Richt: ‘I’m coaching my tail off’
With Georgia on its first four-game losing streak in 20 years, Mark Richt was asked by a reporter Wednesday night if he feels like he is coaching for his job.
“You always are,” Richt replied. “I think you always are. I can tell you I’m coaching my tail off, though.”
Richt also was asked if the speculation about his job security is fair, given his 10-year record.
“I’m not going to get into all that,” he said, adding that he will focus on things he can control.
A few other notes:
- As of Thursday morning, Georgia had 142 tickets still for sale from the 400 that Tennessee returned from its allotment for Saturday’s game. If the remaining tickets are sold, the game will be the Bulldogs’ 60th consecutive sellout at Sanford Stadium -– every game since Richt became coach.
- Also as of Thursday morning, Georgia had 467 tickets available for the Oct. 16 game against Vanderbilt and 755 for the Nov. 6 game against Idaho State. Those are from the 1,200 tickets returned by Vanderbilt and the 2,000 returned by Idaho State.
- If you missed it, Richt said Marlon Brown is definitely out for Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury and Kris Durham’s chances of playing are 50-50 because of the pinched nerve in his neck that kept him out of last week’s game.
(Andy Johnston contributed to this blog.)
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
248 comments Add your comment
Gary
October 7th, 2010
3:00 pm
The irony is that if we were held to the kind of standards in our jobs as we require from our college coaches most the people on these blogs would be fired including me.
DoubleDownDawgFan
October 7th, 2010
3:07 pm
FIRE MARK RICHT!!! I am sick and tired of hearing about UGA ARRESTS and UGA LOSSES!! We are the University of By-God Georgia and we are WINNERS! Get this LOSER and his REGIME out of here!! We DESERVE better and we must DEMAND better from our football program!! Otherwise, we MUST STOP supporting them….SUPPORT the GYM DAWGS instead! They are WINNERS!!
Tracy
October 7th, 2010
3:07 pm
Mark Richt 2010 > Barack Obama 2010
IDIOT
October 7th, 2010
3:07 pm
bark
sic em dawggies
Tracy
October 7th, 2010
3:08 pm
UGA The Bulldog > Mooooo-Chelle Obama
Jim
October 7th, 2010
3:13 pm
I’ve been watching football a long time and this happens so often even to the best and I still think we are very blessed with the best. We get so used to the ups that we forget that there are downs. So hang in there and Go Dogs! Uga the mascot is still happy as always.
ugaclassof2004
October 7th, 2010
3:16 pm
Tech fans who post on this blog:
Most people have no idea what the Jan Kemp situatin was even about nor do they particularly care! Talk about UGA fans being obsessed with the past! Ya’ll are focusing on things that happened 25 freakin years ago! Thats like me making fun of George O’Leary for his resume or Pepper Rogers and his off the field antics! It has NO baring on the program today, so why bring it up? If you’re going to insult us, at least be in the current decade! Believe me there is more than enough recent material for you! Oh… and we’re still going to beat you guys AGAIN!
predictor
October 7th, 2010
3:16 pm
GA 55
Tenn 23
B-Mac
October 7th, 2010
3:19 pm
I am a Richt supporter and a UGA Alum, I don’t want him fired. Yes he may be coaching his “tail off”, but he needs to start coaching to WIN the GAME, not to just stay IN the GAME!!
Delbert D.
October 7th, 2010
3:19 pm
Quick notes on Harbaugh:
Harbaugh agreed to an extension in December. The contract runs through 2014.
Harbaugh’s record at Stanford:
[2006 - Stanford 1-11 under previous coach]
Under Harbaugh:
2007 – 4-8 3-6 in PAC-10*
2008 – 5-7 4-5 in PAC-10
2009 – 8-4 6-3 in PAC-10**
2010 – 4-1 1-1 in PAC-10
*Defeated #1 USC 24-23. USC was favored by 41 points. The 42-point differential against the line is the greatest upset in history.
**Defeated USC 55-21, the most points scored on USC in history.
1) 2009 signing class included 10 high school All-Americans
2) 2009 APR was highest among FBS programs
3) 2009 Stanford placed 18 players in PAC-10 All-Academic team, including 10 starters
Harbaugh’s record at San Diego:
2004 7-4__ 4-1_ 2nd in conf.
2005 11-1_ 4-0_ 1st in conf.
2006 11-1_ 7-0_ 1st in conf.
barneyb
October 7th, 2010
3:28 pm
“Coaching my tail off”. So how’s that workin fer ya?
Really Delbert,
October 7th, 2010
3:37 pm
Listing the Stanford academic achievements of the football team and attributing it to Harbaugh is like Obama claiming victory for the Surge working. He had zero to do with it. At that school, you lose your coaching job if you don’t have a team’s worth of AAA’s. Every HS athlete in America that excels in school looks at Stanford. They get the cream of the crop in almost every sport academically.
As for the Athletic record, it’s nice he has done well in the PAC -10, but that’s not SEC. I seem to recall Kiffin had west coast roots. Not knocking the choice, just sayin’ it will always be a crapshoot with a change.
georgiagirl
October 7th, 2010
3:38 pm
You are a bunch of BACK STABBING FANS, You love him in the good times and now you turn like a snake.
I do not won’t him fired and I hope he stays, why don’t you people turning on him go find another team.
PROUD TO BE A GEORGIA BULL DAWGS FAN FOREVER. Not a bandwagon fan, sick of the people turning on him and this team. We do not live in a prefect world, so the team will not be prefect. There is good and bad years this one is bad, but these fans are terrible SHAME.
superDawg
October 7th, 2010
3:39 pm
I will be there saturday and I hope the dawgs show up too.Bad time for Barbara Dooly to wear orange.
Paul The Vol
October 7th, 2010
3:45 pm
DawgInLex:
Richt is 5-4 against Tennessee. Check your facts.
Gas Station Fan
October 7th, 2010
3:47 pm
RED OUT! Everybody is to wear red pants. We got to motivate them puppies!
larry wells
October 7th, 2010
3:52 pm
Richt replacements,Mike Stoops-Arizona,Kevin Wilson-OU Offensive Coordinater-Mike Leach-Former Texas Tech Head Coach-Will Muschamp-Texas Defensive Coordinater-Tony Dungy former Head Coach at Indianapolis.Now,next question!
MR. TOUCHDOWN
October 7th, 2010
3:56 pm
No doubt about it CMR’s coaching attitude has been lackadaisical up till now. Cutting out 2 a days and not putting the fear of god in young players letting them set the tone – this was all wrong and has led us to the situation we’re in now. Suddenly Mr. Richt IS coaching for his job so he probably IS “coaching his tail off”. Sure he feels the heat. Too bad he had to learn the hard way that his competition out that i.e. Nick Saban, Urban Myer, Les Miles are fiercely intent on winning and run that kind of program 365 days a year. Guess we’ll soon see how good a coach CMR really is.
Jay
October 7th, 2010
4:06 pm
Anyone who wants CMR fired is an idiot. Did he cause Ealey to fumble on the goal line twice? Did he cause King to fumble last week?
GatorGirl
October 7th, 2010
4:06 pm
Counting down the days until we play you guys……should be another loss added to your record. It’s not all of the player’s fault, leadership is EVERYTHING!
Papadawg
October 7th, 2010
4:10 pm
People don’t care bout what you’ve done ine the past, they won’t to know what you’ve done for me today. Also more than likely most of these clowns wanting Coach Richt fired are either not Dawgs fans or and they are complete failures in their pitiful lives
gdawginkalamazoo
October 7th, 2010
4:10 pm
Larry, Tony Dungy? He already said that he wouldn’t even coach at his own alma mater (Minnesota) which will be looking for an HC next year.
Mike Leach has to get through the court system before he can be hired again.
Mike Stoops ain’t Bob Stoops.
Let’s call Muschamp up and ask him how he likes those unranked m*th#rf&ck%r UCLA Bruins and those m*th#rf&ck%r Sooners beating his team.
Kevin Wilson? Who? A Big 12 OC? In the SEC?
Papadawg
October 7th, 2010
4:13 pm
Gator girl your Gators are not exactly scaring anyone now, so you need to lighten up with any smack about the Dawgs
Complete Failure
October 7th, 2010
4:16 pm
I have never said fire Richt. Nice Guy. 10 wins per season (even if he’s 9-9 in the last 18 SEC games). Had great hair. Doesn’t believe in discipline.
WITHOUT LINDSEY SCOTT,THERE'S NO 1980 TITLE
October 7th, 2010
4:19 pm
WHO IS THAT RIDING MY BUMPER SAYS MARK RICHT? IT IS I SAYS KIRBY SMART,COMING TO TAKE YOUR JOB!
P.S. LAST YEAR NICK SABAN TOLD ME NOT TO TAKE THE D.C JOB AT UGA,BECAUSE I WILL BE THE NEXT HEADCOACH AT UGA!
howard
October 7th, 2010
4:19 pm
Richt is “coaching his tail off”…in between doing Ford commercials, you mean. Georgia needs a full time coach and one who holds the players accountable for what they do on AND off the field.
KennesawDawg
October 7th, 2010
4:20 pm
Bottom line for me. Wins and losses come and go. So do good and bad seasons…you accept them and move on and support the program because you love it.
10 arrests of players this year, and what appears to be a lack of discipline on the field should not come and go. Disciplined recruits make disciplined players. Disciplined players make for solidly performing teams. That’s what’s missing here…lack of control.
?????
October 7th, 2010
4:20 pm
What if Richt, or any of the staff are not the problem? Perhaps UGA is just not a nc level program? Vince Dooley had Herschel in 1980, but Herschel was a once in a lifetime find. No other coach or team has come close. Just food for thought. 30 years is a long time. Perhaps 8+ win seasons with the occasional trip to the conference game are your destiny.
WITHOUT LINDSEY SCOTT,THERE'S NO 1980 TITLE
October 7th, 2010
4:21 pm
REMEMBER PEOPLE NICK SABAN TOLD KIRBY SMART HE WOULD GET THE UGA JOB LAST YEAR,HE TOLD HIM TO HOLD-OUT AND NOT TAKE THE D.C JOB FOR MARK RICHT!
?????
October 7th, 2010
4:22 pm
So if Richt is “coaching his tail off’, then the problem must be that he does not know what he is doing. The problem has either got to be effort or ability.
Jones
October 7th, 2010
4:24 pm
Do Tim Tucker and the AJC have nothing better to do than file open records requests to see that atheletes that got arrested also got in trouble with the University?? Seriously, does this matter?
59bulldawg
October 7th, 2010
4:26 pm
“We do not live in a prefect world, so the team will not be prefect.”
No one is suggesting perfection although Alabama did have a perfect 14-0 record last year. And Tennessee had a perfect 13-0 record in 1998. But we don’t have to be perfect. Florida had 13-1 records in 2006 and 2008. And LSU went 13-1 in 2003 and 12-2 in 2007. The point here is that the competition has upped their game and we need to up ours. Heck in 2002 I thought Richt was on his way with his own 13-1 record. Now I just think he’s on the way out!
As far as the term bandwagon fan . . . please! That’s one of the most overused comments on this blog. It’s what a lot of folks say when they can’t defend Richt except by saying “he’s a nice man and I like him.” Well if you like him as coach fine. But it still doesn’t negate what his detractors have stated on this blog. And please . . . loyalty to the red and black is not measured by devotion to mediocrity. In recent years we have been mediocre at best. And this year mediocre would look good compared to the way we have performed thus far. Worse than our record though is the feeling that the coaching staff is just not getting it done. So if allegiance to mediocrity is your definition of loyalty, well that’s your perogative. But there are many in the Bulldawg Nation who beg to disagree.
gail
October 7th, 2010
4:27 pm
Fire Richt know!!!! He blows harder than winter snow!
jerry
October 7th, 2010
4:32 pm
Richt must be quite the risk taker. Does he not realize that when one hires one’s ex roomie, uses gimmicks such as the Florida “celebration”, wears black jerseys, etc., that it could bite him in the azz? These risks are totally unnecessary, so why take them?
Coachdawg 2000
October 7th, 2010
4:32 pm
Without Lindsey…-
Kirby Smart is not HC material. He just signals in the plays. Saban does all of the coaching (just watch all of all access footage). Muschamp hasn’t exactly set thje world on fire as a “D” coordinator.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 7th, 2010
4:35 pm
gail, have you ever been to Michigan? There is nothing that blows harder than snow in the middle of January on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Dawg Gonnit
October 7th, 2010
4:44 pm
A few bloggers and posters on the web (along with the AJC)are just fueling the fire under Richt’s hotseat. If you’re a UGA fan, all you are doing is ruining recruiting. You people think the Dawgs should never lose a game, and when they do you turn on your team! Now we’ve hit a bigtime rough patch and instead of support, all you have to offer is whining and moaning. How about supporting your team? Richt isn’t going anywhere this season, and need to stand behind our guys on Saturday vs TN. Go Dawgs!!!
Mind Over Matter
October 7th, 2010
4:52 pm
As UGA fans, all we can do now is support the team this season and see how it plays out. What do you think is going to happen? Richt gets fired next week? Who will replace him? Bobo?? He’s here for the rest of the season so live with it and support the guys who are trying to win a football game or two.
Vick=Dog killing Thug
October 7th, 2010
5:01 pm
Like anyone I’m not happy with the current situation but I support the players and CMR. I do think Bobo needs to GO.
I suspect we’ll improve as the season goes on and win 5-6 additional games. Beat GT and win a minor bowl. I DO NOT WANT CMR FIRED
scuba
October 7th, 2010
5:15 pm
HOW BOUT DEM DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!
Nacho Daddy
October 7th, 2010
5:20 pm
CMR: “Let us pray for our players”,followed by silence, then… “now, I got to get to my appointment at Toucan Tan”
DawgInLex Eats Idiot Sandwiches
October 7th, 2010
5:21 pm
And so does PapaDawg….
MURPHY
October 7th, 2010
5:27 pm
Coach
Im shocked you dont have thicker skin towards all the tough remarks.This is a part of life.When you are the head guy,even an assistant you are gonna have to take this kind of critizism.Yes its bad what some people say but its worse when coaches fuel the fire.I believe in Richt but as you know we are all gauged on wins in this what have you done for me lately world .Its life thats why he makes the big money. At the high school level its just as bad i asure you of that!
John Galt
October 7th, 2010
5:27 pm
And a coach has to state to magazine major that he is coaching his tail off? Something is bad wrong with that statement. He does not appear to be in control. Where are the trolls, stupenation?
59bulldawg
October 7th, 2010
5:34 pm
If you think the dissatisfaction among the Bulldawg faithful is because we think we should never lose game then you grossly misjudge the unhappiness. As far as I can tell, serious posters are upset instead that we’re not getting the most out of our guys and each year the program seems to be spinning increasingly out of control. And as far as recruiting is concerned, criticism on an AJC blog can in no way compare to the fiasco in Athens at the moment. You should be more concerned with the steady decline in recent years of the product on the field than a few painful but true comments on a blog. I haven’t seen a serious Blogger suggest that Richt be fired right now and I certainly haven’t come across any REAL Georgia fans who are pulling against the Dawgs. Sometimes you folks who so easily take offense need to realize that on a public blog there will also be posers and nuts as well as serious posts.
dawg stuck in SC
October 7th, 2010
5:38 pm
Quit coaching CMR, you are the problem. Leave UGA today, never coach UGA again.
Liven Up
October 7th, 2010
5:47 pm
Now let’s all just digress a little……..
Real Probem
October 7th, 2010
5:55 pm
Black Out against Alabama is a great place to begin……focused team vs run your mouth team.
Saban demanding excellence from all including coaches……Richt, I have a hard time blasting a person I like, but things are not the same on Georgia sideline.
Unless something is done SOON Saban is going to win more than one National Championship and he is going to do it with Georgia kids. Yes, they are going to rape the state of some very good players this year. WHAT SCARES ME IS NEXT YEAR……they are all over some of the best in Georgia…..this man does not sleep and we had better WAKE UP.
Real Problem
October 7th, 2010
6:07 pm
Better spell my name right if I am going to be taken seriously:).
And yes, I know he has won more than one championship.
Georgia staff needs to watch some Alabama film….NOW.
59bulldawg
October 7th, 2010
6:23 pm
LOL! Careful the spelling police won’t accept typos.