Wednesday morning buffet

The buffet line never ends.

79 Comments

Filed under College Football, Georgia Football, It's Just Bidness, Media Punditry/Foibles, PAWWWLLL!!!, Phil Steele Makes My Eyes Water, SEC Football, The NCAA, Tommy Tuberville - Mythical National Champ, Whoa, oh, Alabama

79 responses to “Wednesday morning buffet

  1. Gatriguy

    The truth might be uncomfortable and ugly, but it does not have an agenda and it is not malicious. Mitchell’s comments are 100% dead on.

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    • Blah, blah, blah… and we can’t handle the truth. I get it.

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      • Mayor

        Senator, like it or not Mitchell speaks the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts.

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        • LMAO. I love how realists think there’s some kind of national title consideration birthright with the Georgia program.

          You want reality, Mayor? In the last five decades, this program’s had one period of true, consistent national title contention. That lasted for three years. And it took having the best player in the history of college football to get there. Even then, it only claimed one MNC.

          I can give you tons of reasons for that, most of them emanating from a higher spot than the one Richt occupies. But if you feel better laying all the sins of the program at Richt’s feet, knock yourself out, brother.

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          • Mayor

            Perhaps I did not make myself clear in my 13 word post today. Why don’t you go back and read the literally thousands of words in the dozens of my posts in the last 5 years on the subject of why Georgia underachieves. CMR is not the sole problem. CMR is actually a symptom of a bigger problem. But CMR is definitely part of the problem.

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            • You made yourself quite clear, Mayor: “Mitchell speaks the truth“. Mitchell, whom you cite approvingly, wasn’t writing about the program. He was writing about the coach – whom he’s got quite a hard-on about, I might add.

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              • Mayor

                Instead of arguing about whether CMR is the sole problem or part of a bigger problem why don’t we identify all the problems, including CMR, and fix them? As for the fix for CMR, it’s not as simple as just hiring somebody else to be HC if the other problems go on unabated (the boneheads at B-M will just hire another CMR and the bigger problems will go on). As for CMR fixes, I would like to see him have real STs coaching as a start. Every year he says he will and every year it’s the weakest part of the team. Also, this maddening tendency he has about choking at the end of big games and turning a win into a loss has to stop, but it’s probably too late for him to learn now–he’s been at this for so many years already and hasn’t. I will give him credit for the South Carolina and LSU wins last season though–he didn’t kick those away and very easily could have.

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                • Because it was a buffet item about Mitchell’s fixation with Richt.

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                • Gatriguy

                  Senator, you’re making an ad hominem attack withou addressing the crux of the article: have Richt’s team underachieved given their talent? Yes or no? Not relative to UGA historically or to their peers–just simply as compared to their own potential.

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                • I wish it were as simple as just loading our rosters with talented kids with potential. I think its more than that… a lot more.

                  “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
                  ― Calvin Coolidge

                  potential has a shelf life
                  *

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                • … have Richt’s teams underachieved given their talent? Yes or no? Not relative to UGA historically or to their peers–just simply as compared to their own potential.

                  That’s it right there. The underachievement is not relative to our program’s history, we’ve always been just a notch below the top of CF, though within striking distance. The underachievement is relative to our talent level.

                  I’ve said it before, maybe here, I would never ask or expect my coach to overachieve. If they do, wonderful. But I do ask that they recruit the best players in Georgia and coach them up. If that happens, Georgia is going to win its share of Titles, and then some.

                  So in that sense, the one that matters most, Richt has underachieved. BUT, I must add, only the last 8-9 years, since BVG left. His first 4-5 years were totally different, in terms on the kind of teams he produced, and the kind of ball they played.
                  ~~~

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                • BCDawg97

                  The other issue with “talent” – while Mitchell points out 9 top10 classes, avg of 8th best – that fails to point out that there were always 2-4 SEC schools ahead of us – usually a combo of Bama, UF, AU, LSU – teams that have won the NC.

                  I’d agree that we’ve underachieved with the talent we have, but that we haven’t broken through given the oversigning, higher “talent” of the other teams, I don’t think it’s completely unexpected. Lucky bounces, injuries, clock-management, ST, etc. need to go our way. Hopefully soon and hopefully Richt is addressing what he can control moving forward.

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                • Mayor

                  UGA has the talent and has had it for years. Do other SEC teams also have talent? Yep. That’s where coaching comes in. If you have players on a par with the other top teams and you consistently come up short against them…well, draw your own conclusions.

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                • Because it was a buffet item about Mitchell’s fixation with Richt.

                  Fascinating conversation. Wish I had time for it.
                  ~~~

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                • Spot on with the ST’s lackluster performance. I don’t know if STs are a third of the game or not but ours could use some spit and polish. I’m not sure that CMR always chokes at the end of games though. What about Alabama in overtime? The pass/TD in the closing seconds against Auburn that sent us to the SECC against an over matched Arkansas? And of course our favorite:

                  Stuff happens at the end of games. I wonder how many times Saban thinks about that attempted fg against Auburn?

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                • Mayor

                  You’ve cited 3 games where Georgia won in 13 years. The filmed link against UT is from 2001. The Auburn game you mentioned was 2002. The Bama game was in 2007. What does it say that you have to go that far back? Since that time Georgia has booted too many to count. The 2011 season bowl game against Michigan State, Colorado 2010, Arky 2010 and my personal favorite, the 2012 SECCG, to name just a few. I could go on and on but it serves no purpose. I like Mark Richt, I really do. I just want end-of-game bonehead decisions to stop–not just on O but on D, too. See the the 2013 UGA-Auburn game as an example of the latter.

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                • BCDawg97

                  I’d say we’ve been able to close the deal on UF lately. Short of the 2 teams playing for the natty, I’d bet most schools have plenty of “booted” games each year.

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                • Mayor

                  Saban doesn’t boot many games, the 2013 Bama-Auburn game being the only exception I can think of. I don’t recall Irvin Meyers or Spurrier booting many either. FU has declined since Boom arrived and that is the real reason for UGA’s turnaround with the GayTurds. All that said, I thought CMR had his best coaching year last season when he coached a team that had no D and most of its offense out with injuries to 8-5. If the idiot Side Judge doesn’t throw a flag on a “non-targeting” penalty in the Vandy game and Artie Lynch holds on to the football at the end of the bowl game that Georgia team would have been 10-3, neither of those things being CMR’s fault.

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                • I’m not exactly sure what you mean by “boot”, Mayor, but I’m betting this game qualifies.

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                • Mayor

                  Eh…no. That game is not a “boot.” That is a “no-show” which is something else entirely. Lord knows Georgia has had plenty of those during the Richt era, too. See 2008 Bama-Georgia, 2007 Georgia-UT, 2012 Georgia-South Carolina, 2010 Liberty Bowl, (I could list more but that would be piling on). A “boot” is when the team has victory within its grasp and a bad coaching decision near the end causes the team to lose when it should have won. See 2010 Arkansas-Georgia for an example of a “boot” on O and 2013 Georgia-Auburn for an example of a “boot” on D.

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                • I withhold judgment on Special Teams. I think Pruitt’s most immediate impact (save running the defensive backfield off) will be there. Just not having a Fair Catch Specialist will be a nice change of pace.

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                • As for the fix for CMR, it’s not as simple as just hiring somebody else to be HC if the other problems go on unabated (the boneheads at B-M will just hire another CMR and the bigger problems will go on).

                  While I agree with much of what you say, I’d take some issue with this one. I still firmly believe Richt can, with administrative things just as they are, win, and win big.

                  The reason he hasn’t, the past 8 years, are mostly self-inflicted. No president or AD, no matter how cooperative, could help Georgia win without some resolution to the culture problem that began sometime in 2005 and had fully developed by 2008. I don’t care who the coach is.

                  Now, you can blame Richt for letting it continue for so long and not solving it already, that’s fair. I think it can at least be understood, and gave my thoughts about it in detail the other day.

                  But I strongly believe we can win right now, if the efforts that began with the hiring of Pruitt are successful. If that happens, we’ll start playing solid ball again, the kind of ball we played when Richt first arrived, which netted us 2 SEC Titles in 5 years (I actually believe that can be topped). Whether this year is 9-4 or 15-0, if we start playing that kind of ball again, it’ll only be a matter of time.

                  Whether an 8-4 regular season, should that happen, is an underachievement or mostly bad luck, will depend on just how far Pruitt was able to to change the culture. He may need more time. No one knows yet.

                  But our underachievement, relative to our talent level, will stop once that has been achieved. We might lose some close games, almost certainly will. But it won’t be because we gave them away.

                  I don’t discount what many of you say about the administration. Ya’ll know more about that than I do. But we can win despite it, IMO.

                  What I’d like to see is a Title or two, increased revenue for the University and the program because of it, and a softening of the administration, seeing that a top football program, especially one as ethically responsible as Richt’s, is a very good thing for the University, financially and otherwise, .. much better than their closed minds had foreseen.
                  ~~~

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                • Mayor

                  Actually, the culture problem at Georgia may be changing already. I didn’t know Jere Morehead before but I met him recently and got to talk football with him. I like the guy and believe (without going into specifics) that he is all about the Dawgs winning championships. Give him some time and I think we’ll see the administration take its foot off the team’s neck. I certainly don’t see him as an anchor to be dragged along as was his predecessor. In fact, I think I see his involvement (behind the scenes) in some of the recent hires that appear to be putting the team on an upward trajectory.

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                • That’s great news, Mayor. At least to these ears. I’ll add that nugget to an already amazing year to date. It’s to the point now I’m beginning to pinch myself.
                  ~~~

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          • Normaltown Mike

            You’re saying it’s Bobo’s fault?

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    • Macallanlover

      Yeah, Mitchell sounds like a very balanced guy, something like you and the other Richt haters Gatri. Woe is us….such a terrible record.

      Wonder how those other coaches would do with our policies? We could become a reform school too, or over recruit by 25% each year. It is much easier when you aren’t restrained by principles, which is what I assume you would prefer.

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      • Gatriguy

        You’re right: Mitchell personally hated UGA, everyone that has anything noncomplemenatary to say about the program has an agenda, and the team has never underachieved relative to their talent level.

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    • PTC DAWG

      Anyone who complains about a team that won the SEC East, clearly has an agenda…..the year he claims UGA backed in, all Carolina had was to beat a bad AU team at home….

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    • AusDawg85

      Since 2000, Richt’s career winning % at UGA is ranked 9th nationally, with only LSU being higher during that period (Saban and Miles).

      Picking 2007 out of the hat as the starting measuring date, Georgia is tied at 16 with Alabama, LSU and Florida higher, but the gators are only slightly higher with one less game played…same number of wins as the Dawgs but one less loss. (That happens when you don’t qualify for a bowl game.) Saban is obviously a common denominator for the “best” teams in the SEC, so if Richt’s failure is “he’s not Saban” then not much else can be said.

      Plenty of problems at UGA…and at nearly every other school…so context and perspective matters. Richt may clearly not be the best coach in the nation, but he is very likely the best coach UGA can have now, and still shows potential to be the best we’ve ever had. Complaining about his past failures seems pointless, especially in light of the fact that most of the “successful” programs he’s being measured against have not had the sustained record of CMR and/or avoided scandal/probation on their championship teams.

      I’ll never be jealous of Auburn…their culture is just not worth the cost of winning for me. And who is the best winning % team over both those time frames?

      Boise St…..

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      • Cojones

        The new emojis are coming out and one is of a middle finger. I suggest we at UGA adopt this emoji with an “A” or a barn on top.

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  2. Macallanlover

    I never fail to be surprised about the love TN gets for Neyland, primarily because it is a dump. The seating and sight lines alone make me put it in the bottom seven in the SEC. I agree Sanford is the prettiest stadium in the best setting but can understand how it doesn’t get ranked at the top because we fail miserably with food service and bathrooms. LSU, Bama, and A&M deserve to be near/at the top of the list along with Sanford, imo.

    Steele gives Sanford a 5+ point home field edge for UGA home games, close to the top of all stadiums, and about 3rd or 4th in the SEC. He splits LSU’s edge in Tiger Stadium by night and day games, love that.

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    • Gatriguy

      Completely agree about Neyland: horrible sight lines, plus it is a horribly ugly stadium.

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    • I agree Sanford is a beautiful stadium. My father-in-law (a Tech guy) was very complimentary the first time I took him to a game. I’ve never been to Texas A&M. 450 million is a lot to throw at a stadium. But it’s not finished so I’m gonna have to dq it. 😉

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    • Slaw Dawg

      Yeah, I had pretty much the same reaction. So far as I can tell, all it has going for it is size and location ain’t bad. The crazy quilt campus look doesn’t help matters.

      But personally I like K’ville itself, whether on game day or otherwise. I know others have had different experiences, but there’s lots to do, and I’ve enjoyed tailgating with the Toothless Ones and mingling in their night spots, and you can head on over to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg for some good cornball kicks. It’s not Oxford, and definitely not Athens, but a damn sight preferable to Auburn.

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  3. Parent

    I’d like to see where Commonwealth ends up after its renovation. They have already started and we were just there. It’s going to be pretty awesome. Not a contender for the top few spots certainly, but it should pass a few, especially if Stoops and company can coach up their latest recruiting class to a few more wins.

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    • Macallanlover

      True, Commonwealth will never rise near the top of any SEC ranking, but the surrounding area of Lexington makes it an enjoyable experience. Nice folks, good restaurants and bars, etc.

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  4. There are at least eleven receivers coaches making more than $300,000 per year. How many of ‘em are better than Tony Ball?

    Probably none.
    ~~~

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  5. bonecursher

    I feel as if most of those losses were due to picking the wrong guy at Qb. Most came under Aaron Murray’s reign. Cox and Stafford both beat some decent SEC teams. Under Murray;s leadership, UGA really, really struggled in big games.

    Good news, he’s gone. Bad news, you got an inexperienced guy at Qb for the next 2 seasons, Mason this year with 2 games as a starter. And next year, another green Qb like Bauta or Ramsey.

    I think it will be around 2016-2017, the 2nd and 3rd years starting for the 2015 UGA Qb that Richt needs to start winning big.

    2014 & 2015 will likely not got well due to inexperience at Qb, see Greene, Cox, Stafford, and Murray’s first year win totals, none won more than 8 of the 12 games during the regular season.

    2011-2013 SHOULD have been huge years at UGA due to Qb experience, should have had at least 1 big year vs top SEC teams, and won the SEC, just didn’t.

    richt’s errors:
    1) AM as Qb
    2) turnovers (see #1)
    3) special teams
    4) weak staff
    5) poor game strategy (emphasizing passing yards over time possession, not spiking vs Bama at end of game, deemphasizing then rush game, etc.)

    I also think AD McGarity’s policies and decisions have been poor (stricter policies on 1st time offenders–suspensions have really hurt in those first few games, working out in trailers one year in the off season, scheduling top 10 teams for the 2 openers 4 out of last 5 years, underpaying staff and losing them, etc.). He’s a joke.

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    • Cox lost to every ranked team he faced in 2009, with the exception of #7 Georgia Tech. And he wasn’t exactly instrumental in securing that win.

      I like how Cox beat “decent” teams, but Murray’s teams “struggled in big games”. Fair comparison there.

      BTW, Richt’s biggest mistake isn’t even on your top five list. It’s roster management.

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      • bonecursher

        If we compare Cox’s 1st year starting in 2009 to Murray’s 1st year starting in 2010, Cox won 8 of 12 games, Murray 6, Murray lost the Bowl game generation 0 td’s, Cox won his Bowl game generating 44 points.

        Too Easy.

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        • Macallanlover

          And that is how you compare QB performance in a team sport, the number of Ws and then toss out all the variables? “Too easy” is right, you should read the story and not just go by the headlines. To say Murray was a “mistake” makes it hard to take what you say seriously, then there are the other examples you provided which make it look as if you don’t understand the game at all. UGA game strategy? Seriously? Not spiking the ball? All subjective things, and usually brought up with the benefit of hindsight on a selective basis. But these being subjective with no definitive right or wrong, you have as much right to express an opinion as anyone but this sounds more like the depth of analysis I would see on the DawgVent or in a freshman dorm than on GTP.

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        • And what’s that got to do with your point about Cox beating decent SEC teams?

          Too trolling…

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          • bonecursher

            The guy says there have been 17 big time games he’s referring to, and Richt’s team won 4 of them, wonder how many of the 13 losses happened under Murray’s watch? I bet the vast majority. He just wasn’t a big time winner in big games. Had good stats, mostly compiled against unranked teams (70% of his stats were). But not a good leader.

            Got excuses?

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            • Again, here you go with mixing labels – “big time” or “decent” SEC games?

              You’re welcome to keep trolling about Murray, but I can assure you nobody gives a shit about what you’ve got to say on that. Except other trolls, of course.

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            • Cojones

              What’s a “bonecursher”?

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              • Mayor

                It’s that little thing you move around on the computer screen only in the shape of a dog-bone instead of an arrow.

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      • Irwin R Fletcher

        Just so I get this straight…

        On the one hand, “2011-2013 SHOULD have been huge years at UGA due to Qb experience”

        On the other hand, “richt’s errors:1) AM as Qb”

        Yup…I can totally see how the rest of this thread will go….

        In the last three years the program has gone 19-5 in the SEC, 3-0 against Tech, 3-0 against Florida, and 2-1 against Auburn.

        Underachieved is an interesting word. It’s what Mitchell uses and what a lot of the anti-Richt commenters use as ‘factual’…of course, it isn’t factual at all. It’s completely subjective and allows for people to make stupid arguments about ‘should haves.’

        Here’s what I’ll say… getting to the SEC championship and losing only 1 game in conference play is hard to do. If folks want to minimize that through ‘ranked opponents’ and subjective criteria, that’s their right…but it doesn’t make them ‘right.’

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        • Agreed.

          Again, if you have in your mind that Georgia is supposed to compete for national titles on a regular basis, then, yeah, I can see how you would characterize the program as underachieving. I just don’t see where anything in Georgia’s history entitles one to make that assumption as a logical one.

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          • Again, if you have in your mind that Georgia is supposed to compete for national titles on a regular basis …

            What’s wrong with competing for a national title on a regular basis? And why shouldn’t Georgia want to do that?
            ~~~

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            • Jesus, don’t pull that crap on me.

              Nothing wrong with that as an aspiration. But as an assumption of the level the program is at, it’s not justified based on the historical record, as much as we’d like to say otherwise.

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              • Nothing wrong with that as an aspiration. But as an assumption of the level the program is at, it’s not justified based on the historical record, as much as we’d like to say otherwise.

                Gosh, I think it’s clear we’re not at that level. But think about it, why shouldn’t Georgia be trying to compete at that level? And be doing everything it can to get there? If there’s nothing wrong with it, and it does good things for the University, why not?

                We have everything we need to accomplish that. Money, resources, talent base, support, everything. And I would argue (just not now – that’s another conversation) Georgia has some inherent advantages over just about everybody, including Alabama.

                Where the conversation gets twisted, IMO, is when success is based on winning a national Title. Richt’s lack of one has nothing to do with the underachievement of his last 8 teams. Indeed, he could have had 2 with some luck. It’s a ridiculous standard, given the luck that it takes to win one (though that may be slightly changing as we speak). Not many teams with a competitive schedule these days can do what the 2009 Bama team did, just pretty much dominate the thing. And even then, that team needed a little luck.

                Now to measure in SEC Titles, that’s a little more realistic. And these days, SEC Titles may be harder to win that National Titles. That’s why I say, should Georgia return to playing the type ball we played in Richt’s first 5 years, the NC will take care of itself. It’s inevitable. His program got off track for 8 years, and still he almost got one.

                So the standard should be recruiting the top talent in Georgia, and coaching up that talent to play solid ball. And there is absolutely no reason that cannot, nor should not, happen at Georgia. Do that, and I promise everybody will be happy with outcomes.

                I hope and trust that is what Richt has in mind right now. It’s been a great year so far. THIS is his chance, IMO, and may be his last one. And I suspect he knows it. I also suspect he’s excited about the possibilities, as I am.

                Yes, if that happens, the end result of the upcoming era will be better than Georgia has been historically. Much better. And I’m fine with that.
                ~~~

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                • Gosh, I think it’s clear we’re not at that level.

                  That is the one and only single point I’m making here.

                  All the rest is aspirational commentary. Which, again, is fine, but doesn’t address what I’m saying.

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                • I think I understand. But I should add, had Richt’s program been able to continue on the same track it was on his first 5 years, you wouldn’t have that point. IDK what we would’ve won from 2005-2013, had we played that kind of ball, but you knock on that door that many times, it eventually has to open.

                  It’s all about getting back on that track. Everything else will take care of itself. I know that’s what Richt is trying to do. I mean, he did it already, he didn’t forget how. Just hope he can get it done this time. The pieces, finally, look to be in place, and I’m pulling hard for it to happen.
                  ~~~

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                • Mayor

                  Ivey, I respectfully disagree that “the pieces, finally, look to be in place…” No DBs with experience, an O-line rated near the bottom in the conference, a first-year starter at QB. Things might work out and I’m optimistic in hoping that they do but the pieces aren’t “in place.” That is part of CMR’s roster management problem–he almost never seems to field a complete team. One year it’s a lack of RBs (2011) and the next it’s a shortage in the DL (2012). This has been going on for years at different positions, although the OL seems to be a consistent problem.

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            • I just don’t see where anything in Georgia’s history entitles one to make that assumption (Georgia is supposed to compete for a national title on a regular basis) as a logical one.

              For the record, I have never made the case that Georgia has underachieved under Richt compared to its history. Maybe somebody else has, but not me. It would be foolish to make such a case.

              I’ve talked a lot about underachievement, but only in relation our talent level, resources, and coaching abilities, which is the only intelligent way to measure it. And it is not a totally subjective thing, as some might think. It is something backed by hard evidence – the game film itself.

              And IMHO, that film reveals, very clearly, the underachievement that Georgia has experienced for the last 8 years or so. Just as the same film, very clearly, reveals the achievement and solid play for the most part of Richt’s first 5 years.

              The film doesn’t lie. The opinions of those who analyze may be subjective, that depends on the expertise of watchers. But not the film itself. The film is always objective, which is why it is, and has been for a century, the benchmark football coaches depend on.

              And I’m saying, based on the film, I don’t see how any competent coach could watch the last 8 years of Georgia, and not conclude that we have underachieved. It’s an elementary thing, it jumps out at you, something that’s very easy to see from a football perspective.
              ~~~

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              • Since it’s you and not the film talking here, I’ll have to take what you say with a subjective grain of salt.

                But I do wonder about something you say – if Georgia didn’t underachieve in its first five years under Richt and never played for a national title in that time, what does that say about what’s a realistic expectation for the program?

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                • Just saw this but answered it already, above. Great question.
                  ~~~

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                • Irwin R Fletcher

                  The difference between the first 5 years and the last 8 years is that in the first 5 UGA was consistent, won the SEC, but never sniffed the national title where as in the last 8 years the team has been constantly going through peaks and valleys, finishing as a bridesmaid in the SEC title race, and yet probably coming closer to the national championship in 2007 and 2012 than any UGA teams since 1982/83.

                  “Realistic” expectations don’t exist.

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                • I don’t know what I would say to that. My take is above.
                  ~~~

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                • Mayor

                  For that matter, what if Herschel Walker went to Clemmons instead of to Georgia? Does UGA have that 3 year period of national dominance you spoke of elsewhere on this blog today, Senator? I think not. And you are correct about that period (1980-1982) being the only time UGA was in the mix for the MNC in modern football history.

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              • The film is always objective, which is why it is, and has been for a century, the benchmark football coaches depend on.
                100 years seems like a long time. This was done in 1903.

                FIFY Bluto.

                http://www.get2theleague.com/getting-the-most-football-film-study/

                😉

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                • Dog in Fla

                  That’s so good I expected to see Ralphie the Buffalo and Geronimo run out onto the field for the HUNH scrum

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                • I was guessing at when film began to be available. 1903? That’s further back than I thought. Thanks.
                  ~~~

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                • Gosh, I just saw this on computer, didn’t see it on the iPhone. It was great. I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Talk about 3 yards and a cloud of dust. And the HUNH with no forward passing. They didn’t even run the ball outside of the box much on those days.

                  Awesome.
                  ~~~

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      • Mayor

        Re: Richt’s biggest mistake is “roster management,” I agree with you on that Bluto. It appears to me that CMR has moved to try to do better in that area, at least as far as signing players. Keeping them–that’s another story.

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        • It appears that no one appreciates the consequences of their loss of a scholly. And why should they?
          I’ve always supported CMR and his decisions. I err on the side that he knows much more about what he is doing than I and probably everyone else that posts here. With all the rhetoric and enlightened posts about college ball I’ll say this: Alabama is semi-pro and Georgia runs an amateur program.

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        • Ivey, I respectfully disagree that “the pieces, finally, look to be in place…” No DBs with experience, an O-line rated near the bottom in the conference, a first-year starter at QB. Things might work out and I’m optimistic in hoping that they do but the pieces aren’t “in place.” That is part of CMR’s roster management problem–he almost never seems to field a complete team. One year it’s a lack of RBs (2011) and the next it’s a shortage in the DL (2012). This has been going on for years at different positions, although the OL seems to be a consistent problem.

          I agree. Totally, in fact. I wasn’t speaking of personnel at all, didn’t have that in mind (though they are certainly a huge piece of the program). But rather the broader picture of the program’s core, because now that that’s finally fixed, the personnel issue will begin to take care of themselves and fade away.

          I’ve written much about it, and roster management as a whole has certainly been a big part of the problem. As you wrote above, we can see that things are also changing on the recruiting and roster management fronts. And I don’t think Richt had much choice about letting those kids go (I wanted them all gone, and there might be one or two others).

          But I think it will cease to be a problem with the next group who comes in, even this current group. I believe Matthews, Wiggins, JHC,would have been treated differently had they arrived this year instead of last, and who knows what effect it would have had on them. Regardless, it doesn’t mean we won’t have a kid or two in the future who has to be dismissed, but I suspect the nonsense is finally over. Which is all good.

          Right now, we’re stuck with what Grantham left, and we have to go from here. This next class will be very interesting to see. We’re way behind, personnel wise. We’ve a long way to go to catch up with LSU, Bama, and are probably behind a few others. We talk about all our talent, but our talent level has been a level under the top, just like everything else.

          But all now appears to be on the move, after being stuck in a rut for a long time. So that’s exciting. It’s just that getting the other pieces in place is such a huge thing, something I thought might never get done. And so personnel didn’t cross my mind at the time. But it’s happening, all of it, best I can tell.

          Yeah, we’ve got to be smart, and very efficient, with our talent resources, because we’ve given ourselves little to no margin for error (which is fine, if that’s the price we pay to do it right). We can’t just cut guys when they turn out to be mistakes and replace them with another 4-star. So every spot is precious, and has to be treated that way.

          And we have to risk oversigning by several spots (backed by potential grayshirt or two, should we get caught holding too may cards), to account for natural attrition. Not sure about the numbers, but I think we oversigned by 2 or 3 spots this year, but still wound up 2 or 3 under. Something like that.

          Before this year, we haven’t been doing those things, and it hurt us badly. It seems that now we are moving in that direction. I just hope it doesn’t take us 3 whole years to retool and restock to 1005 efficiency. But it’ll take another year anyway, if not two.
          ~~~

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    • PTC DAWG

      Speaking of jokes, thanks for the laugh.

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  6. bonecursher

    according to ESPN, the team whose Qb finishes with a higher QBR rating wins over 85% of the time.

    that’s the most important thing Richt has to learn, he needs to get that decision correct, it was obvious after 2010 AM was the wrong choice, a change should have been made.

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    • QBR? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!!

      By the way, Murray was fourth in the nation in QBR last season. Whom would you have started instead?

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      • bonecursher

        Murray as a 5th year Senior had poor QBR’s in 2 big SEC games in 2013:
        Mizzou, Vanderbilt.

        For the 1st time in his 4 years, he actually played well via QBR in some big time SEC games in 2013 (LSU/SC come to mind), nothing in 2010, 2011, or 2012.

        Too bad it took him 4 seasons to show up in a big game, even then, he went AWOL vs Mizzou, and Vandy in 2013.

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        • Irwin R Fletcher

          SO QBR is predictive of outcome only when it isn’t?

          I guess Murray’s 14th highest QBR in the nation as a freshman should have led Richt to know to sit him in big games.

          This is the dumbest argument ever.

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        • Normaltown Mike

          We can all agree that Murray was never the offensive juggernaut that John Stinchcomb was.

          Stichcomb scored every single time he touched the ball.

          EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!!

          Until Richt understands that he needs to give the ball to the REAL players, he’ll be average as grits.

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  7. Cojones

    This peanut butter wading doesn’t appeal anymore than it did before. Rehashing details that are pages long are needed to qualify these arguments. We’ve been through this and have now gone from last week’s upper of winning the conference to now throwing out the baby with the wash water.

    Most arguments presented here could be summed up in one word: Snakebit. It has to be recognized through the details which many ain’t gonna do.

    Think I’ll have an early nonmedical adjustment. Smoke’em if you got’em.

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