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Thursday, October 7, 2010

Mailbag time

OK, no dawdling. Lots of questions to get to, so let’s dive right in:

Can you take some time this week and find out exactly what makes Bobo and co. so high on Carlton Thomas?
- David Harrison


I asked Bobo this week, and he agreed that Thomas is more of a change-of-pace back. That’s probably the best way to use him now. The things he does have on Caleb King and Washaun Ealey is he hasn’t fumbled this year, and he manages to stay healthy.

Oh, and how about an over-under poll on how many wins saves Richt? I'm mad, but I'm still with the Coach. Mainly because I do see the improvement he's seeing, and I don't want to see some other schmuck come in and win next year with a team that Richt put together.
- David Harrison again


I like the word ‘schmuck.’ That’s the main reason I’m answering this question. (For future reference, getting Yiddish in your question adds to the chances it’ll get into the mailblog). … Now what was the question? Oh yeah. There’s no set over-under on Richt and wins he “needs.” From what I can tell, new A.D. Greg McGarity is quietly evaluating the program, and any decision would be made more on the overall state of things.

How does Coach Richt's demeanor compare during this trying time sitting at 1-4 versus other coaches that you have been around in a similar situation? I just listened to his press conference and I don't know if I should be happy or upset that he continually seems so even keel. You wouldn't know if we were at 5-0 or 1-4. Just curious as to your thoughts.
- Stephen Williams


Stephen, you’re exactly right. Richt has been very even-keel during his press conferences, although his post-Mississippi State one did seem a bit unusual. He was a bit shorter with reporters after that loss. Behind the scenes, however, Orson Charles told me that Richt has been a bit more fiery.

I am so confused. Are the events this year a lack of talent, coaching or youth....a combination of all three?
- Ian Lee


If you look at the recruiting rankings, it’s not talent. But how accurate are they? I think youth is an issue in the secondary – but not on the offensive line. As for coaching, well, that’s been dealt with a lot, and I’m not sure I have anything to add to it. Sorry, there just aren't any easy answers here.

What effect will the NFL lockout have on players like AJ Green? Can they go pro and still get paid, or will they be stuck in limbo? … Also, what is your favorite type of potato chip? My guess is the Utz Crab Chip.
-Conor McCullough


I like Sun Chips. The calorie count is sort of in the middle, and the taste is pretty solid. If I knew I could eat Cool Ranch Doritos all day and not balloon into Ralph Friedgen, I would. … As for the lockout, I’m not convinced it’ll happen. And if it does, I still don’t think it will have a huge effect on underclassmen. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong, but I think the kids that want to go pro will anyway. Keep in mind, when they do declare they’re now free to accept whatever they want as far as endorsements and agent deals, so they won’t go poor for the duration of the lockout.

I know Richt has had 10 years to make something happen, while Saban and Meyer both came in and took their programs to National Championships in 2-3 years. Besides Joe Pa, is there a good example of a coach having such problems in his program and then bringing them back to win a Nat' Championship??? I want to hold out hope for Richt but it seems that the blueprint for winning a National Championship in the SEC over the past 10 years is to follow Fla and Bama. Any thoughts?
- Drew Ward


AND …

- I have heard a lot the past couple weeks about firing Coach Richt if we keep losing. Is "Firing Coach Richt" even an option? I have heard that his buyout clause is $2 million+ a year and that Coach Richt has 4 years left on his contract. If this is correct, then UGA would owe him $8 million+ to fire him. There is no way that UGA would pay that kind of money so why do fans even discuss potentially firing Coach Richt if we can't fire him. Let's just put this topic to rest and move on.
- Anonymous


The contract runs three years after this season. As far as the buyout, as far as I can figure (it’s fairly convoluted) it’s around $5 million. Ultimately I don’t think money would be a factor. But it’s still hard to see Georgia firing Mark Richt. He’s built up too much goodwill, both on and off the field. That doesn’t meant that, if it gets bad enough, there could be a mutual parting of ways, or something like that. I don’t know how this will play out – nobody does – but I have a hard time picturing a press release that has "Mark Richt” and “fired” in the same sentence.

If you ran the team and could fix one thing, right now, what would it be?
- Jeff Fisher


First off, if you’re Jeff Fisher, I’m pretty sure you’d know better than me. Oh wait, you’re not THAT Jeff Fisher. Oh … Honestly I can’t pick one thing, and that’s what has to be so frustrating to Georgia fans, and the coaching staff. With the exception of special teams at Colorado, you could find blame in all three units in each of the four losses.

Changes in O-line sound good. What about (defense). D.backs have struggled. Is this personnel or more learning?
- Ken Wilkinson


I’ll have a story in Friday’s paper on the secondary. The coaches say it is youth and learning. But I do wonder whether guys like Nick Williams and Alec Ogletree could provide some help at safety.

If I'm Isaiah Crowell, I want to go where I can play. Do the Dawgs struggles help or hurt competition for top talent?
- Ken Wilkinson again


It never helps. Richt said this week that it could show that players have a chance to make an immediate contribution. But that shows a digression: True freshmen aren’t starting on this year’s team (although Kenarious Gates looks like he’s about to at right guard) and if you look up and down the Georgia roster, they have a lot of players who have redshirted.

Why haven't we seen more of Alec Ogletree? I know he's a Freshman but the safety play couldn't be any worse, right?
- Daniel Wood


I tend to agree. But Scott Lakatos told me the same basic three guys (Bacarri Rambo, Jakar Hamilton and Shawn Williams) will see time there. Maybe he’s playing possum this week, the way they tried to on the offensive line, before forgetting that reporters had eyesight.

I've seen Kiante Tripp out there lately - very happy for him to get PT. What about CB we heard tons about in spring - D Owen?
- Zach Ramsey


Derek Owens is in the mix now, with Branden Smith out. Lakatos says Owens is in the group with Sanders Commings and Jordan Love, behind Vance Cuff and Brandon Boykin.

Did Dexter kill anyone this week?
- sgtangelbatista@miamipd.com


Actually no, he didn’t. And that’s worrisome. And I just realized that Julia Stiles doesn’t come on the scene until later in the scene, and only for two episodes, according to IMDB. What’s up with that?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

“Well, they’re losing a lot of games and have a lot of people have been getting in trouble,” Crowell said of Georgia. “There’s just a lot of things going wrong. I do want to play right away but I also want to be where it’s disciplined and they win championships.”

CSA said...

Seth,

We're still waiting for you to address some of the strength & conditioning issues that continue despite being addressed by former players, NFL scouts, etc.

Also, pretty disturbing quote from Crowell, but can you really blame the kid?

CSA said...

Seth,

I didn't mean to sound so demanding in that last post. Keep up the good work.

Willb said...

CSA what have former players and scouts said? Our players in the NFL seem pretty athletic.

Ginny said...

CSA- I was wondering what players and scouts have said, too. I've only heard good things from former players about how prepared they were when they got to the NFL. Is your information substantial or based on stuff you've heard?

IveyLeaguer said...

If there is one thing that we could change right now, it should be the play of our Safeties.

To illustrate how critical safety play is, it might not be too much of a stretch to say that if Sean Jones had been playing in place of Baccari Rambo, we might be 4-1 right now.

If you want to read more on that, follow the link.
~~~

CSA said...

Ginny,

I can't find any links right now, but I have read direct quotes in which NFL guys have said our players are weak, soft, etc. Also, a friend of mine is a walk-on defensive line player who also powerlifts. He's told me several times the S&C program is garbage, and that Coach DVH is pretty inept. Take that for what it's worth, I guess.

Ben Dukes said...

I find it laughable how many people are on the Anti-Rambo train now. All last year, the only thing we heard was how much people wanted Rambo in the game instead of Evans. Now, people are on a whole-sale drive to get rid of Rambo, too. Who do you people want?

Rambo didn't give up the deep passes that killed us against MSU or CU. Those passes were against two different cornerbacks in man-man coverage.

Yes, Rambo had some problems earlier in the season with his play recognition. BUT, the only way to get better at play recognition is to log plays. He's been getting steadily better.

I swear, there are some smart people out there who watch college football, but most of them stay too damned quiet.

Anonymous said...

Seth, just FYI, it's Yiddush, not Yiddish

Anonymous said...

Seth you stated this "I have a hard time picturing a press release that has "Mark Richt” and “fired” in the same sentence."

I can... a press release stating "Mark Richt has fired Mike Bobo today..."

Anonymous said...

Hamilton is much more of a problem than Rambo. Rambo is getting better.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we're that young in the defensive backfield. We have Cuff (a Sr.), Boykin (3 yr. player, Jr.). Rambo is young but got a lot of time last year. Hamilton has only been with us one year but he was good enough to beat our Nick Williams, a Jr.

We'll lose Cuff this year, we may lose Boykin. We'll probably be young next year as well. JMO

DawgyinNC said...

Someone asked about a coach that had renewed success after a slow period in there career, other than JoePa. The answer you are looking for is MACK BROWN at TEXAS. I'm just sayin'.

Anonymous said...

Mike Bobo’s stats beat Mark Richt’s except where it matters: Wins

http://blogs.ajc.com/junkyard-blawg/2010/10/07/mike-bobos-stats-beat-mark-richts-except-where-it-matters-wins/?cxntfid=blogs_junkyard_blawg

IveyLeaguer said...

Ben Dukes, you emotionally made some assumptions about me and they are all wrong. I have never belonged to the group(s)of fans you speak of.

I stand behind what I said about Rambo, but I never said he was the whole problem of the secondary, much less the defense or the team. I know what I'm talking about because I know how to watch film.

You supposedly played ball. If so, you should know that the film doesn't lie. Go back and study them, and you'll see they support the statement I made. Also, if you know anything about playing a skill position, you should know that Rambo shouldn't be making those same mistakes over and over again, and I'm not just talking about play recognition.

Go watch the film.

Next time, especially if it's something I post, you'll do well to think before you react.

~~~