Which coaching pair is better: UGA’s Marks or Tech’s Pauls?
Saints marching in? Tech's Paul Johnson, Georgia's Mark Richt. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Four men, all named after saints. Two led their respective teams to conference championships in their second seasons. One played for a national championship in his fourth season. The other has been in place a little over a year and has stirred enthusiasm where none existed.
For Georgia, two Marks: Richt coaches football, Fox basketball.
For Georgia Tech, two Pauls: Johnson coaches football, Hewitt basketball.
For you, one question: Which pair would you rather have?
It’s not an easy call: Johnson just took his Jackets to the ACC championship, and Hewitt’s Jackets just played for the ACC title. Richt’s Bulldogs haven’t graced the SEC title game since 2005, and Fox’s Hounds — sorry, still can’t resist — finished last in the SEC East.
Were I picking the best pure coach of the four, I’d pick Johnson. Were I picking the coach who has known the most sustained success at the highest level, I’d pick Richt. But that’s not today’s exercise.
Think of this as an alternate-shot tournament in golf. If you take PJ of GT, you also have to take Hewitt. And the same on the Georgia side: If you choose Fox, you have to take Richt. And that said …
Loading ...I’d pick the two Marks over the two Pauls.
I’d pick the Marks because I believe Richt’s team is about to get really good again, and I’m not sure Hewitt’s ever will. And, as noted yesterday, I like what Fox is doing with Georgia. (He’s already 1-0 against the Jackets.)
But that’s just me, and I’ve been known to be wrong. And this isn’t as much about me as about you. So here’s your chance.
On Election Day, please cast your vote. And just this once, ticket-splitting is not allowed.
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391 comments Add your comment
wow
July 20th, 2010
5:26 pm
I guess he is getting overtime today…a whole 12 dollars an hour. Congrats! One day you can be the manager and make 15!
Old Dawg
July 20th, 2010
5:35 pm
Wow. Dodd, Bryant and Dooley did stand up for their players but they did it in a different manner than Johnson, Spurrier and others. Call it semantics, there is a difference in the way they handled themselves.
dog789xyz
July 20th, 2010
5:43 pm
I don’t want to deal in pairs, but this lifelong UGA fan has seen CPJ coach up close and personal many times at different schools. CMR is not even close to CPJ in coaching ability. CPJ may be one of the best game day coaches ever. He can adjust superbly to game situations that CMR would never even recognize. CMR is mothing compared to CPJ as a coach.
Now, I’ve been around Johnson a lot. I can tell you that he is truly a butt. He has a large chip on his shoulder. He is bitter, never thinks good of anyone. Also, he never missed a chance to talk bad about UGA. Even so, I would trade UGA’s staff straight up for GT’s.He can coach! We would have a chance. We have NO chance with CMR.
UGA OWNS gtu
July 20th, 2010
5:50 pm
The beauty of being self-employed is I can do whatever the heck that I want to do whenever I want to do it. Tomorrow will probably be golf… lol
Just remember one thing if I’m not here tonight or tomorrow… UGA > gtu
We’re simply better than gtu. At everything.
Coondawg69
July 20th, 2010
5:55 pm
At the end of the day CPJ and CMR are very fine coaches. CMF, was given lemons and made some great lemonadge. It seems that his star is rising, where as CPH, he’s reached the national championship game, but has really seem to go backwards ever since. Granted Fox finished last in the East last seaon. Hewitt has lost what 34-37 road conference games. Neither stat is impressive on its own merrit.
I just hope that D-Rad gives Danny Hall a long term contract, because there’s one coach that has proven he deserves to paid for a long time!!!
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:06 pm
Pi$$onadawg — rooo rooo roooo—- yep that is the sirens on the tech campus making another arrest for a rape victim at the North Avenue Trade School. Biatch!
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:06 pm
Pi$$onadawg — rooo rooo roooo—- yep that is the sirens on the tech campus making another arrest for a robbery on the tech campus….biatch!
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:07 pm
Pi$$onadawg — rooo rooo roooo—- oh well — you get the message.
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:12 pm
UGA (STUPID REDNECK FANS, 7-5, 1980, RAPE, ZACK METTENBERGER) – Georgia Tech lost to Georgia last year….hahahahahahahahahahahaha….REALLY.
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:12 pm
UGA (STUPID REDNECK FANS, 7-5, 1980, RAPE, ZACK METTENBERGER) – Georgia Tech lost to Georgia every year this decade except once….hahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahaha……
Barack Dawg
July 20th, 2010
6:14 pm
UGA is a joke – do the world a favor and pull you bottom lip over your head and swallow.
Ronin
July 20th, 2010
7:19 pm
I respect Richt for playing in a more challenging conference but I’ve lost most of my respect for him as a coach. Instructing his team to run off of the sideline to dance in the endzone at the UF game is despicable. Also, the number of his players that have run-ins with the law each summer is an embarrassment to the school and speaks volumes toward his ability to build student athletes. The team is not good enough to ignore these issues.
In a similar vein, I have a great deal of respect for Hewitt playing in an more challenging basketball conference but I can’t think of him as a great coach. He knows how to recruit outstanding players but simply isn’t enough of a coach to keep them around. It takes a great man to outweigh the temptations of the NBA and Hewitt is not that man.
If I have to choose I’d go with the Paul’s, simply because they do more with less. Attracting players and keeping them eligible to play is much more difficult at Tech. It’s easy to win when dealt a great hand, it’s impressive to win with something less.
Reality
July 20th, 2010
8:40 pm
An ajc writer picking uga anything over Tech – gasp! Color me shocked – NOT!
Garry Jones
July 20th, 2010
9:16 pm
Coach,
UGA has more class? Richt instructing the team to charge the field against Gators? Class? No how, no way, I don’t care how you rationalize that act. But then again, Florida has the last laugh now haven’t they? Richt’s winning % is 77% and Paul’s is 73%. That includes 8 years at Navy and Tech which any unbiased opinion would share that it’s not easy to recruit and win at. UGA is a little easier to both recruit and win at (exception being against Florida of course).
GreenJacket
July 20th, 2010
10:12 pm
Help me here. How did Mark Fox become a “good ” coach? What happened during the off season???? He had/has what are arguably two future first rounders in Leslie and that other what’s his name and he finished dead ass last in the freakin’ powderpuff SEC. Can someone explain how he’s better than ANYBODY?????
Ryan
July 20th, 2010
11:03 pm
If PJ had Richt’s recruits he’d win the national title…every year.
But I’d take Fox over Hewitt.
But since football > basketball, gimme the Pauls.
atl xmen
July 20th, 2010
11:20 pm
bey bey was a gaily recruit and pj cost him top five money. he would have a been a good blocker with or without that gimmick offense that is bringing top div 1aa talent. bey bey has no clue how to run the proper routes for an nfl receiver so he is already behind. remember he was also drafted by trhe guy who drafted tebow in the first round aswell. just stupuid dallas drafted the best receiver last year.
atl xmen
July 20th, 2010
11:23 pm
please tell me thses adjustments that pj made during the game other than run the other direction which he does every game to start the 3rd qt. he might have a linemen run wider but thats no big time adjustment.
Reality
July 21st, 2010
4:27 am
UGA fans have always put stock in pre-season rankings. This is probably because it is their only opportunity to be highly ranked – once the season starts and everyone sees how much they suck, their ranking slips….. but I digress.
The ACC Coastal Division has more pre-season ranked teams than all of the SEC teams. The returning Coastal Division winner is GA Tech.
UGA won their conference last year – ummmm no.
UGA won their division last year – ummmm no.
UGA went to Shreveport and won a crappy bowl game. YES!
And, for people like atl xmen, you do realize how stupid you sound when you talk bad about an offense that racked up over 40 points on your team last time in Athens at your home field? If that offensive scheme is so very bad, what does that make your defense?
Again, ugag folks – at least win your division BEFORE you have the right to bad-mouth any other team, be it GA Tech, Florida, Alabama, or whomever.
It must be very sad to be so stupid that you don’t even realize what you sound like…….
EEJacket
July 21st, 2010
8:23 am
Even I voted for the Marks simply based on Paul Hewitt sucking. A lot.
Fire Paul Hewitt
Golden Hand
July 21st, 2010
9:22 am
The Pauls.
Richt is a good coach, but he’s done about as well as you’d expect a good coach to do at a big state football factory. Johnson’s a genius, and he’s making Tech far superior to what they’d be if Richt or most other competent coaches were there. Winning at Tech is HARD. I’d give him a better shot than Richt of winning a national title in the next 10 years, too, because Georgia has Florida and Alabama to get through before they even have a shot.
Fox is definitely an up-and-comer, but Hewitt has a national-title appearance, and last year’s ACC final. He’s not a great coach, but he’s not as bad as the unrealistic whiners say he is. Recruiting basketball players to Tech is no walk in the park, and talent is pretty much everything in NCAA basketball.
GTGuy44
July 21st, 2010
10:30 am
I am a loyal Tech alum and fan, but I vote with my head and not my heart. I picked the Marks because Hewitt is the worst coach in at least the ACC if not Division 1 College Football. I agree with Mark Bradley that Paul Johnson is the single best coach.
Boss
July 21st, 2010
11:20 am
Johnson wins the right way. Richt wins with criminals. ~30 arrests in 4 years. Hewitt has played for the national title. UGA has never been there.
The Paul’s by a landslide.
Tech Man
July 21st, 2010
2:24 pm
I will choose the men who keep their players out of prison. UGA is an embarrassment to all things intercollegiate. And, neither Paul was “under the influence” of Damon Evans…a disgrace.
wesleywhatwhat
July 21st, 2010
2:49 pm
give what an albatross paul hewitt is to georgia tech, tech fans are lucky to have paul johnson.
now if we could just find an actual basketball coach named paul to replace hewitt after terminating his contract for non-performance, i’d take the “pauls” in a heartbeat.
ACC’s lunchtime links | SportsXXL
July 21st, 2010
5:20 pm
[...] coaching pair would you rather have, Paul Johnson and Paul Hewitt, or Mark Richt and Mark Fox, asks Mark Bradley of the [...]
SAINT SIMONS
July 21st, 2010
6:13 pm
UGA 30 – GT 24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
UGA 73 – GT 66!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHHAHAHHHAHHAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WE RUN THIS STATE!!!!!!!!!!
killerj
July 21st, 2010
8:20 pm
Let,s see,winning games or winning championships,I put my money on pauls.Last to win a NC (football) ,last to win a conference championship in football and basketball not to mention(have to)4 to 1 where it counts flea bags.THWG!
GT woman
July 21st, 2010
11:23 pm
Mark Bradley-how about running a picture of Mark Fox and CPH?
I hear CMF works all the time. We can’t say the same about CPH can we? I think most Tech fans would keep CPJ, and trade (if we could) CPH for CMF.
DOO DOO LEE
July 21st, 2010
11:50 pm
IS THIS QUESTION BEFORE OR AFTER UGAY GOES ON NCAA PROBATION? JUST WONDERING
Hairy Dawg
July 22nd, 2010
7:39 am
Enter your comments here
Hairy Dawg
July 22nd, 2010
7:50 am
This is a joking question. The Dawgs Marks is goning to unload a whooping can on the pestky bugs. Johnson acts like a Johnson and runs a gimmickry high school offense that can’t win in big time when talented players want to play in SEC and NFL. Mark Richt is Christain and winning more confrence championships in a real league. Hewitt is a laughing clown and Techmites stuck with him like stink stuck on doo. Fox beat Hewitt with rebuild team and goning dominates for years now winning recruits. When bugs coaches have to play in real big time league they learn that they aint good and have sorry talent that can’t run with big Dawgs. Dawgs Marks is real coaches and not chumps like buggy coach Pauls.
Just another reader
July 22nd, 2010
1:23 pm
Its funny how Georgia fans have to rely on the top teams in the SEC to make them sound almighty. How have you fared against LSU, FL, BAMA, AUBURN since Mark Richt Has been there? The ACC may suck, but atleast we are in our conference’s title hunt year in and year out. Who cares if UGA was in the ACC or if GT was in the SEC, GT was once in the SEC and im pretty sure we were dominating when we was in it.
East Cobb Dawg
July 22nd, 2010
1:55 pm
“Richt and Johnson are close enough to be a wash.”
You gotta be kidding me. Johnson won ONE ACC title in one of the weakest ACC conferences in years. Richt has won 2 SEC titles, played for 3 total, and has won 2 BCS bowls.
Even with his recent “down” years in 2008 and 2009, he’s done a lot more than PJ.
Baldemar Huerta
July 23rd, 2010
3:28 am
As always, Go Dawgs, and take your fans with you.
Hairy Dawg
July 23rd, 2010
8:06 am
Johnson needs a wash, a diet, and needs to take his gimickey offense to high schools where its is supposed to belong. No talented players with SEC speed don’t want to play in high school plan. Thats is no way to making the big bucks in NFL. Dawgs getting players that play with SEC speed and not chumps. Hewitt stinks and he is the best coach bugs got.
Jackets123
July 23rd, 2010
10:01 am
I think the UGA fans are forgetting that Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets defeated UGA in his first year at Tech and that was not a fluke. You cant deny over 400 yards rushing and 45 points. So its impossible to say he is a bad coach. And there is no way you can compare Mark Fox to Paul Hewitt yet, simply because he’s been at UGA for one year and got last in the SEC. Not saying Paul Hewitt is the greatest coach but he’s shown what he is capable of by taking his team to a national championship. As of right now, the two Pauls are a better pair because Fox hasnt accomplished anything at UGA
Hairy Dawg
July 23rd, 2010
10:55 am
2008 was flukey cuase Willie Martinez was running the break, bend, and lose defense. Now that Dawgs got a real defense coach we make high school offense look like kindercare offense.
Hairy Dawg
July 23rd, 2010
11:02 am
We got SEC speed recruits on defense and now that we got defense coach we will unloading whooping can on rest of SEC and specially pestky bugs. Dawgs is goning to dominates south football with recruiting talent and best coaching.
Jackets123
July 23rd, 2010
5:38 pm
Hairy Dawg: 2008 was definitely not a fluke. If you remember… Georgia Tech was down 16 at halftime and UGA’s defense was smothering Ga Tech in the first half. UGA simply got outcoached in the second half after Paul Johnson made the necessary adjustments. I dont think 26 unanswered points in the third quarter happened by coincidence. And learn how to speak English please… “Dawgs is goning to dominates south football”
4 ncs are better than 1
July 23rd, 2010
11:03 pm
The GT coaches are far superior than the UGA coaches. Richt is a good recruiter, but a piss poor coach. Coach Paul Johnson is the winningest head coach in college football history and he coached without talent at Navy. Richt’s teams are loaded and underachieve annually. Coach Paul Hewitt has led his team to the National Championship Game where Fox took a last place team and led them to …last place. I guess they are a fast rising team in some people’s minds, just not in reality.