Kirby, at last night’s Macon Touchdown Club, jokes about a (slight) decline in enthusiasm.
Last year, Smart enjoyed the fruits of being on the so-called coaching honeymoon, considering he was a new hire who had yet to appear in a college game as a head coach. This time, however, Smart had a full football season to reflect on when speaking to the crowd.
“It means a lot for me to come back and speak at the Macon Touchdown Club,” Smart said. “I do notice a few less people than last year. Last year we had them up in the (track overlooking the gym). We have to win some more games to bring them all back.”
As long as the checks keep rolling in, Butts-Mehre will chuckle along. But how will McGarity sell this year’s G-Day game? I’m thinking #QBR.
Get The Picture 
I get the feeling that G-Day will be right back where it was before … 40k, and there won’t be Masters Saturday to blame it on.
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I get the snark, but I’m not sure it’s all true snark. Kirby’s no fool and what he said was absolutely true. Moreover, Mark Richt had a pristine career off the field, won 10 games a year, was one of the most liked men in all of collegiate athletics and the state of Georgia, helped kick start the IAF campaign, and was at the helm as the checks kept rolling in…and he still got fired.
There is a lot at B-M that is about the money. But it ain’t all about the money.
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It’s all about the money from the big donor sources.
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The big donor sources pushed Mark Richt out the door even though the money was continuing to roll in.
Like I said, far be it for me to defend much of the antics of B-M, but to say it’s ALL about the money just isn’t true. We just fired a coach who helped bring in money and won 10 games because bringing in money, winning 10 games, and running a clean program weren’t enough. We’ve already jumped that shark.
Kirby knows that. So, I just think that comment is a little too far down the river. Mark Richt didn’t get fired because we were losing money. Mark Richt got fired because we were losing games (and not winning trophies). The same will happen if Kirby doesn’t win games.
The good news? More wins will mean even more money in almost every way. Everybody wins!
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Allegedly, the some of the folks who write 6 figure checks to the reserve fund demanded Richt go so that we could busy living or get busy dying. If not, they would stop writing their checks. And the powers that be acquiesced to their demands. So it may just be, in fact, all about the money.
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93k helped big time with recruiting for this class. Now put it together on the field.
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Smart…”We need 93K at the Spring Game, Loran, whathaveyougot?”
“Well, I’ve heard the Beatles do a good show for halftime. Maybe the Beatles with Elvis”
I’d show up to see that.
There are a lot of great Athens band that might do a show. Put two or three of the big names together and promote it as “Dawg Jam ’17” It would be ‘uge.
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Exactly how many condoms would that require?
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40-50K is a good draw if weather is good. Masters conflict wasn’t an excuse, it is a silly scheduling error that should have been avoided previously. If it isn’t bad weather, and things are somewhat hopeful with the program, what better entertainment could you have but being in Athens on a Spring Day and watching our favorite team? I won’t go down and make a weekend out of it again, but spending the day with a friend driving down and back, talking football all day, and enjoying the sights and sounds is something I will probably do if the sun is out. But if it were a Masters Saturday, nothing would get me there. Doesn’t apply to everyone but it is a world premiere event held in our home state, and many folks do view that as more significant than a scrimmage game they can DVR and watch as often as they like. Impact on G Day attendance, maybe 8-10K,
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My wife and I are very close friends with a family that was named in the top eight boosters of all time at UGA. These folks would defend Richt at every turn until the end of the 2015 season. Then the worm turned. They then started to agree that Richt had his fifteen years, and that it looked as though an upgrade was needed. Now, I am not saying that they were all about Kirby Smart being named head coach, but none the less agreed that it was time for Richt to go. I was at the Bulldog Club meeting here in Columbus to meet coach Donnan for the first time, and remember the things he said in that opening venue. They were not much different than the things Kirby said in his first speaking tours last spring. There are many in the Dawgnation that believe that Kirby is on the same sort of leash that Donnan was on from the start. That being said, I do think that Kirby realizes this, and believe me, he knows that he lost to Tech once already, (for some reason this matters a LOT to older Hartman Fund donors). One thing is for sure, if he is serious about having the top positions on the field in competition for starting time, (Richt NEVER felt this was important), then a lot will take care of itself. One of the main things that needs to take place is for Fromm to really push Eason into becoming a much more mature person and player, or be ready to successfully take on the role as starting QB for the University of Georgia.
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You are certainly on point with your last sentence, we have two years of substandard QB play and looked constipated on offense despite having high quality RBs. If Eason cannot show improvement with accuracy and seeing the field, I hope Fromm gets a shot. I think he will push Eason hard. While behind him in college experience (duh), he enters Spring ahead of where JE was last year. He is not as far behind as many think, imo. Don’t care which gets it done but we need to be better at QB.
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There could here crickets chirping at the Spring game. There were some unknowns last Spring game Kirby & Eason primarily. We know they are both underperformers who were overhyped.
We wont get fooled again…
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“There could here”
Are the trolls getting outsourced now?
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No, just can’t spell. I usually do some bets with friends, and I win about 85% of the time. I like finding guys who say Eason is great, then I bet them stuff like Eason won’t complete more than 21 passes, won’t complete more than 2/3rd of passes, won’t break 10 yards per pass. I was right on all 3 over 85% of the time. Might be a good Spring game money maker for anyone interested, bet against Eason and you almost always win.
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Ah, so you’re the “QBR in the spring game” guy.
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QBR, huh?
Ok genius, care to share Eason’s average accuracy, yards per attempt, and passer rating against the top 3 East teams:
South Carolina, Tenn, and Florida.
And how about that rival performance vs GT?
Yeah, what a gamer when you need him most.
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You must be super popular at tailgates.
By the way, I’m not sure exactly what you mean by “10 yards per pass”, but if you’re referring to yards per attempt, your friends are idiots for taking that bet. Only two quarterbacks in the entire country hit that average mark last season.
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I make tons of money off of true believers oblivious to stats like Eason is bottom 15 in accuracy, yards per pass, and rating, so bet against him and you’ll make money as he’s a huge underachiever.
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Good for you!
You’ve made your point. Time to move on to another topic.
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will do.
2016 was a complete letdown for me re UGA football in every way.
Nothing impressed me, defense, special teams, or offense.
7-5 is the pits. Hard to get hyped following that titanic turd of a season.
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Don’t have a problem with your disgruntlement. Just don’t pound it into the ground endlessly.
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Haven’t heard many talking about how Kirby underperformed as he was brought in with a “track record” as being some sort of defensive genius whose defenses routinely finished in the top 5. And yet, once he got away from Saban, Kirby’s defense finishes 35th in scoring? That one was probably the biggest letdown, because that was the only ray of hope I had and it was crushed beyond comprehension? 35th!!!.
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Whatever. In any case, I don’t need you to balance the scales with endless repetition. As I’ve already warned you, make your point and move on.
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Yes, let us bring back Richt so we can pick up right where we left off on a downward trajectory. I will never understand the obsession…the guy never won a NC and not very many SEC championship, yet you all hang on like he was nick saban or something. Get over it! Dalai llama is a nice guy, but I don’t want him coaching our team. This Richt obsession is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. UGA was a perpetual joke of every year hyped up to only fail. Everyone saw it, everyone laughed at it, yet some fans were seriously blinded.
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Having been to one spring game in my life, not my place to complain much…it is a good time for kids, from what I hear.
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It’s a good time for kids until you miss an entire quarter standing in a concession line.
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Eason is not the answer and it will be made harder to see right off with Chaney’s horrible play calling..Coach Smart will move onto thin ice if he keeps Chaney around much longer.I guess that most will disagree with me but I’m there with it.
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Has UGA ever had a good QB in recent history? Since few freshman have actually started and none have posted as high of a passer rating as Eason, I must presume we have never had a good QB since by your measure, he is already ahead of everyone in history.
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