The Damage Is Done and so Is Mark Richt's Run As UGA Head Coach

The apex of Mark Richt's run in Athens?  2007 Sugar Bowl.  Big win over a team with no business playing in a BCS game, Hawaii.  Final ranking at #2.  And going into the 2008 season, the University of Georgia is said to become the finest in the land when all is settled.  Number One Rankings!  GO DAWGS!  WE'RE NUMBER ONE!!!

But expectations turn into dismay and dismay into questions.  The Blackout vs. Bama turns into a knock out win by Bama.  Another dismantling by the Florida Gators.  A loss to the in-state rival after blowing a halftime lead of 28-10 only to lose by an embarrassing score of 45-42--a loss to a team that has no business beating the 2008 UGA team in Athens, Georgia or in the parking lot of the north avenue trade school.

Three areas of concern—areas that championship football teams master—strong defensive play, solid special teams play and game concentration to reduce penalties are all weaknesses for the University of Georgia football program and has been for the past four years.   The lack of preparation and concern for addressing these areas of weakness has confounded this season ticket holder for several years.

The Georgia defense has been in a state of confusion since Brain Van Gorder left for Georgia Southern.  No longer is the secondary coached to tighten the zone space on the other team's receivers; instead, the UGA defensive zone space is as open as the red light district in New Orleans.  Just this season alone, mediocre and struggling quarterbacks find relief and renewed confidence waiting in the Bulldog secondary, where receivers run free until time allows a pass to float into waiting arms.  See the Tennessee and South Carolina QBs as examples.  Georgia’s only answer to win is to ask the offense had to outscore South Carolina and Arkansas.  As for Tennessee, did you notice the vols continuing to use the bootleg pass and how DC Martinez never adjusted?  Wide open and all day long.  Another example of poor coaching is the techniques used by the UGA defensive backs.  Watch closely to see if any Dawg CB will turn back to make a play on the football when a pass comes his way.  Notice how often our defensive backs see receivers run by them for leverage.  I blame NOT THE GEORGIA PLAYERS!  I BLAME THE GEORGIA DEFENSIVE COACHES FOR NOT COACHING THESE KIDS TO USE PROPER TECHNIQUES.

This past weekend Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks and his staff schooled the Bulldog staff during halftime.  While Georgia’s offense ran successful toss sweeps and bootleg passes, the Kentucky coaches, I have to assume, were busy taking notes and looking for ways to counter Georgia’s offense.  In fact, I am sure that the Wildcat coaches were able to pick up one or more keys to Georgia’s offensive plays.  I know that I did.  During the half, while Kentucky’s coaches were coaching the defense and giving keys to the plays that had hurt them in the first half, I suppose our coaches were patting players on the backs and drinking sports drinks.  I will give you the keys that I saw and the negative consequences for our Dawgs in just a moment.  Halftime is over and so down by multiple scores, Kentucky kicks off and forces a turnover; can’t blame the Georgia players or coaches for a great hit.  I can blame the Georgia DC for not coming up with something to keep the Cats for scoring.  I can blame the Georgia special teams’ coaches for not teaching better ball security.  Turnovers are a large problem at Georgia.  Anyway, Kentucky scores and the Dawgs are now facing a renewed foe.  Question is how will UGA ready the offense to continue marching up and down the field just as the offense did in the first half?  I can tell you that Georgia made no adjustments that I noticed.  Kentucky made adjustments:  recall when Georgia successfully ran bootlegs and toss sweeps in the first half?  Kentucky spied the blocking scheme used by Georgia on both plays; thus, Georgia’s two best plays are now no more.  How so?  On the toss sweep, the Georgia off-side offensive lineman did not block the defensive end or linebacker nearest him—the off-side lineman broke a path straight to an interior backer, ignoring the defensive end.  The defensive end will normally make a read on all plays away from him so that he is not set up for a cut-back play.  Like most competent offensive coordinators, all good plays have companion plays with varied blocking assignments and alignments to keep the defense honest.  Not Georgia.  So when Joe Cox turned to make a pitch early in the third quarter, the off-side Kentucky defensive player shot straight towards Cox and deflected the pitch.  Do you ever recall any QB having a toss deflected by an off-side defensive player?  As for the bootleg pass plays that worked so well in the first half, I am not sure what happened because the Georgia offense seem to be shut down by the second half adjustments made by the Kentucky defensive coaches.  Mike Bobo is not a bad coach.  Mike Bobo is an INEXPERIENCED OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TRAINING while ON THE JOB IN ATHENS, GEORGIA.  Mike Bobo will make a fine high school head coach.  Mike Bobo has not business calling plays for the University of Georgia.  Very few times do you see Georgia put together a complete game?  On the other hand, what took DC Willie Martinez so long to make adjustments to stop Kentucky in the second half?  Georgia shut down the Cats in the first half but Kentucky ran and passes at will in the second half.

When Georgia was in dire need of a stop against Kentucky late in the game, our very smart special teams coach calls for the short kick allowing the Cats to run the ball back past the 40 yard line.  Georgia has one of the best power placekickers in the country and instead of asking the kicker to boot the ball deep or out of the end zone, instead, the special teams’ coach, Fabris, who has much more smarts than the rest of us, asks the kicker to short kick the ball.  Has this ever worked?  And I mean, “…worked for the Bulldogs?”  Baffling still is the poor tackling shown on all coverage teams!  You’d think Fabris would have sense to let Blair Walsh kick the ball to the moon instead of allowing the other team a chance to run one back or suffer the fans more poor tackling.  Recall the LSU game:  Georgia scores late; you know what happens next (poor officiating) with the celebration penalty.  Georgia kicks off from the 15 and LSU runs the ball inside of Georgia territory.  After LSU scores,  the Tigers get hit for a “make up” celebration penalty and must kickoff to Georgia from the 15; but Georgia only runs the ball back to its own 30—poor blocking and poor execution—LSU makes the play and Georgia does not.  Again, the special team coaching is horrible and our players are not as prepared as the other teams on the schedule.  Sure, Georgia runs back plenty of punts and plenty of kickoffs for long gains and scores—but when it comes to COVERING KICKS---PUNTS AND KICKOFFS—GEORGIA IS THE POOREST TEAM IN THE SEC.

The last area to address is the number of penalties committed by UGA every season.  Georgia leads the free world in personal fouls and other penalties. On the defensive side, I attribute this to the pressure on the players to perform and knowing the players are greatly frustrated by what the coaches DO NOT DO IN THE WAY OF COACHING UP THE DEFENSE.  Georgia’s defense does not play to the strength of the players.  Do not kid yourself into thinking the talent level at UGA is less than two years ago.  Be not fooled!  Not Florida, not Alabama, not LSU and certainly not Georgia tech ---very, very, very few teams can boast of more talent than the University of Georgia.  Coaching talent?  That can be debated, though for not a very long time frame.

Mark Richt has reached his UGA nadir and it is all downhill for the program at this point.  It is time for Mark Richt to leave or to be fired and to take his coaches with him, save Rodney Garner.  I would rather offer the job to Derek Dooley at LaTech before suffering another unproductive season of football under Mark Richt.  I have no confidence in Mark Richt to make the hard decisions:

·         Change defensive coordinators and philosophy (Kirby Smart? Will Muschamp?)

·         Hire a new Strength and Conditioning coach with a winning philosophy

·         Hire an offensive coordinator without ties to Florida State

·         Hire the best Special Teams coach available

I know how sick all of you must feel—and I the same as you.  And I apologize for taking so long to explain what most of you already know.  It is my assessment that Mark Richt should be fired.  The University of Georgia is a very high profile job and will attract many qualified coaches.  This time, maybe the University will not hire the first person that is interviewed but will instead allow several fine coaches to make a pitch to bring greatness to UGA and to take the University of Georgia program to where it deserves to be and should be every single year---a threat to win the Southeastern Conference and play for the National Championship.