One UGA Fan's Honest Assessment
Okay, like so many in Bulldog Nation, I share the frustration of the 2009 football season to date. Our beloved Dawgs look more undisciplined than a band of fresh Army recruits on the first day of basic training, they give the football away so much the United Way has given them the donor of the year award already and the defense is so friendly to the opposition (and so averse to takeaways) Amnesty International and the United Nations have nominated them for pacifists of the year. All of that said, I think all the naysayers screaming to fire Martinez, fire Bobo and even some who have questioned Mark Richt’s leadership need to sit down, take a deep breath and have some patience.
Coach Richt, if he were listening out there, would likely quote the old saying, "if you listen to the fans, soon you'll be sitting up there with them."
I don’t think Mark reached the highest levels of the football coaching profession by listening to sports talk radio, making crucial decisions by polling the crowd, or by firing everyone on staff because the Dawgs aren’t 8-0 in a season after we lost 2 of the top 12 NFL rookies, a year early no less. Heck even UF is playing worse on offense this year. The loss for them of Percy Harvin has left their offense lacking.
We as fans have a right to wander about the direction of the UGA football program, we have every right to analyze what is wrong and share ideas of how we think the ship can be righted, and we should even be passionate in our beliefs. But, we are fans. None of us are in demand by major universities or NFL franchises to be paid large sums of money to run a football program. So, please more than anything: keep your perspective.
I have had the pleasure of being a classmate (albeit for one class), friend, neighbor and fan of Mark Richt over the past 23 years. As such, let me iterate this quite clearly: he is a very astute, smart and competitive man. Do not fool yourself into believing anything else. Just because he exudes calm everywhere he goes, do not confuse that for one second, with a lack of passion. He is quite aware of the backwards movement of the program these past 13 months. He will address everything in his way, in his time, and it will very likely be well thought out with a solid chance of success. He will not panic as so many UGA fans are doing.
Okay, now for my meaningless two cents. As I fan, I agree, change is needed. What does UGA need to change? We can start with less penalties, less turnovers on offense and more takeaways on defense. But that does not address everything, those are just coaching points which can be stressed.
Most astute football fans and youth coaches will tell you, if you really want to evaluate how well your team is playing, watch the line of scrimmage. This is where the rubber meets the road. No running back can consistently gain yardage if there are simply no holes to run through. Any college quarterback can look like a Heisman candidate with 5-10 seconds in the pocket with no effective pass rush. On TV it can be very difficult sometimes with the camera focusing on only the ball, but if you watch carefully, this is one area where the Dawgs are simply losing the battle. I think it is the key clue to diagnosing UGA biggest problem.
Our strength and conditioning program simply needs to improve. It does not appear to be getting the job done. When was the last time a receiver came in at 170 pounds and left as a chiseled 185, with a faster 40 time? How about a 280 pound lineman who gets to 300 and gains power and speed? I honestly cannot think of one in the past 3 years. My thought here: Hire David Pollack. He doesn’t have to be in charge, but I cannot think of a single UGA alum with a bigger heart or a bigger motor. He went full tilt in everything he did. UGA NEEDS that kind of passion.
I don't see a problem with Coach Searles or Coach Garner. Sure both units are struggling, but I don't see a technique or scheme problem. It is the fact our boys are getting physically manhandled at the line which is concerning. Those offside and illegal motion and holding penalties I feel are coming from our boys needing to get every possible advantage to win their individual battles on each play. If you know you are outmanned, you start looking for an edge. That said, I thought this past week with Clint Boling manning the left tackle spot, the offensive line finally played a good game, their first since losing Sturdivant in the season opener.
As for the rest of the offense, I remain happy with the receivers, tight ends and backs. It is hard to evaluate routes on TV, but it appears most of the mistakes made by these players are due to their relative youth and inexperience.
That said, I would like to see more motion before the snap in our offense, to help the QBs read the defense (zone or man coverage). I would love to see the occasional back out of the backfield too. It seems like we used to do that more often. Perhaps it is due to the youth problem, but I think it would really help.
As for the defense, where you do begin? This is where I think a bulk of the problem lies on the field, and I must admit I am not sure how I would address it if I were asked.
Most opposing receivers are so wide open there is rarely a Bulldog in the same zip code, but if the QB is on his back or being squeezed by a strong pass rush, most times he is not going to have the time to find the open man. Many QBs this year have had enough time in the pocket to pull out their Blackberry and update their Twitter page...Crompton@UT >> It is really amazing to see 100,000 plus fans cheering us on. I think I will head out to Bar Knoxville after the game tonight. Oh Jonesy is open in the endzone, gotta run.
I have rarely seen so many missed coverage assignments and I must say, I will be quite glad to see Bryan Evans graduate. Ditto Prince Miller. I am not a huge Reshard Jones fan either. But, I see several former UGA defensive back playing in the NFL, so it is hard for me to say Willie Martinez is the problem. So I wonder if perhaps he is simply a better as a position coach and just not cut out to be an SEC Defensive Coordinator. The Dawgs decline on defense does seem to date back to when Coach Van Gorder left. I think the Dawgs play WAY too much zone coverage and with the TV angles, I simply cannot tell if it is Cover 2, 3 Deep or some other zone variant.
It would be nice to see a safety blitz again (ala Thomas Davis) and some more mixed coverage and less predictability. I just don't see the Dawgs being a team which makes the offense adapt to playing them. We play more soft zone, bend but don’t break defense than Joe Kines. And he invented it. So, yes, I do wonder how the defense will be adjusted after the season. I just don’t know how you can keep Coach Martinez and change our DC. Thankfully, it is not my decision to make.
Lastly, the special teams. I have been on the Coach Fabris roller coaster for years. Our return game is generally very good, as is our punt team and field goal unit. But kickoffs have been a problem for years. We have had great kickers and never been able to figure this out. So, maybe we need to bring in a GA to handle kick coverage?
There. Just some fan’s rambling ideas on what he sees in the UGA program. I still have faith in Coach Richt. I think this offseason he will get back to being a top flight SEC coach and less of an ACC coach as it has looked this season. Every good program has peaks and valleys. It is easy to panic when the valleys come, but personally I want my football team to be led by someone who has seen the world from the peaks. Once you have been there, you know the way. I look forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
If you want to follow more UGA football here are some other links:
http://dawg-extra.blogspot.com/
http://www.onlineathens.com/football/
Coach Richt, if he were listening out there, would likely quote the old saying, "if you listen to the fans, soon you'll be sitting up there with them."
I don’t think Mark reached the highest levels of the football coaching profession by listening to sports talk radio, making crucial decisions by polling the crowd, or by firing everyone on staff because the Dawgs aren’t 8-0 in a season after we lost 2 of the top 12 NFL rookies, a year early no less. Heck even UF is playing worse on offense this year. The loss for them of Percy Harvin has left their offense lacking.
We as fans have a right to wander about the direction of the UGA football program, we have every right to analyze what is wrong and share ideas of how we think the ship can be righted, and we should even be passionate in our beliefs. But, we are fans. None of us are in demand by major universities or NFL franchises to be paid large sums of money to run a football program. So, please more than anything: keep your perspective.
I have had the pleasure of being a classmate (albeit for one class), friend, neighbor and fan of Mark Richt over the past 23 years. As such, let me iterate this quite clearly: he is a very astute, smart and competitive man. Do not fool yourself into believing anything else. Just because he exudes calm everywhere he goes, do not confuse that for one second, with a lack of passion. He is quite aware of the backwards movement of the program these past 13 months. He will address everything in his way, in his time, and it will very likely be well thought out with a solid chance of success. He will not panic as so many UGA fans are doing.
Okay, now for my meaningless two cents. As I fan, I agree, change is needed. What does UGA need to change? We can start with less penalties, less turnovers on offense and more takeaways on defense. But that does not address everything, those are just coaching points which can be stressed.
Most astute football fans and youth coaches will tell you, if you really want to evaluate how well your team is playing, watch the line of scrimmage. This is where the rubber meets the road. No running back can consistently gain yardage if there are simply no holes to run through. Any college quarterback can look like a Heisman candidate with 5-10 seconds in the pocket with no effective pass rush. On TV it can be very difficult sometimes with the camera focusing on only the ball, but if you watch carefully, this is one area where the Dawgs are simply losing the battle. I think it is the key clue to diagnosing UGA biggest problem.
Our strength and conditioning program simply needs to improve. It does not appear to be getting the job done. When was the last time a receiver came in at 170 pounds and left as a chiseled 185, with a faster 40 time? How about a 280 pound lineman who gets to 300 and gains power and speed? I honestly cannot think of one in the past 3 years. My thought here: Hire David Pollack. He doesn’t have to be in charge, but I cannot think of a single UGA alum with a bigger heart or a bigger motor. He went full tilt in everything he did. UGA NEEDS that kind of passion.
I don't see a problem with Coach Searles or Coach Garner. Sure both units are struggling, but I don't see a technique or scheme problem. It is the fact our boys are getting physically manhandled at the line which is concerning. Those offside and illegal motion and holding penalties I feel are coming from our boys needing to get every possible advantage to win their individual battles on each play. If you know you are outmanned, you start looking for an edge. That said, I thought this past week with Clint Boling manning the left tackle spot, the offensive line finally played a good game, their first since losing Sturdivant in the season opener.
As for the rest of the offense, I remain happy with the receivers, tight ends and backs. It is hard to evaluate routes on TV, but it appears most of the mistakes made by these players are due to their relative youth and inexperience.
That said, I would like to see more motion before the snap in our offense, to help the QBs read the defense (zone or man coverage). I would love to see the occasional back out of the backfield too. It seems like we used to do that more often. Perhaps it is due to the youth problem, but I think it would really help.
As for the defense, where you do begin? This is where I think a bulk of the problem lies on the field, and I must admit I am not sure how I would address it if I were asked.
Most opposing receivers are so wide open there is rarely a Bulldog in the same zip code, but if the QB is on his back or being squeezed by a strong pass rush, most times he is not going to have the time to find the open man. Many QBs this year have had enough time in the pocket to pull out their Blackberry and update their Twitter page...Crompton@UT >> It is really amazing to see 100,000 plus fans cheering us on. I think I will head out to Bar Knoxville after the game tonight. Oh Jonesy is open in the endzone, gotta run.
I have rarely seen so many missed coverage assignments and I must say, I will be quite glad to see Bryan Evans graduate. Ditto Prince Miller. I am not a huge Reshard Jones fan either. But, I see several former UGA defensive back playing in the NFL, so it is hard for me to say Willie Martinez is the problem. So I wonder if perhaps he is simply a better as a position coach and just not cut out to be an SEC Defensive Coordinator. The Dawgs decline on defense does seem to date back to when Coach Van Gorder left. I think the Dawgs play WAY too much zone coverage and with the TV angles, I simply cannot tell if it is Cover 2, 3 Deep or some other zone variant.
It would be nice to see a safety blitz again (ala Thomas Davis) and some more mixed coverage and less predictability. I just don't see the Dawgs being a team which makes the offense adapt to playing them. We play more soft zone, bend but don’t break defense than Joe Kines. And he invented it. So, yes, I do wonder how the defense will be adjusted after the season. I just don’t know how you can keep Coach Martinez and change our DC. Thankfully, it is not my decision to make.
Lastly, the special teams. I have been on the Coach Fabris roller coaster for years. Our return game is generally very good, as is our punt team and field goal unit. But kickoffs have been a problem for years. We have had great kickers and never been able to figure this out. So, maybe we need to bring in a GA to handle kick coverage?
There. Just some fan’s rambling ideas on what he sees in the UGA program. I still have faith in Coach Richt. I think this offseason he will get back to being a top flight SEC coach and less of an ACC coach as it has looked this season. Every good program has peaks and valleys. It is easy to panic when the valleys come, but personally I want my football team to be led by someone who has seen the world from the peaks. Once you have been there, you know the way. I look forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
If you want to follow more UGA football here are some other links:
http://dawg-extra.blogspot
http://www.onlineathens.co
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