A very short post about a very big topic – UGA’s coaching
Here's Willie Martinez, seen doing some actual coaching. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Shortest post ever. Three simple questions:
1. Which team has better players — Georgia or Kentucky?
2. Which team won the game?
3. What does that say about the losing coaches?
There it is. Have at it.
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561 comments Add your comment
Serious Question
November 23rd, 2009
11:27 am
Does anyone else get the sense that Mark Richt’s heart just isn’t in it any longer. Maybe the job of being the head guy just isn’t for him. I wonder if he isn’t torn between the minsitry and coaching. Each time I see film of him on the sidelines when things aren’t going our way he just has a very defeated “I’m done” kind of look about him. Go back and look at film of older games when he would call a timeout and rally the players and inspire them to make the big play. It was like everyone could see the Kentucky game slipping away and he was just content to stand by and watch the train wreck. You look at the lack of discipline on the team and it just feeds right into what I’m talking about- it’s as if he’s just given up or conflicted about what he truly wants to be doing with his life. Does anyone else see this?
CPJ rocks
November 23rd, 2009
11:28 am
I give thanks for having this week off so that I can look at GT highlights…this is for GT fans..got to take a look at 2nd half highlights of 08 Tech UGA game. If that doesn’t fire you up nothing will!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJPTYTswPCI
Dawg2DEnd
November 23rd, 2009
11:29 am
My question is why didn’t Coach Richt employ the same philosophy he used in 2006. If you remember, Joe Tereshinski (a senior) waited on the bench behind David Green and DJ Shockley. When Shockley left Tereshinski was given the starting QB spot. After about 5 weeks, Richt had seen enough and after platooning Tereshinski and Stafford at the QB position he finally went with Stafford for the remainder of the season. The Dawgs finished with a 9-4 record, but Stafford was being groomed for the starters spot for 2007 and we all know how that turned out (Dawgs 11-2). This year none of that was done. Cox has struggled the entire season, looking good on some occasions but mediocre at best. I understand that you want to give a guy who has sat on the bench for 5 years his chance to start, but if he can’t produce then you need to look elsewhere. Now that the season is over, WHO do we have coming in next year as the starting QB? Do we hear the same excuse that he’s new and has to get used to playing under the SEC pressure? Why not after the TN loss didn’t we start getting him prepared for 2010? Come on Coach, you let us down this year with your dying loyalty to some of your players and coaches. Let’s ALL hope for a better 2010.
Sally Anne
November 23rd, 2009
11:29 am
Richt will eventually resign, but it will likely be after next season, which means another year of misery and suffering for Dawg fans. At least it keeps the blogosphere active with UGA fans bemoaning their fate. Venting is about all we can do, since Damon Evans is NOT going to fire Richt.
Unless Tech has a really bad day, the game on Saturday will likely be a blowout. I’ll guess 45-28.
Bob
November 23rd, 2009
11:29 am
Our talent is vastly overrated and has been for a couple of years now. Last year we had two NFL 1st rounders to mask our deficiencies. Now we don’t and the results speak for themselves. If anyone thinks we’ve got the same kind of players that Florida and Alabama have you are smoking some serious crack rock. I am not here to defend the coaches, but all this crap about how we have the talent to compete with anyone is complete non-sense. We clearly don’t. We have ONE All-SEC caliber player in AJ Green. That’s it. The fact that Rennie Curran is our best defensive player is a serious indictment of our talent level on defense. I love the guy but he is undersized and would only see the starting lineup in his dreams at Florida or Alabama. Its time to cut all the sentimental crap and get down to brass tacks. There is a lot more wrong with this team than preparation and gameday coaching. We don’t have the players anymore. That’s why I honestly don’t see this program getting turned around anytime soon.
Billy Ray Valentine
November 23rd, 2009
11:30 am
SUPER DAWG,
You thought that was a well coached team that wore the red helmets Saturday night?
Bernie Matt
November 23rd, 2009
11:31 am
I’ve been telling ya’ll forever that the problem with UGA was about coaching and not about talent. UGA’s graduating players who are back-ups in school, but playing in the NFL. But, UGA isn’t winning any big games. That’s a problem. I can just see next year, Caleb King and Washawn Ealy becoming the Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin, meaning some other big-time recruit will be brought in and the coaches will say “we didn’t have the right RB last year”. Does anyone remember this happening to Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin when Thomas Brown came in the program. But amazingly, Danny and Kregg are both on NFL rosters. The problem is not the kids, the problem is the coaches and even some of the IGNORANT FANS who allow these crappy coaches to scapegoat the kids. Like I said before only at Georgia does this happen. At Bama, Tenn., and FL they point to the coach. Here the coaches and the rednecks look up and down the sideline to see which of the 85 scholarships they can blame!
Kendawg
November 23rd, 2009
11:32 am
The defense has been declining since Van Gorder left. Does it take ten years for this to become a trnd to Richt? If he cannot see the problems, then it’s time for him to go.
Maddog
November 23rd, 2009
11:33 am
Mike
November 23rd, 2009
11:21 am
No one said UK wasn’t making progress. But prior to Saturday night, you guys under Brooks were 1-37 against SEC east teams (excluding Vandy). I doubt if there is even one D1 head coach that would take UK’s talent over UGA. Just sayin….
Billy Ray Valentine
November 23rd, 2009
11:34 am
Kendawg,
Hypothetically, if Richt were to go, and you could go get any non-SEC coach to come in and turn the program around, who would you want?
Dawg Pound
November 23rd, 2009
11:34 am
I’m not on the fire Richt bandwagon yet either, but I sure hope he has the testicles to make the necessary changes to his staff. I’m not gonna point fingers cause I’m not a practice everyday, but there is some problems that cannot be ignored. We will rebound and be fine if he does so.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
November 23rd, 2009
11:35 am
I think you’re wrong about talent Bob. Last count put 39 former Dawgs in the NFL….not counting Odell Thurman who has the ability but not the brain to be there.
jack bull
November 23rd, 2009
11:35 am
1)georgia has the better players(obviously)
2)kentucky won(BECAUSE OF TURNOVERS, NOT COACHING!!!!!!) UGA DOMINATED THAT GAME.minus the dang turnovers…we could’ve had spurrier,carroll,saban,meyer, or anyone coaching that game and we would have lost with those turnovers..not coaches fault for fumbling on the kickoff(boykin was hurt, btw), not coaches fault cox didn’t see the DL on the int.(if the DL didn’t stumble, he wouldn’t have been there and the play would’ve went for 15 yds or more), not coaches fault ealey thought the play was a hand off and not a pitch..
3)keep coach richt, he’s one of the best 5 coaches in college football.. who needs to go? coach fab..
don’t get me wrong, i’m just as disappointed as anyone we lost, but this WAS NOT A COACHING ISSUE!!!!
GIVE ME A BREAK
November 23rd, 2009
11:36 am
SUPER DAWG, Richt and his staff picked these players. They have the same ability and talent they had in high school. The difference is coaching. They are meeting CMR’s expectations.
Rick S
November 23rd, 2009
11:37 am
It’s easy to place the blame on different coaches but I really believe Georgia desperately needs an infusion of all new coaches with fresh and creative ideas and ones that know how to recruit the championship claliber talent. Georgia has been nice long enough and it’s time for Georgia Football to step-up and competete for not only SEC Championships but National Championships! My question is “WHY NOT GEORGIA”!
cseay
November 23rd, 2009
11:39 am
ESPN College GameDay Appearances By School- Wow, Georgia is finally coming to grips with it’s irrelevance on the national stage, imagine that. Are you listening recruits!
Rank School Shows
1. Florida 28
2. Ohio State 22
3t. Florida State 21
3t. Michigan 21
5t. Notre Dame 18
5t. Oklahoma 18
7t. Tennessee 17
7t. Miami (Fla.) 17
9. Nebraska 15
10. Southern Cal 14
collegeballfan
November 23rd, 2009
11:40 am
Just from watching on TV UGA looks unbeatable on both offense & defense.
I have no idea what happens to cause the losses. Some contributing factors: 1) way to many personal foul penalties (this is usually a sign of a ME first mentality), 2) no committment to the running game (there is nothing wrong with second & 7 – make 3 or 4 more yards & you have a makeable third down), way, way to many off the field incidents (Richt is spending to much time on driver licenses, for example).
—————
ONE Question(s) – I realize I have stole from you, but the points need to be made. Good comment by you.
Look I am a Tech fan but for 11 games I am a UGA fan. My dream is to always have the Tech vs UGA game played by two undefeated teams.
2N4YEARS
November 23rd, 2009
11:40 am
Hey, what’s that noise? What noise? That ‘whistle’ sound. Oh, that noise…..that’s the sound that the wind makes when it runs through the holes of the GEORGIA football players feet.
p.s. I would wish you good luck on Saturday, but you’ll need more than that. Six years of TOP 10 recruiting classes at UGA = 112th ranked Defense, 80th ranked Offense, 110th ranked kick-off & punt return teams allowance, 119th in penalties. 1st in punts. Six years of TOP 60 recruiting classes at GaTech = 10-1 season & #7 National ranking. But hey, relax, our coaches are fine at UGA. They can fix it! (lightening striking)
gdawginkalamazoo
November 23rd, 2009
11:41 am
Oh and quit calling for Richt’s job people. Get real. Okay bad year, very bad year, bad defense, replaced 80% of our offense. Straighten out the defense, get Richt involved on the offense next year, get somebody to run a discipline program. Stop with the redshirting.
Mark Bradley
November 23rd, 2009
11:42 am
I believe Richt deserves and will get the time he needs to straighten things out. Question is, will he straighten things out?
Billy Ray Valentine
November 23rd, 2009
11:43 am
Jack Bull,
I understand your logic that the coaches didn’t throw the interceptions, that was Joe Cox. But do you honestly feel that after the season Joe Cox has had, that he would be your starting quarterback if Urban Meyer or Nick Saban was coaching in Athens.
I recall that while Chris Leak was a senior, Urban decided to draw up some offensive packages that could allow a young talented quarterback named Timothy Tebow to get into the game, and get him some playing time and utilize his talents.
I think we both can agree that idea has worked out pretty well.
Jack bull, who do you think will be the quarterback in 2010 for the dawgs? whoever it is, I ccan promise you, they have never taken a meaningful SEC snap in their life. And that my friend, is a product of bad coaching.
5 personal foul penalties, thats a discipline issue. Jack Bull, remind us once again, where does discipline (or lack there of) come from?
Coaching
but i guess you’re right. Coaching didn’t have anything to do with it.
jason
November 23rd, 2009
11:43 am
I sit back and laugh at the Blind Homers who say “you are not real fans if you want CMR fired”, or the who will coach UGA if CMR is gone. Hate to vreak it to you, there is noone coaching UGA at this moment. I don’t pretend to know what happened to CMR and his HC abilities. My opinion is he was never that great of a HC. You can see it in how his team is performing with his recruits. It is no secret that a large part of his success came from BVG as DC and recruits that Donnan recruited. UGA has slowly been sinking since this team has become CMR’s as a whole. His coaches and his recruits. This year the flood gates opened up.
The problem is not about losing Staff, #24, and MoMass. The problems go beyond that. The ineptness of the defense has nothing to do with those three players departures. The inexcusable play of the OL has nothing to do with it either. Cox was susposed to be an accurate passer and effecient game mgr. That cannot be further from the truth. Cox can only throw a nice pretty deep ball, and he has shown on more than one occasion to make about a dozen or so absolutely STUPID decisions every game. The games we won this year and last had more to just out manning teams with talent than coaching and game planning.
Clint Boling has to be the worse and most overated OL that UGA has ever produced. He gets like 5 penalties a game. Talk about STUPID, he can’t remember the snap count half the time. Hate to call him out, but Evans gets called out every day. Boling is Evans on offense.
This season just needs to get over. THis has to be the worse season I can remember at UGA. Yes, even through the Donnan and Goff years. Simple reasons are that with Goff, UGA was never expected to do anything. Life is a certified B!t&h when the expectation level is raised.
Tech Man
November 23rd, 2009
11:45 am
Even though i’m a tech grad and can’t stand uga and hope they lose every game they ever play, i hate to see so much blame being placed on joe cox. How many kids do you know that are so loyal to their school, that they put in the work four years just to play one season as qb. Even though he is a senior, he’s really just a rookie qb and will make the same mistakes rookie qb’s make. It’s unfair to expect him to be another stafford or green. Not all those turnovers are his fault. It seens usa’s biggest problem is penalties, followed by turnovers. Their biggest problem is not talent at the qb spot. btw: having a so so season won’t get richt fired, but losing to gt three or four years in a row will, just ask Chan G. GO JACKETS
Maddog
November 23rd, 2009
11:45 am
cseay
November 23rd, 2009
11:39 am
Right. ESPN defines relevance. I noticed Michigan was on the list, but not LSU, NC two years ago. And Tennessee? Riiiiight. So much for that argument.
jack bull
November 23rd, 2009
11:45 am
simply not true,mr.give me a break, bryan evans was one the highest recruited players in America, he just didn’t pan out.. jeff owens has not been the same player he was 2 yrs ago.. curran can’t cover anyone, dent and gamble are not near as fast as bailey,witherspoon, or any of our past linebackers,
i’m just glad we have Damon Evans as our AD, someone who has played at this level and understands it, therefore is ignoring the lunatic fringe, whom has no idea what we have..
Nails
November 23rd, 2009
11:46 am
UGA doesn’t have a Speical Teams coach on the roster. Whomever the Einstein is that thinks it’s a brilliant strategy to continually give the opposing team starting field position no worse than their own 40 yard line, on EVERY single kick off, should be shot. This idiotic tactic is more frustrating than all the bonehead turnovers and penalties combined!!!
A Rod
November 23rd, 2009
11:47 am
good job mark your writing has improved a lot.
ONE Question(s)
November 23rd, 2009
11:48 am
ALL OF YOU WHO SAY UGA HAS OVERRATED TALENT ARE IGNORANT AND POSSIBLY RETARDED. Please check the NFL for your gage on talent. Save all of us from the misery of having to read your posts on how good the talent at the last HIGH SCHOOL football game you saw was and how they went to another school so therefore UGA has less talent. The best minds in the business of football consistently give UGA high marks for recruiting. Those recruits have given UGA a winning over time – last 20 years that is top 5 in all of college football over the period. And the NFL pays them. Story over. Take your lackluster logic about how Kentucky has better talent than UGA and go to bed, will you please you children.
Mike
November 23rd, 2009
11:48 am
Before Brooks arrived, Kentucky would be the team losing a fumble late in the fourth quarter two yards away from the game-tying touchdown.
Saturday night, that team was Georgia.
Before Brooks arrived, Kentucky would be the team suffering a crushing face-mask penalty negating a bizarre first down achieved when it recovered and advanced its own blocked punt.
(How often do you see that?)
Saturday night, that team was Georgia.
Before Brooks, Kentucky would be the team that outgained its opponent 487-260 and found a way to lose. Kentucky would be the team blowing a 20-6 halftime lead with four second-half turnovers.
Now Kentucky’s the team that shrugs off a hometown deficit and sends the unhappy crowd home early.
UK erased a 14-7 halftime deficit to win 21-14 at Auburn. It rallied from a 13-10 halftime deficit to win 24-13 at Vanderbilt. It rallied from 27-13 down in the third quarter to beat Georgia 34-27.
These Cats no longer slip on the banana peel; they have the team speed and determination to fly right past it.
No wonder ESPN’s Chris Low wrote Sunday, “If Kentucky does this coming Saturday what it’s failed to do every year since 1984 — and that’s beat Tennessee — the SEC Coach of the Year Award this season should take its rightful place in Lexington, Ky. The more you watch this team play, the more respect you gain for what Rich Brooks has done with this team.”
junkyard
November 23rd, 2009
11:49 am
Take a look at the ridiculous salaries these inept assistants make every year and yet there is no accountability. They would already be gone if they were held to corporate standards. If Richt doesn’t clean house after this year then he can take a hike.
Billy Ray Valentine
November 23rd, 2009
11:49 am
I’m sure Damon Evans is glad to have the faithful dawgs who believe in “magic” and believe that “things will work themselves out”
If changes aren’t made, then will the faithful begin to smell the stink?
icedawg
November 23rd, 2009
11:51 am
Just think, next year we get more inexperienced quarterbacks in the starting slot. And then the excuse will be that they’ll need that year to gain experience. So the prospects for next year are not much better than this one. The Dawg’s coaching staff has dug us into a hole.
jason
November 23rd, 2009
11:51 am
ONE Question(s), Great post. Agree 100 %. I will tell you now. #9 Jones will go pro this year and possibly be a Pro-Bowler in 2-3 years. How can a guy like that be so bad? 6′2 215 4.5 or better 40. He hits, and he intercepts passes. What will be the difference? Coaching, plain and simple.
Mobile Dawg
November 23rd, 2009
11:51 am
Same question Mark. If you read my post he deserves one shot at this point, either wholesale changes, or subtle changes and hope they work. I believe if we hired a Pollack style personality and put him somewhere in the program his enthusiasm would be contagious. Got to do something though.
fair and Balanced
November 23rd, 2009
11:52 am
If CMR is so great, why couldn’t he see this season coming if he didn’t make some changes? 3 butt ugly halves last year and then trying to hang on to beat lower tier teams in the conference, the inability to blow anybody out…… Gosh, it does not take a genius to figure out that changes were necessary.
Definition of an idiot: Someone who does the same thing over and over expecting a different result!
I’m not calling anybody an idiot, but dang! Some of us fans who know less about football than even CWM saw we had problems even before last season! Cotton pick! Why does GA pay a head football coach so much money if he can’t see down the pike any better than that?!
GA had 3 elite NCAA D1 offensive players that carried the team last year. The same 3 may be destined to be NFL greats. Couldn’t anyone see that GA was doomed this season with no changes in the coaching staff?
jack bull
November 23rd, 2009
11:52 am
out of the 5 penalties, 2, i repeat 2 were ligit!!!! evans late hit(boneheaded) and butlers facemask(over-zealous on his part),,, davis’ was just a bump at the end of the play, boling fell and the side of his hand tripped the guy, and there is no face guarding in college football(bad technique on evans’ part,yes, penalty, NO).. This is a contact sport, and i, for one, want my players hitting people..
as far as playing a freshman QB, we’ve done that, with stafford,,mettenberger or murray simply arent ready.. but i guess you’re at practice to see that, huh?…..i’ve got a very close family member on the team, and they are just not ready…
oh, mettenberger will be our QB next year…
jason
November 23rd, 2009
11:54 am
icedawg, excellent post and by the way, after next yaer we won’t have AJ around as he will surely go pro after his Junior year.
dawgfan13
November 23rd, 2009
11:56 am
I know this is going to be redundent, but If Steve Spurrier had this team, they would be winning big time! He would go out and get the best coordinators for the team, but would make this offense so prolific that they would average at least 35 points a game. Murray would def be starting over Joe Cox. Steve likes guys built like Mettenburg though so he would prolly get the nod over Murray. I dont see Charlie Strong going to coach at Georgia, even if it is the Hed coaching job. He should get the first shot at Notre Dame
jason
November 23rd, 2009
11:56 am
AJ green will go down as the biggest waste of talent UGA has ever had. Now, I am not saying it is his fault but the fault of the coaches because he will have had only one experienced QB in his stay at UGA. That his Freshman year. AJ, may not reach his freshman numbers again because of inexperienced QB play.
Topp Dogg
November 23rd, 2009
11:56 am
CMR ,your seat is getting hotter you need to come up with some answers quickly or face unemployment with your staff next year or sooner if we are lucky.
GT
November 23rd, 2009
11:58 am
One great thing is Tech is in a different conference, so it does not kill me to wish Georgia luck. Once a year I don’t return their phone calls but the rest of the year I am not really pulling for them but I don’t wish them any real harm either. This town is a little depressed right now with the latest illness of the dawgs. The parties are not as lively, something is not lined up right. Don’t get me wrong I want to smack em Saturday night but after that I kind of wish they would take a hard look and fix what ever it is that makes them loose to Kentucky. Don’t fix it until Monday but damnit man get it fixed.
Billy Ray Valentine
November 23rd, 2009
12:00 pm
my point is this Jack. If they’re not ready now, which according to the Bull family source, they’re not. what in the world makes you think they’re going to be ready to go to Columbia, SC for their first road SEC game and be ready by then. NONE of the younger qb’s have taken a meaningful SEC snap. Even in the route of Tenn. Tech, it seemed that Richt was trying to rebuild Joe Cox’s confidence as let him beat up on the weak sister, instead of getting Logan Gray some more snaps.
Just my humble opinion, I don’t attend practice, and I don’t have a family member “on the team” so I guess that disqualifies me from having a point.
Everyone just relax, Jack Bull knows people on the team. Oh yeah, of the 5 15 yard penalties, only 2 were legit according to Jack Bull. Well I got news for ya Jack, if “if, and’s and buts were candy and nuts we’d all have a merry christmas”
Problem is, while only 2 were “legit” in Mr. Bull’s eyes, ALL 5 WERE CALLED.
jason
November 23rd, 2009
12:00 pm
jack bull, hate to break it to you, but Evans was pulling the WR’s arm down throughout the entire play. Definitely PI. And No, Davis shoved the KU player down after the play. Davis should have been nowhere near that play, it was obviously over. As for the clipping, I didn’t see it, but I saw the hold on the WR on Ealy’s long run. There were 2 flags on that play.
Willie Martinezz
November 23rd, 2009
12:02 pm
My momma talkin to me tryin to tell me how to live
But I don’t listen to her cause my head is like a sieve
My daddy he disowned me cause I wear my sister’s clothes
He caught me in the bathroom
with a pair of pantyhose
My basketball coach he done kicked me off the team
For wearing high heeled sneakers and acting like a queen
The world’s comin to an end and I don’t even care
As long as I can have a limo and my orange hair
And it don’t bother me if people think I’m funny
Cause I’m a big coachin’ star and I’m making lots of money
Money Money Money MONEY MONEY!!!!!
Ahh ha ha
I’m so bloody rich
I own apartment buildings and shopping centers
And I only know three plays
Watch me BURRRRRRNNNNNN
YOU FOOLS!!!
jack bull
November 23rd, 2009
12:02 pm
i guess pete carroll and bob stoops need to be fired this year, too….oh my goodness they’re having a bad year…fire em all, and we can throw les miles in there as well..
we win 10 games every year with a chance to win the SEC, (and we know what that means) we have a disappointing season and you want to run off one of the best in the business..
y’all are truly very scary…i know you bleed red and black, but you really need step back and take a deep breath..
Sally Anne
November 23rd, 2009
12:03 pm
Mark Bradley says “I believe Richt deserves and will get the time he needs to straighten things out. Question is, will he straighten things out?”
The answer is NO. And he’s out of time.
ONE Question(s)
November 23rd, 2009
12:04 pm
My beef with CMR is that he hasn’t adapted: not to the ‘new’ clock rule; not to running an offense in the SEC (HELLO CAN WE PLEASE REITERATE THE NEED FOR A FAT BACK WHO CAN GET 3 YDS JUST BY FALLING OVER – WORD UP MUSA); not to the BCS – Can we please run up the score just a little bit – OH and running up the score has a different name in my home town – it’s called KILLER INSTINCT; not to the rules of football where an false start is still a 5 yard penalty; not to the SEC – you cannot be sloppy and then throw your way out of trouble in the SEC – you can in the ACC. It is the style of football that CMR coaches that is going to continually get him into trouble.
icedawg
November 23rd, 2009
12:04 pm
No doubt Jason, AJ Green’s talent will have been wasted.
gadawg
November 23rd, 2009
12:05 pm
Talent is here. Coaching talent NOT. Fla,Ala,Tx are in the top 10 every year along with UGA. Where are they and where are we? It’s coaching, pure and simple. This has been coming for some time now. When BVG left that was the beginning of the end. CMR has never had a good offense since he’s been here but our good defense covered it up. Now that our defense is pathetic our offense is even more pathetic. play calling is just plain dumb.
bill miles
November 23rd, 2009
12:07 pm
From a Kentucky fan its nice to win in Athens even its only every 32 years. Best team does’nt always win. No turnovers and Georgia wins easy. But, part of being a good team is not making mistakes. Don’t fire the coach just yet. You’ve got plenty of talent. If we beat you next year then maybe.