Georgia saw Cam Newton as ‘more of a tight end prospect’
ATHENS – Sound bites from Mark Richt’s news conference today:
- On Auburn quarterback Cam Newton: “Just when you thought [Tim] Tebow left town, he showed up again in another jersey.”
- On recruiting Newton as a high school player: “I remember him. He was a very talented guy, a guy that we did look at. We actually had him pegged as more of a tight end prospect. A lot of it had to do with what we like to do offensively, more of a fit [issue] than any disrespect to his ability to play quarterback. He’s proven to be pretty darn good, though.”
- On whether he expects Newton to be distracted by all the controversy swirling around him: “It was swirling last week. It didn’t seem to bother him last week. So I doubt it. . . . Usually, when you start playing ball, no matter what’s going on around you, it’s a haven for an athlete be in his element and shut the world out and go have some fun and play ball.”
- On who will simulate Newton in Georgia’s practices this week: “Well, we’ve got Parker Welch, just because he’s been our scout-team quarterback all along. And one of the best similarities I guess I could say he has to Cam is he wears No. 2 this week. Parker, he’s a great scout-team quarterback. He throws the ball real good. He’s doing great for us. But he’s not 6-6, 250. It’s just a little different.”
- On Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley: “I’ve not really seen any one man block him. I rarely have seen two guys block him very well. I’ve seen him get a sack without even touching the quarterback –- he knocked a guard into the running back and then the running back into the quarterback and the quarterback got knocked down. . . . And then when he sacks guys, he tends to like to body slam them. It makes me real nervous. Hopefully, [Aaron] Murray won’t see this press conference.”
- On whether Georgia figures it can get the ball downfield to A.J. Green vs. Auburn: “You know what the biggest problem is? The biggest problem in my opinion is Nick Fairley. Because when you’re talking about getting the ball downfield to A.J., to do that you’ve got to hold the ball a little while. And it’s hard to hold the ball a little while when that guy is coming. Because he is relentless. I think Ben Jones is a pretty good center, and I think Cordy [Glenn] is a pretty good guard, but I tell you: This guy, he’s a lot to handle. . . . Fifteen quarterback hurries, 18 tackles for loss, 7 ½ sacks — those are huge numbers for an interior defensive linemen. Those are [Warren] Sapp type of numbers. . . . Nick, he’s the closest thing I’ve seen to Warren Sapp in all the years I’ve been coaching.
- On the high profile of Saturday’s game: “We know everybody in the country is going to watch the game, but they’re probably tuning in to watch Auburn. Hopefully we’ll show up and give them something to watch.”
- On Arkansas’ victory over South Carolina last week, an outcome that would have boosted Georgia’s chances of reaching the SEC title game IF the Bulldogs had beaten Florida on Oct. 30: “I was sick. I’ll be honest with you; I was sick. . . . If we had won the Florida game, we’d have been in position to go to Atlanta depending on what happens this Saturday in Florida vs. South Carolina. And it would have been a wonderful story. But it’s not.”
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293 comments Add your comment
59bulldawg
November 9th, 2010
8:02 pm
Well forgive me if I’m wrong but the following indicates an accusation of racial bias in my book.
“I have cousins in the Atlanta schools that speak about the “network” at Georgia. The subtle undertones that when being recruited by Richt and Bobo, AA are regularly asked to switch positions. There are schools in Atlanta where a Georgia recruiter dare not go. They love the Joe Cox’s and Logan Grays but the Cam Newtons will have to change positions if they want to play at Georgia.”
John
November 9th, 2010
8:02 pm
Alabama and Florida is winning National Titles with the majority of players from Georgia. Now CMR makes this brillant statement and I can understand why. Georgia will never close the borders with the talent in Georgia until some changes in Athens occurs. Those people wouldn’t know talent if it slap them in the face.
John
November 9th, 2010
8:05 pm
59bulldawg…call it what you like 59bulldawg, but there are numerous occasions where AA has been told to switch positions by Georgia recruiters. One of which is Cam Newton, Josh Nesbitt is another that was asked to switch to safety. Call it what you like, but when Joe Cox is your choice and the Cam Newtons and Nesbitts are starting and excelling in other universtities as QB, you call a spade a spade!
John
November 9th, 2010
8:08 pm
bitter “OLE” School Dogs-fan…why are you allowed anywhere near a computer? There should be a law against typing without have a grasp of the English language. I won’t waste my time trying to decipher your word salads.
Beast from the East
November 9th, 2010
8:11 pm
JOhn,
No dog in the fight here, but I cannot believe that Richt is racist. He would not have went to the U or coached at FSU if he was. I don’t think any coach would survive that racist mindest these days when most teams’ players are at least 60% African American.
UGA class
November 9th, 2010
8:11 pm
UGA needs to start recruiting more inner city thugs like auburn, alabama and florida if they want to compete big time. Otherwise, it’s going to be more 4-5 loss seasons.
bitter "OLE" School Dogs-fan
November 9th, 2010
8:12 pm
god help me if i here any more pitty potty bull sh— from john or 59bulldawg, the entire starting defence is all black you dumb as— ol
butt no your racist i should demand a investigation way we all dont have any white boy’s playing on “D” not evan on the d line because hay we no white boy’s cant jump or run write john !!! hell 95 % of auburn squade is black but no not good enough untill all are black and everybody gets free tickets and free food. yum yum chicken and water melon, we all no white folks dont eat chicken and well whatever my man stop whinny and get some cheese with that negitve 1960 attitude. yaaaawww, hahahahahahah
John
November 9th, 2010
8:13 pm
59bulldawg…I see you have problems with the facts. Why don’t you call the Butts Mere building and ask to speak to Rodney Garner (Recruiting coordinator) and ask him personally why isn’t he welcomed on some high school campuses like other recruiters, and why does Auburn & Alabama has talent locked down in the Atlanta area. Georgia only gets what they don’t want….and that’s a fact Jack!
59bulldawg
November 9th, 2010
8:16 pm
Joe Cox was a top QB recruit coming out of college who got passed over in CMR’s rush to embrace Stafford and his NFL arm. Cox was better than people want to admit and last season cannot be blamed just on him. It’s hard to develop into the QB everyone hoped he would be when he got 95% of his snaps in only his final year of eligibility. Hell the way many so-called Georgia fans have treated the guy, it’s a wonder anyone wants to play QB for us. As for what to call our evaluation of Newton and Nesbitt . . . I think you call it inability to correctly assess talent.
bitter "OLE" School Dogs-fan
November 9th, 2010
8:17 pm
correct spelling is for puss—- john, im really black and proud that i cant spell fool, yoo moomma sx, hahahahaah richt rules, you are write joe coxxx stunk it up, butt so do your racist comments punk
John
November 9th, 2010
8:19 pm
UGA class….Yeah right, they’re thugs when they go to Auburn, Alabama, and Florida…what are they called when they go to Georgia? I know the subtle message you’re sending and I have no problem with it. I just try to warn my nephews and their friends, don’t go where you’re not respected. That means go to Auburn, Alabama or Florida.
Beast from the East
November 9th, 2010
8:21 pm
Nesbitt would be a terrible fit at UGA as a QB. He cannot pass and UGA runs a pro-style offense.
UGA isn’t the only one to miss out on Cam. He would probably do well in any style of offense but is much better suited in the spread like he is running now. He is such a threat at running that it allows him to throw to man coverage most of the time. The LB’s and safeties HAVE to respect the run.
John
November 9th, 2010
8:21 pm
bitter “OLE” School Dogs-fan….I don’t care what color you are. It’s 2010, learn to read and write! If you can’t communicate properly what good are your opinions?
59bulldawg
November 9th, 2010
8:22 pm
John, at least we do agree about “bitter ‘OLE’ School Dogs-fan”! LOL! As far as Garner not being welcome at some Atlanta high schools, I have no idea what you’re talking about!
John
November 9th, 2010
8:26 pm
Beast from the East…Nesbitt would have been a lot better than Joe Cox. Furthermore, what did Stafford really win at Georgia? the SEC east championship? NO The SEC championship? NO the national title? NO. I’m not a Tech fan but Nesbitt can claim a couple of ACC titles. Stafford had a strong arm, but how did he benefit UGA?
bitter "OLE" School Dogs-fan
November 9th, 2010
8:28 pm
eveeryone quals at atl schools fool, cam is the poster boy for atl sch, sure they can spell and you no —-steal, thugnioficient #1, cheat on test and stuff, yaaaww, atl schools #1
59bulldawg
November 9th, 2010
8:30 pm
John you won’t get an argument from me in defense of Stafford. I don’t think he was the best thing for our program . . . and he probably set it back more than he helped it.
John
November 9th, 2010
8:31 pm
59bulldawg…it’s a known fact that Georgia doesn’t have any luck recruiting out of some schools in Atlanta. I’ve heard rumors of others, but some of the problems go back to the Jim Donnan era.
blogs.ajc.com/recruiting/2009/07/21/carver-columbus-coach-bans-uga-recruiters
Beast from the East
November 9th, 2010
8:32 pm
John,
I disagree about Nesbitt. He’s a warrior and runs GT’s offense like a pro, but he would not be successful in an offense like UGA’s, Bama’s or South Carolina. They are designed around the play-action. No one respects his ability to throw the ball. They’d stack the box and it would be 3 and out all day long.
In regards to Stafford, he had all the tools but just never could win the big game. Joe Cox was a career back-up that was “awarded” the starting job by default when Stafford left a year early.
bitter "OLE" School Dogs-fan
November 9th, 2010
8:34 pm
race, race, race, race, race, black, white, yellow, brown, green, red and black and silver britches are the only colors that matter fools
John
November 9th, 2010
8:36 pm
bitter “OLE” School Dogs-fan…blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…
bitter "OLE" School Dogs-fan
November 9th, 2010
8:43 pm
blablabla, good nite ole racist friend, best to yuu and your well educated family who im sure can all spell just fine, at the end of the day i only see a “D” that i truely fell for this year, rambo and our black “D” coach gratham and all white players on “D”. go dawgs, ps remember there is no I in spelling T.E.A.M
John
November 9th, 2010
8:43 pm
Beast from the East…I think more should have been done to develp Nesbitts passing ability. He had good passing stats in High School, and did very well last year before his favorite target left for the pros. My point being, Nesbitt has given GT more in term of trophies on the grid-iron and ACC Championships, than Stafford had with his NFL prototype arm. If you can make a arguement for recruiting Stafford, yet get nothing from him, how can you then pivot and make a arguement for not recruiting Nesbitt as a QB? If anyting, GT got more from letting Nesbitt play QB than Georgia got for letting Stafford play QB.
John
November 9th, 2010
8:46 pm
bitter “OLE” School Dogs-fan…you’re quite interesting, even though I can’t fully understand your word salads.
59bulldawg
November 9th, 2010
8:47 pm
I know about the Carver problem but that’s been smoothed over from what I hear. As for Atlanta, I’ve honestly not heard of any problems except that Tennessee has traditionally done better there than we have. And that we need to focus more on Atlanta for our recruits. But not getting as many as we would like and getting our share are two different things. Atlanta is a big place . . . and there are a lot of athletes there. We can’t get them all!
Cumminfg BullDawg
November 9th, 2010
9:05 pm
All you genius Tech and Auburn Fans don’t get it. Cam Newton does not fit into the Pro style offense that UGA runs. You know the old saying keep your mouth shut rather than open it and remove all doubt!
John...you are an idiot!
November 9th, 2010
9:06 pm
Akeem Dent – Douglas HS
Ken Malcome – SWD HS
TJ Stripling – SWD HS
Branden Smith – Washington HS
Garrison Smith – Douglas HS
Kiante Tripp – Westlake
And of course you have the suburbs and exurbs thta are represented: Alpharetta, Buford, Duluth, Fayetteville, Stn Mtn. Tucker, Woodstock, Mareitta, Newnan etc.
Auburn Man
November 9th, 2010
9:13 pm
@Cumminfg BullDawg The saying is: it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Thought you might want to complete the thought accurately before you finished
removing all doubt.
Enough said
November 9th, 2010
9:16 pm
Talk is cheap….
Bubbas make lousy predictors
November 9th, 2010
9:18 pm
UGA can’t find there way home this year, woof woof….
AceDawg
November 9th, 2010
9:25 pm
The Dawgs have a shot, but they haven’t done well with scrambling QB’s… I hope that is different when they know for a fact that Newton is a mega scrambler. If the Dawgs learned from the FL game that they can match up physically and just need to get in the right frame of mind, then they’ve got a decent shot on Saturday. Go Dawgs
college is forever
November 9th, 2010
9:35 pm
http://www.collegelunchboxes.com Believe it or not but Christmas is 6 weeks away Yikes!! Check out the UGA Classic Tin Lunchbox available at Kroger in metro Atlanta and online. If you or your group are lokking for a fundrasier go to the website and send me an email. Go Dawgs, Beat Auburn!!
Gravy Train
November 9th, 2010
9:36 pm
The real reason Richt didn’t get Newton is that Richt was smart enough to see the writing on the wall. Murray isn’t having these kinds of problems, and his stats have been great for a first year starter in the most athletic conference in all the land. CMR is due for a signature win.
Let's Talk About UGA!
November 9th, 2010
9:46 pm
DawgNation,
I’m going to dash at to Kroger ASAP — as soon as Mama brings the bicycle back to the trailer.
I want the UGA classic tin Lunch box.
Do you know how much weed you could hide in one of those?
Go Dawgs!
Sic ‘em!
Woof! Woof! Woof!
NoSpinDawg
November 9th, 2010
9:56 pm
Wow. A tight end? We sure know how to pick out them tight ends. UGA has a ton of them and they always seem to pan out.
They also know how to pick qb’s to run the system they run. Cam Newton wouldn’t have fit in this system.
He also would’ve been kicked off the team by now. So it doesn’t really matter.
However, had he stayed at Florida, he’d have been kicked off the team… for a few weeks and then reinstated before the next big game… but only because he’s “straighted up” and followed the rules he needed to follow to be let back on the team.
He wouldn’t have lasted at UGA whether he had been brought in to play qb or tight end.
ol' balls coach
November 9th, 2010
10:17 pm
Let’s see – Cam Newton is a TE, and Joe Tereshinski is a QB…hmmm???
Florida owns GA AND their water
November 9th, 2010
10:23 pm
Jaglaw,
You are probably as good a lawyer as Mark Richt is a coach. Get a life.
Pitbull
November 9th, 2010
10:44 pm
This game is probably going to be a Bama, black shirts, replay!
bob
November 9th, 2010
11:13 pm
Richt saw Newton as a TE and saw King as the next Herschel. Maybe the recruiting services are actually in the schools pockets or maybe Richt can’t coach a lick.
ChiliDawg
November 9th, 2010
11:21 pm
The Dawgs may not win, but they will cover the 8.5 spread. I have mixed feelings about our program right now though. We have a hard time winning big games since Van Gorder left.
bob
November 9th, 2010
11:23 pm
…since Donnan’s recruits left we have had a hard time winning.
AltamahaDawg
November 9th, 2010
11:29 pm
Gawdalmighty folks!. He didnt fit, we didnt recruit him. Years later Richt makes an offhanded comment that he remembers considering how good he would be at TE for us, which clearly he would have been a hell of one. I pretty damn sure Richt knows what QBs do, and what they look like.
Boca Baby
November 10th, 2010
12:31 am
Wow! ESPN is now reporting that Cam and his father negotiated a deal with Auburn involving money. And Cam reportedly called Miss State to apologize for changing his mind that his father said the money from Auburn “was just too much.” Where have we seen this before? Auburn paying recruits, committing major recruiting violations–the more things change the more they remain the same. All it takes if for Auburn to be down for a couple or three years and the dollars start waving. Like the A.J. Green story, you just knew there was more to the story than just a trip to Miami.
Boca Baby
November 10th, 2010
12:35 am
Don’t make too much of this seeing Cam Newton as a tight end. Jim Kelly was recruited by Penn State and Paterno told Kelly that if he came Penn State he would be playing linebacker. Kelly opted for Miami where he was told that he would have an opportunity to play QB. Four trips to the Super Bowl later…. Even the best of coaches sometimes drop the ball on evaluating talent.
TIGER>pups
November 10th, 2010
3:38 am
Lets see…. UGA 4-5 and your whopping FOUR wins have come against teams that are a combined 12-33. Good luck Saturday your built Ford tough coach AKA pastor Richt is about to lose game number SIX. But dont worry you will have him ATLEAST one more year! BAHAHA TIGERS 55 PUPS 27
BoWeevil
November 10th, 2010
4:51 am
Georgia tek could not block The University of Georgia from regaining our Degrees in Engineering stolen from us during the Great Depression.
11 of the 18 Board of Regents are UGA grads.
It was bound to happen.
Only 4 Georgia tek grads are on the Board of Regents.
Willis Potts voted for UGA, a Georgia tek grad – so, it is by his vote that we regain the civil engineering, electronic/electrical engineering and mechanical engineering majors.
This is The University of Georgia after all. We should have the degrees available for all students who want to go to a college that is not 29 percent women of all races and 30 percent Asian men.
Georgia Southern expands their degrees too, as it is painfully obvious that Georgia tek is interested in holding an unfair monopoly on engineering degrees which it has been wholly unable to get the students in this state interested in attending Georgia tek to get.
There is more to college than 4 Coca-Colas, 2 bags of peanuts, 4 hotdogs and a free parking space.
There is also more to college than bragging to everyone than you are Number 36.
36 in the nation national university, Georgia tek
56 in the nation national university, The University of Georgia
“We’re Number 36; we’re number 36; we’re number 36” like Georgia tek is some Harvard U.S. News and World Report 2011 rankings of National Universities.
This restores UGA to offering a full range of undergraduate majors, master’s, and doctoral degrees, and to be committed to producing groundbreaking research with Federal Grants only available to Georgia tek unfairly because they took it away from us.
If I am a student at UGA, I should be able to take courses of study and determine that I want to be an Engineering Major. I should not have to transfer to the North Avenue Trade School to do so. I don’t like the campus there and don’t feel safe there. I also do not care for the student body there at Georgia tek.
BoWeevil
November 10th, 2010
4:53 am
Sports at Georgia tek are a joke.
10 million Georgians deserve more than 1 choice.
Provincial outmoded protectionism to provide a cartel over degrees in this state that prevent The University of this state from offering these degrees to the youth of this great State and to the students at UGA deciding on what they want to do with their lives is over.
Georgia tek, afforded this ill-begotten advantage of only they offering these degrees has failed to transform Georgia tek into a Harvard, a Stanford, a Duke. Yet, it thinks it is because we gave it this power over our youth in Georgia.
# 36 Georgia tek
# 56 The University of Georgia
Let’s see what UGA can do competing for those Federal Grants.
$ 1186 tuition less per year plus another $ 286 less in room and board, half as many attend Georgia tek than The University of Georgia. The students are much more satisfied with The University of Georgia, probably highly affected by the fact that the student body at UGA is far more diverse and more normal, and this is probably most affected by the fact that students have never felt safe on Georgia tek’s “campus” or the block outside its “campus.”
1 is vibrant and has things going on, and the other does not. 1 is more lively, exciting, alive and vital. Georgia tek has always acted so elitist as if they think they are Harvard. They are not, not at # 36, they are not.
Fall of not next year, but the year after, students begin enrolling. Those jobs are available because Georgia tek has not been getting the job done to fill them.
Alabama Jacket
November 10th, 2010
6:09 am
Glad Georgia does not have Newton on the team! Reggie Bush all over again! Auburn program will go down in flames!!
Big Dawg
November 10th, 2010
6:25 am
Mark Richt wouldn’t recognize talent if it hit him in the head with a laptop. As long as he and his stooges are around, we can always count on 2 wins against Florida every decade. “Didn’t fit our system?” Since the CMR system isn’t too freaking successful, maybe you want to change your system.
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November 10th, 2010
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[...] Cam Newton, tight end prospect, had enrolled at Georgia, the Red and Black would likely be having a field day with him and Richt [...]