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
dawgdan
February 24th, 2009
9:59 am
I can’t remember what player said it recently (I think in ‘07 when Richt’s sudden change in character become blog fodder); perhaps it was Jeff Owens. When asked this very question, his response was “I’ve never met a more intense man in my life!”
TommyP
February 24th, 2009
10:05 am
A lot of us don’t see Coach Richt in practice or in the lockerroom. He can be very intense.
I’ve had the opportunity to be at one practice and he turns it up at certain times when needed. Fabris is military out there and Willie can be pretty intense at times as well.
But for those that think he’s not intense enough, was Tom Landry intense? Tom Osborne?
Tom Osborne is a guy that Richt reminds me of. People criticized Osborne for not winning the big one for a long time but then when he did, he did it several times.
It IS all about the breaks. Georgia will get those breaks in due time ’cause Richt will always have us knocking on the door.
'ol sport
February 24th, 2009
10:19 am
Great way to put it – “always knocking on the door”. Hard to knock success year in and year out. When you coach against a group of coaches like the ones in the SEC, it is not easy. UGA is consistent, just a break or a player away from a championship every year.
Sports Fan
February 24th, 2009
10:45 am
No one was asking if CMR was intense enough year before last when UGA finished second in the Country. Of course that was before 24 season ending injuries the following season.
QuantumDawg
February 24th, 2009
10:49 am
I’m sorry, but the one area that is Mark Richt’s ultimate weakness and major hinderance is his management style. Richt manages his staff like it’s a family, instead of a business. Until he changes this fundamental approach, and starts managing like a CEO, who is only concerned with performance and results, and not like a friend, then UGA will always fall just a little short. Do you realize he has never fired a single coach during his entire tenure for job performance reasons? He’s only fired one coach during his entire 8+ season tenure, and that was for off the field transgressions.
There needs to be much more accountability on the coaching staff to get results. Martinez should be grateful he works for Richt and not Saban, Carrol, or Meyer, because those coaches wouldn’t tolerate his underperfromance and would of rightfully canned him. However, since WM is CMR best buddy from his college days, he gets a free pass. You can’t run any type of an elite organization or business in this manner, and Richt needs to realize this or he’ll always be a brides mate.
Right On Time
February 24th, 2009
10:53 am
Chip,
I have spoken to several former UGA players (both starters and subs) and they tell me that CMR and the staff have lost some intensity over the years. Richt is a leader in the CEO style. I think he relied on VanGorder to be the “fire starter”. Now, there are coaches who may get loud from time to time but do not carry the same weight or inspire the same way. I am sure you have seen it. There needs to be a certain amount of fear one has of a parent or coach and the UGA teams of late have no fear. Respect: Yes, Fear: No.
I think more intesity might be a good thing for both on field and off field performance.
One fans opinion.
DawgGirl32
February 24th, 2009
10:53 am
I agree completely, Jeff. I always thought the complaint about his “intensity” was ridiculous. It’s obvious the guy can coach, we’re consistently a top program, and eventually the cards will fall into place. I have full faith in Mark Richt and our coaching staff.
Fort Worth Dawg
February 24th, 2009
11:01 am
Mark Richt is also 1 and 0 as a basketball coach – he sounded pretty intense before the Florida basketball game from what I read. Vince Dooley only won one national championship, and that was because of Herschel (and yet Herschel was at UGA for three years). Those that remember Goff (and to a lesser extent Donnan) will never have a problem with Coach Richt.
RAMBLE ON!!!
February 24th, 2009
11:03 am
He looked pretty intense when he was dressing down his boys after GT scored 26 straight points in a matter of minutes in rout to a **45-42** victory to me.
I could be wrong though.
Bill
February 24th, 2009
11:03 am
Of course we need more intensity, we lost to GT and Florida!!! Unacceptable
richtfan
February 24th, 2009
11:04 am
The thing with Florida is that they have gotten the breaks, and LSU has too. But Florida will have Teabag just one more year. After that he’s gone either to the nfl or on a mission trip to do circumcisions in Central America. Tebow is a once every other decade type talent. The guys they have down there now to take his place are not even in the same stratosphere as him. This makes their offense much more pedestrian. Harvin is gone, and he was a major force offensively for them the last 3 years. You just don’t replace and reload when a talent like Harvin steps away. UGA will have its shot. You have to go through a season and run the table in the East first. Then you have to have some breaks nationally. You also have to minimize injuries (however that happens). All of these things have to happen together in order for the Dawgs to get where we all know they’re capable of going.
Atlanta Gator
February 24th, 2009
11:12 am
Based on the three 2008 losses suffered by the Dawgs, if I were a Dawg fan, I would be less concerned about the intensity of the UGA head coach than I would be about the following:
1. the intensity of the players, especially on defense;
2. on and off-the-field leadership by senior and junior players, which contributes to player discipline and intensity;
3. red-zone offensive play-calling;
4. defensive game-planning and half-time adjustments; and
5. pre-season coaching emphasis on fundamentals, like proper tackling technique.
Call me a crazy Gator, but I watched 7 out 12 of the Dawgs’ 2008 games, including the losses to Alabama, Florida and Tech. Richt is a very good head coach, but he would do well to ratchet up the pressure on his subordinates to perform, especially the coordinators. In this gator-eat-dog world of college football, you are only as good as your last game. They all count, even the losses. You can’t win them all and losing happens when you play with the big boys, but getting blown out, regardless of the competition, should not be acceptable to a top-10 coaching staff.
Dawgstephen
February 24th, 2009
11:13 am
Nothing wrong with Coach’s style. he is fine. I prefer CMR anyday
Chris
February 24th, 2009
11:14 am
It’s a stupid question.
TommyP
February 24th, 2009
11:18 am
“Brides mate.” That was priceless.
The injuries and the defense killed Georgia last year. I feel Willie is a good defensive mind but I think he’s one that would benefit being up in the skybox as opposed to the sidelines.
For a lot of people, if you don’t win the championship then you’re a failure. That speaks volumes of how said their lives are.
Richt has done a fantastic job for UGA and has changed the way he does things along the way.
Again….Bowden took a LONG time to win a title as did Osborne.
Richt is just fine.
Too Easy
February 24th, 2009
11:19 am
I’m a Richt supporter, but one thing he needs is the willingness to jump out on the teams that we should handle. From last year, that includes SC, ASU, UT, Vandy, KY, Michigan St. – all wins, but all closer than they needed to be. (Of course, we did jump out on the insects, only to have a total defensive intensity meltdown). My biggest regret from last season (besides the obvious) was not having the intensity of purpose to put teams away earlier so that players (mainly Joe Cox and the RBs) could get more work. The coaches had to know that Staff and Knowshon were gone. Sometimes being too nice a guy dulls the intensity. He needs to be willing to pound someone – not merely win.
Atlanta Gator
February 24th, 2009
11:22 am
richtfan & TommyP—-I don’t believe in “breaks,” at least not in the sense of waiting for them to happen. Luck and “breaks” are what happens when your team is doing everything it can and an opportunity presents itself, and your team steps up and seizes the opportunity. Most turnovers are not accidents; they are the result of a defense that plays with intensity, avoids stupid mistakes and makes the big plays. Most fumbles and interceptions are not “accidents”; they are the result of good defensive play. The vast majority of referee calls are correct to the objective observer, if not the partisan fans. Bad calls are like the lines painted on the field: unavoidable, and a great team learns to live with them.
For the most part, great teams make their own “breaks,” and how the team reacts to so-called “bad breaks” is often more important than the bad break itself.
My two bits worth.
Prime1819
February 24th, 2009
11:24 am
I agree with Richtfan. Tebow is a special player, as much as I hate to admit that, with Harvin gone, that offense is going to be different and more ordinary next year. I don’t care what anyone says about that. When Tebow leaves after next year, I think that the Gators will come back down a few notches.
Look what Richt has done since he has been here. I used to work in the NFL and College Football for several years and anyone who understands football knows that it takes a lot of breaks/luck to win the big one. Let me ask you this, if USC were in the SEC instead of the Pac 10, do you honestly believe they would run the table every year in the SEC and from a National Championship stand point? I don’t think so. There will be a time that the ball bounces the DAWGS way, could be next year, who knows but I aint complaining a lot cause we are in a better place now than we were 8 years ago.
Mac
February 24th, 2009
11:30 am
Why yes, yes he is. Record speaks for itself. Outstanding coach. His performance far exceeds any SEC coaching achievements of those who have posted, or who will post here today. Thanks for your time.
DawgsRule
February 24th, 2009
11:31 am
Richt needs to change something—I’m getting tired of losing to Florida almost every year, and then their fans rubbing it in the faces of UGA fans! I have to deal with their fans a lot down in Florida and it’s terrible, especially after they are winning all these titles. Richt needs to recruit some meaner, tougher players and change his coaching style to beat florida. And they need to drop these silly blackouts and penalties that do nothing to win games.
Mac
February 24th, 2009
11:34 am
Richt is more successful against Florida than his two predecessors. Again, he’s a far better coach than anyone who will post here today.
Dorsey Hill
February 24th, 2009
11:37 am
I have a suggestion for DawgsRule. Go up to Ben Jones and say that he isn’t mean enough. One condition: you can’t sue or press charges. We need him too bad. I think you’d find his answer…umm…enlightening.
You have a theory DawgsRule. The only way to find out if you are correct is to test it out. Please forward all photos and hospital records to Chip for later posting.
Ed
February 24th, 2009
11:39 am
I like what Richt has done with Georgia’s program, but to answer the question: No. He’s a Mack Brown type. Actually, the perfect CEO head coach in my opinion. But that type of coach needs a Van Gorder or Muschamp type to bring intensity and passion to the sidelines. I think Richt has that on the offensive side with Searels, but not on the defensive side.
DawgGirl32
February 24th, 2009
11:41 am
Atlanta Gator- I think the “breaks” most people are referring to has more to do with which teams win and which teams lose to propel a team into the NC game. Take LSU 2007. Sure, they only lost two games and beat Tennessee in the SEC championship, but they NEVER would have been in that NC game had West Virginia not lost to a Pitt team they never should have lost to. That was a break for them.
Doug
February 24th, 2009
11:43 am
Why is it that three other SEC coaches, who have each been in the league less the CMR, have won 4 National Championships between them? I say two things:
1. Intensity
2. Assistant coaches
The team takes on the character of the head coach. Although we applaud CMR for being a good Christian man, he does not demonstrate the fire, the blazing eyes of his counterparts and hence, neighter does the team. CMR’s assistant coaches are weak. The obvious weak link is defensive coordinator, Coach Martinez. The defense lacks fire, spirit, they are not well prepared and look confused at times. But the most glaring problem for me, is, that our coaches get out coached during the game. We do not react to the changing situations and change in tactics by the other side like they do. This is why our tendancy is to start out hot, get a lead, and then stall and hold on ’till the end.
It is a difficult situation because the head coach wins 10/11 games per year. But we have yet to really challenge for the national championship (the number 2 was a fluke, there was no real chance). This is a Donnan situation all over again where this coach averages a couple more wins per year, but the result is still the same.
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
11:46 am
I think CMR is just FINE……it’s the QUALITY of some coaches he has on his staff. Could you imagine IF we had a CHARLIE STRONG ???????
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
11:50 am
I really don’t get the comments that Richt doesn’t hold his staff accountable. First of all, how do you know? How does anyone know what is said in meeting and during the offseason? It’s actually fairly silly to suggest that any major head coach doesn’t hold his staff accountable. Just absolutely would not survive as a HC if not.
I have been both a boss and a subordinate to a few good and bad bosses, and I can tell you, holding somebody accountable does not mean publically chastising them, or just firing them. If a manager fired everyone who didn’t meet a perfect standard, WHO is he going to hold “accountable”? Somebody not there? Actually when you fire somebody, its more about holding yourself accountable. And I really don’t get the insinuation that Coach does things that be believes are not in the best interest of the program. How odd to suggest that he would knowingly endanger his job, his staff (all of whom are his good friends)and his family, over a “friend”.
Holding accountable means a serious discussion about an issue and an agreement as to what changes need to be made and who is responsible for making them. What would lead anyone to believe any less happens in Mark Richt’s office?
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
11:53 am
If we had Charlie Strong last year, we would have lost 4 games and been embarassed in a Bowl game.
38-3
February 24th, 2009
11:59 am
Figures the WEAK MINDED “Ramble On” would show up…another UGA football blog topic…UGA owns Ramble On’s simple mind…It never fails. Always comes in here and talks sh*t, insecurities and inferiority complex coming through. I get it, can’t help it…a TECH fan syndrome in general!
Still waiting on those CHICK-FIl-A bowl rings RAMBLE ON!
Atlanta Gator
February 24th, 2009
12:00 pm
DawgGirl32—-I hear you and I appreciate what you’re typing. Nevertheless, when a team loses more than one game in a season, all the “breaks” in the world will not get that team into the BCS title game.
LSU making it to the BCS game in 2007, as a 2-loss SEC champion, was an aberration, and is not likely to happen again in my lifetime in the absence of a Division I playoff. In the 17 seasons of the Bowl Alliance, Bowl Coalition and Bowl Championship Series, only one 2-loss team made it to the Big Game.
Win the SEC East, win the SEC, then worry about “breaks.” From the team’s perspective, you can’t control which other teams lose on any given Saturday. You can only control how your own team coaches and plays. Go undefeated in the SEC, and it’s likely that no “breaks” will be needed.
bank walker
February 24th, 2009
12:01 pm
just because he doesn’t rant and rave on the sidelines doesn’t mean he isn’t intense. People tend to forget Richt’s accomplishments. Look what he done @FSU and what he’s done here @UGA. He’s a great coach plain and simple. This is the most comfortable I’ve felt with a coach @UGA since the Dooley days. Keep it going CMR!!GO DAWGS!!!
dawgfan1911
February 24th, 2009
12:01 pm
I think Mark is a great coach! Georgia has always been on the brink of winning it all under his leadership. In the big games, we just seem to make a few bone head plays in certain situations. Last year that lost to South Carolina was huge and that was a game we should have won. If we win that game we play for the sec and a national championship. The year we lost to florida on a bunch of bubble screens and went 12-1, we shouold have competed for a national championshp. The year Shockley got hurt was our year, so this guy can get us close, we just need to get over the hump and I think we will.
Right On Time
February 24th, 2009
12:01 pm
Mac,
You are exactly right. As the saying goes, “He has forgotten more about coaching than I will ever know”.
However, anyone watching the 2008 version of UGA might perceive a lack of intensity specifically on the D. Curran stands out on that side of the ball for a reason: he is a bright, hard driving, self motivated young man. It appeared that other players need that “kick in the pants” to get them going.
I have been a season ticket holder for 17 years. I had to live through Goff! I appreciate Coach Richt more than I can tell you. That does not negate the feeling that there is something amiss when there are blowouts 3 years in a row and multiple meltdowns from a team with tons of talent.
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
12:06 pm
For Pete’s sake give the man a break. Intense enough, ask a player? He has given us an incredible ammount of wins in the few years he has been at UGA. As pointed out, St. Vincent won one MNC in all his years. I will give CMR a pass on the MNC. I like SEC Championships, those are won on the field, not on some computer rankings. Even with the loss of the two all-stars, I look for a pretty good year for the Dawgs. Of course that is predicated on the line’s staying healthy. It was amazing how they patched together the lines last year with duct tape and super glue. I think we will surprise some folks this year and it is nice not to be on the radar.
Florida post-Tebow may be alot like UGA post-Walker. The team may band together for an unexpected 2010 season and then slide a little before the next rising star knocks on the Urban Legend’s door. Then an uphill battle if the Legend does not leave for greener turf.
scooby doobie doo
February 24th, 2009
12:09 pm
QuantumDawg I couldn’t disagree more. I think Richt’s style of family is awesome and more important that the corporate world model we have today. CMR is a man of integrity and sees the big picture. I wouldn’t trade him for any other coach in the entire country. Count your blessings.
Doug we have a great winning program that is solid and built for the long haul. We have a great HC and a great staff and a great team. Go DAWGS!
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
12:09 pm
Atlanta Gator, what think you of the upcoming post-Tebow Appocalypse?
Morning Newspaper for February 24th | MrSEC.com
February 24th, 2009
12:20 pm
[...] Georgia coach Mark Richt intense [...]
TheItalianDawg
February 24th, 2009
12:21 pm
Chip, you are the man, good job again for a good piece of Georgia news, and how about them dawgs!! the race was incredible, and Lawrence will be a world champ and olympic gold medalist, he is unbelievable!! go dawgs!! and for the gaytors, be ready for a44 whopping for the next 4 years. go dawgs
Lee
February 24th, 2009
12:25 pm
When things are rolling good for the dawgs, Coach Ritch’s intensity is not a matter of interest; however, whenever there is adversity; his intensity is questioned; how unfair is this to Coach Ritch.
Fred
February 24th, 2009
12:25 pm
Georgia certainly doesn’t want a Bobby Knight type coach. Tech has a coach like that and his lack of control will eventually get him in trouble just like Bobby knight. Mark my words……
John
February 24th, 2009
12:27 pm
I’m really tired of this subject. It’s really non-sensical and overdone at this point.
murfdawg
February 24th, 2009
12:27 pm
Maybe if CMR shaved his head, butted heads with the d-linemen and had blood and sweat running down his face before a game, he could satisfy some peoples definition of intensity. Game day intensity for a head coach and preparation intensity during the week are two different animals. The outside demands on a head coach on gameday are incredible.
Chip, maybe this fall, you can follow CMR 24/7 from Sunday night through Saturday at kickoff and tell us how intense he is all week. We only see three hours on the sidelines of his intensity. Vince Dooley was a general on Saturday and Mark Richt is a CEO.Calmness in the face of adversity is the mark of a leader. I’ll take Richt anyday.
Andy
February 24th, 2009
12:28 pm
I find it interesting that people think Richt should be more like a CEO. It just goes to show how the world works now. Everyone focuses on short-term results and says to heck with the long-term. CEOs today bend the rules, having made sure they have a generous golden parachute in place, and then walk away scot-free, leaving their organization in shambles with employees and shareholders to deal with the aftermath. We see coaches do the same thing (e.g., Harrick). Richt is an honest, hard-working, loyal, and talented coach, and has set UGA football up for long-term, sustainable success, as he has already demonstrated. UGA is lucky to have him, and should keep him as long as he’s willing to stay. Richt, unlike many others, will walk away from UGA one day as one of its greatest coaches. I think the longer he stays at UGA, the more likely it is that UGA will win championships.
Bow Wow
February 24th, 2009
12:29 pm
One thing that Richt does not do is hold his players responsible for their bad behavior. His one-game suspensions are a joke. I have seen more than one player in Richt’s face, questioning his decisions. Richt has consistently recruited some of the best talent in the country and done less with that talent. Richt came very close to losing to Kentucky and Auburn last year because of penalties and players who continue to lollygag. Richt’s initial success at Georgia was due to some outstanding recruiting by Jim Donnan. Richt will continue to produce winning football teams and put many players in the NFL, but forget about national championships or even conference championships in the near future.
Brew
February 24th, 2009
12:32 pm
QuantumDawg is more right on than you’ll want to admit. All you have to do is look 200 miles north and see what Phil Fulmer’s loyalty and family atmosphere ultimately got him. Ten years of no SEC titles and shown the door.
Fulmer would never fire the underperformers on his staff because they were his buddies and he could play the stability card to recruits. He also was a less fiery coach like Richt and it showed in his teams.
Not saying these two are mirror images, but there are some similarities there that those of us in UT circles can easily recognize. Fulmer had great success early, like Richt, but tapered off to mediocre over the last few years. No guarantees that it’ll happen to Richt, but you can’t help but see some similarities.
Mac
February 24th, 2009
12:32 pm
If Paul Johnson were going to pull a Bobby Knight, we’d have seen it already. He’s demonstrative, but not out-of-control.
murfdawg
February 24th, 2009
12:33 pm
Chip,
Is Tony Barnhart still on vacation?
Richt is the Man
February 24th, 2009
12:35 pm
Hey, Doug. Those 3 coaches you are talking about may have been in the league less than Richt, but they have been head coaches longer than Richt, although I think Urban Meyer only has 1 year or two edge on Richt there. Big difference there. Richt will be fine. He will eventually win a national title at UGA at some time as long as morons don’t run him off. He do think he needs to instill more intensity in his players, and slick Willie WILL be gone after next year if the defense does not improve.
GW
February 24th, 2009
12:35 pm
Richt has plenty of fire but his staff may become complacent because they know he will not fire anyone. An assistant coach should not enjoy too high of a comfort level. Being overly secure may affect their job performance without them even realizing it.
Auditdawg
February 24th, 2009
12:36 pm
Chip, you hit the nail on the head. Eventually the breaks will come Coach Richt’s way (certainly it helps to start knocking off Florida on a more consistent basis). Florida and LSU have won the last three national title despite losing a game. They got the breaks by teams losing in front of them late in the year. As long as Coach Richt keeps Georgia winning 10+ games a year (and hopefully beating Florida more consistently) the team will always be positioned to take advantage of the breaks when they come his way. Tom Osborne and Bobby Bowden fielded some pretty darn good teams, but it took both of them nearly 20 years to win national titles because they didn’t catch all the breaks until then. Same could be said about Joe Paterno. Does anyone honestly believe that the 1998 Tennessee team would have won the national champioship without Clint Stoerner fumbling the ball while trying to take a knee? Sure, it stinks as a Georgia fan to see your biggest rival getting the breaks, but as long as Coach Richt keeps the program in the position to get those breaks they will eventually come his way.
Music City Dawg
February 24th, 2009
12:38 pm
I think of all the things that Georgia needs to worry about, intensity is pretty far down on the list of priorities. Let’s first work on personal fouls, proper tackling, special team issues, red zone offense, red zone defense, and a FG kicker who can make it inside the ten. When we’ve overcome all of these issues, then we’ll worry about intensity.
Atlanta Gator
February 24th, 2009
12:41 pm
Alta~Dawg—-If your point about Charlie Strong is that the Dawgs might have gone 9-4 with a defense composed of one previous starter and 10 freshman and sophomores coached by Strong, I will agree. Otherwise, your point requires some further explanation.
FalconUGAFan
February 24th, 2009
12:45 pm
I think that Mark Richt is a fine coach and represents UGA well. Its obvious he has experimented with some motivating tactics and some of them worked and some didn’t. The only issue that I can see are the penalties. He has acknowledged that himself and appears to be working on fixing it. No intensity issues, IMHO which I’m sure he will be very interested in hearing.
Richt is the Man
February 24th, 2009
12:46 pm
Brew,
I don’t know if I would call Fulmer loyal, considering the way he back stabbed Majors to get the job in the first place. But, yes, there are some comparisons. However, the main problem Fulmer had was his recruiting became incosistent. In the 1990’s Fulmer had top 5 recruiting classes every year. This decade, way too inconsistent. They follow a a top 10 class with #40 recruiting class. Not surprisingly, Tenn has not been as successful this decade.
Atlanta Gator
February 24th, 2009
12:47 pm
Cuz—-Apocalyptic predictions are over-rated. Let’s see what happens this coming season first.
By all accounts, Tebow’s back-up, Brantley is pretty darn solid for Meyer’s offense. If Tebow is the perfect “10″ for Meyer’s version of the Spread, then Brantley is an “8.” Frankly, I would be more worried about an NFL exodus of the Gators’ star seniors and juniors on defense after the 2009 season.
dap01
February 24th, 2009
12:53 pm
CMR is successful. Apparently his style is one of the best in the nation. Look at the stats? Shouldn’t this blog be questioning some other coach?
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
1:06 pm
Again, SI.com scoops the AJC right in the AJC’s “home” area.
First, those of us stunned that Dimitroff would allow a “great leader” like Lawyer Milloy get away without even trying to keep him have it all explained to us by a short blurb in Peter King’s MMQB column in which Peter King says it wasn’t a surprise because Milloy is a bit of a pain in the butt locker-room lawyer (kind of like Tiki Barber) who doesn’t mesh with Mike Smith’s all-for-one approach.
Yep, true story.
Now, SI.com is reporting that Mark Richt has informed Philip Simms (Phil Simms youngest son and top-rated QB in the 2010 recruiting class) that Zach Mettenberger will be moved to tight-end, opening up a slot for Philip Simms to come in and play at Georgia, who has offered him an early scholarship.
And the editors at the AJC wonder why they are losing money hand over fist.
Jennifer
February 24th, 2009
1:08 pm
I think in today’s world of values, when it comes to sports, respect is underrated. Coach Mark Richt in my opinion is a great coach who IS respected, unlike Meyers and a few others. Yes they may get the breaks but look at how they get them, by getting calls against UGA that are so obvious! After our celebration in the end zone, which I loved it, I think the officials were tougher on UGA and calling penalties that were ridiculous just to prove a point. CMR is great, he is poised on the field, I have never seen him panic and as far as intensity, I would not know because I do not play for him. That is something the players need to respond to, not us fans. We are here to support them no matter how good or bad of a season we may have had.
GO DAWGS, we will be back!!!!!
williebkind
February 24th, 2009
1:11 pm
CMR is fine!! You guys have digressed! The problem is the MARTINEZ FACTOR!!!!! GET an intense Defensive coach WHO KNOWS HOW TO DEFEND against better than average teams and watch the Dawgs be a challenger for any title. FIRE MARTINEZ!!!
Chip Towers
February 24th, 2009
1:15 pm
BugKiller: Richt shot down that rumor of Mettenberger to tight end two weeks ago. . . . And why would Georgia need another tight end when they already have four on scholarship, five if Orson Charles signs? . . .
MurfDawg: Tony Barnhart is on permanent vacation . . . from us. Actually I’m not sure whether he is going to resurrect “Mr. College Football” for us next fall and I’ll check on that. But he took early retirement from us last year.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
1:21 pm
If Coach Richt was a “CEO” and managed one of the most profitable companies in the industries and had an 80% close rate, believe me, he’d be highly compensated.
AG, my point was that ANY defensive Co-Ordinator is subject to disappointing thier fans, due to a number of reasons. I would consider CS having to break in a bunch of younguns a pretty good “excuse”. But he could have a full set of returning seniors and if he lost a large number of them to the point of “walking through” the practises, I’m guessing, it would affect his approval ratings just a tad. Obviously he is a fine coach, capable of getting his squad to play at championship caliber. Which makes 2007 the illustration of my point.
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
1:24 pm
That’s fine if it’s a rumor, then someone might want to tell a top Georgia recruit to stop telling people Mark Richt told him that.
Recruiting is a very dirty business, and as upfront and moral as even Richt is, I don’t think there’s a college coach out there who wouldn’t sell his soul for the “next big thing.”
So if the recruit says the coach told him something, I’m sorry, but I’m more inclined to believe the kid.
Because coaches lie. Even those we couldn’t imagine doing so.
austindog
February 24th, 2009
1:35 pm
If Barhart is gone then take down the “Bad News…Florida’s Getting Started” post already. Or are we going to have to look at that for another full year just like “I spit the steak I was chewing when Vandy roughed the punter…”
DirtyDawg
February 24th, 2009
1:36 pm
Don’t know if the earlier post comparing Mark Richt to Tom Osborne was accurate, but I like it. I’ll never forget one of the all-time great coach comments Osborne made that year his Nebraska Cornhuskers demolished Florida in the NC game. Headed to the locker-room following a first half where Nebraska had beaten the snot out of Florida throughout the first 30 minutes – and led by thirty or more – a sideline babe stuck a mic in Osborne’s face and commented that his team seemed to be handling Florida’s offensive ’schemes’ pretty well (going into the game all you heard was the Evil Genius’ offensive formations and strategies)…all Osborne said was ‘It’s not about schemes, it’s about athletes.’…and walked away. That’s exactly what it has always been about – getting the right people and coaching ‘em up. If we keep doing that we’ll get our breaks and we’ll win our share and more. Remember, Mr. Tebow has been beaten by us and by others, and he will again – my money’s on us again this year.
By the way, if you haven’t seen the video of Georgia’s 4X400 relay win over Florida and the creme of the college crop (all of which were from the SEC), you need to. Young Mr. Lawrence, our freshman sensation, made up 10-15 meters on Florida’s Calvin Smith (Olympian and 400 meter champion) in the anchor leg and beat him by at least that many…thirty meters over 400 against a top runner…my God a freshman! (seems to me I’ve heard that before).
I don’t ever take any crap off anybody when it comes to the Dogs – not a Gator, not an ‘effin’ YellowJacket, nobody – and I damn sure ain’t gonna start this year.
Chip Towers
February 24th, 2009
1:38 pm
Austindog: Good point. I’ll see if they’ll consider taking that one down.
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
1:38 pm
AltamahaDawg, the question you should be asking yourself is if you are okay that Mark Richt the CEO is managing a company like Chik-Fil-A, while Urban Meyer is managing Microsoft, Nick Saban is managing Coca-Cola, and Les Miles is managing IBM.
The thing is, Mark Richt’s Chik-Fil-A makes money every year, put’s out a fairly reliable product, and is family friendly and wholesome.
But unlike Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and IBM, it’s regional and there really isn’t any chance to be more than it is.
And that’s what the guy said at the bottom of his answer to the question about Mark Richt having the “fire.”
There is going to come a point where Georgia has to decide whether being Chik-Fil-A is okay, or if we want to be Apple.
I happen to think Mark Richt can make Georgia like Apple.
But Mark Richt himself is holding his program back with his illogical and misplaced loyalty in people like Willie Martinez and our just-retired former wide-receivers coach.
Urban Meyer, Pete Carrol, Nick Saban, and Les Miles will not let emotion stand in the way of elevating their programs to the levels of an IBM, Coca-Cola, or Microsoft.
Unfortunately, Coach Richt seems to be very unwilling to make the necessary tough decisions to expand his brand beyond the region because of his emotional attatchments to the underperforming coaches on his staff.
You know, now that we see that Bobby Cox cannot take average and mediocre baseball teams and make them better, the shine has worn off of his “great” status. We see Bobby Cox for what he is: a push-button manager whose horrible decisions have led to some great teams flaming out in October.
With Richt refusing to dump his coaching dead-weight, we may start to see him for what he is: happy to be Chik-Fil-A, unwilling to make the hard decisions needed to become Apple.
Forrest
February 24th, 2009
1:39 pm
Coach Bryant was a smart football man. He just told me to run and pointed and that’s what I did.
Forrest
February 24th, 2009
1:41 pm
I scored 2 touchdowns when I played Georgia.
Forrest
February 24th, 2009
1:42 pm
Football was a confusing game. Figuring out when to stop running was tricky.
Nice Guy
February 24th, 2009
1:43 pm
Coach Mark Richt in 8 seasons at UGA.
6 10 win seasons
5 times finished in the top 10
2 times finished in the top 3
3 SEC Championship Appearances
2 SEC Titles
3 BCS Bowls
2 Sugar Bowl wins
27-4 on the road in the SEC over 8 seasons
82-22 record over 8 seasons – 79% winning percentage
No Probations
Is that intense enough for you?
Forrest
February 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
I like running almost as much as I like choc-o-late
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
1:46 pm
How long did it take Mack Brown to get his NC? Pete Carroll has one NC for all they hype and talent that has run through USC this decade. USC is generally considered one of the best pro teams in college football. IMO you have to build the program to win and win on a consistent basis. Richt has done that. He knows what it takes to win via his Miami days, FSU time and now leading the Dawgs. He has done it the right way too. No major embarrassments to the program. Great recruiting classes. Developes that talent for their NFL future. Don’t believe for one minute that he has been happy about a single one of the losses the past few seasons, lopsided or not. And yes it is about the breaks and the way the ball bounces sometimes. Regardless an L is an L. If you lose a game you can’t complain about the BCS selections or where your team ends up in the post season. Proud to have Richt as our coach, win or lose, the man has integrity and class unmatched by few in his profession.
Forrest
February 24th, 2009
1:46 pm
I was an All-American.
JohnInJax
February 24th, 2009
1:47 pm
This subject is ridiculous! Is this the best we could do at this time of the year? The proof is in the numbers. CMR has averaged 10 plus wins a season. I am getting very tired of all this complaining. We sound like a bunch of ungrateful teenagers. Geez!
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
1:50 pm
Run Forrest. Sorry couldn’t help myself.
BugKiller, who is managing Pepsi, Pete Carrol?
Charlie Weiss at AIG.
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
1:53 pm
Zoo your profundity just astounds me. Preach on brother.
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
1:54 pm
Hey Chip, do you make the Master’s rotation this year?
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
2:00 pm
Nice Guy,
Again… Chik-Fil-A.
Chik-Fil-A in a world (the SEC) of Coca-Cola, IBM, and Microsoft.
Chik-Fil-A is good, and I love Chik-Fil-A.
But is it going to be enough in the long-haul.
Coaches who win National Championships don’t “wait” to get the good bounces, “wait” for good luck.
They make their own good luck, they make their own good breaks.
Too long at Georgia, we’ve seen all of the teams we play get the good bounces, have the good luck. We don’t make any of it ourselves.
I blame Mark Richt for one thing: his stubborn refusal to hold under-performing coaches accountable and a willingness to blame his players for not performing without asking the question, “Who’s coaching the players.”
How long have our wide receivers underachieved as a unit in Richt’s regime? Who was the lone variable that never changed in that equation?
In four years under Willie Martinez, the defense has regressed EVERY YEAR! Who is the lone variable that hasn’t changed in this equation?
Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Les Miles have no qualms with firing under-performing coaches.
Coach Richt does. He downright refuses to do it. We had to hope and pray Miami would hire away Willie to give us a chance next year, but Miami looked at Willie’s body of work and said, “No way in hell, and we don’t care that he’s an alumni!”
People wanted to hire Coach Van Gorder away from us.
No one wants to hire Willie Martinez away from us.
That should tell ANYONE all they need to know about his performance as DC.
Coach Richt’s emotionality for his coaches is holding us back from becoming Apple. He seems quite happy with being Chik-Fil-A, otherwise, he’d make the tough decisions by removing emotion out of the equation, but he can’t do it.
Thomas Dimitroff is going to bring the Falcons a Super Bowl far sooner than the Dawgs will win a MNC under Mark Richt. Why? He refuses to let emotion to cloud his judgment.
I hate Urban Meyer, loathe Nick Saban, and grudgingly respect Les Miles. And I wish to hell that Mark Richt possessed a little of their ability to make the tough decisions it takes to push a football program over the edge.
But he just doesn’t have it in him.
And eventually, Damon Evans is going to have to decide whether being Chik-Fil-A is enough for him, or if he wants to be Apple.
UGAfraid
February 24th, 2009
2:01 pm
Mark Richt is in danger of becoming irrelevant. You can’t consistently have top 10 recruiting classes and not win a NC. When UGA takes its place as 3rd in the SEC East behind UF and UT, the fans will start to call for a regime change.
RealityYech
February 24th, 2009
2:06 pm
I think Preacher Richt is plenty intense. Have you seen him in the Carpets of Dalton commercials? He is ready to bust on someone in those commercials. He is our man to match wits with meyer, saban and johnson for years to come and it makes me tingle inside knowing it!!! wuff wuff…lets get em dogs! wuff wuff wuff
Bil
February 24th, 2009
2:06 pm
The reason Richt gets questioned so much is he doesn’t win the big one despite outrecruiting everyone. Good coach? No doubt. Great coach? No way. Leave that to Meyer, Spurrier and Saban. Richt has had the athletes but hasn’t quite put it together.
Cuz
February 24th, 2009
2:06 pm
Regime change? Give me one of whatever you are having.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
2:14 pm
Thanks Cuz, I hope your health troubles are behind you.
bugkiller, Chick-Fil-A has a location in Mishawaka, Indiana. Did you know that? Not quite the southeast but expanding farther north. Maybe we can get Coach Richt to put a location in Portage, Michigan near the mall there.
Music City Dawg
February 24th, 2009
2:20 pm
You’d think beating Florida would be important to a guy who played at Miami, coached at FSU, and now coaches at UGA. Nobody loves Mark Richt like the Florida Gators. That game isn’t even a rivalry. They own us. Period. I realize that we’re winning in the overall record, but let’s talk about what’s relevant — those wins in the 80s are no longer relevant. Beating Florida is the name of the game. If Richt can’t do it, we’ll always be second banana to Florida. In the East, we’ve got Urban Meyer who is basically a genius, Lane Kiffin who is cooking up God-knows-what, and Spurrier can pull something out of his hat at any given moment. I like CMR as a person, but sometimes I wonder if he’s not three steps behind everyone else. I’ve got my fingers crossed for a great 2009…but I won’t hold my breath.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
2:20 pm
Nice Guy -
I see you also buy the story line that the UF/UGA game is not an “away game” that should be counted. Count those and it is a little different won/loss percentage.
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
2:21 pm
Kalamazoo… he can’t… Willie Martinez holds him back like a stone around his neck.
williebkind
February 24th, 2009
2:22 pm
Bugkiller:
I agree with your assessment!!!
Music City Dawg
February 24th, 2009
2:25 pm
Yeah, I love the people who think it would be ‘more fair’ to move the GA/FLA game to Atlanta. We could play Florida on the friggin moon, and it wouldn’t change the fact that they are going to beat us.
No Ax(e) To Grind
February 24th, 2009
2:28 pm
There is a vast difference between ten-win seasons and a National Championship. One opinion expressed above regarding Richt is to the point. The basic question is not whether Richt is intense enough, or smart enough, or tall enough, for that matter. The basic question is whether Richt has desire enough to win a NC. More specifically, does he have the intestinal fortitude to fire those underperformers he has on his staff? At this point the question remains unanswered. There is no doubt that there were certain areas that needed vast improvement last season…i.e. special teams for instance. I am unaware that any staff changes were made. Somehow, I think that if their teams had underperformed last year to the same degree, Meyer and Saban may have made changes. Both have at least one NC to their credit. Spurrier, in his halcyon years, made changes. Chalk up a NC to him. Hopefully,for Georgia fans’ sake, Richt does have the “guts/desire”. Otherwise ten win seasons and the Citrus Bowl will be about the best they can hope for.
Sissy Dawg
February 24th, 2009
2:40 pm
Mark Richt is a nice guy and a great person. His weakness as a coach is not intensity, but lack of discipline. His players don’t fear him. They know they can get by with anything on or off the field. It show up in the number of players arrested every year and the the stupid unnecessary penalties on the field. Whatever they do, they just get to sit out for a meaningless game. His player like him, but don’t respect him because they see him as weak. They are headed down hill in the SEC and nationally.
uga_b
February 24th, 2009
2:42 pm
As has been stated before, where the intensity seems to lack is on the defensive side. I think we can all appreciate BVG a little better after his year with the Falcons. We havent bad a real big hitter since Greg Blue. Well, Rennie is close for his size. I just want our team to get out and hit some people. I don’t know if that is the athelete or the coach. Maybe it has been the focus on a more speedy finesse defense.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
2:43 pm
bugkiller, then Willie has to go. Can’t be holding up the Chick-Fil-A expansion to my hood.
Nice Guy
February 24th, 2009
2:44 pm
BugKiller and the rest of you, you guys are missing the point. Forget about this Chick-fil-A whatever comparison. First of all, you cannot control National Championships. Everybody knows that UGA should have been in the NC last year or at least in the Rose Bowl playing USC, which would have been a great game by the way. But that’s my point, UGA couldn’t control that situation. Always focus on what you can control.
The SEC is like the NFL, you win in the SEC, you’re a great coach, period. Second, consistantcy is the key to everything you do in life. How long did it take Bobby Bowden to win his first NC. The point is, how do you measure success, winning a NC or winning every year and give yourself a chance to win SEC titles. Anybody can win the lottory and end of up losing it all without balance and proper management but not everyone can manage there money well and build success consistantly.
OK, so he’s not the best coach in College Football or even the SEC but he wins. That’s all that matters. They hired the guy to win and beat UT, GT, and UF. WE may not do it every year but he gives UGA the best chance to win and help these kids in the real world. This is not about just sports and winning NC. Yes, it would be great to win one but focus on winning and keep improving on what it is being built rather than focusing on winning NC.
Say you get rid of the guy and bring someone else in here, then what? You’ve broken the trend and system of winning and being in the hunt every year. You guys are too caught up in the hype of winning national championships and all these great athletes that UGA bring in every year and you compare this coach with that coach.
there are 2 types of coaches you can choose from. One who curses his players and hopefully win national championships, or a coach who brings balance to a football program and prepares these kids for making tough decisions in the real world.
Mark Richt is the guy I want coaching my son. Teaching a college athlete about Balance in life, making quality and tough decisions, developing a relationship with God, staying focused and compete on the field is intensity in my book.
SSI gator
February 24th, 2009
2:54 pm
Nice Guy -
By “preparing them for the real world” I guess you mean how to go through the police department processing after arrest and how to get your bail posted?
Give me a break. Until he puts his foot down with some control over these thugs, it will be the same story each year.
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
2:56 pm
Florida without Tebow?
Well, they owned the Pups for 15 years before Tebow and will own the Pups after Tebow leaves. Hell, Zook won 2 of 3 against Georgia and Richt.
Harvin? Don’t think he played in the SEC game against Alabama and they had no problems. Florida is loaded and will be that way for years.
Meyer did not have a Tebow like QB at Bowling Green when he won. He did not have a Tebow or Harvin at Utah when he ran the table. He is just head and shoulders over Richt and now that he has a loaded team and superior coaches, he will dominate the Leg Humpers for as long as he is there.
Tide rising
February 24th, 2009
2:57 pm
Run Forrest Run! Actually Forrest was scoring against Tennessee and not Georgia. Unless Georgia just happened to be wearing orange that day.
Mark Richt is a fine coach. Everyone has their own unique style and as long as CMR continues to be successful I don’t understand why the questions about his intensity. The only knock I see on CMR is his inability to beat the Gators. Florida is the odds on favorite to win the sec again and is absolutely loaded so its almost a certainty he will lose to UF this year as will most if not all of us. But if he loses to the gators for another year or 2 after Tebow leaves then I think his seat may be real, real hot at that point.
A man’s greatness is measured by the strength of his enemies and how in turn he responds to his greatest enemies.
CMR is a loser
February 24th, 2009
3:00 pm
Yep, can’t motivate at the highest levels. Will always be beaten by Meyer, Saban, Miles and Spurrier and probably Kiffin and Paul Johnson.
Ray Goff
February 24th, 2009
3:01 pm
He will lose to the Gators after Tebow leaves. Ron Zook was 2-1 against Richt.
BugKiller
February 24th, 2009
3:02 pm
NiceGuy…
… then basically, you’re okay with Chik-Fil-A.
You’re okay with Georgia being a regional program that wins the SEC every now and again, and that’s about it.
Florida, LSU, and Alabama are not okay with that. They are Microsoft, IBM, and Coca-Cola. They’re world-wide, baby. Their coaches are willing to do what it takes to keep their teams world-wide and winning Nat’l Championships.
Mark Richt is not willing to do what it takes. He is not willing to make tough decisions, but to have tough decisions made for him.
I guarantee, when Willie’s defenses fall flat AGAIN, and we get declining results from Willie for the fifth year in a row, Mark Richt will still defend the indefensible, and Damon Evans will either have to step in and make the hard decision for Mark Richt, or be okay with being Chik-Fil-A.
Being Chik-Fil-A was okay for the first 7 or 8 years of Richt because we were the Flowery Branch Cafe under Donnan and Goff.
But I refuse to accept that Chik-Fil-A is our ceiling as a program residing in the 3rd best state for high school football players, better than Texas even.
I want to be Apple, dammit. And the more I see from Richt, his inability to keep emotion out of decisions, his inability to fire underwhelming coaches, I’m seeing a coach who is never going to get our program over the hump.
I’m sick and tired of being Stew Mandel’s whipping dog. I’m tired of guys like Colin Cowherd and Rece Davis and Mark May and Chris Fowler denigrating our program on national television and radio.
I’m sick of unfulfilled promise.
I’m sick of settling for ten wins a year when so much more is expected.
There was a time when Coach Richt talked about “knocking the lid off.”
And he’ll never knock off this new lid if he’s content to keep giving underwhelming coaches like Willie Martinez around.
2-8 vs. Florida. And I’m sorry, but 1-2 vs. Ron Zook is INEXCUSABLE.
UnderDog
February 24th, 2009
3:05 pm
We won a title in 1980 with Dooley, who had an on-field persona much like Mark Richt. I don’t think UGA needs a coach that will make an a$$ of himself in public. We can leave that to the Dennis Green’s and the Mike Ditka’s of the coaching world.
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.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
6:20 pm
Tide, what? a little defensive there. I didn’t say anything about $aban paying players, that’s what the boosters are for silly. I called him $uitcase $aban because of his traveling nature (MSU, LSU, Miami, and soon to be Bama) and his demand for 4 mil a year. Nothing not true there. Flat out lying through your teeth is offensive (to some) and classless. Remember his statements before he left Miami? Lot of different ways he could have worded that and still have some respect from the fans. I also spell Charlie Wei$$ the same way. It just isn’t working out for him as well as it is for Nicky.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 24th, 2009
6:22 pm
I might have left Booby Petrino off that list. Sorry Booby.
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
6:31 pm
ssi let me respond as follows.. Since you are so familiar with the history of ALL teams and thier abilities to recover from injuries, how about name one team that lived up to its billing , with 2 dozen season ending injuries to many of its better players. How hard could it be, since they “all” have em. Name One, Ever? Then explain to me how UF lost 4 games last year. Did the coaches not do a very good job with those players then?
As far as backups, I think its pretty damn good to be able to win as many games at we did with back up. Not many teams could have. They are called back ups for a reason.
BTW all that was proven was that UGA could win more games than most of the country playing
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
6:33 pm
deep into the roster…
Jeff
February 24th, 2009
6:44 pm
UF didn’t lose 4 games last year………NATIONAL CHAMPS!!! Dig a DEEPER hole.
Hell hath no fury like a scorned Richt « The Hobnail Boot
February 24th, 2009
6:58 pm
[...] 24, 2009 · No Comments Chip Towers over at the AJC poses an interesting question in response to Pete Fiutak’s mailbag over at College Football News. Is Mark [...]
Dumb Atlamaha Dawg
February 24th, 2009
7:15 pm
Another dumb mutt fan….Gators didn’t lose 4 games in 08….Gators won the BCS National Title In 08,something the mutts have not done in almost thirty years.
Johnny DangerDawg
February 24th, 2009
7:18 pm
dawgdan,
Good call. That was David Pollock who vouched for Richt’s intensity in 2007.
Choke! the offical drink for the UGA Dawgs
February 24th, 2009
7:22 pm
Right mutts?
AltamahaDawg
February 24th, 2009
8:00 pm
Gee really nailed me there (and so much easier than answering a real question).
I stand corrected. The only games the gators actually lost in the Calendar year of 2008 was the on the very first day. And then Ole’Miss.
I could say that your NC game was actually played in the calendar year of 2009, but why split hairs, right.
icedawg
February 24th, 2009
8:06 pm
Intense? Define it. I hardly see how something like this guarantees the credibility and effectiveness of a coach. Irk Russell was intense and was a great coach. Coach Dooley was not as intense as Russell but was no less a good coach. There are more factors that make a man an effective coach but an emotional intensity is not necessarily one of them. Intensity usually reflects the emotional level and raw emotions do not always have good outcomes. I think that the “intensity” is overvalued. Give me a smart, respectable, steady, evenly tempered coach any day of the week instead of some hot dog.
FLDAWG
February 24th, 2009
8:09 pm
On Topic, Richts instensity is fine. What we see on Fall Saturdays is not the entire week. In an interview he even stated that as a head coach he wanted to remain on an even keel in an effort to make better decisions and even more so as a play caller (back in the day).
Off topic: CWM does deserve criticism as the defensive numbers have declined over the last four years. Therefore, so does Richt as head coach. Bobo is a young play caller and OC. He still deserves a little time to develop. He has called some good games. He will get better. The problem for Richt is this, he needs to get into the D side of the ball more yet he has a young coordinator in Bobo that he needs to continue to develop. Regardless of what any of us would like or think, CWM has at least one more year. There are some good leaders in place (Jeff Owens, Curran) and that should help CWM. As a dawg fan I am pulling for CWM and Bobo.
Richt isn’t done winning and still has plenty of opportunities ahead of him. He just has to make the right moves with his coaches and players. Good luck to Richt and all of the dawgs.
coachgb
February 24th, 2009
8:25 pm
Will we ever stop hearing this stupid question? Is Richt tough enough? Its his management style, its his way of doing thing. He’s too quiet. Ahhh! give me a break! I know one of the team trainers. He says you should see Richt when he gets cranked up at practice. He has no problem getting his message across whether it is to a player or an assistant coach! The guy’s a winner both on and more importantly off the field.
Jimmy
February 24th, 2009
8:31 pm
Who’s to say Richt isn’t intense?? Just because he doesn’t “look” intense giving interviews, such as the ‘Hat’ at LSU, Tricky Nicky or CUM over at Florida?? These guys look the part more than CMR does. This doesn’t mean he’s not intense during the week at practice. Besides, he is who he is. If he all of a sudden changes his coaching style(not withstanding the stunt at last year’s WLOCP), his players will see right through that.
brenda
February 24th, 2009
8:37 pm
Altamahadawg keep drinking the Kool Aid Scooter!
Army Vet
February 24th, 2009
8:38 pm
Intense? I recall seeing CMR with that “What just happened” look when UGA played Bama, Florida, and GT. I bet we’ll see that “Look” about 6 or 7 times this year.
TCM
February 25th, 2009
4:44 am
CMR is a good coach and UGA is lucky to have him. The only drawback is his undying loyatly to his assistants who under-achieve with good talent. I personally feel like UGA won’t win a NC until CMR gets a DC who “gets it” because WM just doesn’t. He is too soft and doesn’t make ANY real adjustments on game day. I guess we can stomach Mike Bobo but WM has GOT TO GO!! Or at least move him to another position and bring in a REAL DC!!
michael
February 25th, 2009
5:21 am
Can not say about all years but last year the DOGS under achieved. Breaks here and there are excuses. When you have a school that is well supported and talented coaching is the difference. I believe he will all ways be a brides maid. Time will tell.
AltamahaDawg
February 25th, 2009
7:25 am
Brenda, care to dispute any particular points of mine?
Paul
February 25th, 2009
8:31 am
Quantum Dawg. You are an idiot. I work for a company that if we were treated like family we would work even harder than we do now. I am so tired of people like you bashing our coaches. Go support another team.
mk52
February 25th, 2009
10:18 am
Ok, I’ll give everyone a choice. Ray Goff/Jim Donnan. Both “intense” guys who shuffled assistants. 0 SEC Championships. Or, Mark Richt. Who has won 2 SEC Championships and finished in the top ten in the nation 5 or 6 times now. That’s what I thought!
Jennifer
February 25th, 2009
11:40 am
Well said Paul!
If any of you can do a better job then apply for it until then unless you are in his shoes or actually play for him you have no right to judge. As my post way earlier said, we should support them no matter what season they have, that is if you are a true fan and I bleed red and black. GO Dawgs I hope you all UGA haters eat the hedges next season.
GATORMAN 722
February 25th, 2009
6:55 pm
I hope Georgia can keep the coaching staff they have today together for a long time.
Twilb Dawg
February 26th, 2009
10:03 am
VERY GOOD ARTICLE. I have always pointed to our NEAR MISSES! All it takes is a little “luck” and we have a couple of titles. 2002, 2005, and 2007 were great teams that just didn’t catch all of the breaks. EVENTUALLY things will fall our way. CMR is the man that will lead us there!
Bulldawg Billy
February 28th, 2009
9:32 am
Those BREAKS are all arround all the time.The players must be coached to create and seize them!!!!
MiamiDawg
March 1st, 2009
4:19 pm
‘Breaks’ don’t happen. Teams that are focused and determined create their own breaks.
The dawgs had their break when they started off at the top of the pile. They earned that for their performance the previous season. What was required was that they have the drive and grit to hold on to it. The entire team failed. No excuses.
Lack of motivation starts and ends at the top. CMR failed to take advantage of a sweet shot at the title.
Georgia will have other shots but if they don’t do something with them, all that will be left to do is cry about Florida getting lucky… again.