If you haven’t heard what Fran Tarkenton had to say regarding Mark Richt last Friday on 680 The Fan, you probably should. The most famous former Georgia Bulldog (non-Herschel division) eviscerated the Bulldogs’ coach and strongly suggested the program needs a new leader.
Francis T. began boldly — “What has happened over the last week with Georgia has been the most disturbing time I have seen in a long time; you know, people don’t want to look at reality” — and didn’t pause for breath. (A partial transcript is available at SportsRadioInterviews.com.)
Richt’s all-is-well press briefing of Jan. 4 apparently set Tarkenton’s teeth to gnashing. Concerning the announcement that Richt would re-immerse himself in the finer points of football, Tarkenton said this:
“Holy cow! Yesterday, where Mark Richt says, ‘I have been freed from administrative duties to spend more time on football.’ Then I quote him, he said, ‘The moves give [me] more time to study the game of football and be an expert and be on the cutting edge.’ What has he been doing for nine years? I have never heard any college, high school, professional coach [say] that [he] was not able to spend enough time on football.”
Asked by host Christopher Rude if Rich might have been devoting too much time to academics or somesuch, Tarkenton said:
“No, it sounds like a cop-out! It sounds like, ‘I am not taking responsibility. I have other things.’ We hire people to be football coaches. We pay him and others millions of dollars to be football coaches, not to be administrators. He didn’t do a very good job there — we had 12 people arrested this year, including a top-ranked quarterback who was a top kid that is now going to play LSU [Zach Mettenberger], and that has been going on forever.
“[Richt] is a wonderful guy. He is a good Christian guy. He wants to be a missionary. He goes on missions. That is a wonderful thing. But do you know the religion of Nick Saban? Or Gus Malzahn? Or Chip Kelly playing for the national championship? I don’t think we care what their religion [is]. We hire them to be football coaches. If we are hiring religious instructors, let’s go to the Candler School of Theology over here in Decatur and get some of their people to come and coach our football team.”
Let the record note that Tarkenton is himself the son of a preacher. Which isn’t the same as being the son of a diplomat, and is evident throughout this diatribe. More Fran: “You’ve been there nine years [10, actually] and you say [you] haven’t had time to spend on football — if you don’t think that’s a problem, Georgia people, and [athletic director] Greg McGarity, if you don’t think the signs are there, my friend … Bad news does not get better with time.”
Regarding last week’s announcements that two top in-state prospects plan to sign with Alabama and Auburn, Tarkenton said:
” We’re going to lose the elite players this year. We haven’t in the past — we’ve gotten the elite player. We either didn’t choose right or we didn’t coach right, because we didn’t have success.
“Right now our program has had three years of regression, and I don’t see any way this thing is going to get out of the ditch. When I read comments like [Richt's] … we’re putting spin on everything. In the meantime Alabama and Auburn and Tennessee are working and kicking our butts and recruiting people and getting coaches that have spread offenses. I mean, can you imagine? We scored two field goals against Central Florida.”
The son of a preacher then offered a benediction: “I think Greg McGarity has got to look at this awfully hard, I think the signs are that we have a program that is in big trouble.”
And now you’re asking: How noteworthy is this? My answer: Very. It’s one thing for some newspaper guy (like this one) to carp about Richt, quite another for a most distinguished alum to sound the alarm. In the space of nine minutes, Sir Francis essentially said what more and more folks are thinking: That Georgia needs a new coach.
By Mark Bradley
1,032 comments Add your comment
Rick
January 11th, 2011
11:43 pm
The State of GA is a mecca of high school football players. They are arguable regarded as the number 4 state in high school recruits, behind CA, FLA, and TX (no particular order). They should be pumping out NFL players, and they are. They are also losing players to out-of-state competition. Bottom line, we should be getting better results…
Barack Dawg
January 11th, 2011
11:45 pm
BAMA – you better worry about Alabama and that you have one more year with Saban if that long depending on what happens in the NFL…..Meyer is burnt out already and Saban always wears out his welcome and bolts for more cash and greener pastures…..
BAMA
January 11th, 2011
11:46 pm
It gets so old hearing that garbage about getting players to the NFL. If all those players are good enough to get to the NFL then why can’t Richt win anything with them ? Did yall ever think that those players would good enough to make it without Richt ? Hell That Moreno kid was the best running back at UGA since Herschel Walker and Richt red-shirted him. What an idiot , if he would’ve been watching film back then he would’ve known that guy was a stud running back. I’m sick of Richt and you should be too.
Barack Dawg
January 11th, 2011
11:49 pm
BAMA – we are just sick of you and other fans from other teams telling us how to handle our team. We will handle our business.
dawgster
January 11th, 2011
11:50 pm
@BAMA..sorry i don’t agree with you that Coach Richt is a Joke..i can assure he watches film. alot of film.. as do all the coaches…do i think Coach Richt has forgotten how to coach…no, not anymore than Coach Paterno, or Mack Brown or others…Sometimes a coach has to look in the mirror and say ok the way i have been doing it is not working…Is it me, our system, the coaches, the players…i think anyone in that position or even in a regular job that has responsibilities will question themselves when things don’t go right…I think a lot is being made on what he said about concentrating more on just the football aspects…maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but if it truly took away some time needed for the football operations, then i’m glad he said it..i’m not sure he had anymore responsibilities than other coaches perhaps he did, but i don’t recall him not ever taking responsibility for his team..i have heard him many times say he his responsible. he knows that, he’s alot smarter than you are giving him credit for…You can say what you want but to me knowing football the way i do, i know our talent level is not up to what it has been in his earlier years, yes we had some superstars but our overall team has lacked leadership from players and yes coaches that should have been there…We can sit here and bash Coach Richt all we want, but his 10 year track record is one of the best, the problem is that the past two or three if you want have been disappointing…From all indications they are taking steps to correct that starting with last years changes on the defensive side and this year with some internal stuff along with the S&C program…But one thing that must change and that is the attitude of the players and even the coaches that demand the best from everyone and have the heart and will to not let your team down…I don’t know if Coach Richt will be able to do that, but do i think he’s capable, i do…i understand all the concerns, i have them also, believe me, but our AD has put his faith in Coach Richt for at least one more season, so i’ll accept that now and instead of complaining i’ll see what results we get….but right now our program needs the strong support of everyone especially during the recruiting season…go dawgs and thank you for supporting the dawgs when you do…
TampaDawg
January 11th, 2011
11:52 pm
I hate to say I agree with Fran, however Richt will get one more year and then be gone if it doesnt turn around, now with a good qb, a 2nd year for the 3-4 def and a deep wr, and hopefully Mr. Crowell at RB CMR could turn this around, however if he misses on Crowell, and the def continues to sputter then its time to go. Remember I believe the Off scored 30 points in 6 + games, the def was the problem, with the exception of the bowl game where our players didnt show up. CMR gets one more year and if he fails its over, then who do we get?
BAMA
January 11th, 2011
11:52 pm
@ Barack dawg
Why should I be worried about Alabama, hell we’re good . We didn’t just get beat by UCF in a bowl game and I bet you a dollar to a dime that Richt goes before Saban. It doesn’t take a great coach to coach great players which is what I’m saying about Richt. He’s got great players and he still can’t win squat. Hell even Chizik can win with great players.
Gen Neyland
January 11th, 2011
11:58 pm
dawgster : Apples and apples. There lives a truth to what Spurrier said no matter how many years ago it was said. How can anyone other than Lou Holtz and the other CMR hanger-ons disagree..? I’ve got a vicious Dawg fan buddy that wants nothing but for a change to reignite the program. Nonetheless, good luck to you and UGA’s program…
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:01 am
@ dawgster
I’m a fan of Georgia football and have been for a long time now and I hate what Mark Richt is doing to a football that should be great every year. He’s running the program straight in the ground and he’s got Bobo driving the bus. What makes y’all think the 4 and 5 star players that he’s recruiting is any better than dozens he already has on the team ? The problem is Richt and there ain’t even a close second.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:02 am
@Rick..you do realize that the dawgs get more than their share of instate recruits and true we lose many but look at the recruiting bed we are and how many schools come into this state…also there are alot of kids that live in West GA..not far from Au, but much further to Athens that go to Au…Its always been that way and always will..Our recruiting class if we close the way we expect should be loaded with alot of in state talent and already is…You still have Ga Tech that will get their share and others…I remember many people talking and still do about how we let Eric Berry get away…well he wasn’t going anyplace other than Tenn due to family connections, but what do i still here, we let a talent like that get away…Champ and Boss Bailey were dawgs and no one else had a chance with them…it happens…you don’t get everyone you are after…I mean even the ones we have lost have gone down to the wire…us or them, i mean you can only do so much and offer so much…its true that with Bama now, they are the hot team in recruiting and you will lose some to them or Fla or other programs that have been winning regularly and competing for SEC titiles…i don’t think the dawgs have gotten better classes than those the past two seasons, but we have done very well..When this recruiting class is done i think you will see that the state of gergia will be well represented in our signing class, in my opinion..go dawgs
Rick
January 12th, 2011
12:03 am
dawgster – did McGarity put his faith in coach Richt as you say OR lay the law down to coach Richt (hence his new-found proclamation)?
Or perhaps they’re both just smooching each others behinds…
Ralph
January 12th, 2011
12:06 am
Crazies on this blog. Richt is the best coach in UGA history. Let the facts speak for themselves. 3 challenging years does not the story write. Have some perspective. Bradley and Schultz have never had a winning season. Richt has had many. Fire Bradley and Schultz!
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:11 am
@ Ralph
Vince Dooley would whip your a$$ if he heard you say that.
tide roll
January 12th, 2011
12:13 am
Fran doesn’t know this but, in spite of Richt’s football and administrative duties, he was able to “break away” from a SATURDAY PRESEASON PRACTICE to go watch his son play football in North Carolina! Mike Shula is the QB coach in the NFL. Richt should pursue a a similar position.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:14 am
@BAMA…i don’t know maybe i’m just looking at his record since he has been at georgia and where we were before he got here…The 90’s were not so kind to us and i think Coach Richt got the program back to respectability…The only real program that he has had problems with is Fla…We beat Au 4 years in a row…Coach Richt is 9-1 against one of if not our biggest rivals and has had success against Bama when we have played along with LSU…I think he is 7th or 8th among active coaches in wins for the last 10 years, so i’d say thats not all bad…Most everybody is concerned with what have you done for me lately, and thats where the problem lies..if he doesn’t fix it next season, i would expect many of you to get what you want and then that savior for our program may or may not arrive…I will say this hopefully for the last time, maybe some will actually think about it…right now Coach Richt will be our HC next season regardless what any of you think or want, the opportunity will be there to turn things around as with any program, if it happens then i’m sure many will jump back on the bandwagon, for some it probably won’t be enough except for a BCS title…I’m hopefull that things can turn around as i’m sure the coaches and players are..They deserve my support and i’m willing to give it to them…if next season goes to pieces or there is not substantial in all areas, and that includes discipline on and off the field, then i will accept and stand behind our AD in what ever manner he sees fit..go dawgs
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:15 am
Bradley: the only thing funnier and sadder than reading this crap is listening to that unhinged sherriff from Pima County Arizona.
UGA’s problems are probably all the fault of Rush Limbaugh / Sarah Palin / George Will / Fox News / the Wall Street Journal / the Tea Party / the NRA / the religious right / etc.
Jim
January 12th, 2011
12:21 am
” Alabama, Auburn, Tenn kicking our butts”– Last home and home with Alabama was a split.
I believe we are 4-1 last 5 against Auburn, and what was the score of the Tn game this year?
That is a little shy of a “butt kicking”
If you are going to rip your university then get your facts straight.
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:24 am
Just noticed there are a bunch of comments from fans of rival schools. WTF!!! Don’t y’all have your own websites and blogs? Oh. wait. they don’t have none of them kind of fancy technology things in Alabama. Oh and BAMA – how does it feel to be Gene Chizik’s b****?
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2011
12:24 am
Many respective comparisons to CPF/Hamilton and CMR/McGarity in this thread that people don’t notice.. Change is coming if CMR doesn’t beat UF, USCw and TN. Shoot, he’s gotta win the East in 2011 to keep his job. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it…GBO
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:28 am
@Rick…honestly i don’t think that Coach Richt had to have anything laid down to him…i think he knew pretty well where he stood and i think Greg made it clear to all the coaches in all sports that he espected to compete for championships…I do believe if Greg did not feel that Coach Richt had a plan or could not turn it around that he would have dismissed him…As far as smooching behinds as you say..well i’ll leave that for you to decide…You know i’m going to have to close soon, but i find it difficult to see you completely as a dawg fan. i know what you told me, but you constantly focus on the negatives…believe it or not there were some positives this year, obvisously not in the win column but there were some areas that we improve…and also whether you admit it or not there were some games that we easily could have won with a break or two or one or two fumbles that don’t happen…but those are excuses and i understand that, but as i said you made your points very well and i understand that alot of people feel the way you do, but also there are many that feel the way i do…I can’t do anything right now about the coaching situation nor can you or anyone else on here so why not just say ok…he has one more season and if we don’t get the results that we expect, then whatever happens, happens…i’m going to try and get excited about next season with our recruiting, spring practice and next fall…thats all i can do, i can’t change this year, i wish i could but i cant..I hope the players and coaches have as big a chip on their shoulders as many of the fans do…if they do then next year can be very good, but we won’t know until next season and alot of things can happen before then…Its nice talking to you, don’t give up on the dawgs, this is not the first time we have suffered thru some bad seasons…go dawgs..
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:29 am
Neyland: I have to take issue with you there. I still think you all screwed the pooch when you fired such a great guy and upstanding coach in Fulmer. Two bad years and you canned the best coach you have had there since I was at UGA in the Dooley years. Penny-wise and pound-foolish I say. And then you have kept the ridiculous, over-the-top slimball that Bruce Pearl is. Go figure.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:30 am
@Jim..thank you…good comments, not great comments….go dawgs
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2011
12:31 am
Jim : You would have breezed to the NC game in 2007 had you beat UT in the regular season and LSU in the Dome that year, but was not to be because UT whipped you and Tennessee won the infamous
tie-breaker. GBO and Go CMR…LMAO..btw, do I have my years correct..? Yes I think I do…
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:32 am
@JIM…also…one of our biggest rivals and probably why Coach Donnan is not here..We are 9-1 against Tech…go dawgs
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:32 am
Mark Richt’s had 10 years to win it all and he ain’t ever been close. The closest he got UGA still got there heads beat in by UF. UGA needs a better dang coach and that’s all there is to it. Rank his sorry butt from 1-12 in SEC coaches and see if that’s what you think The University of Georgia deserves. I got him about # 7 on my list and much like UGA’s program he’s going in the wrong direction.
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:34 am
Hey Neyland:
Q: why do Vols wear so much orange all the time?
A: it’s simple – that way they can go hunting on Friday, go to the game on Saturday, and then go pick up trash by the highway on Sunday.
dagrapevine
January 12th, 2011
12:34 am
of all the coaches who have been the featured speaker at the valdosta high banquet,coach richt is the one who would stay and autograph every kids program till there where no one else waiting.he deserves one more year to get this turned around.how many sec titles did fran win at uga?
like my my papa always said “its a poor frog that want croak for his own pond”.these comments by uga fans and alumni should be kept behind close doors.btw bradley, how many downs of football have you ever coached or played?
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:37 am
@Gen Neyland…you are correct…but i don’t think that was Jim’s point…i think it had more to do with our series records against some of these teams not so much on a single year…There are many on here bashing the dawgs, but when you look at the records over the last 4 or 5 years we seem to be doing pretty good, just can’t seem to put it all together in one year…go dawgs
Rick
January 12th, 2011
12:37 am
dawgster – “I hope the players and coaches have as big a chip on their shoulders as many of the fans do”
That’s what you call a HUNGRY team…shouldn’t they be this way every year?
BTW, I don’t need you to affirm me as true dawg fan. I’m tired of mediocrity…
7576DAWG
January 12th, 2011
12:38 am
TampaDawg
I respectfully disagree that our problem is the defense. In my opinion there were three problems that CMR couldn’t address or solve.
1- Changed to a 3-4 defense without having recruited the personal to run it the way it should be run.
2- lack of conditioning that showed up in a weak offensive line and no strong break away running back to off set the weak line
3- The most important problem not addressed was a terrible offensive scheme and play calling by Bobo. It doesn’t matter if you score 35 point a game if you give up 40 points per game because all of your scores were quick with poor TIME OF POSSESSION AND CLOCK MANAGEMENT.
The reason the last problem was so important is when you lose TIME OF POSSESSION by the 3rd and 4th quarter the defense is so tired they can’t stop a good offense late in the game, which is what happened in most of our losses. I checked the Time of POSSESSION in the Auburn loss and Auburn had the ball 37 minutes to our 23. That’s an entire quarter longer which very few defenses could over come.
We should have done exactly what Oregon did when they found out that their normal 300 yards per game was going to come in at less than 100 yards. They threw the ball 40 time and should have thrown 50 times. When we found out that our only strength on offense was great receivers , even though it was way out of character , we should have changed our offense to more be modeled after the Big 12 and thrown the ball at least 50 times a game and tried to out score our opponent because our running game was so ineffective that we would have been better off only running the ball about 10 times a game and Murray would have done most of that .
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2011
12:38 am
Ralph : Your faith gives me strength… And btw, this doesn’t go down as a UGA exclusive blog. Not when Fran the Man speaks out against you hanger on’s and to pudding proof examples… GBO and Goodnight..
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:40 am
Grapevine: Bradley? Football? Are you serious? That’s like asking if Schultz has ever played baseball. Don’t you know that most of these sportswriters are just jock-sniffers and wannabes?
Of course, there is another side to this. At least Bradley and Schultz can write a compelling, though terribly twisted and irritating, column. Can’t say the same for all of the mangled syntax and poor vocabulary coming out of the mouths of all those former All-Pros on ESPN!
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:42 am
@ dagrapevine
That’s what I’m talking about. While he’s out hugging babies like he’s running for office all of the other football coaches are doing what they’re paid to do and that’s run his football program. Even Vince’s boy knows that .
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2011
12:42 am
IlliniDawg : You’re weak, son…I’ve been here to many years to get riled by your pitiful response…Go to bed….
2centsdawg
January 12th, 2011
12:42 am
Fran T has about as much insight as MB which is zero
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:44 am
BAMA: STFU!!! Don’t understand why you are so impassioned about our coach. Don’t you have other things to think about and other blogs to post your inane comments on? Like figuring out how to extract Gene Chizik’s foot from inside your rear end?!
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:45 am
@ 7576Dawg
Hell all that’s Mark Richt’s fault if you ask me, he’s in charge of the program or at least he gets paid to be.
dawgster
January 12th, 2011
12:45 am
Hey BAMA…How many years did it take Mack Brown, Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden, just to name a few…I believe one of or considered on of the best college coaches ever Bo S. at Michigan…i don’t think he ever won an NC…i bet they would love to have him back right now…but i understand your point and it just happens that the SEC has won this thing 5 years in a row, so yes Coach Richt cannot compare himself to them..we get it…I’m glad he’s on your list..Obvisously as a BAMA man you feel its your duty to point out all of the dawgs failings with Coach Richt…I’m like some other commentors, why concern yourself with the dawgs…you obvisously have no love for them regardless of what you would have us to believe…to me your posts just lost all respectability as you continue to bash the program…you made your points, we get it. ok…go dawgs
OldFan
January 12th, 2011
12:47 am
Regression to the mean. Things run in cycles. All coaches and all programs go thru this kind of thing. Alabama amd Auburn had their years in the wilderness, too, as do most NFL players. Take the top ten coaches in the country, and next year nine of them will definitely not win the NC. They’re all losers–fire ‘em. The only reason to fire CMR is because he hasn’t reached a standard that was publicly set and which he publicly accepted. As far as I can tell, that hasn’t happened. Even next year, there’s only some foggy idea about getting better. If that’s the best the administration is willing to set as a goal, them get used to CMR staying around. Besides, as Chizik said last night, God was with Auburn, so maybe having a preacher as a coach isn’t such a bad thing after all.
IlliniDawg
January 12th, 2011
12:47 am
Neyland: Don’t understand why you are here either. In my opinion, you all made a huge mistake in firing such a great coach and classy guy in Fulmer. Best coach UT has had since my days at UGA back during the Dooley years. That’s right, I’ve been around a long time too. And unless you got your lady pregnant when you were about 10, I’m too old to be your son!
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:49 am
@IlliniDawg
Why don’t you come up with another 25 year old joke to tell ? People who actually know about football are trying to talk here . Go eat you some milk and cookies and get on to bed so you ain’t late to school in the morning.
Herschel Talker is a girly man
January 12th, 2011
12:49 am
I was always a Fran Tarkenton fan but now I have to believe he was sacked too many times and the concussions have clouded his thinking. Why blab like an idiot right in the middle of recruiting season. He and the false UGA fans that keep the criticism going at this critical time are being very detrimental to the football team with their lack of intelligence. Anyone continuing to undermine the UGA football team should remove any mention of Dawg, Bulldog. or UGA from their blog name as they have lost the privilege to do so. That includes any little sissy dude using Herschel’s name. Mark B. added this little junk on his blog for two reasons. 1. He is not very creative and 2. he is still smarting over the Bulldogs tail whipping of his Ky Wildcats. Mark and Jeff sitting in a tree KISSING. That is about the same level as Mark’s writings.
Gen Neyland
January 12th, 2011
12:50 am
dawgster : Until UGA can string together W’s against UF, USCe and TN in the same season, your new AD will not tolerate it…That’s the way it is in this business. Again, Good luck because CDD is gonna make UGA one of his top priority’s when you come a’calling to Rocky Top 2011. Guaranteed. But UGA must win the East in 2011 for CMR to keep his job. Just a fact i think…
Rick
January 12th, 2011
12:53 am
that’s it girly Herschel, lets just all sweep it under the rug…sure as hell don’t want to make any waves, oh hell no…
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:54 am
What part of I’m a Georgia fan don’t yall understand ? If Bama couldn’t win a championship I hope the Dawgs do. I’ve done been through this crap with Bama and I’m watching the Dawgs fall in the same hole.
7576DAWG
January 12th, 2011
12:55 am
You will see a huge improvement on defense in 2011 and Malcome and hopefully Crowell will lead a much better offensive running game. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Ealey and King don’t ask for a transfer because of the lack of playing time. With our offensive TIME OF POSSESSION much better in 2011 Bobo’s continual lack of qualification as a coordinator will not be nearly as obvious.
And CMR will not be nearly as scared to let Murray run the ball because he may get hurt since we will have LeMay to fall back on but he needs to get a lot of playing time during the year so he can come in and do a great job anytime needed.
Lastly, we need to play our Freshmen and stop red shirting everybody. Dyer gained nearly 1200 yards for Auburn, Look what Lattimore did for South Carolina and Newton seemed to do just fine in his first and only year.at Auburn.
dawgwood
January 12th, 2011
12:56 am
Is this going to be an “Erk” year or not? Are players and coaches going to step up or not? /will we see a little blood on Grantham’s forehead or not? Will Richt step up and DEMAND more of his team? His team made up of what we hear are not the best of players. Will they rise to the challenge?
Is this going to be an “Erk” year or not? Junkyard dawgs or useless street dogs. I can’t wait to see who shows up. Live and die red and black. I really hope the coaches players and every single person in the Athletic Department does as well. Do it Gentlemen, just do it!
BAMA
January 12th, 2011
12:58 am
Well said dawgwood
7576DAWG
January 12th, 2011
1:02 am
BAMA
I totally agree and that why so many of us Alumni are confused and unhappy that when your team go’s 6-7 during the year and you can’t even score one touchdown on a conferense
7576DAWG
January 12th, 2011
1:06 am
sorry hit the wrong key
conference USA team and then CMR has a new conference and say’s NO CHANGES NECESSARY and that Searels and Bobo did a GREAT JOB not a good job but a GREAT JOB , you wonder if CMR has his mind on football or how can he come to that conclusion.