The University of Georgia Bulldogs have recently experienced the turmoil caused by the firing of a head coach with a .740 winning percentage. Whether or not you agree with the move no longer matters. The change has been made. What's done is done. Now if you are a fan of Georgia Bulldog football, you should want even greater success for the team, and that is exactly what Kirby Smart promised to deliver in time during his press conference. Coach Smart doesn't need to begin his career as the UGA head coach under a cloud of negativity and a set of unrealistic expectations. Just because Mark Bradley pointed out that Jim McElwain won the SEC Eastern division in his first year doesn't mean we should make that the standard for Coach Smart. Coach Richt didn't win the SEC until his second year in Athens. Mark Bradley knows basketball. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop him from sharing his opinions on football or baseball. Coach Smart said that he will demand excellence in every facet of the program, and that we will continue to do things The Georgia Way -- we will win with integrity, and lose (on those rare occasions) with dignity. That's really all we can ask...the titles will come in time. He also promised that he and his staff will bring the best athletes he can find to Athens and then make them into highly skilled players. Several top-rated potential recruits for the defense have already moved Georgia to the very top of their list because of Coach Smart. Coach Richt had been in the process of assembling a stellar recruiting class, the best in his tenure by … [Read more...]
Mark Richt: the best man for a difficult job
Famous tennis instructor Dennis Van der Meer has often said that a player's IQ is cut in half as soon as he or she steps onto the court and the games begin. His quip translates to mean in the spur of the moment during heated competition, people tend to make ill-advised, emotional decisions as opposed to rational and reasonable ones. Apparently, that would also be an appropriate way to describe many Georgia Bulldog fans, especially during football season. Fans who are calling for a coaching change have let emotion shape their comments, which often lack logic and intelligent thought. People are called "fans" for a reason. It's short for fanatic. These "fair-weather" fans have unrealistic expectations for the present, and a very myopic vision for the future. The truth of the matter is that Mark Richt is an excellent football coach. However, his team has already lost twice this season. Some of our fair-weather fans (apparently those few suffering from temporary insanity) have called for Mark Richt to be fired. To fire Coach Richt at the end of this season wouldn't just be dumb, it would be one of the most stupid decisions in school history -- and that even includes Jake Scott's legendary death-defying ride over Stegeman Coliseum on a motorcycle. Coach Richt is currently one of the best in the business, and when he finally retires, he will ultimately be considered one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. The fair-weather Georgia fans currently calling for his ouster may be wondering -- how can anyone make such an outlandish claim, … [Read more...]
