So ... gee ... what's everyone talking about?
Judging from the comments on this here blog, the bloodletting has continued among Georgia fans since the Liberty Bowl, and isn't showing much sign of stopping. I understand the frustration, and feel free to keep venting. That's what the Internet is here for. (Well that, and porn.)
Bill Shanks, not quite on Mark Richt's Christmas card to begin with, speaks for a lot of you in his column on Sunday. He believes Richt is a lame duck heading into 2011.
The fans have now turned on Richt. They are caring less about how great of a person he is and how he carries himself off the field. That’s nice. But the bottom line is fans want to win, and if he’s not the coach to do it, they’re going to want him gone.
There is no reason to believe Richt can turn this around. The talent level is so far off that even Central Florida looks far superior to Georgia. Georgia is, at best, the seventh best program in the SEC right now, and that’s just not good enough. And there’s nothing to show it’s going to get better overnight.
That's just an opinion, of course. Having spoken to Greg McGarity a number of times, and also based on his comments Saturday to Tim Tucker at the AJC, I'm confident that if the powers-that-be feel Richt isn't the man for the future, they'd make a move now. The decision to go forward with Richt in 2011 was made months ago, and there's no sign that's changed.
Here's my Sunday follow on the game, which looks ahead to next year. a
Richt is 96-34 at Georgia, but the Bulldogs have declined each of the past four years: from 11-2 in 2007, to records of 10-3, 8-5 and now 6-7.
The man who hired him, the legendary Vince Dooley, pointed out during the season that Richt had always enjoyed “a charmed life” as a coach. It’s charmed no more, as Richt figures to enter the 2011 season on the hottest seat in the SEC.
- More good news for Georgia: Its arch-rival Florida is on the verge of a huge hire, Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator. Here's the Kansas City Star report.
Weis may have been arrogant and churlish as a head coach at Notre Dame, but no one disputes his abilities as an offensive coordinator. This is quite a coup for Will Muschamp.
In other news:
- TCU won the Rose Bowl to finish undefeated, and some people, like Thayer Evans of Foxsports.com, want AP voters to crown the Horned Frogs national champion.
As I've stated before, I'm supposed to be an impartial journalist on most matters and cover things on my beat even-handedly. But on some you have to step up and recognize there's no middle ground. College football's lack of a system that crowns a true and undisputed national champion is just stupid. And no, the BCS is not undisputed.
I don't know if TCU could beat Auburn or Oregon, but it's a shame we can't find out.
- Ohio State Terrelle Pryor was cleared by the NCAA over his use of loaned cars. I'm sure, like with all these issues, it was a simple misunderstanding. Yup, move along, nothing to see here.
- Finally, this hasn't been a happy blog post, I'm sure, for Georgia fans. The last few haven't been. So let's finish on a happy note, at least something that always makes me smile:
Jon Hamm and Michael Buble' from SNL, about a year ago. It always cheers me up.
Posts
7 comments:
The Rose Bowl - along with the Capitol One and Gator Bowls - said more about the current state of the Big Ten than about non-AQ programs.
Watching the Cap One and Gator Bowls reminded me what a properly prepared team with a sense of urgency and killer instinct looks like.
Seth,
Do you find it a little bit odd that all the angry anons out there always call for Bobo's head, but never Searels? I mean, isn't Searels co-OC or Running Game coordinator?
If you look at this season, the biggest disappointment has to be the running game, right? We were supposed to have a very good, experienced OL that would dominate for our very good RB tandem. That never really happened outside games against really bad opponents like Idaho St & Vandy.
The passing game wasn't without problems, but the offensive bright spot was Aaron Murray, the guy Bobo directly coached.
I find it odd that no one calls for Searels or McClendon's heads as much. How about you?
With the biggest thing seeming to be the lack of production from O-line, and not being able to hold on in 4th quarter, I would see these as the biggest needs to be addressed. Maybe the change at S&C takes care of them both.
Seth is it true that Thomas Brown may not be the only former player to come back and help on staff?
As long as Coach Rich ADMITS there need to be changes, then he isnt accepting of it and is gonna try. For that i say let him have 2011, remember, this is pretty much the state of the program when he took over on a 3 game losing streak to tech. he changed the philosphy and hes gonna have to do it again.
Dont think that Garner nearly leaving every year has helped...Coach Richt has been spending a LOT OF TIME on the road...maybe didnt get enough time with team before bowl. NO EXCUSE, but if so, it didnt help.
I can't count how many times this season where our "experienced" o-line just totally whiffed on players blowing through the line. Guys standing around after a play. What really pissed me off is when Murray gets knocked down and you have a lot of the o-line guys just looking around instead of helping their qb get up after they let someone come through unscathed. I just don't get it...How does the O-line get progressively worse every season with the same guys?
If you really want to start somewhere with the problems, start with the line play, defense included, but especially the o-line.
Solve those problems and I think everything else starts to click better.
I really hope J Tereshinski puts his foot where the sun don't shine with these guys. This is NOT a group worth wearing the Georgia G
Fire Searels!
Now!
Dawgstephen... holding on in the 4 th qtr.? Heck half of the teams on UGA's schedule should have been put away by the early in the 4th and earlier. Im tired of holding on against teams like Vandy and losing now to a Central Florida. Did anyone see how Alabama players approached their bowl game? Their players were focused and they didn't laugh nor did they dance on the sidelines. I'm not buying into whatever gets the players loose crap. Its time to be serious about every game the celebrate AFTER the game is won then get focused for the next. Mark Richt needs to go now folks. He has been paid nicely and all we get is either injury, youth excuses or we are taking a hard look in all areas in our football program to improve next year. Same ole crap year after year now.
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