Perception of Bobo varies greatly between fans, coaches
Georgia's offense has actually increased its production under the guidance of coordinator Mike Bobo.
ATHENS – Mike Gottfried says Georgia fans should be careful what they wish for with regard to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The long time college football analyst predicts Bobo likely will be leaving the Bulldogs sooner than they think — and it won’t be under the circumstances they might expect.
“They won’t have him long,” said Gottfried, a sportscaster and former head coach at Pittsburgh and three other college programs. “He will be a head coach real soon. Coach Bobo is a great human being and a great coach and he’s going to be a great head coach some day, without any doubt.”
Gottfried’s comments illustrate g the disjoint there is between fans’ perceptions the job Bobo is doing and what people inside the business think.
To a large contingent in the Bulldog nation, he is “Bobo the Buffoon” and “Mike Boo-Boo.” He’s characterized in fan forums and chatrooms as a dimwit who is overmatched weekly against the SEC’s powerful defensive minds. But inside college football Bobo in a much different light.
They point to the yards and points Georgia puts up every year, to Bobo’s development of high-caliber quarterbacks and skill players, to his cunning and effectiveness as a recruiter.
Most importantly, Bobo’s boss is quite pleased with him
“Well, I like what he does or he wouldn’t be there,” head coach Mark Richt said succinctly.
Indeed, Georgia’s offense has been very productive under Bobo’s leadership. Since succeeding Richt as the team’s play-caller and being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2007, the Bulldogs have averaged 392.5 yards and 31.6 points per game. That represents an increase of 4.5 yards and 3.3 points over what the team was doing when Richt was calling the shots on a game-by-game basis.
Bobo’s offenses have advanced the ball in more than one way as well. In 2007, the Bulldogs were among the SEC’s best rushing teams at 177 yards per game while finishing eighth passing. A year later they led the league in passing. This past season the Bulldogs were among the conference leaders in both rushing (5th) and passing (3rd).
Bobo’s offenses have been especially good at scoring. The Bulldogs have averaged more than 30 points per game in all but the 2009 season when they scored 28.9.
Nevertheless, a quick Google search pulls up webpages with unflattering names as “Fire Bobo,” Fire Bobo The Clown,” and “Keep Richt, Fire Bobo.”
None of which seems to faze Bobo at all. “I don’t pay any attention to that stuff,” he said.
Which is exactly the tact Bobo should take, Richt said.
“We don’t worry about that,” he said with a laugh. “Anybody who is a play-caller is 100 percent guaranteed to be criticized and critiqued and helped and anything else you can imagine. It comes with the territory.
“I don’t know how many years I called plays at Florida State. We had a pretty good run of victories and offensive output. But I caught heck all the time. I had one guy that was the president of the ‘Evict Richt Club.’ He had his website up and running and that was before they even had websites I think.”
Nevertheless.there is evidence that Bobo is underappreciated even inside the glassy walls of Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. Despite being a relative veteran in the volatile SEC coaching community – 12 years at one school, five as a coordinator – Bobo is not high-paid among his peers.
Bobo’s current salary of $325,000 per year ranks in the bottom half of the SEC and well behind those of relative newcomers such as Alabama’s Doug Nussmaier ($590,000), Auburn’s Scot Loeffler ($500,000) and Florida’s Brent Pease ($500,000), according to published reports.
Meanwhile, the trend in the college football business is for coordinators to have multiyear contracts. UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is about to ink his second three-year deal at more than twice Bobo’s salary. Bobo’s latest one-year deal expires June 30 of this year.
Bobo steadfastly refuses to discuss his contract status or any of the other job offers he’s received (there have been “a few,” he said).
“That’s not my style,” he said. “That’s just not who I am.”
Bobo, a father of five, said he prefers “to just do my job.” But it likely won’t be long before he commands more attention on the market. Bobo is represented by Birmingham-based attorney/agent Russ Campbell. Campbell’s client list includes a number of high-profile head coaches, including one whose name has been in the headlines lately — Bobby Petrino.
“Certainly the current trend has been toward multiyear contracts [for assistants],” Campbell told The AJC. “But like Mike, it’s just not our practice to talk about negotiations at all in the press. It just leaves a bad taste in the school’s mouth and it’s just not the way we do business. So I can’t confirm or deny that any negotiations are underway.”
But, salary talk aside, Campbell doesn’t believe his client gets enough respect.
“That’s something my partner and I have observed; the perception isn’t there on him that should be,” Campbell said. “If you look at the production, clearly he’s been very productive, very good for the offense. He’s a young coach and we really believe in him. But there’s a disjoint in perception and I find that curious. I think that’s one of the challenges we have, to try to change that a little bit.”
More than anything, Gottfried believes Bobo’s simply a victim of staying in the same place a long time.
“Sometimes it’s like when I see some of my former players, I still see them as 18 years old and they might be 35 or 40,” Gottfried said. “I think the fans still see him as that young quarterback. They don’t see him as the strategist who’s very intelligent and thinking ahead and setting up the gameplan every week. I think that’s what it is with the fans.”
Year Play-caller Total Scoring Pass Rush
2011 Bobo 3 (413.8) 4 (32.2) 3 (247.2) 5 (172.7)
2010 Bobo 8 (385.0) 4 (32.7) 5 (242.4) 10 (142.6)
2009 Bobo 8 (362.2) 7 (28.9) 7 (201.2) 7 (161.0)
2008 Bobo 2 (426.0) 3 (31.5) 1 (277.7) 5 (148.3)
2007 Bobo 6 (375.6) 5 (32.6) 8 (198.4) 4 (177.2)
2006 Richt 10 (311.8) 7 (25.2) 9 (184.4) 7 (127.4)
2005 Richt 3 (391.2) 2 (29.5) 2 (229.0) 3 (162.2)
2004 Richt 3 (404.5) 6 (27.9) 2 (247.7) 9 (156.8)
2003 Richt 5 (380.3) 7 (26.5) 3 (245.4) 10 (134.9)
2002 Richt 4 (384.9) 1 (32.1) 3 (245.4) 9 (139.6)
2001 Richt 3 (432.8) 4 (28.6) 5 (270.4) 4 (162.5)
TOTALS (avg) 5 (388.0) 4.6 (29.8) 4.4 (234.8) 6.6 (153.2)
- Georgia has averaged 388 yards and 29.8 points over the 11 years of Richt’s tenure.
- The offense averaged 392.5 yards and 31. 6 points in the five seasons Bobo was play-caller
- The offense averaged 384.3 yards and 28.3 points in the six seasons Richt was play-caller.
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177 comments Add your comment
'94 UGA Alumni
April 12th, 2012
9:57 pm
Bobo is fine until we have the lead late in the game. He does not know how to go for the jugular and end the dang game.
Reporter Dawg
April 12th, 2012
9:58 pm
The hits Bobo takes from UGA fans simply come from past failures in tight game situations where Georgia has failed to deliver in the clutch. Of course that has not been his fault, but the criticism comes from the actual choice of plays which, because they failed, is pointed out as a failure against a top defensive mind from the other team’s defensive staff (or coordinator). I feel very sorry for Mike in these situations, because many of the losses Richt has endured prior to last season were resulting from an execution failure on offense combined with slip-shod defensive play (which he has nothing to do with). Let’s see what happens this Fall with a powerful D returning…if they don’t all get suspended.
TampaGator
April 12th, 2012
10:00 pm
I hear Jesus is planning to return from heaven so he can replace Richt as the head coach at Georgia….after Richt has recruited an entire team of born-again Christians. I also hear Jesus calls his own preordained plays and has no need of Bobo’s services.
Snoop Dawg
April 12th, 2012
10:01 pm
This article is just incredible. As in not believable. Bobo is an idiot. He is a crony of Vince Dooley’s. He’s in the UGA mafia. He is one of the main reasons why the Dawgs choke more than not against anyone of any talent.
What can the Bulldog Nation do to hasten his upward mobility to another program? I hope he gets promoted to an SEC team like Auburn or Arkansas. Then we won’t have to worry about losing to them anytime soon.
The statistics do not tell the story with Richt and Bobo. This is like Nazi propaganda. Look past this red herring and you see excellent recruit salesmanship, poor conditioning, pathetic player development, zero discipline or presence on the field, lousy game plans, and horrendous play calls.
The buck stops with Richt, but Bobo is the enabler.
This article was a joke. Only a fool would believe such drivel.
BTW, the word is tack, not tact–as in the direction that a sailboat goes. Please get a grammar and spell checker.
TampaGator
April 12th, 2012
10:03 pm
Hey….when JC does return to coach the Dawgs……(as he did in the body of Vince Dooley in 1980)…..Georgia will once again win a national title. But, the following year, Georgia loses to Tech and the Dawg fans crucifiy JC again….and he returns to heaven……and Satan sends Smart to Athens…..and all returns to normal in Athens.
Snoop Dawg
April 12th, 2012
10:04 pm
PS Who do you think is responsible for execution of the offensive unit? Answer: Bobo.
Snoop Dawg
April 12th, 2012
10:05 pm
Tampa is a lousy place to live.
Alah
April 12th, 2012
10:06 pm
I just sent a lightening bolt from heaven and sent that sorry TampaGator fellow staight to hell…..along with the entire Florida Gators football team…….and it felt really, really good.
Buddah
April 12th, 2012
10:08 pm
But I intercepted TampaGator on the way to hell……and he is now in a permanent state of perfect Karma….along with the entire Florida Gators football team.
6-18 Against End of Season Ranked Teams Since '05
April 12th, 2012
10:08 pm
….please, oh please, someone offer him a HC job……
Buddah
April 12th, 2012
10:11 pm
Mohammad…..
I just blew the hell out of that perfect state of Karma TampaGator was in…..pulling one of my virgin crazed deciples from personally inflicted misery to do the job……taking out the entire Florida Gators football team with him…..and it felt really, really good.
6-18 Against End of Season Ranked Teams Since '05
April 12th, 2012
10:12 pm
….and please, oh please, have Bobo take Richt with him as his OC….
Sam
April 12th, 2012
10:13 pm
BoBo is an excellent coach and pretty darn good play caller. The problem is we have a fan base that plays too much NCAA football on x-box and think they have an understanding of play calling.
6-18 Against End of Season Ranked Teams Since '05
April 12th, 2012
10:13 pm
Snoop Dawg, Tampa maybe a lousy place to live…..but at least they are able to keep their pro hockey team!!!
Jesus Christ
April 12th, 2012
10:15 pm
I just pulled off another miracle and saved TampaGator out of the explosion……..and the entire Florida Gators football team with him…..and it felt really, really good. But I made him promise to become a lifelong member of the TEA PARTY before I did it. He has now seen the light……but I had to agree to let him blow up the entire Florida State football team before he agreed to the deal….and he said it felt really, really good.
6-18 Against End of Season Ranked Teams Since '05
April 12th, 2012
10:16 pm
No Sam….we have a fan base that expects a National Championship once in a great while from a program that is ranked as the 2nd most profitable school in all of the NCAA!!!
TampaGator
April 12th, 2012
10:18 pm
Hey….I just experienced a miracle and have returned to heaven on earth….the Tampa Bay area. Praise Jesus, Rick Scott, Sen. Rubio….and Sara Palin….all now my heros.
TampaGator
April 12th, 2012
10:22 pm
OK…..not sure why I did all of that. Probably because I live in such a lousy place and am bored out of my mind from walking on white, sandy beaches while dolphins play in the crystal clear surf in 80 degree weather with no humidy. I just hate that. What a lousy way to live. All I can still go to a hockey game in season.
TampaGator
April 12th, 2012
10:25 pm
Too many typos….time to shut this nonsense down.
GaterHater
April 12th, 2012
10:28 pm
TampaGator, get lost; you’re out of line. Poke fun of MR’s Christianity all you want, but I’m glad to know he will never embarrass the dawg nation like the embarrassing lunatic on your sideline, or do something moronic and humiliating like the ex-hog coach. Plus we routinely acquire commitments to our program due to his faith and beliefs. Plus he’s a freaking good coach. I guarantee you muskchump won’t be wining the SEC champ game in his second year or any time soon. He has won big games and will win more. Take your comments elsewhere; perhaps to a gator blog where they will be embraced with slimy scaly arms……..On a different note, are those numbers statistically significant? GO DOGS!
Chris
April 12th, 2012
10:29 pm
people just blame all there teams probably on the coach and the qb. We have top qbs and offensive coordinators, but uga fans can’t see it
Douglas
April 12th, 2012
10:31 pm
What a piece of crap article? As a former systems analyst, why don’t you put out the stats on how Bobo has done against top tier teams! It will probably be pretty lousy. Yeah, his stats on offense may be high on average, but let’s compare how those stats are against SEC teams. To win in the SEC, you must be able to run first and then pass — Bobo has not figured this out yet.
uga goon
April 12th, 2012
10:33 pm
Bobo needs to go period. No excuses. Georgia has talent across the board. Like mentioned before the play calling is way too predictable with a run up the middle and playaction pass to tight end. Also when the passing is working they stop. When the run is never working we run even more. Dunno how many 3 and out’s we have a game but its alot. SItuational downs example 3rd n inches come out in shotgun and pass. 3rd n long run up the middle. Bottom line get rid of him he can’t utilize the talent on the team. And stop with the silly bubble screens
Otis for UGA
April 12th, 2012
10:40 pm
Douglas has a good point regarding close games (mostly SEC games) But is it Bobo of late or is it Murray pressing too much?? When Murray is on he is awesome but when he presses too much he is a bit hasty. Check out his stats in the Big Games Bobo’s plays are good they just arent executed. I hope AM will calm down this year and play consistently for all the games,
Otis for UGA
April 12th, 2012
10:43 pm
UGA Goon you are correct as well– but would we be in all those 3rd down situations if AM had performed the play as it was called????? You cant blame on one player or coach only the team. Sure I would call some different plays in certain situations and I bitch outloud about CMB calls but at the same time our boys need to execute
Alphare
April 12th, 2012
10:54 pm
Stats are for losers.
icedawg
April 12th, 2012
11:00 pm
Bobo has been average as a play caller and offensive strategist. In recent years he has had offensive lines that have been so so pass protectors against mediocre teams and totally inept at run blocking. He has to work with the talent that he has so offensive mediocrity is not all his fault. The OL talent has been a fizzle. Some of his calls at the end of games have been less than stellar. Running when runs have not been working. Bizarre! Having said that, he could turn out to be a good head coach. Some guys who are not great assistants turn out to be good head coaches. So, I hope he gets the opportunity to test that out. He might surprise a lot of folks.
Ole Yeller Dawg
April 12th, 2012
11:03 pm
Coach Mike BoBo – Offensive game plan:
We will soon have them, right where they want us.
~Maxwell Smart
We love ya Mike! DGD
What matters is what the alumni think, not some 16 year old kid trying to gig UGA
April 12th, 2012
11:27 pm
IF UGA wins the SEC this year and goes to a BCS Bowl game, then the negativity swirling around the UGA program wil subside. BOBO is a big part of that. He needs to have em light it up in 2012. UGA fans expect a high powered running game this year, agumented by a high wire passing act.
Murray needs to develop BIG GAME NADS. HE IS 65% of the issues on UGA ’s O. He panics and throws easy pic 6s and fumbles for pick up quick 6s and we all know the specific games.
If BOBO can calm down Murray and get him to think about what he is trying to do ………….then UGA has a better than average shot at the big time this year. This year should tell ALL UGA Alumni what we will be like going forward. This is the YEAR and 2013 to win big. If we do not win big these next two years, then UGA needs to make that much bigger change and refit the program.
I do love the way our D has grown up under CTG and this year it needs to be one bad a– unit.
Go Dogs.
UGA class of 71 & 73
Topp Dogg
April 12th, 2012
11:54 pm
Bye Bye Bobo and Boo-hoo!
Marv
April 13th, 2012
12:01 am
When can he go? The sooner the better. Todd Grantham should sue Bobo for non-support. All the great numbers in the world don’t mean a thing if you don’t win. As one of the most famous high school coaches put it ” it don’t have to be pretty as long as it gets the job done.”
krazydawg
April 13th, 2012
12:04 am
Maybe Bobo should play ncaa on xbox.He could learn something.Its like ray charles is calling the plays.Heck i think he could call better plays than Bobo.He is a very good qb coach and not a bad recruiter but no O.C.
r\gdgd
April 13th, 2012
1:46 am
You have to be an absolute moron with no understanding of football whatsoever to thing bobo is a good OC. His offense constantly put our defense in horrible positions last year, luckily the D saved us on over half of them. The state of Georgia recruits itself to UGA there is no excuse.
7576 DAWG
April 13th, 2012
2:27 am
The problem with Bobo started because Mark Richt made him Offensive Coordinator about 5 years too early. Bobo had very little coaching experience before being made Coordinator of a big time SEC team with the idea that he will be a ” learning in progress” type project. Richt thought he could take up the slack while Bobo learned how to be a Coordinator. but he found out real fast that to be a head coach he not only had to worry about his coaches but also his Coordinators and the development of all his player , both as football players and them growing up to be fine young men. Richt also realized he had to worry about all the recruiting and with all those responsibilities he could spoon feed Bobo like he wanted and Bobo learning through trial and error, has showed in the offensive consistency. He may have had a few minor schools inquire but no big time school would be interested , yet. Georgia hasn’t been worried about losing Bobo because his salary reflects his job performance and a lot of his salary is because he is a very good recruiter , especially in South Georgia. It is obvious that Richt and McGarity agree that Bobo hasn’t progressed in the past like he needed because of the Coordinator school he has been attending with Jon Gruden, who would have been right at the top of the list to replace Mark Richt if he had not made it through last year.
I think Bobo is ready to show the last 5 years was not a waste and he may finally become the Offensive Coordinator that we expect at Georgia. I would rather keep Bobo than lose him because he does love Georgia but it is good to know that I don’t think he has a free ride any longer.
7576 DAWG
April 13th, 2012
2:31 am
should be could not spoon feed
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:44 am
Enter your comments here
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:48 am
Just testing; if I type in the word BuLLdawg can I post??
I’m trying to figure out the magic word that gets my post censored from this blog. Hmmmm
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:48 am
Nope, that’s not the word. Guess I’ll have to retype my post.
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:51 am
Wow Chip. Your blog really sucks!! Let’s see if this one makes it.
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:52 am
LOL. Guess I’ll keep trying.
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:55 am
So BuLLdawg can criticize Richt and Bobo yet if I try to criticize him I can’t get through??? I’m surprised he hasn’t jumped all over this blog post yet with his riveting 10 page essays.
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:56 am
LMAO, yet that gets through??? Unreal.
Jimmy
April 13th, 2012
4:58 am
Well, I’m glad Chip that you let that through on your precious blog. Now I can’t wait to see what BuLLdawg has to say about what Bobo’s offenses have done versus top ranked teams and about how this blog is nothing but nonsense.
UGA fan...not fanatic
April 13th, 2012
5:59 am
He is always over matched in the 2nd half against top tier teams. I do not need to be a 500,000.00 dollar a year coach to see that. Anyone with good football knowledge can see that.
DawgTide
April 13th, 2012
6:05 am
I love the dawgs but Georgia fans are just like the state’s high school students- some of the biggest dumb asses in the world. Very similar to UA in that a lot of the alumni and fans are embarrassing human beings-
oakisland
April 13th, 2012
6:27 am
This article is based on an ex coach’s opinion and has anyone ever heard an ex coach criticize another coach?
te29wr
April 13th, 2012
6:45 am
If all be known 80% of the people that write these comments have never been on campus, know little about football, and have never coached anything related to sports. So take the commrnts for what they are worth as Coach Bobo does. FORGET IT
“Well, I like what he does or he wouldn’t be there.” | Get The Picture
April 13th, 2012
7:03 am
[...] this is some first-grade fish bait, Chip Towers. Mike Gottfried says Georgia fans should be careful what [...]
some sense
April 13th, 2012
7:06 am
Common, ordinary people criticize any visible figure they can, helps them feel superior and knowledgeable. No changing that one, but for the Bill King’s of this world, who professes to “bleed Red and Black”, to criticize, well, anyone in his columns is out of line. Bill, whoever he is and whatever he does, really needs to get in or get out.
Ever Wonder
April 13th, 2012
7:27 am
Take out the stats against the cupcakes,then look at his stats,anyboby could call a good game against LaLaF and against Top 20 teams I don’t think they are very good.