Mark Richt to Macon Bulldog Club: ‘I know what the hell I’m doing, OK?’
I was in Augusta Wednesday night for the Georgia Bulldog Club tour stop there and found coach Mark Richt to be calm and typically laid back. Other than his pointed comments on Washaun Ealey, the meeting was generally warm and fuzzy and it came and went without much controversy.
That wasn’t the case in Macon last night. According to my old friend Michael Lough, who covered the meeting for the Macon Telegraph, Richt got a little feisty with one particularly whiny fan. In the question-and-answer session, one man apparently droned on and on about Georgia’s poor running game last season and his apparent dissatisfaction with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
That apparently lit a fire under Richt.
“I see your frustration, I understand your frustration,” Lough quoted Richt as saying.“I wasn’t born yesterday, I’ve coached football for 25 years, so I know what the hell I’m doing, OK? . . . I appreciate your passion, I appreciate your support for this football team. Everybody can just calm down and know that we’re in good hands. . . . And Bryan McClendon is a hell of a coach, he’s a hell of a recruiter. And I’m glad we got Bryan McClendon.”
Richt’s remarks, Lough reported, elicited a strong ovation from the crowd gathered at the Walnut Creek Shooting Preserve.
Not surprisingly, the normally-chaste Richt apologized a short time later for using the word “hell.” But he also reiterated his disappointment in the tailback situation and the fact that none of the lettermen have stepped up and seized the position in anticipation of Isaiah Crowell’s arrival later this summer.
So what do you think? Glad to hear such passion come out Georgia’s sometimes staid head coach? Disappointed with his word choice?
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595 comments Add your comment
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 29th, 2011
6:08 pm
I find it very interesting that all of you negative commenters on here can actually think that McGarity is trying to get his own coach fired. He has helped him a lot from what has been reported and I think CMR has that fire in his gut because he feels good about his job and AD. I would much rather find out a lot about my DAWGS playing some strong competition for the first game, then to wonder what my team will look like, when the first game, for 9 out of 12 of all you terrific SEC power houses are against cream puffs. Alabama fans, you should have a real easy time figuring out what your team is composed of, with the first tough game against, that powerhouse Kent State. And Auburn, I bet Utah State has you shaking in your boots. LSU, Georgia and Ole Miss. are the only three teams playing real teams in the first week. 9 of the rest of the SEC are playing Patsies at best. Scrimmage teams.
I don’t want to forget our competition from Georgia as tech. opens against western Carolina.
Dawg4life
April 29th, 2011
6:12 pm
Coach, as a fellow Christian, I have used the word myself. I know beyond doubt you’ve since asked for forgiveness because I know you want to maintain a good witness.
However said, I am convinced Bulldawg Nation knows full well that the flame in your coaching life is burning bright!!!!
God Bless Coach Richt!!!!!
NA
April 29th, 2011
6:20 pm
I get tired of the whiny people also, Most of those whinning have nothing to do but whine as they could never run a footbal team.
Glad to here Mark Richt get fired up.
Still behind this coach all the way, I do not think you can find a better man
Go Dawgs.
kickitoff
April 29th, 2011
6:35 pm
Hip, Hip, Hooray…about time we start to see a little emotion from coach, He needs to light a fire under some butts
Paddy
April 29th, 2011
6:36 pm
Can’t run the ball if your line is not as effective as Vanderbilts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Truly study the game of football, the trends, and what's going on.
April 29th, 2011
6:36 pm
Were any women or children in the building
when all ‘ HELL’ broke loose?
Ed (The Original)
April 29th, 2011
6:36 pm
Coach, if you have to tell someone that you know what the hell you’re doing (because it’s not obvious from watching Georgia football), well….
It Ain't Rocket Science
April 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
Ed The Original,
How many years did you coach college ball? Just wondering because you seem to think that UGA isn’t being coached so you must have the qualifications.
coondawg69
April 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
Irish Dog, you are correct. Somebody please tell Webster that knowing and executing are not synonyms!!
Tech 54
April 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
Good for CMR. A little fire in the belly has been missing up there. I’m sure CMR is a fine fellow and he is certainly an accomplished coach. If we can say “to hell with Georgia”, then what the hell?
Coffee Bluff DAWG
April 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
Way to go Coach Richt. You don’t have to sit there and let some turkey from Macon waste everyone’s time.
Bulldawgman49
April 29th, 2011
7:09 pm
I think he needed to get it off his chest, No man can take the behind the back talk that everybody seem to be doing even me . I feel that you need that passion in football and it was good to hear it.
So I said GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS SIC-Em WOOFWOOF WOOF yea Baby !!!!!!!!!
bubba4dawgs
April 29th, 2011
7:09 pm
You Go, Coach! You have every right to say what you did!! You used a slang expression that suggests anger not blasphemy of the Lord! You’re entitled to a breaking point and you handled it beautifully! You have to tire of the moronic naysayers who just keep on and on. The way to support the Dawgs is to say positive things about them. You are indeed one one “helluva” coach and the real Dawg Nation is pleased of your being here! Hang in there! Let’s kick butt and move on. Hey, moronic Maconite……go suck your mama’s hind tit!
Auburn fan
April 29th, 2011
7:24 pm
You’re doing a heck of a job Richt [snicker]! War Eagle
howard
April 29th, 2011
7:24 pm
Richt can rant all he wants to about having coached 25 years. The question is does he have 25 years worth of experience or one year repeated 25 times. Based on the last few years, I would say he’s just been coaching for 25 years but doesn’t have much experience recently when it comes to coaching to win. I think he needs to go.
notageorgia fan
April 29th, 2011
7:26 pm
I am not a Georgia fan, but good for Coach Richt. Some of these folks need to get a life, If hell is the worse word coming out of Richt’s mouth, he doesn’t have too much to worry about.
LarryatLeesburg
April 29th, 2011
7:31 pm
Ecclesias 7:20 “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good. No matter how righteous a man is he is always a sinner, We can expect CMR to have the same short comings as anyone else. I love him, he is doing a great job at Georgia, and I hope that he spends as many or more years coaching at Georgia as Coach Dooly. For those that are always complaining you have no idea what you are talking about, you just want to whine. God Bless CMR.
Burma Shave (the beloved original)
April 29th, 2011
7:35 pm
Everyone wants
Richt to go
Why does the jerk
Still say no?
BURMA SHAVE
YourPoliticalAnimal
April 29th, 2011
7:35 pm
Let’s see . . . we now have seen President Obama’s birth certificate, and Mark Richt said the word “hell.” Will someone wake me when something significant happens . . . .
BIG BEE
April 29th, 2011
7:37 pm
Must have had a lesson from CPJ. Punch him in the face Mark!!!
guy
April 29th, 2011
7:48 pm
Auburn fan,
Snicker all you want but the sun doesn’t shine on one dogs(or tigers) _ss everyday. Pride cometh before the fall!
Flying Tiger
April 29th, 2011
8:02 pm
Christian? Hypocrite, yeah thats him…
Bible Thumpers
April 29th, 2011
8:38 pm
Proverbs 16:18
Pride precedes a disaster, and an arrogant attitude precedes a fall.
Mr Richt needs to study this one.
Nobody keers about his stinkin record 25 years ago which he takes pride in, with great arrogance say what does a fan know about football compared to an expert like him?
If you not humble enough to change, you gonna get disaster.
Disaster coming in 2011.
The word is true.
Patrick
April 29th, 2011
8:42 pm
UGA fans are just happy for a 6 & 5 year. Justy look at Dooley’s record on a yearly basis. Well that means we lost to every good team in the SEC unless it was the one in 10 in years we lost to KY or Vandy. Of yes we did win one championship in 25 years “great” Oh but ND was blown out by USC in their last game.
Lets face it if you want the same, CMR is great, if you want to win the national championship lets get Saban or a dead pearson.
Patrick
April 29th, 2011
8:49 pm
P.S my father played on for UGA in 1941 thru n1942 including the rose bowl.
DG
April 29th, 2011
8:57 pm
Can’t blame Richt. I get sick and tired of hearing people whine and cry about Bobo, too. The Dogs could average 35 points a game, & people will call for his head because he called a draw play on a 3rd & 25. Get real. You had to know the Dogs would struggle when they switched to a 3-4. Saban struggled when he moved Alabama to a 3-4 in his first year there. The defense will be a lot better now that they have a year to learn it, and they are recruiting for it.
Yeah, Patrick, we’ll just go get Saban. Better yet ‘dead pearson’ who ever that is.
Hunkerdown
April 29th, 2011
8:57 pm
Even CMR is human. Cursing is not his style and I doubt you will hear any more any time soon from him. I know he is passsionate about UGA and a great coach. Look forward to what should be an entertaining kickoff game against Boise State.
savannahdawg
April 29th, 2011
9:03 pm
Hell yea! Show some respect when coach comes to your town! Keep your uneducated whining to these stupid blogs!!!
Tech Man
April 29th, 2011
9:09 pm
I’m glad he responded the way he did. These clowns out there who think they know football (including some Tech fans) ought to be glad they have a coach like CMR and CPJ. These guys have been in football all their adult lives and have forgotten more than we fans will ever know. Give the coaches a break. Way to go coach.
Senator Blutarsky
April 29th, 2011
9:13 pm
At my prestigious law firm, we curse like sailors. I love cursing on blogs too. Considering the 1-4 start, 6-7 was an incredible year!!!!! Coach Richt is the best coach in history, in any sport, bar none!!!! The running game was unbelievable last year!!!!!!
Dawg in gatorville
April 29th, 2011
9:37 pm
Coach Richt is a great football coach.. He may be too loyal to his assistants, But he does know what the hell he is doing! Right on CMR!
sicht of richt
April 29th, 2011
9:50 pm
Wow. What a classless, greedy, self-absorbed talent waster. I can’t believe you idiots keep giving him “just one more year”. He will never be a championship coach. Enjoy mediocrity while the likes of Auburn….Florida…..Alabama…..etc run all over your butts. Hell….at this rate you’ll be on Random Inbred Revoltingly Ugly Dog XXXVIIII and Vandy will win a national championship before UGA even sniffs the crotch of a bowl game within a week of the BCS Bowl.
You know how whenever an NFL job comes up, Mark Richt’s name is always mentioned? Oh….that’s right…..he’s never mentioned.
Bible Thumpers
April 29th, 2011
9:50 pm
1 Corinthians 13:
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful
Mr. Richt, with his response to this fan, was impatient, unkind, boastful, insisted on his own way, appeared irrated and resentful the questions was asked.
DawgVoiceofReason
April 29th, 2011
10:06 pm
Two points.
One, Coach Richt does show emotion during games. What he doesn’t do, is lose control. I have seen him get angry with officials, and it has been shown on TV. He then goes back to coaching the game.
Two, if you reread the account of his remarks to the know-it-all fan, he did NOT cuss the guy out. The majority of his words were respectful of the fan and in support of his coaches, but marked clearly by anger or frustation as indicated by his bringing up his 25 years of coaching and his use of the interjection he chose.
DawgVoiceofReason
April 29th, 2011
10:19 pm
There is a point at which the know-it-all fan, who has the nerve to lecture the head coach on what he ought to be doing and the quality of his coaches, is going to push any head coach too far. Coach Richt listened to what he had to say and then passionately responded. I personally am sick of people on this blog, and on the radio, and now at Bulldog Club meetings, who think they have all of the answers, but frequently say things that show a complete lack of understanding of the game of college football or at minimum say things they can’t possibly prove or know for sure as though they were absolute facts. Good for Coach Richt setting this guy straight.
Summit Dawg
April 29th, 2011
10:22 pm
I have to agree with the fan to a point…..Mike Bobo was a quarterback, and therefore seems to build the offense around the quarterback. Georgia is and has always been “Running Backs U.” but not
under Mr. Bobo. Washaun Ealey is used to touching the ball a lot more times than Mr. Bobo has
allowed him too….give him the ball and let him go…..Thank God, Mr. Bobo wasn’t around during
Hershel’s days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MountainDawg
April 29th, 2011
10:22 pm
Ol’ CMR is feeling the pressure & gave the drunken jock sniffer an earful. LOL! I hope Coach Richt takes some of that “fire” to the players & cracks down on the off field misbehavior & on-field discipline.
tc
April 29th, 2011
10:41 pm
I agree with the fan! I am also sick of CMR blaming his players “none have stepped up” the truth is that none of the coaches have developed their running backs and created a succesful running game. The players have a track record of being excellent running backs in high school, the coaches have a track record of not having a consistant running game and an inability to develop their young running backs. CMR STOP BLAMING YOUR PLAYERS! they are good players! It is you that is a sorry HC.
Tech 54
April 29th, 2011
10:43 pm
@Flying Tiger
April 29th, 2011
8:02 pm
“Fools names and fools faces are often seen in public places”. You are looking a bit foolish, my friend.
DawgVoiceofReason
April 29th, 2011
10:44 pm
So, Hop Along,
Here’s an interesting article in support of your theory http://bleacherreport.com/articles/512594-college-football-run-vs-pass-which-wins-championships . However, did you consider how mediocre the defenses were for the teams you list below? I didn’t think so. None of those teams were known for defense. That definitely played a part in why the teams listed below didn’t win, including Georgia. As you may recall, we gave up a ton of points in all the games we lost that year, despite scoring points.
April 29th, 2011
12:29 pm
“Let’s say Richt leads the SEC in passing, will that translate to winning the SEC?
2006 Kentucky
2007 Kentucky
2008 Georgia
2009 Arkansas
2010 Arkansas
No. You don’t even win your division, much less the SEC.”
Tech 54
April 29th, 2011
10:46 pm
Burma Shave (the beloved original)
April 29th, 2011
7:35 pm
You are beloved, right? Richt a jerk? Do you own a mirror? Look at yourself. Honestly!!!
tc
April 29th, 2011
10:47 pm
I am sure the fan is frustrated just like me. All the fan wants to know is that CMR is making some changes to improve the running game. The fact is that CMR is not doing anything different so why should we expect the running game to be better. CMR got angry because he really doesn’t know how to fix the running game and never has.
Tech 54
April 29th, 2011
10:48 pm
@Flying Tiger
April 29th, 2011
8:02 pm
Christian? Hypocrite, yeah thats him…
PITEEFUL, JUST PITEEFUL
guy
April 29th, 2011
10:50 pm
Bible Thumpers,
Be careful of your sarcastic remarks.You are not fooling anyone! Just make sure you are the authority as you seem to think you are.
tc
April 29th, 2011
10:51 pm
No one cares how many years CMR has been coaching. All we care about is getting our program back to where it should be and until it is fans will be looking to CMR for answers and he needs to be prepared to provide them.
GR82BAG8R
April 29th, 2011
10:51 pm
Georgia has perennial top-10 recruiting classes. Georgia also has top-notch running backs in its stable – - all hailed as blue chip recruits. Georgia is one of the most successful college programs in the country, due to sellouts of a 92000 seat stadium and required contributions in order to buy tickets. A fan looks at all this and asks an obvious question and Richt thinks the fan believes he doesn’t know what he is doing? The 6 – 7 record said that earlier.
Tech 54
April 29th, 2011
10:51 pm
@Auburn fan
April 29th, 2011
7:24 pm
You’re doing a heck of a job Richt [snicker]! War Eagle
You got that barn painted yet, Boy?
FLA DAWG
April 29th, 2011
11:00 pm
Richt’s reponse in my opinion in one of desperation – I think he is humiliated – knowing the forthcoming season is one of despiration. It’ s make or break for Richt and he will use whatever talent he has to make a good show this season. My belief is that won’t be good enough…………and if he can’t do it now the I don’t think he ever will.
Dawg Players, you guys have lots of talent. I question your coaching…………………..is it the level you thought it would be?
Johnny B
April 29th, 2011
11:01 pm
Glad to hear that Richt is human after all. Do it again toward those immature players once in a while. He is no lesser a man for voicing his passion than anyone else and he does have more pressure than 10 of us anyway
martin
April 29th, 2011
11:08 pm
bigger fake than jim and tami baker put togeather