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
Billy
May 8th, 2009
4:55 am
Wonderful update! Thank you. Go get them Coach Richt!
dawgJones
May 8th, 2009
6:33 am
Travel? “Im not gonna make excuses”…so I will..it was too far so we got crushed by Bama the next week Jacksonville is not a neutral site…how could it be if I had lost 6 of 8 there. I am just glad nobody asked about our performance against Tech…I would have been embarassed by that excuse. C’mon Richt…how will your team man up if you don’t!
Spike
May 8th, 2009
7:10 am
Good, informative column for the off season. But, I’ve got to call CMR out on this one. UGA looks weak and silly when we complain about playing the Gators in Jax. It is not the location that beats us. UGA plays great on the road. Look at the road record in CMR tenure. We used to kick the Gators collective arse in Jax when Dooley owned them when it really was the Gator Bowl. I know, I was there for them. The Dogs just need to man up when they play UF and stop being in another world when they suit up in Jax.
Tim
May 8th, 2009
7:15 am
Also graduation in Athens this weekend.
JB
May 8th, 2009
7:29 am
Gators have taken their program to another level….we have not kept up…..Just a fact, and i love my Dawgs….I tip my hat to them…..Don’t like them, but we’ve got to change it on the field, not on these blogs ! At the Augusta club meeting this year ( I’ve been to them all since Richt arrived) smaller crowd and a whole lot less enthusiastic. The blow outs to Fla/Bama and the loss to Tech could be felt in the room. Richt was not happy about those things also for what it’s worth.
UGASlobberknocker
May 8th, 2009
7:42 am
I love Coach Richt but he is flat wrong on two things:
1//Other top programs travel nationwide without complaint and do fine..e.g. USC, Tennessee, VA Tech, Ohio State; so to whine about the travel sounds lame to me, Finally we get some decent non conf opponents on the schedule; let’s keep em.and dont make excuses if we lose the next game.
2/The Florida game belongs in Jax..end of story. We werent whining about the site when we were winning 12 of Vince D.’s last 15 against Fla. It sounds like another lame excuse. Lets face it, for most of the past 20 years, Fla would have beat our butt in any city..so lets quit whining and start winning.
MiltonDawg
May 8th, 2009
7:56 am
Great info. I think we’ll be fine w/ Cox as the leader. The players trust him and with a healthy team..hopefully we will surpass expectations. I’m all for having the GA/FLA game back on each other’s campuses. I think it’s better for the fans. Still think Samuel/Thomas will be our backs w/ King taking goalline/3rd & 1 carries. OK ST will be a great game. GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ceph
May 8th, 2009
8:00 am
I remember when we played Florida on a home and home basis when they were rennovating the stadium in Jax. it didn’t help us toooooo much when Fla. hung half a hundred on us at Athens. So much for home field advantage!!!!!! Plus, they did the numbers a couple of months ago and it only showed that the SEC won 51% at home and 49% on the road so it was no big advantage to play at home pct. wise. Plus Richt is BIG on his road record so why is he complaining only about Fla.????? On second thought I know why, URBAN MYER, he couldn’t beat him if he played every year in Athens. The minute Myer walks on the field Richt nuts up, period.
Phil
May 8th, 2009
8:17 am
Mark Richt’s excuses are getting old. Losing to UF is getting old. Blowouts to some unexpected team every year is getting old. I’m afraid GT now has our number because PJ is an excellent HC – a throwback to an old fashioned football coach instead of a polished PR MAN WHO IS MORE OF AN OC THAN A HC.
Gen Neyland
May 8th, 2009
8:26 am
Jeopardy answer of the day : Figgins, Wilson and Houston…Question : What’s the name of the three guys on one moped going the wrong way on a one way street at 3 AM last Tuesday morning..?
GATOR FAN
May 8th, 2009
8:29 am
Well My favorite color is pink, but I am forced to like orange and blue. My favorite position is the tight end. I liked wide receiver, but I kept getting pounded so I switched. Every time I go to the locker room I get as5 raped by some huge guy with a flat top. I didn’t like it the first year, but after he became the ESPN poster boy I thought it would be great for my image. Our coach has the best name….It reminds me of hotdogs and I love the way hotdogs fee…err i mean taste. Well I hope we beat them dirty ole dogs this year. They sure are some big ole hairy mens…. mmm mmm mmmm.
Goooo Gators
follow the money trail
May 8th, 2009
8:29 am
FLA is in UGA’s head. There really is no reason why we shouldn’t beat them more. We have beaten higher ranked teams in the past, like LSU, AUBURN, and TEN. I do think every other year in Atlanta would make it interesting. Also, the team that has had an extra week off prior usually seems to benefit.
UGA Belle
May 8th, 2009
8:31 am
Wow! Did some of us wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Coach Richt was asked a question regarding the UGA/UF game, and he responded. He stated his opinion which is that Jacksonville is NOT a neutral site, and he offered support for that opinion. How is that complaining???
tim
May 8th, 2009
8:38 am
there is one and only one reason the puppies can’t beat the gators…there not good enough
JB
May 8th, 2009
8:47 am
tim………….”there” is a place, They’re is what you meant to say ? You are, a Florida grad all right.
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
8:48 am
Do you really not get it. CMR was asked a trip about the game and responded. If you do not think playing in FLorida every year makes a difference, then play the game in Atlanta for the next 20 years and see if it makes a difference to the Gators. I would imagine no Florida coach would like to play a “neautral game” for the next twenty years 60 miles from UGA campus. Oh, lets also make it fair and have both teams either play or have an off week before the game, since UF has had a week off before the game 9 out of 10 years. UF may win every year in the state of GA but I doubt it. UGA fans who won’t accept change or possibly having the game in Atlanta every other year care more about drinking tradition than the actual game. Also, fact is UGA traveled across three time zones after playing Arizona State on a Sunday morning before the next weeks game. It is great to play across country but all other teams (USC, Ohio State, etc) either have a cream puff game the next week or are off the next game. CMR is not whining he is just telling the truth.
LSU
May 8th, 2009
8:50 am
Mark Richt King of the Whiney B!thces known as uga fans.
Excuses are like @ssholes everyone has got one. The “whoa is georgia we have it so hard” excuses that richt keeps trying to thorw out is getting old..
WTF???
May 8th, 2009
8:53 am
Dude, OSU doesn’t Travel. UT get’s their buttholes dominated when they do travel. And if USC travels they don’t play anyone. USC’s schedule shouldn’t be set until the preseason poll comes out. With the recruiting classes they get they should have to play every preseason top 10 team in the country. Hell, every kid they got is a 5 star recruit. Give me a break
WTF???
May 8th, 2009
8:54 am
LSU – What is the Bayou “Bobby Bouche” Bengals record against UGA since Richt came to town?
Georgia News - 5/8/09 | MrSEC.com
May 8th, 2009
9:08 am
[...] Richt also opened up to a fan group about long road trips, the leadership ability of Joe Cox and on whether or not Jacksonville is a “neutral” site for the annual UGA-Florida game. (He says it’s not. And he’s [...]
DawgGirl32
May 8th, 2009
9:41 am
Yeah Mark Richt has owned LSU. Is losing to Georgia every time you play them also getting old? I would hope so.
I don’t see where Mark Richt is making excuses at all. Playing the game in Jacksonville is not a neutral site. That’s just a fact. Steve Spurrier during the time that he was head coach at Florida is quoted as saying that we’re stupid for playing Florida in Jax. Uhhh if their own coach is saying that maybe we should think about it a little more.
As for traveling, look at the other SEC teams. You can talk all you want about how Richt wines about traveling but the truth is he does it more than just about any other team in the conference and wins…a lot. It seems to me that he has the right to say whatever he wants about it. Bottom line, he was asked these questions and he gave his answers. It’s not like he brought it up himself.
Ben
May 8th, 2009
9:47 am
Yeah, I don’t get why anyone should complain about Richt. We’ve been one of the most consistent teams in the SEC for the past eight years. If he wins a national championship he’ll likely have half the campus named after him.
And I’m not in favor of moving the UGA/UF game, but JAX is not a neutral site. Anyone who claims it is is a gator fan.
JB
May 8th, 2009
9:49 am
Truth be known this is a Georgia paper read by mostly
Georgia fans and Fans from other teams come on here
and attack Richt and the Dawgs. If there was a site like this
for Bama, LSU, Fla. etc other than Rivals Message boards, We would find them and wear them out.
The number ONE reason we catch grief from them because THEY KNOW Georgia is capable of beating anyone when we play them. ANYONE ! There are only 4 or 5 teams in the SEC that you can say that about, and we are one of them. We beat Florida in 2007. Trust me, they looked at that as a automatic win. They will this year also. That’s why you play the game, and Richt and company do it very well and often !
LSU
May 8th, 2009
9:51 am
Really richt’s record against LSU is 2-3 doesn’t look like being owned to me.
LSU
May 8th, 2009
9:52 am
JB
Take a look at http://www.tigerdroppings.com
Try and come wear out some LSU fans..
JB
May 8th, 2009
9:56 am
LSU, I can’t Say ANYTHING bad about ya’ll for a year because ya’ll Hung Tech out to dry in the Chick fil a bowl and I enjoyed that look on Paul Johnson face more than you’ll ever know. Thanks. We gave ya’ll a pretty good game last year didn’t we ?
Saint Simons
May 8th, 2009
10:21 am
3 players suspended for violating team rules!!!!! hahahahahhhahahaha 45-42!!hahahhahahahahah
LSU
May 8th, 2009
10:27 am
JB
Jarrett Lee was UGA’s best players that game lol.
Looking forward to the game in Athens this October.
richbrave
May 8th, 2009
10:30 am
MARK FOX signs up a VIRGINIA TECH assistant for his staff. He’s a solid recruiter in your area. Should be effective for the UNIVERSITY of GEORGIA.
Boss Hogg
May 8th, 2009
10:42 am
Huh?: It didn’t make a difference for Dooley. He was 17-7-1 vs UF. Richt is UF’s b!@ch.
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
10:44 am
LSU, Richt is 3-2 vs LSU, including the last three in a row. This is not owning LSU but certainly we are not afraid of LSU.
Jeff D
May 8th, 2009
10:50 am
Did anyone see what color panties CMR was wearing? *hic*
JB
May 8th, 2009
10:50 am
come on LSU, the world is full of coulda, woulda, shoulda’s…… We might not have lost a game last year with 18-20 players out with injuries, and playing THREE freshman OL. Who’s fault is it that Jarrett Lee wasn’t ready. Certainly not ours.
Garrett
May 8th, 2009
10:57 am
I don’t know where Coach Richt got this idea about how Jacksonville isn’t neautral. The weather? Come on Coach, it is probably just as hot in Athens or hotter on that same day. There are as many Georgia fans, if not more, in Jacksonville on that day that Gators. That stadium in split right down the middle, no advantage to either side. This is what Bulldog fans look forward to every fall,driving down to St. Simmons, having a good weekend, then going to the game Saturday.
I have said this and will keep saying it. The reason why so many Georgia fans think it is not neutral is because we keep losing. During the 70 and 80s we dominated Florida taking 13 out of 16 from the Gators starting in 1974. No Bulldog then was complaining about neutrality. That is what it is, just start winning. Go Dawgs!
DawgGirl32
May 8th, 2009
11:57 am
When we dominated Florida in the 70s and 80s it was because they barely even had a football program. They were horrible. Now they finally gotten their act together. Both teams are on a very even playing field right now and ANY advantage can make a difference in the game. There’s no doubt that there’s some sort of psychological block when it comes to playing them. I mean think about it. These players weren’t even alive when we were beating them consistently. That’s not something they can use and relate to. If you asked any other team if they wanted to take our place and start playing Florida in Jax every year I think they would respectfully decline.
LSU
May 8th, 2009
12:04 pm
JB
The lol at the end of that meant for it to be a joke.. As in I was joking with you, You know poking fun at LSU and Jarrett Lee…
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
12:12 pm
LSU is currently a horribly overrated football program. Miles is a bad gameday coach that routinely gets schooled by the better football minds in the game. Their talent is overrated. They have reached that point where their recruits get 4 and 5 stars simply because LSU is recruiting them, not because of anything they’ve done on a football field (For what its worth, I think Georgia has a similar problem on defense but to a much lesser degree). Plus, all this uncertainty and upheaval in the coaching staff will eventually take its toll. Think Auburn. I think LSU is in for a bumpy ride in the next 4-5 years. Last year’s 8-5 campaign was just the beginning.
jimmy
May 8th, 2009
12:24 pm
great info,GREAT reporting.please more articles like this one.thanks TIM
LSU
May 8th, 2009
12:25 pm
Huh?
Wow Miles is overrated, His National Championship says otherwise..He is also the only coach to beat bama, the barn, and UF all in the same season, and he has done that twice..
JB
May 8th, 2009
12:29 pm
Ok LSU, back from lunch…….I still want to thank you again for what you did to Tech….. I mean 35-24 would not mean as much, but 38-3 and them looking as lost as a puppy on the interstate. Priceless !
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
12:48 pm
Miles national championship says that he had a four leaf clover surgically implanted in his rectal cavity before the 2007 season. It was the biggest fluke of national title in the history of college football. You’ve probably got a better chance of getting struck by lightning than seeing the chain of events that led to that title ever again in college football.
But I’m not talking about the past my friend. I’m talking about the future. It doesn’t look good for LSU in my opinion.
BugKiller
May 8th, 2009
12:58 pm
Any person who claims to be a fan of the Dawgs, yet keeps insisting that Jax is a neutral site game that should be changed over their dead bodies is a selfish a-hole who only cares about getting drunk in St. Simons Island, and NOT a true fan of the team.
If you moved the game to Atlanta, which is EXACTLY one mile closer to Athens as Jacksonville is to Gainesville, for EVERY OTHER YEAR, you do realize, you selfish a-holes, that you’d still be able to party at St. Simons EVERY OTHER YEAR, don’t you?
Or are you people too selfish to even think of that?
You morons who keep on pointing to the 70’s and 80’s, when Florida didn’t even have a football team worthy of the SEC, and says if we could beat them then, then we should be able to beat them now are just that… MORONS. Florida has a better coaching staff than us now (any team that continues to employ Willie Martinez is doomed) and they have equal talent. ANY advantage, such as playing a de facto home game, EVERY YEAR, against your main rival, is an ADVANTAGE for them, idiots!!!
You make them travel every other year, and you will see this even out. Why do you think Foley and Meyer are so against a change?
Are you old farts really this selfish? Are you morons really this a-hole-ish?
I am sick and tired of you people not only ruining the atmosphere at games (you Southsiders know who you are!!!), I am sick and tired of you standing in the way of making the Georgia-Florida Game FAIR for the damn Bulldogs!!!
When will you selfish a-holes get it through your grey heads, and stop only thinking about yourselves?
K-Town Dawg
May 8th, 2009
1:03 pm
Saint Simons
Are you ducking the question?
Where did you go to school?
LSU
May 8th, 2009
1:07 pm
Huh?
Good thing no one gives two sh!ts about your opinion. We just brought in a top 3 recruiting class and have tons of talent, so please tell me how you don’t think the future is bright? Les has been out recruiting your butt-buddy mark right since he got to LSU.
LSU
May 8th, 2009
1:08 pm
*should be richt*
Reality Check
May 8th, 2009
1:24 pm
LSU, you have a great program but you would have to admit that your last national championship was as freakish as Haley’s Comet. You do have great recruiting classes however so does Alabama, UGA, Florida, etc. It is also a fact that LSU (specifically Les Miles) has gotten a beatdown from UGA both times since he was the coach, including the 2005 SEC championship game. UGA has had consistent top 5 recruiting classes over the last 5 years so I don’t think CMR is taking a backseat to Les Miles in that avenue. Our problem is defensive coaching when they get there, but we at least hung about 50 on you in your place last year.
See ya next year in Athens!
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
1:29 pm
I disagree. I think you very much care about my opinion. Image is everything to LSU fans. You idiots are alot like Georgia Tech fans, but in a different kind of way. At any rate, you can have your overrated recruiting classes. Mark Richt has been out coaching Les Miles since he got to LSU to the tune of two double digit beatdowns in which UGA accumulated an eye popping 86 points against the big bad Bayou Bengals. Mark Richt craps bigger than Les Miles.
DawgsOnline » It’s too darn hot
May 8th, 2009
1:32 pm
[...] Tim Tucker interviewed Mark Richt in Columbus about a number of topics, but most seem to be latching on to this one quote about the WLOCP: [...]
Pago Flyer
May 8th, 2009
1:32 pm
We were in Athens when FL scored a couple hundred points on the DAWGS.
So much for home field advantage!
UGA VI
May 8th, 2009
1:40 pm
Bugkiller,
I agree 110%…you nailed it.
Pago Flyer,
The FL trip to Athens was against a bad UGA team with a scout team qb at the helm (Brian Smith)…it is not relevant to the current situation.
Reality Check
May 8th, 2009
1:42 pm
Hey Pago good comment. Too bad when you came there were not any stores open that sold jorts so you could not stock up. That game was ancient history just like the 1982 score (44-0). Both coaches are not in the business and thus irrevelant to current events. You won the game last year so enjoy the win. Maybe you can win all of your games this year since you have the best team in CFB history, although you have never gone undefeated. Now that Ray Goff is no longer the coach I do not think you would give UGA a beating consitently, since last year is the first blowout since CMR has been there.
razerGT
May 8th, 2009
2:09 pm
Richt thinks that OK State is “going to look at [their game with Georgia] as one of the biggest games in the history of their football program”. Given that OK State has to play Texas and Oklahoma every year, I’m inclined to think otherwise.
Huh?
May 8th, 2009
2:32 pm
Maybe if Tech played Oklahoma and Texas every year they wouldn’t give out rings for beating Georgia for the first time in 7 years.
Reality Check
May 8th, 2009
2:48 pm
Technically GT last beat UGA in 2001 before last season so it was handing out rings for winning for the 1st time in 8 years. I agree with CMR from everything I’ve read, OK State is looking to make this a national statement game at SEC and Georgia’s expense to start the year. If we do not show signifcant improvement on defense we could be embarrassed in the first week.
JB
May 8th, 2009
2:48 pm
The Chick fil a bowl rings with the Ga. Score on the ring rather than the beat down they got from LSU has got to be one of the LMAO stories in the history of college football…
Reality Check
May 8th, 2009
2:49 pm
That previous post was a typo, GT beat UGA in 2000 which would make it 8 years between victories.
JB
May 8th, 2009
2:53 pm
Reality Check……Tech bloggers on here have been saying for months that they were “BOWL ” rings, not beating Georgia rings………….The Tech/ UGA score is on the ring……They need to make their mind up……Will a nerd please tell us, A. What the rings are for, bowl or UGA B. What score is on the ring.
We want to know.
Right On Time
May 8th, 2009
3:05 pm
razer:
CMR is most likely correct. It is not because UGA is a better team/program than Texas or Oklahoma, it is the details of the matchup.
OKState is starting the season off as a prob top 10 team with a matchup at home against a very recognizable team from the top conference in the country in a national spotlight game. If they can beat UGA it will legitimize them as a poss Top 5 team and set the course for the 09 season. If UGA wins, it does to them what it did to Boise in their game in Athens.
Hoever, I do see how that comment could be interpreted as being less than humble.
TMC DAWG
May 8th, 2009
3:12 pm
I think this a critical year for CMR. If our defense is weak like last years, then we have every right to put CMR on the hot seat. Sure they were a lot of hurt players, but thats coaching to get your #2 and #3 players ready. Also look at the facts, Joe Cox mabe a great leader, but does that win games? I for one hope they get Logan Gray on the field,because of his duel threat capabilites. Cmr says that going into the fall Caleb King #1 running back. Im sorry but unless there is a magic drink for this guy, he just does not look the part to me. This season will decide the measure of this coaching staff. I hope im wrong but i see no difference. 9-4 AT BEST
Right On Time
May 8th, 2009
3:19 pm
LSU is a really good team and program…no brainer.
Jax is not neutral.
Don’t be fooled, as nice as Richt is, he could still pound most of you meatheads into the ground. Keyboards and computers turn more tools into Conan the Barbarian than tequila.
TXDawg
May 8th, 2009
3:19 pm
OK ST scares the he!! outta me! They got a tease last year, coming real close to knocking off some big teams (who they play EVERY year, OU, TX, Mizzou). Their whole team came back with some more nice JC additions. I would be more comfortable if this was #2 or #3 but not the opener. Hope we strap it on and get after it.
K-Town Dawg
May 8th, 2009
3:32 pm
Right On Time
You are correct about the number of “barbarians” on here!
And TXDawg
While I agree that the UGA/OK State game will be interesting, lets not forget they lost their TE to the NFL and we know how difficult it can be to replace an NFL caliber TE.
UGA Needs to Wake Up
May 8th, 2009
3:34 pm
TMC DAWG
May 8th, 2009
3:12 pm
I think this a critical year for CMR. If our defense is weak like last years, then we have every right to put CMR on the hot seat
TMC this won’t happen because most UGA fans and the school itself is very happy JUST winning ten games a year, and an SEC Championship every now and then..I think Mark Richt is a fine man but I also don’t believe that UGA will get over the hump and take the program to the next level like LSU and UF have done with Richt at the helm of the team. There has to come a point when we won’t be satisfied with what happened last year with the 10-3 record…Until that happens UGA will continue being a middle of the road SEC team that wins the SECC every few years.
PTC DAWG
May 8th, 2009
3:44 pm
Please, for the love of all things good, let Corch Rix quit whining about playing in Jax.
Marvin Walker
May 8th, 2009
4:21 pm
Even though I am an an old gator, I have lived in Atlanta for 38 years, had two kids at GA, and have great respect for Mark Richt as a coach and as a man. The Jax controversy- FL people do not even believe that Jacksonville is part of the state. A game in Gainesville every year would be unfair unless we spotted GA a touchdown or so. Football talent- FL is a huge football player factory and many young men like to play close to home. Just count the no. of top players from FL every year. Year before last we recruited 7 players from Plant City high school, yes, 7 top players from one school! FL mental advantage _ If the Gators have a mental advantage, it obviously extends far beyonf Athens. The 2007 Celebration Event – It is not over folks; it may never be over. OLD GATOR
TybeeDawg
May 8th, 2009
5:43 pm
I think CMR is a great coach, but he is letting himself and therefore the team be at a mental disadvantage by making excuses for playing in Jax. Football like all sports is not just about physical preparation. It is about mental preparation too. That’s why teams with inferior talent beat teams with superior talent. The fact that the stadium was called the Gator bowl back when the players were in elementary school andd the fact that it takes our team an extra hour or two to reach Jax is only an issue if you make it an issue. And that is what he is doing…he is sending a message that we are at a mental disadvantage…therefore we have an excuse to lose. And by the way, the temperature is the same on both sidelines.
Pago Flyer
May 8th, 2009
6:30 pm
reality check…uga vi…I was at the FL/UGA game in Athens because I’m a DAWG!! Been a DAWG since 1958!
SoCal Dawg
May 8th, 2009
6:41 pm
The Gator Bowl is not a neutral sight and the only reason the majority of you want to go to JAX is to get drunk. Its about what you want not about what’s best for the team. That being said CMR should NEVER complain publicly about the Gator Bowl.
UGASlobberknocker
May 8th, 2009
9:08 pm
Everyone has an opinion and thats fine..but the facts:
The Good programs travel. And they dont bitch about it either. Ohio State went to USC last year, Oregon the year before that..that is traveling to me. Tennessee has played N Dame several times, been to Calif several times. So Cal came cross country 3 years in a row to Va Tech, Auburn, and Virginia..thats not traveling? I dont recall Pete Carroll complaining about the travel.
Also. the person who stated that the only people who care about the Florida tradition are those who want to drink and dont care about the game is obviously a clueless idiot who has never been to Jax, This is probably the same guy who tells you to sit down at the game so he can see. I guess that tailgating at the Ga Dome parking lot with the homeless people and the used syringes would be great for you “real ” fans who care about the game, right?
ill say it again..it is time to quit whining and start winning.
BugKiller
May 9th, 2009
1:21 am
Slobberknocker, you’re a MORON.
Go to a Falcons game, MORON, or better, go to the ‘Bama game at the Dome this fall and see how many “homeless” people or needles you see while tailgating.
Again… you’re a HYPOCRITE.
All you care about is your yearly trip to St. Simon’s Island, and you honestly don’t give a damn about the disadvantage the team has playing an away game… EVERY YEAR.
The fact that you refuse to acknowledge this FACT is proof that you’d rather do what you want to do every year (you know, instead of every other year), and be a selfish a-hole, instead of a true fan of the team.
I bet you’re a Southsider who ruins the game for everyone in the stadium, you selfish a-hole.
You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows… « Get The Picture
May 9th, 2009
5:14 am
[...] need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows… Jump to Comments I read the same quote that Mark Richt gave the AJ-C’s Tim Tucker that Groo cites in his post here, but thought [...]
Jimmy in Gainesville
May 9th, 2009
5:59 am
Florida is growing stronger and stronger. The Tide seems to be on a roll. Tennessee is a sleeping giant and LSU has a top recruiting class.
And Georgia has Willie Martinez. Speaking of JAX … I’ve been to the border clash for many, many years. It is a Floriday home game … 90 miles for Gators … 400 miles for many Georgia fans. Favoritism for Gators in restaurants, shops and many other service issues. Even the announcements and activities at the stadium are suppose to be shared … but have you heard the favoritism in the announcers and experienced it with the staff at the stadium? Let’s bring it back to Atlanta … better yet …. let’s bring it back to Athens.
If Georgia stays in Jax … get more money and make them pay and pay dearly for the inequity Georgia faces in playing there.
sj
May 9th, 2009
6:02 am
I would guess that any Georgia fan who supports Jax is either not a Georgia fan or has a personal interest in leaving it there…… all you need is a simple map to answer the ‘neutral’ question. Alternate ‘neutral’ sites.
Duluth Gator
May 9th, 2009
7:17 am
Did the distance from Athens to Jacksonville change? When Dooly was kicking our butts the game in Jax was just fine. Now that the shoe is on the other foot and we are kicking the dawgs butt the Dawgs have more excuses and reasons they are losing the game. What the Dawgs need to do is recruit better, coach better, prepare for the game better and quit whining. Face it, Florida has gone to another level and the Dawgs have not. UGA Slobberknocker hit the nail square on the head and I agree with him, it’s time to stop whining and start winning.
jerry
May 9th, 2009
7:22 am
Jax is not neutral but what can you say about a school that is willing to prostitute itself for money? I don’t like this loyalty thing that Richt has for Joe Cox. Cox vs Tebow= 2-7 for Richt. If the game were played right now, the line would be Fla-21 and1/2.
Cuz
May 9th, 2009
9:10 am
Cox is no chopped liver. Let’s see what he can do before we consign him to cleaning out the locker room.
Cuz
May 9th, 2009
9:16 am
Attending the GA-FLA game is a rite of passage for a student. Why take that fun away. I imagine that most who have actually attended the game in JAX would just as soon keep it there. Sure it was more fun in the seventies and eighties when we beat them like a drum. But the game is not the whole trip but a part of the experience. Heck I love a mini-vacation the end of October. St. Simons is great that time of year.
AltamahaDawg
May 9th, 2009
10:10 am
jerry, who do you think came out of spring as the #1 Qb, and why.
As far as neutral site, its a pretty simplistic view that a map detemines that. If the game was played in Gainsville (check the map to see how far that is from UF campus) but UGA got 99% of the tickets, who who have the advantage then? What if it were played in Alaska away but UGA was 14 miles closer than UF? Home field advantage is not a distance, its a familiarity with the facilities and the number of people who are cheering for you.
As far as Richt’s comments: he is the coach and its his job to want what he considers gives his team any advantage. Does anyone really believe that he WANTS his team to travel to Stillwater? And yet, here we go. Would he want 12 home games if possible? Personally I am a traditionalist and enjoyed the game in J-ville long before he got here, and will long after he is gone, but I respect his opinion. I just disagree. You see, sometimes you can disagree without calling people names, accusing somebody of ruining the program, and generally carrying on like a little drama queen.
I wonder when they are simply going to fly directly to J-ville from Athens. The runway will accomodate that now, and they did for the ASU game. How is this even a question any more?
And I know the coach was joking about the temperature change. I’ve been going for 30+ year and I dont think the weather has been the same 5 times anyway. Quite often its felt more like north Ga than north Fl.
Odd how when the stadium [used to be called] the Gator Bowl, UGA dominated the series. Maybe if they would change it back, we would do better? It’s not the name of the stadium. It’s the name of the participants that matter.
I started to agree that him openly commenting about it being a disavantage was a phychological error. However, he does have an unbelieveable road record, and part of that has been the “world against us” underdog focus, so I doubt very seriously he is letting his boys think for a second it OK to lose in J-ville because they had to travel a couple of extra hours. Nor do I think he would allow them to get to feeling to good about themselves if the game were in the dome.
The fact is, there has been very rarely an upset in the Ga/Fl game in J-ville in all these years. Both schools have ben upset at thier home stadium about as many times as has there been one in that series at the neutral site.
braveshater
May 9th, 2009
10:34 am
How about focusing on keeping the premium in-state talent in state and instead of whinning about a plane ride.
Pi$$onaDAWG
May 9th, 2009
11:11 am
SEC is great Football—Pot Belly fans, Beautiful drunk under age college girls, and fans that measure their IQs but to Proof on the Bottle they dring from.
K-Town Dawg
May 9th, 2009
11:12 am
Winning cures everything.
Just win, baby!
Cuz
May 9th, 2009
1:45 pm
Bugkiller, take a Zannax. Just because some of us fans are comfortable with the game in JAX is not a reason to call us names. Chill out dude. And for the record, I can go to St. Simons free any week or weekend I want. It is a lot of fun there on GA-FLA weekend with the out-of-towners woofing.
I quit getting drunk at the JAX game years ago. The last couple of times, about fifteen years ago, I was sober as the cops at the stadium. I do not go now because it is difficult getting my disabled daughter in the game. We may go to St. Simons this year for the atmosphere and watch it on the Island.
I don’t mind playing in the Georgia dome, just when we play for the SECC.
If we start winning some in this series, the point becomes moot. It appears it is either winning or whining.
Alt, I really don’t want to play a game in Alaska.
Phil Fulmer’s teams used to beat us up and take our lunch money. I did not hear the same level of whining about the Vols.
If Joe Cox is inneffective, he will be pulled. If not, he is the man. And I am a huge Logan Gray fan.
I guess when we get old and gray we do not need to be fans anymore. I wish they had told me that before I spent all that money getting a degree at UGA.
Loran, whadda ya got?
FloridaDawg
May 9th, 2009
3:25 pm
I didn’t know if we moved the Ga-Fla game to the Georgia Dome we would beat Florida.
Steve Spurrier didn’t have a problem in Athens and Dooley didn’t have a problem in Jacksonville…go figure.
But now we want to retreat? Why don’t we play in Canada and maybe if we loose there, there want be as much press coverage.
AltamahaDawg
May 9th, 2009
4:00 pm
I don’t buy that there is a mental thing about the game either. We lose because we dont have the better team. But if you want the Dawgs to turn into a total mental case about it, move it to Atlanta and don’t win that first one.
LAKE OCONEE DAWG
May 9th, 2009
8:17 pm
Gators coaching a little different now a days that when Coach Dooley dominated them…Playing the Russians in Moscow would probably not be too big of an advantage to the Russians, do you think…Alternate the game in Jacksonville and in the Dome…Dawgs play better in the Dome than in Jacksonville as of late…What relevance does what the dogs did under Coach Dooley have to do with what is happening now….Dawg fans quit your whining…You talk about Coach Dooley did this and Coach Dooley did that, and I agree that he did, but the dog fans in the State of GA couldn’t even get the Stadium named after him. No damn university
President would have ever kept Coach Bryant’s name from being part of the school’s stadium’s name, and even the Auburn guys got Coach Jordan’s name on their Stadium as well it should have been…our great gov. Sonny was also part of that gutless deal that Coach Dooley’s name is not on the Stadium along with Prez Adams….
moron
May 9th, 2009
9:50 pm
So wait, how many players are suspended as of May 8? Christ. your program is embarrassing, and none of you white trash idiots even get it.
tim
May 9th, 2009
10:02 pm
the university of georgia football program is inferior to the university of florida football program in every respect ; therefore, us gators will beat you puppy dogs asses every year with monotonous regularity you dogs are not as good as the gators and never will be you call part time players such as stafford and moreno alum when they were just trying out for the nfl. The last real bulldog was hershel, and he left early….this year gators win by 42
Fools Gold
May 10th, 2009
8:43 am
Cox is the second coming of Joe T. You heard here. I told you so! The slide continues for mutt nation….. BTW that bald headed galoot is clueless too…
Georgia Tech 45 Georgia 42
May 10th, 2009
9:08 am
Even the professors at Georgia are criminals. Gutless, like their football players too I see.
Gator from Longwood
May 10th, 2009
9:11 am
Winning cures everything. Just ask us.
BUZZ
May 10th, 2009
9:31 am
Winning cures everything, just ask us. 45-42!
Defending State Champions!
hey dawg nation, until you dethrone us again, STFU!
jerry
May 10th, 2009
10:48 am
altamahadawg: If Aaron Murray is the talent he is touted to be and he were made the starter from the get-go, then who would be the better QB by the time the Fla. game rolls around. I will take a loss to OK State for a *chance* at a Fla.win anyday. This Gator domination must end. Waiting on them to come down to the UGA level is not working. And just how many starts does Cox have. I believe only Duke offered Cox while Murray had offers from Notre Dame, UCLA, Tenn., and Florida among others. Spring game stats: Cox 9/16 for 105 yards, average per pass 6.5 yards. Murray 3/5 for 62 yards, average per pass 12.4 yards. Projecting Murray’s attempts to 16 would give him 198 yards passing to Cox’s 106 so I don’t see Cox as winning anything in the spring game. Bottom line I’m just not one for the “seniority” system in sports.
Maybe Next Year
May 10th, 2009
2:06 pm
So I guess Richt will want the SEC champ game moved from Atlanta when the dawgs get there again? That’s not exactly a “neutral site”. Richt needs to man up and win. When your head coach is making excuses it will surely feed down to the players.
Cuz
May 10th, 2009
2:17 pm
Maybe we should just skip the 2009 season.
RD_Gator
May 10th, 2009
2:34 pm
Keep the game in Jacksonville!
RD_Gator
May 10th, 2009
2:36 pm
As a former UF grad, I have to say that it’s probably once again time for UGA to look for another football coach if you don’t want to become IRRELEVANT again. How long has Richt been in Athens? 8-9 yrs? Isn’t his act getting too old for y’all yet?. Regarding all of Richt’s comments about the Florida-Georgia game in the last couple of years about the game not being NEUTRAL and now the game is too HOT for his Bulldogs to compete in Jacksonville – boy, that just makes me want to burst out laughing at your weak-ass leadership & the fans who agree with him. You guys are just a classic bunch of pathetic whinning LOSERS!!. Living in the Atlanta region all of these years has made Rich SOFT as well as a lot of bulldog fans! And now some of you are suggesting the game be moved to Atlanta? Oh,Please!
Yeah, it’s getting HOT, for Rich that is.His record against my beloved Florida Gators now stands at (2-6) and it’s only going to get worse from here on out. Since the 2003 Swindle-in-the-Swamp, his old boss Bowden at FSU has now lost 5-in-a-row to the GATORS!. You know what they say? The “Gators” have come home to Roost! Ha! Ha! lol! ……Ha!
Frankly, if some of you SOFT bulldog fans need some OCCASIONAL relief from the wilting FLORIDA HEAT, I don’t mind playing the game sometimes in Athens with the game split 50-50 – I heard Athens was a good college town. But, why mess with the TRADITION of having the annual game in Jax. Please no way-no how Atlanta – it lacks charm!
Yep, Richt is feeling the heat, but not from the sun as he thinks it is, but from his lack of success against the Florida Gators. Pretty soon you know how it’s gonna go – he’s gonna feel it from the ‘dawg’ fans! Ha! Ha! lol! ……Ha! Thank God Richt is not the coach of my team. I would be embarrased by his comments – it just shows lack of a plan & more of the same! My suggestion is to hire Tommy Tuberville next. He will definetly make the Auburn-Georgia rivalry HOT again and maybe you guys can put up a bigger fight against my Gators! Oh yeah, what happen to UGA last year? 49-10! lol!
gatorman770
May 10th, 2009
2:40 pm
I think whinin’Recht needs to have a “blackout” in Jacksonville and try some more dancin’ in the endzone…..that ought to even things up!
GO Dancin’dogs
AltamahaDawg
May 10th, 2009
2:56 pm
jerry, you are not suggesting that we pick our QB by who is touted, are you? Or who would have had more “projected yards” in a controlled scrimmage?
Seriously , you really believe that Joe Cox is the #1 QB coming out of spring simply because he is a senior? Tell you are not that naive. Nothing to do with the weeks of practice drill they just concluded, or the hours and hours of film room tests, or years of professional coaching experience to evaluate them?
I have yet to see any evidence that there exists a “seniority” system in sports. Any sport at any level. I think that’s an absolute misconception. I am glad you are not for it. Nobody is.
BTW if you dont think they is a brutal schedule between OSU, and FL, you need to take another look. And that is NOT the only goal this year, sacrifice how ever many it takes to maybe try to beat FL with a “touted’ freshman. nor is that our best chance to win anyway. Too many folks have put in too many hours to win as many games as possible to do that.
It also seems to me as if what you are suggesting is exactly what you are bemoaning. Giving somebody a start based on perception and not performance.
AltamahaDawg
May 10th, 2009
2:58 pm
How is somebody a former grad? Did they revote it?
Cuz
May 10th, 2009
3:49 pm
Maybe Florida will spot us two touchdowns this year. How about they only get three downs instead of four. Or they have to get fifteen yards for a first down.
Of course this sounds idiotic. Just get out there and play. Quit moaning and groaning and Coach you did not help matters with the heat comment. Last I checked, opening games are somewhere around the tempature of the earth’s core. Just play.