As the swallows return to Capistrano…

… so, too, does Todd Grantham seek out his annual offseason leverage for a salary bump.

Hate to say I told you so. Except when I don’t.

The bloom is off Grantham’s rose with some Louisville fans now.  It sounds all too familiar.

That sure didn’t take long.  At least we waited longer than a season and two games to start carping.

“There was nothing we could do. We don’t know where that angel came from.”

Quite the sales job, Coach Grantham.

When former Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons was being recruited to Louisville, one of the unexpected selling points for defensive coordinator Todd Grantham — formerly at UGA as well — was who the Cardinals would play in Harvey-Clemons’ first eligible game with the new program.

Auburn.

“When he said that,” Harvey-Clemons said, “I just knew it was meant for me to come here, really. I’ve been waiting to play them again. I look forward to it.”

Boy, talk about Kismet.  But at least Shaq Wiggins assures us that Harvey-Clemons “actually handled it pretty well” at the time, which is more than you can say for us fans.

My original feeling about Auburn-Louisville was that it was going to be your basic meteor game, but at times like this I kinda hope Gus third-and-Granthams Louisville to death.  Which, now that I think about it, isn’t really that unrealistic an expectation.

“First of all, I work for a great university. Our athletic director is the best in the country. He’s the best I’ve ever been around.”

Ah, Greg.  It sucks when they’re taking long distance pot shots at you, doesn’t it?

“I think the world of Todd.”

Nick Saban defends a branch on his coaching tree.

“I know that people in Georgia criticized him a little bit,” Saban said, “but to play good defense you have to have really good players, and they really have to buy in and have the discipline to execute the scheme. Georgia always has good players, but I just think Todd is a really, really good coach. I thought he did a great job at Louisville here last year with the team that they had and had a lot of success. He’s a very innovative guy, but he’s a fundamental teacher and does a good job with players.”

Given that Saban’s last contact with Grantham came in the 2012 SECCG, where the Tide offense spent the second half running over, under, sideways and down Grantham’s charges, that “Georgia always has good players, but I just think Todd is a really, really good coach” is an interesting choice of words.

Of course, now that Georgia’s replaced that one branch with another branch from the same tree, I guess we can expect similar praise before this year’s game in Athens.  I just hope the praise for Pruitt is a lot more straightforward after the game.

Grantham, Harvey-Clemons and the “S” word

You knew he’d say it:

“I have no trouble standing up for him because I do believe he’s a solid kid. I think as you move forward in life, you’ve got to learn from your mistakes, and I think sometimes you’ve got to give kids a second chance, and I think he’s earned the right for that chance and what he’s done so far. I never had any issues with him when I was at Georgia from the accountability for meetings or practice or anything like that, but at the same time, you do have to go through a maturity phase as far as understanding the decisions you make, there’s consequences for them. He’s really matured, and I’ve been very proud of that. I’m really excited for him to play this year and get back on the field.”

It’s amazing what great humanitarians these coaches are.  Makes you wonder why this guy has such a bug up his ass.  Doesn’t he realize it’s always about the kids?

A million dollars doesn’t go as far as it used to.

Todd Grantham, fresh off a dominating defensive performance in the Belk Bowl an offer to coach defense with the Oakland Raiders, makes more bank.

The Cardinals are reworking Grantham’s four-year deal to pay him as much as $1.4 million annually, Grantham’s agent, Michael Harrison, told ESPN.com. Grantham’s new contract will make him one of the highest paid coordinators in college football.

That’s juuussst a touch more than Georgia’s paying Jeremy Pruitt.  A mere coincidence, no doubt.

One thing’s for sure – Todd’s going to work to earn his keep next season.

Louisville had 5 different DB's start last year and all 5 depart including 1st team AA Holliman (14 ints). 99 career DB starts lost.

— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) February 1, 2015

Good thing he’s got Harvey-Clemons and Wiggins stepping in.