Rodney Garner is in touch with his inner Ray Goff.
“We consciously tried to do something a little different against South Carolina. We didn’t want to have the same situation in a game where the quarterback ran all over the place,” Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. “But he still broke it open a few times, when we felt like we were doing some things, and then for some reason we lost contain on the outside, we still let him step up there. We’ve just gotta keep working and keep getting better.”
I tells ‘ya, it’s déjà vu all over again, man.
And seriously, can we please stop with this already?
But in retrospect Garner wishes he had given Smith more snaps. Garner pointed to the Tennessee game, where Jenkins and Abry Jones each played about 60-70 snaps, and thinks each should have been rested for 10-20 snaps in favor of Smith. Garner also wishes he had given Smith about 10 more snaps at South Carolina.
“That’s really what I should have done. I told him that when we met: I’m kicking myself,” Garner said. “But when you’re in that type of game, you’re going with the guy that you trust, that you know is gonna execute … even though he’s wounded, and he’s out there trying to suck it up.”
Look, coaches, I get that improvement doesn’t happen until you acknowledge your mistakes. That’s all fine. Just quit airing your regrets in public and, you know, fix the damned problem. The world doesn’t care about the birthing process. It just wants to see the baby.
Get The Picture 
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that first quote was from none other than Ray Goff…
LikeLike
Has Abry Jones made a tackle all year? He loafs on every play. I mean seriously, he does nothing but take up space. There has to a better answer than him.
LikeLike
Again, just a simple “We sucked against SCAR and they were the better team that day” is all that needs to be said. All of these excuses do not need to see the light of day.
LikeLike
“For some reason we lost contain on the outside.” I hope this statement really means “for a variety of reasons, we lost contain several times.” Because otherwise it means that we don’t know the reason we lost contain, and what we’ll keep “working” at is sending JJones to get pushed upfield — while closing the lane that opens with a spy who’s slower than the QB.
I doubt that’s what we want, so I agree with the Senator: less microphone time.
LikeLike
Good shot! Too bad Garner has spoken moribund D interpretive words. I thought Richt’s were bad enough. Is there such a thing as confessional handwringing professional suicide?
LikeLike
Do they have to enlarge the confessional box for football coaches?
I want to hear one of these coaches explain the windshield-bug thing.
LikeLike
Nah! They would just look down and move their toes in a circle in the sand.
LikeLike
I think it means “I don’t know what the hell Christian Robinson was doing on that play, because he was supposed to hightail it over there instead of lollygagging like he had all day.”
LikeLike
if BM went bunker for the rest of the season everyone would complain.
LikeLike
Not me. But I get your point.
LikeLike
Sigh.. Maybe we can put it all together for the Gators..
LikeLike
D’know, mane. Most kinda like practicing the conception process. Cept you right. Can’t talk bout it in public. It do be undefeated though. Maybe Rodney can harness that stuff somehow. I thank Sabin and them fool do that. It dangerous though. Literally esploded on Petrino. GATP!
LikeLike
I have said this repeatedly, reading quotes from 18-22yr olds and coaches, especially after losses, is a pointless endeavor. The players, for the most part, will just parrot quotes they have heard other athletes say over the years — often completely out of context. Or, they are just going to offer up empty clichés or say really stupid things because they just don’t know what to say in front of reporters. Additionally, coaches are not going to offer up anything of substance — they just aren’t. They are not going to give up any strategy, any real insights on specific player mistakes or weaknesses (or coaching mistakes or weaknesses for that matter). It is almost always going to be things about…. we have to work harder…. we have to execute better…. we need more effort… we need to communicate better… we need everyone on the same page…. it was everything we rep’d against in practice… they threw in some new wrinkles we hadn’t seen… . Really, nothing they say is going to make you feel any better.
I understand why we read the quotes and watch the interview videos (our obsession drives that behavior). However, it is utterly pointless to place much value on what you read and hear. Richt coming out in the media and blasting his players or coaches might be gratifying for fans (ala Mike Ditka), but it has generally not proven to be a formula for sustained success. Also, if there was some big strategic revelation that came to the staff they sure as hell are not going to tell it to Chip Towers or Anthony Dasher. Results are the only thing that will make us feel better — period. Or, we can keep ready empty quotes that frustrate us.
LikeLike
Amen. Do the coaches and players think the fans need a new bucket of cold water thrown in our face every day after the players had a silent ride home? Cheez!
LikeLike
This.
LikeLike
I guess Garner missed Richt’s declaration that we are over talking about USCe.
LikeLike
Proper response from Georgia coaches and players should have read something like…………
“Well, they were a ranked opponent and y’all know how that goes. We didn’t want to give the fans any false glimmer of hope….so we just sucked from beginning to end. Relax though, were gonna beat the rest of the bums on our schedule and win 10 games.”
LikeLike
That’s a mean reply for you. Why do I think it’s just right and justifiable?
LikeLike
Too funny. And too accurate.
LikeLike
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses, just admit it, you were not prepared for SC! CMR and all the other coaches did a very poor job in game preparation for SC, and it showed on game day! How much more of this do we have to take? This has been the norm for the big game, against ranked teams, for the last 4 years!
LikeLike
Would beating FU make that any different in your mind?
LikeLike
I will certainly enjoy the win over the Gators! IF, it happens, but 1 good win over a ranked team does not erase that the fact that our coaching staff sometimes, seems unprepared! Go DAWGS!
LikeLike
“Look, coaches…fix the damned problem.”
___________________________________________________________
What in the hell makes you think they are capable of doing that?!
LikeLike
The net effect of quotes like these redistributes blame from the coaches to the players. Maybe not as directly or crudely as Spurrier did to Shaw after LSU, but Garner’s two quotes basically can be summarized this way:
First: “We had a plan. It didn’t get executed.”
Second: “We could have subbed, but we weren’t sure we could trust the sub to execute reliably.”
LikeLike