Quote of the Year About "Conservative Coaching"

I was reading my blog roll this morning when I came across this perfect quote from a comment thread in Leather Helmet Blog's post.

I'm sure everyone is upset. Just be glad you aren't a Bama or LSU fan. Did you see all those risky touchdowns they scored in the second half? Their fans must be livid.

It's hard to argue with that unless you just concede that their programs are light years ahead of ours.

That's All I Have To Say About That

For once this past Saturday I went above and beyond my nerdiest of football obsessions, and I charted the offense plays ran by the Dawgs in the game versus Boise State. I have promised myself that I will try and hold my blogging for at least the night before I write my post-game thoughts. I have toiled over this for three days now, and I have come to the coclusion that my disdain for Mike Bobo/Mark Richt and the sputtering offense can be summed up in one simple set of questions:

Why did Brandon Boykin not touch the ball a single time after his 80 yard touchdown early in game? Let's say it was because he was cramping. Why did we not run that "power sweep" to another player (Branden Smith/Crowell/Mitchell) for the entire remainder of the game?

Coaches, if a play works, RUN IT AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN, until they stop it. I could go OFF on the ineptness of our playcalling, but I will just leave it at that.

SOTU Address, Dawgy Style

Ever since I was a young boy, I always love to watch the president of the United States give the annual state of the union address. Call me strange, but I just love all the debate surrounding American politics. Today, I sit and wonder when Mark Richt is going to really address the state of the Bulldawg nation. Lord knows there's plenty to address. Here are a few points I'd like some real information about:
1) What, specifically, will be done to STOP the player arrests?
2) What, specifically, will be done to make our boys win the 4th quarters?
3) What, specifically, are we doing differently to keep talent in Georgia with regards to recruits?
4) Is anything less than an SEC East title acceptable in 2011?

I'm curious to hear the readers of this blog's opinions as well.

Richt, Hire Leach and Both of You Can Find the Promised Land!

Half of you are going to read what I am about to say, and immediately blow it off as "that would never happen". Hear me out, and then give me some reasonable answers as to why?

Mike Leach wants to coach football again. He is, however, on a bit of a "black list" due to the fact that he is suing his former school and ESPN. Most people would agree that he is going to win his lawsuit because he didn't really do anything legally wrong, and the defendants did. Mike Leach is an offensive genius with a very proven record in a high level BCS conference. Flat out, the dude can score some points!

We heard from Mark Richt at his presser this week that some "cutting edge" changes were coming to the UGA football program, right? Well, Mike Leach is just your man to come in and install those changes.

Leach is known for engineering some extremely potent offenses and leading very prolific pass oriented teams. Everywhere he's been, the teams have broken numerous school and NCAA records. At Valdosta State and Kentucky, where he was offensive coordinator under Hal Mumme, developing their famous "Air Raid Offense", at Oklahoma under head coach Bob Stoops, and Texas Tech, where he became head coach in 2000. At Kentucky he tutored prospect Tim Couch into a No. 1 NFL draft pick. At Oklahoma, Josh Heupel became an NFL draft pick following a year under Leach's tutelage. We all know how Graham Harrell prospered at Texas Tech.

I've heard first hand that most people from the program knew these guys wouldn't pan out at the NFL level. They were just products of the nearly unstoppable system, and didn't even make a splash in the NFL. That tells me that Leach obviously got way more out of these guys than most coaches would have.

That being said, Aaron Murray would absolutely thrive under Leach's system, and we have quite a few receivers that could make plays all over the field. How would you like to see Brandon Smith in a Leach scheme? I bet the coach would salivate at the thought of having a weapon like Smith!

I am not out in la la land. I am a realist. I know that Leach would only be a temporary answer, but if Mike Bobo is such the "great coach" that Richt says he is, surely he could learn from Leach and continue the system once Leach leaves for a head coaching job.

Everyone could win from this marriage. Mike Leach could learn a thing or two about Jesus. Mark Richt could revive a struggling program. Todd Grantham could be the first coach to match a good defense while Leach's offense was scoring a million points a game. Mike Bobo could learn what it's like to be a REAL coordinator. UGA could be the talk of the NCAA, counteracting any loss of TV time that ESPN gives the Dawgs for hiring Leach.

What's not to love about signing Leach to a one year $2 million dollar contract? Let me have it anons!

I'm Jumping On The Wagon

Take that title for what you will. If I was the AD at UGA right now, I would have some SERIOUS soul searching decisions to make over the next day or two. If he chooses to keep things as they are, I will have to support that decision. But, if we choose to make a change, I am in total support of that. I just watched one of the most uninspired, embarrassing football games I have seen in a LONG TIME from the Dawgs. OK, tell me how awesome UCF is in the comments now people!

Mark Richt and Santa Claus

CLICK THE CARTOON FOR A LARGER VERSION

Buck Belue, Amen Brother!

A time or two in the past, I have expressed my displeasure with Buck Belue's opinion on things (see here). Today, however, I was loving every bit of his blog on Muschamp taking the UF job.

Let this be a time to rally behind Richt. McGarity has adopted that approach and so should you. Enough of this fractured fan base stuff. You are either with us, or against us. And if you're against us, then go join Muschamp at Florida. Will and Kirby aren't ever coming home to Georgia. They are now apart of the enemy. I say let's whip them. Make them---at least once a year---feel bad they took the job and turned their backs on Georgia.
This obviously takes the Georgia-Florida rivalry to a new level. It's personal now.

Amen brother! The war that has been going on for decades just got a little bit more intense! Richt, Murray, Joe T., and company: change the culture in Dawgland, and re-build a championship caliber program back in Athens!

GATA Dawgs!

5 STAR RECRUITING PIMPS

My partners and I are considering a new business plan. The tentative name of this business is "5 Star Recruiting Pimps: We'll get you paid; just don't tell your kid about it!"

Most of you know by now that the NCAA, in it's retarded decision, has opened up a whole world of new business opportunities. All a parent has to do now is solicit the help of an "agent" to help them get money for having their child go to a certain college and play sports.

I'm thinking that the finders fee for our business' services will be somewhere around 25%. We will be consulting other "experts" in this field to see if this is an appropriate fee. Rodney Garner, Coach Richt, and company, are you listening? I know people that know people that know people! These "people" have hefty bank accounts, and ways of hiding the "exchanges" of said monies!

NCAA...COME ON MAN!

Politics or Football

My love for politics often retracts from my blogging, thus the reason I have been pretty short and sweet for the past several weeks when it comes to UGABlog.com. I love Georgia Bulldog football with all my heart, but my passion for American politics often trumps the Dawgs.

I know, it's a Bulldawg sin to admit that. I know, I'll just find a way to combine my love for both!


While I'm on the subject, I wonder if Mark Richt is a Democrat or Republican? Nah, I love him either way!

Hey, Coach Richt, Run This Play

I was going through some of my old playbooks from when I coached, and came across one of my favs. I have seen the Dawgs run a variation of this, but I think it could be especially effective against the Gators if they try to man up on AJ.

Hutson Mason, Will He Ever Play?

First, God forbid Aaron Murray ever gets injured. Second, Hutson Mason looks like he may be a pretty darn good quarterback in the future. I couldn't help but wonder last Saturday (Mason was 4/4 passing) if he will be another Mark Richt story by the time he leaves Athens.

Unless we lose Murray to the NFL a year early, I don't see Mason ever being anything other than a back up quarterback. And, with Christian Lemay coming next year, he could potentially get pushed to 3rd on the depth chart by the time his junior or senior year rolls around.

I can't help but be reminded of Blake Barnes, a kid that would have definitely started at quite a few BCS conference schools. What are your thoughts?

It's About Time Coach Richt!

The first 5 minutes of the Coach Richt call in show last night made my week. Richt began the show by explaining how practice Monday was unlike any other Monday practice he had led since he has been in Athens. Any Dawg fan should be happy to hear that the number one offense scrimmaged against the number one defense in full pads for over an hour and a half last night.

Could that practice philosophy lead to more injuries? Certainly. Will those type of practices make our team a hell of a lot tougher. You darn skippy! Keep up these positive changes Richt and finish out the season strong!

On another note; how about the Dawgs opening up as a 13 point favorite over those ugly guys in orange?

Is Mark Richt Stepping Down?

I never imagined the 2010 Georgia Bulldogs sitting at 1-4. If Vegas created the odds for this bet at the season's beginning, I imagine it would have been in the area of 5000:1, or worse. For you non-gamblers, that means that a $100 bet could have won you a whopping half of a million dollars if you had the insight to see the Dawgs with four losses 5 games in!

That being said, I seriously wonder what exactly is going through Coach Richt's head right now. Surely he has to be second guessing his leadership of this program. He is a great man, and it is only natural that he sees the failures that are coming from the program he is the leader of.

Do you think that Coach Richt would step down as the head coach of the Bulldogs if we finish with a losing record? What about if we finish 3-9? 2-10? What would it take? Would the great man that Richt is influence his own personal decision to give up leading the Dawgnation?

4th and 1, Two Minutes To Go In The 4th

I liken the situation that Mark Richt is in right now to a big football game. You have the ball with two minutes to go in the 4th quarter of a tied ball game, and it's 4th & 1. What are you going to do Coach Richt? Do you punt and play defense? Or, do you tell your team to give it all they've got and get the damn first down? All you need is one yard.

For ten years at UGA, Mark Richt has punted and trusted his players and coaches to win the game. At this point in this debacle of a season, it's time for Mark Richt to check himself. Do you want to go all in and see what kind of coach you really are, or do you want to "keep doing things the way we have been for years"?

I know what I would do if I were in his situation. I would take back control of my offense, trust Todd Grantham to get the defense in shape, and see if I could start to score some points. You're the head coach Mark, and your offense is sputtering, drastically. Don't fire Bobo, just simply say "step aside kid", and watch the man that designed some of the most feared offenses of the 90's go back to doing what he does best.

Richt is not a firey guy. Never has been, probably never will be. We all loved him none-the-less when he was winning. Now that he's losing, I hear people say they want Richt to "show some emotion". I don't want emotion from Richt, I want to put 50 points on the scoreboard this Saturday against a much less talented Colorado team (hell, I just want to win a game actually).

Richt, let Grantham be the emotional leader for this team, it's who he is. As for you, just go out there and start to gameplan putting points on the board!

The Case For A New Play Caller At UGA

The Facts:
• UGA is (20-12) in the last 4 years in the SEC
• 2-6 over the past 8 games in the SEC
• UGA had inexperienced QBs to start the season in ’06, ’09, and the ’10 season
• Statistical analysis proves we run play action passes when a running game has not been established; at an alarmingly high rate! 20 or so PA passes last Saturday. Read here for a GREAT in depth analysis on last Saturday.
• Bobo had almost no coaching resume before coming to a Top Tier Division I program and getting the OC job.
• Mark Richt was once known as one of the greatest coordinators in college football.
• Matthew Stafford consistently had average at best statistics before being drafted #1 overall by the NFL.

I have read, read, and re-read articles, blogs, and statistical analysis until my eyes have no moisture left in them. I could probably write a 25,000 word essay on why Mike Bobo does not deserve to be the OC at UGA. I have no personal complaints about Mike Bobo the man, I just want what is best for my Dawgs. I feel strongly that March Richt is a superior option as head coach as long as he is willing to make the necessary changes.

It is time to start our search for a new OC. What are the odds that Mike Leach would come help us out for the remainder of the season? Maybe Mark Richt could rub off on the guy and teach him some people skills while he teaches us how to score points.

“Good offensive coaches have good systems. Great offensive coaches have good systems that they constantly adapt to personnel and what is happening during a game.”

I am tired of the same old system at UGA that we refuse to tinker with to take advantage of talents like Aaron Murray and Orson Charles, just to name a few.

Mark Richt, please make the change!

On an unrelated note: Thank you for your services during our 1980 season Buck Belue, but you sir, are a MORON. No wonder you just basically handed the ball off your whole career. You probably didn't understand the playbook other than the 3 plays you ran to Herschel.

Go Dawgs!

Changes Have To Be Made Richt, Or You Gotta Go!

I have been Mark Richt's #1 supporter since the day he took the helm in Athens. I gave him a ton of flack for not getting rid of Willie Martinez sooner, but still stood by him as a head coach. Either Mark Richt changes up this offensive staff immediately, or I will no longer defend him when the "hot seat" talk picks up steam.

After watching the debacle that just took place in Sanford stadium today, Mike Bobo has got to go. Immediately! The play calling for 3 quarters was some of the most comical stuff I have seen in a UGA football game in my life.

Aaron Murray, to you I say, GREAT game. You are a player, and I can't wait to see what we are going to get out of you over the next 4 years. Big time players make big time plays. Aaron Murray is a big time player, Mark Richt, so LET HIM PLAY!

Offensive Gameplans, Outside The Box

How many of you ever watch a college or NFL football game, and wonder what in the hell the coaches are thinking based on the plays that they call. I for one do it all the time. Do I get paid to coach high level football? No. Does that mean I don't know what I am talking about? Usually.

I realize that there are more than a fair share of armchair quarterbacks, Sunday morning quarterbacks, or whatever you want to call them. But, some of us may actually have a clue as to what we are talking about. I've spent the past few days reflecting on the HORRIBLE offensive play calling I witnessed during most of Saturdays game versus the Gamecocks. Was SC better than the Dawgs? One player was that's for sure, but a huge part of the Dawgs' inadequacies should be placed on the offensive play calling.

The fact that Mike Bobo is not a very good play caller has been lost in the shuffle over the past few years due to the more obvious terrible coaching of Willie Martinez. Now that we have a DC that knows what he is doing, it is time to concentrate on our under-performing offense. UGA has had too many weapons over the past several years that are not being utilized properly. A lot of it can be attributed to the fact that we are a conservative team by nature, so I will accept that, but wasting talent is something that disgusts any sports fanatic.

I may be going out on a limb here, but I feel strongly that Aaron Murray is a special player, and Saturday was a joke when it comes to using his talents. Why do the Dawgs always seem to never, EVER, think outside of the box on offense? Why do we not adjust our "gameplan" to fit what is going on during the actual game? Do you think Steve Spurrier constantly follows some play call sheet he created the week before? Hell no he doesn't! He's known as the evil genius because of his remarkable ability to call plays on the fly and adjust to what works and what a team is giving him during a game. Sure he uses an outline, but the man uses what's in front of him when the game is being played.

Saturday, Aaron Murray was poised to place the Dawgs on his shoulders and throw the ball 30-40 times, or run it when needed, but he was limited by coaching. I read yesterday where Buck Belue said the following:

Do I blame Bobo and Richt for a bad offensive gameplan? No. A bad plan would have been to ask Aaron Murray to win it, by throwing it 40 times, without Green.

Come on Buck, you're smarter than that!

Why not let a kid have his coming out party?

Bobo's A Dodo

I have a habbit of making T-shirts all the time. I have tried to give Mike Bobo the benefit of the doubt for the past several years, but it is obvious he needs to step on the same train that sent Willie on his merry way. Bobo's got to go because...

Will Mark Richt Let The Dawgs Go Wild

With the University of Georgia football team starting out low in the pre-season rankings this year, this question comes to mind: Will this be the year that Mark Richt let's the Dawgs put up some gaudy numbers on the scoreboard?

When UGA lines up against teams like Louisiana Lafayette or Idaho State, the potential is there for the Dawgs to put up 50+ points. My inclination is that Coach Richt realizes we need to wow the pollsters in order to move up the pecking order. If we want to be in a BCS bowl at the end of the year, we are going to have to jump near 10-15 spots from where we sit pre-season; at least!

Does UGA Baby Players' "Injuries"

I once had a coach that would get in players faces when they showed signs of being hurt and yell "Are you hurt, or are you injured?"; and let me tell you, that man was one hell of a football coach!

That being said, I sit here today wondering if coaches sometimes baby players too much when they have aches and pains. I am in no position to really comment on player injuries as I am only privy to the same information as the rest of us blog dorks, but it sure does seem like we have a lot of players sitting out or wearing green jerseys over the last few years.

This leads me to my question: Do you guys think that a lot of high profile coaches may hold players out of practice because they are too cautious? I think so! What about you?