What’s wrong with UGA? Sad to say, it starts with Mark Richt
"The meeting of the Mark Richt Fan Club is called to order." (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
Mark Richt’s teams use to have all the answers. Whether it was P-44-Haynes in Knoxville or 70-X-Takeoff in Auburn, his Georgia Bulldogs would win the sort of breathless games that stamped Richt as college football’s next great coach. But it has been a decade, and Richt hasn’t taken Georgia to the pinnacle — got close a couple of times — and nobody sees him that way anymore.
If you’re looking for what has gone wrong with this program, there it is: Mark Richt never quite finished the drill. Georgia was No. 3 in the final polls after the 2002 season and No. 2 according to the Associated Press after 2007 and No. 1 according to everybody in preseason 2008, but the Bulldogs could never do as Florida and LSU and Alabama did — they couldn’t get to the BCS title game and win.
And now they’re 1-4 and Richt isn’t the sleek young man just in from Tallahassee; he’s a 50-year-old who has been on the job a decade and who seems at a loss to arrest the slide. This isn’t to say he’s a bad man or even a bad coach, but it is to say that in college football the blame must always fall upward: There’s a reason head coaches are multimillionaires.
It’s convenient to say that Georgia in Year 10 under Richt resembles Florida State near the end of his mentor Bobby Bowden’s reign. Convenient, and also true. Attention to detail has slipped. Players appear to be coaching themselves. Players also seem incapable of conforming to team rules and community laws.
A college coach can override almost any embarrassment so long as he wins 10 games as a matter of course, but Richt’s team is but 9-9 over the past season and a quarter. And you simply cannot play .500 ball and have 10 players arrested in one offseason.
The belief here is that Richt will not be fired this season or in its aftermath. The belief here is also that Richt stands before us a damaged coach. There was no reason for Georgia to lose to Mississippi State or Colorado, no reason other than that these Bulldogs no longer expect to win. They’ve seen themselves caught and passed in the SEC. They’ve seen their gimmicks — the blackout against Alabama in 2008, the black helmets in Jacksonville last season — fall flat. They’ve seen teams with lesser talent being coached up.
There was a time when we would have expected Richt to solve any problem, but that time is gone. The slide of 2006 — four losses in five games — was halted by three rousing victories at season’s end, but come 2009 the Bulldogs were back in the same place, needing to beat Georgia Tech and win a bowl to salvage a season.
This winter Richt steeled himself and fired three-quarters of his defensive staff, but nothing much has changed. Tackles are still being missed. Coverages are still being blown. The whole operation comes off as disjointed, distracted, dysfunctional. It’s as if the Georgia Bulldogs awoke one morning and found themselves reinvented as the Kentucky Wildcats. (Who, not incidentally, beat UGA in Sanford Stadium last season for the first time since 1977.)
The effect has been stunning. How long since we’ve seen the Bulldogs so inept? (Even Ray Goff’s otherwise lousy 1990 team managed to beat Alabama.) It would be one thing if Georgia wasn’t good enough to compete, but nobody can seriously believe that a roster including A.J. Green, Justin Houston, Branden Smith, Aaron Murray, Orson Charles and Washaun Ealey is without talent. Ask Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen if he’d trade rosters with Richt. Heck, ask Paul Johnson.
Rule of thumb: If it’s not the playing, it must be the coaching. What worked for Richt for five years and two SEC titles has stopped working. (He lost 13 games those first five seasons; he has lost 18 in the four-plus seasons since.) This team of 10 returning offensive starters and the new 3-4 defense hasn’t won a game in a calendar month.
The optimum course would be for the man making the millions — that’d be Richt — to seize the wheel and steer this program back to excellence. But if he could, wouldn’t he have done it by now? It’s the age-old question: What do you do when you’ve run out of ideas?
(Take the guys swimming? Nope. Tried that already.)
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894 comments Add your comment
Ray
October 4th, 2010
12:12 pm
Working with Sandy and Lori to get 5,000 letters of support. See earlier post for AD address-send letters of support (and checks) there if possible. But also send a letter of encouragement to CMR here:
Mark A Richt
Title:Head Football Coach
Dept.:Athletic
Phone:706-542-1307
Address:
0111 Butts-Mehre
1 Selig Circle
Athens GA 30602
shane
October 4th, 2010
12:13 pm
The “he’s a good moral man” view point needs to be taken out of the equation. I know plenty of good men who I would not want to run my company. The president of the University and the AD believe he is the right man to lead program or they don’t. This will need some quick resolution, as nothing kills a program quicker than doubt.
r2chs
October 4th, 2010
12:13 pm
Perfectly stated column.
CMR’s comments about a “minority of fans” being upset indicates how unwilling the staff is to accept the avalanche of criticism. True most fans continue to support the Bulldawgs, that’s why we are called fans but the majority is also extremely dissatisfied with their current performance and as Bradley correctly asserts, If it’s not the playing, it must be the coaching.
dawgfaceboy
October 4th, 2010
12:14 pm
Ask Spurrier if he would love to have Richt’s roster, ask numerous other coaches if they would like to have that roster of talent.
Wally Butts' Designated Stumbler
October 4th, 2010
12:14 pm
Mark, should we assume that Ben Jones’ suspension for trying to MAIM MSU’s Fletcher Cox is being put off until the Idaho State game?
Kool Breeze
October 4th, 2010
12:14 pm
Hey Mark Bradley:
Nice job on the article. I like how you point all results to 1 person.
I don’t understand though, hgow when it comes to all the positive thing sin the past, Richt doesn’t get credit, yet when it comes to the 1-4 start, Richt gets the blame?
Arn’t you contradicting yourself again?
Honky Talkin'
October 4th, 2010
12:14 pm
I thought AJ Green was your savoir??? The Bulldog nation needs to brace themselves for being a bottom dweller in the SEC for years to come. Looking at the rest of the schedule for this year, there are no gimmies anymore…even Vanderbilt.
Pathetic.
btgt69
October 4th, 2010
12:14 pm
uga fans; I feel your pain,,, we have had mediocre programs in the past. I truly hope that Richt can turn it around for ya’ll. He will finish this year and 2011 then a decision will be made as to his future. Too much young talent on this team to throw it away on hiring a new coach.
5150 P.O.A.D
October 4th, 2010
12:15 pm
Ben Jones sat out the 1st half of the colorado game for the hit on the Miss St.
Snake Doc
October 4th, 2010
12:15 pm
Just get your fact straight. Also college football was allot different in those days. If I hurt your feelings, sorry. Just be ready to back up your statmenets with facts. And thats still not terrible. Define that for us!
Y’all cannot blindly defend the indefensible. This program is going down hill and fast.
MR is a good man. Head coach? at one time, maybe. Now? No!
Tide Rising
October 4th, 2010
12:17 pm
Bear Bryant had a pair of 6 win seasons in 1969 and 1970 and before that had 2 8 win seasons in 1967 and 1968. We stuck with him and the rest is history as we had an incredibly dominant run in the 70s. It wasn’t too long ago that Joe Paterno had some subpar years including losing seasons and the seat got hot. But Penn State also stuck with Paterno and he recently won 11 games the last 3 years in a row.
Richt deserves the same amount of patience given what he has accomplished earlier in the century with a series of top 10 finishes. Unfortunately we now live in an immediate gratification society and people lack long term thinking. I hope he gets the chance to right the ship. Anyone can and does have a couple of subpar years here and there. All programs ebb and flow over time and this is just a short down cycle for the dawgs. I hope they give Richt time to right the ship.
DLB
October 4th, 2010
12:17 pm
I keep hearing it’s time for Mark Richt to go, but would someone please tell me who there is available that Georgia could bring in? I’m not opposed to letting him go, provided someone could tell me who they could bring in, that could take this program to the next level, or for that matter just bring them back to the level Richt took them to? The defensive has lost their intimidation factor, while the offense has forgotten what it is like to score. I understand the coach is the leader of the team, I would fire Bobo and see what it would take to get Muschamp to come HOME
Jimmy John
October 4th, 2010
12:18 pm
Ray – you are a fool! Why do you want to send letters of support? Are you really a UGA fan or a Tenn or UF fan?
If you are a UGA fan it is STUPID to send letters supporting Mark Richt – a coach who cannot compete with the other SEC coaches. Florida has owned us – and you want that to continue?
What an idiot!
Tide Rising
October 4th, 2010
12:18 pm
Sorry for the redundancy but you guys get my point about righting the ship.
Larry
October 4th, 2010
12:18 pm
There is no point in prolonging the obvious. Georgia needs to hire a new coach for 2011. Period.
Paul
October 4th, 2010
12:18 pm
Mr. Bradley,
It must be fun only dealing with problems at the conceptual level like writers do, yet in the practical world where coaches and players act, and not theorize, it’s a whole different ballgame from your theoretical abstract hypothetical world.
I have a theory too, that most writers are afraid to act, so they spend all day theorizing and conceptualizing for fear of negative actions.
Mark Richt has no such fear. He’s a heor in a world of cowards.
Mark Bradley
October 4th, 2010
12:20 pm
I realize that Bryant and Dooley had down seasons and then won national titles. But the recent history isn’t so promising. Since the BCS was established in 1998, every title except one has been taken by a coach in his first eight seasons at that school. (The exception: Bobby Bowden at Florida State in 1999.)
This jacket will beat a dawgs ass
October 4th, 2010
12:21 pm
I FREAKING LOOOOVVEE SEEING YOU DAWGS SUFFER!!!!
We are having a bad year as well, but damn…..YOU GUYS REALLY SUCK
quickwitt
October 4th, 2010
12:21 pm
Sure. Fire the coach, fire everybody. Then what? The head coaches being mentioned aren’t coming to UGA. I know of only 2 high profile assistants who I’d want to recruit, first being Muschamp at Texas provided Mack Brown isn’t pushed out first, then Kirby Smart. I like Kirby’s pedigree under Saban and if we thought CMR was ready after his tenure with Bowden, then I suspect he’s ready for a promotion. Whatever happens, Go Dawgs!
Seriously
October 4th, 2010
12:22 pm
The problem is…Richt didnt hold the players accountable for one another. That is where you start…erase the board and start over with the players. Make them accountable for their actions on and off the field and you then build on that. There are a ton of ways to do it…just ask the Army.
Lou
October 4th, 2010
12:22 pm
Mark Bradley—
As a writer, who only has theories, and never takes actions for a living, do you really feel you are qualified to speak about how to coach a college football team or for that matter, how to do anything but theorize?
still a dawg fan
October 4th, 2010
12:22 pm
Part of CMR success in his early years can be given to Van Gorder. He was alot like ERK & had a way of motivating his defensive players & ever since he has left the players seem to play every week with NO EMOTION & also Van Gorder had an eye for defensive talent something that we have sorely missed.
We need to take a lesson from Saban about recruiting: He doesn’t pay attention to the recruiting services or how many stars a kid has—All he cares about is CAN THE KID RUN & DOES HE KNOW HOW TO PLAY FOOTBALL because you see so many of these 4 & 5 star kids that are great athletes but are terrible football players.
ex: David Pollack 2stars Thomas Davis 1 star
Even though the recruiting services didn’t think much of these 2 guys they ended up being pretty good FOOTBALL players.
RECRUIT BETTER & WE WILL WIN & THAT’S ALL I HAVE TO SAY
Ace
October 4th, 2010
12:22 pm
Keep donating and paying for losses, PT Barnum would be proud.
Dawg Drool (Go VOLS!)
October 4th, 2010
12:23 pm
Get ready to be 1 – 5, because you’re about to get routed between the hedges next Saturday! Vols kick the already toothless pups in the mouth again!
E
October 4th, 2010
12:24 pm
What a bunch of cry-babies….you GA fans are……Your lucky to have such a good coach….and once he is gone….you will wish ya had him back.
saban
October 4th, 2010
12:24 pm
If Johnson Had Richt`s players, He still wouldn`t have lost a game.
J Clay
October 4th, 2010
12:25 pm
Mark – Do you think the impressive performance against Tech last year prolonged the inevitable (ie Richt’s departure)? Looking back, I think it has. Like others have said, I like Richt and he did well for us but clearly something is not working anymore…Think it’s time to move on
saban
October 4th, 2010
12:25 pm
You folks need a warden not a coach.
Mark Bradley
October 4th, 2010
12:25 pm
Put it this way: If the team’s losing and it’s not the head coach’s fault, why is he earning millions of dollars?
david
October 4th, 2010
12:25 pm
firt year qb new scheme on d. every team has a bad year this is ours.
J Clay
October 4th, 2010
12:26 pm
Can someone send this letter to Athens? If this is not motivation enough to win a game I dont know what is…
Dawg Drool (Go VOLS!)
October 4th, 2010
12:23 pm
Get ready to be 1 – 5, because you’re about to get routed between the hedges next Saturday! Vols kick the already toothless pups in the mouth again!
JDawg
October 4th, 2010
12:26 pm
Great article! I love everything CMR stands for but the players are acting like they have no respect (not all of the players). He needs to seize the play calling and kick some a** during the week. Bobo may grow to be good but the Coach has to intervene in that area as much as the others. Do it Coach!! Be the Nike coach. Just do it!
Richt ties Goff with 0-3 SEC start
October 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
These stats should show you how bad the coaching is:
TOTAL OFFENSE #73
TOTAL DEFENSE #39
SCORING OFFENSE #79 24.8 POINTS PER GAME
SCORING DEFENSE #48 21.6 POINTS PER GAME, BUT IF YOU TAKE
AWAY THE 55 SCORED AGAINST LaLa THE REAL
POINTS PER GAME DROPS TO 13.25, THAT’S RIGHT
13.25 POINT BOBO GOTTA GO
NET PUNTING #22 EVEN OUR STRONGEST POINT HAS BEEN
REDUCED
TURNOVER MARGIN #68
GAINED 1 FUMBLE, 5 INT, LOST 3 FUMBLES, 5 INTS.
FOR A NET LOSS OF –2
FEWEST PENALTIES PER GAME #59 SOME IMPROVEMENT, BUT TOUGH
GAMES REMAIN
SACKS #55 THAT 3-4 IS REALLY GETTING AFTER THEM
That 13.25 points per game should be enough to demote if not fire Bobo, for crying out loud, Richt was supposed to be a great offensive coordinator, yet he thinksBobo is doing a good job. BS
Mark Bradley
October 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
No, J Clay. I don’t think anything would have happened with Richt had he lost to Georgia Tech again, and I don’t think, with the new athletic director, anything will happen now.
bevanscds
October 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
Snake Doc,
My biggest point was that there was 8 years between Dooley’s 2nd and 3rd SEC crown. Also, record-wise what we are calling medicore today happened much more then that it has the past few years. I, like everyone else, am very concerned about how we have played. I want Georgia to get better and I believe that it can and should happen under the Richt regime. I could be totally wrong about that, and I will readily admit that now.
At then end of the day, we are both Georgia fans. No offense taken and I’d be glad to sit and talk UGA football with you anytime.
JDawg
October 4th, 2010
12:27 pm
good article Mark
Jeff
October 4th, 2010
12:28 pm
Mr. Bradley-
Perhaps you should look at the coaching career of John Wooden, a flooew Christian who like Richt, doesn’t favor shortcuts, so it takes a bit longer to get to the National Championship level.
Wooden didn’t win any National Championships, for a long time. Then he won 10.
Doesn’t that disprove your theory?
NOBODYYOUKNOW
October 4th, 2010
12:30 pm
Its amazing that there are so many football experts with all the answers sitting in their recliners eating peanuts and pretzels, drinking beer. I don’t know if he’s the man for the job or not. A couple of years back when the sports reporters picked UGA number one I thought then, dear GOD I hope they go undefeated because if they don’t the fans will be ready to tar and feather him. The preseason picks are always a death sentence. Overall his record is very good. But if the media and fans get on your case its only a matter of time. I just don’t think that job is the best in the country, The fans are to fickle. They queston EVERYTHING.
Manny
October 4th, 2010
12:33 pm
Mark Bradley:
Pete Carol at USC cheated to win a National Championship with Reggie Bush.
Is that ok?
doug dawg
October 4th, 2010
12:34 pm
simple truth. cmr is a ceo, and a poor one. he has no real input or persuasion or power. he oversees a staff that is incompetent, yet he has no power or influence to change things. he is a figurehead; the rest of the mess goes on without him. he is weak. has no clout. the rest of his staff is growing rich turning out less than mediocrity. it started years ago, but has now reached fruition on the field. and it will go on and on; does anyone see next year being any better than this season? we’ll all hear it once again: young team, rebuilding year, ad nauseum. we’ve been rebuilding for five or six years. college teams are all ‘rebuilding’ year after year; the good ones call it ‘reloading.’ oh, i am so sick of it all.
Nick
October 4th, 2010
12:36 pm
Mr. Mark Bradley–
There you go again.
See, if Richt’s paid millions, and the team is losing, and it’s all his fault, and he’s not fired, then his bosses all disagree wiht you, then that porves your sensational irrational hypothesis is wrong again.
Ray
October 4th, 2010
12:37 pm
Mark did you, junkyard and Jeff just come out of a conference meeting. Did you AJC guys decide it’s time to fire CMR? Glad that the AD does not take his cues from you guys. Short-sighted to say the least is your column. You point out some obvious problems–but the implied solution is fire the coach. Thats always the answer–fire the coach. We will regret the day that we let CMR out of Athens if it comes to that. It will take years to get back on track. Why not stay with a young, successful, experienced and proven coach. 7 of 10 years have been beyond excellent. Have you ever had a writer’s slump? Are you not glad that your bosses did not fire you when you were down? Perhaps they looked at your overall talents and thought–”you know, Mark is having a tough time–but look at the good work he has done, is capable of doing and–let’s get behind such a talent.” Come on Mark, Jeff, Bill all of you AJC guys–don’t pour gasoline on the fire. I am a 50 year UGA fan, have contributed, attended games, read, studied, etc. etc. For the life of me I can’t understand the fire the coach mentality. Man, I hope UGA does not make that mistake.
Bama Johnson
October 4th, 2010
12:37 pm
It’s time for UGA to break out the checkbook. I’m sure if given a chance, Richt has a few more good seasons in him. But he’s never going to win a national title. He had a chance there for about two seasons, but he couldn’t string enough wins together. UGA has to much money and fan support not to make a change. I remember when Bama signed Saban for $40M, everyone balked and said it was outrageous. Now look at the Tide. It’s time for the Georgia boosters to get together, break out the checkbooks and go get a big time coach.
gt
October 4th, 2010
12:37 pm
There seems to be a different player coming out of high school the last few years. He is less coachable, independent. Tech has a few of those. All this helmet flying off the heads of players, eight in the Tech, NC State game at one count, I saw a few in the Georgia game is an indication of the players trying to be cool instead of playing football. I didn’t see one helmet come off the head of a NC State player and really wasn’t paying attention to Colorado though I cannot remember one coming off there. You cannot be these immature players friends you are their coach. Now that Georgia understands they are going to lose anyway running a program like they do, maybe it is time to take these too cool for prime time players and sit them on a bench. Let the young guys play as long as they have respect for the game. LSU has the same problem. Alabama does not. How is one team with the same kind of talent tuff as nails and another milk toast. Tech is very close to being in this mix too. Suddenly Tech players are uncoachable, soft, undisciplined. Something is going on in Georgia football, the state of Georgia, with Johnson the jury is still out, but Richt cannot handle these juvenile delinquencies.
ChopChamps95
October 4th, 2010
12:38 pm
Hey MB, I thought you said last week you still thought this team could go 9-3…..still think they can go 8-4? Can you give me your address so I can ship you a giant crate of alka-seltzer to help ease this discomfort from that massive plate of crow you’re eating?
Blame The Messenger
October 4th, 2010
12:38 pm
There is a big difference between being a UGA fan and being Richt fan.
WONDER
October 4th, 2010
12:38 pm
I agree, it’s the CURSE OF THE RED PANTIES..i e trashy campus . too many thugas. raunchy student attitudes, downtown drug havev, AD chewing on red panties. on and on It’s out of control!!!!!!
chiefdawg
October 4th, 2010
12:40 pm
Here is an excellent article. Unfortunately the program will get no better under Mark Richt.
http://sportsandgrits.blogspot.com/2010/09/greg-mcgarity-didnt-know-he-was-buying.html
BDAWG
October 4th, 2010
12:40 pm
Martinez is gone, let’s move on. Richt is not the leader for this team now. When he first came to UGA he had that fire to win and now it’s gone. Again he has taken too long to fire another inept coordinator and he has to understand how that makes him look. It makes no difference how you recruit if you don’t recruit the right players for the system. The RBs are not as talented as we thought and the OL has been a big bust. Start looking now for replacements to limit the loss of recruits. The entire offensive staff has to go and I hate to add Garner in the equation, but I am not impressed with his recruiting or his coaching of the DL. Grantham should have taken the DL since that is his experitise. We need to hire coaches that not only can coach’em up but, who can also recruit. The strength and conditioning coach is a joke and it shows on the field. The OL looks flabby and the physicality is not there. We need to bring some fire into the program and scrap the boring offense or throw some wrinkles in it. Too much talent to play at this level. To stick with a OC that you know is not getting the job done is stupid and it shows. As the old saying goes, ” the way you practice, is the way you play.” The weak practices and weak logic makes this team look like a Jr. Varsity team and it is embarassing. We don’t need more excuses, we need wins and I will say this to the recruits, commit for the love of the school not just for the coaches. I need to see that fire Grantham brought into the first game and Rambo needs to go to the bench. The corners are weak and the tackling is horrible. Branden Smith has been here 2 years and he does not look any bigger. The players need to gain more muscle mass and have a meaner demeanor on the playing field. The bottom line is it comes to discipline and we don’t have it. The only player i am impressed with is Aaron Murray and with a better coach he will turn into something very special on the playing field.
shane
October 4th, 2010
12:40 pm
It’s a business. A smart employer isn’t going to keep you around after two years of bad job performance just because you did well in the past. There’s too much money involved to sit and watch your bread winner slide into the abyss.