Is Coaching or Talent More to Blame?

by T Kyle King on Oct 20, 2006 11:37 AM EDT in Football

First of all, my thanks go out to Travis for pointing out Omarr Conner's recent injury, which I just flat missed. Saturday's starting quarterback for the other Bulldogs will be Michael Henig, whom I could have sworn I saw killed in the South Carolina game.

Anyway, it appears that I could play wide receiver for Georgia, because I just plain dropped the ball and I am thankful to my loyal readers for setting me straight. My bad. It won't happen again . . . until the next time it happens, of course.

Now, to the matter at hand. Paul Westerdawg offered an excellent breakdown of Georgia's 2006 defensive personnel, ably refuting the erroneous thesis that Mark Richt's success has come with Jim Donnan's players but noting that it isn't all Willie Martinez's fault because the 'Dawgs lost a ton of talent from last year's S.E.C. championship team.

Paul's point is a good one, but his argument has drawn some responses from commenters who noted, also correctly, that talent differential alone cannot explain why Georgia defenses have underachieved in the Willie Martinez era, particularly when it comes to fundamental flaws such as poor tackling and a lack of halftime adjustments. Also, as Doug observed, the defense just doesn't look fired up out there.

Much like the argument over nature versus nurture, it isn't a binary either/or question; obviously, both talent and coaching play an important role. Which is the more significant contributing factor to the Bulldogs' recent poor play, though?

Is it primarily a matter of talent and experience, in which case the program should stay the course without any changes to the coaching staff and expect to see improvement as young players mature, or are there flaws in the defensive coaches' methods and schemes that produce lackluster play and misalignments that may be exploited easily by opposing coaches, which suggests the need for changes on Mark Richt's staff? Which is it?

Go 'Dawgs!

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Coaching vs. Talent

It seems to me that oftentimes inexperience limits coaching. Our secondary lost not only three starters this year, but three All-SEC starters. That's staggering. The chickens came home to roost against Tennessee, where our zone looks were picked apart in the second half.

The alternative of course might have been to play more man coverage. Honestly, however, can RaMarcus Brown be counted on at this point to reliably cover Jayson Swain one on one, play after play, without a breakdown? Probably not. That's not a knock on RaMarcus. The fact is I would rather have a lightly recruited two star corner with three years of starting/playing experience (Tim Jennings) in that situation. Our secondary will get to where it's going. So will our defensive tackles (face it, some of us who made jokes about Gerald Anderson's weight would buy him every pork chop and hog jowl in Waycross if it got he and Kedric Golston one more year of eligibility).

The coaching hasn't been pristine. It never is. However, the flaws are a lot easier to overlook and a lot less damaging when you have experienced personnel out there, making the adjustments, reads and plays that veteran personnel make. Disclaimer: No whales, gorillas or aging hippies were harmed in the formulation and testing of these opinions.

by MaconDawg on Oct 20, 2006 4:11 PM EDT 0 recs

Well put, MaconDawg

To paraphrase the judge from "My Cousin Vinny," that was clear, articulate, and well stated.

By the way, I've been meaning to thank you for your support on the Georgia-Texas matchup, your mention of Lewis Grizzard's birthday, and your parenthetical aside in reference to Willie Martinez, all of which were appreciated.

Much obliged.

by T Kyle King on Oct 20, 2006 5:36 PM EDT 0 recs

you're right. it isn't binary

It's both coaching and talent. Coaching at linebacker in particular needs to improve greatly.

If I were stack ranking the assistants, Janeck would be 11th in a 10 man race. That said, the talent is down from what we got used to. At least the talent that's starting.

pwd

Georgia Sports Blog

by Paulwesterdawg on Oct 21, 2006 9:23 AM EDT 0 recs

My Cousin Vinnie

"To paraphrase the judge from "My Cousin Vinny," that was clear, articulate, and well stated."

Totally off topic, but before I entered private practice I served as a Superior Court law clerk and my office was right down the hall in the Jasper County Courthouse from the courtroom used in that movie. I used to give an informal "Vinnie" tour to courthouse visitors. To this day my wife leaves the room when it comes on TV.

by MaconDawg on Oct 21, 2006 12:08 PM EDT 0 recs

Cool!

During my last year of law school, I worked with the District Attorney for the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit under the Third-Year Practice Act, which brought me to several of the sites used in the movie and also allowed me to appear regularly in the Morgan County Courthouse in Madison, where the courtroom scenes in the T.V. series "I'll Fly Away" were filmed.

I like to joke that Sam Waterston and I both pretended to be lawyers in the same courtroom.

When were you with the Superior Court?

by T Kyle King on Oct 22, 2006 9:35 AM EDT 0 recs

Re: Cool!

2003-2004. The Morgan County Courthouse is an awesome sight. It took years of renovations, but when you walk in you think "Now this is what a southern courthouse is supposed to look like."

I always found it funny that the balcony of the Holly Arms hotel, where Pesci stands dazed when he's awakened in the dead of night, is actually now an aerobics studio. Ah, sweet irony.

by MaconDawg on Oct 26, 2006 1:31 PM EDT 0 recs