My post-emptive strike
by vineyarddawg on Oct 4, 2009 8:53 PM EDT
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I wrote this before the Arkansas game to try and preempt what I thought would be a wave of wailing and gnashing of teeth after getting housed by what had been considered a "lesser" opponent. After losing, but certainly not getting "housed," to an opponent that in no way can be considered "lesser," I sitll see much wailing and gnashing of teeth. In accordance with my original intention, I offer this reply.
I was going to update this to reflect the now-current record of Coach Richt, but I think the original holds more emphasis, since you can see that, no matter how either the Arkansas or the LSU game came out, we're basically in the same boat.
Ok, whatever derogatory comment you're about to make about Mark Richt and/or the coaching staff and/or how horribly embarrassing Georgia has now become... just stop. Hold up for a minute, and consider the following facts:
- Mark Richt is still Georgia's winningest head coach (by winning percentage). CMR is 83-24 in 107 games as Georgia's head coach, for a winning percentage of 77.5%. The only other two coaches who have lasted this long before at Georgia are Wally Butts and Vince Dooley, and neither had won as many games or had winning percentages as high in their first 107 games as Georgia's head coach. Neither coach ever asked to leave Georgia, either... both retired and lived in Athens for the rest of their lives (unless Dooley decides pull up and move to Ruston, Louisiana). So, just get used to the fact that Mark Richt is here to stay... and not only is that a good thing, that's a great thing.
- The past 8 years have been the most successful 8-year-span in the history of a Georgia football program that does not lack for a historical record of success. (I mean, we're not Florida, which is tied for the second-most zero-win seasons in its history of any current SEC team, and which had won 0 conference championships before 1991.) People always argue that Georgia plays more games now than teams played in Butts' and Dooley's eras, which does drive Georgia's per-season win total up more. The top 10 in the AP poll did exist, however, during the entirety of all 3 coaches' tenures. During his 21 years at Georgia, Wally Butts' teams finished in the top ten 4 times. During his 25 years at Georgia, Vince Dooley's teams finished in the top ten 8 times. Mark Richt has been at Georgia only eight years, but has already had teams finish in the AP top ten 5 times.
- Georgia's early season schedule this year is one of the most brutal early stretches in recent memory, and certainly is the most difficult of the Mark Richt era. All of our first four opponents either have had more than one week to prepare for Georgia or played only 1-AA teams and Sun Belt teams before their date with the Dawgs. In fact, some of us predicted a 1-3 start to this season. (Ok, it was just me.)
- THE SEASON IS NOT OVER. Georgia has another "bad-situation game" next week, but after that, the schedule evens out, and we actually have an off week before we play the hated Gators (who, right now, I know you think will pummel us like Charleston Southern, but are now far more likely to be overlooking us). As long as the team stays unified, we still have an excellent chance to end up 8-4 and make a trip to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Now, I know that makes you recoil in horrir, because at the beginning of the season you were hoping for an unlikely D.J. Shockley-esque SEC Championship run; but an objective look at the facts in the preseason would have shown that expectation to be completely unreasonable.
So, please sit back in your chair, have a beer (or perhaps a nice Rennie Curran kool-aid to help you forget today's game), and try to remain calm. Mark Richt is still a good coach, Georgia is still a great program, and even though we are having a "down" season this year, we will return soon to the success with which we have become so accustomed. (Remember when 8-4 was a good season in the '90's, or even normal in the mid-late 80's?)
Hey, it could be worse... you could be an Ohio State fan.
Wishing you good mental health... and Go Dawgs!
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I agree (& love the OSU jab)....
the last (4) games have been some of the most entertaining games I’ve seen in quite some time! Of course until Saturday, we’ve been on the winning side of them. I think everyone has seen (or at least posted) this one coming (when we wind up on the short end of the stick). But I do believe every game in the S-E-C is a “bad situation” game from week to week. Why? B/c we play actual football teams from week to week. Yes we’re going to get a cupcake in Idaho State next year & we play Tennerssee Tech this year & next but The Dawgs always seem to play one of the toughest schedules in the NCAA year after year….So we have to be ready for these kind of games!
Another note: CMR is a great coach and there is noone else I would rather have, period!
(To steal one of Kyle’s slogans):
“This is our team, win or lose!” It’s great to be a Georgia BullDAWG!!!
So basically, be happy we aren’t crappier, be happy this isn’t the Goff/Donnan years? Really? With all this talent?
Horrible post. Horrible.
Absolutely Fair Post
Perhaps we are a little bit spoiled by the last 8 years or so. That said, it’s also a fair point that with the talent we have been recruiting for the last several years we shouldn’t be having down years that consist of 4 losses. Our down years really should be limited at 2 losses, maybe 3 at the most.
Spoiled by what?
0 national championships?
I am happy with our last 8 years, but we are not spoiled.
About the last 8 years
We have only 2001 (8 wins) and 2006 (9 wins) that we had less than 10 wins out of the last eight years. There’s just not a whole lot of teams that can say that. Yeah, maybe we are a little bit spoiled
Even the mighty Urban Meyer had a talented team...
…that went 9-4. Talent is great, and it has shown up at times this year. As a matter of fact, it has shown up a lot. But most of these fabulously talented players that are getting playing time right now are freshmen and sophomores. Coach ‘em all you want, but they are still really young and coaching ain’t going to suddenly make them grizzled juniors and seniors.
I see Brandon Boykin’s interception as a perfect example of what is so fantastic and so infuriating about his team. He makes a great read on the pass and picks it off in the end zone, then tries to run it out of the endzone with yellow helmets all around him. That’s the kind of boneheaded play that is killing us right now, but it is also the kind of thing that a player learns to avoid with experience.
I love this team. They are driving me crazy, and I may not live to see the end of the season with all of these close finishes, but they are the fightin’est SOBs I’ve seen in red and black in a while. We could conceivably lose all of the games left on our schedule (excluding Tennessee Tech, I hope), but I honestly believe that we could win any and every game as well.
Will
In fact, the program has advanced well past the Goff/Donnan years.
I believe my point was somewhat missed here. During the Goff years, we had Andre Hastings, Garrison Hearst, Eric Zeier, Hines Ward, Terrell Davis, Randall Godfrey, Adam Meadows, and Matt Stinchcomb, just to name a few, and managed one 10-win season and one top-10 finish. The biggest postseason win during this era was a Citrus Bowl victory over the Kirk Herbstreit-led Ohio State Buckeyes (see the picture above for reference).
During the Donnan years, we had Robert Edwards, Champ Bailey, Quincy Carter, Olandis Gary, Marcus Stroud, Terrence Edwards, Richard Seymour, Kendrell Bell, et al, and what did we get? 2 Outback Bowl victories and a trip to Hawai’i for all the wrong reasons.
I’m not arguing that this year is one of the greatest in Georgia football. I’m simply stating that Georgia football has advanced, and is still on the right track.
Talent is throughout the SEC
Have you not noticed ‘Beast that on occasions we do not get the recruit that we go after (see Greg Reid) & that other teams are ranked higher than us as far as recruiting goes (we were like 3rd in the S-E-C & like 7th in the nation last year). Therefore there are some other teams that are just as talented. I’m not trying to say that the Dawgs should settle for 3-4 losses every year but sometimes that’s gonna happen in college football! In no way do I not feel that some things need to change (discipline, defensive schemes, & offensive play calling to name a few) if we want to move our program upward instead of just being “stale.”
But I do believe CMR will bring us a Nat’l Championship sooner than later & I believe Kermit’s post was fair & to the point !!
by Dawgrees on Oct 5, 2009 11:31 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Game day impressions from an LSU fan.
I may be in the wrong post for this, but I just wanted to make a comment about the tailgating at Georgia. I am an LSU fan and I’ve been to quite a few away games. I have to say that Georgia had the best game day atmosphere of any team I have seen, except of course LSU (I know I’m biased). There were tons of hot girls, always a plus. The bar scene was really sweet. LSU has Tigerland, but I wouldn’t say it is as good, as close, or as accessible as Broad St. I also thought the area where all of the younger people partied was awesome. I don’t know if it has a name, but it was right off of Broad St. near the bar Magnolia’s. At least one of the sort of entrances was in that area. It was really compacted and had a party scene feel to it. It’s probably better, as a compact tailgate scene, than the Grove in Oxford.
On the crowd atmosphere…I sat in the lower section so I thought I would hear it pretty well. The stadium has a really nice look to it as I looked around from my seat. I was in section 108, right next to the students. I was a little unimpressed by how loud the stadium got. I’m not saying it was bottom tier or anything, but not LSU, UF, or Bama. I don’t know if it is the crowd not getting into or what, but I think a lot of it may have to do with the west side not having an upper tier. A lot of noise probably escapes through it. I do give yall props for 2 things. First, all of the fans stood up the whole time the game had action. Even the old people were standing. Second, even when LSU made a good play late in the game, the fans would start cheering to give their guys support. At LSU, we cheer in big games when other teams score and make big plays and I have always thought it was awesome. UGA is the only other school I have seen this at.
Before game, during game, and right after the game, the fans I talked to were nice. After I left the stadium I got berated with a lot of hate. Most of the people (guys and girls) who cursed and gestured were pretty wasted and I know all fan bases have those people. So I would say all in all, good fans.
Thanks, Bob
I’m glad you had an overall good experience in Athens.
We’ll look forward to seeing y’all in Atlanta again soon.
Go 'Dawgs!
The sound of Sanford Stadium.
Bob, I agree with you that the Swamp and Death Valley are more intimidating places to play. However, this has not been my experience with Alabama. The loudest I’ve ever heard Bryant-Denney was when they were booing JPW in that ULM game (I dated a girl from T-Town, sue me).
Destroying your traditions since [YEAR REDACTED].
You know...
I almost didn’t put Bryant-Denney in there. I wrote it, was going to take it back, then got lazy.
I thought it was a bit of a myth...
…about how loud Death Valley could get. But I was at the LSU/UGA game last year, and my ears literally were ringing at Metallica rock concert decible levels nearly the whole time. Impressive and disconcerting. Your tailgateing scene takes a back-seat to no one…thanks for the kind words about the Classic City.
Run Lindsay Run!
Put down the model airplane glue and step away from it.
The fact is that RIcht has changed, whether it be for the better or worse is a matter of opinion. His tolerance of penalties and on the field and sideline antics is vastly different from his first few years when he had the much maligned and hated Donnan’s talent. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t want to go back to the Donnan years, but Mark’s “lax” discipline scarily reminds me of those dark spots. I am not one who believes we have to complete for the national championship every year, and I don’t want Mark to leave. It is my opinion that Ealey should be utilized more and more, and Caleb King less and less. His only value to the team is as a blocker. IF we have talent waiting in the wings at QB, (and that’s a big “if”), then let at least one of them (hopefully, we have at least one) take some meaningful snaps THIS YEAR! Otherwise, we’re gonna be in deep do-do again next year.
Too late
“I certainly don’t want to go back to the Donnan years”….we’re already there brother. 2007 was an aberration.
Hey UgaMatt, I'm real proud of you, and imma let you finish hating...
… but Muckbeast had one of the greatest wrong statements about Georgia football returning to the Donnan/Goff years of all time.
+100
Thank you. I needed a good laugh this morning.
This is unbelievable
I don’t even know how to respond to this post. No wonder Florida has lapped us in the conference. We had our chance to step up and grab the brass ring in the early part of the decade, and we’ve let it slip out of our grasp. And it’s this type of thinking that will keep us always looking up at the Florida’s, LSU’s, Alabama’s and eventually Tennessee’s again. I’m disgusted.
When I was 16 years old
and the Dawgs fired Jim Donnan, I thought, “Why are they doing this. He’s in the Hawaii Bowl.” As far as I knew, then – being a fan of Ole Miss and UGA in the 1990s – that was moderate success. Worthy of continued employment. Coach Richt restored the national perception of the program and re-energized young fans.
Over the last two years, over at Red Cup Rebellion, we’ve had lots of interaction with crazy Arkansas fans. In fact, I consider myself an expert on what I call “Natural State Football Paranoid Disease.” And you really sound like an Arkansas fan.
Destroying your traditions since [YEAR REDACTED].
WOW!
I am really disappointed with some of the comments on here. I thought that I had to visit the AJC blogs to hear this kind of garbage. Folks take a step back and focus on reality for a minute. No one can be perfect or great all the time, you are bound to have less than stellar seasons every once and awhile. It just happens that this year we have one of our younger teams in recent memory and a killer schedule to go with it. I am by no means a Willie apologist but you can’t blame the loss on Saturday on the Defense. They had a sound game plan and played very well the entire game. That last TD run was a result of a ridiculous penalty and an even more ridiculous kick off strategy. Couple that with the fact that for 3 quarters our Offense was inept and you have a very tired defense at the end of the game. Bobo’s playcalling in the first half was horrible, but in his defense the Offense was not doing its part on the execution end. The second half was much better on play calling and execution.
We are NOT a program in decline, we are NOT a second tier team, and we are NOT returning to the Donnan/Goff years. If you honestly believe any of that is true then please leave your tickets and UGA attire at the door on your way out.
One point
I do not blame the defense for the loss on Saturday. However, Saturday further convinced me that Willie Martinez is not a good defensive coordinator. The moment that nearly broke my spirit came after we took the lead. All game long, and in the second half in particular, our defensive line was dominating in passing situations. We were getting more pressure up front than we had since the Sugar Bowl against Hawaii. The front four were saving our bacon. As such, the much hated (by me, at least) defensive scheme that Martinez runs had a chance to work. So we go up 7-6. What do we do on the next possession for LSU? Do we stick with what had held them to six points? No. We go to a three man line. This was unfathomable. With that much time left in the game, to change your strategy is baffling. To change it even if there was one minute left still makes no sense. No, the defense is not totally to blame for Saturday. That said, yet another awful decision by our defensive coordinator did not help.
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