Even as Richt focuses on Tech, there’s a grim big picture
Turnovers are a symptom, but they're not the problem itself. (AP photo by John Amis)
In the grand scheme, the Kentucky loss should be a blessing. It should yield the sort of clarity needed when quality control has slipped. A coach can fool himself for a while, but when he loses at home to Kentucky after leading by 14 points, he has to acknowledge the obvious. Doesn’t he?
Even as he approached a game against the best team in the state his Georgia Bulldogs long ruled, Mark Richt still wouldn’t address the greater issue, at least not on the record. “I’ve never been one to focus on several things at one time,” he said Wednesday. This week he would speak only of Georgia Tech, saying, “My feeling right now is on the next game; it’s such a crucial game for our program.”
But there he’s wrong. Beating Tech might mean the difference between a bowl in Nashville and one in Shreveport, but winning at Bobby Dodd Stadium won’t cure the systemic ill. On the contrary, it might offer Richt another reason not to change, and if that’s the case, this would be the one time when beating an in-state rival proved injurious to a program’s long-term health.
Because Georgia must change to keep pace, not just with Tech but with Tennessee and Kiffin and Auburn and Chizik. (Forget Florida and Alabama and LSU — they’ve already lapped the Bulldogs.) And it isn’t a one-year blip, as apologists insist, but a trend. In the first five seasons under Richt, Georgia played for the SEC title three times, winning twice, and had a record of 52-13. In these past four seasons, Georgia hasn’t reached the conference championship game and is 36-14, having gone 2-2 against Kentucky.
Think hard about that last part. Vince Dooley lost four times to the Wildcats in a quarter-century of coaching. Ray Goff lost once to Kentucky in six tries, Jim Donnan once in five. Richt has now done it twice. It’s one thing to lose to Florida, as Richt has managed seven times in nine tries, something else again to lose to a basketball school.
Asked about the need for change in his program on the SEC teleconference this week, Richt instead dissected the Kentucky loss. “Turnovers were the story of that game,” he said. “If it was zero-zero in turnovers or we’d have won the turnover battle, that’s a different game.” And it’s true that Georgia had four turnovers to Kentucky’s none, but ultimately Richt seemed to concede the futility of his argument: “Of course, you can’t throw out the turnovers.”
And you can’t. There’s no reason Georgia should be giving the ball to a lesser team four times without once being able to snatch it back. There’s no reason Georgia should be next-to-last in the nation in turnover margin, no reason it should rank 116th among 120 teams in penalties. Richt and his staff have stopped coaching effectively and have begun to rely on recruiting to see them through, and when you lose to Kentucky you see why recruiting is never enough. (If it were, Ron Zook would be Urban Meyer.)
No matter what happens against Tech, Richt will have to change his staff and his approach if he hopes again to play in the Georgia Dome for anything more than a Chick-fil-A Bowl trophy. Is there one Bulldog assistant who has gotten the most from his charges? Mike Bobo? Jon Fabris? John Jancek? Stacy Searels? Dave Van Halanger? Willie Martinez?
Forget this staff’s perceived February successes; even Rodney Garner, the chief recruiter, has insisted: “I’m a coach who recruits,” and not the other way around. But even with the gifted freshmen on campus — Branden Smith, Orson Charles, Washaun Ealey, Rantavious Wooten, Aaron Murray, Marlon Brown — is there any assurance they’ll flourish under these coaches?
Mark Richt is a smart man. He has to realize declining results call for an upgrade in standards. He has to know the only way back to the pinnacle of the SEC isn’t to stay the course but to change the navigators. He has to grasp this. Doesn’t he?
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425 comments Add your comment
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
2:05 pm
Basket weaving? Here’s what football players are majoring in at one school who will be playing for a championship:
Sociology………………………………………………………26
Communication Studies…………………………………….9
Pre-Business………………………………………………….9
Community Recreation, Sport & Camp Management..8
Management………………………………………………….7
Psychology……………………………………………………4
Biological Sciences………………………………………….3
Economics…………………………………………………….3
Financial Management………………………………………3
History………………………………………………………….3
PRTM…………………………………………………………..3
Civil Engineering……………………………………………..2
Construction Science & Management…………………..2
Marketing………………………………………………………2
Park & Protected Area Management…………………….2
Political Science……………………………………………..2
Secondary Education……………………………………….2
Undeclared…………………………………………………….2
Chemical Engineering………………………………………1
Education……………………………………………………..1
Elementary Education……………………………………..1
Environmental & Natural Resources…………………….1
General Engineering………………………………………..1
Industrial Management…………………………………….1
Packaging Science…………………………………………1
Preprofessional Health Studies………………………….1
Special Education………………………………………….1
Sport Management…………………………………………1
Travel & Tourism……………………………………………1
Youth Development Leadership…………………………1
English……………………………………………………….1
T
November 27th, 2009
2:06 pm
2 winning seasons in the ACC doesn’t mean you are good, it only means you are slightly better than average. Congrats Tech fans on winning a conference who can’t even sell out there conference championship game. NO matter how bad UGA’s record is, it is still better than that Trade School on North Avenue. I can’t wait to watch that stadium full of virgins dressed in Yellow Jacket gear get stomped by the one and always true powerhouse of the state.
exNFLplayer
November 27th, 2009
2:16 pm
You know Thunderchief, you’re right. GT45 made that ignorant statement. Damn I’m having a bad day. Sorry bout that.
Pop Tarts National Champions '90
November 27th, 2009
2:18 pm
I think it’s a little early to be writing off UGA as a program in decline. This year is a bad one, no doubt. Things change quickly in college football as players move on to graduation and the NFL each year. Did any other team in the nation have to replace three NFL starters at the skill positions this year? (Stafford, Morino, Massaquoi) How good would the Tech offense be if they’d just lost Nesbitt, Dwyer and Allen?
Some times it’s the smart coaching decision to take your lumps this year instead of trying to put a young player in a position where he has to carry the team. It’s a different sport, but look at the Braves as an example. They let Hanson develop in the minors until he was ready to be a top notch major league pitcher. They put Schafer in the starting lineup too early and may have destroyed his confidence. How much better might one of the UGA freshman quarterbacks be after a full year of development and learning the system? Is it possible that by not throwing one of them to the wolves this season Richt has given UGA a better chance of success for the next 3 or 4 years?
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
2:21 pm
If Mark Richt takes over play calling he will still need an offensive coordinator (or co-coordinator).
exNFLplayer
November 27th, 2009
2:32 pm
QB’s can always benefit from a redshirt year. Had D.J. Shockley had another year left you can bet that Stafford would have worn the shirt. Joe Cox is way more advanced than Joe T. was at the QB position and with the disappointing performance of the O line this year, it could have been a very ugly wasted year had Richt played Murray or Mettenberger. As it stands UGA will now have 2 highly recruited QBs for 4 more years, ala David Green and D.J. Shockley. Frankly I think playing one of them this year would have been a big mistake. Just like NOT playing Ealey would have been a mistake.
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
2:35 pm
Pop Tarts National Champions ‘90 –
“How good would the Tech offense be if they’d just lost Nesbitt, Dwyer and Allen?”
It’s hard to say, because:
1) there would be a missing recruiting class not accounted for
2) a missing season of player development not accounted for
3) Jaybo Shaw did have a lot of playing time while Nesbitt was injured
4) Jordan Luallen and Daniel Drummond might have had their redshirt pulled
That’s a question that is better to be looked at after this season.
Ed
November 27th, 2009
2:35 pm
Agree with much of this, except for the part where LSU “lapped the Bulldogs.” Not sure how you arrived at that conclusion. We beat them last year, almost beat them this year. Since ‘07, LSU is 28-10 and the fan base is not happy; Georgia is 27-10 with an unhappy fan base. Both have suffered losses that they probably shouldn’t have, and both appear to be slipping further behind Alabama and Florida.
Seems to me like the programs are pretty much on the same track right now.
Sonny Clusters
November 27th, 2009
2:38 pm
Good writing is hard to find and Mark has outdid himself today. “Even as Richt focuses on Tech, there’s a grim big picture.” Those adjectives were used just right, because a grim big picture is not the same thing as a big grim picture. Even though the paper is narrow and hard to read it is good to see proper use of adjectives. We was reading where Russ will be on the sidelines at the game. They won’t let him buy an NFL team but they let him root for Georgia?
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
2:40 pm
Iron Bowl coming on…”War Eagle.”, sez my daughter.
Pitbull
November 27th, 2009
2:40 pm
I do agree that Coach Richt is in denial about his coaching staff.
If I understand correctly, a fan had to point out to him that Joe Cox was tipping off the other teams as to whether UGA was going to run a running play or a pass play based on how he was positioning his feet. Bobo later confirmed it. That right there tells me Bobo and his coaches just do not have a clue and are in over their heads.
And as for Martinez, just look at the number of points we give up per game. Erk Russell once told me over a cup of coffee that there was no reason the Georgia defense should be out there for more than 3 plays. No excuses, just a statement of fact.
It is extremely obvious that the players look unprepared coming into the games and the penalties and turnovers confirm it.
I love CMR as a person and would love to see him prosper as a successful head coach in Athens for the next 20 years. However he needs to quit being a too nice guy and fire the assistants that are not taking care of the details. If he does not have the moxie to do it then he should resign which I would hate to see happen.
It is time for the Georgia program to man up, toughen up, and show discipline and resolve in these games.
And I really feel for Joe Cox. He is a good kid and I really respect him. I know he tries his hardest and is the best qb over there in Athens at this time to run the offense. But he is borderline on the skills to be an SEC qb and has not been adequately developed by Bobo and his staff. I hope Cox has a successful career in coaching after graduation and applies what he has learned about what it takes to win to the programs he coaches in.
Hope that we somehow find a way to beat the maggots on Saturday. THWGT.
Pop Tarts National Champions '90
November 27th, 2009
2:42 pm
Delbert – I agtee it’s an unknown, but it’s hard to say the Jackets will be better without their top 3 statistical leaders. It seems unlikely that all 3 will leave at the same time anyway.
what a joke
November 27th, 2009
2:43 pm
An F-105 Thunderchief, an exNFLplayer and an inbreddawg walk into a bar …
Saturday night we’ll know who the joke is about. Let’s Just play the game!!
exNFLplayer
November 27th, 2009
2:47 pm
Delbert D., Jaybo Shaw ain’t Josh Nesbitt by any stretch. Nesbitt has put that team on his back several times this year. There’s a huge difference. To me, Nesbitt is the MVP of that offense.
Sonny Clusters
November 27th, 2009
2:51 pm
Tiger Woods was in a crash and is in serious condition. Consider this the AJC breaking story from Sonny Clusters, assistant to Mark over the holidays.
Ed
November 27th, 2009
2:53 pm
Of course Richt knows that you can’t take turnovers out of the equation. His argument is nonsense, because he has to know that protecting the ball from the other team’s efforts to take it from you and forcibly taking the ball from the other team despite their best efforts to keep it are key goals in any football game. Bottom line, well-coached teams protect the ball on offense and ball-hawk on defense.
You might as well say “if not for their superior quarterback play, we would have won the game.”
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
2:54 pm
exNFLplayer – Iagree on Nesbitt, he’s the hoss. Shaw is coming along. As a true FR last year he was 3rd on the team in rushing and had a passer efficiency rating of 194 with 2 TDs on 24 attempts. He’s only played at QB in 2 games this year because of a broken collarbone. The “system” QB is redshirting. Big guy at 6′4, over 200, and sprinter 4 years on track team.
Not Disappointed
November 27th, 2009
2:57 pm
<—————- Loyal Tech Fan here!
Coach Mark Richt will make the right decision. He knows who needs to go. Pup fans shouldn't be so hard. If Mark Richt is fired, who would want to come coach behind that? No one behind that kid of pressure. "One bad year and you want the man fired?" That's insane. CMR can coach anywhere in the country. He will make the right decision at the end of the year.
Ramblin Wreck! Go JacketS!!!!
Sounds from the past
November 27th, 2009
3:01 pm
John Heisman, Head Coach of Georgia Tech, 1904-1919, Won 100 games, lost 28, tied 6. Opening day of practice each season he would describe a football like this, holding the football up in front of the players: He would ask, “What is it?” Before anyone could answer he would say, “A prolate spheriod. That is, an elongated sphere in which the outer leathern casing is drawn tightly over a somewhat smaller rubber tubing.” Then, glaring at the players and speaking in an very serious tone of voice he would add,”Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble it.”
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
3:04 pm
Sounds from the past – That’s so mean. I bet he couldn’t recruit. Mamas wouldn’t want their boys to play for him. Etc., etc., etc.
exNFLplayer
November 27th, 2009
3:08 pm
Yeah, I’ve heard the big guy is the heir apparent.
Sounds from the past
November 27th, 2009
3:08 pm
LOL! The best play for a trophie with his name on it. Coaches are to be coaches, to be feared, respected, and obeyed. They are not to be friends, coddling and conjoling, afraid to get in somebodies ear hole and straighten out stinkin’ thinkin’!
exNFLplayer
November 27th, 2009
3:09 pm
Auburn is all over Alabama.
DawginLex
November 27th, 2009
3:13 pm
Joshua the pollock nerd “aka yellow fuzz”. You better be thankful I have a family and friends in town for the holiday. It will save you from the arse whipping I was going to put on your wimpy arse in Section 305 tomorrow. date tomorrow.
Stupid, fat and a nerd is no way to go through life son.
Enjoy your blow up doll date tomorrow.
Delbert D.
November 27th, 2009
3:16 pm
Not that it means much, be he was top 10 All-purpose by Rivals and Scout. Nesbitt will be the guy next year, with Shaw getting snaps to give him a break. That’s how Johnson used him last year, even when Nesbitt was playing. Luallen ran the Wing-T in HS, unlike Nesbitt.
Herschel Talker
November 27th, 2009
3:20 pm
YOU ARE ALL MARK RICHT APOLOGISTS
GT72
November 27th, 2009
3:23 pm
Why the bcs is a joke. GT has been at #7 for what 3 weeks now? And during that time, 2 acc teams have won and moved into the top 25, unc and clemson, while boise’s lone tough opponent has dropped from a loss. Yet GT still sits behind this boise joke. We’ve played 4 ranked teams to boise’s one. This is why college football is a joke. It will be interesting to see if bama loses and if they do, where they drop. They should be below gt considering they’ve played a much weaker schedule, only 2 ranked teams vs 4 for for gt and gt’s loss is to a 3 loss top 20 team, miami, and their loss will be to a 4 loss unranked team.
mark louis
November 27th, 2009
3:44 pm
Bradley, you are an idiot. Florida will take a step back next year, and LSU can’t even read a clock. Miles might be gone before Richt. Tennessee isn’t even bowl eligible yet, Kiffin hasn’t proven anything. But you don’t care about facts. The sky is perpetually falling in yoru world. Luckily we won’t have to read your columns much longer. The AJC may not last to the end of the year.
--I-,
November 27th, 2009
3:50 pm
Yellow Fuzz wilts……..pudding!
T
November 27th, 2009
4:03 pm
I thought Tech fans were supposed to be smarter than UGA fans, but after reading all this mess, it appears that the UGA fans attended all of their English classes in school. All of the Tech fans must have spend that time coloring in their Hooked On Phonics books.
CTim
November 27th, 2009
5:16 pm
MB, there are some coaches in sports, Bobby Bowden, Ray Knight, Al Davis (former coach, now delusional owner) who refuse, or are incapable, of recognizing the truth. When a sport has passed them by, or they are no longer effective in what they do. I’m beginning to increasingly belief Marc Richt is one of those people…If he changes his staff, starting with Willie Martinez, there is still hope for this program under him. If he doesn’t, UGA is doomed to second tier status until Damon Evans likewise wakes up and realizes that CMR can’t get it done anymore…either way, 2010 will determine his fate, one way or the other.
Hall
November 27th, 2009
5:18 pm
What will the bcs do if Auburn wins and then Bama beats Fla? You have no justification for putting either team ahead of Cincy or TCU if they win out
UGA the cowardly incontenent quivering chihuahua
November 27th, 2009
6:10 pm
could you spare some wee wee pads for a mung loving pooch? I do not think I will be able to hold my water on Saturday.
Larry
November 27th, 2009
9:13 pm
Rumor mill has willie martini resigning as DC Sunday and BVG coming back as DC after the Falcons season is over ? Any truth?
Who lost to Kensucky at home on senior day?
November 27th, 2009
10:39 pm
Your team is awful. We have a powerhouse offense and you won’t be able to stop us.
uberVU - social comments
November 28th, 2009
12:38 am
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley: Even as UGA and Richt focus on Ga. Tech, there’s a grim big picture. http://bit.ly/7rP4Xw…
Wont Jones
November 28th, 2009
6:22 am
“Vince Dooley lost four times to the Wildcats in a quarter-century of coaching. Ray Goff lost once to Kentucky in six tries, Jim Donnan once in five. Richt has now done it twice. It’s one thing to lose to Florida, as Richt has managed seven times in nine tries, something else again to lose to a basketball school”
Pretty objective statement coming from a Kentucky boy.
Yellow Fuzz
November 28th, 2009
6:39 am
To borrow a phrase from former coach Pat Dye-
GEORGIA IS NOT MAN ENOUGH to beat Georgia Tech this year.
and
THE DOG NATION FANS are not man enough to sit through an entire azz whoopin.
Please use the trash receptacles that we have provided for you and support your team until the final buzzer. And STFU when walking back to your truck!
Palm City Dawg
November 28th, 2009
8:39 am
You are full of it and full of yourself Mark. Why don’t you just write in some good ole GT loser facts from the past. CMR will turn this program around. He did not want to waste Murray’s redshirt from the beginning. He knew the new kids are the future of the program and he has painfully played Cox in order save Murray (also due to his injury) and to look to the future. He will make the changes necessary to get back on track. In the meantime, UGA will shut you and the insects up tonight. Funny, one win in 8 years and now you think Tech will win the NC. Bulls___!
Mark
November 28th, 2009
8:55 am
I laughed at you the last time you mentioned LSU in the SEC elite and that was before they loss to Ole Miss. They will lose again today to Ark just like they did last year during a 5 loss season. Please apply your pathetic logic to all teams in the SEC and state of GA not simply the bulldogs. It really shows you as a hater.
Enjoy the holiday
Yellow Fuzz
November 28th, 2009
10:07 am
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.5 straight days!
whatever
November 28th, 2009
1:11 pm
I’m actually afraid that if GA beats Tech tonight that CMR will take this as a big validation that he doesn’t have to make changes. In fact – during the off-season he will blame in the “young” team he had. And Willie and Booboo will be back next year.
atlvol55
November 28th, 2009
1:11 pm
1st…I think it is a litte premature to say UGA has gotten lapped by Florida, Bama, LSU. There are very small marginal differences in talent.
2nd…A lot of UGA fans need to wake up. You happened to finish #2 in the country because everyone else in front of you lost and you beat a crappy Hawaii team…big deal…you don’t win trophies for 2nd place!
3rd…Aaron Murray or the other guy may turn out to be great, but obviously if the coaches thought they were better now, they would be playing!! Richt started Greene and Stafford as true freshman, which tells me they don’t think they are your best option!!
4th…Even with Stafford, Massaquoi, Moreno, Allen, etc… you still lost 3 games last year…two very badly and should have lost South Carolina and either Auburn or KY. You had goal line stands just to win those games!!
5th..Richt will be gone in a couple of years….just like Fulmer…completency kills!!
Matt
November 28th, 2009
1:14 pm
Don’t take the knee jerk reaction to a less than par season. Stay behind all UGA coaches, overall they have a good record. All teams are dynamic and behave like fluid. Sometimes they’re hard to manage and circumstances are beyond anyone’s control. Hang in there and stick with them.
Yellow Fuzz
November 28th, 2009
1:15 pm
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
georgia = Tech’s bitch for 364.75 straight days!
whatever
November 28th, 2009
1:16 pm
Hey Delbert D – What are the UGA football players majoring in?? Do you have that breakdown so we can effectively compare? And then compare that to Tech players. Even in Tech’s easiest major, the students still have to take a year of calculus.
flagboy?
November 28th, 2009
1:22 pm
a program 2 years removed from finishing #2 with pretty legitimate talk at the end of the year of being worthy of being in the National Championship game. Last year, 10 wins with a patchwork OLine (vince vance scares me) and no defensive game changers. This year, replacing Lord knows what percentage of the offense and once again losing your best O lineman and once again with NO defensive game changers, we’re sitting where we are. Yes a down year, a very down year by our standards, but calling for Richt’s head is insane and shows short-sightedness.
The biggest trouble is the personel we have on the defensive side of the ball. . .how many of our guys would start at Florida? Name one. . .
offensively, we’re so young, and next year, we will break in a new QB as well. . but the tools around him won’t be as green either. . .
Richt shouldn’t be going anywhere. Other coaching changes are going to be made.
btw, S. Carolina is beating Clemson.
Arch Insider
November 28th, 2009
1:47 pm
Adams and Richt had long heated meeting recently. Sumpins up!
ron
November 28th, 2009
2:00 pm
willie martinez is long overdue for termination,period.
Roadrunner
November 28th, 2009
2:12 pm
Although I totally agree Georgia’s defense has been sub-par for far too long, their offense & O-line have been underperforming and kickoff & punt team coverage the worst I’ve seen in a long time, people calling for Mark Richt to step down are just crazy. His record is among the best for all active coachs while at UGA. Does he need to make changes, absolutely, but give him this off-season to do the right thing and if he doesn’t than yes as good as he is (and as good a person as he is) it’s probably fair to question his leadership skills to make the tough decision.