Hot seat, huh? Says Richt: ‘I plan on having a hell of a year’
An action figure of Vince Dooley (middle) was on sale at the Galleria. (Photo by M. Bradley)
On the final day of 2010, Georgia lost to Central Florida to finish 6-7. If you’d asked then, or even a month later, what the mood of Bulldog Nation would be come July, I’d have said, “As grim as Nick Saban with an impacted wisdom tooth.”
Which shows, not for the first time, how wrong I can be.
The Bulldog Club of Metro Atlanta held its kickoff meeting Monday night at the Cobb Galleria, and I’ve attended this annual event — I saw Vince Dooley address these folks, or perhaps their parents, in his final season as coach — often enough to be attuned to nuance in the Red & Black. I’ve seen some tepid Bulldog Club gatherings. This wasn’t one.
Even Georgia’s coach conceded that things could have been different. “This room could have been empty,” Mark Richt told the throng. “Everyone could have said, ‘Georgia’s in the tank.’ ”
Last week Richt sat in Hoover, Ala., and said, “There’s no sense of gloom and doom.” To the assembled SEC media not based in this state, that sounded strange. Wasn’t this guy perched on the hottest seat in the college game? Who was he kidding?
Well, I’m here to attest: Richt’s not kidding. The outside world might look on Georgia and see a program poised to dump its coach, but that’s not the reality. At least not yet, and maybe anytime soon. Indeed, the first question from Monday’s gathering began: “Coach, we love you.”
“There are a lot of good vibes,” said Greg McGarity, the Bulldog grad who’s now the Georgia athletic director. And how, someone asked, do you go from not scoring a touchdown against Central Florida to believing you can take the SEC East?
The Dream Team happened. “That was a salve,” McGarity said, speaking of the ballyhooed recruiting class. “We needed something to calm the waters.”
But it wasn’t just one signing class. (Although Richt did tell the gathering that three incoming freshmen have “Dream Team” tattooed on their arms.) Said McGarity: “People also responded to the [staff and personnel] moves Coach Richt made. That sent the message that it was not just business as usual. They sensed a renewed sense of passion.”
And then? “We had a quiet summer,” McGarity said.
Here he knocked on a wooden tabletop. His obvious point of reference: No Bulldog has lately made the sort of summer headlines — meaning: gotten arrested — too many had made in summers past. Said McGarity: “We’ve had good news on top of good news on top of good news.”
Moments earlier, Richt had sought to explain how this fire has been rekindled. “I think, ‘We’re Georgia, ‘ ” he said. “We’ve got good players. We stumbled last year, but we weren’t far off. Greg has done a good job supporting us. The fans have done a great job supporting us.”
Then this, indirectly addressing his job status: “No one’s pushing the panic button. We believe in what we’re doing.”
Yeah, you’re doubtless asking, but will anyone still believe if Georgia is 0-2? The Bulldogs open against Boise State and then face South Carolina, the reigning SEC East champ. Two victories would thrust UGA into the top 10. One would be considered acceptable. None would prove problematic.
“That’s the thing,” Richt said. “If [0-2] happens, can we withstand all the stuff that will come? But just looking at it on paper, those might be the two best teams we play all year.”
For all the emphasis on Boise and Carolina, we forget this part: Even at 0-2, Georgia wouldn’t necessarily be sunk. There’s a chance it could still be favored in every remaining game, a chance — at least on the proverbial paper — 0-2 could become 10-2. And 10-2, in the grand scheme, would be viewed as a Bulldog resurgence.
And Richt, whom the watching world expects to be as restless as a Dawg on a hot tin roof, looks serene even by his own famous standards. He acts as if he knows something something others don’t. “I plan on having a hell of a year,” he said.
(And yes, Mark Richt really did say “hell” — but he meant it in a heavenly way.)
By Mark Bradley
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408 comments Add your comment
drbasic
July 26th, 2011
12:55 am
@slydog
dog, i understand your concern, even though i disagree. What coach do you know that could come in and do a better job over the next 10 years? A change would install a different philosophy to the entire team and program. It would be 6-6 or maybe 7-5 for a couple of years until the new scheme is learned and recruits are brought in from the new coach. Look at the mess Tenn. has had to endure after tossing Fulmer. Look what Nebraska has had to go through after Osborne departed from coaching. Not always does the grass get greener right away. Do you want to suffer through more downs? Sit back and see what the next 2 years are like, you might change your mind.
slydog
July 26th, 2011
12:57 am
@dr basic.. good point, i agree
Uga2002
July 26th, 2011
1:00 am
Geeish, I’m a troll and I actually graduated from UGA.
I’m calling it as I see it. The luster comes off when you get close to the program. CMR is a great guy but Boise and USC fans have the right to be excited about an easy win. We’re no Alabama, Florida, LSU or Auburn. They all have with great coaching or great talent or both, we lack both.
slydog
July 26th, 2011
1:01 am
You kind of have to give CMR two years becuase of Grantham’s contract. It makes good business sense.
RED DOG 77
July 26th, 2011
1:05 am
I can’t believe what I’m reading…….and you folks out there call yourselves football fans?……………Ok, lets start with the Georgia haters from other schools…….GT, Auburn, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, LSU……etc…….You get a pass……….Now, you Georgia people calling yourself a BULLDOG fan?………To the sincere, faithful, DAWG lover who supports his or her DOGS no matter what………you too, get a pass………..Now, to you fools who seem to know something about college football, a clue……..You don’t!………There is not a person on here who has the slightest idea of what The University of Georgia football program is going to do this year!…….including me, Mark Bradley……..and especially YOU!………College football is a game of cycles, a few years the “big boys” are up and a few years they are down…….always been that way, always will………..I bleed RED and BLACK, I support “my” Georgia BULLDOGS win or lose………..I support coach Mark Richt, and believe him to be the finest young man coaching the college game today………To all of you bandwagon fans……..”Get the hell behind the DOGS, or get the hell down the road”………Yup, I’m pretty angry about now, cause I’ve had a belly full of your “fan crap”………………..I’m a proud BULLDOG………join me, or join some other team, but leave “my” BULLDOGS ALONE !!!!………………….Regards, RED
Columbus
July 26th, 2011
1:06 am
It is good to be a DAWG. Everythign is fine and yes the team was close last year even with ALL the things that went wrong. Could have been 10-2 EASY. No need to panic. Last year WAS a fluke and happens to EVERYBODY sometimes. The future looks bright. The DAWG HAS TURNED! If we go 0-2 the heat will turn up but if everybody uses that to fire them up, the rest of the season may be all wins. It MIGHT BE ALL WINS ANYWAY. This MIGHT BE A SPECIAL SEASON. If we can run the ball and get past Boise. We had SC beat on the road last year without AJ and blew it. We can beat them with our D this year at home. If we can run, we might run the table. And Richt is a great coach who done more in his first 10 than most all coaches in history. Richt is THE man and he WILL get us to a National Championship game in the next 3 years. MAYBE EVEN THIS YEAR IF THE TEAM COMES TOGETHER TO WIN THE SEC.
We WILL be STRONGER physically and mentally. We WILL be FOCUSED. We WILL be MAD. We WILL WIN and SHUTUP all these naysayers and whiners. MARK IT DOWN. Richt will be at UGA until he retires. Like Dooley and Paterno, he will only coach at 1 school, UGA but his record will make Dooley’s look significantly inferior when all is said and done. Richt is THIS generations Paterno. No coach can match their records in their first 10 years. No coach….No not Saban, No not the Bear. Paterno and Richt. Seen Paterno’s record his first 10 years? WOW. Richt’s is as good. Nobody else though. NOBODY. How many National Championships do you think coaches win their first 10 years? Let me tell you….NONE. Richts time is now. UGA’s time is NOW. Remember 1980. Remember the pathetic year before? What happened? We had an AWESOME D and a freshman namned Herschel.
2011 we have a freshman named Isaiah……and a bunch of HUNGRY, STRONGER and FOCUSED DAWGS. If Bobo is up to the task…..this might be another VERY special year. If we can run the ball, we CAN beat ANYBODY. ANYBODY. Isaiah can hit the home run too. You hear me? He can bust one from ANYWHERE ON THE FIELD. Did I mention he CAN CATCH? Sound like a 1980 freshman?
slydog
July 26th, 2011
1:08 am
@uga 2002 I disagree one point. We have great coaching in some areas and we have great talent, as far as athletes and speed, across the board. It’s just not meshing together. I believe BoBo is hamstrung by Richt’s offense and playbook. He even tries to copycat his playcalling style. There are now new ideas introduced into the offense. Furthermore, Richt started managing rather than coaching. A huge era with the hiring of Meyer and Saban in the conference. Willie Martinez was a buddy pick, but no SEC defensive coordinator. He wasn’t mean enough. Grantham may be too hyper..lol. UGA got slapped in to reality threes years. But the slide should have stopped then.
slydog
July 26th, 2011
1:13 am
@ Columbus..lol out of all the cheering you wrote, you hurt it with one statement: “if BoBo is up to the task”
Hook is Set!
July 26th, 2011
1:39 am
Columbus…..
A whole lot of “ifs” in that diatribe…..a whole lot of em….
GT Fan...
July 26th, 2011
2:18 am
Columbus…I’m pretty sure Gene Chizick hasn’t been a HC for 10 years. Who were the Nat Champs last year?
GT Fan...
July 26th, 2011
2:38 am
Columbus…Ever heard of Urban Meyer? He was a HC for just 9 years….won TWO NCs with UF, and coached Utah to 12-0, and BCS Bowl W before coming to UF.
I believe Les Miles was HC for less than 10 years too before winning a NC.
And I know it’s Div I-AA, and I’m going “homer” on you, but Paul Johnson, in his first 5 years as a HC, won 2 NCs and was runner-up for a 3rd at GA Southern.
GT Fan...
July 26th, 2011
2:48 am
A few more “under 10″ NC Head Coaches, Columbus:
Pete Carroll
Steve Spurrier
Phillip Fulmer
captguitarman
July 26th, 2011
2:51 am
Mind over matter, sometimest the key to great seasons and championships. But keep it in the locker room coach. How many years of cheap talk will preface another season like last year’s. If I’m the coach, nobody says nuthin’ — under penalty of watching all of the games from the bleachers this year. Button it down. Talk is cheap. We’re not saying anything. Come to the games and see. All this talk, talk, talk — but as the old saying goes, “that’s why they play the games.” . I had “old-school” coaches in high school and college (think Bobby Knight), who would be giving untried, and untested freshmen (prima donnas for the last two or three years in high school, no doubt) 24 hours to get those “Dream Team” tattoos removed, with laser treatments, or have themselves removed from the team. Wow — Have things changed!! CMR is excited about it. True freshmen will make all the difference this year? — in the SEC? — of all conferences in the nation, the SEC??? Pass me another cup of that special Puppie Nation Kool-Aid. Pull back, shut up, get rid of those stupid tattoos, stop talking about how true freshmen will be your salvation in the toughest league in the land, ditch those stupid new “combat uniforms” and suck it up and as an old coach of mine use to say — “we’ll do our talking on the field.” All of this brings to mind a quote from an HBO series I have been watching. Game of Thrones. It’s a great quote by a member of the Night’s Watch – sworn to protect the realm. ” A man gets what he earns on the Wall (SEC), no more, no less.” I suggest that CMR make a few copies of that and hang it around the locker room . . . and especially his office. “Dream Team tattoos”??? You’ve got to be kidding me. As SC, Bama, Florida, Auburn, LSU, and Boise State might say . . . yeah . . . in their dreams. Time to tighten it up and suck it up and shut up, coach.
Don
July 26th, 2011
3:02 am
Their football coach is honest, but not all of the family members of the man who raises UGA are. Most prominent criminal networkin GA’s history coming to you from Glynn County, GA (including publishers of Bulldawg Illustrated). http://www.scopolamineisland.com
guy
July 26th, 2011
3:18 am
Cmon man is correct.Personally I think playing four quarters of hard nosed football will make all the difference in the world.Life will go on no matter what happens so relax and enjoy the journey.
dawginduluth
July 26th, 2011
4:17 am
Consider the source.
No NC with Richt. Never.
Saban
July 26th, 2011
4:47 am
Imagine Richt is correct. After the two beatdowns by Boise State and South Carolina, the dawgs should lose UGA to a stroke after the Florida game. and win maybe 6 games and a re-match with Central Florida in the booger eaters classic in Fort Walton Beach.
Buzz 2011
July 26th, 2011
5:13 am
The Dawgs will indeed be a ” dream team”! Dreaming they could have won six games this season..
Get Real
July 26th, 2011
5:14 am
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Hate...
July 26th, 2011
5:19 am
..you are the problem.
tony
July 26th, 2011
5:21 am
Statistics Under Richt’s Offense:
2001 Offense Ranking>> Rush 50th, Pass 24th, Total 21st
2002 Offense Ranking>> Rush 67th, Pass 39th, Total 49th
2003 Offense Ranking>> Rush 74th, Pass 37th, Total 58th
2004 Offense Ranking>> Rush 57th, Pass 30th, Total 31st
2005 Offense Ranking>> Rush 43rd, Pass 49th, Total 49th
2006 Offense Ranking>> Rush 71st, Pass 79th, Total 90th
2007 Offense Ranking>> Rush 37th, Pass 83rd, Total 74th
2008 Offense Ranking>> Rush 56th, Pass 16th, Total 22nd
2009 Offense Ranking>> Rush 47th, Pass 80th, Total 75th
2010 Offense Ranking>> Rush 73rd, Pass 40th, Total 56th
Statistics Under VG’s Defense:
2001 Defense Ranking>> Rush 15th, Pass 96th, Total 49th
2002 Defense Ranking>> Rush 19th, Pass 31st, Total 15th
2003 Defense Ranking>> Rush 13th, Pass 6th, Total 4th
2004 Defense Ranking>> Rush 15th, Pass 16th, Total 8th
Statistics Under WM’s Defense:
2005 Defense Ranking>> Rush 52nd, Pass 7th, Total 18th
2006 Defense Ranking>> Rush 27th, Pass 5th, Total 8th
2007 Defense Ranking>> Rush 16th, Pass 36th, Total 14th
2008 Defense Ranking>> Rush 27th, Pass 32nd,Total 22nd
2009 Defense Ranking>> Rush 36th, Pass 51st, Total 38th
Statistics Under TG’s Defense:
2010 Defense Ranking>> Rush 56th, Pass 17th, Total 23rd
Was Willie Martinez the culprit? REALLY?
I am Columbus and I smoke crack
July 26th, 2011
6:01 am
whacked, just whacked. I try to resist reading any fool who uses CAPS to try to MAKE their POINTS, but couldn’t resist. Wow. Talk about fringe. can’t decide, grow up? get a clue? Admire the passion and also love the dawgs. But aint’t seein what you see. Do see any easy schedule.
Big G
July 26th, 2011
6:04 am
Woof!……………………………………………………………………..Woof!…………………….Yawn
govind
July 26th, 2011
6:16 am
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July 26th, 2011
6:17 am
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atltiger15
July 26th, 2011
6:27 am
5th in the west might be good enough to be 1st in the east…Quote from one prominant sec sports writer….
Sunshine Falcon
July 26th, 2011
6:55 am
Richt has one of the best winning %’s over the last 10 years.
LSU is the only team that has been better in the SEC, over that 10 yr span.
Bama has a great coach in Saban, though and since he came, on the scene, they are the SECs’ best program.
As bad as I hate to you have to give UF credit, but the jury is still out, on their new regime.
The SEC is so tough, but so dominant and I give Richt credit, for his coaching ability.
His biggest problem has been, that he is loyal to a fault aka: WM and letting Bobo be the O coordinator and not just the QB coach.
» SEC: Bama’s oversigning; OVC disagrees with SEC on reform John Clay’s Sidelines
July 26th, 2011
7:03 am
[...] Mark Richt plans on having “a helluva year,” reports Mark Bradley of the AJC. [...]
jeff
July 26th, 2011
7:11 am
I remember last year when a certain team lost to Boise State and then chocked the next game and yet on to have a pretty good year (VT). Yes, puppies will lose to the my little ponies and the tweety birds but then can come back for a decent year. Probably will lose to MS State and Florida but should win the rest (yes, even against GT, darn it) so 8-4 is not bad. Get a good bowl and 9-4 is not a bad year. I say not this year but next will be a breakout year for the slobbering puppies.
Mark Richt is Gay
July 26th, 2011
7:17 am
After the meltdown of Richt’s last 5 years, does anybody care anymore? If he won a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, it would barely make up for the funk. He should have been gone. Like Al horford this guy Richt is very average but surrounded by a lot of media hype!
FIRE RICHT…!
SameOldTricks
July 26th, 2011
7:34 am
Wasn’t Richt supposed to be studying the game of football this summer? Instead he was off in Honduras while other coaches did their jobs. He needs to be updating that FSU playbook from the 90’s he brought to Athens. You people are suckers.
jerry
July 26th, 2011
7:39 am
Richt said hell? Damn.
JoCo Dawg
July 26th, 2011
7:42 am
That looks just like the Vince Dooley action figure that was stolen from my mother’s garden when I was a child. Did you notice if there were any visible scuff marks or a black marker stripe on it’s left foot? It would make her day if I were able to retrieve it after all these years. GO DAWGS!!!!!
Shawn
July 26th, 2011
7:45 am
Sure he is. He’s going out with a bang like Costanza! Going for it on 4th and 22. Bombs on consecutive plays! It’s going to be a good un for the rikster.
Richt reminds me of Obama
July 26th, 2011
7:57 am
Pulled a 180 on his personality from 3 years ago. Now he tries to act all tough and in charge when we all know the ship is sinking around him. Just as obama has looked like a fool when his crap stimulus and liberal policies blew up in his face, cmr will too when uga starts off 0-2. Obama also had guys jumping ship like rham and gibbs and a couple of others. So has uga and many more will soon. It will be funny to watch his demeanor change like a bipolar brazilian once it’s back to the same old mistake prone football by uga. You know what I mean. It’s 3rd and 5 and every receiver runs 20 yard + routes. Good luck with bozo as second mate and a choker as 3rd.
Giving the people what they want | Get The Picture
July 26th, 2011
8:01 am
[...] the seat the coach sits on isn’t nearly as warm as many outside the program insist it is. (Mark Bradley is still pinching himself over that.) But I’m not so sure, in a [...]
Lee
July 26th, 2011
8:05 am
Georgia loses to Tennessee in Neyland this year.
Only in dreams
July 26th, 2011
8:12 am
Richt is happy even when he loses. He is happy when the team goes 6-7 and considers the season a success.
What If
July 26th, 2011
8:16 am
What else could he say? Surely one would not expect him to make a negative statement about the season. What if he stated that uga will finish the drill, climb the mountain, cowboy up etc, and on and on. Seems to be the same old song and dance.
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
8:19 am
Let me save you idiots some time.
Just refer to a number morons.
1.) Red Panties
2.) Thugs
3.) Goons
4.) Inmates at Clarke Correctional
5.) we hit and run this state
6.) 12 arrests, 6 wins
7.) Drunken, whoring AD
8.) Trailer Parks
9.) 90% of our fans didn’t go to UGA
10.)Jan Kemp
Save time you idiots and just list numbers.
J
July 26th, 2011
8:20 am
Georgia always has a good recruiting class just like Ole Miss always has a good recruiting class, It still comes down to coacing the kids up, Both leave the kids scratching their heads, I would almost bet UGA starts out 0-3 in the SEC again..
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
8:21 am
Here are some more for the TROLL VILLAGE
11.) 2-8 versus florida
12.) No National titles since 1980
13.) Richt looks like Helen Hunt
14.) Summer national champs
15.) Kool aid drinkers
Just reference a number and save time
Gator Mike
July 26th, 2011
8:21 am
As a Gator, I want to have the Cocktail Party Game be a key for both teams this year. With Muschamp at UF it will have a bit of flair. Thus, I am pulling for UGA to beat Carolina and roll into JAX with no SEC losses. Our Gator SEC Schedule is a bit tougher, but if the Gators roll into JAX with no more than one SEC loss, the game should be very exciting. I have been around the UF-UGA rivalry for many years, and I remember the dark days for us Gators. It will be good for the SEC for UGA to get back in the mix as long as we beat the DAWGS in JAX.
I will be pulling for UGA to beat Spurrier in Athens.
Go Gators!
Dog Island Gator
July 26th, 2011
8:23 am
In poker they call it ” all in “.
Brad K
July 26th, 2011
8:24 am
Why is no one reporting about the recent arrest in Tennessee? It seems that the AJC can’t wait to get their hands on any police reports out of athens and report/speculate immediately.
Lindsey
July 26th, 2011
8:29 am
Funny last sentence Mark!! I can’t wait to cheer on CMR and the rest of the Bulldogs this year, GO DAWGS!!!
1eyedJack
July 26th, 2011
8:32 am
Is it September yet?
DawginLex
July 26th, 2011
8:34 am
All of you wimps hiding behind your screen name taking shots at Richt would crap your pants if you ever had the chance to stand in front of him man to man and say just one word to him.
Congratulations to all you Fran Tarkentons-THE GUTLESS WONDERS OF THE WORLD
And to the “Saban” character. We all know you are a Tech fan. Another sad testament to the internet and what is allowed.
Later losers
BjohnDawg
July 26th, 2011
8:40 am
JWTWDT-Just Win The Whole Damn Thing!
Go Dawgs!
Douglas
July 26th, 2011
8:42 am
I like Mark Richt as a person but as a coach, I no longer have confidence in his coaching ability. He has a chance to hire a great offensive line coach and we hire someone from a smaller school? Bobo will still continue to throw the ball first instead of running it like he should.