I suspect Dan Wetzel’s piece on Mark Richt isn’t going to change the hearts and minds of those on either side of the divide in Dawgnation about whether Richt has what it takes to win a national title. Money quote:
“Do I want to win a national championship?” Richt said. “Sure I do. I want to win. Everybody who has ever won a national championship wanted to win the national championship. Everybody wants to win it.
“But it is about a process. Doing things right, fundamentally, schematically and football-wise. But hopefully [it’s also about doing it] morally, within the rules of the game, educating young men, educating them academically, educating them about life, helping them understand right and wrong, how to be a good husband, how to be a good father, how to function in this society properly.
“I’m in the business of doing that. And you do that well for long enough maybe you have a chance to win a national championship.
“I want to win,” he reiterated, “but it’s all important to me.”
Does that balance help him when Georgia has fallen short?
“Fallen short of what?” Richt asked. “If we’re doing the best we can every day and we’re doing it in a first-class manner so that when I go home at night I can lay my head on the pillow and God would be pleased with the decisions I made, how I treated players and the coaches, the media, my wife and kids, I’m OK with that.”
And, honestly, he should be. But is that enough for those who feel the program has hit a limit because their head coach doesn’t obsess sufficiently about certain matters the way other more recently successful programs have? Or, perhaps to put it in a more crudely relevant context, because Mark Richt has time for certain shit that’s not key to winning a national title? Honestly again, probably not.
Those are easier questions to debate in an era of six and seven win seasons, no doubt. But Richt has his program on the cusp of back to back SECCG appearances. No sane program cuts a head coach loose under those circumstances. (Nor should it.) So the question is whether the pace of five conference title games in twelve seasons cuts it. Perhaps it’s time for a few folks to accept some of that peace of God stuff, hope for a little luck one season and live with it. Because it’s hard to see somebody with Richt’s resume sent packing.
*************************************************************************************
UPDATE: Chris Low has some related thoughts.
Get The Picture 
AMEN!!
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“Because it’s hard to see somebody with Richt’s resume sent packing.”
Maintain a resume like he has and I hope I never have to see it. Look at the season we are having this year. In other years he’d be playing for the MNC (albeit with a BIG assumed win ‘gainst bama). He still may. I don’t believe in luck, instead I believe in preparation and hard work meeting opportunity, but it disappoints me that someone of CMR’s character hasn’t had better timing with his seasons of this sort vs. the national context.
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A tipped pass, a runner held upright until the ball is snatched from his possession, a dropped third down pass, penalties: All suffice to enter that “luck” territory. Every game and every team has it to happen. Are you going to penalize Richt for stating the obvious or don’t you recognize it? It’s a statement of fact, not a proclamation of his character making things happen or not to happen on the field.
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I’m not sure I’m following you brother, or believe that you understood me properly.
In fact those things in your first sentence aren’t “luck” at all. But unlike others I don’t think there’s a direct blame to a head coach for these occurance. Your 3rd sentence…I wasn’t penalizing Richt for anything…but I have no idea to what you are referring..either which of Richt’s statements or what I’m not recognizing. And your last sentence? I’m not sure what you mean there. It’s a confusing sentence but do you really think his character doesn’t cause people to want to play hard for him on the field? Bro, I’m a Richt backer. You’re so quick to defend and attack those you perceive as attacking him that you went off a little cock-eyed against one of your own.
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Would I like to see a NC crystal ball on the shelf at UGA? You betcha. Would I want to trade Richt for Saban/Meyer/Tressel to get it? Not a chance in hell.
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Add Carroll, Coker, Spurrier to that list. Miles? Don’t agree with much of what he does, but not sure I’d consign him to this group either.
Maybe nice guys can’t finish first.
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I think the answer to that presents itself in the wholesale dereliction of duty run rampant at such austere outposts as the largest financial institutions of this nation. And plenty of other places, too.
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Agree Timphd & with your first part AD85.
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/Nods head in solemn agreement
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MNC are still based on a media bias. So until the media is pro-UGA then the MNC will probably not come. Richt does it right and I am not complaining… too much.
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… and I suspect that once UGa gets on top of UF a few more times that widespread public glow will turn more to the Dawgs. This country LOVES a winner, nowhere moreso than at the sports broadcast level.
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Media bias is part of it, mixed with luck and overall talent (which includes STs).
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if a coach’s only job is to win championships, he should be coaching in the NFL. A college coach is an educator above all other things. Richt understands this, and it’s why I will support him regardless of his record.
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This.
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That is an excellent way of looking at it.
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…on the Bus.
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I’m in.
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Riiiiight! “We’re with you win or tie. (Oops–can’t have ties anymore, can we?)
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I miss ties Mayor. Sometimes it seems both teams deserve to win. Ties were great games.
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“If we’re doing the best we can every day and we’re doing it in a first-class manner so that when I go home at night I can lay my head on the pillow and God would be pleased with the decisions I made, how I treated players and the coaches, the media, my wife and kids, I’m OK with that.”
Of course you are, Coach, and of course you should be. Even the most ardent Fire-Them-All Dawg fan would be forced to admit the same if you sat on his chest on held him down until he really thought it through. The problem is that when you say that you’re OK with giving maximum effort and not getting a championship every year, some folks point a finger at you and say that you’re OK with mediocrity. The problem lies in the phrase “doing the best we can every day”. So many people say that every day that it’s lost its meaning. If Richt truly gives his absolute all every day, then eventually it will pay off with a championship. It’s just that simple. And i’m proud to support him. I’ve wavered a few times, like walking out of the Dome after the Boise game. But even then, I was proud that he’s the face of my football team.
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I have to disagree with you that “eventually it will pay off with a championship.” Way too many things have to break a team’s way on any given year for that to be true. (Assuming you mean a national championship, that is.)
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Well said. I’m still embarrassed we had a BB head coach like Jim Harrick, and I don’t want a guy like that anywhere near the football program.
Hell, I’m way more interested in Michael Adams taking his piece of crap arse down the road, than whether Mark Richt can bring a crystal ball to Athens.
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+1 whateveristhemost zillion.
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+ 2 Brazilians.
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I’ve been as frustrated as anyone by UGA’s repeated bed-shittings, and have attributed them to coaching. But, I feel very conflicted because I really like and respect Richt as a person. Moreover, when I read quotes like the ones above, I realize that he has a better handle on what’s really important in life than most of his colleagues and a great many fans. I suppose we ought to focus on that instead of the lack (so far) of a crystal football – though getting that crystal football would be a great way to validate the theory that nice guys can finish first.
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That’s easy to say right now. Did you feel this way after Columbia?
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Yeah, I know some super-positive DGDs who were close to being off the bandwagon if Jax went poorly. That said, I’m glad we won and we’re where we’re at.
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I know what you mean — I knew some very positive people that were getting close to the edge as well. And I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have jumped with them if this had gone in J’ville like they did in Columbia.
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And the reason, as we have beat into the ground, has nothing to do with W-L but “maximum effort.”. That was truly the main grouse about the SC game, not the loss. We did not, for instance, grouse about the FL loss in 2010.
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That’s right. It’s not the hard fought, competitive losses that are a problem. It’s getting blown out of the stadium by Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. It’s getting dominated by Boise State. It’s losing to UCF, Vanderbilt, Miss St, and Colorado.
Reverse that trend, keep UGA in the championship hunt, and I think Richt is in great shape. Is he up to the task? Beating UF was a great start, but only time will tell.
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I have come here often and I have complained my fair share. If we had come out flat in Jacksonville I’m sure I would have blown a gasket. Having said all that, I’ve also consistently reiterated that I hope Mark Richt is our coach for as long as he desires to be so. You simply will not find a better person. And in college football, that counts. Mark Richt is employed by the University System of Georgia. He is, first and foremost an educator. An educator who gets paid to coach an athletic team, yes, but an educator none the less. I have seen none better in my lifetime.
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The crystal football is very overrrated to me. It’s a great accomplishment but it depends on so many factors, some of which are outside the control of the football coach. What I want is a competitive team that is consistently in the hunt for championships. But I don’t want a team that gets blown out by South Carolina or loses to a lame duck Colorado team.
For the 2006-2010 period our average of our overall performance was not acceptable. (I recognize 2007 was fun, but we got beat by two teams in the SEC East that year and I’m talking about the average for that period.)
I’ve never called for Richt’s job but I damn sure had my doubts after the seven loss season, the blowout losses we’ve seen in the last several seasons, and so on. I’m not sure he has really turned the corner, but I hope he has.
What I do know is that winning in Jacksonville was a great start to a comeback story, if that’s what it’s gonna be.
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Yeah, but that started last year with FU. Didn’t you notice or cut him slack after that game? Some pick on the stat of team ratings of the teams we beat/don’t beat. I’m just flabbergasted that not many go to the stat of our 4 biggest rivalries we historically have had (Tenn, FU, Tech, Aub) and the last two years’s results. This will hold me for a long time. Not getting beaten up lately by any of that bunch is top drawer to this old fart. In case no one’s noticed, we have one of them coming up this weekend and we will finish this great season with the last one this year.
The problem with most anti-Richters is that they keep moving their mileposts whenever Richt overcomes another hurdle that they create and throw in his path. To those people, Richt will never catch up with their dissatisfaction depth and I could care less. Richt has nothing left to prove, just coach babe.
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I think both sides are guilty of doing what you described — whether it’s holding Richt to an unreasonable standard or justifying any terrible loss with some stat or explanation. In that way, our fan base actually reminds me of partisan politics. You either deny and attempt to explain away all of Richt’s failures (Disneys) or you constantly obsess with his failures and fail to recognize the successes (skeptics).
I did notice and cut him some slack for beating UF last season. I also noticed that last season we finally stopped losing to inferior football teams — which was even more important. On the other hand, did you happen to notice the undisciplined play and turnovers that led to losses to LSU and Michigan State? How about Boise State and South Carolina
I think it’s fair to notice both. See my first paragraph.
I’m a moderate in this discussion and I think the polarization is obnoxious and small-minded. I’ve never called for Richt’s job and I want to see him succeed as our head coach. But the last couple seasons have seen me getting less patient and less enamored with the job he’s done.
I think your point about blind anti-Richters is a good one. It would be better if you applied the same criticism to the blind pro-Richters.
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Well stated. However, the point is really moot as the Senator said with his “Because it’s hard to see somebody with Richt’s resume sent packing.”. I’m like you, not overly enamored with some of the things about Richt, but also not in denial of the successes he has. Honestly, this whole argument is pretty old and it sucks that it’s what we end up discussing here half the time during the regular season and 3/4 of the time during the off-season.
Unfortunately for the skeptics of the world, nobody is going to fire an SEC coach that has just let his team to back to back 10 win seasons and conference championship games on top of the fact that he has never done anything that would embarrass the University or cheapen my degree. It’s a tired topic similar to the people that continue bitching and moaning about Obama these days. Whether you love him or hate him, he’s here for the near future so you need to learn how to live with him or get a new team (Richt that is, don’t want to start a political war – just wanted to point out what I thought was a pertinent analogy).
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Sorry, I just can’t buy into the notion that an important part of his job is creating good husbands and fathers. His job is to win football games without creating scandal. Period.
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You appear to have a very limited view of the role of a college coach. Which Carolina are you from, by the way?:
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Native and current resident of North Carolina, if it matters. And I would diagree with your observation…I think I have a very correct view of the role of a college football coach. His title is football coach; not life coach, not counselor, not pastor.
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What about the role of representing the university, being one of the very public faces of an institution of higher learning, where it IS the job of professors and leaders to produce productive citizens, not just high grades? A college coach still should be at least partly a teacher. That’s my opinion. That’s why I like RIcht. A lot.
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If you read my original post, I said “without creating scandal”. That includes representing the University, and being a positive public face of the institution. And there’s a big difference between a professor and a football coach. But in any event, do you think most english or accounting professors spend much time attempting to create better husbands and fathers?
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Damn right, professors are trying to produce good citizens.
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Oh please.
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I am a college English teacher. Speak for yourself.
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I speak for the dozens of college professors I have interacted with.
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In your case, maybe they just tried and failed.
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Sigh…I knew the personal attacks would come…they always do on this board.
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Wouldn’t avoiding scandal be the same thing as teaching them how to be good husbands and fathers? I doubt we have a diaper changing period during practice.
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Being an English teacher, I would say, yes, I do spend a good deal of time trying to do just that. My lessons may come through literature, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t try to instill in the young people in my classroom values that will make them better citizens, husbands and wives, and fathers and mothers.
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“Oh, I beg to differ sir.”
“Mentoring
In college football, and any college sport, coaches often develop strong bonds with their players, due to the conditions under which the players and coaches interact. Unlike players and coaches in professional sports, college players don’t have to worry about contract negotiations. Particularly with the early success these young players can find, coaches often act as father figures for their players and help guide them in a responsible and professional direction.”
Read more: College Football Coach Job Description | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6710069_college-football-coach-job-description.html#ixzz2BYB5msWi
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Good go, AHD.
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No, it’s not. He’s employed by a university, not an individual or corporation.
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When you spend as much time as a football coach does with his players and you go into their homes to tell their mothers and fathers that you will be looking over them for the next four years, than you better damn well be making sure you are teaching them on and off the field. And when I become a father (hopefully it’s in the cards) I can guarantee you that my wish will be that any authority figure who comes in contact with my child shows as must moral fortitude as Mark Richt. Not saying my son or daughter wouldn’t be able to tell when they are listening to a d-bag, but it would be nice for them to get as many examples of good leadership as possible.
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I enjoyed your post. I think you will make a fine Dad. My brides chosen career path kept her in school until her late twenties. We didn’t get pg until mid thirties. Two sons very close together. Wouldn’t change a thing. Both at Georgia. I loved the whole Dad thing. Still do. 😉
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Thanks AHD. +1
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Disagree…and also not sure you can effectively do one (avoiding scandal) w/o doing the other (teaching right behavior). Actually, many of the ingredients of winning football (showing up every day, working hard, perseverence, restraint, duty, putting your team family before yourself) are also the values for a happy life.
But since CMR seems to win games AND teach right conduct, why not let him and just be happy with it?
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You are wrong. Someday you will realize it.
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He has his priorities in order. Obey GOD and leave the consequences to him. Winning football games cannot be the only thing when you have the futures of so many young men in your hands. There has to be a balance for a life with prosperity.
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Yes and no. I can’t buy this lock, stock and barrel due to, if nothing else, the recruiting fiasco that has become Georgia football. We are basically down 20 ‘ships (close to a full year) due to the head coach. No other explanation. I don’t get it. I just do NOT get it.
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Have you given them info lately on a good recruit for our school? While we can’t get on the playing field, that’s one thing we can offer that can help. Let us know when you have pitched in to help our team and the coaches reject it. It’s our team. We don’t stand outside the fence and throw corncobs at them, no matter the score or the winning record.
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I am fine with CMR doing it the right way. Absolutely nothing wrong with educating and coaching adolescent males into adulthood, both as players and students, and as men and fathers. I want that.
But in fairness to people who criticize CMR, the criticisms are often as not directed at places where he has fallen short in his own goal. Decisions made, for example, in the kicking game (ahem ~ Fabris) have not been preparing the guys for anything our eyes can see. For all his good points – and they are many – CMR tends to have a couple of frustrating blind spots.
Most coaches have Achilles heels of some kind. We aren’t very likely to get a better coach across the spectrum of desirable coaching attributes. But I still think it is fair to expect him to work on some of his decisions. You can never be right all of the time, but you should not be wrong on certain decision with some consistency, either.
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Yes, this ^.
. CMR seems to have a stubborn streak. It frustrates a lot of fans.
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Some of us would call that stubborn streak “taking the long view.”
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So you want Fabris back? I keed. I keed.
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Heh.
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It seems to me that the definition of success is where the conversation turns. Remember the phrase from the old Hooters menu? “…and the occasional winning football season”. My, how our expectations have changed. In the 90’s, the occasional winning season was what we had (slight exaggeration). Now, the occasional losing season is the exception. I’ll take what we have now. Cheer when we win, hurt when we lose, throw the occasional tantrum and be grateful to be a Dawg.
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According to McGarity, the definition of success is winning conference championships, which is fine with me.
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Then there are 11 unsuccessful SEC teams each year.
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Well…that’s an improvement over the yardstick of some – which mandates 120-ish failed teams and head coaches every year.
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Gravidy, you have spoken to a point that I have come to consider. There is only one BCS Champion. All the rest consider the season they had and deal with it.
My life, liberty and happiness would not change one ioto the morning after UGa wins a BCS NC. I will not be defined by the score or outcome of a college football game, period. My self esteem is not determined by the execution of plays, final score or what the rest of college football thinks of me or my team.
I’m a Dawg, win or lose.
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No, McGarity is only the AD at UGA. Other AD’s may have different ways of evaluating their coaches.
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(ahem…) 13
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Guess AD85 forgot about Mizzou and Texas A & M.
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And with me as well.
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Good, CarDawg. Why don’t we let McGarity set his standards for hire and fire. If I think Greg’s standards are not worthy of our coach and team, he may be the one in the line of fire. If his standards fit only his def of success, this alum will ask for old Greg’s job. He already is close to the shit list for the way the Bd of Regent’s acidity toward Richt was “accidentally” made available to us. And for stagnating Richt’s salary. And for scheduling all the cupcakes and thereby emulating FU’s sorry road to a “championship”.
We are Georgia. We don’t need our Head Coach defined. He has done well defining who he is without our help. I hope we don’t lose him.
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+100 We won’t lose him.. He is committed to everything he does. He will stay as long as he can inspite of the Dismal Dawgs!
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I want to win, and I want to win now. That being said, Richt has put this team in a position that in his 12 seasons he played in the SEC championship game 4 times (assuming no collapse this weekend). Winning at least twice. To win the Crystal Trophy it takes skill and good management, but also good scheduling and a lot of luck. If he continues this clip, the new playoff format (love it or hate it) will give us a much better shot at competing for a national championship. Frankly, had it been in place for the previous 11 years, UGA would have made the playoff bracket in 02, 05 & 07. That is one off of LSU which would have gone in 03, 06, 07 & 11. That equals Bama which would have had 08, 09 & 11. The rest of the conference: Auburn would have had 04 & 10, Florida would have had 06 & 08. 3 appearances in the playoff would be elite in the conference, and it would be elite in the nation.
I say again, winning matters, but Richt has easily the best resume of any coach that hasn’t won it all. Unless you get Saban or Corch, I don’t think you’re trading up. And from a character standpoint, who is better? Bronco Mendenhall? No thanks. I’ll take Richt.
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IF UGA wins at Auburn, won’t it be 5 SECCG appearances? 2002, 2003, 2005, 2011 and, potentially, 2012?
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Yep.
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This is not intended as a slap at you personally, sir, but I merely use your handle and post as a foil. Without doubt, this thread has the most hypocrisy of any thread ever seen on this blog. Half of those posting here today were lambasting Coach Richt and publicly calling for his dismissal a mere fortnight ago. You hypocrites would have continued to scream for his head had the Dawgs not beaten Florida in Jacksonville. Now, after the win, you heap praise upon him and bask in his reflected glory, waxing on and on about what a good man he is and how he is more than a mere football coach but rather a teacher of life lessons to his charges. The other half of you stood on the sidelines of this blog (figuratively, of course) saying nothing in defense of the man while he was being trashed by the other half. I guess you were afraid of the collective wrath of the cyber-bullies, showing no backbone whatsoever while your coach was being humiliated. In the end both groups shame yourselves by now appearing here throwing written rose petals at Mark Richt’s feet. A pox on both of your houses I say. I continue my search for honesty elsewhere as I am certain that I will not to find any here, among you .
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Put a Socrates in it.
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” Perhaps it’s time for a few folks to accept some of that peace of God stuff, hope for a little luck one season and live with it. Because it’s hard to see somebody with Richt’s resume sent packing.”
This point is something I’ve resigned myself to believe. I know we all feel like we should be competing for national championships year in and year out but the reality is a magical season will take place (sometime hopefully in the near future) that includes some luck.
I just wish we could win a national championship every 15-20 years instead of every 40 years. I don’t think thats too much to ask given our unique situation.
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Pingback: If I Were Mark Richt, I’d Just Quit « The Grit Tree
I think that I would be a better person if I were able to be around Coach Richt more often. He certainly isn’t one dimensional and seems to have his life in order. I often been critical of him, but… maybe the problem is me.
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Hell, I’ll smoke to that. It helps with my introspection. When I can remember.
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Perhaps I was wrong above. Perhaps there is one honest man among us.
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Great profile, and just reaffirms why I’m glad Richt is the face of our program. I get as frustrated as others (and as I’m sure he does) with his blind spots, but overall, there’s no one I want to lead our program over Richt. One day, the pieces will fall in our favor and we’ll win it all. 2002 and 2007 could’ve easily been the years but for a bounce here or there. Who knows? Maybe this is the year?
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The article summarizes why I support Richt. He does have the correct balance in life. The football players that stay in our program will not embarrass the University. Carolina DAWG needs to support a Pro team if winning is all that matters to him. Winning is a part of the equation but how you play the game is important.
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I never said winning is all that matters to me. I said His job is to win football games without creating scandal. Big difference.
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You have said it in past posts. Winning without creating scandal is not the same as winning with integrity.
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I have NEVER said that. Please stop making things up.
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Carolina, you don’t get it. I’m sorry to say this, but you are a fair weather fan.
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Sorry? What don’t I get, and how am I a fair weather fan? You have NO basis to make that type of determination regarding my fandom. None at all.
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Whatever. We’ve got just as many knuckleheads on our team as everyone else. We’re not outperforming anyone when it comes to creating kids with character. The “evil” coaches out there have just as many good kids and bad kids as we do. Our program is like everyone else out there, we just have a coach that is more obsessed with Sunday church than winning on Saturday.
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And the good “christians” on this board will soon attack you in a most unchristian way in 3, 2 1…
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No worries.
I’m sure CMR has suffered a lot worse for living his faith.
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Ok.
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as have the rest of us Christians.
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As have some of us heathens.
When will some of you understand what a “Born Again” is and the importance of public acknowledgement of God as a part of that belief? It comes with the territory and because Richt lives up to his beliefs is no indicator that he is not a good coach. If that rubs you raw then get in line because it rubs many raw who don’t care what he does for a living. Get over it.
Your ‘druthers aren’t very important to me right now. Nor to the tenants of Richt’s religious passion. David, your last sentence is without merit . Your first statements ring fairly true to me. I sorta put that on the backs of the players who don’t seem to get the message. I’m for stoning them. Ah…think I’ll just go stone myself. I owe it to Obama.
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Same goes for you for blindly supporting that idiot. Your sole motivation is to bring down Mark Richt and you won’t stop until he’s gone.
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Thanks for proving me right!
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Guy says we don’t produce kids with more character without laying out any sort of case. I produce a link with evidence the guy is wrong. What you call an attack, I call a counter argument. Or a slam dunk if you prefer. And yes, I could have done it without the name calling. I just get fired up when people unjustifiably disparage my team. Unjustifiably means without basis, as if you care.
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I’m gonna have to disallow your score there Carolinadawg.
A. I don’t believe Puffdawg was “attacking” David. That was squarely aimed at you was it not?
B. We really can’t assume any religious affiliation for Puffdawg can we?
LOL! Can you tell who’s office I was in yesterday. Honestly, it rubs off on ya. It seriously irritates when I start talking like that.
Anyway, we are winning why are we grumbling with each other. We are not those kind of fans.
GO DAWGS!
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He called “David” a dipshit and an idiot. That is most certainly a personal attack.
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SIr if you will kindly examine the tablature of Puffdawgs reply column you will find that it does indeed line up in such a manner as to indicate his response was aimed at you. Please note that Puffdawgs revelation as to his response per David was posted at the exact same time as my post questioning its intended recipient. I have not deposed Mr. Puffdawg and am privy to only what is posted here and vulnerable to any time delays per posts.
We still do not know Mr. Puffdawgs religious affiliation.
😉
I’m just having fun with ya Carolinadawg. I think we all get a little to wound up over stuff here on this thread. YES myself included. It’s over the hump day. Enjoy you week!
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His response to me was:
“Same goes for you for blindly supporting that idiot…” where the idiot is “David”
His response to “David” was:
“Yo, dipshit…”.
Glad you’re having fun.
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What is the end game here? Carolinadawg you win…not drop it. Geez.
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ok.
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Hell, every time I saw “Yo, Dipshit” I thought it was aimed at me. Now they call me Mr Dipshit out of respect to an anonymous person not being addressed casually here.
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“We just have a coach that is more obsessed with Sunday church than winning on Saturday”
Yep. That’s exactly Richt’s where stands and he says UGA can accept it or fire him.
Your move.
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“We’re not outperforming anyone when it comes to creating kids with character.”
Yo, dipshit, Chip Towers and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team says otherwise…
“I tell you that to say this in regard to this particular award: It IS a big deal. The fact that Murray is the 14th Georgia player to receive this national award for community service and exemplary citizenship — it goes to just 11 Division 1 players in the nation each year — is an even bigger deal. That’s the most of any school.”
http://blogs.ajc.com/uga-sports-blog/2012/09/19/nomination-of-georgia-quarterback-aaron-murray-to-allstate-afca-good-works-team-is-a-big-deal/
The completely unfounded and outright FALSE mud our own fans throw at our coach and our program is beyond me. David, are you simply a troll making shit up or can you actually legitimately come up with a response to this, with a legitimate link? Your move…
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No I’m saying that teams like Alabama have good kids too. I watched their QB get interviewed after the LSU game and he’s just as humble and gracious as Aaron Murray. And we have just as many bad apples as anyone else. Putting “building character” ahead of winning isn’t getting us anything other than not winning as much as we should.
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You say we put “building character” ahead of winning like that’s a bad thing. I thought the whole point of sports was to teach sportsmanship and other values, not to teach that winning is the most important thing. I will simply have to disagree with you and drop the argument altogether.
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There is no way of truly proving what you’re claiming. However, there is a good indication, based on the link I provided, that what you are saying is not accurate. We have had more kids named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team than any other college in the country. Not the SEC. In the entire nation.
As for putting “building character” ahead of winning, you are aware we are 8-1 this season and #5 in the country, right?
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Yes, that’s why I’ve kept my mouth shut around here lately. The SC game was my last straw with this coaching staff. I’m thrilled we beat Florida and our schedule will allow us to get to a likely 11-1 season. However, I think we’ll lose 2 or 3 games early next year based on the schedule. If Richt can continue to keep myself and other doomsday dogs quiet then great. I’ll gladly be proven wrong (like I was for Florida where I was positive we’d get beat.)
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Well, at least you’re honest about only posting comments when things are not going our way. Cheer up, man. We’re building character AND winning. And my apologies for calling you a dipshit. Was out of line.
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+1
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So what you’re saying is we need someone who is willing to risk everlasting hellfire and eternal damnation so that we can win more football games. Hmm. Where would we find such a person?
😀
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Uhhh…..never mind. 🙂
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There is not one person and not one program on the planet, or Mars, that is going to benefit and THRIVE in the new playoff system like M. Richt. That is, if we can keep from pissing him off to the point where he says FU, see ya’, bye.
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The thing about Richt is, he’s been within smelling distance of the MNC enough times that odds are favorable that he’ll at least play for one some day – just like his mentor eventually did. I would always prefer to believe something positive is going to happen, and be vindicated by a good thing happening, then to do the opposite, and be vindicated by a bad event. Faith, optimism and enthusiasm are contagious. So too, are the lack of faith, pessimism and apathy. Place me comfortably in the former group, please. If and when Mark Richt breaks through with his MNC, he will enjoy a celebration with his fan base that is truly visceral. Much like the way he enjoys celebrating with fans in Jacksonville after a win there. When that moment happens, who wants to be the guy saying, “wow, you were right, I was wrong.” Sure, anyone who wears red and black will be happy, but those of us who say things like “I’d take Richt over 1000 Sabans” will have a sense of ownership that the cynics will not. I love the man, and I can’t wait for that moment.
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Well said.
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The shorter version…
You’re publicly saying you support Mark Richt so that in the event we win the national title with him as head coach, you’ll be able to look down on fellow fans who didn’t publicly say it with some sort of imagined “I was right” mentality.
To each his own I guess.
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Biblical aphorism: judge not, lest ye also be judged.
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“different strokes for different folks”?
who is next?
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I’m not following…
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“whatever floats your boat”
a different twist to “to each his own” Am i getting too creative here? I have been hanging with attorneys this week and they are always creative. I said it was catchy.
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Smoke’em if you Got’em.
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You keep saying that…What if you do not “Got’em”?
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Dude…Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7: 1-1 Jesus
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AHD the above was meant for your post at 12:11 today and It’s Matthew 7:1-2. Just a word for word quote from the Word. 🙂
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Eh, why not? There are plenty of people in the Dawgosphere who have actively rooted for losses so they could be rid of Richt sooner.
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“so they could be rid of Richt sooner”
Not so they could look down on people and say “I was right”. Big difference.
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My comment did not include the tongue-in-cheek smiley I intended to include, but are you saying that wishing failure on one’s program in order to get rid of a coach you don’t want is better than wishing for his eventual success so that you can go “na na na na na” to those who didn’t support him?
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I’m not saying either one is good. I just pointed out that they aren’t the same thing.
But I’d much rather be around the person who doesn’t go “na na na na na”.
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Got it.
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You’re looking really hard to find something negative in what I said. My point is simply that it would be a lot more fun to be proven right by seeing CMR win than to be proven right being seeing him lose. Wasn’t really suggesting that I’ll be going around saying “tsk-tsk” to anyone who every doubted him. When that day comes, I can assure you I’ll have other things on my mind. Not to mention a major hang over.
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I disagree. I don’t think I was looking hard at all. But it’s not that big of a deal. Go Dawgs.
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The unspoken assumption in this thread seems to be that other programs *don’t* try to prepare their players for life beyond football like Richt does. If that’s the case, I don’t agree. Bama was the first to start screening agents & preparing players for life in the NFL. Florida was the first to institute life skills & personal finance courses. No one can turn every kid into a world-beater, but Bama players leave Saban’s program with an excellent foundation for the future.
Is it better than what they would have received under Richt? That’s up in the air, but the fact is there’s a debate. Richt provides players with a living, breathing example of a moral and personally fulfilled human being. Bama players learn how to turn the desire for excellence into daily routines at the personal, team, and program-wide level. Which makes you a better husband and father? Probably depends on whom you marry.
In the end, as I always do with Richt, I ask: if I remove the word “God” from everything he’s saying, am I satisfied with what he’s doing? Mostly yes, and where I’m not, it’s usually because we prioritize different values. As long as we’re competitive when it counts, I’m fine with that.
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I like the way you think.
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By the same token, though, a not-so-unspoken assumption by some commenters on this blog is that Richt’s philosophy for preparing these players for life beyond football is the REASON we don’t win more. I just don’t buy that.
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That’s bull. The dominating powers of the last 6 years in the SEC give their players life-skills training in all kinds of areas and they’re still competitive (an understatement in Bama’s case). That kind of training is part of recruiting excellent athletes now, and if we don’t do it we’ll get left behind. Why else do you think the firm that screens agents for Bama performs the same service for our guys?
Instead, I see our problems as (a) depth and (b) on-field performance in important games. Fix those, and fans will start boasting about how excellently we prepare athletes for life outside football. Don’t care how Richt does it; it’s his team. But I think the reason Richt can talk about “not becoming what I do” is, ironically, his history of excellent results. That’s something that I think players should hear in practice AND in personal development courses.
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I still contend that it is only because of the success that Richt has had, that this argument is even relevant. I am not sure that any other coach the Dawgs could have hired in 2001 would have been as successful as Richt has been.
I certainly do not expect the Next Dawg HC to do as well as Richt has done. Adding 2007 to the mix & Richt has actually spoiled me. I still remember 20 straight years with no SEC Championship.
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And I can remember over a year and a half ago that fans wouldn’t come on in bunches like they do now to support our Coach and Team. Just the opposite, like Dawg Vent Hell had arrived on this blog.
But I always laughed my ass off when someone gets a personal vendetta aimed toward putting someone down for supporting their Coach and Team. It’s funny because we all are anonymous and words just run off our facades. Bluto can attest to that by his challenging statements and getting nothing but the sound of crickets back. By the way, anyone want to buy a bait farm?
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“But hopefully [it’s also about doing it] morally, within the rules of the game, educating young men, educating them academically, educating them about life, helping them understand right and wrong, how to be a good husband, how to be a good father, how to function in this society properly.”
Am I the only one who thinks the above statement could be interpreted as saying CMR believes he is morally superior to his coaching peers, or at least the ones who’ve won the mnc during his tenure? One could also imply that he is saying winning the mnc and developing players into sound citizens are mutually exclusive.
As Chuck commented above, CMR does have issues that have prevented him from competing for the mnc – it’s not all due to the morality of the players. But hopefully we’ve turned the corner and CMR will get that mnc this season. He is a decent man and it would be great to see the good guys finish first.
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Every coach in America has issues that kept them from winning the MNC. The only one who didn’t is the one who won it.
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I’ll never blindly support the person getting paid big dollars to run our football program. If we aren’t competing for championships, it’s time to pay someone else big dollars to run the program and see if they can compete for championships. It’s as simple as that.
All this talk about being morally superior to most other programs is a total load of crap. Not because I think we shouldn’t do things the right way but b/c the assumption is that everyone else does it the wrong way. I’m sick and tired of hearing that.
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I could see how someone could call Auburn fans the last few years blind supporters, but not Georgia fans. Just because I like the way Richt does things doesn’t mean I support him blindly. In fact, it means that I consider more than just one factor, which I would think would be the opposite of being blind in this metaphor.
I, for one, don’t assume that everyone else does it the wrong way. I just don’t think the lack of a national championship (or an SEC championship every 2-3 years) after a bit more than a decade on the job means that Richt’s way of doing things isn’t worth pursuing.
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Whatever whichaway we are doing things… we have a disadvantage with the gray shirting , pot smoking suspensions…..etc. I do think that is the gist of what a lot of fans imply when you hear “moral turpritude clause” excuse per our superior way of conducting football business. It is what it is and sometimes we draw the short straw.
just sayin’
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Sick and tired of what?!
It wasn’t OUR talk or OUR blind support. This is all in response to a completely organic, positive column about Mark Richt by an impartial national writer. It is an absolute good.
SO what’s your point? That we’re not winning? We are. We’re sitting at number 5 in the country, still very much in the BCS race.
That Mark Richt isn’t a good man? That he doesn’t do things the right way? It’s Dan Wetzel making that point, not us.
I don’t understand why anyone had to have anything negative whatsoever to say about the fact that a national observer has taken notice that our coach has good priorities. If we were sitting at 2-5, sure; fire away. But what the hell are you “sick and tired of?” I feel like people today wandered in to the conversation right out of 2009. Sort of like a Japanese soldier on an island in the Philippines that didn’t get word that the war was over.
Joe Cox is gone. So is Willie Martinez. Now I AM considering taking on a superiority complex when we win.
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Nice attempt at ignoring a lot of the comments on here and trying to make it seem like my post was purely in response to the article and nothing else.
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Nah. Your comments were fine and so were his.
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Don’t get too mellow. 😉
well done.
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Sorry dude. Blood sugar crash before lunch. Sometimes you gotta stir sh*t up, you know?
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A couple of observations:
First, I hope that everybody at some point in their lives will figure out that what matters in life is not results but in the manner in which you go about achieving them. This does not mean that you don’t care about the results. What it means is that you aren’t going to sacrifice your values for a result, no matter what. Simply put “the ends don’t justify the means.” When you fully grasp that lesson, it directs you to only focus on means with the ends being a hoped for result.
The second thing I’d like to address is this “moral superiority” issue. I would never condemn any other program in its entirety as I am quite certain that they all believe that they are doing what’s best for their players. However, I do think that we have seen over signing, late rescinding of scholly offers, medical redshirting, etc… that at least suggests that some places would rather sacrifice a kid in the name of winning than to do the right thing. I’m glad we don’t do that. I’m glad that a guy like Albert Hollis or Antonio sims were kept on full athletic scholarships well after everyone but perhaps they knew their playing days were over. I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about a kid sitting there in signing day wondering why he never got a LOI from the school he’d been committed to for months. I’m glad that we don’t tell guys like Marc deas and boo Malcolme to hit the bricks and open some signing day space. I’m glad we have walk one who have the opportunity to get placed on scholarship. Could we win a game here or there that we’ve lost if we didn’t do these things. It is very possible. But that’s the price of doing things the right way.
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I like it in principle, but let’s watch what happens during the next two years after we bring in 25-30 kids a class. We’ve already greyshirted a couple guys; we simply have better up-front disclosure than Bama or SC does. Medical redshirts … I don’t think we’d do it unless the kid gets an alternative scholarship or a scholly from another school. With our release policy, though, it could work. In other words, we might start finding ways to do the right thing–or a very close second–without sitting on the costs.
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Surprised there isn’t more discussion of the point about how we get attention because we do have a zero tolernace policy on alcohol and pot while the vast majority of other schools ignore all/some of those transgressions. Huge impact on the negative media attention on what could be viewed as a positive. Also affects the number of scholoarship athletes (Zach, Crowell, etc.)
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That brings up a point. The fans should approach Greg and ask him to amend the policy and put it more in line with the conference OR legislate to have other conference members toe the line with us. Slive could solve this folderol if pressure was applied. Using the vinegar and honey route for the same perceived crime doesn’t pay off for anyone.
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I’m going to save this article for a ‘rainy day’. Makes me even more proud to wear my UGA hat out here in Oregon Duck land.
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UGA in the last 12 years is 7-4 v AU, 10-1 v Tech and 8-4 v UT.
UGA in the 12 years prior to that was 4-7-1 v AU, 7-5 v Tech and 1-9 v UT.
The only team there which one can reasonably say is demonstrably worse over the last 12 than the previous 12 is UT. In large part, that’s because UGA turned that series the year MR was hired.
The MNC will come.
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So just my two cents but I support Richt so long as he continues to win and do so in an ethical and NCAA compliant manner. This doesn’t mean contending for a BCSNC every year but it does mean being consistently competitive in the SEC and running the program in a manner that leverages the vast resources available to it. I care about nothing else. Yes I will go as far as to say that as long as you are doing it ethically winning is the only thing that matters, not watching model citizens at work. Even if most people don’t want to admit that ugly truth. Anyone who disagrees can kindly show me their unwavering support for Joe Cox or Joe Tereshinski in 09 and 06. I can also guarantee you that fans would advocate a pay raise for the coach that played 22 winning thugs every Saturday and run off the guy who only played choir boys but got their teeth kicked in every week. Coaches are paid to win football games, if it was simply to mentor young men they would be paid a lot less and a lot more people could do it.
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Great post.
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