Win or lose Saturday, can Richt ever again feel safe at UGA?
"Let's try that play where we jump offside. That's working!" (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
The label “must-win” has affixed itself to the South Carolina game, but a more precise description is “darn-well-better-win.” There’s a chance an 0-2 Georgia could still make something of its season. Say the Bulldogs win nine of their next 10: Wouldn’t 9-3 with a strong finish coming after 6-7 be construed as, ahem, significant improvement? That said …
Beyond simply saving himself for next week or next season, can Mark Richt ever again be truly safe in this job?
When the second game of any season is deemed, however inexactly, a “must-win,” matters have already deteriorated. When something is so far gone, is there any going back? The Georgia-Tennessee game of Oct. 6, 2007, was considered a “must-win” for Philip Fulmer, and he won it 35-14 and rose from 2-2 to 9-3 and led the Vols to the SEC East title (shading Georgia on a tiebreaker). Great recovery, huh?
Reality check: Philip Fulmer was fired in November 2008.
The Fulmer parallel is often invoked regarding Richt, and it’s apt. Both men won big for a good long while. Both took two SEC championships. (Fulmer even won a BCS title, a prize for which Georgia under Richt has never played.) Then they stopped winning so much. Fans noticed. Fans began asking: “Is he still the right guy?”
When enough fans ask that loaded question enough times, games stop being games and become referendums on the coach. This week a man who has a finger on the pulse of Bulldog Nation estimated Richt’s job-approval rating at five percent. Should Georgia lose to South Carolina, what might the approval rating be? Two-point-five percent? Zero percent?
We need to ask this, too: Even if Georgia wins this game, will Richt’s doubters again become believers? Or will they just doubt a bit less until he loses again?
A coach cannot serve for long at the displeasure of his constituency: This has always been true, but it’s truer than ever in a world where the athletic director has an e-mail address and anyone with Internet access can post on Twitter and Facebook and AJC.com. With so much money in play and so many seats to fill, can any AD wage a protracted fight against the wishes of his fans?
Loading ...When C.M. Newton was in charge at Kentucky and folks were upset that Bill Curry wasn’t winning, the AD advised the dissidents to go find another school to support. Even with such administrative backing, Curry wound up resigning. When you lose so often that the roar of discontent drowns out the huzzahs raised in any victory, you’re a goner even before you actually go.
Richt is treading perilously close to that tipping point. Losing to Boise State mightn’t have been so bad on its face — the Broncos arrived ranked No. 5 in the land and were favored by Vegas — but the manner of the loss was devastating. This disjointed performance didn’t augur a new beginning; this was merely more of the same, which made it worse than ever. You sign the Dream Team and can’t stay onside? To borrow from Steve Spurrier’s famous 1991 dismissal: “Georgia gets all these recruits, but I don’t know what happens to them.”
Should Georgia lose to South Carolina, as coached by the dastardly Spurrier, Richt won’t resign on the spot or be fired on Sunday. He might still win enough to keep his job. (For another year, anyway.) But here’s the bigger issue: Even a win over the Gamecocks won’t convince many folks that the 51-year-old Richt remains the daring young man who Finished The Drill way back when.
It might take another SEC championship to do that. It might take a BCS title. And if, after Boise, you espy such glory on the horizon … well, count yourself among that five percent.
By Mark Bradley
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594 comments Add your comment
war eagle
September 9th, 2011
1:56 pm
Dream Team..he!!. U mean Wet dream team…hahaha
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 9th, 2011
1:56 pm
Mark Bradley
Fix the filter on here
Dosta Dawg
September 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
Enter your comments here
Gatorbait 18-3
September 9th, 2011
1:58 pm
jerry
September 9th, 2011
1:50 pm
Best to keep Mild Mannered Mark.
I’m with you.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 9th, 2011
1:59 pm
Burdell 90
I know the truth if you would read my posts
Im talking about the filter on here that mistakes certain words or phrases as being bad
Please go back and read my last couple of hours of posts on here. Im not a Richt Kool-aid drinker bud
Laura
September 9th, 2011
1:59 pm
The inmates are running the asylum….otherwise why as a coach would you allow 2 of your fastest players (Crowell and B. Smith) to both wear #1, which means you can’t put this threat together on the field at the same time??? Time for a change….no matter what and this just shows the level of detail and creativity has left our coaching staff!
Jim
September 9th, 2011
1:59 pm
SC 41
Ga 19
blue
September 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
Mr. Blutarski…zero…point…zero.
ga gator
September 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
Losing to Carolina this week will not be his demise unless it is a blowout and UGA looks bad. Even then I think his make or break game will be the home game against MS St. The key stat that threw me a few weeks ago was his recruiting classes have averaged overall as the #2 school in the nation. I like the man because he is honest and tries to do things the right way. But UGA is not Vanderbilt and it may be time for a change.
Dr. Phil
September 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
In spite of being a man of character in his private life, Richt has not run a clean program at Georgia. He has averaged around 10 player arrests a year, many of them for violence and violence against women. He has surrounded himself with average coaches, partly due to Adams’ micromanagement. He has demonstrated a double standard of discipline, treating some players as “special” and dismissing other, less talented players, for minor infractions. He should go to another institution, perhaps one with a religious affiliation, and start over with a new philosophy and new staff.
Mark Long
September 9th, 2011
2:00 pm
The answer to the question “Would Richt ever feel safe at Georgia is a definite “no”. No coach is safe anywhere. Others may be more likely to keep their job, be under less pressure, etc.–but no coach nowadays can consider himself “safe.”
dmr
September 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
Mark,
I think you brushed against the problem. Losing is NEVER the problem. The MANNER in which you lose can be the problem. I think this is the case at Georgia. For more than three seasons, Georgia’s offensive line has been sub par and everyone knows it. Moreno made the line look better than it was. Ealey and King tried to do the same, but where less successful. Stacy Searles was brought in to solve that problem and could not.
The Offense on the whole looks like someone with amnesia trying to figure out who they are and can’t. Bobo makes ill timed decisions…3rd and 18, in the immortal words of Larry Munson, “GUESS WHAT’S COMING UP”? Draw play. Quick outs, slants, 3-step drops…oh, well.
Bobo should have packed his bags right about the time Matinez did, but for whatever reason, here we are. Martinez found greener pastures in Oklahoma and Richt hired Grantham. 14 games into the new regime on defense, and we are 6 – 8, with no marquee win that could be attributed to outstanding defensive play. Soft zone against Kellen Moore and their willingness to play pitch, catch, and run doomed Georgia in the dome.
Richt is a good man and anyone who has ever met him (and I have) can attest to that fact. However, recruiting to few linemen for depth, poor play calling, lack of preparedness all falls on the Head Coach, fair or unfair.
Bottom line: I believe Coach Richt should have this season, another recruiting class and the 2012 season to turn things around. I still think Georgia wins 8 games, loses to 3 top 15 teams (BSU, SC, and MSU) and further stumbles in Jacksonville. None the less, that would be a vast improvement from a year ago considering our overall lack of depth and inexperience. His upcoming recruiting class must include 8 – 10 offensive linemen to build depth and an experienced and proven play caller in the mold of a Norm Chow (experience wise) should be brought in to help.
Dosta Dawg
September 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
Georgia should fire Richt and go after Kirby Smart, Chris Peterson(Kellen Moore is a SR- he will leave for the money) or Charlie Weiss.
Rolo
September 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
Mark Richt vs Steve Spurrier is like watching The Situation play chess against Steve Jobs.
ga gator
September 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
My weekly prediction (last week UGA 27 Boise 24), SC 34 UGA 27.
Chuck
September 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
Mark, you say that the Dawgs lost their first game when Boise State came into the Georgia Dome favored by Vegas.
Have you seen the line for the South Carolina game? Vegas is favoring the Gamecocks–in Athens.
douglas
September 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
It’s not if UGA loses…UGA will lose to USC. Their players are better coached and they have better coaches. UGA overall has more talent then USC but UGA’s coaching down or not coaching at all has not brought their talent forward.
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
LowCountry
Are you really that much of a Richt Kool-aid drinker
Since 1999 UGA has ranked 4th in putting players in the NFL
The last decade UGA ranked 2nd in recruiting for the decade
Please dude come off the spiked punch for once
MAD DAWG
September 9th, 2011
2:02 pm
Stop blaming Mike Bobo for the mediocrity of the offense. Evidently through the eyes of his boss, Richt he is doing an adequate job. Grantham was Richt’s fourth choice for the defensive coordinator position because nobody wanted the job. I mean why would a hardnosed successful defensive coach take a job where he can’t curse to get a vital point across. I saw Willie Martinez, OU secondary coach, on the Open Access Oklahoma show using some pretty choice language which was constantly bleeped out. And bad language among coaches is prevalent at all the schools that I’ve seen on the inside edition shows. I’m not condoning bad language, but coaches can’t hit players in this era, but coaches are still using choice words at their disposal to get points across to the players to improve production. Richt is no exception and it will shows if he muzzles his coaches. UGA still looked very soft in the Boise game on offense and defense. There was no tone setting exclusive big hit by the defense. Not a single one. Also, UGA IS NOT a fad ” 3-4″ defense school and will never be a pass first school offensively. Seems to me Richt is perfectly content for UGA to fall behind in games just to have a reason to abandon the run and pass every down. But there’s one problem his thin undercoached O-line can’t run block or pass block well enough for the offense to be successful. Herschel Walker alluded to this fact on an interview this week, that he was blessed to have a forceful and effective offensive line to run behind.
UGA will never be FSU of the 1990s and Richt doesn’t seem to realize that simple fact. Many FSU fans were frustrated in 2000 and felt the same way about Richt’s FSU offense (as we do currently at UGA) after FSU lost the Championship game 13-2 to Oklahoma. They said good riddance to Richt and happily wished him the best at UGA after his FSU offenses had won only one of three straight national title appearances from 1998-2000.(1998, FSU lost to Tennessee,1999, FSU defeated Va. Tech, 2000 FSU lost to OU) And FSU fans will forever vent about Spurrier’s 1996 Florida Gator team that dismantled FSU in the national championship game. Enough about the past, but sometimes you have to look at the past to see the future and UGA’s best days under Richt are a thing of the past. The SEC is much more highly competitive now than in was from 2001 to 2006. In 2007 the Dawgs began their run for a national title and that pursuit ended in 2008. Sadly We are facing the beginning of the end of the Richt era at UGA. It’s time to give another head coach with fresh ideas an opportunity to begin another national title run at UGA. We’ve gotten the current coach’s best shot and his highest finish was number 2.
Stinger2
September 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
Unfortunately, CMR will probably never feel safe as long as the UGA fans continue their pitiful and sorry negative comments and trash him unmercifully. I have never seen a fan base of any team (college or pro) treat their coach
and assistants as the UGA fans do.
ga gator
September 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
Dosta Dawg I agree with your Kirby choice, but Weis is not a HC, he is a great coordinator though.
MAD DAWG
September 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
Stop blaming Mike Bobo for the mediocrity of the offense. Evidently through the eyes of his boss, Richt he is doing an adequate job. Grantham was Richt’s fourth choice for the defensive coordinator position because nobody wanted the job. I mean why would a hardnosed successful defensive coach take a job where he can’t curse to get a vital point across. I saw Willie Martinez, OU secondary coach, on the Open Access Oklahoma show using some pretty choice language which was constantly bleeped out. And bad language among coaches is prevalent at all the schools that I’ve seen on the inside edition shows. I’m not condoning bad language, but coaches can’t hit players in this era, but coaches are still using choice words at their disposal to get points across to the players to improve production. Richt is no exception and it will shows if he muzzles his coaches. UGA still looked very soft in the Boise game on offense and defense. There was no tone setting exclusive big hit by the defense. Not a single one. Also, UGA IS NOT a fad ” 3-4″ defense school and will never be a pass first school offensively. Seems to me Richt is perfectly content for UGA to fall behind in games just to have a reason to abandon the run and pass every down. But there’s one problem his thin undercoached O-line can’t run block or pass block well enough for the offense to be successful. Herschel Walker alluded to this fact on an interview this week, that he was blessed to have a forceful and effective offensive line to run behind. UGA will never be FSU of the 1990s and Richt doesn’t seem to realize that simple fact. Many FSU fans were frustrated in 2000 and felt the same way about Richt’s FSU offense (as we do currently at UGA) after FSU lost the Championship game 13-2 to Oklahoma. They said good riddance to Richt and happily wished him the best at UGA after his FSU offenses had won only one of three straight national title appearances from 1998-2000.(1998, FSU lost to Tennessee,1999, FSU defeated Va. Tech, 2000 FSU lost to OU) And FSU fans will forever vent about Spurrier’s 1996 Florida Gator team that dismantled FSU in the national championship game. Enough about the past, but sometimes you have to look at the past to see the future and UGA’s best days under Richt are a thing of the past. The SEC is much more highly competitive now than in was from 2001 to 2006. In 2007 the Dawgs began their run for a national title and that pursuit ended in 2008. Sadly We are facing the beginning of the end of the Richt era at UGA. It’s time to give another head coach with fresh ideas an opportunity to begin another national title run at UGA. We’ve gotten the current coach’s best shot and his highest finish was number 2.
Burdell 90
September 9th, 2011
2:03 pm
95…you are a GA koolaid drinker…
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2011
2:05 pm
Flat tire-
Are you that much of a retard that you dont understand a point? Look at the talent that is currently in the NFL and the lack of a relationship CMR had in this. Note the players I listed. You need to lay off the Anti- Richt Kool as you are the only one drinking it. Myself, I am waiting the season out and if the change is made so be it. That is far from a blind endorsement of Richt. If you see it differently then thats a you problem.
Joey
September 9th, 2011
2:05 pm
Okay, so Richt has only coached 29 future NFL players, Lowcountry. And I’m pretty sure about a dozen the last 3 years.
My point was, we are still getting talent.
Go to Scout.com if you don’t trust my talent judgement.
Stinger2
September 9th, 2011
2:05 pm
Mark Bradley: Why way my comment not posted. No vulgar or curse words?
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2011
2:05 pm
Please not Weiss…
Richard Dawson
September 9th, 2011
2:06 pm
10 years and no national championship. That’s my goal. I know others just want a nice coach and about 8 wins per season. We differ.
That said, it took Dooley 16 years. Well, it took him until he could get Herschel.
Does anyone know when Richt will sign the next Herschel?
Gatorbait 18-3
September 9th, 2011
2:07 pm
This may explain Richt’s problem. Has any school ever come after one of Richt’s coaches? I think the Falcons got one, but that’s it I believe.
Other schools want Gator coaches, in Meyer’s lst two years he lost 5 assistants that were made head coaches, can anyone see Bobo as a head coach. And that my friends is Georgia’s problem. It won’t take McGarity long to figure that out.
Richard Dawson
September 9th, 2011
2:08 pm
SC 42, UGA 3.
BG
September 9th, 2011
2:09 pm
Can any coach feel safe in the SEC?
hk
September 9th, 2011
2:10 pm
… how does it feel to be instrumental in getting a good man fired ? … continued abuse of freedom of the press ..
BG
September 9th, 2011
2:10 pm
Richard you must be smoking some good stuff! Mark Richt owns SC. Look at the record partner.
Roadrunner
September 9th, 2011
2:11 pm
Agree with many others here, play hard & lose to USC Richt is still OK for now. Play like this is the first day of full pads practice like they did against Boise St. and probably not. Richt is one of the finest individuals in the business but at the end of the day the team has to produce or the guy at the helm gets gone, same as any large business…
Joey
September 9th, 2011
2:12 pm
“and the lack of a relationship CMR had in this.”
*************************************
I’m not picking a fight with a fellow Dawg-lover, Lowcountry, but I don’t understand what that means.
Richt probably didn’t recruit every one of those remaining 29 players (36 – 7 you named), but he had them on the field while he was coach.
The NFL knows talent. So do the recruiting services, who have named UGA #2 in recruiting the past decade, behind on USC.
gnat
September 9th, 2011
2:12 pm
how do it know?
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 9th, 2011
2:13 pm
Burdell 90
Please explain how I am a koolaid drinker moron
Gatorbait 18-3
September 9th, 2011
2:13 pm
Dosta Dawg
September 9th, 2011
2:01 pm
Georgia should fire Richt and go after Kirby Smart, Chris Peterson or Charlie Weiss.
You can forget about Weiss, he bought a house in Ocala and is raising horses——you
could say he fat and happy.
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2011
2:13 pm
http://espn.go.com/nfl/college/_/letter/g
Here is a ESPN link. Not trusting your judgement but is there a difference in top end talent now? In his tenure it has only produced Stafford,Moreno and AJ as 1st round picks in skill positions on offense. Not trying to be overly critical, but you would think that in 10 years on th ejob we would better weapons offensively to work with. The list is great but its not overly impressive as far as playmakers go. Just my opinion.
Time
September 9th, 2011
2:14 pm
I still want to support Richt. He’s a good guy, and I think he cares about his kids as people. Which is the kind of coach I’d want to send my kid to play for. But I just don’t think he’s cut out to be a full time college football head coach on a long term basis. Alot has been made of his religion. Which I don’t fault him for. But to be a coach at a big time football program like UGA. And yes insects and random haters, UGA is big time. Take a look around the NFL. But to be a coach at a school like UGA you have to be consumed, almost to a fault, with winning. I don’t think Richt is anymore and it shows in the fundamentals and preparedness of the team.
I’d love to be wrong, as I’m late to the fire CMR bandwagon, but I don’t see it possible for Richt to stay unless unlikely things happen. I think the team has to play much smarter fundamental football and they have to beat UF and atleast win the SEC East for Richt to keep his job. The talent is there for UGA to win out, so it could happen. But Richt has got to be the one to make it happen. We can not win games simply by showing up with the big G on the side of our helmets.
gnat
September 9th, 2011
2:15 pm
Richt is a good guy. But he is surely not Vince Lombardi—-or even close. So, why not make a move now and start working on some plays that have running attacks. I hate to keep repeating this but —Richt is an ACC coach. And he will always be one to some degree. He obviously hates the running game. S0———
Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville
September 9th, 2011
2:15 pm
Joey
You will find that Low Country, DAWG, and Altamaha DAWG will twist what you say with nothing to back up what they say to try and prove there Bong Smoking points
Fair and Balanced
September 9th, 2011
2:16 pm
Enter your comments here
Mtn Dawg
September 9th, 2011
2:16 pm
I still don’t think it’s Richt. Bobo runs an ordinary, lack-luster offence that defenses figure out real quick. No creativity! Does play to our strengths. Boykin gets one play from scrimmage for a touchdown and not another appearance in the backfield. USE WHAT WORKS at the moment. And Bobo’s obsession with the no-huddle is elementary in concept.
BOBO is the problem. Although, Richt should recognize that and start calling plays like he did at FSU.
Red Harrison
September 9th, 2011
2:17 pm
Its real simple
Safe = Win – every alum including self, likes him
Safe = Win or lose with max heart, effort, hustle, preparation
Hot Seat= what I saw all last year, and last Saturday
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2011
2:17 pm
You got my point. He didn’t recruit some to Athens or he inherited them when arriving in Athens. So it wouldn’t have taken a rocket scientist (don’t laugh) for him not to have played them.
I agree with the talent at Athens, I just think it is not where it should be. I think we either over valued some kids, (like Sanks or Lewis) or it could be the fact of coaching while in Athens. I dont have the answer but how many 1st Round picks do you see out on the field?
Buzziswiser
September 9th, 2011
2:18 pm
What is he against GT? 8 and 1. I liked to try a new guy. Whoever will not be that good.
What the Dawgs need is a real dose of humility. Say 5-7 and no bowl
Beat the two cream puffs + KY, Vandy, Ole Miss ans wiff on the rest.
Seriously CMR needs to get the coordinators straight. Bobo is not the guy and the jury is still out on Grantham.
Gatorbait 18-3
September 9th, 2011
2:19 pm
BG
And Georgia owned the Gators until Spurrier(now you are 3-18). It has taken Spurrier longer to build his team
at SC. SC doesn’t have the quantity of athlete that he had in Florida. But hold on to your hat, cause Spurrrier is about to start a nother run on Georgia. It starts Sat.
Joey
September 9th, 2011
2:19 pm
hk, you think Mike Adams is gonna tell McGarity, “Mark Bradley says Richt isn’t very good anymore – fire his butt?”
Jeez . . .
Lowcountry Bulldawg
September 9th, 2011
2:20 pm
Flat Tire-
Keep on hating bud! Makes no difference to me. Your blind dislike of me obviously shows or else you would understand that I dont drink the Kool Aid. Fele free though to continue to be King in your on little world if it gives you a feeling of self worth. I myself do not need that type of validation.