Is Georgia coach Mark Richt intense enough?
An interesting question was posed to Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews.com recently on their feature called “Ask CFN.” Someone going only by “DJ” asked Pete whether he thought Georgia coach Mark Richt needed to become a “more intense” coach for the Bulldogs to ever be in serious contention for a national title.
You can read it for yourself by clicking the link above but, for the record, Pete answers that he doesn’t think there is anything wrong with Richt’s coaching style. Plenty of others like him have won big on every level. But, Pete adds, the SEC is entering into an era where it’s going to be harder and harder for the Bulldogs to contend.
I tend to share Pete’s point of view. I don’t think there is anything about Richt’s coaching or management style or personality, for that matter, that would prevent Georgia from competing on the highest level. In fact, I think they already are. With a few breaks here and there they may have achieved even greater heights than they have to date, which is nothing to scoff at.
People tend to gloss over Georgia’s 13-1 season in 2002. Except for a couple of fluke plays in the Florida game, Georgia could have run the table that year. An untimely injury to D.J. Shockley knocked the Dogs slightly off course in 2005 and they finished second in the nation in 2007 after some major midseason adjustments. That’s getting real close.
Yes the competition has only intensified with Florida’ re-emergence under Urban Meyer and Nick Saban’s presence at Alabama. But I don’t think precludes Georgia from staying in the hunt. On the contrary. Step up and knock those guys off once in a while and you’re right in the thick of things.
Just ask USC’s Pete Carroll: It takes a considerable amount of good breaks, schedule-wise, injury-wise, ball-bouncing-wise, to get into the big game. Florida and LSU have gotten those breaks in recent years. Georgia hasn’t. But I’m not so sure it won’t at some point.
Am I wrong?
Some links:
Hope you got to see my story on Georgia’s world-class freshman sprinter Torrin Lawrence. If you didn’t I highly recommend you read it. And if you consider yourself a die-hard Dawg, you’ll want to watch the video at the bottom of the story to witness his incredible come-from-behind anchor leg to beat Florida in the 4×400-meter relay in the Tyson Invitational. . . .
Did you see that Georgia freshman outfielder Johnathan Taylor was named SEC Freshman of the Week? All he did was hit .800 in his first collegiate series. But that was against Youngstown State. I’ll be interested in seeing how the kid does against Pac-10 pitching out in Arizona this weekend. . . .
How Georgia plans to utilize its tight ends going forward was on my list of stories to get to between now and spring practice. But David Hale of the Macon Telegraph beat me to the punch so I’ll go ahead and link you to his story. . . .
I told you last week about Georgia’s Ricardo Crawford heading to Oxford in England but the Athens Banner-Herald did a nice a little write-up on it in today’s paper. . . .
The folks in Albany where legendary Georgia football player Bill Stanfill lives are establishing a UGA scholarship in his name, according to a story in the Albany Herald.
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176 comments Add your comment
DawgGirl32
February 24th, 2009
3:10 pm
SSI Gator- Isn’t the arrest thing coming from you a little pot calling the kettle black? I mean, UF’s had 4 players arrested in 10 months and all of them were on felony charges. Sure, Meyer kicked them off the team, and when Michael Lemon was arrested on felony charges, Mark Richt kicked him off the team. Other than that, our players are getting arrested for stupid things like *gasp* underage drinking and whatnot. Our “thugs” don’t steal computers, use a dead person’s credit card, and choke their girlfriends. Florida has their fair share of “thugs” too.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
3:11 pm
BugKiller -
Save your breath. The UGA fans like Nice Guy and others don’t get it and they never will. They are convinced that since they will probably never see a NC under Richt that at least they have a coach that is a really swell person. It is like Patton said in WWII, “Hell, I don’t want these men to like me, I want them to fightg for me”.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
3:16 pm
DawgGirl32 -
All programs have the same type of problems. It just appears that you can almost set your watch to what happens at UGA each off season. If Richt is such a “great person and a role model” then he does not seem to get the message through to the players very well.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
3:18 pm
Actually with as few of healthy players as he ended the year with, He was more like the manager of a Holcolmb’s BBQ. And still giving Chik-Fil-A a pretty good run for the money.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
3:25 pm
So all program have the “same” problems. Your words. All includes UF, and goodness know the issue are well documented there as well. But it’s only unacceptable with a person like Richt coaching, and you don’t worry about the “same” from UF because your coach is……….? odd way to look at it.
GATORZONE
February 24th, 2009
3:30 pm
Everyone saying UGA should have played in the NC game 2 years ago is delusional. Yes, they demolished Hawaii, but so what? A national champion team may lose a game, but NEVER get blown out the way UGA did against Tennessee that year.
Also, Florida has Tebow #2 coming in next year… His name is Trey Burton. Watch for him to take over after John Brantley…
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
3:33 pm
National Championships at Georgia? Please don’t make me laugh. The only National Championships the Leg Humpers can win is in the preseason polls. They can’t even win the SEC East!
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
3:37 pm
I hate to ask this question to all you naysayers, but if not Coach Richt right now at this time, then who? Name somebody out there with his record or better, that can recruit like he does, that is available today that will get us 10+ wins year in and year out. Name one prospect or more that you are absolutely certain will come in and do the job better. And remember they have to be available. And don’t say Charlie Wei$$ either.
GATORZONE
February 24th, 2009
3:40 pm
Richt is a fine coach and a fine man. He may win it all one day, but he has to shed some of the dead weight on his staff and bring back some fiery assistants. Willie Martinez is a joke.
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
3:40 pm
Well gdawginkalamazoo, you have to go find them, like Florida found Meyer. Like Alabama found Saban. All the Georgia fans said that Urban Meyer and his “gimmicky” offense would not work in the SEC. That the SEC was tougher than the schedule Utah played. Well look who is laughing now.
There are many coaches out there that are better than Richt given the resources Richt has who would come to Georgia if approached.
Tide rising
February 24th, 2009
3:41 pm
SSI gator and DawgGirl32,
I agree with both of you that we all have our share of thugs and discipline problems. Fla. did have a few serious felonious types of bad apples. Bama had the same. Its very sad that Bama’s Jimmy Johns certainly could have made an nfl team and chose to throw it all away for some extra cash selling coke to students. Same thing with Bama freshman Jeremy Elders who is now serving hard time for robbing 2 students at gunpoint. And for what? $20 freaking dollars! Saban took over a pretty undisciplined program from Shula where there was an overall discipline and attitude problem. They were just like UGA in that most of the arrests were for stupid stuff like underage drinking, etc. No arrests so far in the past 6 months or so(knock on wood). But while I think most of the dawgs players arrests are for trivial stuff that almost all college kids do I think ssi gator has a point. 8 years into his program CMR shouldn’t be having 15 guys getting arrested over 2 years even if it is for small stuff like underage drinking. Shula’s bunch at Bama was the same way and then it turned serious with the 2 felonies by Johns and Elders that Saban had to clean up. Its like the broken window theory. It starts off with small things like underage drinking, etc. but then the sense of disorderliness kinda grows and eventually gets out of hand and more serious stuff follows. I don’t want to get onto Richt though because I respect and admire him. Its just that he should have a little better handle on the discipline problem 8 years into his tenure even if the arrests are for smaller stupid stuff that almost all kids do at college.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
3:44 pm
AltaDawg, you didn’t just say Holcomb’s BBQ did you? Not the one in White Plains by chance?
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
3:47 pm
kalmazoo…
… who knew Richt would be good enough to win 10 games a year and be Chik-Fil-A?
Not many Dawg fans I knew in 2001.
But what you’re ignoring is the fact that Richt, because of his refusal to do away with underwhelming coaches who are in way over the heads, like Martinez, to make the tough, unemotional decisions needed to push his program over the edge and become a national or world-wide brand like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, or IBM, is not the guy to get us more than 10 wins a year and an SEC Championship every 5 years or so.
He’s not. Nothing he has done in Athens has given anyone any delusions that he is going to do more at Georgia than he already has done.
He had his chance this past year. He had the chance to send a message to all that he is willing to do what it takes to win the MNC. But instead, he defended the indefensible Willie Martinez and actually gave that guy, whose defenses have gotten WORSE every year for four years, a freaking raise!!!
So Richt told all of us that he is okay with being Chik-Fil-A, and he has no drive to be Microsoft, Coca-Cola, or IBM.
He doesn’t want to expand his brand. He wants to keep his coaching family together, no matter how bad some of his coaches are. He’s satisfied.
The question is, how much longer are YOU going to be satisfied?
How much longer is Damon Evans going to be satisfied?
And nothing
roof roof
February 24th, 2009
3:48 pm
No pun intended, but you have to start with getting his wife off the sidelines……. the past 10 national champions did not have a wife pouring gatoraid…. the players and the coaches can not be intense like growing boys and men do on the sidelines while a missionay’s wife is on the sidelines.. this is the first step…. second play all out aggresive football, that is what its about today… this needs to be displayed on offense and defense…… Richt has already had his oppty to win a National Championship at uga, from this point on it will never happen… Florida out coaches and plays them every year… Tech is getting better, and so are all the other teams. Bama, Fl State, and now Tenn are going to start taking more in state guys.. alonq with Tech, where it will just be to tough to make it to the next level.. so Dawg fans, status quo is what you get with the dawgs, it aint bad, but not worth season tickets….. when all stays the same.. Dawgs will lose at leat 4 games this year and the heat will be on…. Great article on the Torrance…. everyone needs to see the highlight video..
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
3:49 pm
Tide rising -
Actually, you really need to look no further than from where Richt hails from; Miami problems galore, FSU the grandfather of deny & lie. After eight years at UGA the pattern seems to be following more of a downward trend than improving.
Halsey
February 24th, 2009
3:54 pm
Many people will nitpick every fault in a coach if he hasn’t won a national championship and will then see them as faultless when he does win one. There were people that probably nitpicked Vince Dooley until he won a national championship, a decade and a half after taking the UGA job.
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
3:54 pm
Exactly how many National Championship games has Richt coached in since coming to Georgia? he’s been there 10 years. Expect more of the same.
doodoobailey
February 24th, 2009
4:00 pm
What kind of pu$$y blogs on a UGA site for a paper in Atlanta, being a lizard fan living on St. Simons Island. You loser!!!!
roof roof
February 24th, 2009
4:01 pm
Again, I will say Richt has had all his chances to win big a uga, now the sec has changed over in coaching, and it is much better with in the league… He is not consistant from game to game year to year game to game…. He has Dumbo calling plays and Mickey Mouse calling the defense…. and his wife whispering little somethings on the sideline.. Nice venture, but needs to go to the sky boxes…. because he can handle on campus off field problems and on field penalties reductions, winning a nc at uga will never happen….. again…… read my lips… 9 to 10 wins will be it……. season ticket holders.. and who could not coach at uga and win 7-9 games a year… he is making over 3 million smacks……. for third place….
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
4:07 pm
Ray, you still didn’t name anybody? BTW, I wouldn’t want $uitca$e $aban anywhere near UGA’s program. So, can you name at least one coach out there? Available? That would do a better job.
Anyone, anyone, Bueller, anyone????
TrainSmoke
February 24th, 2009
4:12 pm
Some of you folks are uninformed. No, let me just say that some of you are football ignorant. Intensity? I had the opportunity to play for one of the most intense individuals to coach at UGA, or any other level for that matter, Wayne McDuffie. If you venters don’t know who Wayne McDuffie was then you don’t know Georgia football or what the defintion of intensity is. UGA has several intense coaches. You don’t see it because all you are able to see is the games. You don’t get to see the practices or early morning off season workouts. The intensity is there, no doubt. Georgia’s OL coach is very intense. Reminds me of Coach McDuffie. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what’s vented here. If every coach on UGA’s staff was as intense as Wayne McDuffie, you “fans” would be shouting how inhumane they were. Keep up the great work, CMR!
Rambin Wreck
February 24th, 2009
4:21 pm
409 yards rushing
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
4:26 pm
Turner Gill.
shane#1
February 24th, 2009
4:27 pm
Richt is enough of a CEO for Me. The family atmosphere at UGA is one reason they recruit well. I had a family type atmosphere in high school and I still bore people to death with stories about My coach. In Jr. college We had the CEO type head coach, and I just realized that I can’t remember his name! I guess I will have to dig out My old yearbook and look him up! Thanks for the links Chip. I am glad that something is being done to honor Stanfill, and Cleve has been a leader here in Albany for years. Both are fine people and deserve the honors. I was thinking about what was said earlier about lack of leadership on the field and how it related to this team. It seems that losing Thomas Brown, Kelin Johnson, Howard, and ‘Nando hurt that team more than anyone could foresee. Also, losing Owens to injury hurt in the leadership department as he was the most vocal of the D linemen and a senior. Knowshon tried to fire the team up earlier in the season, I can remember him getting in a lineman’s face that missed a block and let Stafford get creamed, and him firing up MO-Mass after the latter took a vicious hit from a DB. Later in the year Knowshon got quiet on the sidelines, at least, quiet for Knowshon. I think the beatings he took in the Bama and UF games affected him. It was like Moreno said, “screw it, I’m outta here!” I can’t really blame him, hits like the one he took from Spikes can end your NFL career before it starts.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
4:27 pm
bugkiller, you won’t get any arguments from me regarding Martinez. I can agree with you 100% there. Richt will have some choices to make if that D doesn’t pan out again. I will have to refer you to my debate with Ray,if not Richt then who? I really think his early success has a lot to do with the discontent from the fans now. Heck I have suffered through the years prior to his arrival so maybe I am a lot more appreciative and patient than most. Just like most of us and our jobs we learn something new everyday. Unfortunately for Richt, a decision or lack thereof, doesn’t last for one a day it can last an entire season. Don’t think for one minute that he isn’t aware of that.
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
4:33 pm
Mark Richt is a nice guy. He does nit have the fire to be the coach of a National Championship team. But that is OK. Apparently the Leg Humper fans are happy with what he has achieved over 10 years. Florida and Alabama fans would not be.
DawginLex
February 24th, 2009
4:42 pm
The main things I look at: Compare the reaction of coach Richt celebrating 7 wins over Tech in the last 8 years. Hugging his players and coaches and talking about being thankful.
Now consider the reaction of Tech’s coach who turned and pointed to the stands and smarted off to the media.
I’ll take Richt any day of the week and twice on Sunday
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
4:45 pm
White plains and Greensboro. Great place but I am not particularly fond of the NC style vinegar base BBQ sauce.
Nice Guy
February 24th, 2009
4:46 pm
SSI Gator,
The same storey each year is that he wins. 9,10, maybe 11 games. That’s all you can ask from the guy. Ask yourself a simple question, How do you measure success? A one time sensation or what you do over the long haul. These “thugs” as you call them are putting money into these universities every year. Millions of dollars so your little children one day can win a scholarship.
It’s interesting though that even though these “thugs” get in trouble, that CMR is still considered a great guy, interesting. That makes him more of a great coach, to have to deal with these “thugs” and still win. How many coaches do you know that have to deal with “thugs” and still win football games? I’m sure if a great guy like CMR felt that if UGA was bad for his family, he can go somewhere else and coach. But he accepts the challenge of dealing with these “thugs” and try to turn these kids life around if they are that bad.
After all, SSI Gator, isn’t that what going to college is all about, having the opportunity to turn your life around and make something of yourself. Stop Stereo-typing people and give them a chance.
Chip Towers
February 24th, 2009
4:47 pm
Wow. Comparing programs to fast-food franchises and multi-national corporations. Impressive. Y’all have take the UGA blog to new heights. . . . In the meantime, I’m here anytime y’all need. Just hanging out . . . whistling.
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
4:49 pm
Altanaha Dawg,
YOU know NOTHING about Ga.FOOTBALL. Charlie Strong has been ONE of the BEST DC’s in college football.I have been a homer of the BULLDOGS for 50 years. I see you blog ALOT….but DON”T make MUCH cent (penny).
I have followed Ga. Football for 50 yerrs
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
4:56 pm
Bugkiller, I remember my first Brand Marketing 201 class. Ah, good times!
Pitbull
February 24th, 2009
4:59 pm
I have an idea that Coach Richt is a different man in the locker room and on the practice field when things are not going to suit him than he is in public. There is a difference between “intense” and “focused.”
He could not have gone 82-22 in 8 seasons in the SEC without having it together really well. Has any other SEC team done as well over the past 8 years? Maybe Florida, but I honestly do not know and doubt any other teams than Florida have done so well.
Regarding the SEC, power shifts are occuring. Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina and Arkansas are on the way down. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are waivering.
The court is still out on Alabama. Are they the team that beat Georgia last year or the team that lost to Utah and Louisiana-Monroe?
Mississippi (with Houston Nutt) and Mississippi State (with the former Florida offensive coordinator as their new coach) are on the way up.
I see Georgia, Florida, and LSU as the SEC teams most likely to consistantly win over the next few years.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
5:00 pm
Nice Guy -
Hey, don’t get so defensive. If the fans are happy paying a coach $3 mil a year, watching the team under-perform with the talent they have and read about arrest after arrest each year, it is ok with me. Just saying that if the same things happen every year why should any one expect different results.
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
5:03 pm
HOW do you explain insanity?? Think you can keep DOING (same coaches) the SAME thing and expect DIFFERENT results!! Have you guys been watching the SAME GEORGIA games??
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
5:05 pm
Jeff, I know something about Georgia Football. Got to know at least one thing or two. Nothing seems a little overboard.
But what part of me saying he was “a fine coach that could get his players up to championship caliber” did you take offence to?
UGA All Bark No Bite
February 24th, 2009
5:14 pm
WOW Percy Harvin won’t be at UF IN 09 so UF offense will be in shambles. No Mercy Percy in the SEC title game, did that stop UF from winning the SEC Championship game? Tebow gone after 09 season, Better get use to hearing The name…..BRANTLEY!
Pitbull
February 24th, 2009
5:14 pm
Chip Towers asking if Mark Richt is intense enough is like a knat asking a Lear jet if it is fast enough.
Who is Chip Towers to pose such a question?
doggiediapers
February 24th, 2009
5:15 pm
preacher richt some times does have a very stern, serious look on his face. mostly when he is squatting down on the sideline to take dump in his pants like he did against bama, UF and tech this year.
the outlook in athens is very bleak right now. they will always be a good team because of the program and the talent level they bring in but they are going to be the eternal bridesmaid in the east to florida for years to come and now have paul johnson to contend with every november.
richt was schooled in the fat bowden way. get superior athletes and let them overpower and out run lesser opponents with no discipline and not control. problem is you cant overpower and outrun the 5-6 teams that are equal or better to the dogs every year in their own conference.
sux to be a dog fan right now.
Nice Guy
February 24th, 2009
5:21 pm
SSI Gator,
Not getting defensive dude. It’s all good. You’re just voicing your opinion. Just making a point about stereo-typing people without giving them a chance to make something happen in there life. IF they get in trouble, then yes, they should be disciplined or even kick off the team if neccessary, but don’t call them “thugs” dude. these kids help pump millions of dollars into these universities so your great coaches who do win NC earn $4-$6 million a year. The Players get “Zero”. And then when they decide to go somewhere else they still get paid with these buyout clauses, but people still call the players “thugs” because they are trying to perform. Don’t jump CMR because the guy don’t curse his players to get them play harder and WIN NC. That’s my opinion. Hey, have a good one SSI Gator. Love your INTENSITY!!!
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
5:23 pm
Altamaha Dawg,
No offense here…..if you read my beginning comment. I KNOW CMR is the RIGHT guy for UGA !!! We are a TOP five program…..BUT we don’t have the RIGHT coachs in the KEY positions.This is not brain surgery. It’s NICE to go 10 and 3…but WHO did we beat that was AHEAD of US in the FINAL ranking???? LOOK at how we LOST to BAMA,FLORIDA and TECH…..If someone would have told me that we would have SCORED 42 points on TECH and LOSE!!!!!We have TOP 10 classes but we can’t translate to BIG wins.
Please help explain.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
5:23 pm
Insanity to me is insisting that somebody (who doesnt know you) do something (that they are not) for reasons (that you don’t really understand), because you type it in a sports blog (that they don’t read). And getting mad when they don’t. Then expect the rest of us to accept an opinion we don’t share BY: repeating above steps. Insanity.
RobBob
February 24th, 2009
5:26 pm
I wish someone would eat their apple in reverse
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
5:30 pm
What does any of that have to do with Charlie Strong?
But as to your question, frankly I think we were very fortunete and it took a great effort by the staff to win 10 games last year. If somebody would have told us back in the summer who was going to be sitting on the trainers table all year, and we were being honest, most rational fans would have taken 10 wins on the spot.
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
5:35 pm
Dear Altamaha Dawg,
Sorry you thought I was mad …..you are too sensitive to be on this blog.Do what ROBBOB suggested !
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
5:38 pm
Why are we even discussing this? The guy has been there 10 years and has not played in a single BCS Championship Game. With the talent he has had, 10 wins out of 13 games is not that difficult. Especially when you play Hawaii in the bowl game. He is suppose to be a QB coach. I did not see Stafford progress one bit this past year. Blame it on BooBoo if you want to but the guy at the top making 3 mil a year is the one responsible. He won the SEC East on down years and managed to blow it in 2007. The guy is a good coach, but never say the word Great when mentioning Mark Richt.
And yes, UGA has the overall record against Florida, but since 1950, UF has the overall. And that includes all of the Dooley years. Only Leg Humper fans give a rats cahooney about wins in the 20’s and 30’s.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
5:40 pm
AltamahaDawg -
What is with you and the injuries? Every team has them and the back-ups, that are also highly touted recruits, are expected to come in and play. So does that mean that the back-ups are not as good as advertised or that the coaches are not doing as good of a job with them as they should be?
Tide rising
February 24th, 2009
5:40 pm
SSi gator,
I agree with your point. We all have our discipline issue kids and bad apples that we have to boot off the team. And yes you are right. After 8 years the numbers of arrests and disciplinary problems are supposed to go down and not up. I hope Richt gets control of the small discipline problems so that he doesn’t have to go through what we went through with Jimmy Johns and Elders.
gdawginkalamazoo,
I don’t know why you have to call him $uitcase $aban. Very classless to accuse someone’s coach of buying players or outright cheating. If you can prove your libelous charges then please do so. Otherwise your accusations are just as meritless and BS as Lane Kiffin accusing Meyer of cheating. So just STFU and don’t make charges you can’t prove.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
5:46 pm
Well in all fairness, I should have been more precise. I meant folks get mad at (him) Mark Richt for not doing what they insist in here.
I could give a rats behind if somebody is mad at me in here. How could you not get mad at somebody who knows “nothing” about Georgia Football right?
Pitbull
February 24th, 2009
6:17 pm
On a lighter note, it takes enterprising minds to find ways to increase income in these challenging economic times. I think we can all learn a lesson from Vassalboro, Maine.
Vassalboro, Maine – Cup size has more than one meaning at a new central Maine coffeehouse. Servers are topless at the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, which opened its doors Monday on a busy road in Vassalboro. A sign outside says, “Over 18 only.” Another says, “No cameras, no touching, cash only.” On Tuesday, two men sipped coffee at a booth while three topless waitresses and a bare-chested waiter stood nearby.