BilldGopher
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I know there's a couple of other threads...but here's more Mark Richt-related "food for fodder" for hungry Gophers...
From Pete Fiutak at College Football News regarding "how to fix" a number of programs, including UGA...specifically, dump Richt:
The Calvalcade Of Whimsy airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
Ten things that need fixing, and. of course, because I know better than the people who actually know how to do these things, here how to go forward …
1. Georgia
The Problem: 1980. Thirty years ago. That’s the last time Georgia won the national title, and outside of a decent run in 2002, it hasn’t been close to the grand prize since losing to Penn State in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Mark Richt was supposed to change all of that.
91-31 overall, 50-25 in SEC play (with 11 of those losses by seven points or fewer), and with two SEC championships, Richt has done a fantastic job over his nine year, five game run. However, Florida and LSU have won two national titles each during that time, Alabama has won once, and Auburn was close to getting one of its own in 2004. Georgia, to use Richt’s words, has never been able to “finish the drill” despite having the No. 1 team in the country in 2008 and being strong enough to be close in 2002, 2004, and 2005.
This year’s team was supposed to be good. We might have been nuts to put the Dawgs No. 3 in our preseason rankings, and while we were wrong, there was a reason we went so overboard. Based on the talent coming into the season (and assuming A.J. Green would be there from the start), there was just enough on both sides of the ball to come up with a special year if the offensive backfield was solid. The offensive backfield has been a bowl of pudding, and 2010 has been special in a much different way starting out 1-4 with an 0-3 start in SEC play and with an unforgivable loss to a mediocre Colorado team. Meanwhile, Alabama is once again front and center in the national title chase, LSU is 5-0, and Florida, for all its problems, appears to be the lead dog in the SEC East race.
The Solution: Cut bait. 2008 was the real hot seat season for Richt with a heater of a team led by Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and A.J. Green, and it didn’t happen. If that team couldn’t win the national title, it’ll never happen under Richt. That was the Dawgs’ chance.
Richt is a great guy and the type of coach you’d love to have leading your program, but Georgia has been lapped by Florida, Alabama, and LSU, and there’s no sign of that changing soon with the emergence of Auburn and Arkansas as powers, too. It’s time to make a decision right now on what Georgia’s real goals are. If so, then keep Richt, go to bowls every year, and be a solid eight-to-ten win team after this storm passes. Otherwise, if it’s national title-or-bust, you realize that the rest of this season doesn’t matter, you fire Richt, and you find your new coach as soon as possible to get a jump on recruiting. Make the change after the season and you’re dead come early February and you’re a year behind in the process.
Take a look at Temple’s Al Golden before Penn State does. Try to gauge Jim Harbaugh’s interest to see if he’s looking to make his next jump to the NFL or to a bigger name program. Fine-tooth the contract of Texas-head-man-in-waiting, Will Muschamp, think about Illinois offensive coordinator, Paul Petrino, and see if Brady Hoke might have any interest in leaving San Diego for Athens.
Georgia, it’s time to become a national title contender. It would be nice if Richt could be the one to make that happen, but he won’t be.
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Rumblings and nothing more from the college football media...but still, an opportunity probably worth consideration...hey, the U's probably done worse over the last 50 years than this guy...
Here's the link: http://cfn.scout.com/2/1008875.html
Go Gophers! Beat Wisconsin!
From Pete Fiutak at College Football News regarding "how to fix" a number of programs, including UGA...specifically, dump Richt:
The Calvalcade Of Whimsy airing of the grievances followed by the feats of strength
Ten things that need fixing, and. of course, because I know better than the people who actually know how to do these things, here how to go forward …
1. Georgia
The Problem: 1980. Thirty years ago. That’s the last time Georgia won the national title, and outside of a decent run in 2002, it hasn’t been close to the grand prize since losing to Penn State in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Mark Richt was supposed to change all of that.
91-31 overall, 50-25 in SEC play (with 11 of those losses by seven points or fewer), and with two SEC championships, Richt has done a fantastic job over his nine year, five game run. However, Florida and LSU have won two national titles each during that time, Alabama has won once, and Auburn was close to getting one of its own in 2004. Georgia, to use Richt’s words, has never been able to “finish the drill” despite having the No. 1 team in the country in 2008 and being strong enough to be close in 2002, 2004, and 2005.
This year’s team was supposed to be good. We might have been nuts to put the Dawgs No. 3 in our preseason rankings, and while we were wrong, there was a reason we went so overboard. Based on the talent coming into the season (and assuming A.J. Green would be there from the start), there was just enough on both sides of the ball to come up with a special year if the offensive backfield was solid. The offensive backfield has been a bowl of pudding, and 2010 has been special in a much different way starting out 1-4 with an 0-3 start in SEC play and with an unforgivable loss to a mediocre Colorado team. Meanwhile, Alabama is once again front and center in the national title chase, LSU is 5-0, and Florida, for all its problems, appears to be the lead dog in the SEC East race.
The Solution: Cut bait. 2008 was the real hot seat season for Richt with a heater of a team led by Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno, and A.J. Green, and it didn’t happen. If that team couldn’t win the national title, it’ll never happen under Richt. That was the Dawgs’ chance.
Richt is a great guy and the type of coach you’d love to have leading your program, but Georgia has been lapped by Florida, Alabama, and LSU, and there’s no sign of that changing soon with the emergence of Auburn and Arkansas as powers, too. It’s time to make a decision right now on what Georgia’s real goals are. If so, then keep Richt, go to bowls every year, and be a solid eight-to-ten win team after this storm passes. Otherwise, if it’s national title-or-bust, you realize that the rest of this season doesn’t matter, you fire Richt, and you find your new coach as soon as possible to get a jump on recruiting. Make the change after the season and you’re dead come early February and you’re a year behind in the process.
Take a look at Temple’s Al Golden before Penn State does. Try to gauge Jim Harbaugh’s interest to see if he’s looking to make his next jump to the NFL or to a bigger name program. Fine-tooth the contract of Texas-head-man-in-waiting, Will Muschamp, think about Illinois offensive coordinator, Paul Petrino, and see if Brady Hoke might have any interest in leaving San Diego for Athens.
Georgia, it’s time to become a national title contender. It would be nice if Richt could be the one to make that happen, but he won’t be.
-----------------------------------------
Rumblings and nothing more from the college football media...but still, an opportunity probably worth consideration...hey, the U's probably done worse over the last 50 years than this guy...
Here's the link: http://cfn.scout.com/2/1008875.html
Go Gophers! Beat Wisconsin!
