Maybe this is why Kirby called that last time out against Florida.
In the latter stages of Saturday’s 24-10 loss to Florida in Jacksonville, Kirby Smart didn’t see any quit in a Georgia defense that the last couple of weeks arguably has played good enough to win but hasn’t.
“They were just hell-bent that they were going to go out there and punish somebody,” Smart said. “That’s what we play for, to go punish the other team and not look at the scoreboard. That’s the first time I thought, ‘You know what? They didn’t care about the scoreboard, they just wanted to go out there and stop them over and over again. They found joy in that and that’s all they can do right now is control that.”
Of course, Florida got another first down after that, but it’s a nice thought, right?
Get The Picture 
OK. Somebody needs to start looking at the scoreboard. Man, this learning curve for first-time head coaches is steeper than I thought.
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We’ve got a loooooong way to go, boys.
Time for a little contemplation:
I’m 33-years old. I was not alive when Georgia won the NC in 1980. For the last 15 years I was convinced, however, that I would live to see them win one in my lifetime.
This year is making me wonder if maybe I never will. Why? Because we’re 4-4 in our new HC’s first year? No. But because he is inspiring little confidence….
Speaking of which…. am I the only one who has listened to some clips of his pre-grame “speeches” featured on GeorgiaDogs.com (official UGA athletic site) and found him to be…… boring? And ridiculously banal-sounding? I mean, I thought Richt had that market cornered, but I find Smart to be even worse.
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They’re not calling him the “Bainbridge Bubba” for nothing
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Wow, hope you don’t stop for gas in Decatur Co
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Respectfully asking here, what has been your experience with pre-game locker rooms/speeches in the past? At what level of competition? What was the pre-game speech like?
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The forgotten footnote to Pacino’s great pre-game speech was his team went out and gave up a TD right after it.
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A completely fair question. And the answer is my experience is practically nil.
But! (yes, but!) I was specifically comparing Smart to clips of Richt’s speeches. Which I always thought were kind of uninspiring.
The bits I’ve heard from Smart are more than uninspiring. They sound like he’s trying too hard. Which, to me, is worse.
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maybe McGarity will pony up for two or three quality control guys to do in game score analysis.
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Bring back St. Richt!!! He’ll banish the heathens back to the swamp from which they came!!!
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http://s950.photobucket.com/user/rattlehead666/media/markricht_bugsbunny_sawfl.gif.html
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Sounds like a lexicon entry, along with “skykick”, “fail mary”, and “impose our will”.
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if we created a lexicon entry for what Kirby is trying to explain here, we would never, ever be able to use it again, because no one would ever actually do this. Unless Kirby does again.
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The Quotable Kirby Smart
It didn’t take long for League to find a worthy successor to Les Miles
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Uhhhh.
Les Miles is actually entertaining, though.
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Maybe Kirby needs a hat.
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Like many of our recent games down there, I quit watching…
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We can sit back and fire away with the keyboard snark. And I welcome snark, always. A Georgia team struggling to make a bowl is an easy target.
But I think the point is — Kirby really does have the defense playing hard. And the defense has played well enough to win most of our games, despite a lot of youth and a new system.
Offense and Special Teams are another story.
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Uh…what the hell does that mean? Is Kirby literally, actually mentally retarded?
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Dude. Is it really necessary to go there?
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It’s –literally, actually– not very difficult to figure out what Kirby is talking about.
Plenty of other commenters (see rpcpisme’s comment below, for example) understood his comments rather well.
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CKS statement was, if the current OC returns….we will not have to budget for a new fancy score board next year…..hit ’em where they ain’t fella’s!
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Well it does mean a lot, to me, that these guys don’t give up. It’s a good barometer for how the team feels about the coaching staff and direction.
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I get what Kirby is saying. Play hard regardless of what the score board says. Do your job. If you are motivated by the scoreboard, then you will also lose that motivation when the board doesnt say what you want it to. This is the process. This is exactly what Saban rants about when he is fussing at his players, through the media, because they were up 30 and some kid didnt do something the right way. Kirby is trying to create reproducible habits.
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While it’s an easy target given how the team has played, I agree with your point. Ignore the scoreboard and hopefully you can smooth out the up’s and down’s that come from a bunch of kids playing a game. Good skill to have, and to practice.
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Honestly as someone who is being snarky, I am in the camp that hopes this is the case and hope Kirby succeeds in his pursuit of this. I still support him.
I was a Richy supporter to the end. But admittedly he was stale. So I endeavored to support the new coach. The hiring process was definitely a joke. How on earth did we not interview more people?
Regardless, Kirby’s our coach and we need to support him. Hopefully the youth will turn a corner soon (Coach Kirby and the players).
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That is 100% accurate. Regardless of what the scoreboard says, you play as hard as you can every play. this is why UGA will get a lead and then let the team back in the game. This is the killer instinct the Dawg fans have wanted. Go out and destroy your competition until the clock says 0.
I’m on board with what he’s saying and the defense has improved this year. the offense and special teams are a totally different story. Figure out a way to get Chubb and Michel the ball 80% of the snaps. if we lose, then i’ll know the best players at least had the opportunity. Hand it, toss it, or throw it to them. Put them both on the field at the same time too. I don’t think it can be that difficult.
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Get ya’ll a danged red Kirbyvisor and get on board the Process Train. (Actually you gotta have a red one and a white one…he wears both, but not at the same time….usually white for games, red for practice.)
You can fight the process and go suck your thumb or you can buy in (literally for some of us.)
Fuck this whiny shit, you know? Really.
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Scorp, “Process Train” is redundant. Thought you should know.
20 pushups and move on.
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Its a metaphorical train, Puff…like being “all in” and so forth and so on.
4 5 6 7 uhhh…can they be metaphorical pushups? I am aboard the train, but I ain’t ready to leave that station yet.
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Yes, but I’d rather it be a Harbaugh, “not looking at the score but up 60” situation than what happened in JAX.
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Well, yeah…but…..Nope, no buts, but yeah.
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Kirby was not allowed to talk to the media at Alabama and it shows. His quotes are cringe-producing. His lack of attention to detail in this part of coaching has helped unfortunately underscore the perception that he is in over his head.
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Perhaps I could have put my comment better — like yours. Well said.
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Let us follow this “punish your opponent to the very end ” concept to its logical conclusion or at least to a logical sequence of events. What do we a dawg fans say when both teams are just running out the clock(like Florida was doing after they kicked our ass) and in an effort to punish lets say, for example, Trent Thompson blows out a knee or a shoulder in an effort to punish his opponent ? I for one would raise holy hell if the process gets one of our stars hurt in a totally meaningless situation. Details matter and so does context. Of course, if the final outcome is still in play you play hard to the whistle but that game was over and risking injury unnecessarily is foolish and NOT SO Smart. One of the most important things about having rules and following rules(that is what the Process is ,right? a series of rules and habits) is knowing when not to follow rules. I repeat, Coach Smart is Ray Goff with slightly better syntax…scary
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WeWoof, you and I were thinking the exact same thing. People forget how much human mass you have out there moving with velocity and purpose on every play.
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I need a beer. Or twelve… after reading that.
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Pretty sure this is straight from “The Process”. Play every play perfect…every play as hard as you can. Don’t focus on the scoreboard or the clock or anything else. Just focus on playing the next play perfect. Do that for 60 minutes and the wins will take care of themselves. It’s not exactly working for UGA, but I seem to remember an article about Saban and that pretty much summed up his philosophy.
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I was not one calling for the firing of Richt, but did also feel the program wasn’t where it needed to be, or could be. My biggest fear was how our AD, and the ones with power at B-M would handle the hiring of a new coach. IF this hire continues on the path it has to date, then we will be coach hunting again in 3 or 4 years. If that happens then surely a new AD must be put in place first. My question is would we be willing to hire a strong willed AD, and if so does anyone here know who might make the short list? As highly rated as the football coaching job is here, I would think the AD job might even be more so. I confess that while I wouldn’t mind seeing a change in AD’s, I have no ideal who we would be willing to go after. If we are just going to hire another good old boy, then why bother. This may not be the place to post this, and if so please move or delete at your discretion.
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The good Senator writes;
“Of course, Florida got another first down after that, but it’s a nice thought, right?”
If McElwain wanted to punish his opponent, especially those named Georgia, he would have emulated Corch or Spurrier by slinging it to the end zone at the end of the game rather than running out the clock by running the ball for first downs.
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Mike, I actually had that thought sitting there at the game, but knew McElwain’s too good a guy for that.
It sucks when Florida doesn’t have a coach I dislike. 😉
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I guess that is a damn shame?
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McElwain is now 2-0 against Georgia. It also appears, absent some major screw-up, that FU will win its second consecutive SEC East title under him in only his second season. I am starting to dislike him and maybe you should, too.
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Anyone clad in orange and blue is hateable as far as I’m concerned.
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I dislike the institution of UF but I have to admit it’s hard for me to have negative feelings about McElwain. If I’m honest I think on a personal level I have more positive feelings about him than CKS.
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I say this with brotherly love / locker room comeraderie but some of y’all are acting like a bunch of poo-says on this blog.
Wtf is going on around here.
We have been soft for years.
To be the man(Bama) you have to beat the man. Until we get this country club mentality out of our program we are going to continue to be the Texas of the SEC.
I hate losing but if this is the medicine required to get to the next level, I’ll take it.
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I agree with that but after a few games I ain’t sure these are the right Drs for the prescription. I hope so but sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
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I’ve always wondered how much of this “country club” meme was reality and what was bullshit.
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Where is it written in the Great Book of Coaching that it is necessary to go from 10 wins to 6 wins to be in position to win 11 or 12 wins?
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it ain’t it’s called rationalization …and I know we all do it…. but this line of BS…you got to tear something down before you build it back better…. is particularly irksome because (A) it ain’t so and (B) it’s hurtin my dawgs.. McElwain built on what he had as opposed to tearing anything down and it seems to be workin pretty good for him. I’m just sayin.
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In the last 20 years, we are 51-2 when giving up under 235 total offense. The two losses? Vandy and Florida 2016.
It ain’t the defenses fault.
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