Bacarri Rambo deserves some credit for honesty here:
… Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two other assistants were let go. Grantham was brought in with two other assistants, and only defensive line coach Rodney Garner remained.
Players said this week that the change itself helped, because the previous defensive staff had been under such fire it was becoming a distraction. But Grantham also brought an intensity that was needed, according to safety Bacarri Rambo.
“That’s what we really had been missing on the defensive side of the ball,” said Rambo, who leads the SEC in interceptions this season. “I know sometimes we should not be coach-oriented to get us motivated. But sometimes it takes that, and he gets us so fired up and has us out there ready to play. … We’re playing relentless; everybody’s having fun. We’re playing with a swagger and confidence that we didn’t play with the previous years.” [Emphasis added.]
I wonder who recognized that first – the players, or Coach Richt?
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“We’re playing relentless” Love that! I remember earlier in the year you asked the question “What would you like Georgia to be ‘known for'”. I said “playing 60 minutes” and someone replied “Relentless”…. Dreams do come true.
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You really need that intensity on defense more so than offense, offense is more strictly about execution you don’t have to be “fiery” or juiced in fact it can be a detriment, see Daniel Inman.
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Offense is about precision. Regardless of the type of offense you run. Defense is about disrupting the precision, so you want them to be relentless.
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I’ve been so proud of the way Rambo has rebounded this year. He had a tough 2010 with learning a brand new defense, but damn, he’s made up for it with a vengeance. His leap into the end zone with the football stretched out is my clubhouse leader for image of the year.
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i 10000% share these sentiments with you. he was lost all the time last year in that new scheme but he’s been all over the (right) place this year.
that pick during the auburn game was awesome, but when he started running it back and he had some great blocking + vision to get the “six,” sanford erupted.. it was amazing.
it’s actually my profile picture on fb..
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GoDawgs, can I submit RSIV busting in the endzone for the score to take the lead on fluarda?
Lil competition, a?
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That was flippin’ sweet as well. I’ll never forget the walk out of that stadium for as long as I live.
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That get’s my vote.
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Plenty of people feel it’s inappropriate to discuss a contract with CTG while he’s got a year left and 4 games to play this season. But we’ve had a terrific DC walk away for no good reason once before. Sometimes the prudent thing is to get the guy signed long term. If he was an average coach I’d say let him wait or walk. Losing CTG would be a huge setback. It’s not a question of resources, we’re loaded with $$. Why take chances?
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It’s entirely possible these conversations are taking place. I wouldn’t expect McGarity or the coaches to speak of it except to say it’ll be addressed at the end of the season.
I’d keep in mind, though, that Foley didn’t do multi-year contracts with assistants at UF and McGarity is bringing a lot of Foley’s ways with him. Hopefully, McGarity is smart enough to see the landscape in our league has changed w/r/t assistant coaches (specifically co-ordinators). Still, I’d like to see production against elite teams before we dive into the deep end, so waiting until the end of the year makes a lot of sense to me.
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Foley does multi-year contracts for assistants now. He probably doesn’t like them, but times have changed.
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The thing w/ all this Grantham talk is that if he continues to perform at this level, he’ll be leaving for an NFL DC job or NCCA HC job at the the end of the 2012 season no matter what we decide to pay him.
I say give him another year, maybe a 50k bump in salary, and insist on a bigger buyout unless he’s leaving for an HC gig.
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Good to know. I try to avoid reading anything about UF when I can. (sic)
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As to your last point concerning who identified the issue first: CMR or the players? Do you wonder if there are any scenarios where a player/players would possibly have broached those exact dynamics with Richt? I find it hard to imagine even a Senior speaking out about perceived inadequacies like that within a squad. But who knows —- that’s in-house stuff.
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Right or wrong, I feel that the return of the last interception by Rambo against AU is the best if not the best scoring run by any player in the last few years considering it was not a set play and the success solely depends on a player’s grit. It should be worth a permanent place in the Video Board at Sanford Stadium. It surely will give the Dawg fans some injection of excitement even dark and cloudy days.
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I have no doubt we’ll be seeing that one in the mix.
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Love the lick by Williams on an Aubie just before Rambo takes it in.
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We need a link to that video. I need small doses of the cool aid to motivate me throughout the day.
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Rambo was just being honest about the media and blogging swirl that was enveloping the team. It’s easy to imagine that these players are telling their recruit friends whether the coach that is recruiting them is going to be there or not. The recruits read and ask those they know on the team what’s going on that is real and what is media hype. The point here is that players don’t ususally confess that they are embroiled in it as well. Good for Rambo. Any honest intelligent takes from team members should be appreciated by us fans as refreshing. An after the fact answer does no harm and doesn’t trigger more media hype.
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The question to be asked isn’t who recognized it first, its why it took CMR so long to acknoweldge it and make the change. I am forever grateful that he did, but I do fault him for sticking with Willie too long.
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Amen, brother. Mark Richt stuck with Slick Willie Two Thumbs for FAR TOO LONG! He should have never let BVG go. BVG should be our head coach. Anyone with a brain knows it. FIRE MARK RICHT!!!!!!!!!1!
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Could you try something else, please?
Thanks.
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Did you see what happened at BVG’s last head coaching gig? Hell of a D- coordinator but not built for the head coach game right now.
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He is absolutely HATED by GSU fans…do not utter his name near them.
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[quote]I wonder who recognized that first – the players, or Coach Richt?[/quote]
I wonder if this explains the colored jerseys and other attempts at fake juice.
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I think the “intensity” card is overplayed. Just as important to the motivation of players — maybe more important — is “buying in” and believing in the coach and that coach’s system. Being “fiery” and yelling a lot is fine, but there has to be substance behind that.
Willie’s defect was not in the fiery/yelling/loud part as many of our fans tend to believe. David Hale once wrote that anyone who thinks Martinez lacked fire and intensity has not attended many Georgia football practices.
The thing about Grantham is not just his intensity. His players believe in him, his game plans and his system. It appears they love playing for him. If being fiery and intense were all it took to be a good DC, we would still have Willie around. Fortunately, it appears Grantham has both fire and substance.
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Funny idea to ponder: Grantham’s intensity, which resulted in several media snafu’s such as the “choke” and Franklin incident may help keep him at Georgia due to possible market perceptions. Win-win for GA fans!
Maybe he’ll grab his crotch and point at Paul Johnson in a few weeks!…. Winning!
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I can live with the occasional gesture. As long as he doesn’t go all Woody Hayes on somebody’s ass, he’ll be okay.
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Rambo’s play has really been fun to watch this year. Not only is he snagging INTs left and right, but his overall coverage and tackling skills are outstanding. The whole secondary is much more physical this year, which is a treat to see.
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I just hope he’s not too good that he gets a favorable evaluation from the draft board.
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