Paul Westerdawg makes a very good point in response to those seeking a change at the head coaching position:
Greg McGarity has done absolutely nothing at UGA to suggest he’s capable of or willing to make a big important hire or making massive, decisive sweeping changes. He came into a massive pile of dysfunction left over from Damon, and (to his credit) he made a check list of the dumbest crap we were doing and slowly worked his way through the obvious items on the list. He fixed issues like not having a nutritionist or playing football games AT Louisville. But the big issues like the dumpster fire of the S&C program or the Baseball Team’s head coach and facilities were dealt with incrementally or not at all.
If we want to “out Bama” the Tide, we’re going to need an AD, President and Coach ready to invest about $3 million per year in Football Operations, Football Analysts and S&C personnel. We’re going to need to invest another $2 million a year in coaching salaries across the board. Then we’re going to need a bigger compliance staff to keep those 20 new staffers in compliance.
That’s more than a money issue. That’s a culture change regarding what we invest in. Those personnel investments could be happening RIGHT NOW. And they aren’t. And why? This isn’t 2008 where Richt didn’t get the S&C dollars he asked for because Damon didn’t trust CVH to do anything with the money. This is McGarity saying that he doesn’t believe Bama’s org chart is street legal…and rather than work with the NCAA to end their staffing practices OR adopt the same practices in hiring and staff growth…we are in this passive aggressive purgatory of not doing the new best practice AND not forcing the other guy to stop it.
Change isn’t about simply unplugging one coach and plugging in another. Even if there were someone out there who had a clear vision about how to take the program to the next level – for the sake of argument, let’s say that Kirby Smart has successfully absorbed every management lesson Nick Saban has to offer – if McGarity and the administration are unwilling to restructure the school’s entire approach to big-time football, who’s to say the hire would work? For that matter, under those conditions, who’s to say that guy would even be willing to take the job in the first place?
Put it another way. Sure, Alabama raises more money from football than Georgia does. But it also spends way more money on football. At Georgia, we like to make bank. Does anyone really believe that approach is in for a significant adjustment in the near future – especially for a program that wins 10+ games a year more often than not? I sure don’t.
Get The Picture 
You tell it Brother Westerdawg! Finally someone who paints a clear picture of,” It is what it is”. Don’t like that saying but sometimes it fits. Also cannot stand, “With that said”; which is very popular on GTP. Why don’t you just say, “But”.
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I wrote an extensive post 2 years ago about how UGA had to change its culture in order to be what we say we want to be. Westerdawg is absolutely right!
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Oh goody, somebody finally takes the time to repeat what I have been saying for two years….it is all about institutional will.
Does this help anybody understand what I mean when I say: we ain’t Bama?
I could take this as a comment on my veracity, I won’t, after all immitation is the most sincere compliment.
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On second thought here’s a more constructive comment on PWD’S piece, and the subsequent comment by the Senator.
No shit.
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One historical note, Senator….while Bama may be making more money from football now, when Bear stumbled off this mortal coil, he left the coffers at Bama damn near empty, in fact, they were overdrawn at the bank in some areas. Hard to believe, but this is a true fact. Point being, financial solvency can be a serious motivating factor in implementing a process.
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SJ,III perhaps you missed the point. You blame CMR for not winning the big game. But you could have any number of coaches here and the systemic problems would hamper them, too. The not winning the big game phenomenon is a symptom of the bigger problem. Specifically, there is a lack of institutional will in Athens. Sure, everybody in the Administration (including fans) gives lip service to being “behind the team” and all that but when it comes down to specifics things get wishy-washy. For example, the WLOCP. UGA plays that game as an away game every year. UGA has lost that game, during the Richt era, 8 out of 11 times. Some losses came even when the Dawgs were clearly the better team. Playing that game in Jacksonville also places UGA in the situation of only having 3 home conference games every other year. You don’t think that is a disadvantage? Do you think that Bama fans or its Administration would allow their team to be put in the situation of playing a major conference rival as an away game every year? Why doesn’t Bama play LSU in New Orleans every year? That would be a great trip for its fanbase, wouldn’t it? And really close to lower Alabama, too. But the Bama administration and fanbase care more about winning than having a fun trip–that’s why they don’t do things that are counterproductive to winning. Red Panties made a lifetime of scheduling errors (and who knows what other miscues) in the short time that he was AD. Neither Bama nor Florida would have made the mistake of hiring Red Panties as AD. I am hopeful that McGarity and the new President will reverse the “foot on the neck” thing that has been going on in Athens.
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Mayor…Paul is saying exactly what I have been saying for years….in fact, as far as I know, “institutional will” are my words. I don’t blame anybody for anything other than the folks who have expectations that don’t match our institutional will….you musta meant this for somebody else.
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But just win the big game once in a while. And beat the Gators!
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I am going to pray for you guys, CMR, honey BOBO and the team; that God will have mercy on us and let us beat Fl.so that you will then have to humble yourselves by saying, “CMR can win the BIG GAME.” In fact, I think you should all have to type it on GTP 100 times. AGREED!
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Somehow I wonder how much God cares about the outcome of fun games that we play against other similarly devout humans.
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God promises in His Word to give us the Desires of our hearts and that is the desire of my heart. Also, God cares about everything we care about. We are his Children and if you are a parent you know what that means. Ask Tim Tebow he knows.
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I’m sorry, but I will not allow these cold, hard facts to interfere with HE CAIN’T WIN THE BIG ONE!
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i am not sure how the sweeping change outline above that is supposedly required for us to be any more successful than we are today is necessary to address the lack of preparation and ineptitude demonstrated in Columbia (most recently, but in many other stadiums, including Sanford, the last several years).
Heck, even the coaches have all but admitted how poor their game plan was and how poorly the team was prepared in their comments since then.
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Jim – every coach dreams up a plan that sucks so bad that he gets his ass completely handed to him. See Saban vs SC in 2010, Saban vs UGA in 2004, or Saban vs ULM in 2006 for some examples. It happens.
He’s human. But, if people want to covant the Bama results overall, they need to understand the Bama process, investment and approach. All of it has to be replicated. Just hiring a Saban guy isn’t enough. If it was, Precious and the Vols wouldn’t be in their mess.
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I guess that is where the disconnect seems to be.
My opinion, simply put, is that we can do much better than we are doing right now without selling our soul to the equivalent of Saban or Auburn circa 2010.
The fact that so many fans seem content that our regular meltdowns are “ok” and “it is what it is” and seem satisfied with the mediocrity we find ourselves in is what i find so troubling.
Everyone is obviously entitled to their view and everyone has a different “risk profile” as it pertains to what we are willing to risk with Richt vs. someone else (in terms of the risk a new HC will fail miserably and be a step back vs a step forward), but what i don’t understand is the attacks (not that your post above was an attack – it wasn’t) by the fans content with our mediocrity against those of us that believe we can and should achieve greatness without selling our soul.
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I am not sure what constitutes selling our soul in your view. College football is changing and Saban has had a hand in it. He runs a semi-pro club at Bama and he has the full support of the AD and University President and the entire state of Alabama. It shows. Something I noted from reading the Westerdawg post is that it has all been covered before…. right here at GTP in different threads. I appreciate your patience with this. We have a savvy group here. See for yourself.
Skeptic Dawg’s Better Half Relative wrote: Here on GTP
October 12, 2012 at 3:50 PM
“Whether you like him or not – I am on the like side – Clay Travis has a solid take on this. I ask a different question than he asks as I noted a couple of days ago, but his thoughts from today are good enough to share.
“You are the AD at UGA. Do you keep the status quo of UGA being the best second-tier football program in the SEC, or overhaul the program in hopes of becoming an elite school?”
Adapt a new business plan the embraces the changes wrought by Saban at Bama is adapting to change and being competitive. Adapt to change or get run over by it. Remember when Butts started using the forward pass?
Per Dawgfan17:
“The place I look is at the very top of why we hoard so much of our money instead of reinvesting more of it into the entire athletic department. There is no excuse for us lagging in spending behind other schools when we have one of the highest profits in the country. Don’t just throw money at problems but also spend where it needs to be spent. Hire a consultant that does no actual coaching but reviews only special teams play and offers his opinion to the coaches on what we should do. Hire a consultant that is a defensive guy that his only job is to watch game film of our offense and then meet with the offensive coaches to tell them tendencies and how he would defend them. Do the same in hiring an offensive guy. Have a full size indoor practice facility. Completely redo the baseball stadium instead of just putting band-aids on it. With that type of spending comes full expectations from the top of what they want. You do half measures from the top and it trickles down to the coaches of what is Ok.”
Mayor of Dawgtown speaking to future coaching hires………
“UGA would have to open up the checkbook, though. I think all three of those guys would not let the UGA administration dictate to them, either. The HC is supposed to control the terms of team discipline, not the University President. The HC is also supposed to be in charge of recruiting (how many kids to sign and when,etc.) not the AD. Any of those 3 would demand complete control as a condition precedent to coming to Athens and if McGarity and whoever ends up being UGA President won’t agree to that in the contract those guys wouldn’t come.
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Jim, it might be helpful to your sanity to realize that Bama and what we are talking about here is not the same as Auburn 2010. I understand what you think Auburn did to get to 2010. Bama does not do that kind of thing.
They don’t have to. Nick Saban is all about the long haul.
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Fair enough but both are unappealing in my view.
I credit ‘bama’s institutional commitment to winning, and to his credit Saban does play within the rules (even if he does push the limits on them).
But i don’t want a semi pro franchise. I want a full or close to full roster of talented players that (1) give it full effort for 60 minutes every saturday and (2) are put in a position to win by their coaches with good game plans and good coaching. In my view this is not an unreasonable expectation given our resources and recruiting territory. But we seem to have been falling far short of that standard for several years now.
While i will never be ashamed to be a bulldog, some of the coaching and results we have seen on the field have been shameful the last few years. I’d be a lot MORE proud of our program if we got sound coaching and all out effort even if it resulted in a few more losses. I can hold my head a lot higher for a losing effort where we simply lose to a better team. But to get blown out by what should be an even match doesn’t feel very good. And it doesn’t feel any better the more it happens.
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I’m with you Jim.
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“But to get blown out by what should be an even match”
I am not sure what criteria you are using to say South Carolina and Georgia should be even, because, clearly, at least that night, South Carolina was the better team.
If you are saying Georgia and South Carolina should, over time, be equal on the football field, I suspect you will find that is the case.
Sometimes you the windshield, sometimes you the bug.
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We lost by 28 points to SC. That point differential is greater than the differentials for UGA’s games this season against Buffalo, Missouri, FAU and UT, all of whom have a combined record of 8-17 (.320). Are we to believe that SC is better than UGA by a higher margin than UGA is better than those 4 schools?
It’s not that we lost to SC. It’s the manner we lost and the difference in score. Even the analysts that had SC winning the game, thinking they were the better team, said it would be a close game. So even if you accept that they were the better team, are they at this point 28 points better? Missouri, Vandy & Kentucky all played them closer than we did.
To put that loss in historical perspective, Richt has only ever lost 2 times by a greater amount: Florida in 2008 (39 pts) and LSU in 2011 (32 pts). Those teams both played for the BCS title that year, with Florida winning & LSU losing. And under Richt, we’ve never only scored 7 pts total and only 3 times have we scored less, scoring 6 against UCF in 2010, SC in 2010 and Auburn in 2004. The reality is that was an epic loss under Richt. Usually in games where we don’t score much, our defense bails us out to keep the game close. Not this time.
I realize I’m not changing your opinion of Richt, our program or what can be done at this point – but I’d at least like to say that your view of the SC loss differs from many, many others in the UGA fanbase.
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What is my view of the SC loss? You have no idea what my view is, other than I thought SC demonstrated they were the better team that night.
If what you are asking is that the loss to SC should have had me come kicking and screaming to this blog to spout bullshit about firing the coach, you are correct in that my view is different from what, apparently, yours is.
I don’t know how many others “many, many others” actually means, but whatever it means, or you mean, I am not in favor of firing the coach no matter how many points SC won by.
If you chose to say the loss to SC is some sort of benchmark loss, that is certainly your right.
I am just taking the long view of your comment that we should be as good as SC.
And since I seriously doubt whether what you or I may think or write on this blog is going to have any impact what so ever on the hiring or firing of Mark Richt, I am going to get ready to watch Georgia play Kentucky and picking the right hat.
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I have the right panties. They have special powers. I may have to save them for FLA. We may not need them for Kentucky.
On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 4:14 PM, Get The Picture wrote:
> ** > Scorpio Jones, III commented: “What is my view of the SC loss? You have > no idea what my view is, other than I thought SC demonstrated they were the > better team that night. If what you are asking is that the loss to SC > should have had me come kicking and screaming to this blog to s” >
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I think I have a pretty good idea of your thoughts on the SC loss, based on your comments above. Sure, you’re not happy with it, but you’ve clearly taken the “hey, it happens sometimes” point of view. Maybe that’s an overly simplistic statement but I seriously doubt it’s that far off. Bottomline is you think we should keep Richt and I’m ready for him to go, although I didn’t come to this blog “kicking & screaming” for him to get fired. The Senator posted another blog’s entry re: the environment at UGA and how it should be taken into account with regards to keeping Richt or letting him go. So I’m simply responding to the subject at hand here and I think I’ve been pretty respectful in my comments. I don’t appreciate the tone of your post, quite frankly, which suggests I’m headed to Athens with torches & pitchforks calling for Richt’s head. I realize he’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon but damn if I’m not going to voice my displeasure over what’s taken place in our program the last several years. I used to be one of his biggest fans, even as recently as a few years ago, but he’s finally lost me.
And with regards to the next game and supporting the team, I’m going to Lexington and will be wearing the “G” proudly. I’m sure that’s a surprise to you.
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Well, it sure does feel like we are the bug a lot more than the windshield the last few years.
People need to understand that just because some of us aren’t happy with the current state of affairs doesn’t mean that we automatically “want to be ‘bama”. We can do more without changing tons of other stuff. We can’t “be ‘bama” but i don’t think we need to be to improve on where we are. The people that say we are as good as we are going to be without “being ‘bama” are just plain wrong.
A lot of people say that nobody “does less with more” than UGA. I don’t agree with the statement but see why some would say it.
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Bless your heart, Joy….but please, “panties” is a word that is fraught with double meanings around hear.
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Do you honestly believe this is a “once in a while” thing with Richt?
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Wow. That’s depressing.
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Naw man, it’s just the way it is, what is depressing is trying to pretend we are something we are not and being depressed when we don’t live up to what you think you want Georgia to be….if you understand what being Georgia means, life is pretty cool now and then, which is what being Georgia means.
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To continue your thoughts, too many UGA fans are complicit by their contentment with the way of doing business in the athletic department. What was Rolo’s line 12 years ago? “More and more, fans just want to visit Athens, eat fried chicken and wave to Vince Dooley.” I suppose now we could say fans just want to visit Athens, eat fried chicken and wave to Mark Richt.
Sometimes I think the 1980 championship has actually held this program back. Because 1980 MNC was a bolt from the blue, some UGA fans (and administrators) think that’s how championships happen: with a bit of unpredictable leading to a magic season that cannot be replicated. Whereas fans and administrators at Alabama and Florida understand that championships are BUILT, not stumbled upon, through a process of constant striving for excellence. Even the excesses of that striving are part of the process of producing championships.
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Too true.
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fried chicken is awesome.
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Fresh fried chicken is more awesome. Wanna buy a mother-clucker to kill discretely, dress and cook at your tailgate spot?
Small guillotines sold separately.
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I think Cojones has lost control of the barnyard.
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UGA’s approach with athletics is focused on profit, not competitive success. This has been true for the past 25 years.
Look up the comparative budgets here: http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/ .
For one of the largest institutions in size, Georgia’s athletic budgets are near the bottom of our league, especially in baseball and basketball. The football budget is in the middle of the pack.
We also have the recent movement of $30M in athletic department reserve funds to the UGA Foundation. This occurred with no presentation on how the funds will be “invested”. This does not pass the smell test.
Read about it here: http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2012/09/14/uga-athletic-board-seeks-better-return-on-hefty-reserve-funds/ .
UGA’s priority is to keep costs down, do just enough to keep donations, student applications, and ticket sales up, play a shell game with the profits, and avoid admitting or retaining athletes who will harm the university’s academic reputation.
The only way this situation changes is if a new university president makes competitive athletic success a priority.
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+1
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“Just remember the greatest lie ever told was “it can’t get worse” related to any situation. It can always get worse.”
Why can’t we also assert that at a place like UGA — with the resources in place and the talent pool in the state — it can always get better?
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+1. Positive thinking not big here.
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What in the historical record suggests that’s the case?
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I remember thinking that the McGarity hire would usher in a new way of doing business. He had been a key element in overseeing a successful athletice program for many years and has the experience to replicate that success at Georgia. Is it too early to know what that will look like. In many ways, I think it is. Maybe his hands are tied by Adams, I don’t know. But to believe that he doesnt know what to do is to believe he is an idiot or stubborn. I don’t think he is either of those.
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You are correct about McGarity. That statement doesn’t have to be written if the gung-ho “Fire Everybody” group hadn’t taken valuable time from his March to the See. The little political show from the Mt Olympus meeting to the residents of Tempe (us) last year is a side tracker that he had to participate in for traction. The same for attending Richt’s press meeting after the SC game (“See”- I’m listening to the old money alums at the Bd of Regent’s meeting : “See”- I’m keeping a close eye on the coach when he loses when he should have won in a lot of the alum’s minds : “See”……).
Mac is marching to his own drumbeat when correcting items uncorrected from the past. That means that he knows his plan and we will only know the result after he attains it. I certainly hope the public attention to the budget will help loosen the spending to give those results, but only time will tell. Not mentioned in the failure to spend is the flat money rebuke we gave our Head Coach this year, along with the rest of the coaches except for Grantham who picked up an extra 90k for the inflated fan love his D created at the expense of Team. Not to be outdone with insult only, we fixed Richt’s contract so the salary worth would diminish in the future and save us money on the buyout. Some of you were for all that money saving, weren’t you? What a chickenshit way for my Alma Mater to treat our Coach while trying to appease a number of disgruntled fans who will never be satisfied or positive about the present coaches or players. We should be very careful what we wish for in spending and get without looking at possible resultants.
Still not getting your money’s worth? For some of you that won’t happen until a NC trophy like the one at Auburn, is in the trophy room. What did it cost them that can’t be viewed thru green-colored glasses? Would you like UGA’s name to be bandied about with those intonations of reproach for how you obtained it? Some of you don’t give a crap , but most of us do. Approximating what you think is unfair and cheating in Saban’s behavior is folly when you want to try and replicate it.
Some of you resonate with discord over how “your” money is spent. If it means to some of you that the biggest money donor has more say, you know where you can stick that, no matter how you tout your “giving” and how my University spends “IT’S” money. You see, when you “give” or “donate”, it’s no longer yours. And it no longer has any power for you personally. Our pissing and moaning should be silent while we marshall an Alum accountant or two to let us know where it goes and what the plans are. Then we have points to point out and decisions to suggest as to where and how it is spent.
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Dear Mr. Cojones….I have suspected for some time you got it. Glad to have you confirm this.
There is one thing that helps with the institutional attitude about football. and that is being as broke as Bama most certainly was when Bear left the sidelines for good.
Being broke tends to focus the institutional attention on correcting a problem in ways that no fan whining will ever do.
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Yep. Being needy has a way of making many cover a lot of decision territory quickly. Adams is not the only carpetbagger in our midst. Maybe they all will clear out after cleaning our ignorant asses out. Then we can get to that “being needy” part with alacrity.
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Joy, you might go back just a couple of weeks and read the posts where we were going to have our way with South Carolina, or am I confusing positive with realistic?
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Donnan turning in to Richt for one. Getting Richt instead of Donahue or Erickson, or Donnan instead of Glen Mason. Replacing Felton with Fox for another.
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You’re obviously not keeping up with the meme that recent Richt = Donnan. 😉
And Felton’s a pretty low bar, no?
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Yes, it’s a low bar, but you asked when in history has things gotten better, and that’s certainly one of them.
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Well, I guess they could always hire somebody crappy to replace Richt, wait a few years and then hire a better replacement. 😉
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Either way, there is risk. Expecting a guaranteed improvement over Richt, and you’re dreaming. Even some of the most successful hires made of late prior to joining their new school, Rich Rod to Michigan or Dan Hawkins to Colorado, among others, have ended in disaster. There is no guarantee of better, especially considering Richt’s been really damn good. So if you want a guarantee, you’re never going to find it. The question is CAN we get better, not will we. And weighing that potential vs. the potential we get worse. That goes for keeping Richt as well as firing him. Charlie Strong could be better, worse, or the same. Dan Mullen as well. And Mark Richt too. Or Mario Cristobal.
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I understand that. Paul’s point, which I think has merit, is that if there are structural limitations in the program, that limits the next man’s chances for improvement.
For example, take Charlie Strong, who I think is a helluva coach. But Louisville’s academic standards are notoriously lax. There’s no way he’d have the same scope at Georgia. Would that impact his ability to recruit? I can’t say for sure, but I doubt it would help.
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Yes, it would change who he recruits. But then, so does recruiting kids to Georgia instead of Louisville. That’s why I say there is no guarantee. Coaches who are successful at other schools are successful in part because of situations inherent at those schools. That’s why Rich Rod can look like an elite coach at West Va and Arizona, but not Michigan. Why Hawkins was a world beater at Boise before becomming the worst in college football in Boulder.
And Paul makes an excellent point, that perhaps the apparent ceiling on the program is a culture issue, not a Richt issue, and no coach is going to change that on their own. Perhaps, and it’s not perhaps, there is merit to his argument, that the culture in Athens is a problem. How much of a problem is the debate part, since I have a hard time buying someone telling Mark Richt no if he was adament about getting something needed, but it is an interesting theory (I say theory because I have absolutely no knowledge of the inner workings of Butts Mehre to say it’s anything more, or less, than that).
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The conversation just now with Blutarsky is exactly where the lump lies and what action we should pull for. This second guessing and firing coaches has become old red-necked crap in a hurry. Methinks the two of you could unite into a voice of plain speaking that gives the “Druthers”, the Disneys and the pain-in-the-ass crowd a common thread to dwell on;- where can we best suggest the money directions should be to help correct the course?
A completed Indoor practicing facility? Anyone?
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Or nationally, Jim Tressell replacing a very successful John Cooper.
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That worked out well.
And OSU’s spending model is much closer to Alabama’s than Georgia’s.
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Actually, it did. I doubt Tressell’s problems weren’t there under Cooper, they just got a ring to make them worthwhile.
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In my historical record of GT, which consist of exactly 5 1/2 weeks; it seems that the talk is so negative since losing the BIG GAME, there’s no hope for the Dawgs and CMR’s future. Just my observation. I know much of this is tongue and cheek, but some days the comments make me sad and afraid about the rest of the season.
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It can get better. But who would we land that you feel confident would deliver greater than 10 wins per season on average for 10+ years.
Who? In the entire history of the SEC there are only a few guys … Bear, Spurrier, Saban, Neyland and maybe Fulmer who have a better winning percentage than Richt over a 10+ year horizon.
It really isn’t that easy to do better. If it were, more teams would do better.
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^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^
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I think Charlie Strong will be a very successful coach over the long term. Whether he could here without some of the adjustments you mention remains to be seen, but I think he’ll be very good at Louisville, in the SEC or elsewhere.
That said, I think you’re point #1 was the best one, and one not often (if ever) made. Mike Adams ain’t making this move, and if he did, do you really want him hiring Richt’s replacement? I know I don’t.
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This is the most depressing thing I’ve read in a while.
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This is actually something I’ve believed in for the past several years. While, IMO, Richt hasn’t quite done everything possible within his control to take the team to elite status, there are also quite a few things holding us back that he can do nothing about.
To name a few quick examples (in addition to the above pointed out by the Senator):
1) Percy Harvin, who IMO was more instrumental to Florida’s offense when they won the 2008 NC than Tebow was, could never have made it into UGA. Look up his high school discipline problems on wikipedia. He had an altercation with a referee, a separate altercation with an opposing player, and got suspended from sports for the remainder of his senior year. There are plenty of outrageously talented kids who will never even set foot on campus because of their off-the-field/court problems.
2) Zach Mettenberger. ‘Nuff said.
3) I’ve heard from a friend who, IMO, is a very credible source because he went to Alabama, that Alabama actually hires people to follow around their star players when they go out to party to ensure that they stay out of trouble. Seriously, could you honestly see this happening at UGA? Our athletic department hiring people to follow our players around to make sure they don’t get arrested for smoking weed or drinking underage? Or being an on-demand DD so they won’t have to be caught driving drunk?
4) Tennessee “Cop Stomp” and “Bray’s Beer Bottle Toss.” ‘Nuff said.
5) UGA’s drug policies compared to other SEC programs. ‘Nuff said.
Seriously think about these things, along with what the Senator put forward, and consider if you think they’ve had an impact on how successful Richt has been at UGA. Granted, there are things within Richt’s control that he hasn’t always taken care of IMO, but the fact remains that there’s a lot more to the story than what meets the eye.
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Don’t forget to throw in Saban’s army of “analysts”.
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In regards to #3, we actually did this back in the early 90s. A buddy of mine use to do it. However, I worked in the athletic department more recently (2000s) and this was not still going on as far as I know. I think it’s genius, especially in a cop happy town as Athens.
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According to some, implementing this would be too expensive for our administration’s tastes. Either Richt asked for it and got turned down or knew he would get turned down if he dared ask.
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Government controlled institutions (includes governance) prefers no change as it tends to open some Pandora’s box somewhere. Administrators like to maintain the status quo and the lake placid with not a single ripple and therefore tend to acquiesce to those people already in place when they arrive. And that is the reason why change is so difficult and slow when state/federal government has some involvement.
If individuals(fans) complain and demand change they are labeled problematic, revolutionary or rebel.
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That’s right astute, there Eric….especially in an arena populated with folks who fit all your “problematic, revolutionary or rebel” categories.
And why nobody should expect huge institutional attitude changes when Mike Adams rides off into the sunset of his dreams.
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PWD hit on a very important point that I’ve been making to my Fire Richt friends. Richt ain’t the whole problem. NOBODY (Saban included) would have Saban-like success at UGA – for all of the reasons PWD listed and others. I’d also venture to say that Richt would win more games if he suddenly found himself in Saban’s situation.
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/applause
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Yep….
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And what the hell is wrong with student/fans acting as “minders” to take care of things in Athens? No need to hire anyone. Now when these guys get back home with their buddies or head for PC for some good Spring Break, they would hopefully have gained insight on how to avoid problems with concommitant suspensions or how to game the system.
Where are the biochemists and BioScience people when we need a blood and piss purifier of THC that’s taken like the “morning after” pill ; the “Steady Eddy” pill of ethanol dehydrogenase stimulation needed to purge blood alcohol from the system on the way back to the dorm ; what has happened to our true geniuses such that these modern football recruits can’t be given a sodium pentothal imitator that will have them signing up with an emphatic “Yes Sir!”? Those bastards wasting their time and our money in the labs without diddly squat fotmulated to help this new culture forward. Bunch of slackers!
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Mark Richt has lost control of his own firing.
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I’m really tired of these, but this one actually made me laugh. The unthinkable has happened! +1.
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Consider that a lot of applause is going on at this moment.
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Remember, one of the reasons that Saban went to Alabama is that they were institutionally committed. UGA is not. There is a pecking order and it has to stay that way. We could be. We have the money. We just lack the will. I’ve posted this before. Look it up.
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This really is an instructive thread. We haven’t even mentioned the administrative culture that gave us our harsh drug policy.
At Georgia we are torn because we have school(s) around us who ply every advantage they can find – grey shirting…..consultants (coaches)…oversigning….no suspension for drug use…..signing players who got kicked out of another school for stealing….keeping players on the team after they’ve fired automatic weapons on campus…letting a player player continue to play after purposefully attempting to eye gouge an opponent….. suspending a player 6 times without them actually ever missing a game….letting players play after beating a cop unconscious…..and every season one these schools will beat UGA soundly and one or two will have one or two wins more than UGA.
But some of us fans want Georgia to be different than the others. Its because we are proud of our school. We want Georgia to run the program the way we run our lives….relatively clean and with some honor. We can enjoy Georgia football having 10 win seasons until we get online.
We have fans saying there is no excuse for UGA not to compete for championships. We have talent base and the resources. I wish these
But as Westerdawg points out, maybe we don’t have the culture it takes to win championships in this era. Should we try to get it? Look at the difference.
Call me mediocre. I’m proud of UGA. I’ve got college aged children. I don’t wish they were attending Alabama, South Carolina, or Florida. I don’t separate the football program from the rest of the University.
Glory, glory to ol Georgia… to hell with Florida, South Carolina and Alabama.
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THIS…all day long. If our championships have no integrity, then I don’t want them. Screw what the rest of the country thinks. If we aren’t comfortable in our own skin when we do things right, we will never be comfortable with any situation. Like Georgia Sports Blog said a few rows up, who will we find that can consistently deliver 10+ wins on average for 10+ years? Very very few. When we hire a SOD, SOS, because they have “proven themselves” or a Lane Kiffin because they are the hottest new trend around, then we do the University name, the students, all of us alumni, and anyone else who champions the UGA name and logo while bleeding red and black. Call me a Disney Dawg, but take a step back and take a long hard look at what really matters in life.
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** “… then we do a disservice to the University name, the students, all of us alumni, and anyone else who champions the UGA name and logo while bleeding red and black.”
Sorry, haven’t had coffee this morning. And is more in the hottest trend group rather than the “proven themselves” group…forgive me for my missteps!
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***SOD is more in the hottest trend…
Damn I suck this morning.
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HVL- I’ll smoke to that.
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The problem I have with PWD’s premise is that it assumes McGarity would not approve those types of changes to the program. Wasn’t he the one who asked Richt what he needed in order to succeed after he was hired as AD? Are we sure that Richt just hasn’t ASKED for the same things Saban has? Bama had the same AD now (Mal Moore) as when Saban was hired and well before he was hired. If it’s just a Bama thing, why weren’t they doing those things before Saban was hired? It took a guy like Saban to come in and run the program how he wanted it and for an AD like Moore to say “yes” to those program changes. I get that the environment at Bama is different than it is at UGA. But I don’t think you have to duplicate that environment exactly in order to step-up the amount of resources we pour into our football program.
IMO, McGarity is there to offer suggestions to Richt and to approve/disapprove what Richt requests from him. But McGarity wasn’t hired to be the GM of the football program. Richt is the head coach and GM. McGarity is not there to dictate to Richt how his program should be run. He should rightly leave it up to Richt as to how it should be run.
Now if Richt’s vision of his football program IS more similar to Saban’s but McGarity/Adams won’t let him see it through, then PWD has a point – a new coach may not make a big difference. But I get the impression that McGarity would give Richt more if he were to ask for it. Maybe PWD has some insider info that he’s privy to that helps him form his opinion, but based on what I’ve witnessed as an outsider, I think a new head coach WOULD make a difference simply because he may have a vision more similar to what Saban or other successful head coaches have.
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This may be the best post yet on this topic.
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Whats the part you like the best?
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That it doesn’t jump to the conclusion that McGarity and/or Adams is limiting what Richt can do with the program. It actually dares to ask the question about whether Richt is limiting the program on his own.
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I wouldn’t call that particularly daring. It seems to be the prevailing opinion of a large chunk of the fan base right now.
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It was daring in this thread. Before this one, most posts were along the lines of believing it doesn’t really matter who the head coach is b/c the administration has a locked lid on the program.
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Comparing coaches to Saban while looking for someone to imitate Saban to take Richt’s place is a slap in the face to most fans and certainly the University Administration. Pome ‘d rue thinking.
“Daring on this thread” would be for the horse manure thinking to be loaded on one shovel and tossed out the window at Tenth Ave in Atl.
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Agree,agree, agree…let’s remember that Saban’s vision for Alabama football came at the end of a sword. Moore had just overseen a terrible 5-6 years in the football offices and it took Saban demanding and getting everything he wanted to get him to move to Bama. This isn’t apples to oranges, comparing Bama at that time to UGa right now.
Saban keeps the Red Elephants out of his office….the Bull Gators nearly killed Meyer.
(…I have no idea what that last statement has to do with anything..seemed like a good idea at the time)
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Richt answers to McGarity. McGarity answers to Adams. Whatever support McGarity offers Richt for the football program comes in that context. It’s not a blank check.
The same would be true for any Richt successor, unless the next president has a vastly different attitude about the football program.
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“unless the next president has a vastly different attitude about the football program.”
I would add to that….and is given a mandate to implement this attitude down to the very nuts and bolts of the athletic department.
In spite of all the new wisdom about Georgia culture here this morning, to me, this is an indication folks really don’t understand why we will never be Bama, and that this is an interpretation of the mission of the university and a conscious choice from the board of regents.
It is crystal clear to me, has been for years…We don’t want to be Bama…we certainly could be Bama, but we don’t want to be.
So if Bama football is the benchmark of your dreams for Georgia football, I am afraid you are doomed to many years of frustration.
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As is, well, pretty much everyone.
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Only those folks who can’t live with who we are.
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For some reason, it’s never been expressed like that here. It is certainly true in my way of thinking.
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So it’s your opinion that Richt asks for things and gets turned down?
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After 12 years on the job, he knows what questions aren’t worth bothering to ask.
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And Senator, don’t you figure he knew that when he took the job?
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So some of the staff advantages Saban has over Richt, are you implying that he doesn’t ask, or that he’s tired of hearing no?
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Yes.
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I don’t know why that answer made me laugh, but it did.
I will say, since I know one of the sites I represent is pretty tied in to a side of this argument, I don’t think we ever win a title again under Richt, or at least not in the next 5-7 years at minimum. But that said, because of all that Paul mentions from the culture reasons to that big administrative reason at the top, I want to keep him around a little while longer.
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I assume you are asking the Senator, not me…but if I may, there is no doubt in MY mind that both Mark Richt and Greg McGarity have a pretty good idea what changes would need to be made, institutionally to make Georgia football more competitive with say….Bama. Their work experience certainly offered them both the opportunity to study this up close.
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Dawg93 – the innovations in staffing used by Saban are new. They didn’t exist when CMR left FSU. Some were in use at UF. McGarity does know what those innovations are.
They are both accountable for keeping the program current and McGarity should have said “this is what is happening around you. Do you want this?”. He doesnt just take orders from Richt. His job is to actually lead the damn program. Btw – he has been here 3 years. Where is his strategic plan roadmap for athletics.
If his job is to merely fulfill orders from CMR then his job title should be Manager, Procurement. Not Director, Atheltics.
#leadership
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So you’re saying McGarity has either completely fallen down on his duties as AD by not offering up these solutions to Richt OR McGarity’s hands are tied by our administration and there’s only so much he’s able to offer Richt in terms of solutions, all of which Richt has accepted & implemented up to this point? On the one hand your various posts seem to point to the former and also point to the latter, so I’m trying to parse through it all to know exactly what you’re saying.
My point all along has been that we don’t necessarily have to go all “Bama” as a program to see improvements in our football team’s performance, anyway. We don’t need to Bama-ize our program to keep the SC game closer than it was or to beat SC, Mich St & Boise last year. Or Colorado, Miss St, Arkansas, & UCF the year before.
Are we really saying that Richt is the absolute best we can do?
Or the assistant coaches he’s hired and retained are the best we can do?
Sorry, but I hate being told to just accept what we have at this point. I understand we’re not Bama and will never be Bama in the foreseeable future. But we can be better than we are, I do know that much.
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No. I’m saying we aren’t making a change this offseason no matter what happens. Unless he gets caught with 100 kilos of blow and a loss to Gt, he isn’t getting fired period. not even open for discussion until end of 2013.
And I’m also saying That no matter who we get there is no guarantee that we have the Org Competency to get a better HC and give him ALL the tools he needs to beat Saban.
I am also saying that I don’t believe the problems of UCF and Colorado are the same problems of today. The outcome is the same but the causes and contributing factors are different and less terrifying.
Also saying that it is possible that we are going to win 11. So it seems stupid to jump off a cliff that we haven’t yet arrived at.
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So, some of you guys are saying, relax the entrance requirements, ease off on the rules and suspensions, make winning a much higher priority, or the only priority …? Nobody hates losing (like at SC) more than me, but that’s a pretty disgusting plate to sit down in front of…
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I would not turn down dinner tonight, it is not likely any of the things that concern you will happen, probably ever, but certainly not before dinner.
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When did it become UGA’s job to police Alabama’s staffing practices?
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About the time Saban got there I guess.
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It is not Georgia’s job to police Bama, but it is, apparently, the job of some of Georgia’s fans, at least some of the newer ones. Boys, I got bad news for you who want to police Bama, you would have had the same police issues if we were writing this when Bear was Bear and Bama was getting to be Bama.
Bama did not just become Bama, Saban just has some new and interesting ways to implement the process.
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Maybe we all just want the same unfair advantage. 😉
Seriously, I get it that we aren’t Bama. I remember a lesson from my dad a big car hobby guy. I threw everything at a summer car project aimed at certain results. He asked me what my plans were and after I told him he responded with….”Yeah… you’re not gonna get there from here.” With what we(Georgia football) have to work with- I get it that we may just not get there from here.
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Well, we may not get “there” if getting “there” is Bama…but we can get “There” if there is having a helluva lot of fun pulling like a sumbitch for the Dawgs and once in a while, sometimes a long while, we’ll get to pull like a sumbitch for a really good football team.
But you are right, it is all about expectations and reality.
Which is why it really pisses me off when the pre-season dipshits, who really know nothing about Georgia football says we are a glass football contender.
Maybe we will be, but sure did not look like it to me that this was they year.
That’s one of the unintended consequences to having Bama around…they become the yardstick for the unconscious.
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Nice post …. but ya never know when success may just come knockin. My eldest, a senior at Georgia got bit by my car hobby bug at a young age. He actually did get the times I failed to squeeze outta of inline 6 cylinder car. Granted he had different tech and it took him 3 and half summers but he gives his Grandpa a hard time about it. We (Dawgs) may yet grab the ring…. in spite of everything.
enjoy. http://s638.photobucket.com/albums/uu104/joejoe44/Sally/
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Dear God, ain’t we a classic example of what Stephen King meant when he wrote hope could make a grown man crazy…I hope I get to see in the hands of some Dawgs, that damn glass football one more time before I am too old to notice.
Nobody ever said it was gonna be easy…but nobody ever said you should quit hoping, either.
Next year starts Saturday in Lexington, if you get me.
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Watch out Scorp. You’ll get waylaid with a wet noodle from this anonymous crowd. Your words keep getting better. I’m just waiting for one of the proverbial buzzards to fly down and shout about firing people because they can’t sit by patiently and let some others work up toward it, word by mealy-mouthed word.
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So glad to see this posted but unfortunately those who want a NC at all costs will still want to fire Coach Richt. I hope the NCAA looks into those analyst positios.
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If the CIA can have analysts, why can’t Nick? 🙂
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I’m sorry that this post will offend some. I try to straddle the line between being a homer and saying fire Richt tomorrow, and while I don’t disagree with PWD or the Senator’s overall points about the culture not being overly helpful to success, a lot of the comments on here sound like they could fit in perfectly on Stingtalk or one of the Tech boards. The whole “we could be better but we choose to hold ourselves to higher standards” thing is an excuse that you’ll read all over from Tech fans.
Again, I’m not saying that UGA’s administration doesn’t place more restrictions on Richt et al than Saban has at Alabama, but using that as an excuse and as a reason that Richt or whomever is “the best we can hope for” is bogus to me. Most of us agree that the suspension policies being tougher than everyone else’s is a disadvantage, but I personally don’t take that as a point of pride…it is what it is. Using admissions policies and rules as an excuse for lack of performance again makes us sound like Tech fans.
Yeah, UGA may miss out on a few guys here and there due to higher admissions policies than Bama or whomever, but I don’t think anyone would say this team is lacking in top level talent, there’s plenty of that out there even without a Harvin or whomever.
I fail to see how admissions policies and not greyshirting or having tons of consultants has led to the Offensive line basically being a work in progress every single year…that’s simply bad recruiting philosophy combined with admittedly a bit of bad luck. Not replicating Bama in every way certainly doesn’t lead to the team being woefully unprepared for a couple of games every year. Has Richt actually UNDERsigning over the last few years been because he’s trying to show what a moral guy he is compared to Saban and others? I’d think not.
Again, I’m not saying I disagree with the premise of the post, I just don’t see it as an excuse as some apparently do. This team has plenty of top level talent and the reason it is lacking in depth is due to the coaching staff, not the administration. I personally don’t believe in accepting mediocrity, with excuse or not. And while we can point to Bama or Auburn as the example of selling your souls for success in football, what about Florida? Yeah, Urban Meyer got away with some stuff there, but I’m pretty sure the UF administration don’t consider themselves a football factory and have many of the same goals as our administration does.
And honestly, I don’t buy the whole “I went to UGA and I’m proud that our football program isn’t like Bama’s” line of reasoning. It’s football. Do you meet someone who graduated from Bama and think that you’d better not trust this guy because his school employs that snake Nick Saban to coach football? Again, this line of logic sounds very Techy to me.
So while I agree that Richt certainly doesn’t have things as easy as Nick Saban, I also don’t think that excuses or even directly affects most of his failings on the field or with the roster, and I don’t think we all should just sit back and accept the current product as the best it’s going to get.
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Completely, 100% agree. We don’t have to be Bama, per se, but we damn sure can be better than what we’ve been the last 5 years.
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Mediocrity is not 11thranked in the BCS or last years record.
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*11th ranked
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Reckon if yer bar buddies are Bama fans 11th would seem mediocre, but it seems about right for us.
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We aren’t GT. and I am not using their excuses. However, I will tell you that our org does not have the same commitment to winning as Bama.
We don’t have to do things the Bama way verbatim. But they have raised the bar for what it takes to win a title. Our peers are innovating in their approach to compete. The result is the entire SEC is tougher.
We have to expect more and invest more. Not one or the other.
We can’t undersign by 15 kids
We can’t hire OL coaches with no prior history of winning or developing NFL talent.
We can’t hire part time ex players for s&C when others are hiring NFL guys and Olympians.
We can’t create a jobs program out of or GA and operations roles when Bama has pro scouts in those jobs.
We can’t have players eating at Carabas and Bk 5 nights a week and bragging about it on Twitter while other schools realize that it’s not 1988 anymore and hire teams of dietitians. Until 2009.
We can’t have CUSA rehab facilities up til 2011.
We can’t drive buses that arrive at 3 am after games when Bama is flying back to get their players back to sleep. Another issue only recently addressed.
We can’t have an S&C program of buddy checking (pre-2009) while other schools are working.
The list is long. And it’s not just CMR. But CMR spent his political capital fighting for Willie and CVH instead of fighting to make the program better.
Things are better than they were on 2010 or 2009. But some things have taken additional time to fix because the organizational pressure to focus on the details were not there.
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I agree with almost all of your points, but for most of them, the only person or persons keeping them from happening or perpetuating them is Mark Richt. Granted a few of the things like having teams of scouts, planes, or better facilities could probably be laid at the feet of the administration. But many of them are choices that Mark Richt has made..ie..the hires, undersigning, and being behind the times on S&C. I guess you could say that he needs more money to get the very best guys, but I don’t think he couldn’t make do or find the money if that was a priority for him.
My main problem with MR, and I’m not one that’s saying he should be fired, is his seeming inertia. He likes things to stay the same and only seems to make changes when forced to. I feel like if he wanted many of the things you listed, he could make them happen.
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It also on Richt for wasting time and political capital on Willie and Van Halanger.
An area I see of concern is the inbred offensive staff. It’s not a bad staff, but where are new ideas coming from? Who brings anything other than same old same old? Bobo- been under Richt the entire time. McClendon-only has Richt and Bobo in both playing and coaching experience. Lily? Same tree that gave us Richt. Friend? Grad assistant under Calloway here, then stayed with Calloway at UAB. The only person on that side of the ball that isn’t totally and completely bred in to the best friends network is Ball.
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Thanks for the work, man….and for paying attention. Everything you mention above is part of the picture. In a sense, Richt’s record is better than you would think it could be. It is also clear McGarity’s predecessor was most assuredly NOT ready to take over the AD’s job…seems like I remember some discussion of that.
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I don’t buy any of this comparison to Bama. You talk like they are far and above all the other teams. They are a competitor to our school in football and all their players put their pants on the same way as we do and Aubu….never mind.
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The only thing, really, Bama has we don’t is complete and total commitment from top to bottom to win national championships, the truth is, Bama really is, administration, most of the academics, the athletic department….All In. That’s what makes Bama special….or sordid, depending on yer perspective.
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Well this maybe explains why we aren’t dominating the SEC like Bama has lately but it doesn’t explain why we get our asses handed to us against teams we should be competitive against. It doesn’t explain losses to the likes of Colorado and Central Florida. I believe coaching was to blame for our last alleged game. As frustrating as that is I don’t want to see Richt fired. I did last week but kept it to myself (I think). For now I’ll just keep wearing my UGA hat and hope his day comes.
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“For now I’ll just keep wearing my UGA hat and hope his day comes.”
Yep, that sums it up nicely.
I just hope it is the right hat.
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The team that lost to UCF had different issues than the team that lost to Sc. And SC is very talented. We do not have a very talented OL we simply dont. And a great DL is a problem for a bad OL.
We lost 3 players to the draft from a bad OL. And replaced them with a FR and 2 lightly recruited guys. You don’t improve that way.
Our fans overrated our offensive talent.
That said….no excuse for the way the D has played.
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What a great post and a great discussion.
They a old saying that always kind of summed up what it has always been like to be a Dawg.
Hopefully some a you folks will get it.
“Next year in Jerusalem”
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We still have a game to worry about at Kentucky. It doesn’t make me feel anything but queasy now that their long snappah is going to QB the team.
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Oh Boy!! let’s talk about the Kentucky Game. To more days til game day. SJIII and CJ, what can I do to help with the pregame preparation?
On Wed, Oct 17, 2012 at 8:48 PM, Get The Picture wrote:
> ** > Cojones commented: “We still have a game to worry about at Kentucky. It > doesn’t make me feel anything but queasy now that their long snappah is > going to QB the team.” >
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Let me see if I have this argument down:
1) Georgia’s content with gross/net revenue as a 10 +/- win program.
2) Gross/net revenue at the 10 +/- win threshold is driven primarily by television dollars and a fan base that will fill the stadium no matter what.
3) Since the games will be on TV and the stadium full no matter what, Georgia won’t be making any changes.
4) Since Georgia won’t be making any changes, dissent becomes pointless.
5) Pointless negativity is bad, so stop it.
Seems circular to me at the least and specious at worst. Of course Georgia can’t be Alabama, and Richt can’t be Saban. Since when is Alabama/Saban the only reference point available to the argument about proper expectations for Georgia football?
If fans need to aim their frustrations higher than Richt, fine. But why do these discussions always have to come down to a “live with it” or “sell your soul” binary? Those are not the only two choices here.
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No school is going to fire a coach with eight double-digit winning marks in twelve seasons, coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons, which is what Richt is likely headed towards. None. If you think that’s going to happen at a school as conservatively run as ours is, you are dreaming.
You see it as taking a chance on finding just the right person to take the program to the next level. You know what Adams and McGarity see? Tennessee.
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Except Fulmer actually was doing poorly. Richt is still succesful, just not as successful as we’d like or as successful as we think he should be.
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Fulmer was inconsistent. His team played in the SECCG the year before he was canned.
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touche
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Man…some a you lawyers sho do know how to cut through the blubber.
Nice work Senator.
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At UT, the situation Fulmer left was worse than the current situation at UGA. Furthermore, you had a terrible AD in Hamilton make a ridiculous hire in Kiffin and then follow that up with an even worse hire in Dooley. Maybe it’s just me, but I have more faith in McGarity to not hire that poorly and I think a new head coach here would inherit a better situation than those 2 coaches did at UT.
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Doesn’t that make it harder to justify firing Richt, if you’re the AD?
As for your faith, what’s it based on? McGarity didn’t hire at UF and none of his Georgia hires so far have distinguished themselves.
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Sure it does, which is why I fully expect Richt to be the coach in 2013, despite my feelings and the feelings of others in the fanbase.
re: McGarity – call it a gut feeling, based purely on interviews with him and comparing him to Hamilton, who seemed completely underqualified for the job. Can you imagine Foley keeping McGarity around if he wasn’t worth a damn? As for his hires so far at UGA, he hasn’t had to hire a coach for any sport that I pay attention to, so I can’t see how that’s a negative against him. The only beef I’ve had with him is retaining Perno, but I’m not close enough to the baseball situation to know if that truly was the right call or not.
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What? I thought we were 1st in Equestrian.
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No offense, but you’re projecting a “dismiss Richt” position onto my post. I even said, “If fans need to direct their frustrations higher than Richt, fine.” I won’t restate my questions, but you projected a motive beneath them and then attacked your own projected motive. I agree with your point. I just don’t agree that what you’re disagreeing with is reflected anywhere in my post.
Let me assume answers to my questions and move to a new round of Qs:
1 – If McGarity and Adams are content to set limits that in their estimation prevent Georgia from becoming Alabama, then why aren’t those limits and assumed consequences subject to any real debate? Because those assumptions and the decisions rendered from them seem like nonsense to me.
2 – If McGarity and Adams consider Georgia football a business up the accounting office but a personal fiefdom immune to customer satisfaction beyond that point, then why isn’t that attitude under any scrutiny? Because that’s crap as well.
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The answers to both of your questions would have to come from somebody at a much higher pay grade than me, I’m afraid.
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That’s where we disagree. I can answer that question. My 7 year old can answer it. You’re conflating “answering” with “making something happen tomorrow.”
Conversations, especially on a blog like this one, can and do impact real-world results. As long as people in a position to influence opinion take a “well, no one’s going to do anything about it, so why bother even talking about it,” it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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I get that we aren’t Bama in terms of the institutional dedication. So I ask this in seriousness, not as an argument for or against any previous comments: what then is the difference between us and Oregon, USC, Texas, Ohio State, Florida or any of the other schools that have been regulars in the BCS bowls? Because it seems to me some of those schools are awfully similar to UGA as an “institution”
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None of these schools feel a need to promote a moral agenda or overcompensate for its president’s past transgressions.
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Now you gettin it Joe. See, Jan Kemp is not dead, after all.
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UF is that committed. The others aren’t in the SEC.
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Machen at UF is all in. He wanted Zook gone and poof! In comes the football bionic weirdo, armed with the get out of jail card for having a team full of misfits. Same at Ohio State. Same at Bama. When shit goes bad at those schools not only does the coach get fired, in many instances the President does too. Mike Adams sure ain’t letting Mike Adams get fired. UGA is lightyears different than those schools that are all in.
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Lots of DAWG fans are happy and content with 10 wins a year, and don’t have the balls to call for CMR to go! Their position is, if we do fire CMR and hire someone else, what if things get worse, not better? And they don’t want to risk it. With this attitude, we will NEVER win a NC, why? Because CMR is not motivated like CNS and will never never ever win a NC at UGA!
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A long time ago in a stadium far away, I watched and listened to a dude in a red blazer as he stood and screamed at the top of his lungs….That Damn Dooley is a complete fool for calling that play….he needs to be fired”
I believe that year was 1979….not making any comparisons of course, but I am sayin that if you do this long enough you’ve heard it all before….at least twice.
Hell, I am so old I can still remember my daddy talking about when Tech was good.
It’s not that I WANT to win JUST 10 games a year, it’s that I realize that winning 10 a year ain’t such a bad deal….
Do I WISH we could win 13 or 14…I hope that goes without sayin…
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That red blazer guy was among the many fans waving a dollar bill in the air and telling Coach Dooley to put a certain sophomore quarterback in the game.
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Doubt the importance of on-field success on a university’s operations and mission? Take a look at the application and enrollment figures:
UA: 2012 Freshman class: record high 6,397 from 26,400 applications
http://www.ua.edu/features/enrollment.html
UGA (traditionally a much larger university): 2012 Freshman class now down to 4,970 students from less than 19,000 applications.
http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2012-10-18/slight-drop-reported-uga-enrollment
With Georgia hope scholarship funds dropping, it is time for UGA to get off its high horse and explore additional ways (beyond its start-up engineering and medical programs) to differentiate itself in competing for students. Athletic success should be part of this strategy.
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