Richt's Target (Sorry if already posted)

[ToP-oF-tHe-ClAsS 2]

Richt zeroing in on Cowboys' Grantham

January, 12, 2010 Jan 122:15PM ETComment Email Print Share By Chris Low

Georgia coach Mark Richt has amped up his pursuit of Dallas Cowboys defensive line coach Todd Grantham to be the Bulldogs next defensive coordinator.

Richt knows he cant allow this to drag on much longer, especially with national signing day approaching. Alabamas Kirby Smart became the third different person to turn down Richt on Monday despite being offered a three-year deal worth $750,000 annually.

Several people close to the situation say Grantham is very interested, but doesnt want to do anything that would serve as a distraction for the Cowboys during their playoff run.

Richt and Grantham have already talked about the position, according to ESPN.coms Mark Schlabach. Grantham, 43, owns a vacation home at Lake Oconee, near the Georgia campus in Athens.

Depending on how long the Cowboys last in the playoffs, it could be that Richt goes ahead and names Grantham the Bulldogs defensive coordinator and that Grantham doesnt actually begin his coaching duties at Georgia until after the Cowboys are out of the playoffs.

Either way, its pretty clear at this point that Grantham is Richts main target and has been on Richts radar for some time.

Like Smart, Grantham is a Nick Saban disciple and worked under Saban at Michigan State. Hes been on the Cowboys staff the last two seasons and was the Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator prior to that.

Grantham, who played at Virginia Tech and got his coaching start under Frank Beamer, is well respected among his peers and still comes to speak to Saban and the Alabama staff in the offseason. Saban tried to hire Grantham as his defensive coordinator when Saban went to the Miami Dolphins in 2005, but Grantham opted for the Browns' job instead.

His defense of choice has been the 3-4, which is also the same one Saban runs at Alabama.

Smart, the Frank Broyles Award winner this year as the top assistant coach in college football, has told several people that Georgia did everything right in trying to get him and that turning down his alma mater was excruciatingly difficult. In the end, he just felt like the best move for him professionally was to remain at Alabama under Saban.

The Crimson Tide also sweetened his deal to stay, and while it may not match the $750,000 figure that Georgia was offering, it will at least approach that number and make him one of the highest paid coordinators in the country.

Saban has made it clear he expects the next move Smart makes will be for a head coaching job.

Edited January 13, 2010 by ToP-oF-tHe-ClAsS

[AutoMax 216]

We don't want to distract him. We just want to sign him.

[Statick 13,291]

Just sign the man to a contract already.

[ToP-oF-tHe-ClAsS 2]

I am pretty excited about the chance for us to become a 3-4 defense. Stats show those are the most confusing and successful at least in the recent history.

[Carter 24,534]

I am pretty excited about the chance for us to become a 3-4 defense. Stats show those are the most confusing and successful at least in the recent history.

Yeah but Weston was the only guy we really had that could play nose... we don't really have a big guy to anchor the middle right now and I wouldn't trust a true freshman to handle it well in the 1st year of both the player and the system.

Wouldn't be opposed to working in 3-4 looks and then transitioning to the 3-4 in a season or two, but I just don't see an efficient 3-4 defense when I look at our roster. We have the LBs, sure... but that's meaningless if we don't have the guys up front to eat up blockers and be disruptive.

[RedandBlack4Life! 490]

I am pretty excited about the chance for us to become a 3-4 defense. Stats show those are the most confusing and successful at least in the recent history.

the 3-4 defense,(when run correctly) also works really well against the option.

[RedandBlack4Life! 490]

Yeah but Weston was the only guy we really had that could play nose... we don't really have a big guy to anchor the middle right now and I wouldn't trust a true freshman to handle it well in the 1st year of both the player and the system.

Wouldn't be opposed to working in 3-4 looks and then transitioning to the 3-4 in a season or two, but I just don't see an efficient 3-4 defense when I look at our roster. We have the LBs, sure... but that's meaningless if we don't have the guys up front to eat up blockers and be disruptive.

yeah that's usually what happens when transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4. You don't all of a sudden just change immediately into a 3-4, you have to work into it. If we land Grantham (God, I hope so!!), then next year's defensive recruits will be those that fit the 3-4.

[Deacon 13 44]

Yeah but Weston was the only guy we really had that could play nose... we don't really have a big guy to anchor the middle right now and I wouldn't trust a true freshman to handle it well in the 1st year of both the player and the system.

Wouldn't be opposed to working in 3-4 looks and then transitioning to the 3-4 in a season or two, but I just don't see an efficient 3-4 defense when I look at our roster. We have the LBs, sure... but that's meaningless if we don't have the guys up front to eat up blockers and be disruptive.

Kwame Geathers red-shirted last year and was practicing as a DT. 6'6" 326. Looks like he fits the NT bill to me.

[LawDawg 1,409]

I'm NOT a Brett Favre fan. But here's hoping that the Vikings can knock Dallas out of the playoffs so we can expedite this process as quickly as possible. GO VIKES!

[sdogg 9,792]

Come on, just sign and finish up with the Cowboys and then get to working on our defense. We have some recruiting to do.