For Richt, change will be tough; for Johnson, it won’t be
PJ isn't a man to disappoint. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Having witnessed Mark Richt’s media briefing Tuesday in Athens, I was struck — not for the first time, and surely not for the last — at how resolutely positive this man is. No, things aren’t going well, he conceded, but his Georgia Bulldogs “are battling as hard as you can battle.”
And I thought, again not for the first time, that Mark Richt would be a mighty fine boss to have: Loyal, circumspect, unwilling to assess public blame.
Then I read the transcript of Paul Johnson’s concurrent media briefing at Georgia Tech, thoughtfully provided by ace publicist and fellow Vinings dweller Dean Buchan, and this passage fairly leaped off the computer screen:
“There’s no doubt about it. We have to get better [on defense]. In my mind, when you play the way we played on Saturday, everyone is accountable. The coaches, the players and I’m accountable because I’m the ultimate guy. I see guys not playing fast and not flying to the ball.”
And I thought to myself, “Paul Johnson might not be the greatest boss, but he’s exactly the sort of man you’d want running your business.” He didn’t candy-coat the Florida State effort by saying his guys made the stops when stops were needed. He said: “We have to get better.”
Again, I’m not trying to suggest one style is better. Mark Richt has won two SEC titles at Georgia and was part of two national championship teams at FSU. He’s a fine coach and a fine fellow. But this much I do know:
Mark Richt will have a hard time shuffling his staff no matter how this season plays out because that’s the kind of guy he is. Paul Johnson won’t find it so difficult to make changes if he determines change is needed. Because that’s the kind of guy he is.
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376 comments Add your comment
PM
October 15th, 2009
8:50 am
Funny, I read all the time about how UGA’s offense is down because of two guys leaving to the NFL. Yet, GT lost three guys to the NFL on defense and the GT people (including Paul Johnson)don’t use that as an excuse. Speaks volumes about each team/schools perspective and culture.
DawgGirl32
October 15th, 2009
8:57 am
Wow I love how Mr. Bradley picks out the quotes he likes to stir things up like that’s the only thing Richt has said about the defense this year. Richt has actually said the same things Johnson has AND he’s mentioned that maybe a coaching change is needed. But let’s keep stirring the pot I guess.
JB
October 15th, 2009
8:57 am
It’s big money.It’s got 1.5 to 2.0 million people tied emotionally to the outcome weekly. People put more energy in it than family, work and church. People live and die with the results. It’s a “results” oriented business. The man at the top gets paid almost 3 mil a year to win games, which by the way is more money than a high school teacher will make in a CAREER !. so, yes, he better make changes.
We don’t really care about 2005. Not ONE TENNESSEE fan sat around Sunday and said, Boy, Georgia sure was good in 2005 and 2007. They cared about the enjoyment of kicking that Dawg while he was down. We didn’t lose 28 to 24 in a hard fought game, we were embarrassed because we have a host of problems that have been cumulatively building over the last two years.
Scrap
October 15th, 2009
8:58 am
It’s called Clean Oldfashioned Hate. I’d say things are getting back to normal around here. I like the way Mark thinks.
One tin soldier rides away
October 15th, 2009
8:58 am
We will see about the SC hype this weekend, they will play the tide, not SC State. I don’t think we need criticism from a team that we beat. The problem with the dogs is freshman and sophomores. Even the experienced line is freshman laiden. The NCAA leading punter, is a sophomore. A couple off of the D, and on reciever and the QB are seniors. They make underclass mistakes, so the team is solid, but they are young. I’ll take an average team with CMR any day over CPJ. What is good about the GT defense. Not much, the quarterback one the game against FSU when he stole the ball back. They haven’t stopped anyone. At least we made a few goal line stands.
As far as UGA, here is what you need to figure out. What happened before and during the first drive of the season, and what happened afterwards and since? Look at it, that was a great classic drive with runnning passing and blocking. Why did it change? Figure that out, and you may figure out the offense. Defense, what was happening in the RedZone d, and what is happening now? I’m not savvy enough to figure it out, but someone with a football brain could/should.
Go Dogs
Grandad
October 15th, 2009
8:59 am
PM…where have you heeard that excuse; everyone on these boards blames the coaches. By the way, tech def.[not very good] perhaps you should use that as an excuse. Or, maybe your just coaches arn’t very good.
snapshot
October 15th, 2009
9:02 am
There is not as much pressure on GT as there will be on VT Saturday. Relax and play football.
Go Tech!!!!!
DawgGirl32
October 15th, 2009
9:04 am
PM- First of all, I don’t know where you’ve read that “excuse” because I sure haven’t read it anywhere. The coaches haven’t used it, the players haven’t used it, and I haven’t even seen any fans on here use it. Nice try though. Secondly, our NFL picks were the #1 and the #12 overall. Where were yours? Thirdly, if you read the last Bradley article you’ll notice that your defense is statistically worse than ours. That’s really bad. Good luck with VA Tech this week.
Corrine Brown
October 15th, 2009
9:05 am
Funny to me that a recall reading these same articles about GT after the Miami game
Cobb Dawg
October 15th, 2009
9:06 am
Like I’ve said before, why do you give so much credit to PJ when he hasn’t even finished a season ranked in the D-1 Top Ten, hasn’t won a conference championship, much less competed for a national championship. So much favoritism towards him versus Coach Richt. CMR has been remarkable in his first nine years, but yet PJ is the better coach. I guess you think he should have won the Nobel Prize for the ACC championship that he might win?
JB
October 15th, 2009
9:07 am
To TECH, Auburn, Bama, Tenn ………………….You’ve ALL got warts that the scares still show. This is a what goes around comes around type business. Mark had the best Winning percentage in the SEC his first 8 years, and most of the time, in your house, HE BEAT YOU. LOOK IT UP. So, excuse us while we tend to this wart, and wait for YOUR next one to POP UP……..HBTD. The fact that most of you haters on here are in such a delight, IS because the butt whoop’ens from us have been regular. Kick a dawg too much, he;ll bite the hell out of you.
Ryder
October 15th, 2009
9:07 am
I just think that UGA needs to get back to what made them SEC contenders year after year: a powerful running game buoyed by a tenacious D.
BobinBuford
October 15th, 2009
9:10 am
“The so-called Bulldog Nation (stretching all the way from north of Jacksonville to south of Chattanooga) would be in an uproar if our team let FSU score over 40 points and happened to win just because they scored last.”
RealityTrain – isn’t that what happened in the UGA games against SC and Arkansas??
toga
October 15th, 2009
9:12 am
Grandad –
The coaches Alabama fired sucked! Look where they are now. Do you really think any other SEC school will hire CMR after he is fired? Nobody, and I mean nobody wants a soft head coach. Mark my words. He will be fired and never coach again. Okay, maybe pee wee ball.
Roll Tide
TW
October 15th, 2009
9:13 am
There is way more to life than winning football national championships! I would much rather have Mark Richt as my coach becasue he ultimately realizes this! Yes, we want to win, but that is not the most important goal!
Think About It
October 15th, 2009
9:14 am
For what its worth, here is my perspective on the whole situation:
Everyone seems to forget that this is CMRs first head coaching job. He enjoyed unparalled success at UGA during his first seven years and heard no complaints. Everyone was building him up and telling him how great he was doing…All was well in Athens.
Then something changed…
The poor play of the defense over the past two years (spotty defense under CWM for the last 5) has brought about something that CMR has never had to deal with as a head coach: criticism and backlash from rightly upset fans.
CMR has NEVER been in a situation like this before, and the Bulldawg Nation should rest assured that he will learn from this experience. CMR is stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it is a mistake that I highly doubt he will make again. CMR played with Willie Martinez at Miami in 1982-1983. They were close then and have remained very close for the past 25+ years. CMR has faith in Willie because they were FRIENDS BEFORE HE WAS EVEN CONSIDERED FOR THE JOB.
CMR, I think, will learn two very valuable lessons throughout this whole debacle which will strengthen both his abilities as a coach and our program in general:
1) CMR will NEVER hire someone with whom he has emotional ties. Being close to Willie has ultimately caused all of this criticism. I highly doubt that if it were nearly anyone else at DC CMR would have a lot less hard of a time showing him the door. Lesson learned: Don’t hire your friends as coordinators.
2) CMR has learned just how passionate (boarderline crazy/unrealistic) UGA fans really are. After being King of the Cassle for 7 1/2 years, CMR has finally had his feathers ruffled. The honeymoon is over and, I think, CMR will restore the passion that was so evident during the early years. I think that CMR became complacent and lowered his standards, which will be raised even higher now that he understands what is at stake (his career). Lesson learned: Passion, intensity, and desire, along with discipline, are the only way to play in the SEC and at UGA, and we will accept nothing less.
I hope that I am right and this season and the general attitude of the fans will both come to pass. CMR will never forget this year, but I hope I can.
12 & 21
October 15th, 2009
9:16 am
wow it must be miserable being a bulldawg these days! when will you folks realize that UGA is not, was not and never will be a national power. CMR has been the most successful coach in your very average programs history. calling for his head is beyond silly. let us all remember the fact that UGA was, is and will always be a midlevel progarm where 8-4 is the norm. VD was an 8-4 coach even w/ those 3 glory years from 80-82. who exactly do you think UGA can get that would be better? dear lord you people are the living example of the bandwagon mentality and watching ya’ll fall apart is funny and sad all at the same time.
The Truth
October 15th, 2009
9:20 am
GA Tech Lies and Cheats and Everyone knows it. Tech cheating does not impress me. And Tech lying about the cheating afterwards does not impress me either.
Coach Johnson is the ugliest coach in America. He is perfect for the ugly GA Tech fan base.
You can’t spell Cheat without “TECH”.
SOUTH GA DAWG FAN
October 15th, 2009
9:22 am
Lifelong DAWG fan , richt supporter, I still think he is the best coach for the DAWGS if he refuses to adapt and has more than one BAD year I will agree , but I for one give the man i one year pass. Martinez and Bobo can go though , no problem with that plan .
play the youngsters get AJ the ball early and often and
go DAWGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trade School Junkie
October 15th, 2009
9:27 am
RealityTrain said:
“The so-called Bulldog Nation (stretching all the way from north of Jacksonville to south of Chattanooga) would be in an uproar if our team let FSU score over 40 points and happened to win just because they scored last.
Well, let’s just take a look back at the most recent games to look at UGA’s defensive performance.
1. UGA:41 USC:37
2. UGA:52 Ark:41
3. UGA:19 Tenn:45
4. UGA:30 Bama:41
5. UGA:10 FL:49
6. UGA:42 GT:45
Yeah, that big bad SEC-caliber defense is really stout.
LOL
AZ Jacket
October 15th, 2009
9:28 am
Jerry G, you are a typical dawg moron. The one thing that is said about a good football coach, “He can beat you with his team and then turn around and beat his team with yours.” I don’t think that could be said of CMR as much as it could be said of CPJ.
N. Ave. Trade School
October 15th, 2009
9:29 am
Yeah, firing Richt is a brrrrrrrrilliant plan!!! Who do you have in mind to replace him? All the morons calling for Richt’s head are under the illusion we’ve been a national powerhouse since the begining of football and Richt has dragged us down. Wake up, tools!!! We only have TWO recongized National Titles. If we wanted to be like the bees, we could claim a few more since the Mayville Times declared us their champ in ‘42. Or the VFW Bingo Club declared us their champ in ‘68. The only thing of real substance on the list of UGA accomplishments is how we routinely beat the nerds from Atlanta. That’s it!!! Richt has done nothing but put the program back on the map and won us some SEC titles. He may very well have to make some difficult decisions with his staff at the end of the season, but to call for his firing is beyond retarded.
shards1967
October 15th, 2009
9:35 am
Anyone close to the UGA football program for years and years, has known that Bobo and Martinez have not/cannot get their jobs done. Look at their record. Bobo did have the advantage of one of the quickest throwing releases in NCAA with Stafford, which made his O line appear to be better. Also, Matt S could bolt up the middle running it and that too made the poor line play go away ….first down or TD usually, when he ran the ball.
With Clueless Joe Cox, well, um inability to run, sloooooooooooooow release, you can see that result. HE IS part of the problem …………nice young man but simply mis cast he is as QB starter. He is simply not athletic enough at this level to be a factor.
No Show Moreno also made the line appear better because he could reverse field and use his quick feet to get something. He did not always get yardage but against fair to middling SEC teams and teams like Mich State, he did all right. Excellent college runner he was. NOw? UAG has not one kid that IS a quality SEC running back. Not one. Why? We missed on recruiting them is why. Period.
Richt is faced with major, major adversity and it will not get better even in 2010. I am afraid that he has boxed himself and his program into a 6-5 or 6-6 corner with the last two or three years of recruiting. We have no big time backs, we have no big time d ends and we have no big time game changer d backs that can TACKLE. Key word is t-a-c-k-l-e. They ARE FAST but do not naturally like to tackle and that is one huge part of UGA’s problem. This is why Rambo is seeing PT as he seems to be able to t-a-ck-l-e. Safeties Evans and Jones ought to leave campus now. They are wothless. Why? Poor Martinez recruiting is why. He IS the d back coach too. He missed with these two clowns.
We need a new regime at UGA to clear the air and regenerate enthusiasm. Period.
UGA, class of 73
Pago Flyer
October 15th, 2009
9:35 am
The guy at MICH., will be looking for a job next year…
Trade School Junkie
October 15th, 2009
9:36 am
Rod:
How about when the kid from Carter-Columbus AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY showed up in Athens to accept his offer, only to be “hosed” by UGA.
Yeah, that was classy.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
October 15th, 2009
9:37 am
RICHT HAS WON 10 GAMES A YEAR, THE SEC TWICE….WHEN PAUL WINS THE ACC TWICE, START EXTOLLING THE MERITS…YES, HE IS A GOOD COACH, BUT THE FULLBACK AND THE QB AND THE A BACKS ARE FINE PLAYERS….DEFENSIVELY, IT IS NOT THE SCHEME, IT IS THE PLAYERS, SAME AS AT UGA…WHEN YOU CANNOT DOMINATE IN COLLEGE, YOU ARE NOT AN NFL PROSPECT…I SEE NONE AT TECH OR UGA ON THE DEFENSIVE SIDE OF THE BALL….MANY RECRUITING MISTAKES….IT WAS MY OLD FRIEND P. W. UNDERWOOD WHILE AT SOUTHERN MISS WHO SAID IT BEST, “DOCTORS CAN BURY THEIR MISTAKES, WE (COACHES) HAVE TO PLAY WITH OURS (RECRUITING MISTAKES)….
David
October 15th, 2009
9:39 am
Mark,
Why do you catch hell with Ga fans when you tell it like it is? I don’t feel sorry for you because that comes with the job, but you are the only objective reporter the AJC has. I guess our society loves to be told what we want to hear. Paul Johnson obviously knows what he is doing and Richt has lost it.
I hate both schools but that is the way it is.
GT trains terrorists
October 15th, 2009
9:42 am
BAWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! Tech fans are the best form of entertainment!! They own the worst cheating scandal in ACC history. Forced to vacate years of wins. Their posterboy Heisman wannabe, turned coach/personnel guru, ended up being a pot smoking, hit-and-run, open container, drunk thug. They’re the only team to gladly play an FBI busted druglord and currently have a rapist returning kicks and playing defense. Yeah, Tech is REALLY the upper echelon of class!! LOL!!!!! Gooooooooo Nats!!!
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
October 15th, 2009
9:43 am
SHARDS1967….YOU ARE SO TYPICAL OF THE BLOGGERS…MATT STAFFORD RUNNING UP THE MIDDLE AND MAKING THE OFFENSIVE LINE LOOK GOOD….DON’T KNOW YOUR FANNY FROM SECOND BASE…..MATTHEW STAFFORD BOLTING UP THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE LINE AND MAKING THE OLINE LOOK GOOD…YEA, STAFFORD WAS KNOWN ALL AROUND COLLEGE FOOTBALL AS A GREAT SCRAMBLER AND RUNNER….WHAT UGA TEAM HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING???? MANY PEOPLE WHO KNOW AS LITTLE ABOUT FOOTBALL AS YOU HAVE SOME OF THE LOUDEST VOICES CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE….WHAT A JOKE….
JacketsSwing
October 15th, 2009
9:44 am
TheTruth-
CPJ is the ugliest coach in America? Is that what you base your likes/dislikes on for a coach? You’re a fairy. But I guess in your eyes at least you have a “pretty” coach? Geez…grab a purse there twinkletoes.
nativeAtlantaInDC
October 15th, 2009
9:45 am
Who cares..gosh, get off the uga bashing….CMR will make the changes that are necessary…it’s not like we woke up one day and forgot how to coach….get off his back….we support you Coach Richt..!!!Go Dawgs!
Mark Bradley
October 15th, 2009
9:46 am
I don’t think Richt has lost it, David. I do think he must make changes.
And let’s face it: When you’ve been successful for as long as Richt has, you tend to believe in your methods. Human nature.
Jan Kemp
October 15th, 2009
9:48 am
Attention “the truth”
Dont pretend to be..the truth.
I…am the truth. And the ENTIRE UGA fan base couldnt handle it.
jeff fitzpatrick
October 15th, 2009
9:48 am
If CGTS (coach goody two shoes) does not make staff changes after these last 2 years, prepare for a lifetime of mediocrity as long as he’s there. UGA deserves better, at least a fighting chance. I admire his loyalty, but constant promtion from within just will not get the job done. We need some new blood.
L. Kiffin
October 15th, 2009
9:48 am
I really like Coach Richt. I hope he doesn’t go anywhere!
Herschel Talker
October 15th, 2009
9:51 am
BUGKILLER AT 1:48AM IS ALL YOU NEED TO READ. THIS IS A COMPLETE AND UTTER DISASTER.
MARK RICHT=BOBBY COX
URBAN MEYER=JOE TORRE
Tech75
October 15th, 2009
9:52 am
Look, it’s pretty simple. Richt will do what he has to at the end of the season, but not before.
He may not like it, but he will; and if he doesn’t want to, Evans will make him do it OR ELSE.
The biggest challenge will be – who do you replace them with?
And – and you better hope this doesn’t happen – what if by some stroke of luck UGA wins out except against FL? That could happen. And that would put Richt in a really dicey situation.
Joey
October 15th, 2009
9:53 am
dd (6:52), Richt may can spell, but you can’t. It’s creditability (with an a in there). dd=damn dumbass?
Will
October 15th, 2009
9:54 am
I’m insulted when I hear CMR say we are “battling as hard as we can battle”. Did he see the same UT game that I witnessed last Sat. He team gave up the entire second half! We didn’t even try to win the game. It almost appeared Bobo & Martines had money on UT to cover or something.
Tampa Wreck
October 15th, 2009
9:57 am
Amazing that most on this blog seem to think that Mark Richt being a good (nice) person and Christian is the problem at UGA. The problem with Richt isn’t that he is nice. The problem is that he doesn’t hold players or coaches accountable. You can be a very good person and a good Christian man, and still believe in accountability.
If Mark Richt finally mans up and start holding his players and coaches accountable, he will succeed. The guy can flat our recruit, but needs to start establishing expectations for performance. And if he fires Willie Martinez, it won’t be an indication that he is mean or non Christian. He will be doing the job he has to do to give those who are performing on the team the opportunity to succeed.
GSU Eagle 91
October 15th, 2009
9:57 am
I can tell you I wish Coach Johnson was still @ GSU, but we could not outbid other suitors for his services. GA Tech, prepare to ante up one day or he will be a memory. I can see him going to Nebraska one day to bring that program back to its former glory. And you know they have the money to spend on a can’t-miss coach…
mark
October 15th, 2009
10:02 am
It’s amusing to read most of the posts on these UGA sports blogs, especially those that attack the sports writers personally for offering a critique of their beloved school when this is exactly what they are supposed to do. Then there are those congenital idiots that attack posters for being upset with fellow fans about the abysmal performance of their team – again this is precisely what fans are supposed to do although it is deplorable when critique becomes a personal attack on coaches and especially the players. Does it escape you dolts that there is no college game without the fans? There is certainly no $2.8 salary for the head coach without the fans either. These guys are entertainers and when the performance is poor, which is certainly true in UGA’s case, it ceases to be entertaining. Watching the games and then analysing them is all part of the entertainment aspect of college football.
Herschel Talker
October 15th, 2009
10:02 am
Mare Bradley at 9:46am:
Has it ever dawned on you that maybe Richt never had it? Maybe that it’s easy to win SEC titles with Ron Zook and Mike Shula around. That maybe it’s easy to win SEC titles when you have natural-born leaders David Greene and David Pollock on your team. That maybe when you get a bunch of undisciplined but talented kids, the true nature of one’s coaching abilities really come out?
I like Richt, and I think he represents the university well as a person. But I’m sorry. To come out at the end of last year and tell us that assessing Willie Martinez’s performance wasn’t on the table does not make of a man making good decisions. Either he was too loyal, too stupid, or some combination of both. In either case, that man is not fit to lead this team and make decisions. Urban and Nick would have run Willie out well in advance of that debacle. But at that point, Richt wasn’t even willing to assess his performance! When this program is steeped in mediocrity, and people start calling for Richt’s head at that point, remember that there are those of us who recognized that he was exposed when the going got tough and that this problem could have been nipped in the bud in 2009, not 2011 or 2012.
Alabama Jack
October 15th, 2009
10:04 am
if i were a dawg facing tech every year i would be more concerned about johnson in the next few years when he gets the players he thinks are ideal for his O instead of the leftovers from the prior coach. regardless, johnson is probably not going anywhere unless he does win a mnc.
Bama, I agree totally. Why would Johnson want to leave and where would he go? He’s going to be well paid, respected, secure. He’s from North Carolina, apparently likes Atlanta, and has spent a good deal of his coaching career in Georgia, I think and hope CPJ will lead Tech successfully for a long, long time.
jake
October 15th, 2009
10:05 am
I keep waiting for someone to point out the similarities between Richt’s situation and that of his former mentor, Bobby Bowden. UGA and FSU have slipped badly, and neither coach seems capable of adjusting. In Bowden it’s understandable; in Richt it is not.
The Dawg
October 15th, 2009
10:06 am
To all you nay sayers…… Go ask FSU fans if Coach Richt can win a national champiomship. Look at their program after Mark left. Again I say it’s more the players than the coaches. If they can’t execute on the field what they have been taught and have been coached to do and are told to do during the game then I put these losses primarily on their shoulders.
Metal Jacket
October 15th, 2009
10:06 am
Vandy will keep UGA out of the “RED ZONE”.
Lakedawg
October 15th, 2009
10:08 am
Mark Richt is a smart man. He will make the changes that are needed
after this regular season is over. He hasn’t compiled the record he has
(Top 10 in winning percentage among active coaches, which was compiled
in the toughest conference in the land) by not being smart. Since his
assistant coaches have obviously gotten the job done before, I feel
sure that he felt that this coaching group, with a history of success,
deserved an opportunity to correct the issues. That being said, it’s
become clear that some of the assistants are in over their head. We
can debate all day long whether he’s waited too long to fire someone,
but the fact is that we don’t know all the reasons and the internal
goings-on of the staff. We DO know now that the results have become
unacceptable, and the writing is now clearly on the wall that changes
are needed. I don’t necessarily fault Coach Richt up to this point.
To allow this level of performance by standing pat in the off-season
would create a different dynamic, but I don’t see that happening.
We need to get behind this team and support our school. I’ll be
in Vanderbilt this weekend to see us get the win and get back
on the right track. GO DAWGS !!!
Tie Rod Taylor
October 15th, 2009
10:12 am
Is GEORGIA TECH……. MAN ENOUGH ……….TO PLAY beamer ball this week?
Tampa Wreck
October 15th, 2009
10:13 am
The Dawg,
It is the players that aren’t executing, but both the players and coaches must be accountable for that. The problem with Richt is that nobody appears to be accountable. If you look at his remarks, everything is just fine.. Everyone is working hard and doing their jobs. Maybe that’s just the public face and he’s calling in the coaches and players in private and ripping them a new one.. but I doubt it.