what Mark Richt refuses to do.
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
2:17 am
Hairy Dawg… who are our preseason all americans on defense?
I credit the defense for stepping up against Arkansas late. I credit them for limiting the damage from all of those turnovers and gimme field positions to South Carolina. I credit them for playing respectable against Oklahoma State on the road.
They are doing this with smoke and mirrors. I would not guarantee anybody on our defense a starting position in the NFL. There are a few 1st day draft picks…
but Geno Atkins was above average without Jeff Owens on the other side last season. And both of them have been good thus far in the season (good in college football does not equal starter in the NFL).
Rennie Curran is very small for a LB in the NFL. And he isn’t known for his cover skills (if someone thinks of converting him to safety). He’ll play and contribute. But I don’t know if he starts.
Reshad Jones has not excelled at this level of play. He’ll get picked up by an NFL team… but he’ll have the fight of his life to make a squad out of pre-season camp.
I have no problem if you blame Martinez for the talent we have.
But recognize the level of talent we have. It’s not Pollack, Thomas, Thurman, Seymour or Grant.
It’s definitely a notch below.
Jeff
September 22nd, 2009
2:19 am
As a Georgia fan, I’ve never been in favor of “change just for change’s sake”… but the last 2 or 3 years, seeing this defense struggle time and time and time again against good teams, makes me believe that yes, Mark, you’re spot-on and it’s time for a change. No, I won’t blame all 102 points on Willie Martinez (turnovers and special teams mistakes HAVE put our D in some bad spots)… but it’s inexcusable to not make some big stands to hold opponents out of the end zone (the final play vs. South Carolina non-withstanding). Just think: if freakin’ South Carolina and Arkansas can do this to us, what will LSU and Florida and Ga. Tech do? Going back to last year, EVERY half-decent-to-good offense — Bama, LSU, Florida, Tech, OK State, and now Arkansas and South Carolina — have scored pretty much at will against us. That has to stop!
The problem is not personnel, like it was last year (too many injuries robbed us of some potential in 2008)… the problem seems to be coaching. When an AVERAGE SEC team like Arkansas can light you up for 41, something is wrong. We made Mallett look like a Heisman winner! And we cannot ask our offense to score 45 or 50 points every week to win games. AT SOME POINT, you have to win a 14-10 rain-soaked slugfest, and right now, we can’t do that.
I don’t know if it’s best to make a change mid-season… those rarely go well… and I don’t want the distractions for the team. But I think Mark Richt had BETTER have a sit-down with Willie and, in direct language, tell him “The defense improves and stops people, you stay… we give up 30 a game the rest of the year, you’re out. Period.”
We also need to think about what coach may be out there to be the next DC… let’s not just pull the trigger without knowing the next guy WILL be better.
And to think… many of us thought we’d be 8-4 this year because our OFFENSE had question marks. With Owens back and players like Curran and Jones and Gamble and Atkins back, we SWORE our defense would be ok. Amazing how three games can change your perspective. Sad to say, I still don’t think we’ll be better than 8-4 this year.
Bottom line: Richt has to tell his defensive players AND coaches that what we’ve seen so far is UNACCEPTABLE. Hold people accountable. You play will and do the right thing, you play. You f-up and you sit. If you’re a coach, and your guys blow a game, you may be gone. Put pressure on these people… they are playing for their JOBS.
GO DAWGS!
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
2:22 am
Bugkiller…
I remember an LSU game where we scored 2 defensive touchdowns in Baton Rouge. We won the game by 14. Everyone talks about or offense scoring 52 points on LSU… But they seem to forget the real reason we won.
Bugkiller…
I remember when Brian Van Gorder left the Bulldawgs. Then he left Georgia Southern. He somehow managed to find time to leave South Carolina.
Now he has managed to operate a bend but don’t break defense for the Atlanta Falcons ranking #22 in the NFL last season.
Good grief. He’s the defensive version of Bobby Petrino. Why the heck is he held in high esteem when he runs out of town in the middle of the night? That’s not a coach. That’s a coward.
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
2:28 am
Jeff,
You’re not sure there’s someone better out there???
Who could possibly be WORSE???
Fire him now. Replace him with Garner in the prelim. If Garner does better, keep Garner.
If Garner doesn’t do that much better, give Garner a raise (too valuable a recruiter) and then hire someone of off Saban’s staff. Go after Muschamp. Look to Boise State’s DC.
There are about 300 guys out there BETTER than Martinez.
Tim
September 22nd, 2009
2:28 am
Once again, you’ve proved you’re an idiot. Where is Terrence Moore? At least he probably knew he was writing dribble.
Michael
September 22nd, 2009
2:30 am
No. 3 probably damns Martinez the most. I remember as Richt’s tenure kept going that I noticed how Georgia NEVER gave up 30 points and was always within a touchdown in each game except for one or two games. Those two games were a 14-point loss to Florida in 2001 and that butt-whooping by LSU in 2003.
This defense shouldn’t be the worst in the SEC, let alone one of the worst in the nation. Defense is ALL about points. If Georgia was giving up 500 yards but 17 points, that’s not a huge deal. But that unit is just a breaking damn for everything.
The defense is ultimately Richt’s responsibility, which means he needs to fix it. Many of us seem to think it’s Martinez, and the past two years SCREAM that something has to be done. Whatever it is, a big change, be it personnel or coaching, needs to happen now.
Agree!
September 22nd, 2009
2:36 am
Could not agree more with BugKiller-spot on!
meansonny, you obviously haven’t been paying attention for a few years. What comes first, the chicken or the egg…preseason individual accolades or performance. If the defense wasn’t getting torched each game last year, you don’t think we would have had a lot of preseason awards? Also those misses by Mallett late in the game were on him…He had time on many of those throws, his receivers were wide open, and he just missed them.
Most of the 3rd quarter our DBs weren’t even in the same zip code as the Ark receivers. Pathetic! And I do not believe these gifted athletes just became average players.
And if we don’t kick the ball deep in the endzone, bullheaded Fabris needs to be relocated also.
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
3:11 am
Agree!
Facts are facts… we don’t have that level of playmaker anymore. Especially at the DE position (although I like what I’m seeing from a very young Cornelius Washington).
Our shortcomings are squarely placed on two facets (1: we’re playing better offenses than we’ve seen historically & 2: we don’t have the ability to put any pressure on the QB)
I don’t see a lot of our defensive players from the past 2 seasons making big waves on the NFL defensive depth charts. Not even the NFL coaches (of a Brian Van Gorder caliber? LOL) can coach them up.
A playmaker at DE will force QB’s to step forward into our big DT’s.
A playmaker at DE will force Mallett type throws (of the 4th quarter variety).
A playmaker at DE will allow our defense to drop more interceptions (I know that’s another fault of Willie Martinez, too).
It’s the same as 2007… when Marcus Howard stepped up to the plate, we were a totally different defense. During BVG & in the years directly preceding him, we had excelent defensive end play.
If we find production on the edges, then we’re more than halfway there to a solid defense (top 20 nationally, just like Willie Martinez provided in 2005, 2006, & 2007. I don’t expect better than top 20 nationally like many).
Regarding Mallett’s shortcomings… are you hoping that he succeeds? We get pressure on him and he forces throws. He crumbled under the pressure of the moment. We were getting in his face in the 4th quarter. We were getting to him. But you seem to wish him success? Maybe to further an agenda against Martinez? Maybe if we lose more games… you can be right all along! How great would that be!
meansonny
September 22nd, 2009
3:16 am
Agree!
Regarding Blair Walsh… he’s the 2nd best kicker (kickoffs) in the SEC right now.
Do you hope he struggles too so you can blast Fabris? Maybe you can be right about that all along, too! How great would it be to wish people to lose their jobs and get your wish?
Maybe that could overcome your personal shortcomings in this great economy of ours.
UGAKev {true dawg fan}
September 22nd, 2009
3:38 am
That right there in the article said it all!!!!!>>>>>Over the past nine games, Georgia opponents have averaged — averaged — 33 points. In 42 games under Brian VanGorder, whom Martinez succeeded as defensive coordinator, one opponent scored more than 30 points, and that was the 2003 BCS champion.
honest_abe
September 22nd, 2009
3:39 am
meansonny: truer words have never been spoken. all starts with pressure up front. this d hasn’t changed much schematically since when bvg was here. the only difference was back then we always had a stud defensive end and usually great safeties. reshad jones has been a major disappointment ever since he stepped on campus as has bryan evans. as for the corners they’ve been burned but they’ve been in position to make plays… i can point to several throws by mallet that could only have been caught by the reciever and it was.
having said all that the d needs to improve. it starts up front. i actually saw pressure from our ends for the first time in two years. cornelius washington and justin houston might be the answer to all of our problems. the secondary need to improve their play. period.
UGAKev {true dawg fan}
September 22nd, 2009
3:41 am
I guarantee you if Van Gorder never left we have atleast 1 national title!
honest_abe
September 22nd, 2009
3:45 am
just because a recruit is a five star athlete it doesnt’ mean they will succeed on the college level.
dobbs hasn’t shown me anything except the fact that he has long arms. i have no idea how rod battle was a starter for a such a long time (that says something about georgia’s depth at defensive end), he’s been about as unproductive as jamaal anderson for the falcons. as for the safeties reshad jones was about as heralded as eric berry coming out of high school. but he hasn’t proven to be a playmaker. are all of you willie bashers trying to tell me if reshad had went to tennessee he’d be playing like berry and vice versa? didn’t think so. willie might not be a mastermind as a defensive coordinator but he’s not as bad as people are making him out to be. the d will improve.
Hampton Dawg
September 22nd, 2009
4:05 am
This is a trend that has gotten progressively worse. Not every good or great college player makes it in the NFL. I agree that the poor defensive play last season kept UGA from having any preseason All-Americans. Offenses are scoring more in today’s games. However, great defenses DON’T allow 45 to anyone. Did UF score 49 on Alabama last year? I may be wrong, but I doubt that USC & Ark rack up that many points against other SEC defenses.
Larry
September 22nd, 2009
4:12 am
Mark,
Just like the journalistic courage you exemplified yesterday on Bobby Cox, your candor, boldness and willingness to professionally and politely challenge (or at least open for debate) questionable practices continue to fertilize my growing respect for you. Touché!
Your evidence against Martinez is overwhelming, convincing and indisputable; yet, despite such, amazingly you have a couple of dissenters here whom are lacking the standard cognitive necessities to comprehend the facts and facts are unwavering, unlike opinions.
Good job!
Larry (1-14)
Gravy Train
September 22nd, 2009
4:14 am
Give Fred Munzenmaier a shot at defensive end. He’s got the same build as Pollack and might even be faster.
Give Willy a Pollack and Thomas Davis and that alone in combination with the existing players would make a BVG type of production. BVG rode the coat tails of phenominal players.
A lie you say? Well Jake Delhomme looked like a pro-bowler against the Falcons last Sunday. He looked washed up the week prior. Why is that?
Is Monte Kiffin on the hot seat yet? He’s lost two games out of three. What are the excuses there? He’s the guru of the Tampa 2, yet he has dropped two games? Is he not “coaching them up?”
Instead of moaning and groaning, why not come up with suggestions?
I know you can’t do it unless its on the Play Station…
You are not a true fan if you are lobbying for a mid-season change. We will lose recruits and stability if that happens.
Bug, I’m still waiting for you to tell us about your D-1 playing and coaching experience that gives you this perch to sit on.
What we are seeing is growing pains from a very young secondary. Who wants to step up and be a play maker?
Recruiting ratings are as effective as preseason rankings.
heeldawg
September 22nd, 2009
4:35 am
Mark, you’re right. That’s all I have to say about that.
Who Cares!
September 22nd, 2009
5:15 am
Enter your comments here Who Cares!
winterdawg
September 22nd, 2009
5:46 am
The knee jerk reaction is to say fire the guy. You have to ask yourself what you want from your collegiate football program. Richt is loyal. Is that such a terrible thing? This loyalty and commitment to his family is also apparent when coaches like Rodney Garner and Stacy Searels turn down more money from other big time programs, including their alum schools to stay with Richt. You praise Mark Richt’s family values and Christian nature when we win but you rip these values or forget them altogether when a unit struggles. Willie Martinez is a great person and nobody that you’d rather have around young men. Personally, I do think he deserves the rest of this season but if it doesn’t turn around then the demotion needs to happen. However, you fans that can only scream “fire the man”, I ask this, would you fire your freind? Would you want to be cutloose from your livelihood which you love doing and done so by you friend? If you want Bobby Petrino types running your program then be honesst with what you want. Immeidate results and rebuilding every five years when those types leave your program or bring in such athletic degenerates that your PR department is on overdrive and your staring at NCAA penalties. Do you want to have class and steady success or win at all costs environment? I know the answer from most of you. It’s not the program I want.
JTH
September 22nd, 2009
5:55 am
“Richt’s blind loyalty to Soft Willie is exactly the type of thing that got Fulmer canned at UT. ”
Excellent point. Please CMR, you are the best thing to happen to UGA football since Dooley was forced out and no reasonable person wants to see you go, but………….. if you cant see the forest for the trees then maybe you need to go too.
Blind loyalty isn’t really loyal, just blind.
Motown Hound
September 22nd, 2009
5:58 am
Enter your comments here
JTH
September 22nd, 2009
6:03 am
“I think Bobo will be a hot commodity very soon.”
Yeah, in hell. Bobo’s play calling was the only reason UGA lost the game to OK ST. The first drive was brillant and exposed the OK’s weaknesses, and then Bobo totally abandoned what worked. He needs to learn to be more consistenet in exploiting a teams weakness and quit trying to “out-fancy” a team. Until then color me unimpressed. UGA should have racked up the points against Arkansas, so that was no surprise and mistakes were the only reason they had to come from behind.
DawgsFan4Life
September 22nd, 2009
6:21 am
Willie Martinez got to go. We need another DC. We need someone like a Charlie Strong, someone who knows defense, someone with that passion and fire. Right now Georgia is to soft and that zone crap has got to go
JTH
September 22nd, 2009
6:21 am
One thing about the fans:
No matter how good the points you make are , when you start name calling people who have differing views if really invalidates any points you’ve made and erodes your credibilty. You dont see Bradley saying things like:
You people are mentally challenged.
You idiots
IDIOTS!!!
Adults discuss, children name call.
chazzo
September 22nd, 2009
6:22 am
These are great points. I just don’t think demoting or firing a coach is the way to go three games into the season. That D could completely fall apart. How did it work out for Tuberville firing his O coordinator half way through?
A) It simply doesn’t matter what we are ranked in the stats when most teams have played patsies at this point. I’m not knocking the guys at Charleston Southern, but it is easy to ring up big stats against them.
B) There have been some bright spots, and the D has come up with big plays when they needed.
C) SC has Spurrier and a very athletic QB. Arky has the much maligned Petrino and a goliath QB. It remains to be seen how good these teams actually are. But SC always plays above their heads against UGA, and Ark was prepping and up for this game for the past nine months and had a bye week.
Do I think Willie Martinez is doing a great job? No. Do I think it is an incredibly bad idea to make a major coaching change three games in? Absolutely.
In the past Martinez has had some big games. I’m willing to bet that the D improves and continues to come up big when they need to.
Larry
September 22nd, 2009
6:32 am
Mark,
Similarly exemplified yesterday with your journalistic courage to question (or, at least open for intellectual debate) the recent practices and results of Bobby Cox, please again allow me to express my appreciation and respect. Touché!
Your research illustrates overwhelming, convincing and indisputable evidence based on facts, not simply opinion, yet most amazing are the few here whom lack the fundamental cognitive necessities to comprehend and embrace facts, and thus inject (or infest) into this discussion opinion based on pure emotion. Facts are unwavering and unaltering; opinions are the reciprocal. In the world of leaders and innovators we refer to your dissenters here as “followers” or “laggards” and these are the weak links and inhibitors to growth and improvement, thus you and other courageous leaders of well intended provocative thought must never let these gnats deter you for a moment in the quest for the betterment of your chosen profession and those your profession can positively influence.
Good Job, Mark!
Larry (1-14)
Motown Hound
September 22nd, 2009
6:35 am
Mark, your real time blog during the Arkansas game was a truly enjoyable read, thanks for the running commentary. It seems you have really riled up the insomniacs with this one.
I am goal oriented and think this team will benefit from a good old fashon mantra such as
” save the whales”. We need a good Green initiative after the tailgating debacle (no pun intended). Saving the whales will entail a team effort and will not be accomplished by whacking Willie repeatedly about the face and chest, It will include substantially reducing turnovers, minimizing penalties and getting a consistent pass rush that creates the sound of footsteps coming from the left side in the opposing QB’s mind. If these goals are achieved then everything else should fall into place.
I am still very optimistic that this team will pull it together and overachieve on both sides of the ball. When you combine the Dawgs totally sloppy play at times with the brilliance of the big plays that we have seen to date, I look in wonderment at our record. The big plays have overcome a lot of self inflicted adversity and deserves a certain amount of optimism. We are extremely fortunate to date and nothing short of a team improvement is required to make this year successful given what we have left on our plate..
I agree with the premise that you evaluate performance (offense, defense, special teams) after the season and do what is right at that point. Saving the whales will be a team effort, but again the whales have to do their part.
georgiadawg1970
September 22nd, 2009
6:41 am
Enter your comments here
Coach Adams where are you?
cdog
September 22nd, 2009
6:48 am
leave coach martinez alone. give him a chance. things will get better
SuperB
September 22nd, 2009
6:52 am
Don’t blame Martinez— blame Richt. He is the boss. Mark’s stats speak for themselves. Great talent, poor coaching. Other than recruiting– what is Richt good at?
Dawg Tired
September 22nd, 2009
6:56 am
Thanks for speaking out on this Mark. While your points are obvious, they needed to be said by someone in a position to be heard by those that need to hear it. Some of the less astute among us, think every time someone calls for accountablity in connection with the defense and its obviously poorly coached, but supposedly talented, players, that the writer is suggesting that Coach Richt be fired. That clearly is not the case with most of us. I like Coach Richt and am very thankful we hired him to lead our program. However, Willie needs to go and, as the leader, Coach Richt needs to take action to correct this situation.
Tom, Resident Georgia Fan
September 22nd, 2009
7:00 am
Heard Houston Nutt say yesterday that the defenses in the SEC are behind the offenses and that higher scores are and will be the norm for a while.
Larry
September 22nd, 2009
7:00 am
Mark,
Similarly exemplified yesterday with your journalistic courage to question (or, at least open for intellectual debate) the recent practices and results of Bobby Cox, please again allow me to express my appreciation and respect. Touché!
Your research illustrates overwhelming, convincing and indisputable evidence based on facts, not simply opinion, yet most amazing are the few here whom lack the fundamental cognitive necessities to comprehend and embrace facts, and thus inject (or infest) into this discussion opinion based on pure emotion. Facts are unwavering and unfaltering; opinions are the reciprocal.
In the world of leaders and innovators we refer to your dissenters here as “followers” or “laggards” and these are the weak links and inhibitors to growth and improvement, thus you and other courageous leaders of well intended provocative thought must never let these gnats deter you for a moment in the quest for the betterment of your chosen profession and those your profession can positively influence. Your suggestions and this debate can help lead to either the necessary and obvious need for improvement of the defense from the current staff, or the recruitment of one or more individuals to achieve such, thus the end result will be improvement and this cannot be a negative in a leader’s mind.
Good Job, Mark!
Larry (1-14)
Carlton Powell
September 22nd, 2009
7:06 am
Have serious doubts if changing DC’s in the middle of the season would be all that beneficial. I would not be surprised if discussions have not already begun as to what to do concerning a transition at season’s end. But, as has been chronicled in these blogs previously, if you fire someone, you have to hire someone. And, the SOMEONE needs to be really good. CMR needs to take time to evaluate all possible candidates. Some of the best will not be available ’til season’s end. Choosing a new DC should not be a “knee jerk” decision. We all know championships are won with defense.
SuperC
September 22nd, 2009
7:08 am
Blame Martinez for not adjusting to Stephen Garcia. Geargia had a great pass rush on Carolina and Garcia still ate them up because Martinez did not put in a “spy” linebacker/safety to mirror Garcia. Curran would have been perfect spy linebacker to neutralize Garcia. Does Martinez make an effective half-time adjustments?
SuperC
September 22nd, 2009
7:09 am
Blame Martinez for not adjusting to Stephen Garcia. Georgia had a great pass rush on Carolina and Garcia still ate them up because Martinez did not put in a “spy” linebacker/safety to mirror Garcia. Curran would have been perfect spy linebacker to neutralize Garcia. Does Martinez make effective half-time adjustments?
Sautee Dawg
September 22nd, 2009
7:12 am
Mark, you should know CWM is going nowhere soon. Yes UGA has good players on defense, and speed on defense, but CWM is not the senior saftey that stood dead still and watched a ARK reciever blow past him for a touchdown. That was Evans. Players have to make plays in a game regardless of who’s standing on the sidelines calling the shots.
Sure i think CWM could do a better job in some areas, I personally hate a zone defense, CWM loves it. having a 3 man rush when a team is 3rd and long makes no sense to me either.
I don’t think CWM is going anywhere. CMR has been here 9 years now and has gotten rid of anyone, just promoted and he ’s not going to change until, as someone posted above the Alumni or AD starts complaining. My opinion Coach SS the o-line coach is the best position coach on the field. Fabris and Martinez and Janeck have gotten very little out of top recruits, but like i stated, PLAYERS HAVE TO MAKE PLAYS.
We as UGA fans were spoiled with the play of Blue, Davis, players like that were ballhawks. Wherever the ball went they went MAKING PLAYS. Davis had 18 tackles 2 weeks ago for Carolina.
Only player that comes close to that on our defense is Curran.
I think Willie stays Mark, whether you want him to or not.
Bill
September 22nd, 2009
7:12 am
You are correct. And the not so SPECIAL TEAMS coach and the LB coach need to be replaced. However, I don’t know how much imput CMR has had. I don’t believe CMR is very aggressive and I am afraid that he does not put much emphasis on deception on offense or defense. I will say that I would wait until the end of the year to replace Willie, and worry more about the offensive turnovers and special teams problems right now. If Willie would play close coverage and get a pass rush, and a deep safety, he could turn it around.
1 + 2
September 22nd, 2009
7:13 am
Those of you that continue to make excuses for a D that has demonstrated a downward trend are making yourselves look like naive (or you could be other fans trying to stoke the fire). The bottom line is Georgia’s D is awful – There is no getting around this fact. For people like you that continually defend Martinez, you use the ‘he doesn’t have talent’ argument. Believe me, this team has DEFENSE TALENT. The problem isn’t talent, it’s coaching. Georgia has some of the most explosive LBs in the nation, however, they continually play out of position and fail to wrap up on a tackle (fundamentals). Georgia has some of the fastest and hardest hitting DBs, however, they continually play out of position and fail to wrap up on a tackle. That is not a talent issue, this is a coaching issue. I am hoping that CWM turns it around. But in all honesty, if the D has another game or two like the previous three, then I believe the spirit of Georgia’s D will be broken (those guys looked shell shocked on the sideline in the 3rd Quarter). CMR better keep his finger on the pulse of his team’s spirit, if not this team will go down in a hurry. . . Exhibit A: See Auburn’s D’s from last year (early in the year, they kept that team in games; however, because the offense was very anemic, over time, they gave up and Tubberville was doomed).
Bill
September 22nd, 2009
7:14 am
Willie does not know what he is doing and needs replacing. Let me make myself clear.
» SEC links: Meyer, Kiffin still throwing verbal jabs John Clay’s Sidelines
September 22nd, 2009
7:41 am
[...] Mark Bradley of the AJC gives five reasons why Georgia should demote Willie Martinez. [...]
barneyb
September 22nd, 2009
7:41 am
Demote? Try FIRE! Get rid of all 3 while you’re at it- Martinez, Fabris, and Bobo. What is it going to take to get CMR to wake up?
chazzo
September 22nd, 2009
7:41 am
Bill,
I am glad you made yourself clear.
JB
September 22nd, 2009
7:46 am
I’m a Dawg Fan……I’m not a Willie fan…………But my take is the writers at the AJC have made it their mission for a change in Athens………..or they get ad revenue from “blogger hits”. Asking about the hot dogs at the stadium gets 25 hits. Throwing red meat out about Willie everyday gets 400-500 hits.
JB
September 22nd, 2009
7:56 am
Ok, here ya go…….Will Muschamp at Texas, head coach in waiting, makes 950,000 a year….please never mention him again. Kirby Smart, DC at Bama, Georgia grad. Loves Saban, been with him since LSU. Not leaving unless he’s coming for the head coach job or a crazy amount of money, 1 mil +.Forget it.
Charlie Strong, DC at Florida. Why would he leave there for the SAME job. He will not. He wants to be a HEAD COACH, and will probably end up at Carolina when Spurrier leaves. To ALL my Georgia friends, never mention these three again !
RealityDawg
September 22nd, 2009
7:57 am
Bring back Van Gorder! Break the bank and spend whatever it takes. The Dawgs will not win a national title with the current coaches!!
Jon Hughes
September 22nd, 2009
7:58 am
meansonny we had NO all americans van gorders 1st year we had ONE honorable mention the year before van gorder. If you are foolish enough to think Van Gorder didnt have a huge impact on those players who became all americans since they were freshman and sophmores when he got there you are kidding yourself. Players at that level are not naturally great they have to be coached to get there. And ofr all of your bashing of Van Gorders falcons they were in the top ten in scoring defense last year and thats with a team that most pundits said would win maybe 1 game. I remember someone on TV saying the falcons had only 1 playmaker on the whole Defense and that was Abe, yet we were still one of the hardest teams to score against. Its funny on a more level playing field in the pros with a team that most EXPERTS at the time thought was terrible he STILL did a better job of coaching and putting players in a position to win than MARTINEZ
chill with a decaf
September 22nd, 2009
8:01 am
Remember Tim Jennings, now starting with the Colts? Tim Wansley, who played with the Bucs? Paul Oliver? Those guys were horrible until their junior years, and all became shutdown types. Young corner is hard to overcome, and with no pass rush, it’s impossible. Give Willie a Marcus Howard-type DE and we’ll be fine. Don’t have one?…That’s my point. Well, that and Fabris should stop giving up fourteen yards per kickoff and let Walsh or Bogotay KICK THE BALL DEEP! Average opponents starting point when we kick it deep, through three games, 27.5 yard line. Average when we try to kick it ‘directionally’? 41 yard line. Why is it so hard to understand? Force Damon to force CMR to fire Willie and you can say so long to CMR.
Starring Kam Fong as Chin Ho
September 22nd, 2009
8:08 am
Everyone can scream at the top of their lungs but CMR is not going to make any changes during the season. Period. End of discussion. To barneyb, exactly what is it about the offense that makes you want to fire Bobo? Do you have a reason or are you just caught up in the moment? Or possibly just stupid? JB, methinks you’re on to the truth
Where's my crack pipe?
September 22nd, 2009
8:14 am
FINALLY…THANKS MB
Starring Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett
September 22nd, 2009
8:14 am
The point is made that WM has no talent to work with compared to BVG. BTW, I don’t remember David Pollack as a 5-star Parade All-American coming out of Shiloh. I believe some of the current DL were more highly rated than Pollack. This goes to show that you can’t measure the intangibles that players like Pollack bring to the table.
JB
September 22nd, 2009
8:19 am
Ok, one more time……….Van Gordor…………not coming back……Mike Smith gonna be with the falcons for a while and he loves the guy………..Van Gorder likes the pro game, NO RECRUITING ! I bet he makes pretty good money. Georgia has ALWAYS been cheap with Assit. Coach’s pay. Auburn and Tenn. paying 400k to 1 mil……..we pay 150k to 350k………….This break the bank talk is cheap, no pun intended. Yes, I want a new DC, but the new guy will HAVE TO MAKE HIS NAME in Athens, he will not have one when he gets there, and most likely it comes from in house. Count on it. That staff is family. that’s good and bad.
SickandTired
September 22nd, 2009
8:22 am
Here’s the thing. The Georgia defensive players couldn’t keep my year old grand daughter out of the kitchen cabinets. Willie hasn’t suddenly gone brain dead, the problem is that the highly rated recruiting classes have turned out to be busts on the defensive side of the ball. You can cut it, slice it, dice it and put a real nice sauce over it but the bottom line is there isn’t very much talent in the defensive line, linebackers or secondary and I think that just about runs the table on that side of the ball. Run Willie off if you like, but the real problem with UGA is and has been Mark Richt. The Wisconsin of the SEC ain’t gonna get not better as long as Mark Richt is the head coach. Enjoy your 10 win seasons because that’s all you’re gonna get. Marky is a lightweight with no fire and no eye for talent.
SC Dawg
September 22nd, 2009
8:24 am
I used to be a Martinez defender, but not anymore. There is too much talent on that defense to be giving up those kinds of points.
honest_abe
September 22nd, 2009
8:25 am
josh mallard, nic clemons, robert geathers, gerald anderson, arnold harrison, will thomson, jonathon sullivan, odell thurman, will witherspoon, boss bailey, tony gilbert, david pollack, greg blue, terrell bierra, jermaine phillips, tim wansley, sean jones, charles grant……
these are some of the players on defense that bgh inherited when he got to georgia. not a bad bunch. so am i to believe that bvg’s defensive scheme helped david pollack’s miraclous play in columbia? or maybe it was the technique that bgh taught that allowed greg blue and thomas davis to his so hard. odell’s tackling ability can only be attributed to bvg but how about rennie’s tackling ability? oh ya he’s just a freak. georgia’s really good d had some really freaking good players. guy’s that got drafted in the first round…
once again, i’ll admit that bvg was a better coordinator than cwm, BUT the some of the players simply haven’t lived up to potential. i remember everyone blaming coach eason for fred gibson never living up to his hype. i hear the coaching in the nfl is much better and he couldn’t even make a roster. sometimes it’s not always the coach. sometimes its the player.
UGASlobberknocker
September 22nd, 2009
8:26 am
From the rest of the extremely large choir, I’d like to thank Preacher Bradley for his fine and factual sermon.
kentucky dawg
September 22nd, 2009
8:26 am
Enter your comments here
It is defenses that WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. Wake up call to CMR!
JB
September 22nd, 2009
8:27 am
SICKANDTIRED……………………………………..well said….I agree
confused
September 22nd, 2009
8:31 am
Well meansonny, if you’re convinced that we don’t have the personnel of GA teams in the past (which is debatable looking at our recruiting class rankings every year), answer this question: Who has better talent on the defensive side of the ball, UGA or Vanderbilt? Vanderbilt plays the same teams UGA plays, and how many points per game do they give up?????
FalconUGAFan
September 22nd, 2009
8:32 am
No, there is no reason that the defense should be scored on this much. Our offense works too hard and our defense is too talented to give up these kind of points. Coach Richt is a great guy and may be loyal to a fault. When a group of players underperforms as a GROUP, it is time to find the common denominator. In this case it is the DC. Time to shake up things, Coach Richt.
Jon Hughes
September 22nd, 2009
8:34 am
honest_abe so i guess your saying those players would have been just as good with me or you out there coaching them? Oh and some of the players you named i am pretty positive were not inherited BVG brought them in and DEVELOPED them thats how high school player become great they are DEVELOPED BY GOOD COACHES.
honest_abe
September 22nd, 2009
8:36 am
you missed my point. special players make special plays. eric berry vs reshad jones. both five star recruits. are you telling me both players are comparable but it was their coordinator that turned them into the player they are today?
see, one is special the other is not. one is a playmaker the other is not. simple really.
EW
September 22nd, 2009
8:41 am
Sick and Tired. I understand you might be frustrated. But to throw your team under the bus like that is pathetic. The Wisconsin of the SEC? Don’t remember the last time I saw Wisconsin playing in a BCS bowl, but I do remember UGA there not too long ago. And TONS of teams would give their left arm for a 10 win season in the best conference in the FBS. You do know what the FBS is right? It’s bandwagon fans like you that make real fans look bad.
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
8:42 am
STOP LYING.
Willie Martinez has MORE RAW TALENT in recruits than Van Gorder EVER did!!!
And to make things WORSE for Martinez, every single one of these players that you keep lying about and say that they are less talented than those BVG had, WERE ALL HAND-PICKED BY MARTINEZ.
Do your lies and half-truths know no bounds???
What’s the difference then? BVG did have talented players, but BVG coached his players UP. Martinez coaches them DOWN.
Stop lying, stop making excuses. Some of you people are pathetic.
Once again:
When Willie Martinez took over as Central Michigan’s DC, the previous few years, that team had one of the best defenses in the MAC.
By the time Willie Martinez left two years later, they had one of the WORST defenses in the MAC.
This has all happened before, and it is all happening AGAIN.
You people who sit there and defend the indefensible are exactly like this guy:
http://tinyurl.com/c62hqt
Yep. Exactly like that guy.
Well guess what, you blind homer losers… all is NOT well.
So why don’t you tell some more lies and make some more excuses.
Again. You people are PATHETIC.
confused
September 22nd, 2009
8:43 am
Just for argument sake, here’s Vandy’s defensive numbers for the past four years(and i believe we have WAY better talent than they do, and they play in the SAME division we do):
2008- 255 points – 21.3 ppg
2007 – 271 points – 22.6 ppg
2006 – 284 points – 23.6 ppg
2005 – 321 points – 29.2 ppg
This is VANDY!!! Do they have better athletes, or better coaching??
Pi$$onaDawg
September 22nd, 2009
8:43 am
KEEP WILLIE!!! KEEP WILLIE!!! KEEP WILLIE!!! Willie is God!!! The Dawg players are stupid and can’t play. Willie is a Defensive Guru!! All SEC fans will donate $20 each to help UGA pay Willie to stay at UGA. UGA VII loves Willie and likes the weekend sleep overs.
Topp Dogg
September 22nd, 2009
8:44 am
Alumni, freeze your donations changes will soon happen D Evans is about income for UGA not losses.
Jon Hughes
September 22nd, 2009
8:45 am
I understand that but average players can be put into a position to succeed. You will never have a team full of eric berry type players they are rare. BVG was one of the best i have ever seen at hiding a weakness and attacking another teams flaws Willie is terrible at this his teams play with no discipline and they look confused most of time that is COACHING.
BugKiller
September 22nd, 2009
8:46 am
DISHONEST_ abe…
… that is EXACTLY what we’re saying.
Eric Berry under Willie Martinez would be EXACTLY what Rashad Jones is right now. You forget, but people were so excited by Jones, they thought he could start as a freshman.
You just don’t get it. Coaching means EVERYTHING. Under Martinez, Pollack would have NEVER have been Pollack. Davis would have NEVER have been DAVIS.
I know BVG isn’t coming back. But Rashad Jones under BVG WOULD be Eric Berry.
Your inability to see this is the sickness caused by your blind homerism.
You’re not honest about anything. Just another liar who wants to excuse and accept the mediocrity that now permeates this team.
Left to Right
September 22nd, 2009
8:46 am
1. Demote Martinez
2. Fire Fabris
3. Fire Jancek
4. Tell Garner to tell the DTs to get pressure on the QB.
5. Tell Bobo never to call a game like OSU again.
6. Tell Ball to get his stories straight before he talks to the players.
7. Tell McClendon to tell Samuel to hold onto the dang ball.
8. Give Lilly an “attaboy.”
9. During a full moon, place a burnt offering in a clearing in the forest near Searles cave.
Atticus
September 22nd, 2009
8:50 am
meansonny, I agree with you there is a certain amount of mob mentaility.
But here’s why…because Georgia’s defense has sucked and people are tired of it. You say that offenses have changed and I agree, the offenses have become much more creative while the defenses have been left behind. But that is part of it. The SEC may be giving up more points but why is GA at the bottom of the conference?
It’s the defensive coordinator’s job to recruit the talent and then coach them up, use a scheme that fits the talent and then get results. We can argue about why we aren’t getting results all day. But excuses get old and that is what attracts the mob.
Making excuses about not having the talent is a freaking joke. Reshad Jones was the #1 or #2 safety coming out of high school. Dent, Dewberry, Hebron, Evans, Washington, Ownens, Miller….and more were all highly recruited. We don’t have all conference players because we evaluate talent incorrectly or we don’t prepare them and help them develop.
He is a good coach but not an elite coach and GA should have an elite coach at defensive coordinator. Elite coaches get results they don’t make excuses.
honest_abe
September 22nd, 2009
8:50 am
HAHAHA you guys heard it here first.. RESHAD JONES WOULD BE ERIC BERRY IF JOHN CHAVOUS WAS HIS COORDINATOR. thanks for the laugh fella. i actually gave you credit for being a somewhat credible uga fan. but with that statement i can tell you just have a hard on for willie.
thanks for the laugh btw.