Richt reclaims seat in quarterback, offense meetings (PLUS: practice notes)
ATHENS –- Mark Richt says he might be a bit slower to answer his mail this year.
That’s because, for the first time in several years, Georgia’s head coach plans to make it a point to attend every quarterbacks meeting –- the almost daily, hour-long sessions at which the QBs meet with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to review film and, during the season, game plans. Richt said he also will attend every offensive team meeting.
“Like I told Mike and the staff, I’m not in there to make them crazy at all,” Richt said Tuesday night. “But I’m in there because, No. 1, I do miss it and because I want to be able to add as much value as I can as we go.”
Richt’s increased involvement in the offense comes after a 2009 season in which the Bulldogs finished 75th in the nation in total offense (362.15 yards per game), 51st in scoring offense (28.92 points per game) and 99th in turnovers lost (28).
Richt said he stopped attending the QB meetings on a regular basis around the time he delegated play-calling duties to Bobo at the end of the 2006 season. Part of the reason, Richt said, was to afford Bobo the same autonomy that Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden had afforded a young Richt.
“Sometimes when the head man’s in there,” Richt said, “they maybe worry too much about what I think.”
But Richt said he has attended all quarterbacks meetings, as well as offensive team meetings, this spring and plans to do so during the season as well.
The impetus for the change was this spring’s competition for the starting quarterback job, although Richt said he plans to continue the practice “from here on in.”
“This spring in particular, we’re trying to make a decision on a starter and I want to make sure I understand completely,” Richt said. “I want to see [the players] react to coaching. I want to see them answer the questions that [Bobo] has to ask them. I want to just kind of get a taste of how they are handling the pressure.
“A lot of times [in recent years], I would watch practice film separately from the staff and maybe make my notes and talk to the staff about things I saw. But what I have decided to do is just be in there every day as they’re going over it and make sure we’re all on the same page.”
The main tradeoff for more time with the offense, Richt said, will be less prompt attention to some off-field aspects of the head coach’s job.
“I was starting to let some of those extra things roll into meeting times,” he said. “Now, certain things are just going to have to wait. It’s not like they’re not going to get done. They just might not get done as quickly as some people may want them.
“I may not answer my mail as quickly as I used to, or sign a bunch of stuff as quickly as I was. But it’s good medicine for me, really.”
—————————–
From Tuesday’s practice:
- Richt ranked the practice as the worst of the spring -– “ninth out of nine.” After praising the tempo of the first eight practices, “it kind of fizzled on us a little bit” Tuesday, Richt said. “I just didn’t think we practiced like champions today. I felt like we practiced like we were going through the motions and just didn’t have the mental toughness to push through.”
- Based on Saturday’s scrimmage, Richt said he believes tailback-turned-linebacker Richard Samuel “is catching on” to the new position. But Richt did not rule out the possibility of a redshirt season for Samuel, who will be a junior in the fall. “He’s new to the position, and we want him to be ready to compete for us –- not so much compete for a job but get out there and play championship defense,” Richt said. “If we think he’s ready to do that and produce at a high level, we want him to play. If he’s still finding his way a little bit, I don’t think we’ll be in a big rush to get him out there.”
- Junior-college transfer Jakar Hamilton was working at first-team safety, along with Bacarri Rambo.
- After missing all of last week’s practices with a sprained shoulder joint, wide receiver Marlon Brown returned to work on a limited basis. He was wearing a green non-contact jersey.
- Backup offensive lineman A.J. Harmon, who will miss the remainder of spring practice because of a high ankle sprain, was on crutches Tuesday. Harmon becomes the fourth offensive linemen on the sidelines, joining Trinton Sturdivant, Tanner Strickland and Austin Long.
- Several players returned to practice after missing last week with nagging injuries: outside linebacker Justin Houston (shoulder), tight end Bruce Figgins (hamstring) and wide receiver Israel Troupe (hamstring).
- Quarterback Logan Gray, after practice Tuesday, reflected on Saturday’s scrimmage in which he completed only 6 of 14 passes for 37 yards: “I don’t think I had my best day, to be honest. I kind of felt a little out of rhythm. Luckily, it’s not our only scrimmage of the spring.” He added: “I would have liked to have gotten a few more reps with the [first-team offense]. But I’m sure it’ll even out Saturday [in the spring's second scrimmage] and G-Day because we’ve got a rotation going [among the quarterbacks].”
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480 comments Add your comment
STEINER
March 30th, 2010
11:36 pm
Getting Warm:
Sense a GT guy in the room, 8 wins is what Georgia had in a bad year and what Tech hopes for in a good year….Get out of that ACC before Florida State and Miami get back, cause you can’t recruit the talent they have….
Pitbull
March 30th, 2010
11:37 pm
Richt needs to do something, this sitting on your ass and playing CEO sure as hell didn’t work! Meyer and Saban sure don’t sit on their hands and they have Nat. championships to show for their hard work.
Pi$$onaDAWG
March 30th, 2010
11:40 pm
Dawgforlife you have seen that joke schedule for UGA this year right? UF and Auburn are your 2 toughest games with UT and Tech close behind. So are you going to go out on a limb right now and say UGA will be in Atlanta for the SECCG at 11-1?
STEINER
March 30th, 2010
11:41 pm
Big L:
Don’t embarrass yourself anymore, get some sleep…Tell us what you would call on that 3rd and long…You just like all fans, if the play works, it was a great call…If the play don’t work, it was the dumb A$$ coaches bad call….Get sleep….
STEINER
March 30th, 2010
11:44 pm
Pi$$onaDAWG:
Only one game really matters, and that is to beat the mathematicians and industrial management majors who play their home games at “the joke by coke”…..
SEC fan
March 30th, 2010
11:45 pm
Steiner,
I’ll tell you what stupid is. Stupid is when another poster writes gradiated and someone doesn’t get it. Now that is stupid. Who the hell doesn’t get that as a joke? Idiot!
Getting Warm
March 30th, 2010
11:45 pm
Steiner- keep comparing yourself to GT while champion teams chase titles. Sorry, not a GT guy here. What tipped you off- the UF reference? The Braves remark? Hmmmmmmmmm
RED DOG 77
March 30th, 2010
11:46 pm
patrick…….nice post, no doubt UGA has been the “class” of the SEC over the last nine years !………………..Now, where is that little buggar eatin “BuLLdawg”……..told you so butt munch, I’ve been saying since last season that CMR, having included coach Stacy Searles so heavily in the run game, that now CMR will work more closely with the QBs, and help Mike Bobo with game planning etc…………To have complete responsibility of a pro-style offense is a huge task for just one man…………CMR, as I have said before is changing things up for the best by getting more out of his offensive coaches ! CMR, is a brilliant coach, and should take a more hands-on approach with the O. The same goes for Stacy Searles, and yes, coach Mike Bobo……….Dude is bright as a star……..Now he can concetrate on his strengths, as the other coaches will………….Things are looking up for the GEORGIA BULLDOGS !! WOOF……WOOF………WOOF……..WOOF !!!!
Dawgforlife
March 30th, 2010
11:46 pm
was never settled on the field SEC fan…but, the year that really bugs Me was 2007. They let lesser rated teams leap frog the dawgs when we should have been in the national championship game. Before anyone screams about not winning the conference title, everyone knew that when they had us rated above those who had….we were no 4….2 and 3 both lost…we should have moved up to 2 and played for the title instead of drilling the worst BCS team in history
STEINER
March 30th, 2010
11:49 pm
SEC fan:
Yea, I got it…Some dumbass can’t spell…When you get a draw play mixed up with a screen pass, come on….Go to sleep….
STEINER
March 30th, 2010
11:51 pm
Getting Warm:
If you are a UGA guy and can’t get behind a man with 90 wins in 9 years, find you another team….
RED DOG 77
March 30th, 2010
11:51 pm
Whatdayasay………” Miss YeLLow JAckET “……….rather, is it ” Little Miss Debbie Downer ” or is it really……………………..” BuLLdawg ” ?
SEC fan
March 30th, 2010
11:51 pm
Pi$$onadawg,
Considering that Richt is only 10-10 against the sec east over the last 5 years I seriously doubt even dog fans expect Georgia to be in the seccg. They can’t even beat Kentucky with regularity. Kentucky is one 4th down hail mary pass in the waning seconds from having beaten the dogs 3 of the last 4 instead of only 2 of the last 4.
When the mildcats are at your house only leading by 1 score midway through the 4th and your fans start leaving in droves then that tells you how much your own fans think you suck. And to get there they would have to beat Florida and we all know that aint gonna happen.
And if some miracle happened and they did beat the mighty gators they would then just get humiliated by the Bammers all over again. It would be like a sequel to Blackout night in Athens. It would just be 45 miles down the road is all. And indoors.
Dawgforlife
March 30th, 2010
11:52 pm
Well, as far as going out on a limb…why shoot for 11-1?…why not go for 12-0?…honestly though, we will have a good season, how good will be told completely in how well the quarterbacks play. If we get standout quarterback play, it will be a very good season. I think that is why Richt is going to the meetings. He knows the importance of that for this year.
RED DOG 77
March 30th, 2010
11:54 pm
STEINER……..Yup, my friend, agree 100%
Lake Oconee Dawg
March 30th, 2010
11:54 pm
Steiner, I think Big L just changed to SEC FAN….He’s trying to cover up a stupid mistake, not a bad plan….
SEC fan
March 30th, 2010
11:57 pm
Steiner,
So the guy confused a draw play and a screen pass. Not a big deal and I doubt he’s not the only one to ever do that. I still say you are probably the only idiot I’ve ever seen in my entire life who didn’t get it as a joke when someone used the term “gradiated”. Its a mild form of self deprecating humor. I feel I have to explain that to you since apparently that small level of humor is way above the comprehension level of your tiny 2 celled brain. You must really stretch that 2nd brain cell a whole lot.
Pi$$onaDAWG
March 30th, 2010
11:58 pm
goodnite dawgs. I guess we just have a few more months of guessing until the truth will be told on the field.
SEC fan
March 31st, 2010
12:00 am
Lake Oconee Dawg,
Nope. I’m a completely different person and I’m certain that if you read the syntax of our posts you can probably tell its 2 different people. I just saw the posts and agreed with the one guy that I don’t like pompous a$$ punks like Steiner. That’s all. Speaking of social circle I’ve heard of it but don’t even know where it is.
Yeah...
March 31st, 2010
12:01 am
1) Richt realizes he’s probably gonna have a total rookie QB starting in the SEC and wisely wants to be involved. 2) Richt realizes that if he loses 5 games for a second year in a row, a distinct possibility with a new QB and many new players on D adapting to a new scheme, the seats gonna start heating up. Even the most delusional of Dawgs will start getting antsy. 3) It’s gonna get ugly all right especially if somebody doesn’t really emerge at QB, stay healthy and play beyond their years. That’s asking alot but it has been done.
G DOG
March 31st, 2010
12:02 am
Thank you CMR bobo really needs the help.
Flo-Ri-Duh!
March 31st, 2010
12:07 am
Richt has returned to being a full time coach – good. These stinking Chip Towers and Ledbetters can just wait til he has time to see them – which, as far as I concerned, – NEVER. These Atlanta reporters are all a bunch of Tech smoozers anyway.
SEC fan
March 31st, 2010
12:10 am
Patrick,
“With Richt back at the helm it could get ugly for the rest of the SEC defenses”. Is that a joke?
The last time Richt was an offensive coordinator was at the 13-2 OU shutout of the FSU offense in the national title game. FSU was really able to run over the little dwarves of the acc when Richt was there and FSU was even more talented than Florida in the 90s but when his talent on offense is only equal to the opposition I’m not to impressed.
Also not too impressed with 10-10 in the east over the last 5 years. Sure Richt did well early in the century when Florida had Zook and Bama was decimated by probation and losing to everyone. But now that those 2 teams are back to prominence Georgia is where it always was. A middle tier team that never can quite make it to the top. What is it? 30 years and counting???
SEC fan
March 31st, 2010
12:12 am
Good night fans. I was hoping to lay some more verbal whuppings on this Steiner punk but its obvious the worm knows he can’t match wits with me. I’ll be back to torment punks like him and the rest of his losers tomorrow. 30 years…………..and the wait goes on………………
SEC FANATIC
March 31st, 2010
12:13 am
Yeah…If Richt loses 5 games again this year, the only person in Dawgnation that’s gonna be happy I think will be “patrick”. He’ll probably be in downright ecstacy!!! At least he’s optimistic if not totally unrealistic.
STEINER
March 31st, 2010
12:13 am
SEC fan:
People shouldn’t come on a website and run down a coach and their facts aren’t even close to being right…That man has a family, a dad, a mom,a wife, kids, also…If you gonna criticize, get your facts straight…If you get a draw play mixed up with a screen pass, who wants to hear what you got to say…When you go running people down you got to get your facts straight, or the blog patrol and Coach Bobo’s friends gonna call your hand…You are a Georgia Basher, and 90 wins in 9 years is a pretty damn good record…Probably not as good as your record, but keep running those down that achieve, like Bobo and Richt, if it makes you feel better…The other 97% of the Bulldog Nation is solidly behind them…But if you come on here and run people down, pompous, you got to get your facts straight….And if you think that the dude not spelling graduate right was some kind of “humor”, I got some ocean front property in Kansas I need to sell you….
Lake Oconee Dawg
March 31st, 2010
12:24 am
SEC fan:
Old Steiner put a butt kicking on you tonight…If all you care about is a National Championship, do all of us UGA guys a favor and go find you another team, just guessing that’s what that 30 deal was all about…Dawgs would have been 2007 NC if the BCS hadn’t stuck them with a low calibre team, Hawaii..Nothing they could do about that…Think they could have won it all had they been allowed the opportunity to play for it…just an opinion….
Excuses Excuses
March 31st, 2010
12:28 am
I’ve been reaqding alot on these comments lately where someone is suggesting that UGA hasn’t won a NC is because they’re not lucky like some other teams. Now, that’s as lame as it gets. Can you imagine a coach at a press conference saying, “well we weren’t lucky so we lost but they were lucky so they won??” And we’re 7-5 cause we’re just not that lucky. That guy would get run out of town!! That would be like saying that UGA can’t win in Jax because it’s too hot! Wait a second…….
Excuses Excuses
March 31st, 2010
12:28 am
reading. Unlucky keystroke…
GooseDawg
March 31st, 2010
12:30 am
SEC fan,
or shall I address you as the all-mighty & all-knowing ONE? Patrick did nothing but present FACTual statistics in his post. You on the other hand, started off by presenting some FACTual statistics, but then it quickly degraded into a whole bunch of oral diarrhea as you are well known & recognized for here on this website. Myself & many other mere mortals around Atlanta will continue to anxiously await your next divine prediction. So please, do us all a favor for the sake of laughter and do NOT STFU!
To be continued…
Don't Look Up!
March 31st, 2010
12:32 am
hey patrick…SCOREBOARD!!!
James
March 31st, 2010
12:43 am
You guys should be nicer to one another! I am a Tech fan, but I’ll sure admit that UGA has a good program. And Richt has been the biggest part of that in recent years.
It is obvious that he wants improvement on offense this year. He is also starting to take more responsibility for aspects of the team that floundered last year. Shown by: Firing Martinez, hiring NFL coach for defense, stepping up his role in the offense…
If he can deal with discipline and penalties as well, the Dawgs will be very solid.
That said, I still think we gotcha in November.
Until then, best wishes,
GT
GooseDawg
March 31st, 2010
12:44 am
Jeez–the 12:12 post by SEC fan!
Now this is a real gem, so please, allow me to paraphrase:
“Good night folks, I am bored now so it’s time to get on another team’s web-site & hide behind my computer attempting to talk she-ite. If I type something about myself that makes me sound funny & cool everybody else on here will totally like me. I will be here again tomorrow cause enlightening yall peons on the next ajc.com UGA article is the ONLY thing on my busy life’s agenda for Wed. March 31, 2010.”
Yours truly,
The ONE, the ONLY, SEC Fan
DostaDawg
March 31st, 2010
12:45 am
UGA’s Key To success for 2010 Offense: Heavy Run Game, throw Deep To A.J. Beast, Play Action Passes To Orson All Day Baby!!!!!!!!!!!! Defense: Blitz Everbody And Cause Turnovers And Special Teams Are On Loce With Blair And Drew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
GooseDawg
March 31st, 2010
12:53 am
Well said James!
You might be the first Tech fan I’ve seen here that was football savvy enough to realize that the CWM firing & subsequent hiring of CTG was actually a sign that Richt is serious about getting UGA back on top of the SEC. This Dawg fan thinks (actually I know) Ga. Tech has one helluva coach in Paul Johnson & even the densest of Dawg fans would find it hard to argue that CPJ is lacking intensity or desire to keep Tech atop the ACC.
I beg to differ w/you on your Sat. after Turkey Day prediction but what’s interesting is that both teams will have 11 games running the 3-4 defense under their belts so it might come down to which offense can execute best. Good luck to your Yellow Jackets as well, until then.
hugedawgfan
March 31st, 2010
1:14 am
Still hasn’t learned his lesson on redshirting-look get everyone involved as I think it is going to take everyone to keep from losing five this year. What? We have multiple injuries to key personnel? Well, wouldn’t have thought that.
patrick
March 31st, 2010
1:27 am
Nick Saban went 6-5, 6-6, 6-6, 7-5 at Mich St.
He went 8-5 at LSU 2x
He went 7-6 at Alabama.
Saban has gone 5-3 or worse in conference 8 times.
Richt has only gone 5-3 or worse in conference 3 times in his first 9 years.
Compare that to Saban’s record and consistency in his 1st 9 years.
Richt has NEVER had a 7-6 or 6-6 season, Saban’s done it 5 times, including once at Alabama.
patrick
March 31st, 2010
1:29 am
SEC fan
.
Ohio State was better than UGA in 2002
.
really?
.
In 2002, Ohio State went 12-0 in the regular season with a paltry five-point win over Wisconsin, a miniscule six-point win over Penn State, and a pathetic 10-6 win over Purdue where Craig Krenzel threw a 37-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the final two minutes.
Then the Buckeyes needed a sadly pathetic overtime to beat Illinois and beat Michigan 14-9 with a miracle touchdown with less than five minutes remaining. Ohio State could have seen its national championship dreams derailed several times but to the Buckeyes’ everlasting credit, they always found a way to win.
Mark Richt’s best team at Georgia (12-1 with a loss to Florida), which finished No. 3 in the BCS Standings, just needed for Ohio State to lose one of those games and the Bulldogs are in the Fiesta Bowl against Miami.
.
That just shows how lucky (not good) OSU was. SCOREBOARD
patrick
March 31st, 2010
1:42 am
SEC fan Fla’s NCs in 2006/8???
.
Really nice NEEDING USC to lose to unranked inferior teams in both 2006 and 2008 in order to back into the game. Hardly impressive. Might I add that Meyers and Richt both have 2 SEC titles in their first 5 years. UGA has 90 wins in last nine years same as Fla but UGA has been ranked 6 times top ten in those years to Flas measley 3. Now STFU
patrick
March 31st, 2010
1:45 am
SEC fan (so you say but seem toitally ignorant to facts)
.
Its interesting to note that UF and LSU have won national titles with the same record UGA had when it won its two SEC titles. Its not that UGA is not as good of a program as either of the two, they have just been luckier than UGA. And that’s the truth.
yogi B
March 31st, 2010
2:03 am
go ahead and fire Bobo. he stank and sank with Martinez. CMR is not a genius. he cannot make a coach out of Bobo. Bobo would be good assistant at a local high school
Jeff
March 31st, 2010
6:22 am
Glad to hear the head ball coach is going to get involved again. Hopefully, he will get involved with play calling as well. From Logan’s assessment that he was out of rhythm-…hmmmmm, let’s see he is in a battle for the starting job and the first real scrimmage he is “out of rhythm” we love Logan but that speaks volumes. He is suppose to be the QB with the most experience. We cant afford another year with a QB “out of rhythm”……I regress to “Even after the debacle of the Florida game and the 4 interceptions; Jox Cox still gives us our best chance to win”……
BuLLdawg
March 31st, 2010
6:23 am
Quarterbacks and the entire Offense
Mike Bobo
DEMOTED
17 of 20
March 31st, 2010
6:35 am
I for one hope that Mark Richt can coach the bulldogs for at least 20 more years.
chazzo
March 31st, 2010
6:37 am
SEC fan,
Check your facts. Richt is the winningest coach in the SEC except for Meyer. Meyer is second in the nation in winning percentage, but all of his nine years (equal to Richt’s tenure) were not spent in
the SEC. You also might want to see where Saban is on the list, but I am sure he is on the rise. Check it out:
http://coacheshotseat.com/coacheshotseatblog/?p=1633
17 of 20
March 31st, 2010
6:41 am
chazzo
What is Richt’s winning percentage verses just teams in the SEC for the last 9 years?
Mark Wrong
March 31st, 2010
6:48 am
You can’t put lipstick on a pig (or dawg). Any way you cut it the Dawgs will have a freshman QB in the lineup against the alwahys tough SEC. More disappointment and disillusion from fans may be expected. Starting with their trip to Columbia. And why, pray tell did Richt stop going to QB meetings? Because after some success he saw himself as a CEO type (Bowden). Dumb.
BuLLdawg
March 31st, 2010
6:52 am
Quote
by
dawgfan
March 30th, 2010 10:27 pm
“I can’t wait for the spin on this one from the Bobo apologists. The guy is going in to year 4 as OC and Richt still needs to babysit him? He should be spending his time worrying about the defense and special teams since they’ve got new coaches. The offense should be a well oiled machine at this point in Bobo’s tenure. It clearly isn’t.”
Buckhead Bulldog
March 31st, 2010
7:07 am
Good for CMR in rolling up his sleaves and getting his hands dirty! Why is this so? Who knows and who cares as a long as the end results are big fat Ws after each game. Hopefully, CMR will shore up Bobo’s play calling. We all witnessed what happens when Mark takes the reins….GT smack down!
» SEC links: Sidney’s appeal denied; UNC after Rivers John Clay’s Sidelines
March 31st, 2010
7:11 am
[...] Tim Tucker of the AJC writes that Richt is keeping a close watch on his quarterbacks. [...]