Official Ga. Tech @ UGA Game Thread

[Deacon 13]

It makes me wonder, how on Earth is the defense as bad as it is? UGA averages 31 points a game this year. And 29 last year. If they had a middle of the pack defense they would have probably had a great record the last 2 years.

It makes me wonder if some "new" D scheme will come about in the next few years in order to counter the spread.

[ATLBrave]

So make up your mind. Are they recruiting well or not?

How is he not making up his mind? He's saying we are recruiting talent, but the talent is just not coming through because the players aren't getting it.

[ATLBrave]

It makes me wonder if some "new" D scheme will come about in the next few years in order to counter the spread.

Game of football is ever-adapting, so the safe bet is yes. Teams are already going about the process of matching the speed of a spread offense with speed on defense, so we are already seeing subtle steps being taken towards it.

[lex7500]

If Bobo is fired, I would be shocked...Don't think Richt will do that. If we don't win atleast 8 games next year Richt should and will be gone...

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

How is he not making up his mind? He's saying we are recruiting talent, but the talent is just not coming through because the players aren't getting it.

Either way, it sounds like a coaching problem to me.

[kingjamez]

I still want Bobo to coach QB's. He has done a masterful job with numerous QB's in the pro-style offense..

[ATLBrave]

I don't think Bobo will be fired either. He'd be demoted before Richt let one of his better position coaches and recruiters get away, Martinez notwithstanding.

[Billy Ocean]

It makes me wonder if some "new" D scheme will come about in the next few years in order to counter the spread.

Some form of Nickel is still the best bet against the spread. It's been a while since somebody like Buddy Ryan created a "new" defensive scheme. TCU's defense is a little different and intriguing, but I honestly haven't seen enough of it to really form an opinion.

[ATLBrave]

Either way, it sounds like a coaching problem to me.

That's what it would point to, but I also place the problem on the fact that we just aren't recruiting smart players (when I say smart, I mean football IQ-wise, not overall intelligence). Players can be coached up all day long, but at the end of the day, if they can't force themselves to stay in their lanes or make the right read, then that falls on said players, not the coaches. Do we have deficiencies at coaching? Sure, but every school does. I've got full faith in this staff to get it turned around, but the culture needs to change for everyone, including the players if we want to get back to the level of success we expect.

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

That's what it would point to, but I also place the problem on the fact that we just aren't recruiting smart players (when I say smart, I mean football IQ-wise, not overall intelligence). Players can be coached up all day long, but at the end of the day, if they can't force themselves to stay in their lanes or make the right read, then that falls on said players, not the coaches. Do we have deficiencies at coaching? Sure, but every school does. I've got full faith in this staff to get it turned around, but the culture needs to change for everyone, including the players if we want to get back to the level of success we expect.

I'm not sure that buy that. Richt, Saban, and Meyer seem to be all chasing the same recruits year in and year out but it seems that only UGA gets the dumb ones.

It think that it's coaching, not recruiting.

[Carter]

So make up your mind. Are they recruiting well or not?

I never said we're not recruiting well. You might think you have the right opinion or something just because your family is involved in coaching, but I promise you not everything is a "black and white" issue with an easy answer as you seem to make it out any time you start talking about UGAs coaches.

Every program goes through a down period. What's important is how we evaluate and move forward from it. I think we hit a home run with Grantham and Belin and I feel that Lakatos will bring our secondary up to par or better, but we were not going to see a drastic improvement over last year with so much changing across the whole team in just one year.

This team has nowhere to go but up after this year. If they somehow don't improve then I pretty much agree with you that we'll be seeing some major movement in Athens. But honestly I feel, as I said, this team has nowhere to go but up and I fully expect to see a lot of improvement next year... with or without Green/Houston.

[Reeves]

I never said we're not recruiting well. I promise you not everything is a "black and white" issue with an easy answer

Every program goes through a down period. What's important is how we evaluate and move forward from it. I think we hit a home run with Grantham and Belin and I feel that Lakatos will bring our secondary up to par or better, but we were not going to see a drastic improvement over last year with so much changing across the whole team in just one year.

This team has nowhere to go but up after this year. If they somehow don't improve then I pretty much agree with you that we'll be seeing some major movement in Athens. But honestly I feel, as I said, this team has nowhere to go but up and I fully expect to see a lot of improvement next year... with or without Green/Houston.

These statements will prove true in time, IMO.

Good stuff Carter.

[Billy Ocean]

Richt, Saban, and Meyer seem to be all chasing the same recruits year in and year out but it seems that only UGA gets the dumb ones.

I generally agree with this, but UF did get a lot of dumb/ belligerent freshmen in their '10 recruiting class.

[Gritzblitz 2.0]

Some of you seem to be so concerned about losing good recruiters. But what's the point of good recruiting if it doesn't translate to wins?

I would have thought that UGA fans would have learned this lesson after Jim Donnan. He had a ton of NFL talent, but nothing to show for it.

[Billy Ocean]

I never said we're not recruiting well. You might think you have the right opinion or something just because your family is involved in coaching, but I promise you not everything is a "black and white" issue with an easy answer as you seem to make it out any time you start talking about UGAs coaches.

Every program goes through a down period. What's important is how we evaluate and move forward from it. I think we hit a home run with Grantham and Belin and I feel that Lakatos will bring our secondary up to par or better, but we were not going to see a drastic improvement over last year with so much changing across the whole team in just one year.

This team has nowhere to go but up after this year. If they somehow don't improve then I pretty much agree with you that we'll be seeing some major movement in Athens. But honestly I feel, as I said, this team has nowhere to go but up and I fully expect to see a lot of improvement next year... with or without Green/Houston.

We need a wholesale change in our culture, for lack of a better word. S&C is the first step in that, but I honestly don't know exactly what else should be done. We can't just go back to our '01-'05 culture - we have to reinvent some kinda way. Now I feel I'm getting too abstract...

[ATLBrave]

I'm not sure that buy that. Richt, Saban, and Meyer seem to be all chasing the same recruits year in and year out but it seems that only UGA gets the dumb ones.

It think that it's coaching, not recruiting.

I could care less what you buy and no where did I say that we are the only team that gets the dumb players, but a lot of our guys just aren't intelligent football players. There are instances where your talent is going to outshine your football IQ, but it is rare, especially on the defensive side where most of our problems occur. I'm not going to sit here and believe that a coach who taught an NFL defense and had it in the top 10 overall can't teach players how to play. Nor will I believe that a guy like Lakatos, who did a great job at UConn with their defensive backfield just all of a sudden forgot how to coach either. We seem to have gotten rid of our coaching problems in Martinez and Jansen, and fans need to give these guys a chance to recruit their kind of players for more than just a few months. If we're talking about the same problems come this time next season, then yes, like Carter said, there will be some major changes in this program I won't be able to disagree with them.

[ATLBrave]

Some of you seem to be so concerned about losing good recruiters. But what's the point of good recruiting if it doesn't translate to wins?

I would have thought that UGA fans would have learned this lesson after Jim Donnan. He had a ton of NFL talent, but nothing to show for it.

Mike Bobo is a helluva of a recruiter AND coach, as evident by the QB play at UGA over the last decade that he has been at UGA (well 9 years exactly), and THAT is why people don't want him fired.

[Billy Ocean]

I'm not going to sit here and believe that a coach who taught an NFL defense and had it in the top 10 overall can't teach players how to play. Nor will I believe that a guy like Lakatos, who did a great job at UConn with their defensive backfield just all of a sudden forgot how to coach either.

I'm still willing to give Grantham the benefit of the doubt, but that was all Wade Phillips with the Dallas D. Belin is awesome. At this point I have the least confidence in Lakatos of any position coach we have.

[ATLBrave]

I'm still willing to give Grantham the benefit of the doubt, but that was all Wade Phillips with the Dallas D. Belin is awesome. At this point I have the least confidence in Lakatos of any position coach we have.

I'm talking about his time as the Cleveland DC. And I've got less confidence in Searles than I have in any coach on the team, GA's be damned. If people want to talk about doing less with more, point your finger at him first.

[Jimsmusic™]

id like a new OC.. but put bobo as QB coach.

[Carter]

We need a wholesale change in our culture, for lack of a better word. S&C is the first step in that, but I honestly don't know exactly what else should be done. We can't just go back to our '01-'05 culture - we have to reinvent some kinda way. Now I feel I'm getting too abstract...

Yep, I know what you're getting at and I agree... the culture needs to change and I believe we saw it beginning to change for the better throughout the course of this season. The team never gave in or gave up, even when things started looking ugly and things weren't going our way.

There will be changes made to S&C and I think we will see immediate results from the program being revamped and better staffed.

[Billy Ocean]

I'm talking about his time as the Cleveland DC. And I've got less confidence in Searles than I have in any coach on the team, GA's be damned. If people want to talk about doing less with more, point your finger at him first.

I'm not happy with the o-line play this year, but Searles would be the most sought after coach on our roster.

[ATLBrave]

I'm not happy with the o-line play this year, but Searles would be the most sought after coach on our roster.

By all means, let him go. The man is a great recruiter, part of the reason he has been around for as long as he has, but the guy does nothing with the talent we bring in for the OL.

[Billy Ocean]

Yep, I know what you're getting at and I agree... the culture needs to change and I believe we saw it beginning to change for the better throughout the course of this season. The team never gave in or gave up, even when things started looking ugly and things weren't going our way.

I'll say one thing for this year's team - at least they never disappeared or laid down for a entire half or whole game as we saw far too often from the WVU Sugar Bowl to the '09 Tennessee game.

[Billy Ocean]

By all means, let him go. The man is a great recruiter, part of the reason he has been around for as long as he has, but the guy does nothing with the talent we bring in for the OL.

Josh Davis, Cordy Glenn, and Chris Davis were injured to the point that they shouldn't have been playing at the beginning of the season, or ever in Chris' case, but I too expected better o-line play as we got healthier. I still definitely wouldn't get rid of Searels, though. S&C and depth are the 2 things wrong with the o-line. Both will be better next season.