Richt: ‘0-2 for the first time in 10 years, and it’s not a comfortable spot’

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Listening in on Mark Richt’s weekly radio call-in show Monday night:

  • As you’d expect with Georgia’s 0-2 start in the SEC, there was some discord in Bulldog Nation. The first caller asked Richt for reasons to continue to invest in the program, asked the coach “to sell me” on Georgia football “not just for this year but 2-3 years down the road.”

Richt replied: “The bottom line is if you’re a true fan, in my opinion, you’re going to support your team no matter what. I don’t think you’re going to just love the boys when they win and hate on them when they lose, you know. . . . Our league is one that is a very, very tough league, and we’re not always going to win. We find ourselves 0-2 for the first time in 10 years, and it’s not a comfortable spot. It’s not a spot we want to be in. But it’s not like we got shellacked and run off the field. We actually, I thought, represented very well, even though we lost.

“The bottom line, of course, is the win. But the way the guys fought . . . there was a lot of courage; there was a lot of blood, sweat and tears. . . . If you just watch the spirit of these young men and how they fought and how the coaches fought, I think that is admirable. And I would say you certainly should continue to support for those reasons. . . . ”

  • Richt talked quite a bit about Aaron Murray, acknowledging the young quarterback has areas to improve but making it clear he’s a special player.

“We looked at the film and realized every time that kid moved up inside that pocket good things happened and every time he started up and then dropped back again and tried to reload, something bad happened. So he’s just got to learn, and he’s getting there,” Richt said. “But you can’t question his toughness, his ability and just his love for the game and love for Georgia. So we’ve got the right guy right now. We’ve just got to keep going.”

  • Richt disputed accounts that said Georgia sent all of its receivers on deep routes on the late-game 3rd-and-4 play that resulted in a Murray sack and forced Georgia to punt to Arkansas, which scored the game-winning TD three plays later.

“I did watch the TV copy myself, and I know the commentators were saying … there was no outlet, there was no short route, that there ought to be,” Richt said. “I don’t know what he saw, but there were actually two routes that were about a five- or six-yard depth and a couple of them that would be deeper routes.”

  • Richt didn’t disagree with a caller who expressed disappointment in the play of the veteran offensive line.

“It is a little disappointing,” Richt said. “I think the offensive-line play has been good but not great. Like you say, we got to find ways to sustain drives.

“I’d like to see us continue to run-block better, and I’d like to see us continue to pass-protect well, which I think we are. Some of the pass-protection issues really have nothing to do with the offensive line. It’s more back-related. The running backs have to step up and do their job too, and the receivers got to run the right routes, and the QB has got to put it on them.”

Murray, Richt said, needs to develop “a better feel” for when a receiver is open.

As for run-blocking, “we need to continue to … provide more space for the backs,” Richt said. “And the backs have got to get more than what [the linemen] block, too. If you watch around the country, you see backs breaking tackles, you see backs getting yards after contact and all that. I think we improved in that area last ballgame, but we still got a ways to go.”

  • A caller asked why the Dogs aren’t getting the ball to talented tight end Orson Charles.

“There were a lot of calls that were made where Orson was the No. 1 priority or No. 1 read for the quarterback,” Richt said. “Sometimes that No. 1 option is taken away, so you go to No. 2. Sometimes protection breaks down. Sometimes the QB is moving right or left at the moment when he should be cutting the ball loose to his primary receiver. Those were some of the issues.”

  • Another caller asked about “the state of the program,” noting that a few years ago Georgia was “considered one of the elite programs” in the nation and is “now 8-8 [actually 9-7] in the last 16 ballgames.”

“You’d be surprised,” Richt said, “but the same things we did when we were finishing in the top 10 and all of that kind of good stuff — we’re doing those very same things.   Sometimes you win some close games and sometimes you don’t, but right now I can promise you our coaches, our players are battling as hard as we can to get a victory. That’s going to be the plan for this week against Mississippi State. Hopefully, next time on the show, we’ll be talking about all the good things that happened.”

391 comments Add your comment

Jonathan

September 21st, 2010
1:07 pm

Id throw a 5 spot at it… but then again Ive never been that impressed with AJ has a player….

Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired

September 21st, 2010
1:11 pm

Can someone please help me understand how the UGA program continues to remaiin stagnant when each year there is a lot of hype about the recruiting classes and how much these players, that commit to UGA, are the top prospects in the country. If they are that good coming out of high school….what happens?????

Could it be……….let’s all guess………maybe coaching??????

Fair Weather Fans

September 21st, 2010
1:12 pm

People have the right to complain, but there is no law against stupidity either. Richt is fine. I’d like to be 3-0 now, but go back and look at Vince Dooley’s year-by-year record at Georgia. If media and blogs were then what they were today, then Dooley would not had made it as long as Richt has. And I think that most of us would look at Dooley as a great coach.

ugaman

September 21st, 2010
1:14 pm

well willie is gone and i think the defense will improve as we go. new scheme and the defense probably doesnt have the right players for it yet.we have a young qb. i am more dissapointed in the offensive line an the running backs lack of blocking. where we had whiffs out there. i think georgia wins this one. but we may need the defense to be the star of the show.

Mobile Dawg

September 21st, 2010
1:14 pm

And then again some sense, they might lose 3 to 5 more this year. None of us win, but it’s entertaining to debate folks like you. Remember one of my favorite quotes, ” you can’t take out with logic, what logic didn’t place there in the first place”. Translation, the blind homers just don’t get it. Black and white is reality, the dismal performance overall is reality, it’s not grey, not debatable. Look at the record, the results. Listen to CMR, and Bobo’s explanations, weak and no meaning. Not once has he owned up to “there may be a problem with the way we’re preparing them”. How can you logically argue it?

If CMR would just MAN UP and take responsibility and fix the problem we could all click our heels and go to Kansas.

TN Dawg

September 21st, 2010
1:17 pm

The lack of execution and fire for winning does come from the top. Maybe AJ would have had the final pass to the inzone, but he is not the answer. The entire team doesn’t execute. AR’s first 3rd and 1 resulted in the most embarrassing open field reception and TD I’ve ever seen. I love my dawgs, that’s why I care about their success! CMR’s speech at the beginning of the 4th quarter is the only fire I’ve seen from him all year. He is an awesome man, but I agree, we’re tired of mediocrity!

Mean Machine

September 21st, 2010
1:18 pm

Same crap we heard last year. There’s always an excuse for losing at Georgia. The bottom line is this team has no “dog” in them. That’s why they lose. They have more talent than most of the teams in the SEC, yet there is something missing when this team takes the field, and that starts at the top. Where was the tenacity and sense of urgency that we saw in the 4th qtr. of the Arkansas game the previous 3 qtrs. How does the team I watched in that 4th qtr. get pushed around the entire game against SC. It comes from poor preparation, a passive attitude, and a lack of execution. If this program continues under its current leadership, it will be many, many years before UGA wins another SEC championship, let alone a national title. And another thing, I’ve got a real problem with these fans who call out those who are critical of the program as “fair weather” fans. I’m a fan of the Dawgs win or lose, however, I know that the direction of this program is going backwards, and I will not stick my head in the sand and pretend that everything is okay. Ask yourself this, are 2 SEC titles in 10 years (0 in the last 5) underachieving at UGA? Look at everything this program has going for it compared to Florida, Alabama, and LSU. Georgia should be mentioned with those schools. This program is not even on a competitive level with Alabama or Florida! LSU isn’t either, but they won’t stand for it, so they will make a change at the end of this year. Meanwhile, UGA will continue to flounder in mediocrity.

PMC

September 21st, 2010
1:18 pm

Some of the talent they are getting Sick and Tired are overrated. Some are VASTLY overrated. Look at the defense. There’s no Richard Seymour on that line. NO Charles Johnson. No Quintin Moses. No Shawn Jones.

They have a lot of very good players, but no one that’s really great other than AJ Green.

Compare GA’s recent linebackers to other top teams. Alabama of late has had, Demeco Ryans, Rolando McClain…Donte Hightower etc.

Georgia has….wait for it… Dannell Ellerbe. Sure Rennie Curran was excellent, but he’s short. The talent is vastly overrated at Georgia in addition to coaches not getting them to grasp the techniques they want them to play with.

Georgia Tech has had almost as much if not better defensive talent than Georgia in the last several years.

Phillip Wheeler, Gary Guyton etc. Those guys were better players than most of the guys at Georgia.

I hope that changes… but the recruiting services were wrong. Georgia’s players… simply aren’t what they once were.

Mobile Dawg

September 21st, 2010
1:21 pm

Glad to have you on as a “Bandwagon Fan” TN Dawg. Tell you what folks, I just had another great idea. If things don’t improve, and by all means I pray that they do, let’s start a “concerned bandwagon fan club”. We can keep it private, here on the blogs. Just remember Finebaum gets information about some of our bloggers and ocassionally a comment ends up on his show. Did you know you made the Finebaum show Hunker Down?

ugaman

September 21st, 2010
1:22 pm

i agree with fair weather. cmr already has a better record percentage than dooley. it took dooley 14 years to win a national championship. the only thing you worry about is that downward spiral. 8 and 5 becomes 7 and 6 and so on. when uga was in the top ten alot van gorder was d coach. georgia would score 24 points and beat almost everyone. remember folks alabama was down for more than a decade as far as expectations go. now they are on top. i believe it will shake out, but time will tell.

Jonathan

September 21st, 2010
1:22 pm

Maybe if you guys end up 0-3 in the S-E-C… you might look into joining the Big East? Just food for thought… UGA looked unstoppable La Lafayette

Behemoth Mary

September 21st, 2010
1:22 pm

Shoulda asked Richt if UGA needed a new head coach ?

Mobile Dawg

September 21st, 2010
1:23 pm

Excellent post Mean Machine.

Behemoth Mary

September 21st, 2010
1:24 pm

Can we trade Richt and a top high school recruit to Bama for Saban ?

46-39

September 21st, 2010
1:25 pm

OB-1 , I never was one to say UGA should be pre-season top 10–But they are better than TECH. The ACC is very WEAK…Just look at their pitiful W-L record.

DAWGS73

September 21st, 2010
1:26 pm

Here is the way I see it. Bobo needs to go back to the booth. The problem we have is I believe the coach is getting upset when the plays he calls are not working and he ends up not coaching up his quarterback and criticizing him. The way I see it, Richt should strip Bobo of all playcalling duties. Go back to calling the plays, and let Bobo have some of the pressure of calling the plays as well as coaching the guy running the plays lessoned. It would help Bobo to be able to see the field. Be Richt’s eyes in the booth. Bobo sees the field better from up there. Then let Richt call the plays like he did before when we had a young freshman quarterback. Let Richt be the calming influence on Murray that he was on Greene. Then we will see our offense take off.

Here is what got me to thinking about this. Bobo threw Murray under the bus. I wonder if Murray really trusts him now. Instead of Bobo blaming Murray, how about something like this. “We may have had some balls held in the backfield a little too long. I am going to go back and look at the tape. If we did, then I need to do a better job of coaching the kid up and boosting his confidence to make that quick read. I need to do a better job of getting the kid to trust his arm more. He is really getting better, and I see him developing every day more and more. He’s going to be special.”

Behemoth Mary

September 21st, 2010
1:28 pm

Maybe Richt should explain to we fans what UGA football is all about. It sounds like as long as games are close and players get a little better each game that everything is peachy ? I’ve got a newsflash for Richt. Fans want victories bottomline. I could care less if Murray played a little better than last week. Wins and losses are permanent records not forgotten and the barometer of success or failure. 1-2 = failure.

GABRONCO

September 21st, 2010
1:29 pm

Richt is fantastic, Bobo is good, Grantham needs more time to solidify the defense, Murray will be better each week…that being said..my suggestion is to do more option plays to react to the OL deficiencies. I also suggest contacting Mike Shanahan w/the Washington Redskins and adapt some of his zone blocking schemes for the running game. Look at what he did with TD and several backs after him. All the team needs is for Murray a little more time to mature & get experience, more time for the D to learn the new 3-4 defensive scheme, some option plays mixed in to keep the opposing team D’s off balance, & some zone blocking to get the ground game humming along. The team will be fine, everyone just relax. Richt is one of the best coaces in the Nation and at this point, we cannot find a better coach to replace him, so just support and relax Bulldog nation.

BobDawg

September 21st, 2010
1:30 pm

… one thing I fail to see or hear much written about is the leaders of the Team…. and I know most of them are young, but the Justin Houston’s and others have to step up and get in others junk and start holding each other accountable. Murray is too young still so others have to step up, like the O-line.

Behemoth Mary

September 21st, 2010
1:30 pm

For a big girl, I know my football…
Just ate six ham & bologna sandwiches loaded with veggies & mayo. I still felt hungry and ate 3 of my 5 gold fish (redneck sushi).

Behemoth Mary

September 21st, 2010
1:33 pm

Chuck Dowdle shoulda asked Richt why they can’t FINISH THE DRILL ?

Pitbull

September 21st, 2010
1:35 pm

Here’s my love letter to Jeff Shultz today and it apples to you and this article too:

I love the way the media now tries to create controversy and “stories” so that they can attract readers. Actually I hate it.

We lost a couple of games to 2 good SEC teams. We are not at the top of the heap. BFD.

In every game someone has to win and someone has to lose. Some teams just have better teams some years than others. That is reality.

I have a lot of confidence in CMR. He has won 90 games in 9 years and will probably win 100 games in 10 years. He runs a stable ship.

I hate the media for trying to hold a football coach responsible for their players’ mistakes off the field when the coach has had them for 2 or 3 years and their parents had them for 18 or 19 years.Hold the parents accountable or would that not be politically correct for you.

Its always the teacher or coach. It never is the kid or his parents. The crap gets old.

Vince Dooley won 201 games in 25 years and for you non math majors that averages out to approx 8 wins a year – and colleges started playing 11 games during the regular season and a bowl game in 1971 which was 8 years into Coach Dooley’s 25 year career. Based on that, he would be run out of town by today’s unreasonable media jerks and jerks that call themselves fans.

Real fans stick by their team and a good coach through thick and thin. But today’s media writers and younger fans do not have the class of those 25 years ago. I mean lets face it Jeff, you are no Jesse Outlar.

So Jeff, quit pandering to the negative. There are plenty of wonderful things to write about the Bulldogs including graduation rate compared to the rest of BCS schools, GPA’s, the success that former players find as a result of their experience at UGA and oh yeah the 90 victories the football team has over the past 9 years which puts them towards the top of the list as one of the most successful BCS programs in the country.

And Jeff -by the way – go soak your head and shut your trap while you are doing it.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:37 pm

You guys act like georgia was not recruiting big fast linebackers prior to grantham getting to athens…are you serious?? georgia has always recruited big, fast linebackers.

arky receivers were so wide open that even I could have caught those touchdown passes….heck i could have thrown them too.

grantham gets $750,000.00 per year at georgia…FOR WHAT??

USC has a huge game saturday; hope we have your support….

Go C0CKS!!

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:38 pm

What’s all this talk about “finish the drill” ??

georgia doesn’t know what a drill is…

46-39

September 21st, 2010
1:43 pm

PMC , you’re right. The problem I see is that UGA is getting most of the players they are recruiting, so what does that tell you?? Are they recruiting the wrong type guys?? I know that Grantham likes the bigger, taller NFL type guys (like Saban recruits) which you need to play man coverage, which I believe is one reason it will be 2 yrs before our D is up to par. The offense, however, is a different story. I know Murray is a ball-player, but he’s short for a QB. Both teams we got beat by this yr have tall QB’s that can throw downhill. Why the heck is Richt & Bobo not recruiting these guys? Our offense is set up to pass. We also have small receivers — Green is tall but skinny.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:45 pm

17 – 6

That score is on a lot of t-shirst in South Carolina these days…love driving around and seeing those sweet numbers too.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:45 pm

BTW, we will take the “tall skinny kid” otherwise known as AJ Green…he should have went to USC anyway.

46-39

September 21st, 2010
1:46 pm

USC GAMEC0CK , I could post UGA /SC W/L record too…Don’t make me go there……..

Dennis

September 21st, 2010
1:47 pm

I see improvement. We just played, IMO, the best 2 teams on our schedule. Winning out is not out of the question. Let our young QB play!! He is gonna be a star.

Mobile Dawg

September 21st, 2010
1:49 pm

Lunch is over for you Eastern Time Zoners Mary. I’m still enjoying mine….

No one single thing is going to fix this mess. Anyone ever been part of an organized problem solving exercise. You start by making a huge list of any problems you can think of. The next step is to group any similar problems into one like problem. Then you prioritize the list of problems and come up with the top 4 or 5. Then brainstorm solutions to these. What usually happens within an organization is you come up with a “Root Cause Analysis” for the problems. Kind of like peeling an onion, you keep peeling layers back until you get to the core of the problem. Anyone want to guess what the root cause of our problems are?

The root cause of the problems of the UGA football program, IMO is we don’t have a business plan, blueprint, foundational structure we follow. The only other guess without actually going through the exercise would be that we have one but CMR isn’t following it. Every area of the program is important. As I read the blogs there are so many good points made by everyone as to areas we could improve upon. There are so many responsibilities that it’s no wonder that one single person, CMR could be overwhelmed. At this point he’s not an effective CEO.

Why can a guy like Saban, go to a program in shambles, not once but multiple times and build a successful program. Because he’s got a model, a blueprint, a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Saban could come to UGA and do the same thing he’s done at LSU and Bama with three years, does anyone doubt this. Not saying I want Saban, just using him as an example. If we do end up making changes I hope we ask all the right questions before we take just a name, i.e. Muschamp, Smart, etc. The top names may not be the right choice.

If the University decides to stick with Richt they should send him to a CEO grooming program and hire a tutor to help him stay on track. Just my opinion. I’m out after lunch. Have a good day Dawgs.

Give me a break and stop sugarcoating everything

September 21st, 2010
1:51 pm

“Not always going to win”…

Since when does 15-10 in the last 25 games come anywhere close to always winning? If we go 1-11, is he going to still say “you’re not always going to win”?

5150 P.O.A.D.

September 21st, 2010
1:55 pm

Rict has a CEO plan. He learned the Bobby Bowden Plan. Recruit Thugs that are fast and play dirty. Let the players do what they want. Don’t punish the players while you win.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:56 pm

The USC won-loss record is …… 3-0
The georgia won-loss record is… 1-2

I don’t mind if you go to the won/loss record.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
1:58 pm

BTW, USC has already started a “KEEP MARK RICHT” campaign…

and yes we want BooBoo and Bozo er, Grantham to stay too.

lance

September 21st, 2010
2:00 pm

Bobo has no chance to save his job after this season. Nice guy – great family man but will be selling insurance by 2011. If we struggle in 2011 then CMR will be gone and I am in hopes they throw the largest athletic budget in the country at Gruden to get him to Athens. Perfect fit!

Jeff

September 21st, 2010
2:00 pm

All of you Richt haters, and UGA downers are idiots. Do you really think that your comments on this article will help fix the issues?? For the record, UF has had as many if not more arrests than UGA, it’s not the caliber of person we bring in it’s the caliber of the person go through UGA learns from theirs or others mistakes and becomes a better person along the way. We all want to win and nobody wants to win more than the players on the field. So everyone should just quick bad mouthing the team, players, and coaches as it will only hurt UGA more in the end.

5150 P.O.A.D.

September 21st, 2010
2:01 pm

USC GC you know he ment the Series record. UGA hardly ever loses to USCeast. This is how we know UGA is slipping to average at best. UGA is not gaining on LSU, BAMA, or Florida.

Richt has lost to Vandy and Kentucky between the hedges?

September 21st, 2010
2:02 pm

Is it “Finish the drill” or is it “Before you finish you are going to get drilled”.

ga gator

September 21st, 2010
2:03 pm

Take a few hour break and it is still the same stuff, out again.

Bibb Dawg

September 21st, 2010
2:07 pm

JELLO JOCKITCH

September 21st, 2010
2:09 pm

BOBO HAS TO GO. BOBO HAS TO GO. BOBO HAS TO GO. BOBO HAS TO GO.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
2:12 pm

Anybody who watched the georgia/arky game had to see some “jaw-dropping” defense by georgia…I know I did. Sombody in a crowded room yelled out.. “Whoever does not like Todd Grantham as the georgia DC please stand up”…..would you believe not one person stood up…

the room was full of GAMEC0CKS and Razorbacks.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
2:13 pm

Word on the street is that some georgia faithful grabbed ole Russ and shot him for his losing record….MHRIP.

one man wolfpack

September 21st, 2010
2:16 pm

All you haters need to tighten up…the dawgs has a lousy game in south carolina and still had a chance to win…we were one washaun ealey whiff (on the 3rd and 4 block that got murray sacked) away from converting a first down, running out the clock and possibly kicking a field goal to win the game. What do you think is going to happen when we get everyone back? Would washaun even be in the game to fumble on the goal line vs SC or pass protecting in such a crucial situations vs the hogs or would it have been caleb king? Another question to ponder: How many touchdowns is AJ Green good for in two games? I think at least 1, prob 2, and possibly 3…not to mention a boat load of first downs. An extra TD or two wud of drastically changed the outcome of the games. We get some of these players back and D-coordinators have to think twice about how they scheme our offense…especially on 3rd and short! Any reasonable dawg fan expected us to go 1-1 vs SC/Hogs and although 0-2 is extremely disappointing we just had prob. the toughest two game stretch of anyone in the country…I think these boys are on the up & up (esp. w/ the schedule) and there are good times around the bend! Go Dawgs!

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
2:21 pm

Yeah you keep thinking “these boys are on the up and up”….remember you wrote that after florida, aubarn, kentucky and vanderbilt games this year… okay?

Dawgs of War

September 21st, 2010
2:23 pm

Coach Richt TOTALLY MISSED the point when the caller asked “why should I continue to INVEST” into this program. Coach Richt went off on some tangent about SUPPORTING “the boys”. Not sure if Coach Richt intended to divert the subject, but his answer insulted our intelligence and totally missed the point:

In this tough economic times, many people ask “why should I invest”. It doesn’t mean we do not support “the boys” and UGA, it just means we want Coach Richt to view the dollars and “SENSE” of the matter that fans like you and I are pouring MILLIONS into this program for an ADMIRABLE EFFORT!

When the investors stop pouring in the money, then we may get a response that does not insult the intelligence of investors like you and I!!

In the business world admirable efforts gets you two weeks pay before you’re shown the door. What does it get you at UGA ?!?! GO DAWGS!

Paul Hamilton

September 21st, 2010
2:26 pm

I love it. Our defense is actually giving up two touchdowns less a game and people think we are immediately going to resemble alabama’s defense. Dawg fans are delusional sometimes. You need the right personnel to run the 3-4, it event took Saban a few years to get everything up and running to where it is now.

Some of you show your complete ignorance when you compare last years defense to this years. We gave up 37 and 41 pts to South Carolina and Arkansas, compared to 17 and 31 to improved offenses by both South Carolina and Arkansas. Our defense has only played this style for 3 games and have already shown a big improvement over last year by 15pts a game. If you thought they were going to be pitching shutouts every game, you need to learn a lot more about football before you criticize.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
2:27 pm

WHat did you want Richt to say??

yeah, we suck and i am firing the BooBoo (OC) and Bozo (DC) after the season…

don’t hold your breath.

USC GAMEC0CK

September 21st, 2010
2:29 pm

calling a “spade a spade” is not hating on anybody…just so you know.

WOW

September 21st, 2010
2:48 pm

It is obviously pointless to argue on this thing. We are all over-exaggerating the dire straits we are in. If we get Green back and Caleb back and Chapas back and Josh Davis back in the lineup, we can be very dangerous down the stretch. That’s right fans. We had four offensive starters(3 1/2 if you count King) out for the Arkansas game. All or most of those guys will be ready to go after the Miss. St. game and just in time so that they can get a game under their belt against Colorado and be ready when the Vols come into town. I really believe we will see a different team over the last 9 or so games the rest of the year. The defense will get more acclamated to the 3-4 and Murray will become more and more comfortable in the pocket. Richt was right, in the past we had one or two plays go our way and lead us to such great hights. This year it has been two plays that have caused the two game losing streak. Ealey’s fumble in the redzone when we were down 8 in the USC game and the blown coverage in the final drive against Arkansas. We are BullDawgs, not Florida “Gay-tours” we are better then this. Lets rally around the team and cheer loud as hell at the next home game.