The doctor is in: What UGA must do to rise from mediocrity
Yes, but being 6-6 shouldn't ever be cause for celebration. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
This is the week, Mark Richt said late Saturday night, to recruit in earnest. And it’s true that one of the teams that played in Sanford Stadium on Saturday needs a talent infusion, but it’s not Richt’s Bulldogs.
Georgia Tech has a clear idea of what it is but insufficient manpower to get it where it wants to go. Georgia has, and has long had, enough players — not that it couldn’t use more — but has come to lack direction. As these middling-by-definition teams head into December and then 2011, we address their respective needs. First, Georgia’s.
Step 1: Get stronger. It has long been suggested that Georgia’s conditioning program has gotten soft, and we saw striking evidence again Saturday night. Tech ruled the line of scrimmage. Dave Van Halanger, Georgia’s strength coach, had a hand in building SEC championship teams here — those were his offseason mat drills, transferred from Florida State, referenced in “Finish The Drill” — but the Bulldogs have come to look comparatively peaked. (And not just against Tech; Auburn scored touchdowns on six of its final seven possessions two weeks earlier.)
The issue: Van Halanger is Richt’s best friend. Willie Martinez might have been Richt’s college buddy, but it’s Van Halanger with whom Richt goes jogging. Richt waited long — too long — to sack Martinez as defensive coordinator, but finally he did it. He needs now to make an even more difficult personal decision and upgrade a position that has become substandard.
Step 2: Get edgier. An acronym born under Erk Russell is still written on the board before every Georgia game — GATA. (Loosely translated, “Get After Them Aggressively.”) The Bulldogs, however, have become slow burners. They didn’t take a lead against an SEC opponent until the season’s fourth conference game. They trailed Florida 21-7 in a game they might have won easily had they built a two-touchdown advantage. When they responded to Auburn’s opening touchdown with three of their own, the question asked itself: Why don’t do they do this more often?
As we say in hockey and figure skating, Georgia football has lost its edge. Some of this has to do with preparation, but not all. Which leads us to …
Step 3: Get an idea. Richt is a finesse coach. Georgia runs the ball as a counterpoint. Its staple running play over these 10 years has been the sprint draw, and a draw is by design a fake pass. There’s no reason for Richt to change what he believes and become Woody Hayes reincarnate, and that’s fine. Where Georgia errs is in seeking to be both finesse offense and power offense. Artificial concerns over “balance” need to be tossed in yonder trashcan.
When Georgia fans rage at Mike Bobo for “going conservative,” they have half a point. Running isn’t a bad conceptual idea, but Bobo/Richt seem to feature the run at moments when all running can do is slow Georgia. The top two teams in the BCS standings have gotten there by playing fast and attacking for four quarters. Time for the Bulldogs to join the fun.
Have a seat in the waiting room. Dr. Bradley’s Rx for Georgia Tech can be found here.
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601 comments Add your comment
Billy
November 29th, 2010
11:18 am
only my opinion, jarvis, but Harbaugh would only leave Stanford for one job: his alma mater, Michigan.
Hank
November 29th, 2010
11:18 am
Get boosters like Auburn’s.
harold
November 29th, 2010
11:18 am
THE FACT IS RICHT IS 14-11 THE LAST 25 GAMES. HE HASN’T BEEN TO THE SEC TITLE GAME IN FIVE LONG YEARS. IT IS TIME FOR RICHT TO GO!
TechRedNeck
November 29th, 2010
11:18 am
Here’s hopeing they won’t do nothing.
dap01
November 29th, 2010
11:19 am
If CPJ is such a genious and the Tech fans love him so much, how is their stadium at best 2/3 full on the good days. Numbers don’t lie. 38,000 per game does not lie. Rival players buying lower level ticket at game time does not lie. Fans being able to pick and chose a seat does not lie.
CMR needs to get his players in better condition and stronger. Why should top players come out after a 9 yard run? Why does Green need to come out after a 10 yard catch?
Did anyone else notice that UGA players don’t even try to block extra points? They simply stand up.
Lowcountry Bulldawgs
November 29th, 2010
11:19 am
Essentially you are saying overhaul the entire way that CMR goes about business. Good luck with that theory. 10 years on the job, change is going to be slow. To many issues to fix, so how does CMR go about prioritizing the issues? That is what I want to see. In what level of importance does he view the changes that need made?
Freddy
November 29th, 2010
11:20 am
Mobile Dawg…you need more that trauma unit my friend. You need a make over!
Mobile Dawg
November 29th, 2010
11:21 am
Wait Dr., I commented to quickly, a little later in the game CMR warmly hugs one of his players after a good performance. That’ll probably toughen them up a bit….
Mark Bradley, I’m sick and tired of watching the “soap opera” in Athens. Said it on Barnhart’s site earlier today. My contribution will be “earmarked” to help CMR and staff move South. He’s already said he isn’t making any changes to his staff. I’ve pretty much lost interest in UGA football, it’s been a process in decline for five years….I’m disgusted with the state of UGA football and the product CMR is putting on the field.
Mike
November 29th, 2010
11:21 am
CMR says “no changes”. That simply means “same old, same old”. I had no idea the strength and conditioning guy was CMR’s friend. Damn, first his college buddy (Martinez), now his friend. Get rid of all this nepotistic crap, and Bozo, and start building a staff. And, remember, Georgia’s starting quarterback next year is 6-6 in his career. So, no changes means 6-6. This is insane. Please Miami, contact CMR.
Boo Radley
November 29th, 2010
11:21 am
Mark — Here is a prescription for yourself….
Try and regain some credibility, which you have completely undermined over the past 2 years. You continue to crank out ridiculous pot-stirring pieces about how much of genius CPJ is and how hoeplessly broken UGA is, while the results speak loud and clear to the contrary. Admittedly, it is hard to un-ring the bell and your body of work has become a running joke, but the first humble step is a must for anyone who seeks recovery.
1eyedJack
November 29th, 2010
11:21 am
It is not written that a 6-6 team one year cannot become a 12-0 team the next. (See UGA circa 1979-1980) All it takes is one player at a key position to be a game changer. (Ala Lattimore at SC, welcome to UGA Isaiah Crowell)
College football is wonderful in that the previous year will have absolutely no bearing on the next year. We’ll have a different team, different players, possibly some different coaches, attitudes, chemistry etc.
Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!
November 29th, 2010
11:23 am
Getting rid of Richt would be a huge mistake. I agree that we need better Offensive and Defensive Lineman. We are in need of a stud LB (Jarvis Jones)!!! We’ll be fine… I just wish these fair-weather fans would chill out. Every program has down years… UGA, UF, TEXAS, USCw, even our lil sister, GT. I guarantee every team on this list will turn it around next year.
Tweets that mention The doctor is in: What UGA must do to rise from mediocrity | Mark Bradley -- Topsy.com
November 29th, 2010
11:23 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley and Shannon Moore, Roy Harris. Roy Harris said: RT @MarkBradleyAJC: The doctor (that'd be me, sort of) is in: What #UGA must do to rise from mediocrity. http://bit.ly/eioPk6 [...]
DIT
November 29th, 2010
11:24 am
I have to agree about the offense. We have scored plenty of points. I have posted this before, but it’s relevant to what is being said so I’ll post it again. This time last year everyone(Dawgs) was on the Fire Willie campaign. Everyone(Dawgs) said that they understood that it will take a couple of years to let TG get his defense going. Small memories I guess.
Obviously, that was not true to most on these blogs because everyone is not giving TG time to get his players in and get the new scheme going. Man, I hated watching the defense this year, but I knew that we would be awful under the circumstances. I think it’s unfortunate, but understand, if CMR does not get back up to 10 wins next year and a good bowl game he will be let go.
Yes, I’m one that would like to see him turn it around, but if it doesn’t happen next year then he will be gone!
mgdawg
November 29th, 2010
11:24 am
I totally agree with all three points. UGA doesn’t have an overall bad offensive scheme, the problem comes when UGA tries to be balanced just so that they can say they are balanced. When the QB is 15-19 with three td’s and no interceptions, and the running game is nonexistent, stick with what is working. The running game did not work all season and was not happening against tech, yet when UGA was winning by 7 midway through the fourth quarter bobo decides it is time to try to run the ball. Bobo used to do the same thing with RB’s when lumkin and brown were there, one rb would get hot in a game, but bobo would still switch them out in the same manner instead of leaving the hot guy in longer.
Mister Falcon
November 29th, 2010
11:24 am
Coaching is predictable. And any coach who doesn’t understand that when you have the ball with a minute left, and your opponent only has 1 timeout, and you’re only up by 8 points, that you TAKE A KNEE AND DOWN THE BALL AND WIN THE GAME should absolutely be replaced. Need evidence Richt is a MORON? Watch the last 2 minutes of the tech game. Idiot. Total idiot.
A.J. finished the drill by running out of bounds
November 29th, 2010
11:25 am
What if UGA loses their bowl game and finishes 6-7 ?
Dale
November 29th, 2010
11:25 am
Georgia needs to follow Bobby Bowdin’s example and join the ACC. Then it’s BCS every year, baby!
Captain
November 29th, 2010
11:25 am
Unfortunately everyone reads the recruiting sites and fails to understand those rankings are based upon projections only. There have been a few signees who did not qualify academically, a few who have been injured, and a number who were overhyped. Georgia lacks “Playmakers” on the Defensive side of the ball. There is no AJ Green talent on Defense, there are no highly regarded Defensive Linemen, this DL is likely the least talented in the last twelve years. There is one LB with above average talent, one corner. There simply are no David Pollack, Charles Johnson, Jon Sullivan, Richard Seymour, Marcus Stroud, Quenton Moses, Charles Grant, Sean Jones, Tim Wansley, Tim Jennings, Paul Oliver, Thomas Davis, Jason Ferguson talents on the roster. Playmakers make plays that decide the outcome of a game, they force an opponent to scheme and account for them, Georgia doesn’t have any talent that rises to that level on Defense. The prior Defensive staff did an extraordinarily poor job of judging talent, a worse job in recruiting talent, and poor job of developing talent. Georgia lost games on Defense, new scheme, new staff, not enough talent.
To win you must evaluate and recruit skill players, then develop them.
Strength and Conditioning has become a major problem. What Coach Richt said was there wouldn’t be any changes immediately, he would evaluate everything once the bowl game was completed. I expect there will be changes.
dawgfacedboy
November 29th, 2010
11:25 am
Running game is pi$$ poor. Not sure if that falls on the backs (as they seem to rarely break a tackle and instead go down on first contact) or the highly touted line that was touted as the strength of this offense (can’t run block to save their lives and there is very rarely a hole to even run through).
Durham has proven he can stretch the field all year long and TK, MB, and both of the TEs have proven to be reliable when called upon. If the running game had come anywhere close to living up to its expectations this year we’d be getting ready to play in Atl. this weekend.
Coaching was awful on Saturday. That was the most confused, underprepared team with an extra week off as i’ve seen.
Gonna be a long offseason.
roughy1
November 29th, 2010
11:26 am
UGA won against Tech despite Coach MR. He played not to lose rather than playing to win. Uga seems to be way down on Caach’s priority list.He should repay about two million of his salary for 2010.
GaDawg
November 29th, 2010
11:27 am
After 12 games we were called for 5 men in the backfield on 2 occassions. RU kidding me!
MR
November 29th, 2010
11:27 am
Can’t wait until your article on Tech. The dawgs will really have a field day. For the last two years the only thing they had to brag about was beating Tech. I will tell you that if CPJ had the talent that CMR has he would not be 6-6, even in the mighty SEC.
Richard Dawson
November 29th, 2010
11:27 am
What kind of fool for a coach doesn’t have his team prepared for GT’s decision to let us score late? All we had to do was get the first down and fall down. Game over. Instead, Richt’s clueless bunch scored a TD and gave GT a chance to come back. Unbelievable lack of preparation and education. Strike that, very believable given what I’ve seen from Richt for 10 years.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
Ed (The Original)
November 29th, 2010
11:27 am
4. Fire Richt and hire a head coach who has a clue.
Mike
November 29th, 2010
11:28 am
If nesbitt played, gt would have had 600 yards and won by 3 td’s.
So be thankful to vt ga.
Losing 75% of your receiving offense will hurt big time so next year won’t be any better.
Mister Falcon
November 29th, 2010
11:28 am
6-6 says it all. Dawgs suck. Hard. And this is the year after Richt fired all the supposedly “bad” coaches who were responsible for the previous crappy teams. Only difference now that Richt made the “changes” and brought in his new “staff?” Yup…team is actually WORSE. Yup..6-6. Sucks to be a Dawg fan for the last, oh, THIRTY years!
Mobile Dawg
November 29th, 2010
11:28 am
Countermeasure, my rebuttal would be enough points to win more than 6 games. It’s people like you and CMR who don’t understand, it’s not how many points you score pg average. It’s how many you score when you have to win.
How many of you were happy AJ Green runs out of bounds three yards short of a first down instead of cutting back inside and going for the first down? That is the direct result of a “soft culture” in Athens in dealing with prima donna atheletes. You won’t see that from a “blue collar” player like Chris Durham. He’s made more big plays this year than AJ Green.
Vance Duly
November 29th, 2010
11:29 am
Wow, Mark. Your suggestions are exactly what I’ve been expressing for weeks. Either we both are geniuses, or………. Well, I say both of us are geniuses. 2 different trainers in the Athens area have been critical of Van Halanger’s conditioning program. One said that the athletes would ask THEM what they should be doing (during off-season, off-campus workouts). He wasn’t even a UGA staff member, just a local gym trainer. Regarding the offense, why would ANY team torch a Tech defense on only 14 1st half passes, and then only throw 5 more times the entire game!? We’ve done that sort of thing way too often – we stop doing what is working to stubbornly try something else! Thanks for your brilliant analysis……
Richard Dawson
November 29th, 2010
11:29 am
1eyedjack – we already had Stafford and Moreno, who went #1 and #14 (or thereabouts) in the same NFL draft. It is written that despite any amount of talent, Mark Richt will find a way to squander it.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
Seth
November 29th, 2010
11:29 am
Mark Richt to football coaching is Paul Hewitt to basketball coaching
Mark Richt
November 29th, 2010
11:29 am
Georgia would be a pretty decent ACC team
JBW
November 29th, 2010
11:29 am
Techs coach is such a genius that he lost….. after mouthing off before the game to the Ga. team. Watch the tape and see that he is leading the attempt to intimidate the DAWGS– not trying to stop it.
Katherine
November 29th, 2010
11:30 am
I think firing Richt would be a mistake as well….who do you want to take his place then? Do you have someone better in mind? I’d like to hear who….
Holla at your Boykin
November 29th, 2010
11:30 am
offense isn’t the problem. fix the defense, its that simple.
UGA Insider
November 29th, 2010
11:30 am
The comment CMR made in which he referenced the fact that there would be “no” changes to his staff means he is definitely interested in the Miami job. If he were serious about staying at UGA he would have said that some changes were necessary because 8-5 and 6-6 are not good enough.
I correctly predicted a month ago that the Randy Shannon era would end at the U and everyone on this blog thought I was nuts….Now hear this…CMR WILL be the next coach of the Miami Hurricanes and will take his entire staff. The new head coach of UGA???……. Will Muschamp or Dan Mullen. CMR will not even coach during the bowl game.
Mister Falcon
November 29th, 2010
11:31 am
UGA should save some money and bring in any local high school coach. Couldn’t do any worse. And that coach might actually understand the Victory Formation. lol
Richard Dawson
November 29th, 2010
11:31 am
Totally agree with the criticism of AJ running out of bounds. Moreno did the same thing. I immediately put them on my sh*t list. That’s complete suckage. You want to preserve yourself for the NFL so bad? Fine, you’re off the team, you can now go get an agent and prepare yourself for the NFL by playing Xbox. AJ is a LOSER.
FIRE MARK RICHT.
Laces Out Finkle
November 29th, 2010
11:32 am
S to the H to the R to the E to the V to the E to the P to the O to the R to the T
KARMA BEE (YATCHE)S
Maybe you’ll get in the San Fran Bowl where you’ll fit in more
42-34 ALL YEAR LONG
61-39-5
I’m glad that the Turkey Neck served up another Thanksgiving feast along with an extra TD at the end
The looks on the GT crowd’s faces when he missed the PAT….I’ll never forget it, or stop laughing about it
BBUUHHUWWWWWWAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAA
ManiacalDawgHoyden
November 29th, 2010
11:32 am
Get June Jones!
azdawg
November 29th, 2010
11:32 am
MB. All you have to do is look at last years AL NC team. They recruited very well, developed their players and got them in fantastic shape due to their conditioning coach and program. They do not run a fancy offense they just out played their opponents. They were stronger, faster, bigger and well coached. Their running backs were toughand strong. Their defense was big, athletic, strong and tackled well.
With few exceptions, GA is not and hasn’t been in a while what AL has done w/their players especially on D. Coach Van H is past his prime and may not have the same drive as the AL strength and cond coach. That dude is something and motivates the players to get better. Arguably, GA has good players but they’re not being developed as well as they could/should be. When their Off line cannot get one foot for a 1st down nor 1 foot for a TD, as in the GT game, thats weak!! Some blame also w/playcalling. If your players cannot do it up the middle call something else.
Finally, GA’s def coord has to go. He’s had a year to make adjustments in each game and has not been able to effectively stop or even slow any of the six opponents GA has lost too. If Nesbit had played, GA would be looking at a 5-7 record right now. GA’s no better w/Grantham then it was w/CWM and arguably worse. Get a guy like Diaz at MSU.
It’s going to be very difficult to turn things around at GA. It usually takes several seasons to mold and build players you have into players like the 2009 AL NC’s. GA faithful don’t expect CMR to win the NC next year. We’d sure like to see some progress though by being more competitive and not get pushed around like they have been by the SEC elite and even middle tier teams. Win a few more of those and most UGA fans will be happy next season.
RunningDog
November 29th, 2010
11:33 am
Wow. UGA wins the game, but you follow up with one column praising Paul Johnson, then the next proposing how Georgia can fix its problems. Tech lost the game. No one remembers moral victories because they are not victories. Dial down the man love for Johnson and bring on some serious analysis if Kentucky basketball doesn’t distract you too much.
MR
November 29th, 2010
11:33 am
Seems to me all that is important to UGA is to run this state. Can’t win many SEC championships or MNC that way. I guess you could go 1-11 and be happy.
Nerds! Nerds! Nerds!
November 29th, 2010
11:33 am
Yes yes. Willie Martinez is still haunting the Georgia D. He did terrible in recruiting these players. Got to give CTG credit though. We are statistically much better than last year on D. Give it time. Let the man do his thing.
Wes 1
November 29th, 2010
11:33 am
1eyed
Uga has that player in AJ Green.
It’s called coaching. Something that’s been lacking in Athens for a long time.
schmeckdawg
November 29th, 2010
11:34 am
Van Halanger is a very sick man (physically) and another one of our S&C coaches (Grey) weighs about 400 lbs. Two terrible role models for young kids IMHO. UGA needs to get a bad a$$ S&C coach like the guy at Bama!
Mister Falcon
November 29th, 2010
11:34 am
Richt better jump on that Miami job while he still can. His days are numbered here. 6-6? 2 million a year for a team that is never prepared, coaching mistakes from beginning to finish of EVERY game, and a tolerance for criminal behavior, drunk driving, burglarly, rape, etc. UNPARALLELED in college football? I think UGA football team has had over 12 arrests of players this year alone. Over 12 arrests!?! 2 million a year? 6-6? Are you kidding me?
Ed (The Original)
November 29th, 2010
11:35 am
I hate to identify a certain player, but if you look at the picture that accompanies this article, you see a player that might be the poster-child for the proposition that Georgia has a strength and conditioning problem. I’d say that many on Georgia’s interior line appear kind of soft compared to players on other teams. Overweight and under-muscled.
An earlier commentator mentioned Durham. It’s a shame that UGA didn’t get more out of this kid’s talents through the entirety of his career. Glad he got to shine his senior year; he was a real bright spot in a bad season. If you had told me that Aaron Murray would be this good and that Durham would be a real weapon opposite AJ Green, I never would have believed that UGA would be just a .500 team.
MR
November 29th, 2010
11:35 am
@RunningDog
I guess the truth hurts big guy. Wait until tomorrow and you can talk smack when he tells us what is wrong with Tech. I don’t think the article praised Johnson so much as point our what needs to be changed at UGA.
Mister Falcon
November 29th, 2010
11:35 am
South Carolina wins the east. South Carolina? Are you kidding me? 2 million a year? WTF?