I think I’ve mentioned this before, but, while Mark Richt won’t directly criticize Grantham, he has been quick to tout the new staff’s high school, as opposed to NFL, background. Some of that he chalks up to teaching,
“All the coaches have all coached high school football at one time or another in their career,” UGA head coach Mark Richt said. “I think that’s important, because in high school you take a kid from ground zero, and you’ve got to teach fundamentals. You’ve got to be a true teacher, literally a teacher in the classroom. … So they’re really good teachers, good fundamental football coaches.”
I wonder if there’s something else in play, as well. Seth Emerson gets at that in his Mailbag:
Coaching-wise, Grantham’s NFL background perhaps made him a bit more tolerant of things. That was fine when you had fiery leadership on defense his first three years, such as Christian Robinson, Jarvis Jones and Shawn Williams. But that was lacking last year, from what Smith told me.
Shawn Williams… now that I think about it, you could argue there was leadership lacking on the 2012 defense, at least for part of the season, too.
It’s interesting, given Grantham’s on field nature, that he’s described as tolerant. But it’s clear he didn’t read his kids correctly if he thought they could motivate themselves. That’s understandable for that 2012 bunch, but to think that approach would work with a defense as green as Georgia’s was last year was bad judgment.
Get The Picture 
It’s interesting that getting Grantham was a key to securing someone like Jones because of the NFL background. Richt might find he prefers the teaching on the practice field, but will he find that ex-NFL guys are still preferred on the recruiting trail?
LikeLike
To be honest I’m not sure that it matters. We recruited fine under Grantham and look what that got us. What good is talent if you can’t effectively develop and deploy it?
LikeLike
Good point. Without proper development and deployment it’s like being in western al Anbar Province going upriver about seventy five klicks from the Do Lung Bridge to Nowhere without a banjo or a pig
LikeLike
Great movie. I always wondered why no one bothered to put Thai Horse into a movie.
LikeLike
As I’ve said many times before, Burt Reynolds was not available – because this was back when he was somebody – so it was no big Diehl may he R.I.P..
LikeLike
I’ve yet to see Pruitt show an issue recruiting. And DL coach Tracy Rocker has plenty of NFL experience coming from the Titans.
LikeLike
I agree with all the above sentiments. Just intrigued with the spin on this from the coaches, really.
LikeLike
I’m probably in the minority on this but I would’ve liked to have seen Grantham canned after the 2012 season, “5 yards away” BS and that “good” 2011 defense (which was actually terrible against good competition and only had favorable statistics due to playing the 8 worst SEC scoring offense during the regular season) be damned. We knew what we had and we knew what our ceiling was on defense with him and it wasn’t good.
LikeLike
Grantham was bad news, as it turned out.
As I’ve said many times now, after the Bowl game loss to Nebraska we were headed straight down the toilet. The whole team, not just the defense, because the defense was going to drag the whole thing down, just as it did under Martinez.
~~~
LikeLike
I thought Grantham almost left after 2012, right before signing day.The guy never prioritized building anything long term in Athens.
LikeLike
Admittedly, I drink a lot of coolaid and believed and expressed that Grantham was going to be Erk. I thought he would be a great motivator and disciplinarian. I think CMR thought so too. I admit I was wrong.
But give CMR credit for this…the man isn’t stuck in one mindset. He knows when things could go better, gives them honest time to do that, and changes up if it isn’t working.
He’s the anti-CPJ (at GT).
He doesn’t have a problem with change…it’s just sometimes a little slower than some of us would move..but that’s probably wise.
LikeLike
and yet, RIcht was just fine with Grantham returning for 2014.
LikeLike
Was he really? We don’t know what was said behind closed doors, and CMR has not demonstrated he’s the kinda guy to air his dirty laundry in public. The rapidity of Grantham’s departure and Pruitt’s hire may indicate a slyer head coach than we might think, esp. factoring in there was no need to pay for the usual diamond parachute.
LikeLike
Great observation, Slaw. I’ve suspected the same thing.
~~~
LikeLike
“CMR has not demonstrated he’s the kinda guy to air his dirty laundry in public”
There’s a big difference between airing dirty laundry and coming out and saying coaches are going to stay, which is what he did.
LikeLike
Or, if he had told Grantham to look for another job, Richt may have been trying to keep Grantham attractive to other suitors. I am with Slaw and Ivey Leaguer; appears to me that both sides agreed that it was time to move on.
LikeLike
Agree. CMR lieth not.
LikeLike
It seems like there weren’t a whole lot of eligible DC clamoring for the DC job at Georgia. Not unlike the hunt for a HC after Dooley. Pruitt was kind of a gift that fell into our laps. And it seems like it was all because of the CMR personality.
as I’ve said many time now and pontificated elsewhere 😉 there is much more to Mark Richt than we know or some of us care to admit.
LikeLike
That’s right. Regardless of how it all went down, that was a blessing from above, and it’s correct to credit Richt for it.
FWIW, I agree there’s a lot more to the man, both as a football coach and outside of football, than most people know, and have never shortchanged him. I’ve always made it a point to give him credit, since he gets so much unfair criticism.
~~~
BTW, subtle though it was, I did notice the cheap shot. So, thanks for another one.
LikeLike
YOU missed my point. Cheap shot? That’s rather harsh. My main complaint with your posts have always been—> UMSU. It’s a pattern with you. To suit you’re take. You think that being factual doesn’t apply to you? Talented writer and bullshit artist? If I’m subtle it is because I see you’re a gifted writer … but without an ounce of humility in you. Subtle?
LikeLike
That’s ridiculous. Sorry, I just don’t get all that. Nor does my record reflect anything like that, not the short one here, nor the long one elsewhere. This is a discussion forum, not a court of law.
If somebody makes a slight factual error in recalling a detail about something, like I did about recalling a game against Clemson, I think it was, particularly when it isn’t necessary to the point or have all that much to do with the substance of what’s being said, that is not a BS artist or some kind of fabrication, as you falsely charge.
I’m gonna be nice and not say some things I could and maybe should. Whatever you’re problem is, I don’t have time for it. My posts speak for themselves, as they always have. And yours speak for you. I’m very happy with that.
~~~
LikeLike
Ivey, you need to get over this “cheap shot” BS every time somebody says something you don’t agree with.
LikeLike
I’m pretty sure you don’t understand what I’m talking about or what I mean. And it’s not important enough to explain.
It’s certainly not disagreement nor dissent, which I don’t mind at all. It’s like he has some kind of obsession. Of course, he can’t point to one single thing of substance, because there isn’t anything. But from here, I won’t be engaging Homer, except to rebuke him when absolutely necessary.
I’ve tried to engage him in a gentlemanly manner. You’ll notice that all of the offensive stuff, 100% of it, has come from him. I’ve only responded and defended myself when I couldn’t let it go. And afterward, every time, I’ve tried to engage him in a positive manner, going out of my way to do so several times.
But sometimes you do everything you can, but it just doesn’t work. So .. there it is.
~~~
LikeLike
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Mayor doesn’t have time to understand or care what any of us are talking about. In that respect he’s like Nick and we’re all Big Game Bob’s. And being subtle is the last thing AHD is. I learned that from a thug symposium here sometime ago when I determined that his former Indian next door neighbors were not from north India because if they were they would have tried to strangle him with Ted Nugent in the background as their go-to song.
LikeLike
Wrong DIF. I DO have time for YOUR shit. Sometimes I just don’t understand it. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you. Am still working on grass roots effort to impeach you, which as you pointed out some time ago, may be easier than trying to recall you and here’s one for AHD
LikeLike
Will Friend more than Richt. And bringing Sherrer.
LikeLike
There is a lot of goodness and class in CMR. Classiest coach in college football imho.
LikeLike
I tried to talk with Coach Pruitt when he came to Columbus. He put on a no nonsense persona. He didn’t smile or joke when talking football. He won’t be with UGA long. He is HC material.
LikeLike
He wont be a HC if our defense continues to suck. So, I hope you are right!
LikeLike
IDK. I think he certainly has the football material, that he has already proven. And I wouldn’t put the other part past him, either. But I just have a hunch that he was made to be a coordinator, and he knows that.
I suspect he’ll be here a while. If he goes HC, I think it’ll be later in his career.
~~~
LikeLike
I hope you are right,
LikeLike
Ivey’s usually right but I think he’s missed the call on this one. JP wants to be a head coach. He needs to be a head coach and he will be a head coach in 2 to 4 years I think (of course that’s what I thought about Todd too when he first got here). I just hope it’s not with another SEC East team such as South Carolina as some here have predicted.
LikeLike
Could be. Maybe it’s burning within him. I can sure see how that could be.
Usually, because of the frustrating era we hope we’re now emerging from, I post things hoping I’m wrong. In this case, I’m pretty sure we both hope you’re wrong. 🙂
~~~
LikeLike
One of my specialties which is exactly why I finish at the bottom of the Mumme Poll each year. Thank goodness Bluto doesn’t have PayPal
LikeLike
Worry not. Maybe the BIA (Bulldog Intelligence Agency) is grooming a spy to do to SC what Boom is doing to FU.
LikeLike