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Friday, September 21, 2007
Calm Dog Richt a tough act to follow
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Athens — When last Georgia headed for Tuscaloosa, Pat Dye claimed the Bulldogs lacked an edge. Five years later, some wonder if Georgia has lost its edge.
Mark Richt doesn’t believe his program has misplaced anything. On the contrary, he believes the Bulldogs can beat Alabama tonight — “I think we’re going to win every time we hook it up” — and can still take the SEC East. He believes in his system, which has, lest we forget, generated four seasons of 10 or more wins, three division titles and two conference championships since 2001.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” he said. “I believe in the process. I believe we’re doing things the right way. … Our process is outstanding. If we continue to apply it, we’ll continue to have success.”
Funny how things work. The managerial equanimity seen as a key component of the 2002 breakthrough — a Dye-repudiating victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium was one of three road triumphs that breathless autumn — is now being viewed in some sectors as a liability. Richt finds this amusing, to a point.
“People need not to confuse toughness with a guy going berserk. … I’m not going to say my demeanor is perfect, but [back in 2002] people were writing, ‘Oh, this guy’s demeanor is unbelievable.’ I was being praised for it. Now we lose a game and there’s something wrong with my demeanor. I guess that’s what sells papers,” Richt said.
Success on the order of Richt’s needs no hard sell. He might not be the finest coach in the college game, but he’s a fixture in any sensible top 10. His record in opponents’ stadiums is an astonishing 22-3, which would seem a powerful indicator of resourcefulness and resolve. And this latest team, which never figured to be Richt’s strongest, should grow more robust with time.
“Offensively, there are two positions where you have to go at [the players’] pace,” he said. “One is quarterback and the other’s the offensive line. Last year we chose to live through having a true freshman [Matthew Stafford] at quarterback, and no matter how good you are, there’s a learning curve that’s not going to let you play consistently enough to have [a championship] year.
“Now Stafford has matured, and I can’t remember in all my years of coaching having an offensive line so young. … Past this season, we should have a veteran quarterback and a veteran line, but we knew coming in there was a hole in our recruiting. Some guys got hurt and some guys didn’t make their grades and some guys didn’t do things the way we wanted and we had to let them go.”
Here Richt steers as close to sarcasm as he ever does. “Not that I’m trying to be a tough guy. Because that’s what tough guys do - throw people off the team.”
He admits he and his players were “sick” over the South Carolina loss, but he manages to retain some sense of balance. “It’s a game of strategy and psychology and physicality, if that’s a word, and sometimes you can do everything perfect - and I’m not saying we did - and not win the doggone game. And I don’t know if we [meaning coaches and players but mostly fans] give the opponent enough credit.”
Not since 2001, Richt’s first season here, had Georgia lost so soon. “Early-season losses can be discouraging, as any loss can be, but they can help you find ways to correct things. … I believed we’d have as good a chance to win the league this year as any other year, and I still believe we could. The question with a team this young is: When we do mature and hit our stride, will we still be in the race? Are we going to be good enough early to be in the race?”
Richt mentions Steve Spurrier, who noted in his arch way that Georgia has lost five consecutive games against SEC East opponents. “Coming into the season, you control your own destiny. Now Spurrier and South Carolina have control over us. But I think they have LSU this week.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “It’s just by chance I knew that.”
His team might be 0-1 in the league and an underdog against Alabama, but Richt is nonetheless having a fine day. He just spoke with Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman winner who’s working with a high school team in Houston, and Richt, via phone, helped his former pupil concoct a game plan. He’s about to go power-walking with strength coach Dave Van Halanger. And, as ever, Richt has some reminder inked on his palm. (It’s a quirk: “If you write something on a piece of paper, you can lose the paper.”)
If this coach were to sport a Note-To-Self tattoo regarding the direction of his program, it wouldn’t read, “Get edgy.” It would read, “Stay the course.”
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