Quinton and I both said numerous times throughout this search that we thought it was unlikely that Kirby Smart would come here. Not because of any mythical rift between Richt and Smart, but because it just made more sense for him to stay in Tuscaloosa. That's why, I don't have an issue with his decision to stay at Alabama.
What I most certainly do have an issue with is the way this was handled by Kirby. The job had been open since Dec. 2nd, and Kirby has known since at least Dec. 15th that Georgia was interested...if he was interested. That's the magic phrase in all of this.
UGA started the search process with Bud Foster and John Chavis because (A) they are more qualified for the job than Kirby, and (B) Kirby would be tied up until at least Jan. 7th. When the Foster and Chavis deals never materialized, Richt made his pitch to Kirby because he had reason to believe Kirby was legitimately receptive to the pitch.
If Kirby wanted to stay in Tuscaloosa, that would've been fine by everyone. He could've quietly and respectfully told Richt to move ahead with his search without him. There was positively no reason to wait 3-4 days to make up his mind when he had a month to ponder this scenario. Making Richt wait weakened the search process and took more shine off the position.
Bear Bryant was famously asked why he left Texas A&M for Alabama, and he responded, "Mama Called." Well, mama called, and as T. Kyle King said, "Kirby hung up." Georgia needed Kirby because of the timing and because of the prior rejects, and we went out on a limb for him. We were willing to make a 34 year old guy with only one year of defensive coordinator experience the third highest paid assistant in the country. In that scenario, you don't make us wait for almost four days to make up your mind.
So it's not the decision that pisses me off. It's the process and timing.
I respect his decision to stay with Saban. Professionally, I think it was the right move for him. It's lower risk, and as close to a frictionless path to a head coaching gig as you can find in college football. But he should also respect the anger and backlash that UGA boosters feel towards the way he handled this.
It's not just business when it's your alma mater. Not if you ever want to come back.
Where do we go from here?
The search was never about hiring Kirby Smart. The search was about finding someone better than Willie Martinez. That's the minimum threshold for success. And as I've stated before, the process from our end worries me less than the outcome. We can still hire someone terrific. Particularly, if we're willing to offer another viable candidate as much as $790,000 over three to four years.
Kirby wasn't Richt's soul mate for this job. There's more than one person that will work. We just need to move quickly to find them.
By the way....can we please stop with the "Damon won't pay anyone good" meme. The offer that UGA made to Kirby given his resume was wildly out of step with the broader marketplace. It was an incredibly generous offer.
Oh...and one last thought. Maybe it's Todd Grantham now. Maybe not. But what has Todd Grantham ever done to make you or I think he's the answer except have Pollack and Donnan throw out his name often enough to have Anthony Dasher start calling his agent?
If it's him, I'll be open minded, but I don't get the love.
PWD
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26 comments:
Kirby Smart is too slow and can't tackle.
Kirby has been the DC at Alabama for two years. He was promoted when Kevin Steele left for Clemson.
I understand the backlash from the fans because 1) Smart is a UGA guy and it's upsetting when somebody decides not to come "home" 2) because of poor reporting UGA fans thought it was a certain deal that Smart was going to be the DC at UGA.
I think the fans should be more upset at some of the UGA "insiders" that led the UGA fanbase to believe that it was a done deal. I remember seeing a tweet from a certain very liked UGA LB saying it was done.
I would have really enjoyed Kirby Smart the coach, but his rejection simply means I get to remember him more fondly ... as an overrated, slow defensive back who was always out of position and consistently beaten on even the most simple post pattern.
So now he gets to remain what he has always been for me ... one of my five least favorite Georgia players (sadly four of the five have been secondary players).
agree. I have a hard time wishing anyone well that leaves us hanging for days and then snubs us.
Couldn't have stated it better myself, PWD. The thought of Kirby as DC has always made a little uneasy for all of the reasons stated in your article, plus the fact that, well, he's a Saban DC, and those guys are kind of interchangeable in my opinion. 700+k over 5, if true, is s lot of money to be throwing at somebody of Kirby's profile, favored son and flavor of the month or not. It's just not good business if you ask me.
Now I am ready and fully prepared for a rabbit to be pulled out of the hat that none of us has ever considered before. Hopefully Richt has performed all his due diligence and has a comprehensive list of candidates, ranked in order of preference, any of which can only be an improvement over what we just put out on the street.
See, anon 241, that's your problem. You believe everything you read reported on a message board and from "tweets."
You don't know who any of these supposed "insiders" are, so why do you assume that they become Deep Throat when there's fake news to report?
Pretty much agree 100%, Paul. Professionally, I never thought it made sense for Kirby to come here. But in that time he also knew that we were waiting on him, and Richt was saying as much with his statements indicating that the search would go into January.
Just as you say, I don't have issue professionally with the end decision, but how it was done. Even if Kirby didn't quietly tell Richt no as you suggested, he should have said no immediately up front on Friday when the madness started. Instead, he used his alma mater to get a raise, and I'm not sure he understood or understands the ramifications of that in his home state. Our fans' public lashing of him might make him even more hellish on the recruiting trail, and that is what is setting in most of all with me.
Maybe I'm in the minority here...But I really believe Smart struggled greatly with this decision for days, maybe even weeks. Saban has been his mentor for years, and when it came right down to it he decided to follow his loyalty to Saban instead of his loyalty to UGA. If that's the case, you've got to respect Kirby's decision. I just don't see him getting some kind of thrill out of keeping Richt, recruits, a fanbase, and boosters of UGA hanging on a thread waiting for his decision.
If he was playing Richt for more money, I have agree that he handled it the wrong way. I just don't believe that's the way it went down.
Kirby Smart has to what is best for Kirby Smart. I think he made the best decision for himself that he could.
What I think is so funny is that any Georgia fan who would accuse Smart of being disloyal to Georgia would probably have wanted him fired after one season if the defense did not perform to their expectations. Loyalty goes both ways.
1. I see no way KS is not a head coach within the next two years, probably at a major school and possibly in the SEC (say maybe when Les Miles is fired for poor clock management in key situations or bolts for Michigan when they can Rich Rodriguez). So would you really want to go through all this only to do it all again 1-2 years from now? That was the same thought that came to mind when people were throwing out names of candidates like Tommy Tuberville.
2. What would have happened if we got Smart, but the defense was not leaps and bounds better this coming season? Given the typical bloodthirsty UGA fan, I would expect there would be an outcry demanding success due to the amount of money he was to be paid. As well know, when the stakes are high, so is the demand for excellence (as it should be naturally). The pressure to succeed would have been enormous since the paycheck would have been to. Not saying this won't be the case with whoever we end up hiring, but I could see that absolutely being the case if it was KS coming here.
Agree with you about the timing of the decision, and REALLY agree with about Grantham. He's a failed former NFL DC. Being a good recruiter means nothing if you can't coach the guys you recruit (Ron Zook). I also don't understand the enthusiasm of some for Manny Diaz. Diaz could be good, but his short DC resume doesn't strike me as overly impressive.
We need a DC who has at least 3 years experience and has had success against a number of different offensive styles. That's our best bet for finding someone who can handle the very different offenses the next coordinator is going to face.
"But what has Todd Grantham ever done to make you or I think he's the answer except have Pollack and Donnan throw out his name often enough to have Anthony Dasher start calling his agent?"
I knew it was dead as soon as I saw Dasher had written he was coming at some pay website....
Amen PWD and Anon 8:21.... if the chips fall as they should, this could well be a blessing in disguise. We need someone:
1) with extensive DC experience
2) with a solid track record of success
3) who wants to be a DC three years from now
4) who WANTS to be at UGA
GATA
Being a part of a team means you don't always do what's best for you, you do what's best for the team.
What was exciting was the possibility that he was "one of us". But the truth is that we found out his "one of us" thinking doesn't run too deep.
Kirby did want something..a RAISE....and he played UGA like a fiddle to get it. Good luck getting any favors from Saban in the future either Kirby. You made the bed, enjoy the nap.
Reading the comments here and on Bill King's blog, I can see why Smart did not take the job. He was receiving all this good energy, the minute he says no, then the hounds turn on him. Reminds me of a guy I knew who had the hots for a girl for a long time, she finally becomes available. He asks her out; she turns him down. He comes back telling me what a bitch she is.
It is time everyone faced the reality. No one (not even the players) love your team as much as a fan does. The players develop a bond with each other and the coaching staff, but, I believe, much less so with the University. (Yes, there will be exceptions, but I would like to see the data on former players donating money to the University--not the athletic program, heck that would be interesting though).
For coaches, it is a business. Smart has learned this. Maybe Smart did consider the offer seriously. But in preparing for the biggest game of his professional career, his mind may well have been focused on that (as it should be since Bama is his employer). So he delayed until he could make a rational decision. Maybe he simply used it for leverage. That is part of how it is done. I am sure many folks here have used the interest of another job to make gains in the current job (if not, then, well, you are missing a golden opportunity).
What if McCoy does not get hurt and UT lights up Bama? McCoy stated that he believed he knew what Bama was going to do. Maybe that was cockiness talking. The fact is that Texas had Bama on the ropes without one of the best QBs in the country and with a true freshman QB. So play out that scenario. If Bama loses and the D had been lit up, would anyone here be upset that Smart said no.
Smart has virtually no connection to Richt. Smart was a GA in 1999--BEFORE Richt got to UGA. I can see where his allegiances might lie more with Saban than with Richt.
Maybe Richt did not push Smart hard enough for an answer. Richt could have said "I need to know by X date or we look elsewhere." My intuition is that Richt is not that high pressure of a person.
Maybe Smart really likes the players and coaching staff and Saban. (Saban puts out the persona of being a sourpuss, but John Saunders said that Saban had him laughing hard before the BCS trophy presentation. (Just as Richt is seen as Mr Too Cool all the time but it gets reported that he is fiery in practice, I have wondered if the same applies to Saban in that Saban has a more easygoing side.)
Maybe there is something about Richt that Smart does not like. Maybe Richt is not intense enough for Smart. Maybe Smart sees that if he stays with Bama for 3 more years, he is in a better position to become a HC than if he jumps ship (and starts to get a reputation). Maybe he figures this is a chance to become a HC and then one day return to UGA after Richt retires. If Richt gets the program back to where it was the last 5 years, I do not see UGA hiring a coordinator again to take the reins.
Fans love their team and see any slight to it as personal.
It is not personal; it is business.
I have no problem with any of it until it was announced by Saban and not the grown man that we supposedly thought was worthy of standing on his own merits. If he also informed the UGA AD in the same manner, then of all the head coaching positions he may get in the future, the one he shouldn't even bother applying for will be that at UGA.
Life will go on. Many very qualified coaches out there.
sam,
Are you saying Bama fans wouldn't have turned on Kirby had he come here?
REALLY?
I'd hire 2 Grantham's before I'd hire that joke resume of Diaz's.
Grantham may be great. Beamer, Saban and others have apparently vouched for him.
I just don't get the attention.
The only things I know about Todd Grantham are what I can read on Wikipedia. I know he failed as a DC for the Browns and that he has be in the NFL for the past 11 years. I don't know why that makes him such a good candidate or why he would even want the job. If he is hired, I will be open minded and see how things play out, but I will be a skeptic.
The one thing its seems like everyone forgets is that despite Willie's inadequacies as a DC, he was a pretty good recruiter. How does hiring a guy 99.9% of all high school football players have never heard of help us in recruiting? Does anyone really think Todd Grantham will come in after an 11 year layoff from the recruiting game and be able to snag 5 stars from UF and 'Bama the next few years?
PWD,
Caught your comment on Bulldogs Blog post "Fleeting Thoughts: Coaching Search Edition".
Made me laugh pretty hard and I couldn't agree more!
Hope to hear some good news out of the Butts-Mehre building soon!
Great, now David Pollack is saying back up the Brinks truck to Brian Van Gorder's house. Really, Dave?
You people are really making me ashamed to be a Bulldog. You are making so many assumptions and jumping to conclusions about Kirby Smart and how things went down. Well I don't know if he did or did not use UGA as a tool to get a raise. If he did then he is not the first and it doesn't seem he will be the last. CMR should go to them say here is the offer, you have 24 hours to respond or I'm moving on.
Blaming Kirby Smart because someone came to him and offered him a job is ridiculous. You say he "knew" UGA wanted him, yet UGA was offering other coaches. Did Kirby really know? The only thing for certain in this world is that nothing is for certain.
I have read so many posts recently condemning Kirby. Wake up people. It is his life, not yours. He didn't ask to be offered the job.
Two things that have made themselves abundantly clear:
1. David Pollack REALLY needs to shut up
2. Everybody in his home state knows that Kirby's toting a va$!?a in his britches. God help him if anything should ever happen to his coaching career, because it highly unlikely that he'll have any job options in GA.
Mike Leach for OC. Jim Leavitt for DC. Yes, really!
Sam;
re: Kirby not knowing Richt...Well, he did serve on Richt's staff in 2005 as RB coach. So, I guess he kinda knows him.
re: Players not loving the program...As a former player, let me tell you that this is absolute horseshit. If anything, we hate to see our team fail MORE than the typical fan, because we hold some kind of ridiculous comparison between what's happening now, and how "we woulda done it in our day." At the same time, maybe we don't get as butt-hurt about things because we've seen the game from the other side of the hedges. It's just a perspective. I'm not using Richt's now-famous "the fans don't know what they're talking about because they've never been here" line....but I am saying, there's a completely different perspective that comes from being on that field and in those meeting rooms.
As to other questions about what Grantham's done that makes him an ideal candidate...I can't answer that with 100% accuracy. I did a bit about him over at my blog. PWD links to me under "Dawg's View"...so check it there if you'd like. The "I know the NFL" line can be attractive to recruits. So will an enormous Superbowl Ring if he wins one this season. But at the end of the day, it's about coaching. Right now, his DL is playing AMAZING football. If he can get that out of all 11 players, I'll take it every day of the week, and twice on Saturday.
Go Dawgs.
-BD
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