The Laner discusses his decision to leave Alabama before the national title game to take the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic and notes what he observed from Smart’s departure from that program the year before.
“It was a difficult situation and timing,” Kiffin explained. “I saw it. I saw it the year before with (now Georgia head coach and former Alabama defensive coordinator) Kirby Smart taking another job. There is so much to do. You’re trying to coach. You’re trying to recruit. You’re trying to prepare as a coordinator as well. It was difficult trying to manage everything.
Did Kirby’s decision to keep one foot in both camps negatively impact his first season as Georgia’s head coach? We’ll never know, of course. But Kiffin suggests it didn’t help.
Get The Picture 
Kirby stayed and got a ring. Lane left with no ring. Recruits like rings.
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Fans like mistake-free seasons.
Both coaches have rings from the 2016 title game. (And ‘Bama didn’t win the 2017 game.)
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Bama likely didn’t win the 2017 NCG because the O didn’t have the same OC it had all season, too. Note that Sark is now history in Tuscaloosa. I strongly suspect such would not be the case if the Tide had won that game.
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Recruits like rings that have your school on them … I’m sure the guys in these recruiting classes made their decision on Smart’s championship at Alabama. If he even shows a recruit an Alabama championship ring, I would consider that pretty lame.
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Kids want the bling. Everybody Kirby recruits against has Saban bling: Muschamp, Fisher, McElwain. But he has more.
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Everyone knows these guys coaches for Saban. I hope for goodness sake that Kirby doesn’t walk around Athens with a ring on his finger with a scripted A on it.
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Whats different in this list. The ACC coach is the only Saban protégé worth a damn
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Rings collect dust, do they not?
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Kirby got the better job too !
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It was 7 days difference from Lane Kiffin, and as I recall, it was not Lane’s choice to coach the final game, but don’t let that get in the way of your raising questions about Kirby’s judgement.
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I always appreciate getting the green light from you.
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In all seriousness, what was your point in posting this blog entry?
On one hand, you have essentially noted that you don’t view Kiffin’s judgement as particularly good as evidenced by the following exchange
“Lane Kiffin, a fountain of head coaching wisdom and the authority on timing of career moves”
was…”kind of my point…”
Nonetheless, you created a blog post which asked the following question.
“Did Kirby’s decision to keep one foot in both camps negatively impact his first season as Georgia’s head coach? We’ll never know, of course. But Kiffin suggests it didn’t help.”
If you don’t value Kiffin’s opinion, why would you use it as a reference point to pose the question whether Kirby’s decision NEGATIVELY (your word NOT mine) affected his first season at UGA?
The most logical conclusions that one can deduce is that you have concluded that raising doubts about Kirby’s abilities as a coach helps maintain an audience OR that you have genuine doubts yourself and are willing to use virtually fact or opinion posted in the media to raise those doubts, regardless of whether the you consider the source intelligent or credible.
Can you appreciate how one can reach the conclusion? If that is the case, don’t keep trying to play both sides of the issue. State your belief that you don’t really think Kirby is the right coach for UGA.
Further, did you consider that Kirby concluded that it was in our best interest for him and perhaps to finish his responsibilities at Bama? I would argue that regardless of the result, the marginal value of being in another championship game facing a QB like Watson was a valuable experience for Kirby, Tucker, and Schumann.
Nonetheless, let’s me offer a few reasons that I think debunk the myth that those 7 days were bad for UGA.
Of course, it ignores the fact that the week before the championship game is part of a dead period for recruiting. Most of the evaluations of 2016 prospects had been done, and Kirby noted on signing day in 2016 that he and the staff made a conscious decision to hold the scholarships for the 2017 class, which proved to be the right decision given how the 2017 recruiting class came together.
So as one of your readers pointed out….it must be why we chose to hire Chaney?
Do you believe that the pool of assistant coaches is significantly smaller because some are unable to wait a week to decide? In my experience interviewing for jobs, one week delays in the middle of the process are more often the rule, as decision makers are often traveling or have busy schedules. Thus, if a coach wanted to work for UGA and Kirby Smart, my guess is he knows that the process might take an extra week.
So that leaves an additional week of film study or time with the players. Winter conditioning did not begin until well after bowl season. In terms of film review of both UGA 2015 and our 2016 opponents, I am reasonably confident that the staff had sufficient time to “catch up” by spring and fall practice. Further, unlike his predecessor, he proactively negotiated the ability to hire a support staff large enough to do so. Thus, it is hard to argue that our returning players would have materially benefitted from the coaching staff being on site for those 7 days.
To be clear, one could wonder if leaving Bama the day after the SEC Championship game IS MATERIALLY different than what Kirby did. That said, that is NOT the question you posed for your readers.
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So you’re cool with CKS taking a couple weeks off in December every year for a cruise or something? Shouldn’t matter much.
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Christ, cut on your sarcasm meter.
I know it’s tough, but someone else got my point.
Helpful hint for interpreting my posts in the future: if I refer to Lane Kiffin as “Junior” or “The Laner”, I’m not taking him seriously.
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The sarcasm defense is one you have used in the past. Lane/Junior qualifiers notwithstanding, it is hard to argue the following qualifies as comedic or even remotely funny snark…..
“Did Kirby’s decision to keep one foot in both camps negatively impact his first season as Georgia’s head coach? We’ll never know, of course. But Kiffin suggests it didn’t help.”
Even Kenny Bania would have a hard time spinning that as comedic gold.
This is your blog and you can choose to express yourself however you choose to. That said, I find it ironic that a significant percentage of your posts are about the lack of intellectual honesty among the various members of the college football cabal and the manner in which you deftly try to couch your criticisms of virtually every aspect of the current coaching staff under the guise of sarcasm OR “posing a thought”.
Again, time may prove this coaching staff to be abject failures. Further, I fully appreciate skepticism as a balance against confirmation bias. that said, I don’t think that is what you are doing, and I think you know it.
So again, either you are doing it for attention/traffic or because you have an alternative view about our coaching staff and your estimation of their chances of success but are afraid to express it clearly and openly. If its the former, the criticisms of others’ intellectual dishonesty/hypocrisy rings hollow.
If its the latter, own the view, defend the view, and use relevant data points to spark thought. It does not make you wrong, a bad fan, or a reactionary blogger. It means you have an opinion that is non-consensus, which often sparks interesting debate.
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It’s not so much that it’s hard for me to argue, as it is for you to understand, apparently.
Or, to put it another way, you not getting my sarcasm doesn’t make me intellectually dishonest. But if it makes you feel better, at least it’s served some purpose.
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I agree that my “not getting your sarcasm” does not make you intellectually dishonest. You do that all on your own.
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I take it we’re in “I gotta have the last word” mode now. Knock yourself out, brother.
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I win.
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I believe the Senator’s intent was (and usually is) to generate smiles and comments. Done and done.
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This…all day long. Consider the bait taken.
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That’s like, just your opinion man.
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Mdcgtp,
Glad to see you’ve moved on from Ms. Spears: https://youtu.be/0wG_h3U568w
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Bahahaha. I believe McGoofity is trolling as Mdcgtp. I’ll say it for Mdcgtp, Kirby was the wrong hire. He’s probably weeping in his youtube account as we type.
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Lane Kiffin, a fountain of head coaching wisdom and the authority on timing of career moves.
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That was kind of my point…
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I am aware, mine too…
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In Lane’s last 4 coaching stops, he: was fired by the Raiders (was a brutal break-up in which Al Davis said he would not pay his severance). Next, he left UT under bad circumstances, in which seemingly everyone wanted him dead up in Knoxville. Then he was fired in the middle of the night at USC on the tarmac at LAX, after losing an ugly away game. And finally, Saban fired him the week before the championship game, and wouldn’t even let him watch the game from the booth as a spectator.
I mean, damn, that’s really bad — you just can’t do any worse that that.
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His dad said the other day that Junior’s biggest mistake was leaving UT.
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At the rate he was going at ut the NCAA might have helped him move on by now. But maybe 6 secondary in a year is a standard amount but seems high to me.
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Hard to argue with that. Those hillbillies loved that guy and he has the type of personality that could recruit at a place that has struggled to recruit since CMR diminished Phat Phil’s pipeline into Georgia. Of course, he probably would have found a way to screw it all up had he stayed. It’s what he does.
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Not to mention that the SEC East turned out to be a dumpster fire the past few years and he very likely could’ve haf UT in the SECCG several times even if only to lose to Bama.
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Since the only time Laner had a crack at Bama UT lost by 2 having had its winning FG attempt blocked methinks Lane might have not fared too badly against the Tide long-term if he had stayed. Personally, I don’t like the Laner but he has proven he can coach an O successfully. With his old man coaching the UT D they may have done pretty well if Lane had stayed there. We’ll never know. One thing we do know, however: Lane and Monte out-coached CMR and Willie Martinez in the only time UGA faced UT with Lane as HC. That was Kiffin’s first year at UT and CMR’s 7th at UGA, too.
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T Kyle King used to call him the reigning champ of being born on 3rd and thinking he hit a triple.
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Just as possible is the converse:
Kirby did his loyal duty to Bama, moved over, and did fair to middling his first season,
And the Kiffin Kancer is too self centered and impulsive to do that, as well as being a pathological liar, so he made up a bullshit story to explain why he jumped ship early, or got fired.
To put it another way, if Kiffin said it, better double check it.
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And that’s how you end up with a Jim Cheney
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This guy gets it.
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Pretty sure we ended up with Jim Chaney because Dan Enos has an SEC noncompete in his contract and Chaney was the only way to bag Pittman.
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I’ve always thought that was the tail wagging the dog. The coordinator on the side of the ball where you don’t have experience is the most important hire on the staff. To hire a guy as OC and trust him with your blue chip QB prospect because you want his connection to an o-line coach was absolutely stupid … I hope it works out, but I’m not optimistic.
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Agreed
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Lincoln Riley was sitting out there and Kirby probably had the goodwill at the time to make the offer it would take to pry him from Oklahoma. I get wanting Pittman, but the Chaney hire was, and remains, incredibly uninspiring.
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Hell, I would have been happy bringing Lilly back to install Bobo’s 2011-2014 offense.
I get not canning Chaney this year for the sake of continuity, but the offense had better make serious strides this year. Otherwise, that will look like a disaster of a hire.
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There was no way Lilly would have stayed even if Kirby asked … too close to Richt and probably too close to Bobo.
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He was already gone from the 2015 staff. He was unemployed in January 2016. Maybe he would have been loyal, but I would have asked.
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Given his track record when he doesn’t have a first ballot HOF’er on the roster at QB – I’m leaning towards it’s gonna be a disaster.
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It already looks like a disaster of a hire.
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This guy….he gets it too!
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Clay Helton was actually Kirby’s #1 choice. That is why USC removed the interim-HC tag so soon. He let the AD know that if he didn’t get the job soon, he was going to take the Georgia job. Enos was, at best, Kirby’s second pick. If anyone has info as to people Kirby contacted before Enos, please spill the beans. Kirby has confirmed that Chaney is actually the one that recommended Pittman.
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Saban was done with Kiffin’s shit and knew he was mentally checked out. He trusted Kirby’s professionalism more at the very least.
The Kiffin era in Boca is going to end with recruits, cocaine, and dead hookers.
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Dead hookers? Craig James approves.
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Craig James not only approves but has applied as a GA!
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If Kiffin was so smart to leave he wouldn’t have coached against Washington. I am still of the belief he was more asked to leave and that what Junior says now is just inflating his ego.
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No, but he’s been fired and burned in effigy more.
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I don’t think that month where Kirby juggled 2 jobs was a contributing factor to the losses or the Nicholls near miss. I would have rather seen him watching our bowl practices, building the staff, and focusing on recruiting. Of course, I felt the same way in 2000 when the previous guy did the same thing.
That month helped Alabama but didn’t do anything to help Georgia.
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It really started me on the wrong foot with the CKS era, honestly. I found it hugely disrespectful and weak. Not much last year changed my feelings (except maybe signing day)
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I felt like, “You wanted the job. Now do the job and step out of Little Nicky’s shadow.”
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Agreed. The reason why the Dawgs have the semi-limpdick staff of assistants we now have is because Kirby didn’t get on the job fast enough and the best assistant coaches were already signed by the time he got around to it.
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agreed
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Did you feel the same way when Richt did the same thing at FSU? Did you find it to be hugely disrespectful and weak?
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What’s worse, he gave up a gazillion yards of O. We could have coached Bama’s defense to that result. Bama won that game in spite of Kirby.
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Ignoring Kiffin’s revisionist history, I don’t think Kirby staying had much affect on our season last year. We were going to have growing pains regardless of who the rookie head coach was. I just hope Kirby’s quick on the uptake. I think the talent he’s bringing in will make him a much better coach.
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Let’s all hope so! I’m just thrilled that we were able to give a first year HC his big opportunity! That’s the level I want us at!
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The only people I’m certain Kiffin is smarter than are all of the people that named him head coach.
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Shit man – that’s not just a Lane Kiffin specialty. Charlie Weis is still getting paid not too coach and for some unknown reason Scot Loefler keeps finding work despite a career of mediocre to average offensive output at every stop.
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Its always interesting when political technique filters down to sports. Look, over there, Kirby Smart, look over there.
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Well, if The Kiffer says it as proof that he made the right decision, then it must be true. 😉
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And Kirby gave up 1,296 yards of offense to Clemson in that game. It was pointless to stay. He is just Saban’s butt boy.
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