I know it’s too early to question Greg McGarity hiring acumen, but still, I can’t help but wonder about this: the powers that be thought they hired the next Nick Saban, but what if they hired the next Ron Zook?
- Bloviation for the Dawgnation
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“We remember the Sugar Bowl, I think it my junior year of high school, we let Alabama beat us twice,” Brinson said of a team that also lost to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. “We’re not letting Alabama beat us twice. In the Sugar Bowl in 2018, they… thought they should have been in the playoffs and lost to Texas.” -- AB-H, 12/27/23
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Get The Picture · Bloviation for the Dawgnation
Get The Picture 
If it turns out to be so, maybe it will bring the end of The Georgia Way as we know it.
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Kirby ain’t Saban – hell he isn’t even Pruitt! Tired of the wait til next year excuses. This was a 5 loss season with a cupcake schedule, including Vandy and Tech at home, and they haven’t had a ranked recruiting class in decades. Horrible coaching plain and simple. It’s time to drain the Athens Swamp – and start with McGarity!
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I bet they drain it as quickly as that DC one is gettin’ drained right now!
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+1
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Of course, it’s simple in hindsight, but, coaching isn’t in hindsight it’s in planning and preparing. We have a defensively bent HC..he’s been one for his career. He obviously doesn’t understand the role of offense and can’t grasp the concept of change, or, “Plan B:” at halftime. His last triple option experience was with Ga Southern at NC Alabama and they ran him ragged there..he reads the schedule and sees a triple option team as the twelveth opponent and somehow even after hiring a consultant fails to solve the triple option!! Was no film available? It’s the talent, huh??
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The Georgia Way is ingrained in a portion of the fan base and boosters, too. Goes much deeper that McGumpity. I’m all for doing things the right way. I’m not all for some misplaced sense of moral superiority. I’m not all for shooting yourself in the foot to impress a corrupt sanctioning body. I’m not for being a casual fan if you’re actually gonna go to the game.
I said it when Richt was fired and I still believe it just as strongly. We want to do better than “mediocre” 10 wins but it doesn’t seem like anyone in leadership had the know how to make it happen and we certainly aren’t willing to step on toes because it would hurt that image. The UGA section section is and Always has been a prime example of the Georgia Way. Always has been, unfortunately.
Kirby is probably best prepared to get us there but will the fans, boosters and B-M continue to hamper him or will they get the hell out of his way and give him full support? Will they continue to allow McGarity to sabotage this program? The spirit of Michael Adams is alive and well in Athens.
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I am a fan, and I guess, since I give to the Hartman Fund, a booster. How the hell do I hamper Kirby Smart and how am I “in the way?” All I do is write checks and go to games.
People such as me bear no responsibility for losing to Tech and you shouldn’t deflect blame that falls on the staff to folks who never see Athens until we arrive on game day.
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Even Zook was 2-1 against us.
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Hmmm. I sure hope not…can’t have another season that even resembles this. SEC East Champions or bust next season.
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Time will tell. If we’re still losing to Tech after Kirby hauls in a couple of decent recruiting classes, it’s obvious how that story will end. Coaches get paid a bunch to coach, but players gotta make plays. Period.
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Shut up…
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Georgia has a losing record for the season against UT, UF, AU, and GT for the first time since the 2000 season, i.e. Jim Donnan’s last season.
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And…the coach we fired beat Tech by 2 touchdowns this year with a team that at no point out-recruited UGA over the last 5 years.
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And he did it in Atlanta
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And he lost by 7 at home to NC.
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We got lucky we caught NC in game 1.
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But he won today, huh??
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We beat AU. However, if we have a Zook on our hands will we find an Urban Meyer who will come in and win a couple of nattys with his players? I was not in favor of firing Richt because I watched Tennessee implode and they still haven’t recovered. I’m still hoping for the best though.
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I realize that, but with that single win, we were 1-3 against those 4 teams this year. 2000 was the last time we were worse than 2-2.
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That’s what I’m afraid of, it doesn’t matter how many coordinators, analysts, quality control people etc. you have on the sideline. Someone has to be the head coach. I hope Kirby becomes a great coach but I wanted our ad to hire a coach, not another coordinator.
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Call me disinterested. College football is my favorite sport and I’m not sure who to watch or cheer for. Vanderbilt? UGA is WAY beyond irrelevant.
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Why are you here then?
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Obviously, he’s here for the Musical Palate Cleansers. 🙂
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Bingo! And watching extra helpings of crow being served to the Richt haters.
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Richt had 15 (fifteen) years to win something, methinks that was enough. Can’t we give Kirby perhaps at least two?
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Exactly. Here’s the reality: CMR is gone and he’s not coming back so DEAL WITH IT! Am I happy about this season, hell no! Give the new coach 3 years minimum. If things aren’t trending strongly in the right direction THEN we look at alternatives.
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I haven’t read any comments indicating that the head coach should be fired. He’s going to get his chance to succeed or fail whether that’s 3 or 5.
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Could be but if he recruits well next 3 years before getting let go, the next coach could win something big. Needed a roster upgrade.
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Oh please.
This is pretty knee-jerk for you, Senator. Too many people think that each thing that happens is indicative of what’s to happen for years to come.
I wasn’t crazy about the play call, but neither Smart nor Chaney told Eason to be grossly inaccurate on the pass that led to the INT.
After 207 games, people still couldn’t reach a consensus on Richt’s tenure, but we’re going to raise questions like this on Smart’s after 12?
Come on.
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Come on yourself. Can you name a single McGarity hire who’s distinguished him/her self?
I’ll hang up and listen to your answer.
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McGarity’s hiring acumen, or lack thereof, really doesn’t have jack shit to do with Smart’s ability to do the job.
Jay Freaking Jacobs hired a coach that won the national championship.
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“Jay Freaking Jacobs hired a coach that hired a player that won the national championship”
Fixed it for you.
And the ending of that story was Jay Jacobs ended up firing that same coach 2 seasons later.
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So no reason to ever hold an AD accountable for hiring / firing decisions?
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No but it feels a little early to Be passing judgement on this particular hire. I wasn’t a big fan of the hire, but he gets this year. Next year… it’s on.
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I’m not passing judgment on the hire. (Hint: “what if”.) I am passing judgment on the process that led to the hire.
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I got that, but you’re holding McGarity’s feet to the fire on a decision where we don’t know how it’s going to play out yet. I get the outrage over the loss, but what does the hiring process sham McMonkey ears made matter, if it isn’t to say Kirby has already failed? Rail on him for all the other things he’s failed at.. I assure you I’m with you. II just don’t see the point of this post unless you’re saying it’s already over for Kirby…. Which I don’t agree with.
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I don’t have the first clue whether Kirby’s failed or not and if you think that’s why I posted that, you couldn’t be more wrong.
The hiring process deserves to be questioned because of the way this season played out and because what went down this year isn’t what the boosters and B-M sold themselves or the fans.
I’ve said from the beginning if Kirby succeeds, it’ll have to be on his own, because the people responsible for his hiring don’t have the first clue about what they’re doing. I’ve seen absolutely nothing so far that leads me to change my mind about that.
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You seem really clever at leading your readers in then ever so slightly ‘spinning’ your point a bit. I don’t mean that as an insult. Makes for good reading/posting in my opinion. Or maybe I’ve just visited the recreational stores out here in the NW and I’m thinking to hard.
My point is I had the same reaction as the poster at the beginning of this thread. However, upon reading this last comment I’m 100% in agreement with you.
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Fair enough… I don’t disagree at all.
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Could not agree more – why the rush to hire a guy that never coached a game before? UGA is supposed to be an elite program and deserving of an elite coach. And UGA interviews one guy? The insular, shallow minded thinking in Athens will yield the exact same outcome. The brain trust (and I use that term very loosely) better be careful, cause when the $ leaves, and it will, it’s going to be very, very difficult to bring back.
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The hiring process matters even if the hire turns out successful.
To use hyperbole, let’s say The J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics decided in October to hire Kirby Smart because he went to a Tarot Card reader and the Tarot Cards said to pursue Kirby Smart only. Suppose Smart then won the SEC in 2016. Would you say that the process of making important decisions based on Tarot Cards is validated or would you say that it is a shitty way to run an athletic association and the good result was only due to pure luck?
The way the AD runs the program matters. I hope Smart bails him out on this decision but I have zero confidence in McGarity.
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Ok, fine.
He fired Chizik, and then hired Malzahn, who was, what, 10 seconds away from winning another?
Anybody have any faith in Jacobs making a hire? I wouldn’t, even though those 2 worked out.
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Of course not. But your post essentially calls for a referendum on the hire after 12 games. That’s patently unfair.
Like I said, people still can’t agree on Richt after 207 games.
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I’m not calling for anything. I’m just pointing out that McGarity didn’t get the season he bargained for. Which isn’t the first time for that.
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I would argue we haven’t got the season we bargained for in the last 35 years. Why lay all of this at the current coach and AD feet? Damn. Chill out.
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How long after his departure do you intend to use Richt as an excuse for an underperforming program? I just want to have some idea of how long I can continue to ignore your comments.
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Put the bottle down bro. Never mentioned Richt. Even though I figure if he was the coach this year then we would be looking for a new one anyway.
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He’s laying the last 35 years at the feet of Kirby and McGarity? Where did you get that from?
Your reading comprehension needs improvement.
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We fired the most successful coach in our history (winning percentage wise) and hired an unproven coordinator with zero head coaching experience. What could possibly go wrong?
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+1
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To make it worse, The J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics conducted a sham 24 hour “national search” before hiring that career assistant.
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+1
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I would call for a referendum not on the hire but on the way the hire was made. You really think that making his most important hiring decision by fixating on only one candidate, a career assistant, because liquor salesman told him to do so, is the method that The University of Georgia Graduate School of Business will teach?
We don’t need to look at the next 20 years of football results to form an opinion on that hiring process. “Just wing it and hope for the best” may work on occasion but I wouldn’t recommend it.
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Absolutely the AD is accountable. Would you agree that Greg McGarity’s future as AD hinges on Kirby Smart’s success or failure, and that he knows it?
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Honestly, I have no idea what McGarity’s bosses are thinking.
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Relax. Texas just hired a guy who lost to Rice, or something like that.
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He also beat two top-5 teams in the same season… or something like that.
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And the guy is 6-0 against ranked teams the past 2 years at Houston according to ESPN (which means it should probably be fact checked).
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This post might have burned your site down, Senator, if some haven’t already shot their wad on your previous post.
Still might, though.
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Oh, I don’t think it’s too early to question McGarity’s hiring acumen. He fired 9.7 wins a year. One has to assume that he was angling for an improvement. He has not achieved it. As you point out, Senator, his other coaching hires have not been stellar. His is a bottom-line business.
Kirby gets three years. McGarity should be fired the day after the tech game. Just like somebody else we know was.
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Yep. It’s not like it’s the 1990s. If Kirby never does better than 8-4, he will last 3 years. Coaches are never going to survive as long as they did when media was less prevalent. That era is done.
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Well at least Miss St didn’t run Ole Miss outta their own building by 35, where we also lost…oh wait…
Anyway..Miami won so maybe the nightmare of playing them in a bowl cuz we had the same record is over.
Also, again – 50 secs left in half – we sat on the ball & went to the half tied as oppsosed to trying to score even a field goal..WTF?? Senator, your thoughts on that..?
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UH! That fired me up during the game…I thought a reason Richt was fired for his indifference…we had a full minute and two timeouts…a field goal should have definitely been a thought, especially with Tech getting the ball first 2nd half. “You play to win the game!”
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Smart had a ton of momentum post spring game, and he let it all go in one season. I can’t see how that was part of a process.
I’m going to pull for the Dawgs and therefore Smart, but he has to show something next season or he is a dead man walking. As simple as it sounds, I feel like someone needs to tell Kirby to wake up and focus on winning games.
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Silver lining is it cuts his smarmy, smart-assed pressers off at the knees
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I’d like that, but I bet he’ll still be a douche.
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Kirby threw away every bit of political capital he built from December to July with this season.
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Maybe he still has enough to get the legislature to extend the open records compliance to 180 days. After all, the legislature apparently did not sufficiently dedicate itself.
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Well played …
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100%!!!
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Yeah, and I think I agree with senator in that mcgoofy hasn’t got a chance in hell at being a good boss to Kirby. Kirby needs boss man but there isn’t one….
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If?
I’m sure it’s coming, at the appropriate time, but I sure will be interested in your wrap up of this season and a list of “things that improved”. We were promised that because Richt was so terrible, the list would be easy and long. I’m staring at a blank sheet of one of those little post-it notes and can’t find anything to put down.
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If Smart is a failure he is the next Goff not Zook. Further McGarity was acting on the wishes of the moneyed alumni.
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I just want him gone before he can screw up the coming baseball hire. If we’re making another football hire in the next decade (unless Kirby is a success and takes the Alabama job), McGarity will be gone. So we don’t have to worry about him hiring another football coach either way.
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That’s an insult to Ron Zook.
He is Derek Dooley.
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Agree. Even if we do sign a top recruiting class, I’m afraid our coaching may be wasted on the talent.
Hell, this staff had Chubb, Michel, and Eason this year and couldn’t get it done.
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Smart isn’t Zook, or Dooley, or Chizik, or Booch, Kiffin, Malzahn or Muschamp.
Mediocrity takes many forms. He’s just a random draw from among all of them, which is exactly what anyone should have expected when we hired him. That’s why it not only isn’t too early to judge McGarity’s hiring acumen, it was time enough the second he picked Smart. Even if Smart went 28-0, it would be pure luck as far as McG is concerned. He’s a joke, we’re a joke. If we don’t can his ass before hiring Smart’s successor, we’re boned for a long time.
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If you think the AD picked Smart, I have some waterfront real estate in Hahira to show you. He only took orders from South Georgia money guys who wanted Richt out and Kirby in.
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Letting a booster dictate whether you focus on only one candidate, who btw is a career assistant, is in and f itself a lousy hiring process. We need a Joel Eaves. Eaves did not let the fans writing the checks dictate to him.
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Different age there, Gaskill. I have no knowledge of what happened between Thanksgiving weekend and the middle of December last year. I do believe our AD and many influential boosters wanted the prior guy out. The AD agreed to make the decision (the team’s performance in multiple games especially UF last year helped him do it), and the boosters gave him air cover. In exchange, they wanted their guy as the new coach. I believe that’s what happened.
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don’t forget the booster in Charlotte
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Not aware of that individual but it’s all the same.
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Kirby definitely needs to win the bowl game. 7-6 would only surpass 2010 by one. And before that to get anything worse you’d have to go back to his junior year as a player, 1996.
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Zook. Smart. Meh. I have no belief that next year will be much better than this one. There was little to no improvement in most areas. Sure, place kicking improved. From sad to competent. QB? Not much (any?). Who’s our starting RB next year? No questions answered in my mind. I’d say 7-5 is about right. Again.
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If Richt had gotten the support Kirby has from McGarrity we might not be in this situation. I will given Kirby another year for sure but why we did not go for it at the end of the first half I don’t know, we had all of our time outs. Time management is an issue he needs to conquer. Blaming a freshman qb for the loss is stupid. We need coaching stability our players have had new coordinators and position coaches every year. Oh and fire McGarrity tomorrow.
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Agreed, he had one bad throw before the depression heaves. You can’t just not trust your QB with almost 10 minutes left. After the 4th down stop at midfield, try to be more aggressive. If you want a clock eating drive, throw in the flats. I don’t mean tunnel screens though. I mean high percentage throws that go 5-7 yards.
Maybe if Thomas isn’t a decent passer, I go more conservative, but he’s decent and a lot of the starting secondary was injured late in the game.
The box was stacked, there was a need to throw.
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“Oh and fire McGarrity tomorrow.” Thank you.
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If you are Chubb or Sony, is there any scenario which makes you return next year?
I mean if you have to walk into the OC’s office and demand the football, is there any realistic belief that you will “grow and mature” in this clown tent?
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“I mean if you have to walk into the OC’s office and demand the football…”
Both Chub and Sony have said this is not what happened, that, in fact Chaney called the meeting, not them.
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You are correct. That said, it makes zero sense for either Chubb or Michel to return next year.
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The defense (other than the 4th quarter) has shown good improvement. We are youn in key positions. You, yourself, have pointed out the holes left from the 2013 class and otherwise. We’ll be fine
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Our defense was just as good last year.
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1990.
That was the last season an entire regular season passed without the Dawgs scoring 40 or more points in at least one game.
Offensive staff needs a serious overhaul.
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Recruiting? Pretty high ranked classes as opposed to Tech! And, who was that Green kid who was running all over us??????
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Mcgarity is pathetic. I abhor letting my daughters go to the bathroom in Sanford Stadium when half the gas station bathrooms on 316 are in better shape. If our stadium were as nice as Kentucky maybe the final score wouldn’t hurt so bad.
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Be careful or else you’ll give McGoofy an idea on why he should quadruple donations and double ticket price’s;-)
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Tennessee, Florida, VANDY, Tech. Enough said right there. But we wasted red-shirts on at least Hardman & Holyfield. Worst case I’ve ever seen of trying to make kids fit a system instead of of running a system to fit the kids you have.
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Redshirting running backs is never a good idea in this age. If the running back is halfway decent, they will leave for the NFL in 3 years regardless. So you waste a year of eligibility with a running back with a redshirt here.
Hardman however? He should’ve been redshirted with what I’ve read.
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And don’t forget Ole Miss. They finished 5-7 this year.
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Senator, you’re spot on as usual. Greg has shown no historical ability to make a competent hire and appears to be satisfied with mediocrity. Kirby Is in way over his head. Hopefully this year of on the job training pays off, or we are in for a long 3-4 years.
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Exactly my point.
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If he is “in way over his head” ain’t no one or two seasons gonna do diddly.
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Well, Richt learned a lot by year 2. Which I don’t necessarily mean as a CMR endorsement, just a similar situation.
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I hope you’re right that Kirby learned a lot from this year to apply to next year.
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Our QB doesn’t show a lot of touch consistently. He has made some head wagging throws for sure this season, but he is too often behind the receiver. Or, our receivers get hit in the numbers and drop the stupid ball. Inexcusable. Leading by 13 with 10 minutes left and losing is a juvenile joke.
Buck Belue called it when he said we don’t have a strategy for finishing people off – either through our effort in scoring or coming up with key stops. That is what gets you to the next level, friends and neighbors…… and what I saw from Section 138 today told me,…….well, we aren’t getting there anytime soon.
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Anyone else notice on the post-game show both JD and KB called this a “throwaway season” because of the coaching change? I’m pretty sure that’s not what we were told 12 months ago, all offseason, and throughout the season, and I don’t recall anyone calling Coach Richt’s first season one (and I sure as hell don’t remember it feeling like one, although there were more than enough OJT moments). The ass covering by GMcG and those on his payroll tells you all you need to know… “No lineman, bare cupboard” mumble, mumble “it’s part of The Process, need to stick with The Process, future’s so bright I need shades” mumble, mumble…
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Dantzler has basically been Kevin bacon at the end of Animal House all season.
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Dantzler could take Baghdad Bob’s job with the BS he has spewed this year. He’s quickly becoming our PAWWL with how far he has his head up Kirby’s backside.
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the early kickoffs definitely ruined the call in show,
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I hear he’s the same way on his show during the week in Athens. Kirby is going to be great. 2018 is our year. Blah, blah, blah.
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Neither tHe 2016 Hartman Fund and 2016 season ticket application called this a “throwaway ” year. I wonder if I can get a partial refund.
Radio guys who get paid to watch the games sure have a different perspective than folks who pay to watch the games, don’t they.
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Given that both of them have said they thought the change was a long time coming, I’m not surprised about their responses.
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Seems like these guys are lazy and undisciplined. They start something and can not finish it. No doubt it is painful to watch this offense play this year. Youth, inexperience, and just piss poor recruiting from 2013 forward. Also, it is due to having three offensive line coaches in three season. And three offensive coordinators in three season. No doubt this is a miserable damn lot of offensive players. Johnson has been at Tech for a decade and nothing changes in his scheme. So from the time an offensive player arrives he is coached in that scheme. Few of the Georgia recruits play this scheme in high school.
Take a look at the picture of Kirby’s face when Eason comes to the sideline.
That is one of those what in the hell are you doing kid, and I am mad as hell about this.
Frankly, Eason has not moved much for me in the entire season. The UT game was it for him. Hopefully some recruit will give him some movement in competition.
And I understand how a 12 game season is difficult for freshmen. They simply do not understand the mental and physical grind of D1 football. Looks easy when they sign that letter of intent and drool is coming from every wine and cheese alum.
So does Chaney and company have the ability to bring in the recruits and the roster at present to move this team to be physical, disciplined, patient, and consistent in this pro style of offense. Unless you defense can score and shut out the opponent it is unlikely you can win.
I think it is a challenge. I think Chaney could be behind the times. When Eason makes those throws for yardage you can see his rpm’s move. But Chaney is upstairs taking a draw on his wine glass and another bit of cheese.
I never get the sense Chaney is ahead of the defense and the chains. But it would help him if some of this kids who are enrolled at UGA got some smarts and played with a damn sense of purpose and passion and maybe like they had some SAT or sense of life. Like let’s get the damn ball in the end zone and execute the basic plays.
Glad the season is over. Could not take another Saturday watching this team play at high noon.
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Smart and Chaney believe that time of possession is as important as scoring this season. That comes with a head coach who grew up on the defensive side. Stay in the huddle until the end and then win it or lose it. Going to be lots of close games under Kirby with this philosophy.
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This….a discouraging realization as the season progressed that this could be the case. Yes, a defensive-minded approach, but effectively it’s a “shorten-the-game” strategy, which typically works in favor of a less-talented, underdog team–whose approach is to get to the 4th quarter within striking distance and let the chips fall where they may. Also amplifies mistakes that result in wasted non-scoring, or non-TD offensive possessions. In other words, you better be efficient, disciplined, opportunistic, and know how to finish games in order for this approach to work. This does not describe the 2016 Bulldogs.
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It’s what Boom did in Gainesville, and it blew up in his face. With the rules tilted so far for the offense, no lead is safe.
Kirby has played with close game fire all season, and on Saturday, he got burned.
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Half of this shit is insane. 12 games and he’s a Dooley, a Muschamp, etc.
What happened is he’s used up his free passes. Losses to mediocre rivals won’t cut it next year.
Maybe I’m looking at it with rose colored glasses, but all I expected this year was a culture change and several bumps. I was not disappointed.
If we’re sitting here next year lamenting a 7-5 season, then fair or not, it’ll be time to question the hire.
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Again, Smart’s not anything yet.
But I can’t say the same thing about the people who hired Smart.
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Yep, who would trust this group of bozos in the athletic building with the big money boosters to make this decision again.
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Why would this game change your level of optimism? It’s the same one they’ve played 10 times this season. He may fail, but this game was no more or less troubling in the long term than the 13-7 win over Auburn, the 26-24 win over Nicholls, the 28-27 win over Missouri, the 27-24 win over Kentucky, the 17-16 loss to Vandy, the 24-10 loss to Florida, the 34-31 loss to Tennessee, the 33-24 win over North Carolina, or the 28-14 win over South Carolina. All of those came down to a few plays here and there that Georgia either did or didn’t make. Today, they didn’t make them. If Eason had thrown the pass to Godwin on the money and Georgia had run out the clock, it would still have no effect on next year.
That said, losing to Tech sucks.
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I don’t have a level of optimism about the athletic administration.
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The common thread from past presidents to getting rid of ADVD, the two incompetent AD’s, to firing CMR is Don Leebern. He has to be removed first.
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You play with fire of poor execution, poor preparation and close games, you get your ass burned. We got burned too damn many times.
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Still just numb over having them down 13 points and backed up to their 4 yard line in 4th quarter and let them get completely open on long pass plays, coaching guys. And Chaney just uggggggh.
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Who is recruiting for the offense this season?
Whoever it is a lot of work to do not only re linemen but receivers who can separate, block, and catch the ball half the time.
How many times do you think Eason was comfortable in the pocket this season. Bet you can count them on one hand.
And do you think the Chaney playbook is called “Offense for Dummies”.
From schemes to blocking to running to passing. Man it is like watching ice come out of a Coke bottle. It does not happen.
It is going to take a big conjure to erase the ghosts of Mike Bobo play calling.
What do you think the possibility of those 4 guys who have indicated they might consider going pro even make 3rd or 4th team all SEC.
Offense sells tickets. And Saturday a few did not show up in Sanford. Can guarantee you 93,000 will not be on hand for the G-Day game.
But there is always next year and now the season of wishing and hoping re recruits.
James Franklin brought PSU back. So there. There is hope.
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This coaching staff left a lot to be desired this season. Hope they get better (or the talent gets better to the point that it is able to override the poor coaching).
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Hard to believe a Johnson coached team in essence had a better day than Chaney and Eason did throwing the ball.
One little 6 yarder to the Dawgs’ smallest player for a TD.
When these guys get in the red zone ole Chaney just can not find a pass play to put up 6.
Maybe in the next few weeks he can watch and take notes how other teams do it.
Hate to say this folks, but the Dawgs have a way to go to get back.
And when you watch the Big 10 they have better teams than the SEC.
Somehow the SEC has taken some steps backward lately.
But Smart and Chaney are hoping the bowl prep time will help them.
Maybe that can explain how two teams who beat them, power house teams Tech and Vandy did not even play in a bowl last year.
So much for that damn myth!
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Hartman Fund donations are due in a little over 2 months folks! Get them in!
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A large part of Dawg Nation decided CMR would never be able to get us to the big time. I had pretty much come to that point of agreement. Many thought the Smart hire could get us there, eventually. I agreed, and still don’t disagree. But it will never happen with Chaney running the offense. CKS had to put his staff together last winter on the fly, due to time constraints, commitment to see UA thru to the end, etc. In danger of losing 5star Eason, he hurriedly hired Chaney. I hope he rethinks that hire in the coming days and weeks.
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I agree. If it didn’t happen in 2012, it just wasn’t happening with him.
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Those time constraints were self-imposed by Smart. He elected to stay through mid January when he could have worked for UGA full time.
You may recall that The J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics thought that having the coach he just hired work full time for Alabama while hiring a staff in his spare time was the better for UGA than it would have been if Smart had immediately moved to Athens the first week in December, so don’t give either the coach or AD a pass because of “time constraints.”
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No pass given out here, but Eason’s burp in his commitment after CMR left had nothing to do with Alabama’s postseason. My larger point is that the Chaney hire may have largely been a hurried reaction to Eason flirting with Florida.
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The Eason family would have been a bunch of fools to not reopen his recruiting given that he was going to be an early entry when the decision to let the prior guy go was made. Kirby made the decision to hire Chaney because he wanted Pittman, and the only way he was convincing Pittman to leave FayetteNam was to bring in Chaney.
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For those that claim Georgia has made no significant progress this season, I disagree.
We no longer arrest players for smoking blunts and clear them to play in the Florida game after they get caught/not really caught. I’m told that’s a real key to putting together a competitive team.
So there’s always that….
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LOL! I needed to read that!
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Thank you Jesus for Butch Jones…Anchor Down, baby!!!!!
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Wake up folks, I have. UGA is fun to watch on a nice Saturday when you think about the good times back in college, but more than that is whistling Dixie. If the Dawgs were in any other state other than the most populous in the south, we’d be the Mississippi state bulldogs, no offense to them. A natty once every 40 years is about all they have ever been worth. Somewhere between 2019-2022 should be our year, until the 40 year drought begins again.
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I see that you’ve flip flopped back to being a Richtophile Kirby hater. Your evilness knows no bounds!
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There is one good thing Greg McGarity has done….. He saves me 4 hours every Saturday.
His tenure has done severe damage to my dedication to watching the Dawgs. I now record the game. I wait for it to be over. I check the score online to see if we won. If we didn’t, I delete the game. If we won, I ask a friend if it was a retarded cluster fuck. If it was, I delete the game.
By this system, I only watch about 2-4 games a season and gain 4 hours the other 8-11 weekends.
That’s a lot of time to do other productive things, or watch other football games that are more entertaining and less frustrating.
Oh, and I didn’t even go to the UGA @ Kentucky game this year for the first time in 14 years (I live in Lexington, KY). That saved me even more time and money. Oh, and I also stopped donating money to UGA a few years back.
Greg Mcgarity is saving me enormous amounts of time and money!
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McGarity wants you to renew contributions to The Hartman Fund in order to pay salaries to the guys who made your saving productive time possible.
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LOL!
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LOL. I’ve been using that strategy since the Nichols game. It has probably saved my marriage. As far as making sweeping pronouncements about the football program, I’m drinking neither Kool-aid nor strychnine. But I AM drinking.
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That is a pretty good system, Muckbeast.
I bet more people start going to a similar format next year and then “come back” when/if we start playing sound football.
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Yup. That’s my plan. Life is too busy and with too many options. Georgia is not entitled to my money or my attention. They need to earn it.
If they can’t do any better than knee jerk coaching hires (I don’t mind the choice, I might the lack of effort and consideration), lackluster program support, and abysmal results, then I’ll put my time and money elsewhere. Simple as that.
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OMG! I just realized that we’ve become “champions of life”.
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Most of the time hiring a defensive assistant to be the head coach has not worked out well. There are exceptions (see Saban, Nick) but usually the offense suffers and sputters thru the tenure of a defensive minded head coach. Kirby must have someone as OC that can coach quarterbacks and generate points if Kirby is going to be successful. Eason has not progressed this year the way that he should have. Richt was a master at finding and developing quarterbacks. and so was Bobo. Now Kirby’s ship is anchored to Jim Chaney. If Chaney can’t produce points and develop quarterbacks, then the Dawgs will continue to wallow in mediocrity. Year 1 was a failure. From the perspective of the Dawg fan base, year 2 better be alot better or the wolves will be howling at Kirby’s door. I think that Kirby is different than Zook or Boom because Kirby is an intelligent person who does know the game and can recruit well. However, he is new to having responsibility for offensive design and strategy as well to having the buck stop at his door regarding the effects of the play calling. Saban was 7-6 in year 1. But year 2 was a totally different story at AL, and will hopefully be a different story at UGA. If so, good. If not, then more misery for him and us.
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“Eason has not progressed this year the way that he should have.”
I’m interested in how you know this.
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Watching other Freshman quarterbacks play this year. He still throws without setting his feet alot and sometimes sidearm and doesn’t seem to be able to see the field to see other receivers open. late in the year he was holding the ball too long, and threw behind his receivers too much. Coaching…coaching…coaching.
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This was the worst click bait post I have ever seen on this blog. The Senator put up a drunken “what-if” and everyone piled on.
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I was sober when I typed it. Your panties are in a wad over the implications. I suggest you get over that, because it’s going to be a long offseason.
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I get you didn’t like the hiring process. Why’d you bring it up yesterday and not a week ago?
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Um, you must not read this blog every day. The Senator has posted about this for a year now.
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I’ve seen it come up plenty, just not after wins. I don’t think he criticizes the hiring process if Eason doesn’t throw that last INT. Which is to dudemankinds point that it looked like an incendiary post.
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UGA was five points away from 10-2. They screwed the pooch on all three of the losses that should have been wins, but they are close. This team also had five seniors that were contributors that were signed out of high school. A team with no significant senior leadership that fails to finish off three games against bowl teams isn’t so unexpected or shocking. The fact that bad coaching decisions led to some of those losses means the coaching can improve, like Richt did from 2001 to 2002. Richt’s coaching blunders cost UGA three games in 2001, and it turned out okay.
Basically, suck it up, Francis. Things will be okay.
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Sure, man. Whatever works for you.
How ’bout being three points away from what would have been the most embarrassing loss in Gawd knows how long? Or being on the wrong end of the most lopsided mid-game score in an SEC game in program history?
You don’t have any more of a clue about how things will turn out than I do or the people who pulled the trigger on Smart’s hire. Which is my point…
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Using your logic you could also say UGA was only 5 points away from going 5-7 with losses to Nicholls State and Mizzou. If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle. Yes, we have some young talent on the DL and flashes of greatness from Eason, but overall I saw virtually nothing on or off the field that gives me great optimism for the next year or two.
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Pretty much
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Senator, you know full well who gives Mac his orders, but you cut the conversation short headed upstairs. You are aware of the Bd of Regents and their wishes stirred into the B-M admin (“Good Ole Boys”) and what that had to do with Richt’s dismissal and Kirby’s hiring. The famous “door ajar” meeting several years ago pointed to all of this happening with instructions given directly to McGarity to get Richt out. Wanna crank it back up?
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I think that should be “Lighten up Francis”
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It continues to get harder to walk out the door on game day. There was no energy at the limited tailgates prior to the game. Lots of empty seats considering how nice the weather was for the last game of the season. I see no improvement by the offensive coaches.
Great they spent tons of cash to improve stadium wi fi. How about fixing the bathroom lines. Why can’t we see replays of all the close plays or reviews on the big screen? No we get canned music and noon kick offs. I predict declining ticket sales.
Congratulations to head coach Mike Bobo for the blow out win over first place conference rival last night.
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Senator, are you saying that 2 UGA grads are not capable of changing the direction of this program. You can only walk out onthe limb so far.
Cintinuity and consistency would hlep. Let that play for awile. It helped Vandy and UK.
Do not needto burn Athens down just yet. I thiink Smart is a coach. He can recruit. The AD made a decision this time last year after a win over Tech. Go back watch that game and this year. There is a huge difference. Smart took over a program that did not exist. Period. I do not care what anybody says otherwise. The program was dead.
There are roster issues andsome coaching issues. Smart will work thru them.
DC. If Tucker leaves ithelpsto have VanGorder there. Also is Notre Dame a road game next year. There are issues in secondary and linebacker. One is speed andwuickness. And lack of ohysical play.
That isa strong group on the D line. They play at timesbut not the full game. Youth and experience.
The defense is top priority.
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So the offensive coaching is fine and your OK with VanGorder being DC? When was the last year he fielded a good defense, Look back at at our roster when he was DC here. Very few UGA teams have ever had that much talent on defense. No he did not recruit all of those players. The guy dumped us once I have no interest in seeing him return as DC.
9-3 winning ugly was a dead program so what is a 7-5 program that looks worse than their record. As long as Kirby is our coach I’ll support and hope he becomes the best we have ever had. UGA has the in state talent and resources to hire proven coaches and win championships. I have lost all faith in those making the hires.
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The fanbase needs to take a deep breath and let yesterday and the whole season for that matter sink in. Very disappointing is an accurate way to describe both. I’ve been a lifelong UGA fan and one thing I know is that the fanbase believes in instant gratification. If coming into this season you thought we were going to compete for a national title or even a conference title then your expectations were a little too high. Was the pantry bare, no it wasn’t, but it wasn’t exactly loaded either. Who knows whether Kirby will pan out but give the guy a chance to change and mold the program into what he envisions it takes to win at the highest levels. He hasn’t even officially been the coach for a whole year yet. Changing the culture, recruiting the personnel that fits your schemes, and developing young talent takes a little bit of time. Let’s reserve judgment at a minimum until the end of next season. I’m obviously defending Kirby in this post (not McGarity) but I will say his biggest blunder as a HC so far has been in hiring Chaney. Chaney’s best successes as an OC date back a number of years and, well this is probably better suited for another post as I’m sure the Senator will opine on this at some point in the future. Everybody keep your heads up and carry on. At least we can take solace in knowing that our HC isn’t going to be outworked on the recruiting trail by anyone else.
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I listen to the pundits when they say the talent left by Richt was way overrated. Hopefully KS will recruit WR’s that are bigger and don’t drop so many passes. Depth in the OL too. Depth everywhere. I am willing to let KS recruit the type of players he wants.
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