Sorry, but I can’t help but chuckle over this bit from Chip Towers:
The performance of Pruitt’s defenses has been mostly solid his two seasons in Athens. It’s his behind-the-scenes management style and interpersonal-relations skills within the football and support staff that has drawn scrutiny. That is being addressed internally.
You think they’re making Pruitt run stadium steps at five in the morning?
Get The Picture 
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Whatever it takes….
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thought this comment was appropriate under “sniffer”…..all (all staff included) casting stones upon Pru better be careful….my man is the lady’s man and you never know when you might find the fox in the hen house if you know what I mean.
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I don’t know what’s been happening inside B-M, but I do know that I don’t get to scream at my bosses even if I’m right and they’re wrong. One is expected to be a professional in a professional setting. It takes self-discipline. Pruitt can’t expect discipline from his players if he can’t discipline himself.
His D has certainly out-performed the offense and special teams, and those units have put his D in some tough spots. But tackling has been horrendous at times and the supposed strength of our team — our pass rush — has vaporized. I’d rather him focus his energy on what he can control.
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That’s something a lot of folks aren’t getting about this whole situation. Just because you’re the only one pulling your weight doesn’t mean you get to act like a jerk to your bosses and co-workers and not expect any ramifications.
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Disagree, get your point across to the boss however you need to. Just know where the line is. A boss that is confident in himself/herself will be fine – and appreciate your passion.
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“Get your point across however you need to”? Really, you’ve yelled at your boss (or worse) and not faced any repercussions for that? Are you a professional wrestler or something?
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If people expect/want a football coaching environment to be like an office job…well, those people shouldn’t complain about the “Georgia Way” either.
“Coach, you know jeans are only allowed on Fridays here.”
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I didn’t say the football environment should be like an office job. But then again, what exactly is Butts-Mehre? Or do the hogs just shit all over the carpet anytime they want in there?
See where I’m going here? There’s the field, there’s the office and, for the players, the classroom, and the trains can’t be meeting among those three. Everyone needs to understand the difference, or there isn’t enough learning going on and we get Aaron Hernandezes and Greg Hardys eventually too.
People need to learn that football is NOT life–at least, very big aspects of it are not, anyway.
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“But then again, what exactly is Butts-Mehre?”
A Hash-Mark in the Game of Life?
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The Michigan coach gets to wear Dockers every day
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…that lucky son of a bitch.
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Yes, if the boss respects you it is not a problem.
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Totally disagree. If the boss respects you then you need to respect the boss (and consider yourself lucky because there are plenty of bosses in the world who don’t give 2 sh!ts about you and what you think), and yelling at someone isn’t respectful – especially when it’s from a subordinate to a superior – and especially if that person respects you. So it’s always a problem.
Conduct yourself like a professional and do what you can to get the point across, but if your boss isn’t listening to you either A) go above your boss to see if you can get your concerns heard or B) find a new job where you think you’ll be listened to. Don’t go ape on your boss.
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^Yes. Have to admit I’m kind of wondering about Dawgaholic’s line of work. Professional wrestler? Helicopter pilot? Acting coach? Inquiring minds want to know about these “yelling at each other is appropriate” careers.
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Law, people can get heated in competitive environments. Now there’s a difference in getting heated and personal insults.
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BTW – gastr1 – LOL at the guesses on what I do.
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😉
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If the boss doesn’t respect you, he’s the problem
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There should always be mutual respect – or someone should be looking for a new employee/employer.
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+1
In well-functioning staffs, DCs have input on how they would defend their own offensive game plans.
If it is happening here, there should already have been the opportunity to get that message across BEFORE the offense goes out and tanks. Especially when we had two weeks to prepare for the Florida game.
At season’s end, I would be more interested in what happened before the Florida game, than after it. In developing the game plan, I am not confident they were communicating the way they should have.
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If Pruitt has to run 5 am stadium steps, Shotty’s punishment for epic failure on offense must be a doozy!
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http://wn.com/firing_squad_execution_video
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Our Muschamp
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Si si. Agent Schotty shown above in his true colors.
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I think it is just the opposite….Pruitt is making them run the steps at 5 a.m.
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Mudcat’s Impala?
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“Addressing it internally” = prayer, meditation and reflection.
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No man–Richt put Pruitt and Schottenheimer in one of those get along shirts!
http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/486387-get-along-shirt
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[QUOTE]”You think they’re making Pruitt run stadium steps at five in the morning?”[/QUOTE]
Yoga. And Xanax.
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Coach Richt is just going to love him.
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That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard! We knew this was who we had. Not shocked at all. Dude competes and will not tolerate attitudes he imagines are inconsistent with that goal. You let performers do things differently than “normal” people. LT could sleep through meetings. You can’t. That’s just the way it is. However, like anybody else, you do have to establish boundaries even for the special people.
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I’m a fan of what Pruitt has done in 2 years and think it would be a damn shame if he left. But there is a big difference between “strong willed” personalities and “toxic” ones. I have no idea where Pruitt falls on that, but he needs to not have a reputation as an egomaniac.
I’ve served in the Army and other federal agencies for years; if anyone knows about obtuse decision making, it’s me. But I couldn’t get away with going apeshit on my superiors, and few others could except pampered Hollywood actors.
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Pampered pro athletes.
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+1
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“obtuse decision making”
Don’t forget C.H.A.O.S.
“The reason the U.S. Navy does so well in wartime is that war is chaos, and the U.S. Navy practices chaos on a daily basis.”
http://thediplomat.com/2013/09/unorthodox-and-chaotic-how-america-should-fight-wars/
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you can only go ape shit on your superiors if you are irreplaceable
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Strong-willed, aggressive men can make good DC’s. Look at Erk. One question may be the amount of autonomy and control CJP has been given. CMR’s recent failures were addressed, in a sense, by allowing CJP more input regarding hiring, S&C, practices, etc. How is CMR handling this? And now that CJP’s unit is the only part of our team to play well this year, what does that mean for the off-season? More control for CJP? I think ultimately this will be a CMR vs. CJP situation, with CJP either leaving or being forced out. Too many chiefs, etc. And that will be a huge setback for us, IMO.
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So what’s left if Pruitt leaves? And what about the staff and recruits who are likely to follow?
At worst, I see him as getting a DC job – he’s a top performer as a coach and recruiter. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he lands a HC gig. Follow that up with the possibility he lands somewhere in the southeast, and we’re talking about the potential for catastrophic shit hitting the fan for CMR & UGA – who’s left to fill several staff positions and perhaps a dozen roster/recruiting slots (or more). Hire another Martinez, Schotty or Grantham our program is toast!
Finally, anyone who thinks Pruitt is toxic has obviously never heard of booch, muschamp, and a multitude of other well paid coaches.
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Oh, I meant to agree with you about “huge setback”. I see plenty of comments calling Pruitt ‘toxic’ or something to that effect. Only a few people made the jump to the logical next issue – what happens then, as you did.
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As much as I bash cmr, I think he is way above a power struggle. surely he is smarter than that.
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We have no idea what happened. Seems as if there are camps arguing over two hypotheticals –“Pruitt crossed the line and is a toxic insufferable jerk” and “Pruitt is leading a crusade over the apathy of the Georgia way”.
My guess is that it probably is somewhere in between, but not really seeing to need to plant a stake in the ground on one side or the other.
I just want them to get it straight and keep pushing forward and get better fast. AU is on the horizon. Recruiting is critical. So much on the line right now.
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Somebody needs to holler
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Assuming Pruitt is lacking the team-member skills many have alluded to, and I think are probably on target but don’t know to what degree, I have experienced something similar in my professional life. Had a manager who was an organizational disaster, he could not get along with anyone and none of the other departmental team heads wanted to have him involved in their work projects. The guy had a Napoleon Complex visible to all and loved to be a “cowboy” by swinging for the fences on every project. Making a contribution by working with others wasn’t his style, he wanted to go his own way and get all the credit. Guy was a bull in the China shop, damage calls came in from every where he went.
Despite his success in many areas, the executive team I was a part of told me he had to go. I asked for a chance to create a new role where he could act as a maverick in a new undeveloped area, choose a team and work independently of the other managers, just reporting to me. Guy was a real bulldog, very creative, loved the tough challenges, and was goal oriented. In less than four years he had developed this new “addition” to our line of products into a success that produced over $130MM dollars of sales annually. He was rewarded with pay increases and bonuses but never was promoted, or advanced in the company.
Point being that if your organization is large enough to work around someone who is talented, there could be a way to keep them, but regardless of how talented the individual is, no one is so valuable that you can allow them to stay and bring down the performance of others and destroy morale. As I said, I don’t know the inter-workings of the current staff, or CJP’s personality, well enough to say he could be a misfit and have to be let go, but I don’t think a staff of less than 25 can afford to keep a person who just cannot learn to work with others and becomes a cancer to the overall well being of the program.. Pruitt may be good as a DC but I can certainly see why he might be a guy we cannot afford to keep. Hope they get all this worked out before it leads to further disruption. (And this doesn’t just apply to Pruitt, same would be for any other coaches if there are similar problems.)
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You are 100% correct, Mac.
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Didn’t Kirby have some of the same problems the two weeks or whatever he was a Georgia (as a coach) or was that Agent Boom. Dad gummed Mark Richt, can’t abide an asshole on his staff. Richt is just soft.
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So Mac, what if the guy you jettison is Pruitt? He has an excellent work history, and is arguably entering his prime. You think he’s just gonna drop off the face of the earth? You believe there’s no repercussions to ditching him?
And we’re not just talking about Pruitt. How many recent hires trace their jobs directly to CJP? I count 5 assistant coaches, our S&C coach, and at least a couple other staff members. I’d argue their loyalties lean to CJP, not CMR or UGA.
The ‘management style’ issues we’re going through now are going to look like a cakewalk compared to the problems we’d have if Pruitt lands with a competitor. If he landed at scu it could be a nightmare for us.
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There certainly would be some ripples in the water but if some are that strongly attached to CJP, and they choose him over their job in Athens, you would want them to go anyway. Keep in mind, I am not saying Pruitt is a cancer, just saying if he were. And his job performance isn’t relevant in a case like this, no one is that valuable. This is a $90MM dollar business with about 200 people involved. Defensive football isn’t rocket science, there are plenty of guys who can get it done for you without all the drama. I prefer stability, but these type situations are best handled firmly, then move one from there. You may be surprised how few people leave with a coordinator. especially if another current coach takes over and they can remain in place.
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Who doesn’t love a good Top Gun Highway To The Danger Zone story
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Does anyone know who CJP butted heads with?
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Everybody
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Not Rocker, I saw Pruitt still had a head at the game.
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Excellent point. Nobody messes with the Rocker
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In fact I saw CJP with a couple leafs this past Saturday.
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Pruitt rubs the B-M crowd wrong mostly because nobody has ever complained about the laid back status quo before.
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I don’t know that I buy that. Richt was pretty public for an IPF when he got hired and was probably given a flat out no from Dooley at the time and probably Evans after him. I imagine he learned pretty quick what he could and couldn’t ask for from BM and acted accordingly. Pruitt’s the only one that publicly vented about it which is just not Richt’s style. It ‘s probably fair to say that Richt acclimated to the BM culture.
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I can tell you from experience that when you get told “no” by your bosses a lot, you eventually just stop asking. Then you either accept the status quo or move on.
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I’m inclined to believe that Pruitt got pissed about some things and decided to act on it regardless of how inappropriate it may have been.
I’m also inclined to believe that CMR took him in and looked him in the eye and straightened him out with the idea that “if you’re going to succeed in this business and replace me as head coach some day, you need to grow up and handle your business professionally.”
If any of you have ever stood face to face with CMR you’d know that the man has stone cold “don’t eff with me” aura about him. Y’all may not believe me and that’s fine, but CMR is no push over. He will look you in the eye and win, I don’t care who you are.
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Yes, he is a very strong man. People who feel that coaches who do not act like a jerk at every twist and turn are weak are way off base in evaluating character and strength. I much prefer a HC/CEO who maintains his composure is times of stress and feel more confident in that style of leadership and believe it to be more effective. UGA is very fortunate to have Richt, just hope he can withstand the firestorm from those determined to drive him away.
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