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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What you want to hear from Richt

Mark Richt has his postseason wrap-up press conference on Wednesday morning. Here are among the top subjects expected to be addressed:

- Richt’s picks for the NFL playoffs.
- Is he interested in hiring Rich Rodriguez as a graduate assistant?
- What are Richt’s thoughts on the new all-day Oprah network?

OK, seriously, this could actually be a very interesting press conference. It depends on what direction Richt wants to take it: Is he the same even-keel guy, or does he feel the need to show some passion, as the AJC's Tony Barnhart has urged.

Last week in Memphis, Richt deviated a bit from his normal approach with his “the fourth-winningest coach in America” statement. I saw that more of a defense of his approach to coaching, rather than the job pressure. But that was before the loss to UCF, which since then has only ratcheted up the heat from the public.

Beyond some housekeeping questions – like the updates on the players considering going pro – here are some questions I expect Richt to field:

- Does he feel 2011 is a make-or-break year for him as Georgia’s head coach?
- Does he feel the need to make any changes in his own approach to coaching, or how he runs the program?
- Blair Walsh said after the Liberty Bowl that the team felt a sense of entitlement about the game, leading to the loss. Does Richt think that the Bulldog program has fallen into a sense of entitlement, and needs some urgency?

That’s just a few off the top of my head. Now it’s your turn: What would you want to ask Richt? Feel free to post your questions below, preferably with a minimal amount of profanity, and if I like it enough maybe it’ll get asked and you’ll get full credit. (On the blog. Not in the press conference. That'd be weird.)

Hint: The more informational, and less argumentative, the question, the more likely it is to get chosen.

OK Bulldog fans, impress me.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Although I suspect we know the answer, could you ask CMR if he's ever been loaded on prison hootch?

Anonymous said...

How would he grade the peformance of the OL this year given he indicated it was seen as a strength at the beginning of the year given we had SR's and JR's anchoring the line? What will be done to improve the OL performance in 2011?

Anonymous said...

Why are you doing this to me?

Chuck said...

The one thing that I would like to ask Coach Richt is how do you coach pride and Tradition to players. This is the one thing that this team is missing and how do you teach that. IF you do not believe in Georgia you will not play hard and not give a 100%. That goes for the effort both on as well as off the field.

Inspector G said...

Here is my question:

"Some would say there is a leadership problem within the program. Whether it is to be placed on the feet of the Coaches, players, assistants, or MORE likely, a combination of the team as a whole. How do you instill the winning, 'take no prisoners' attitude that brought you so much success with the likes of Greene, Pollack, Curran, and Moreno? How do the coaches bring back the 'GATA' tradition at UGA and the success it brought Erk, Dooley, and most importantly, yourself? Attitude reflects leadership, Coach."

That is all...

-Massey

Anonymous said...

Love the blog but the questions you posted off the top of your head are the types of questions that produce lousy answers...of course he knows it's an important year, etc. Instead ask what specific things will he do as a head coach to produce better results on and off the field? I would love to hear more about what he will change and less about his assessment of the past.

Dustin said...

Can I treat this with ointmnet or do I need to see a doctor?

Anonymous said...

We all know how "Miami swagger" turned out for Miami. Its hard for me to wrap my head around a couple things to ask CMR. There's way to many things that need to be done to fix this team! And I hate this mess! Since 2006 we've had 5 top 25 rated players recruited. That's unspeakable at UGA!

ecdawg said...

You mentioned after the Liberty Bowl that changes needed to be made. S&C changes were already underway and you discounted the need for personnel changes.
Please tell us what a few of the needed changes you have identified. If the needs are somewhat abstract (like attitude, for example, what instructional actions will bring results?

Keese said...

Seth, why not ask him the question on whether he expects Samuel L Jackson to be back next year on the sidelines?

Stephen said...

I would want to know what changes he said were referring to after the Liberty bowl..if he sees things that need fixing, give us an idea which direction he is referring to, or maybe these arent things that need played out in public.

If the changes mean PEOPLE or procedure.

Rob in Atlanta said...

1) My perception is that the tight end play took a step backwards. Does Richt intend to put more emphasis on the role Orson Charles can play next year?

2) Why does Richt feel like our running game has under achieved the last two years (O-line bust or poor job developing RBs)?

3) Will Brandan Smith shift to WR in 2011?

4) Why does Richt allow Bobo to continually call draw plays when it's 2nd and 23 or 3rd and long? We seem to lack a sense of urgency when we're tied or up in a game.

5) Are Richt and Bobo actively working with Murray to help him look up field when he runs. It seems like Murray, even in the bowl game, loses field vision when he moves out of the pocket

6)Will Richt be bringing in someone from a JuCo or HS that will serve the nose tackle role next year, or are Richt and Grantham pleased with the progress, size and abilities of Deangelo Tyson?

7) I used to get intimidated watching UGA defenses with their blitz packages. Now, I am at risk of falling asleep by the lack of pressure and surprise. What is Grantham going to do about that?

8) An area of progress this year was in kickoff coverage. What changed? Having the A-team instead of walk-ons on the field or a change in focus and practice?

Keese said...

I'd be willing to bet Richt will deflect any of the change questions to him by saying he will be "evaluating it during the offseason"

Seth, whatever questions you ask him, don't make it a close-ended response and ask for specifics.

Anonymous said...

Coach, tell the fans why they should believe that you still have the fire and edge to lead this program back to championship contention after what they saw the last 3 years and the bowl game.

jim said...

TCU, Boise State, Miss State, South Carolina, etc, etc, do not recruit nearly as well as UGA, not even close. However The teams they field or either superior or far superior to teams fielded by UGA. Do you have an opinion on what the problem could possibly be? What are your planned changes you referenced after the bowl game to al least have these 4 & 5 star recruits play at least as good as the other teams 2 & 3 star recruits?

Anonymous said...

My Question: Why are YOU Still Here?

Matt said...

Coach:

Q:1 If talent is not the problem, and no staff changes are planned, what do you specifically plan to do differently going forward to materially change the program for the better? Follow-up: What are some examples of changes you are considering? How will coach T bring new ideas into the S and C program when he has been there for 25yrs?

Q#2: If talent is an issue, how have you changed your recruiting approach and evaluation procedure?

Q#3: Looking back at this season and last, what could you have done differently as head coach in terms of leadership and motivation?

Q4: On the decision to kick the FG on 4th down and inches in the bowl game, do you feel that your decision to play it safe set the tone for the rest of the game? At 6-6, why play it safe, and not go all out for a touchdown?

Q5: Having spent 10 years at one place, how do you avoid complacency and still infuse new ideas into your program? How do you resist the urge to say, "stay the course, what worked once will work again"?

Matt said...

What has caused the decline in record the last few years? Can you put your finger on the root issues involved? Follow-up: What could you have done differently to prevent it? What do you plan to do differently to fix it going forward?

Anonymous said...

Is there a reason that the Bruce Miller's don't get a serious look by Georgia and do you see this as a problem ?
Would David Pollack (recruited by coach Donnan) have been offered by
your staff ?

Anonymous said...

What do you aspire for the Georgia program to be? Is the goal each year to win a SEC East title? An SEC title? A MNC? If we aspire to compete for a national title, do we have the best players and coaches that we can get? Are you confident that we have the best coordinators and coaches in the nation? If not, why not?

jtpruett said...

I want to know why he's no longer a gusty play caller (not going for the 4th and inches against UCF) like he was when he first came to UGA (like in 2002 against Clemson...going for 4th and 1 at their own 38 yard line with 40 seconds left in the game). His own player was quoted in the ABH as saying ``We loved that he believed in us that much,'' fullback J.T. Wall said. ``Everybody wants a coach like that, a coach with the guts to make that call because anything could have happened.''

What everyone that loves UGA wants to know is..."why isn't he that coach anymore?" What he was telling his players against UCF was that he didn't believe in them. That call was a win for UCF and demoralizing for UGA. We now seem to play to not lose instead of playing to win and it isn't working.

Reference:
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/090102/dog_20020901116.shtml

Anonymous said...

Why does he never take a shot at the end zone to end a half, especially when there are timeouts on the board? Goes back to trying not to lose instead of trying to win the game.

Russ Fortson said...

Carrying on the theme mentioned by other posters here, has his philosophy changed over the years to play it safe now, versus gambling a little bit in the past? The 4th and inches in the Liberty Bowl, not throwing it deep at the end of the half of many games seem to indicate playing to not lose, instead of playing to win.

Does he think he's changed his philosophy?

Anonymous said...

As a multiple season ticket holder why should I donate and renew next year? What reason(s) should I be optimstic that next year will be better than the last 3?

Anonymous said...

What does your offensive staff do to self-scout patterns in play calling in certain situations? Is that ever a specific factor when calling plays or is the philosophy just to go with whatever play fits the situation without worrying about what the opposition might be expecting?

BCSAV said...

Coach Richt, what do you think about Benedictine's new head football coach?

Anonymous said...

Can anyone on his staff adjust on the fly ?