I owe all of the lofty expectations I have of Georgia Football to Coach Mark Richt’s first five years. There is no taking away the fact that he reignited a dormant program and turned it once again into a respectable and formidable powerhouse. But if there is another lesson we have learned from his tenure, it is that Mark Richt does have a ceiling. That ceiling is an SEC Championship every five years, winning our division 30 percent of the time, and never competing for a National Championship. Most Division I programs would kill to have a ceiling like that. And Georgia fans owe Mark Richt an eternal debt of gratitude for bringing our program to the level it is today—and that can never be taken away. But Georgia is not most Division I programs. It is a Top 10 Division I program.
Mark Richt the man is the type of person without a ceiling. His character and civility are unrivaled, and his actions are beyond reproach. But Mark Richt the coach has a ceiling. It is a ceiling that should be unacceptable for a Dawg fan. We have to part ways with Mark Richt the coach, and bring in someone with a higher ceiling. It is time to knock the lid off of this program.
The points are well-taken. In my heart of hearts, I'm afraid he could be right. But, regardless, I'm confident Richt will get 2011 to try to prove Afghan Dawg wrong.
A couple of comments for the Afghan Dawg.
ReplyDelete1. Are we really a Top 10 program? Or are you and a lot of UGA fans giving a little more credit to the program than it deserves.
2. If we are a Top 10 program it is because of Mark Richt. He took us to a very elite level. I say we give him one more chance to bring us back to that level. I agree that some changes needed to be made a lot sooner than they were, but they have been made(finale) and it looks like they are starting to work. This was a rebuilding year. Give him a chance to right the ship in 2011. From what I have been seeing, especially with the last 4 games, I like the direction we are heading in.
I can't speak for Afghan Dawg, but I will offer the following:
ReplyDelete1. It depends on your definition of a Top 10 program. But we are the most profitable program in the country and are Top 10 in revenue. We have averaged a Top 10 recruiting class over Richt's tenure. We have also finished in the Top 10 at the end of the season 6 times under Mark Richt. If you averaged final poll position over the years in which Richt has been head coach, I bet you'll find UGA in the Top 10.
2. That is true. No one disagrees with that. But because a coach got you to the Top 10, how many years of goodwill does that buy him? Being a successful college football coach is a double-edged sword. Your own success could be the end of you. Even when you keep pushing the bar higher and higher, you still have to be able to jump over it each time. That's where Richt is. He pushed the bar high, and now can't get back over it. Many people have said, "Well, thanks Richt, for taking us this far. Now, let's bring in the closer and finish the drill." Many people think Richt just cannot get us over the hump, or the most recent level to which he has raised the bar. We were ranked #1 in the country and had Stafford, Moreno and Green. Many think that was the peak. It's been downhill ever since. So, how far must the program continue to slip before Richt has burned up his goodwill and a change needs to be made?
1. Good call. We are a top ten program.
ReplyDelete2. Who is this closer? Who will be a better coach. I guess i have a problem with the mentality you are preaching. I know what I am getting with Richt, I have no idea what would happen with a "closer". Right now we have 6 top ten finishes in 9 years with Richt. So I say we give him a few more years. Think long term and not short term. I think the moves he has made will pan out for us and we return to the top of the SEC. Maybe I am wrong, but it is what I believe. Loyalty should be something Richt has earned.
Loyalty is something Richt practices, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point. And I don't think Richt should be fired right now. I don't think he will be, either. Who is the closer? I don't know. But we've got one more year to find him.