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November 1, 2009

So...about that game on Saturday

Yes. Joe played badly. Yes. Logan played badly. Yes. The turnovers were a contributing factor to the game getting out of hand and our ultimate defeat. However, the defense never really stopped Florida. So what did the turnovers do except accelerate our demise?

The Gators had 11 offensive drives. Two ended in end of half/game. And one ended because they dropped too many wide open passes. That leaves two drives where we held them scoreless, plus one commendable performance where we held them to only a field goal following a turnover.

Therefore my question is simply this....

If the entire defensive coaching staff had gone to Bermuda for two weeks and simply met the team at the stadium, what would have been different about our game plan or execution? Seriously.

If that question is too inflammatory for someone to ask Coach Richt, then my question would be...why did Arkansas and Mississippi State have a better game plan defensively than we did? They have far less defensive talent on their respective teams than Georgia does, and they each had half as much time to prepare.

That's where I come down on this performance.

After the game listening to the 750am call-in show with Jeff Danztler, Mike Cavan and I think David Greene, they kept saying that someone needs to grab this program by the ears and drive it forward. They made it sound like a player needed to do it. Like there's a player leadership void.

Maybe it is player leadership at the root cause. Two of those guys know more about lockerroom dynamics than I'll ever know. But from where I'm sitting, the person that needs to grab the program by the ears is Mark Richt.

PWD

39 comments:

goalinestalker said...

100% agree

Anonymous said...

He can't do it. That should be apparent to everyone by now.

matt b. said...

Coach Richt seems to be in total denial.

Instead of calling a spade a spade and admitting the entire coaching staff has become complacent and outclassed, he spends his press conference time saying he has no regrets about the decision to bring out high-school uniforms for the game.

From a fan's view, it seems like total and complete apathy. I'm really worried about him, but much more worried about the program.

Anonymous said...

Players cannot lead a team when they have no faith in the ADULTS leading them.

The players clearly know that they are not being coached to their full potential, but how does an 18 year old kid question a man who is/was a near deity in the state?

The uniform thing pretty much sums it up. The players were not into it and I have not heard from one fan who was into it. It was a joke. I imagine that half of the kids on the team would have vetoed the uniform change had they had a vote.

Van Hallanger's act is stale. Coach Garner's schtick is stale. I am not sure that Fabris could ever actually coach. Martinez is clearly over his head. He is a GREAT position coach, but he does not have the talent to lead the entire defense. Mike Bobo was not ready to be an OC.

Have any of these guys ever been approached by other programs? I really, really wish that Fabris had remained in Oklahoma. Being Brian McClendon back was nice, but we have got to have some fresh ideas.

I continue to go back to the first game of the season, when our WR coach and OC had no idea who had actually played in the game.

Maybe the coaches are just lazy. It is great that CMR and company are such family oriented guys, but our competitors are football-heads. They stay at the office all day, every day.

CMR needs to seriously figure out what he wants to do. If we lose to Gtu, there will being to be calls for his head.

Very depressing.

Unknown said...

The uniforms were a gimmick. And when the team comes out and performs poorly, it makes all of us look silly. It is going to take more than fancy uniforms to improve our play. The way I see it:

Black Jerseys & Grambling Knock Offs = Lose 50%.

The coaches need to lead this team. And quite frankly, they are not.

I have always supported CMR, but here lately, I don't see any fire in the belly. We don't need fancy unis to fire our guys up... how about pictures of that prick Urban Myer calling TO's on us last year? How about Lane Kiffin saying we will never win against UT as long as he is there? Go out there and want it more than the other guys! Hit 'em in the mouth! GATA! Geez...

Sam said...

Changes need to be made and will be made. I suspect that a lot of the coach loyalty stems from Richt being around Bowden for so long. The difference is that (at least years ago) Bowden's assistants were the best around. Heck Bowden finally even fired his own SON! (The FSU offense has not been the problem this year) and Andrews is retiring.

Loyalty is an admirable quality. However, loyalty over performance is not acceptable. Heck, my brother once fired me because I was not doing a good enough job in the family business--he was right to do so as I was not.

As for the uniforms. Bad idea. However, I would like to see the red pants one day.

Sam said...

Gruden? Please. Is there ANY evidence that he would be a good college coach? Aside from Pete Carroll name a former pro coach that has done well as a college coach?

Also, I suspect that Gruden, even if he were successful at the college level, would bolt for the NFL at the first chance. I like stability in a program like UGA. Mid-level teams can change coaches every few years and keep on motoring (Boise). A major program cannot.

I am still behind Richt. He has learned in the past from his errors. I think he is smart enough to make the changes that need to be made.

Unknown said...

And by the way....

Gruden is only about 2.5 years younger than Richt.

Anonymous said...

It is time for a change at Georgia. We are in the bottom tier of the SEC. No better off then with Donnan and Goff.
When Richt says that the program is in good shape, he is out of touch.
When you pay someone 2 million dollars a year, he has to produce.
IT IS TIME FOR A CHANGE !!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh, and another thing, is anyone else as sick and tired as I am of hearing the players talking about "watching film?"

That is apparently the new catchphrase that the guys use to give the media a quote that makes it look like they are actually working hard.

I cannot believe that anyone on our defense has watched one, single frame of tape this year. That includes coaches and players.

There is a method to how to watch film so that you know what to expect on gameday. Sometimes you can break it down to opposing players' weaknesses as well.

Oh, and by the way, you do not just watch film of the game before. You get several years worth of film. I would take a look at Scu's defense in the early 2000's, for instance, to prepare for Charlie Strong's defense.

Perhaps we could have watched some film of USC in 2004-05, or the Raiders from 2 years ago when preparing for Ufk. Then, maybe Ufk would not have been doing so many things that we "had not seen on film."

goalinestalker said...

Pete Carroll D is awful 600 plus to the ducks? Gave up 500 yds last 4 games! He is the D cord. Go get Kirby or Muschamp. I have been a dawg fan for 30 yrs and lived in Jacksonville the last 35. I have seen this game cycle back and forth however...I have not seen seperation like this since the Goff era between us and UF! I am tired of this annual beat down and honestly It pains me to say this but our coaches are so out of touch with scheme its embarresing! WM needs to call the movers and apply as a pixe dust spreader and take his circus eleswhere! We need to get off the wallet and hire a relevant DC and someone who is repected and can recruit!

walter geiger said...

3 words: program in decline!

Unknown said...

Jon Gruden '10,

I don't do free advertising. That's why I deleted it. If you want to promote your site, buy an ad.

PWD

Jon Gruden '10 said...

its not my website.. at all.. like i said, i stumbled across it today..

Andy said...

I'm so glad you posted. This blog is like a best friend you never have to loan money to, and now I feel ready to go back to work tomorrow and deal with the jabs. And women want to feel loved, by the way, so lets all call momma at some point tomorrow, just to say hey.

GO DAWGS.

Jon Gruden '10 said...

oh and btw pwd, no the website isnt mine, but the free advertising is bs, ive seen comments all the time with people posting links to their blogs..

and theyve never been deleted before, well before today when you went and deleted them right before you replied back to my post, that way you wouldnt look like a liar..

but anyways, the website isnt mine, but maybe you should post something about it, bc it allows people to voice their opinion one way or the other.

Anonymous said...

Jon Gruden '10,

Why don't you use an actual identity to post and not "Jon Gruden '10"? That reeks of trash-talk and waste-of-my-time, so I have to agree: [DEL].

Jon Gruden '10 said...

ANON 7:20

you are right, i should use an actual identity when posting.

haha are you serious..

ANONYMOUS= actual identity?

and by the way, very few people use their actual identity on here, you dont think PWD's name is actually paul westerdawg do you..

you are literally too dumb to insult

the tri guy said...

We're circling the drain, it's just a matter of how honest our AD and fans are going to be about the situation. Since Richt was hired, everyone of our rivals has upgraded its coaching staff (with the exception of Auburn). He is not as good of a coach as we thought he was and he made hay when the conference was down.

Unfortunately, I think it's going to get a lot worse. Richt can change the staff around him, but as we've seen with Fulmer and Bobby Bowden, the culture doesn't really change. Richt does not have the fire to win that Urban does or Saban does. He tolerates mediocrity and thus encourages it.

Richt has built up so much good will with the Bible beaters that it is going to have to be an absolute dumpster fire before anything is done. He will leave the program in worse shape than he got it.

Anonymous said...

Jon Gruden? Really? He has like 2 years of college coaching experience.

If you're going to hitch your wagon to a coaching change, why do it with someone who hasn't coached in college in 20 years?

Brian Kelly, Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen.

Jon Gruden '10 said...

anon 7:40

all of those guys seem like decent options, but i dont think you can knock jon gruden for coaching in the nfl, not in college.. i know that down here in the south we care more about college football, but it doesnt change the fact that the nfl is better football.. i find that to be a dumb comment..

90% of every HS recruit wants to eventually play in the pro's, the best recruits look at colleges and coaches and chose to play for proven winners, and programs that put players in the NFL..

Gruden is a SUPERBOWL WINNER, he knows his x's and o's... he is a very personable guy who could recruit his ass off..

the one drawback that sam mentioned earlier is that he may be one to bolt when the nfl comes calling again...

but btw SAM.. boise st doesnt constantly change coaches.. name more than 2 coaches who you know have coached there..

Normaltown Mike said...

Any chance we ask Tech to swap conference's with us? CMR might better dominate if he's back in the ACC.

BTW Gruden '10: PWD regularly flames goofy links posted in here.

Anonymous said...

That's easy, Houston Nutt, Dirk Koetter, Dan Hawkins, Chris Petersen . . .

Unknown said...

The "you are literally too dumb to insult" line gives you away. Posting under multiple user names is a weak move.

And if you think firing Richt right now is the right call, you are the dumb one.

PWD

Jon Gruden '10 said...

ANON 8 pm

your a better man than me, i didnt know nutt coached there. Im only 24 tho.

PWD- that line is from the most popular movie of the year "the hangover"

so i dont know who else used it, but its my first time..

and read my comments, the only way i am for richt getting fired this year is if we can hire jon gruden, In my opinion he would get something special started here he would be one of those big impact hires, you know the nick saban, urban meyer or even lane kiffin types..

even if you dont believe he should be fired yet, you should at least realize that his seat should be hot..

...If not then you are doing the same thing for him that he is doing for his coaches, oh you like the guy, so lets not be too harsh when judging him...

we are constantly getting top 10 recruiting classes, WE HAVE TALENT..

it would be different if we were missippi state and richt was doing the best with what he has to work with..

but like i said, WE DO HAVE THE TALENT, which means that richt isnt doing the best with what he has to work with, he is underachieving and thats not acceptable.

we are no longer even close to winning big games.. Im no longer hoping we win a game, i find myself hoping we dont get blown out.

4 losses before our homecoming game

THIS IS A JOKE.

this is not georgia bulldog football

Andy said...

Jon Gruden '10,

ANON 7:20 be me. I was hoping you would get the "anonymous" dig, which you did, albeit defensively. Calm thyself? All this hate/fight comment-crap has gotten old.

We're all dawgs to the death, right?

Jon Gruden '10 said...

thank you for being honest andy, haha, yes you are right, we are all dawgs here, the hate/fight stuff is a little old,

and while i did get a little defensive, probably not as much as you think, the "your literally too dumb to insult" line was supposed to be a funny one, i use it on my mother when she calls me with some useless information about how her new puppy barked in a funny way today.

and i bet your name isnt andy, its probably carlos

Anonymous said...

Gruden:
I'm not defending the staff, but you are way off on talent. Just b/c rivals etc say we arr top 10, don't make it so (go search Jasper Sanks & Jabari Davis).

Outside Curran & Owens, our current D would be back ups on every single unit for the past 10 yrs. We have gotten sloppy or lazy on evaluation.

Not trying to sound like an old man, but i've seen more "top" players fail to pan out than I can remember

Andy said...

It really is Andy. Actually, no, it's David, but my everyone before me is a David, so I go by Andy due to my middle name. We're all Dawgs, yes indeed, and I'm not fighting you or anyone else. We're all frustrated over the same things, and here we are.

Jon Gruden '10 said...

anon 8:55

you are right that not every recruit pans out.. but when the majority of them are not panning out then its a problem.. I dont think its a evaluation problem, i think that these guys are studs who have come here and havent been coached up and developed properly..

i dont see why 85% of USC/fla/texas recruiting classes always pan out and ours do not, remember top 10 classes mean that we are getting players that EVERYONE wants..

once these studs get on campus we need to coach them up and develop them better..

Unknown said...

Gruden,

The line was used by a douche last week. Sorry. I forgot that line from the movie. Only seen it once.

BTW -- I don't have any problem saying Richt has issues. That doesn't mean I want to fire him.

Tommy Tuberville was a disaster in 2003. He went and fixed his coaching staff that off season and went 13-0 in 2004.

He would've been fine except that the next time his staff needed fixing he hired Tony Franklin.

Richt needs to fix his staff. If he does it right, we'll have a huge next 3-5 years until those guys get hired elsewhere for bigger gigs.

If he doesn't, then we'll deal with that.

PWD

Muckbeast said...

You hit on it PWD. Every 3-5 years you basically have to accept that you will have a new staff.

If your position coaches, OC, and DC are not getting hired away every few years to move up somewhere else, then the people you have suck.

The idea of having a huge staff that never leaves is absurd. The only way to accomplish that is to have people too mediocre for anyone else to want.

Dubbayoo said...

At this time I would like to retract my earlier statement about Joe Cox being a more than serviceable QB. He looks especially bad coming after arguably the greatest QB in UGA history. He may be as good as any we've had not named Tarkenton, Stafford or Greene...or Shockley.....or Zeier...or Goff...or Bobo...or Carter...or Belue. Well, I guess he's better than Joe T.

Anonymous said...

In fairness to you guys- LSU and Arkie were two games Tebow probably shouldn't have played in, and MSU had the advantage of Dan Mullen at head coach- heck I know its not much of a mitigator but defensively this was probably the least yards Florida racked up since UT or LSU (MSU and Arkie had tons of Red Zone stops some defensively and some self-inflicted mistakes by Florida).

Anonymous said...

Can I just say how much I hope you guys bring in Gruden- seriously, as a Florida fan that would be awesome (as long as Richt doesn't take over in Tallahassee)- with the exception of Carroll basically every NFL coach to take over a college team has been a failure- the offenses are overly complex and the defenses are generally not well suited to stopping non-pro sets (for all the hype about Monte Kiffin at UT- John Chavis had years just as good and judging by his first year @ LSU is pretty much the same as Monte).

John From Texas said...

Hate to say it, but knowing Richt and his staff a little bit more intimately than the average fan, I think he will go into a hear-no-evil, bunker mentality.

I think he's somewhat convinced himself that this season is an abberation, a combo of a rough schedule and lack of enough playmakers on offense (QB, RB and another WR to compliment Green). If there are gonna be changes in the staff, likely Damon is the one who will have to pressure Richt into making them.

IMO, screw Murray's redshirt, play a lot of the youngsters and prepare for 2010.

Taylor said...

I thought Joe Cox was the team's unquestioned leader....

Dubbayoo said...

Taylor, he is...but that's not a good thing.

rakeback said...

I'm surprised that Gruden just signed a contract extension with ESPN, because I thin most people predicted he would be headed back to the sidelines next year.

 
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