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
georgiadawg70
March 31st, 2010
7:13 am
Dawgma is right, Bobo is in over his head. Richt better take back control of the offense or he is going to be out the door.
SEC links: Sidney’s appeal denied; UNC after Rivers « MrSEC.com
March 31st, 2010
7:20 am
[...] Tim Tucker of the AJC writes that Richt is keeping a close watch on his quarterbacks. [...]
J Dog
March 31st, 2010
7:27 am
Mark Wrong, please try to have class and not come on this blog just to spit venom.
Go have a good day.
BuLLdawg, overall our offense hasn’t been that bad. All teams, including Florida and Alabama, have their bad days on offense. For the most part, the offense is only going to be as good as the QB is on a given day, unless you have a Herschel in your backfield. If I were Richt, I’d just want to make sure things are going as smoothly as possible this upcomming year. Stay in touch with the offense, so to speak. After all, it’s his job that may be on the line if things don’t go well.
He needs to leave the defense to those who know it best. His problem has been an apparent inabality to rate or quality control various aspects of his teams play. For instance we all saw UGA had problems on defense soon after Van Gorder left, so why did he wait so long to replace willie? Could he not see the defense was bad and getting worse, or did frindship get in the way? Whatever the case, he hired a very good coach who surely knows more than Richt about how to play good defense. He needs to leave the DC alone and focus on his speciality, offense.
I for one am glad to see him want to get involved .
Dog Dawg
March 31st, 2010
7:42 am
90 wins in 9 seasons is indeed stellar. However, I think Richt moved into CEO mode a bit too quickly. However, he chose the wrong coordinators to coast on. I do credit him for getting back in the mix and hope to see positive results very soon.
Dog Dawg
March 31st, 2010
7:44 am
I need to hire an editor.
Damon
March 31st, 2010
7:48 am
I told him to get his a$$ to work.
Big Al
March 31st, 2010
7:49 am
Since UGA did not have a quarterback last year, I am glad to see that Richt is putting some effort into picking the starter for this year.
Gatorguy
March 31st, 2010
7:54 am
Don’t forget:
((((((((((((((((((41-17)))))))))))))))))
DawgNation
March 31st, 2010
7:56 am
Don’t worry Gatorguy we haven’t.
Win P.
March 31st, 2010
8:03 am
Glad Coach Richt is talking a more active role in offensive game planning and play calling. Hopefully Bobo will develope into one of the best offensive coaches in the SEC. However, since Coach Richt moved to CEO, offensive play calling and adjustment to game conditions have suffered.
Answering the mail can be delegated to a large extent. Ralph McGill had a “canned” respone to a lot of his mail…(Dear sir, mam or madam, you may be right).
Jeckyll Island
March 31st, 2010
8:05 am
Back to the world of reality……
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
30-24!!!
8 out of 9!!!
8 out of 9!!!
8 out of 9!!!
8 out of 9!!!
8 out of 9!!!
8 out of 9!!!
UGA’s Mark Richt is undefeated in tiny Bobby Dodd Stadium on “historic” Grant Field!!!
The GA Tech Jackettes were good enough to win the chumpionship of a mediocre second rate football conference but NOT good enough to win the state championship of Georgia!!!!
The termite jackettes could NOT even win their own state championship in basketball….
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
73-66!!!
Georgia Tech – a long tradition of nothing!!!!!
Urban Meyer
March 31st, 2010
8:08 am
I am sick and tired of the media forcing me to have to cry and whine! Leave me alone!!! I can’t take it anymore — Oh!!! Oh!!! This is so painful. Please someone pass me a tissue. Waaaaa! Waaaaaa! Waaaaa!
WonderDawg
March 31st, 2010
8:14 am
While I am a Mark Richt fan, it’s laughable for any Dawg fan to believe in Mike Bobo. His offense is so predictable that the Kiffins publicly made fun of it before the UT game, then held it to 3 points. The other good defensive coordinators (OSU,LSU,UF,UK)Bobo faced last year could have done the same, but having more class than the Kiffins, they just shut his O down. This will not get better just because Richt starts going to the QB meetings. It will take him raiding a NFL staff for a new OC.
The new D will insure that there will be no more 40 points allowed games, as were the custom with Willie, but even Saban had a 6-6 season with the Tide before the players caught on to his D. It will take Grantham a year to make this huge jump, especially given how these players were taught to play defense the past few years. I mean, Grantham is the anti-Willie and converting these players from passive to attacking, and teaching them to tackle and cover receivers properly will not happen overnight.
With hopefully a new OC, our QB no longer baby faced, and the defense installed, 2011 should be the year the Dawgs compete for the SEC again.
Phat Phil
March 31st, 2010
8:29 am
Man, we sure are going to miss Joe Cox this year. Of course UT will still kick your butts. It was just such fun to watch Cox turn red and purple while playing like he only had one leg. Rocky Top is coming to Athens in October….won’t be much fun for you Bullpups though!
MELLER YELLER
March 31st, 2010
8:38 am
OH NO !!!!!!! little markie is going to meetings again its over for everybody else cause BIDNESS just picked up between the weeds .
Tuscaloosa Stinks
March 31st, 2010
8:45 am
We will never be a national calibre team as long as Bobo is calling plays. The guy just falls asleep at the wheel–and don’t tell me it’s getting better…does anyone remember just how bad the playcalling was against TX A&M in the bowl game until our special teams and DEFENSE actually bailed us out? How many offensive points did we have in the first half?
German Shepherd Dawg
March 31st, 2010
8:49 am
I’m not arguing with Patrick.
In truth, I agree with his points completely. The past is history….Richt’s track record has been excellent, he made the right off season moves (at first I hoped we’d get KS, but now I’m really glad we got TG to coach D), New season, excellent foundation for a team, everybody will be 0-0 in Sept.
And the bottom line is, to quote that immortal film The Gumball Rally, “What’s behind me is not important.”
So quit living in the past, all you UF and UA fans….the Dawgs are on the rise!
Dog Dawg
March 31st, 2010
8:51 am
I remember.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
March 31st, 2010
8:54 am
good to see Richt getting proactive in spring rather than wait till there’s an issue in the fall.
Delusional Dawg
March 31st, 2010
9:14 am
You tell ‘em German Shepard Dog…Yeah you Alabama and Florida fans, quit living in the past!! The past will only be referenced from now on when we want to talk about how Saban lied when he left the Dolphins to go to Bama or how Urban Meyer flip flopped last year when he retired/unredtired. Thats right, we will only bring up the past when it’s in our own best interest to do so, like how we owned Florida 30 years ago or Mark Richt’s sterling record for the PAST nine years. And that’s right, patrick and I don’t give a hoot who the rookie QB is or whose playing defense in a brand new scheme…the Dawgs are gonna do it! Woof! Woof!
Tim Teblow
March 31st, 2010
9:17 am
Sometimes I wish we had a former offensive lineman as our offensive coordinator. Richt and Bobo were both QBs and both have had play calling that relies too heavily on the pass. As we saw against Tech last year, we need to RUN THE BALL, and only pass if we have to or to catch the defense off guard with some play action.
dap01
March 31st, 2010
9:22 am
James: I am a dawg fan but you had a great post. It’s nice to see logical posts from fans of other teams.
Omni coach
March 31st, 2010
9:23 am
The ultra successful coaches are all involved ………….omni present. All knowing,, all seeing and all feeling. They have to instill the fact they THEY ARE ………..the HEAD MAN. They are in fact, The Wizard of Oz.
If you delegate …………..trouble ensues. This aspect is so basic, basic, basic. I will guarantee you that CUM and Nick The Hat Trick Saban are all involved with every aspect of their respective teams.
Go Dogs.
Delusional Dawg
March 31st, 2010
9:24 am
Tim Teblow…now that’s an original! You are so clever!!! I got one for you…Lame Kitten! How do you like that one, Mr Originality??
dump the rah-rah
March 31st, 2010
9:30 am
Bobo had a tough year in 2009 with some critical losses at QB/RB/WR (Georgia’s 2009 looks a lot like Florida’s 2010 offensively with losses at all offensive skill positions).
What bothers me about Bobo is:
a) giveaways/ball protection (40 fumbles/interceptions in 2009, 14 giveaways against Florida in last 4 seasons)–does not have the ability to TRANSFER his ball protection knowledge to his QB, RB’s, and WR’s
b) play calling run-pass mix has been too much pass–does not reflect “best practice sec” of what sec leaders are doing–this leads to lots of giveaways/turnovers
c) too subjective in deciding on starters—doesn’t base decisions on merit–(Ealey still not starting although he’s better in ypc and ball protection than King, Joe T. and Joe Cox named starters at QB???, etc.)
d) game planning—not using play-makers like AJ/Wooten/Charles/Ealey/Smith enough, these are all Heisman talented level players, some games Orson might be thrown to 3 times, Ealey might sit on the bench although he’s the leading rusher in yards per carry, AJ might get 5 passes, Wooten didn’t start several games although he leads the team in yards per catch at over 20 yards per catch, Smith might get 1 called run although he averages 12.2 yards per run). Why Bobo doesn’t gameplan for 1 back to get 100 yards rushing when Richt’s record is 40-3 when that happens is incomprehensible.
e) high risk play calls–throwing into a group of 4 defenders, throwing into tight windows, throwing screens around 4 defenders–can’t seem to figure out how to get guys into open spaces where risk is limited–not taking enough sacks
f) indecisive–this limits reps for players because Bobo postpones decisions–(Logan Gray is getting 33% of Murray and Mett’s reps although no one thinks Logan has a shot at starting QB, Ealey still being rotated with King limits Ealey’s reps/development)
DawginLex
March 31st, 2010
9:32 am
I think Coach Richt is doing what he has to do to make sure the program is run properly. It has to be a little shaky for bobo however to have the head coach in the meetings again. It’s kinda like him saying i gave you enough rope and you used it to hang yourself.
i’m glad Coach Richt is doing it though. We need to win now. And with the youth at QB, the more mentoring the better.
Otto
March 31st, 2010
9:33 am
Patrick, I’ll take CMR going .500 like Saban if he gets the crystal ball the next year.
The past 5 yrs have been a down hill slide. CMR joining the offense full time is better news than CWM being replaced.
Delusional Dawg
March 31st, 2010
9:34 am
Man, last year it was Willie…if we could only get rid or Willie! This year it looks like it’s gonna be Bobo…yeah that’s the ticket! Next year…hmmm…
Delusional Dawg
March 31st, 2010
9:40 am
Hey guys, how about “Urban Crier”. Pretty good huh? I stayed up all night thinking of that one. BRAINSTORM!! …I GOT IT! “Nick Satan”!! Huh? Huh?? Damn I’m good!
CEO Mark
March 31st, 2010
9:42 am
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).
And he fired Willie instead of Bobo; classic.
Delusional Dawg
March 31st, 2010
9:45 am
No no no no no WAIT!!…This is freakin’ brilliant…are you sitting down?….”Gaytors”!!!! WOW. Somebody quick…STOP ME!…TOO GOOD!!
Johnny DangerDawg
March 31st, 2010
9:46 am
Thank God Richt is back working more closely with the QBs. Regardless of who our assistant coaches are, I am going to always want Richt in those meetings. Richt was one of the greatest quarterbacks coaches of all time. It is a waste of Richt’s abilities for him not to be working with the Georgia QBs. Molding a good quarterback involves so much more than just X’s and O’s, and Richt knows what to do. I know he wants to show respect to Bobo, but I think Richt can be very polite and considerate of everyone without having to exclude himself from those meetings.
Johnny DangerDawg
March 31st, 2010
9:49 am
CEO Mark,
Martinez had sustained failure, and his defenses gradually got worse each year. Bobo had success with Stafford and Moreno, scoring more points and being hotter in the red zone than the David Greene teams of Richt’s play-calling days.
chazzo
March 31st, 2010
9:57 am
SABAN
Vs. SEC foes: 35-16
Vs. Top 25 foes: 17-13
Vs. Top 25 foes away from home: 9-8
Vs. Top 10 foes: 6-6
Vs. Top 10 foes away from home: 5-3
In postseason games (bowls and championships): 6-2
In games decided by a touchdown or less: 19-9
Record at home: 35-8
Record on the road: 16-11
Losses to unranked teams: 9
Top 25 finishes: 4
Top 10 finishes: 2
RICHT
Vs. SEC foes: 43-17
Vs. Top 25 foes: 24-13
Vs. Top 25 foes away from home: 17-8
Vs. Top 10 foes: 7-4
Vs. Top 10 foes away from home: 6-4
In postseason games (bowls and championships): 7-3
In games decided by a touchdown or less: 25-14
Record at home: 40-7
Record on the road: 27-4
Losses to unranked teams: 5
Top 25 finishes: 7
Top 10 finishes: 5
chazzo
March 31st, 2010
9:59 am
The above info may be a little dated. But, I think it is a fair representation.
CEO Mark
March 31st, 2010
10:00 am
Johnny danger, anyone could have success with stafford and moreno. A lot of willies defense’s problems were the offensive turnovers putting them in a bad fix. How do you explain going 2-2 the last 4 years with KY? That would embarrass most fan bases to the point they would fire the HC.
chazzo
March 31st, 2010
10:01 am
I also might add that Richt’s record is against Tech is also fairly excellent. The only team he has a losing record against is the dreaded Gators. I think a couple of those losses can be contributed directly to Tebow. We’ll see.
CEO Mark
March 31st, 2010
10:03 am
Tebow wasn’t there when Zook was coach chazzo. UGA hired Richt because of his record against UF. What they didn’t realize was it really was his record against Spurrier and he has only lost twice to Spurrier since he was at UGA (I believe). Once while spurrier was still at UF and once while at SC.
JB
March 31st, 2010
10:09 am
I think we will all be stunned this year at our defensive backfield. Ten times better coaching and some bigger, more athletic players.
dump the rah-rah
March 31st, 2010
10:14 am
Richt’s making all the right moves in 2010. He has coached 2 different QB’s into Heisman trophy winners, finished in the top 5 in the Nation in offense 6 times in 10 years with FSU, got FSU into 5 National Championships as Offensive Coordinator, that’s why he was hired at UGA. With the defensive leadership stabilized by Grantham, and the special teams challenges shored up, Richt can focus on his #1 STRENGTH–which is Offense, and QB talent evaluation and QB development. Management is all about FOCUSING ON YOUR STRENGTH.
Getting Warm
March 31st, 2010
10:15 am
I can’t believe all you softies out there. We had a good season because…. .blah blah blah. Only thing that counts is NCs. The stats are for recruiting and alumni donations. UGA is a program that should have its sights on winning it all. Unfortunately, there are many teams (including GT) that have done this- some more than once- since UGA’s last. So, continue to set the bar low and celebrate the occassional SEC title like it was a NC. That’s not a true fan but instead an ignorant one.
AceDawg
March 31st, 2010
10:15 am
I’d say letting assistant coaches worry about what a head coach thinks is definitely a good thing. If the assistants are brilliant, the head coach may know when to give them space, but the UGA offense hasn’t been brilliant, even when they had Stafford and Moreno and Green, so it’s time Richt took his offensive coaching experience to the table fully again. I hope something great comes of it.
harry's dogs
March 31st, 2010
10:16 am
Wrong–management is all about identifying, developing and retaining talent.
erkel
March 31st, 2010
10:21 am
You guys are both wrong–management is just picking the right leadership team–do that, and everything else takes care of itself.
monty
March 31st, 2010
10:24 am
I think Richt is more involved so that when the hard decision comes to play whoever as QB it will take some of the heat off of BoBo. It will be a this is what “we decided” moment. Rather than allow detractors to say “stupid Bobo chose the wrong guy.” If Stafford was still QB or even if Cox had another year, I doubt coach does this.
JB
March 31st, 2010
10:32 am
I hope we can decide on ONE guy…. I have a horror of Richt trying to appease two guys and rotate them in and out. It rarely works.
chazzo
March 31st, 2010
10:46 am
CEO Mark,
I said a couple of the wins could be directly attributed to Tebow. It’s reading and comprehension.
In addition, last season was a transitional year after losing all the stars. On top of that any optional talent to be exploited was in green jerseys (Murry and Ealey, prime examples) at the beginning of the season.
Also, I am going way out on a limb here. Cox did not do a bad job. That’s right you heard that. He made some bad decisions, and he threw a lot of picks. But, the rest of his stats were respectable. For a first year starter (and I don’t care how many years he was an understudy) with a banged up line and little running attack or blocking, his other stats (completions and yardage) are respectable. I think he is a hell of guy that showed a lot of moxy having to listen to a bunch of down int he mouth, gambling addicted rednecks ride his arse all season. I wish that guy all the best and all the success in the world. Actually, I think he would make a heck of a coach.
Finally, Richt is the best coach UGA has ever had. He tried the macro-management, CEO approach. He went through some personal challenges, all while babysitting a bunch of thugs with #1 talent and #100 attitudes. Happy or not about the lack of the NC, he has come through it all with winning record after winning record. Things were somewhat dissapointing the last couple of years, admittedly, and Richt, as he is prone to do, changed it up and is applying a new approach. What else can you ask of an HC? He has put together a great team that is ready to blast off. I am in the camp of, first year QB and a new D equals 10 wins and not necessarily championships. But, next season will definitely be a run for the crystal.
Either get on that train, or burn your red and black and start wearing orange.
Paul's Johnson
March 31st, 2010
10:46 am
Coach Figurehead has to do something. I guess him focusing on offense makes a certain degree of sense. He paid 750 large to delegate the defensive duties to Grantham & Co. So he can now run off to the other corner of the field and play with the offensive kiddies. Doesn’t sound like anything to get excited about to me.
Otto
March 31st, 2010
10:48 am
JohnDangerDawg, Turnovers also went up under Bobo.
sogadog
March 31st, 2010
10:48 am
I like Richt’s plan, hire a (hopefully) great defensive coach to run the defense and take charge of the offense himself. I hope he calls the plays too. This system worked when he and Van Gorder ran things.