Deja Vu'

I am certain that many here have their own dawg related rituals. Oddly enough, for me, I always grew a full beard every fall/winter and shaved in the spring. As rituals go, I began to associate the timing of my beard growth around the first loss of my beloved dawgs. As a UGA student from 83-87, Coach Dooley provided many a season of chilly cheeks, before I sprouted hair. Coach Goff and Coach Donnan were, for the most part, icons for early growth. There was a season here or a season there that prolonged the process, but it was not uncommon for me to have a full and nicely trimmed beard by Halloween.

Then came Richt and almost immediately my ritual became later and later into the fall season. Sadly, the tipping point always seemed to be around the last of October, but you could bet, with damn near certainty, that it would not be before then....Well, you could!

Now that I am older and I am less inclined to grow a warming swath of grey; much to Ms. NC_Dawgs delight, but I look back upon that ritual of mine and realize that a circle has been completed. We are now, where we were, looking for answers, pointing at assistants and blaming youthful athletes. It's all to mundane and we as the BullDawg Nation, once again find ourselves on familiar, yet uncomfortable ground.

Allow me to illustrate, here are a few quotes, see if you can tell who said each. "I’ve been waiting 55 years to be the head coach of a football team that has this much potential, and I guarantee you that we’re going to get it done." , "It's not like we got shellacked and run off the field" , "...the things that we were doing when we were in the top 10, we're still doing those same things." , "That's two years in a row we've gotten down like the Titanic,..."That's as close to looking like the game was fixed as I've ever seen, the way we were jumping offsides and making a lot of silly mistakes."...

The first is fairly well known and perhaps familiar to a few, and clearly Jim Donnan. The next 3???...That's Mark Richt for the first two and Donnan for the last...Am I the only one who see's similarities? Moreover, those two CMR quotes were expressed following our loss to Arkansas. Have we collectively circumvented the sphere of reason where opponents like Arkansas and Mississippi State are considered "big" games? Seriously??...

There comes a time when diminishing returns signal a need for change. I believe we are now entering that period of recognizing that which we've feared for some time. Whether we are destined to repeat our history, both good or bad, depends on our courage and determination to demand more than mediocrity and we've been mired to our axles long enough!

GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember some of your posts/threads that I first read when I joined this site. You always seemed careful to sort through the "good and the bad".

As much as I hate to say it, things are not good in the BullDawg Nation. What a shame that our Head Coach, with so much talent, seems to have wilted or is wilting on the vine.

SEC is not far from the saying used against the NFL . . . Not For Long or Seen Enough Coach. CMR has been here a while, dean of coaches in the SEC, and never would I have thought this would happen to such a talented man.

We will know a lot more I expect after the Miss State game NC_Dawg. The pressure only builds at this point. . . . So much more expected these days.

Buc, As a young grasshopper of only 7 years as a Dawg fan and resident of Athens I do not have the wisdom nor history that you an NC_Dawg have. However I have been blessed to spend 66 plus years roaming this planet and enjoying what the God Lord has placed here.
When faced having to choose an answer to problem a mentor early on taught me to ask three questions.

1. Is it legal
2. Is It ethical
3. Does it make sense

Three games into the season we have learned, AM will win in the SEC at home and on the road. Bright spot on the rise !

CMR made the correct choice for our new DC and given time he and the other "D" coaches will correct that side of the ball without any question.

To the above three questions CMR supplies the answers we as the Bulldog Nation expect for him as our coach and leader. How would you say Bruce Pearl did on his answering his questions by the NCAA - Lame KIffin - Pete Carol- et al.

The road in college sports is filled with all kinds of land mines just waiting to blow up a program.

It took what many think as to long to fire WM but he did and moved on, I am not ready to bail just yet. All summer long we spoke of questions about this team and at that time had no idea about AJ sitting 4 games. When all is said and done I feel we will reflect back on this season and will see much of the expected improvements that were needed.

As always "Go Dawgs "

I have a qustion for everyone and I probably already know what you will say, but here goes.

How can south carolina with a 2nd year DC have a top 10 defense last year, and so far this year. Do we not have greater talent than they do. What about Fla, they have a new DC and they seem to be still winning.

It seems some want to blame the problems of new people, and I telling you with the talent we have and some common sense, I think you and I could win or have these guys play better than what they are doing. I mean these are the same problems we have had for going on 5 years,
we lose to Vandy, Ky get blown out by Tenn twice, Fla twice, Ala, It has got to be more to our problems than an old DC and A new DC ect.


Duck

Well, We changed to a 3-4 which is a whole different animal, we do not have the Bigguns yet for a 3-4 as I thought before the season started. Also UF hasnt played anyone yet. We have slipped as a program some. But also SC and ARK have gotten better than they use to be. We will get back, all programs go threw ups and downs. As I said before even bear bryant had a couple of 6-5 seasons and a 1-9 season, CVD had some ups and downs. The difference in UGA when CMR first got here was He was calling the plays more into the OFF. and BVG was The DC. CMR is still who he was then. He wasnt a firey guy when we were kickn butt and he hasnt changed now. What changed was Him calling the plays and BVG. We must give CTG some more time, and should change our OC and things should get back to the way they were IMO. Yes this sux, And I hate it too but it cant happen overnight.

This is not about the character, morals and professional demeanor of either the program or the coach. Mark Richt is one of the finest men I've ever met. However, personal and professional traits are only part of the equation, another significant part falls into the win/loss column, as well as the ability to adapt, improvise and improve in a career field that is never static. Fail in one of these areas and you'll get a pass, at least temporarily, from the fan base. Begin failing in more than one of these areas and your days become numbered.

Duck raised some extremely poignant questions. Questions that make me fearful that our slide into mediocrity will only worsen. It has been CMR who has lead this program, hired and fired assistant coaches and is otherwise engaged in every aspect. If we are, in fact, doing exactly the same today, that we were doing when we were a Top 10 team, then perhaps its the leader and his gameplan that should be questioned. Talent comes and goes, and in this dawgs humble opinion, CMR has done less with more than Dooley, Goff and Donnan combined.

I may be wrong, and if I am, I'll be the first to admit my error. However, I've seen this movie before and I'm afraid the happy ending we all wanted slipped from our grasp 5-7 years ago....

"Named must your fear be before banish it you can.” - Yoda

GO DAWGS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!