Georgia head coach Mark Richt struck an optimistic tone on his Sunday teleconference, saying he sees improvement across his team, while granting that the losses were “discouraging.”
“I had a sense after the game that this team was really improving and making strides,” Richt said. “And after watching the film I think we’re moving in the right direction, and that’s a good thing.”
Freshman quarterback Aaron Murray is getting better, according to Richt, who compared that player’s learning curve to that of many on defense, who are still picking up the new system.
“It’s always discouraging to lose any game,” Richt said. “So we’re not happy about the win-loss record right now. But when you do the job that we do and you coach and you teach and you give them assignments … and you watch guys improve, that’s an encouraging thing, and that’s what I’m talking about.”
A few more notes from Richt’s teleconference:
- The only player that Richt knew was out for sure next week is backup center Chris Burnette. He did not have an update on any of the other players who missed Saturday’s game (CB-PR Branden Smith, ILB Marcus Dowtin, among them).
- Tackle Trinton Sturdivant took a shot to his leg, but Richt didn’t think it was serious. Sturdivant, who is recovering from consecutive knee surgeries, saw a lot of time at left tackle against Arkansas.
“Trinton is moving forward and deserves to get more opportunity and will get better moving forward as we go,” Richt said. “Definitely a bit of rust on him though.”
- No change in the offensive play-calling structure. Richt said offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is “calling the game,” though he will occasionally interject in key situations, and remains involved in planning during the week.
- The blame was spread around for the six sacks given up to Arkansas. He did say that Murray fares better when he moves up in the pocket.
“I’m not gonna sit here and I don’t wanna throw out anything that would sound like dirty laundry on these kids,” Richt said. “I care very much about their mental well being. But it was definitely a combination. There were some O-line issues, there were some running back issues as pass protectors. And there were quarterback issues. It was really spread out. It wasn’t just one culprit.”
- Finally, the coach was asked about having to motivate his players, now with a 1-2 record.
“My guess is these guys will get right back on the horse, start right, and get right back to work,” Richt said. “I think we all wanna have a real positive result in the win column. So I don’t think that’ll be an issue. I think we’ve got some really strong leadership and people that care.”
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Richt: 'We're moving in the right direction''
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10 comments:
Nothing there that makes me feel good going forward.
Well, as long as we've got some "people that care," I guess I'm okay with being last in the East.
Why is it that there is such an emotional element that plauges this team? (and every other team we field year in and year out)
Playing hard for four quarters, playing tough, playing mean, playing smart, playing with pride, being tough minded, executing, having fundamental technique....all that should be second nature at this level of competition. This is the SEC, only the strong survive
I think we'll be a much better team and I agree with CMR about the game and some positives going forward, but why can't we get some consistency out of these guys? They are much better talent wise than what they're putting out on the field.
What did you want him to say? Woe is me, and gloom and despair?
He said MOVING towards better, but NOT what we want!!
Look, he is in a place the last 2 years he hasnt been before...he made changes last year, and he will make them again this year if he has to. Period
We are paying CMR to "guess" that his players will get back on the proverbial horse? Yes I say UGA is in trouble folks.
moving forward is FIRE MARC RICHT AND PACK HIS SUITCASES FOR HIM TO LEAVE ATHENS NOW
losing is not a problem since there will always be losers in sports
making us waste time for months building up to the season with expectations of having a good team is the crime we cannot forgive richt
all he had to do 3 months ago is tell us the team was not going to do well
it was obvious to us fans in retrospect when he lost zack that he was doomed to bust this season
and richt knew it but acted like it was not a big deal since zach was not starting
with that kid we would have scored 40 points a game
The right direction...
2-6 in the last eight SEC games
22-18 since 2006 against SEC opponents
10-11 since 2006 against SEC East opponents
Who is this "Marc Richt"? There are already serious flaws in your argument when you don't even know how to spell the man's name. Especially since he is probably one of the Top 5 most known men, right now, in the state of Georgia.
I am certainly open to hearing everyone on the "Fire Mark Richt" bus to offer up a better replacement.
Kirby Smart? Will Muschamp? Gus Malzahn? Yeah, they're great coordinators but are in no way proven at the highest level.
What about available proven head coaches ... Tuberville? Leach? Fulmer? Ha, yeah right.
Who knows the Georgia program better, more intimately than Richt? Oh yeah ... No one!
If the internet has done anything, it has proven how blind and dumb the Georgia "faithful" can be.
Over the past 10 years, Richt has elevated this team from the Goof and Donnan eras. To think where we might be if Glen Mason had taken the job. Yeah, that's right Glen Mason.
It is amazing how many potential coaches and ADs are just sitting in their armchairs on Saturday afternoons. It is a shame none of y'all are able to get jobs at any level of football competition with your supreme knowledge and keen hindsight. That way you could work through the ranks and then we could hire your smart ass.
I mean, let's face the facts. We are putting in a completely different scheme on defense without, more than likely, the ideal personnel. We are starting a redshirt freshman, who for all the practice and planning he has done over the past year, still is only two games deep going in at "game speed".
Also, our vaunted OL and running attack has not lived up to the preseason hype. That's right, preseason hype. On top of that, we don't have our best WR option for the first four games. I don't think A.J. Green could single handedly win a game but the receiving corp is really hurting without him.
There is no reason to doubt we can go into the Florida game sitting at 6–2. We are pretty much out, for the foreseeable future, in the SEC East but this season is far from over.
In response to WCDawg:
I believe that Richt is still the person for the Georgia job. I want to win as badly as anyone. But there is also something to be said for having a man like Richt at the helm of the program.
Georgia fans that are screaming about firing Richt need to step back and take a really hard look at the program. First, Georgia is not Florida, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, or Southern Cal. It is not a nationally recognized program or elite program. All of us Georgia fans may believe that it is, but it just really isn't. Who is going to come and coach the Dawgs that can have more success than CMR or take the Dawgs where CMR had them from 2002-2005? There may not be another Saban, Stoops, or Meyer out there that can turn around a program instantly and compete for or win a national title in the first three seasons. After church yesterday someone told me Muschamp. First, there isn't any guarantee that he would be an effective head coach since he's only been a coordinator so far. Second, why would he leave Texas (he is the head coach in waiting at a place that IS a nationally recognized program in a state with so much talent to burn that they can field national title contenders with in-state talent alone)?
But all of that being said, the trend for Georgia since 2006 is somewhat alarming when you consider our record against SEC east opponents. You're not going to compete for many SEC championships if you have a sub .500 record against division opponents over the long term.
Equally perplexing is the fact that since Richt has been at Georgia, Florida and Alabama have replaced head coaches and won national championships and been dominant. I suppose that you could point to 2002 and say Richt essentially did the same thing and but for the head-scratcher of a loss to UF could have played Ohio State or Miami for the national championship. Of course, the counter to that is that Florida has pretty much remained dominant since Meyer's first national championship and the Dawgs have dipped back to second tier status in the SEC East.
I'm not a coach so I can tell those that are how to fix the problems we are facing as a program right now. But as a fan I can see that those problems exist and I'm sure that Richt can see those problems as well. Is it a scheme issue, talent pool issue, coaching issue, or some combination of all of the above? I don't know, but I want Richt to get it fixed. And I for one believe, presently, that he can do so.
Correction in last post:
I'm not a coach so I CAN'T tell those that are...
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