Richt on travel, Jax, Cox, and more
Columbus -– Caught up with Mark Richt’s speaking tour Thursday night. His visit with the Columbus Bulldog Club was interesting and lively.
He expressed some serious reservations about long road trips, such as Georgia’s to Arizona State last fall. He scoffed at the notion that Jacksonville is a neutral site for the Georgia-Florida game. And he quantified the extent to which the Georgia players see Joe Cox as the team’s leader.
Here’s Richt, responding to questions from the gathering:
On Cox’s leadership: “We had exit meetings where one of the things we asked the players on their exit-meeting sheet, I guess, was: Who do you think are the leaders of this football team? I think it was 110 guys who wrote down different names. And 107 times, Joe got his name mentioned. . . . So here’s a guy voted the No. 1 leader on the team who really hasn’t started a game in three years and only started one in his whole career.”
On how the team is recovering from last year’s injury epidemic: “I think in about two or three weeks, about 95 percent of our football team will be ready to rock and roll.”
On DT Jeff Owens’ comeback from knee surgery: “Jeffrey looks wonderful. I think he’s trimmer today than the day he got hurt. He really got serious about getting in the best shape he could. That’s hard to do when you’re rehabbing a knee.”
On whether the Georgia-Florida game should be played in Georgia sometimes: “I don’t know what’s going to happen. But when people ask me the question, ‘Do you really think [Jacksonville] is a neutral site?’, I say, ‘No, it’s not neutral.’ When you play in the state of Florida every year –- we fly, they drive; it’s hotter for us, it’s cooler for them. It’s played in a stadium that [used to be called] the Gator Bowl. But what the heck? If nothing else, we’ll make Jacksonville pay more to keep it there. . . . I wouldn’t feel bad having a ‘neutral site’ game in Georgia – in the Georgia Dome.”
On who’ll start at tight end: “Right now, I would say Aron White. Aron had a great spring. He did drop a ball or two in the spring game, but he did not drop many balls all spring long. And since he’s been here, he has had really good hands. Maybe the big [G-Day] crowd got him, I don’t know, but I’m glad he got it out of his system.”
On long road trips, such as last year’s to Arizona State, this year’s to Oklahoma State and next year’s to Colorado: “What we learned is, it’s tough travel. That Arizona State game was just prior to the Alabama game. I’m not making excuses, but . . . I saw Stafford and Moreno laying there [on the flight home] trying to get some sleep, flying through the night. It’s just tough travel. I don’t know if we really want to do a whole lot more of that.”
On Oklahoma State, this year’s opening opponent: “I think they’re going to look at that as one of the biggest games in the history of their football program, so we better get ready.”
On Georgia’s new basketball coaching staff: “Those guys are class people. . . . I like their approach already. They’re not making some wild promises. They understand it’s going to take work. And just hearing how they go about preparing players — in all, I just see really good things from that staff.”
(Richt told me before the meeting that the two most common questions he’s gotten on the Bulldog Club tour — last night was stop No. 6 — have been about the tailbacks and the defensive ends. Sure enough, he got them again. His answers, somewhat condensed:)
On the tailback position, post-Moreno: “We’ve been averaging a little bit over 2,000 yards a season rushing. Some years, it’s been [one guy] getting most of it. Some years, it’s been by committee. … You know what, I don’t really care if it’s one guy or two guys or three guys. I think whoever is running the ball is going to benefit from a more mature line than we’ve had in quite some time. … Right now, no one has really separated themselves [at tailback]. Caleb [King], I would say, would still be the No. 1 guy going into camp, but by the first game someone else may win that job. I don’t know.”
And on the defensive ends: “We just need to get them healthy. [Roderick] Battle, I think, can play well for us. [Demarcus] Dobbs can play well. [Justin] Houston is coming along. We’ve got a kid, Cornelius Washington, who has been hurt ever since he got here, but the kid is long, he’s lean, he’s fast and he’s very talented. We’ll see how he does. . . . And we got some Sam linebackers — [Darryl] Gamble, [Marcus] Washington, [Darius] Dewberry –- who leave the game when we get into our nickel defense and tend to be in more of a pass-rushing mode. So what we want is to use those Sam linebackers to rush the pass, too, because they are a little bit more athletic, a little more agile, faster by nature. They don’t hold up against the run as well, but you don’t see as much run on third-and-long.”
Around Bulldog Nation: Stacey Palmore, a Virginia Tech assistant basketball coach, told the Roanoke Times that he’ll be joining new Georgia coach Mark Fox’s staff. Palmore said Fox pursued him because of his recruiting contacts in Georgia. . . . Fox got tied up on some recruiting business, so assistant Kwanza Johnson filled in for him at the Bulldog Club meeting in Columbus. . . . Georgia’s softball team lost to Kentucky 2-0 in the opening game of the single-elimination SEC tournament Thursday in Knoxville. . . . Lots of action in Athens this weekend: NCAA men’s and women’s tennis first- and second-round matches at the Dan Magill Complex and, next door at Foley Field, the baseball team’s final home series of the regular season. Here’s a story on two very impressive streaks the men’s tennis team is seeking to extend.
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157 comments Add your comment
Cuz
May 10th, 2009
3:58 pm
Altamaha, I think the Florida fan was talking about a former life.
Cuz
May 10th, 2009
4:00 pm
Fans and enemy bloggers, call or hug your Mom today. I sure wish I could.
BuLLdawg
May 10th, 2009
6:15 pm
We won 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th inning against Vandie today. The amazing part was that the Diamond Dawgs did not commit an error. We are a lousy fielding baseball team, and as per the comments above, we cannot run the base paths at all. 5 skills : Hit, Hit with Power, Throw, Field and Run.
We do only the 1st two. Thank you Nike for allowing us to use Easton bats this season, or this would be a miserable team to watch. It’s like watching Chipper Jones. The children love him. He can hit and hit with power. That’s it. He cannot field; cannot throw, and is the dead last worst base runner of all-time. (He actually turns his body to the side, and runs around the base paths 3/4 to the side.)
107 suspensions for Coach Richt’s football players since he got here.
107.
Officially 106.
106.
Tony Wilson gave his no comment on being forced to take his medical ending of his career. It was that or Suspension.
Not White. Bruce Figgins. Failed drug test, according to ESPN citing Official UGA staff member. Oh, and the confirmation of that ? 6 games suspension. At UGA, any athlete failing a random drug test, automatically is out for HALF THE SEASON.
Defensive End gets two game suspension. What is this BROKE TEAM RULES, B.S. ? Justin Houston, what did you do to start off our Off-Season as we have EVERY OTHER SINGLE SEASON of the Coach Richt Era ? You get a few “sacks” from a touch rule in the G-Day Game. Everyone proclaims we have a DE finally after none last year all season. And, what do you do ? Dedicate yourself to getting 3 real sacks in some real game ?
Hell no.
Go out and get suspended for the games against Oklahoma State and South Carolina.
Excuse me Justin Houston.
We play a very good Arkansas team the very next week.
YOU will have missed both previous games Justin Houston.
Drugs.
What a dead end.
Would think you woudl learn about that from the Georgia Tech “student” – athletes, after the death of the Tech athlete last year – from drugs. Heroin, in his case.
Good Lord Above.
No, None Nada Tight Ends last season had more than 5 catches ON THE WHOLE ENTIRE SEASON last year.
Bruce ?
Oh, Bruce ?
HALF A SEASON for drugs.
Bruce Figgins, you are an idiot.
Justin Houston, thanks a lot.
Now, Tony Wilson, hell of a way to end your career – kicked off the team in essence, or take a Suspension. Your choice Tony Wilson ? You are listed on the Depth Chart as the Starting Split End Tony Wilson.
I am so damned impressed. And, next year is Year 20.
2 Decades.
We’ve won 3.
Need to listen to the coach on that one. JAX is a horrible city. Ranks. Ranks right up there with the other lousy Florida cities. Going to take my vacation somewhere else next year. Not Florida. There is not a good city in Florida to begin with. So they talk the state. Recently, Floridians have griped that their state is the best state for College Football. Excuse me ? Gators won. Rest of the schools in Florida suck at Football, and have sucked at football for some time now. And, of course, Florida didn’t USED TO BE A COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHOOL.
Not until UGA decided to LOSE 17 of the last 2 decades’ worth, next season.
I knew it was too good to be true that, even here as Coach Richt brags on Justin Houston, he gets suspended ALONG WITH THE OTHERS FAILED DRUG TEST.
Fools Gold
May 10th, 2009
7:17 pm
Druga Thuga UGAs! The slide is now continuing! Stay tuned to your Druga Thuga Uga Channel for the latest updates…..
Cuz
May 10th, 2009
8:51 pm
BullDawg don’t you have your days and nights mixed up?
DawgMan
May 10th, 2009
11:25 pm
Having to make that long trip to jacksonville on a bus to Atlanta then a plane trip wears out the team and is the main reason that UF wins every year. UF players take an easy 30 minute bus ride to the game and have a big advantage. Damon Evans needs to get the game moved to the Ga Dome every other year, where UGA will have a big advantage and start winning more. Plus, the city of jacksonville jacks up the hotel rates every year for the game and the parking is terrible at the stadium. It’s time to move the game! I’m tired of losing to UF every year and having them win titles.
Cuz
May 11th, 2009
1:02 am
If riding a bus to Atlanta and then an hour plane ride wears out our football team, we need a new conditioning coach.
AltamahaDawg
May 11th, 2009
7:18 am
75 miles in 30 minutes. Tim Tebow must be driving the bus.
gatordowneast
May 11th, 2009
7:59 am
Slobber and several other posters are spot on. I was at all those FL-GA games with Dooley and Erk. The pups expected to win and the gators hoped they would win. Problem is not just talent either as both teams have plenty of talent.
Problem Gators had in the 70s and 80s was “mindset”. We did not have the proper mindset until the visored one came to Gainesville in the early 90s and installed the “no excuses” mindset.
Richt is an excellent coach but seems to have alot of Bobby Bowden in him which can be good and bad. Good in that Mark gets it when putting together a program but bad when he sometimes gives his team and players an out.
WTF??
May 11th, 2009
9:09 am
I do LOVE COX!!!!
AltamahaDawg
May 11th, 2009
9:50 am
The team with the most talent on the field has won that game 9 out of 10 times.
AltamahaDawg
May 11th, 2009
9:51 am
There have been less upsets in that series, than probably most SEC rivals.
USC
May 11th, 2009
9:56 am
Hey HUH?, Are you talking about the ASU game? The first time in some 20 or more years that UGA traveled outside of the southeast. Yea, they traveled a long ways, alright.
AngryDawg
May 11th, 2009
10:00 am
Michael Adams must go! He’s forcing all these new rules and suspensions on the football team, which is hurting Richt’s ability to recruit and beat good SEC teams! I’m not contributing any more money to UGA until they get rid of that blowhard Adams, and bring someone in who is loyal to the university and gets rid of all these silly rules for players and fans coming to the games!
dale
May 11th, 2009
10:11 am
The inequity of Jax is that Georgia travels 350+ miles to play a home game. Jax should count as a home game for Florida on their schedule, and an away game for Georgia. Every year.
LSU
May 11th, 2009
10:15 am
Explain how 3 players get in trouble for the same thing and one gets a 6 game suspension, on gets only 2 games, and well the other wasn’t going to be around any way.
Diamond Dawg
May 11th, 2009
10:42 am
The Dawgs will be just fine this yr for all you haters!! Hide and Watch!!
BulldogChamp
May 11th, 2009
11:11 am
Well I heard that Tony Wilson was arrested after beating his girlfriend. Way to go! How about you take that aggression out on the field and not a defensless girl.
TybeeDawg
May 11th, 2009
11:29 am
Lesser teams beat better teams every week. Mental preparation is absolutely key to winning.
gdawginkalamazoo
May 11th, 2009
11:44 am
Great start to the off season. Fan-F-ing-tastic! Can we get some smart players in there? How stupid do you have to be to do ANYTHING that might jeopardize your 1) education 2) your potential to be an NFL prospect in the future? Why don’t these guys just quit now and stop wasting scholarships that could be used on kids that actually want to do the right thing?
Toates
May 11th, 2009
6:05 pm
How the hell do you get CMR saying move the game? It sounds more like him being a bit flippant when someone refers to it as a “neutral” game, that is all. It sure does not sound like a person making excuses. Would love to hear the read in before and after to put this in context. But I see that has been left to our imagines or our abilities to play “Madlib”.
Thanks again for stoking the fire, AJC.
Toates
May 11th, 2009
6:07 pm
“imaginations”… oh well, can’t win ‘em all.
AltamahaDawg
May 11th, 2009
9:44 pm
I heard you were Tony Wilson’s girlfriend.
Mark Richt has problems with neutral site for UF-UGA game | MrSEC.com
May 12th, 2009
9:21 am
[...] seems Richt is unhappy about that. At a booster club meeting in Columbus, Ga., last week, Richt was asked whether the Georgia-Florida game should be played in Georgia sometimes. His [...]
SEADawg
May 12th, 2009
12:19 pm
A word of advice to all the spiteful, petty, and rude posters here. GROW UP. If you get joy out of anonymously belittling other people over the Internet, you need to unplug your computer and get a life, or better yet, just put yourself out of everyone’s misery.
dan
May 12th, 2009
1:09 pm
Interesting article:
If nothing else, I think 2008 will serve as a learning experience for Mark Richt and his team in terms of how to handle expectations. I like that the focus is going back to leadership on the field. Players have to be able to trust their teamates and their coaches because in adverse situations, they are going to look to one another. That was what was missing from last year’s team. I’ve been pretty tough on Stafford and Knowshon in the past, and both of those guys were great players. But that 2008 team didn’t have the same comraderie that the 2007 did. Yeah the team hand some injuries last season, but it didn’t seem like the guys played very loose last year. In 2007, they would be jumping around and having fun, whooping it up after a big hit, and that kind of attitude in contagious. And at the core of that enthusiasm is trust and caring about one another. The 2002, 2005, and 2007 teams played with this kind of passion and that’s what leads to championships.
byron
May 12th, 2009
2:58 pm
Cant agree with Coach on this one living in Jax of course I am biased to the game here, I guess my travels to Athens 5 or 6 times a year doesnt matter. Has anyone heard Coach Stoops and Oklahoma complain lately about going to Austin or Dallas to play right in the Longhorn’s back yard,,,,,,,,,,,,,no dont think he has been. Winning stops Whining.
Kyle Gets Contrary: Why Mark Richt is Wrong About Moving the Georgia-Florida Game | MrSEC.com
May 12th, 2009
3:21 pm
[...] Senator Blutarsky thought Coach Richt was kidding, and I hope he’s right, but this is what Coach Richt said: [...]
Balton
May 12th, 2009
4:38 pm
“We fly to the game and they drive”. This is supposed to be an advantage for Florida? It’s an hour flight for UGA and an hour drive for Florida. How in the world is that some big advantage? That is the weakest excuse of all. Just becuase it’s on the Florida side of the border is semantics. It’s 50-50 with fans…right down the middle. The travel time is about the same, doesn’t matter if it’s on a plan or a bus. He’s just making excuses…that’s all it is.
Shelby GT350
May 12th, 2009
5:21 pm
Fact: Vince Dooley had no problem playing Gators in Jax.
Fact: 1995 Game was played in Athens, Coach Richt- look at that score
Fact: 40,000 uga fans and 40,000 Gators fans in an NFL stadium
Fact: Going 3-16 vs UF will make one look for excuses
Fact: 3 NCs since ‘96, 2 NCs in ‘06 and ‘08 make “the Celebration” puny.
Fact: Coach Meyer – 2 NCs, 2 SECCs. Coach Richt – 0 NCs, 1 SECC
BUZZ
May 12th, 2009
6:20 pm
And I’ll bet Sugar Hill Dawg a case of PBR and Red man that we win again tonight. I love it. I mean I really love it. I love everything about shutting Georgia down and Georgia fans UP!
Georgia Bulldawg Thread - Page 3 - BuckeyePlanet Ohio State Forums
May 13th, 2009
5:08 am
[...] Richt on travel, Jax, Cox, and more | UGA Sports Quote: [...]
BurningRedBleedingBlack
May 13th, 2009
11:15 am
What’s up with St.Simons? I grew up in Brunswick and St.Simons, the last time i checked, UGA out numbers GT like 90 to 10 percent you never see GT fans on St.Simons. Get over dude we own that island and the rest of that area, always have always will. As far as moving it to ATL lets do it and see what happens. We can;t change the past so lets embrace the future, we have all won and lost to rivals that the name of the game. We had a bad year, now it’s over now it’s are turn to give it back! Go Dawgs last time i checked this was a Bulldog blog (ever wonder why all of are rivals get on here and talk crap) thats easy they got nothing going on in their programs!
Good read - SECTalk Forums
May 14th, 2009
11:31 am
[...] read http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2009/05/08/richt-on-travel-jax-cox-and-more/?cxntfid=blogs_uga_... Richt on travel, Jax, Cox, and more 2:00 am May 8, 2009, by Tim Tucker Columbus -
cal
May 17th, 2009
4:45 pm
Mayben F-5 Tornado will hit during the game, less fans and game… No loss at all, Better to watch grass grow, college football. BORING !
jp
May 17th, 2009
5:24 pm
percey harvey, urban myers, go gator,
classic UF education
Keith S.
May 17th, 2009
5:39 pm
What a cop out by Coach Richt. He needs to break out his SEC almanac.
Vince Dooley did just fine against Florida. Dooley lost to Florida only seven times in 25 years. Every one of those games was played in Jacksonville. And that was back when they called it the Gator Bowl.
The heat? Give me a break. The average temperature in Jacksonville in late October is about 68 degrees. The problem is that Florida has had a better program since 1990.
UGA made the fateful decision to hire Ray Goff in 1989. A year later, Florida hired Steve Spurrier. The fortunes of these two programs have never been the same since.
Florida had never even won an SEC title before 1990. They’ve won three national titles since, and at least eight SEC titles.
Florida beats Georgia because Florida has a stronger program.
Hairy Gator
May 17th, 2009
5:40 pm
LET’S SEE HERE….We playedthe Dawgies in Athens and beat the unmercifully, so do you REALLY think it matters where the game is played….Well, do you?
Andy
May 17th, 2009
5:48 pm
I think it should be a home and home like the rest of our rivalries. How fun would it be to go down to Gainesville in the hostile environment and play? Bring it on! I hate tailgating in that sorry area around the Jacksonville’s stadium. Going to another college town is much more appealing to me.
KNelson
May 17th, 2009
6:22 pm
Since when would the Dome be neutral site? Must be that Georgia math. I don’t hear LSU , Tennessee, Alabama crying about playing Florida with a home and away. Georgia you might want to keep it where it is at least you have a shot @ winning once every 20 years.
Endymion
May 17th, 2009
7:20 pm
Time to make a neutral site game really neutral. One year Jacksonville, one year Georgia dome. If it’s not really an advantage why are the Gators resisting it at all?
KNelson
May 17th, 2009
8:15 pm
I dont think Gators care where they play. Its like Tennessee VS Georgia in the 90ies ALWAYS the same result.
NewExcuse!
May 17th, 2009
8:52 pm
So in 2009 it won’t be injuries…. The grand poobah has spoken the 2009 excuse is…. drum roll please……
FLYING!!!!!!!!
Should have seen this coming when ATL airport got shut down…..
Yes indeed FLYING is way to advanced for the average UGA player and UGA fan.
Guess it is good to know your limits and UGA’s, limit ends at the runway….
Question: How in the world did georgie beat the Div-II school Hawaii?
David
May 17th, 2009
9:03 pm
Give it a FREAKING rest. No its not a neutral game but it doesn’t determine who wins the game. DROP IT!
The only way I would be for it is to move it to home and home and use that extra home game and go out and schedule Michigan or Penn State or TX…..and that aint happening so keep the game the way it is and go beat them. Harvin is gone. Tebow is gone next year. Beat them.
DaltonDAWG706
May 17th, 2009
9:56 pm
No its not a neutral site i live on the tennesee line just about and jacksonville is unrealistic for someone like me to be able to watch them play. I want to see them in the Dome in Atlanta at least 1/4 years that will make it easier for me because its less than hour from my home. Thank you very much….
Sanford Drive
May 17th, 2009
11:31 pm
KNelson, you are by far the dumbest person to ever post on this site. Did you really just compare a home-and-home to a game in JAX? Wow, not at all the same. But I digress. The game should stay in JAX because the dome SUX. The only reason this is even up for discussion is because lazy Atlanta folks (majority of the fan base) don’t want to make the drive to JAX. Given, it is a sucky drive. But not as sucky as tailgating with the hobos in downtown Atlanta. If Atlanta was in South Georgia, this topic would’ve never been broached. Keep the tradition alive. Keep the game in Jacksonville. Go Dawgs.
ckgator
May 18th, 2009
12:28 am
I’m a Gator in Atlanta, but Jacksonville is where this game belongs. Its a shame that the GA Dome is a DOME – in a place that has some of the best football weather in the country. If Atlanta ever builds an open-air stadium (or better – one with a retractable roof), I would reconsider.
Florida is a much better program in recent years, period. Geography has nothing to do with it. What’s next – should the campuses switch spots so Richt is closer to the hotbed of Florida high school recruits?
ckgator
May 18th, 2009
12:32 am
One more thing… if you move this game to the campuses, it becomes just another rivalry. The neutral site is what makes it special and separates it from the rest of the schedule. There is nothing quite like the energy in the air before this game. Not anywhere in the country…
JAX JAX JAX!!!
Gator Nation
May 18th, 2009
12:51 am
Define home field advantage:
Is it having the stadium 80-90% full of your fans?
Is it sleeping in your own bed the night before the game?
Is it the zip code of the stadium having the same zip code as your school?
If Georgia played Tech every year at the Georgia Dome, who do you think would have the home field advantage using the aforementioned questions?
Come on Coach Richt……stop making excuses. The problem is that you are 2-6 against the gators when you should be 4-4. And the two games you lost when you should have won, cost you a shot at the national championship and another shot at an SEC title game. You can’t go 2-6 against your biggest rival and not start to worry about the status of your employment.
Oh yeah…..and it looks like your in for another butt whoopin this year. That’s gotta suck to have that waitin for ya.
ceph
May 18th, 2009
7:07 am
All the history and tradition of the UGA-FLA game in JAX should not be destroyed by a head coach who nuts up the minute UM walks on the field. I don’t care where they play UM has Richts no.!!!!!!!! Plus who knows how long Richt will be at UGA? At the rate he is going I don’t think it will be that long and you shouldn’t let a coach change the whole dynamics of a traditional game when he may not even be there. A better scenario would be to hire a coach who can beat UM anywhere!