From Athens- Thursday Thoughts

It is a good bet that there will be more surprises coming

From MR as he fills out his staff....

Of greater interest will be who fills the remaining spots

Here in Athens...... Just tossing this out...

Miami plays in the same conference as Clemson, NC..

Duke...FSU.....and others who are not going to roll over

Now that MR is now coaching in the ACC...

Still have to play the games.... Go Dawgs

yankeedawg1 wrote: It is a good bet that there will be more surprises coming

From MR as he fills out his staff....

Of greater interest will be who fills the remaining spots

Here in Athens...... Just tossing this out...

Miami plays in the same conference as Clemson, NC..

Duke...FSU.....and others who are not going to roll over

Now that MR is now coaching in the ACC...

Still have to play the games.... Go Dawgs

Many say or think the ACC is not the equal of the SEC. From top to bottom, agree.

Anyone thinks that FSU is going to fall off of the radar, better take a closer look. Like Jimbo Fisher or not, he has steadily built a pipeline in Florida that produces results. The talent level in Tallahassee will not dwindle anytime soon. FSU made a "big move" when removing Bobby Bowden, knowing that would cause a lot of controversy. It did. And the results of removing a "big time name" . . . . FSU stopped the slide that was occurring.

North Carolina, a bit tired of being misused and abused by some that sit at the top of the University, hired a leader. Many very talented football players in North Carolina that have chosen to move elsewhere to play football. That is fast becoming a thing of the past.

Comes down to this . . . . hire the right coaches, good things follow.

Good and great players all over the Southeast and elsewhere. Scholarship rules prevent too much of the "hanky panky stuff" that once went on. Electronics has changed the way football is played, from Pee Wee to NFL. Lots of eyes.

Whether any of us think that Clemson is the best D1 football team in college football or not, they are where they are because of . . . . in my opinion, solid coaching. Coaching that often crosses the state line between Georgia and South Carolina and comes away with . . . . A QUARTERBACK from Gainesville, Georgia.

Have to say this . . . . Tennessee crossed state lines and came away with A QUARTERBACK from Alpharetta, Georgia.

Maybe I am wrong, could it be that the ACC is weaker with the hiring of a supposed quarterback coach with 15 years experience in the SEC?

Dancing around with this post, lots of thoughts passing through the gray matter.

Thank you Greg McGarity for saying no to Mark Richt when he asked for one more year. Have not had a lot of nice things to say about McGarity, high fives on this issue. Now get out of the way and allow Kirby Smart and Company to do what they do best . . . . Coach D1 football.

Buc....what you said...exactly.....

Be sure to leave Santa one of your Bloodies.....it will

Help him along....just so much cookies and milk..

Go Dawgs

Call it sympathy for the devil, but I don't have as much of an axe to grind with McGarity as others do. He stepped in to the job and the cult of Richt was never stronger. I think he's gotten a bad rap simply because we all knew he needed to end the vacation bible school going on in Athens about five years ago. While I do agree that he was a few years too late on this severance with Richt, at least it happened. As of a month ago, I didn't think "the end" would ever come. I figured Richt would be here until he (a) retired, (b) died, or (c) amassed such a losing record that it would only make sense for him to be terminated. I didn't think McGarity had it in him to do what needed to be done. Maybe it was pressure from Jere Morehead, or maybe it was his own doing, but he did what he had to do in the face of tremendous pressure not to do it. I haven't been McGarity's biggest fan, but as far as I'm concerned now, he's square with the house.

McGarity was in a very tough position - the man to fire a coach that is both beloved and has a winning record that few can argue with from the standpoint of stats alone. When he said in the Richt dismissal press conference that "these are the toughest decisions an AD has to make," he wasn't lying. Particularly in the case of a Mark Richt. Now, I don't think the decision (i.e.- determining what to do with Richt) was the tough part, but the backlash from the fans and the media who defend Richt, his record, and his culture.

I was at the barber shop today getting my Christmas cut & shave and the subject of Georgia football came up from the perspective of Big 10 fans. My barber said "I think the Richt firing simply shows what the standard is in the SEC. Other schools and their fans would fall all over themselves to have a coach like Richt. Right or wrong, Georgia made a hell of a statement with that firing and that statement is that they're about winning championships, not having nice records. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know. It could backfire on you guys, but you all charted the course and said this is where we're going. But I do know that when you look at LSU who was about to fire Les Miles and Georgia who did fire Richt, it's clear that their standard in the SEC is simply a cut above other conferences."

yankeedawg1 wrote: Buc....what you said...exactly.....

Be sure to leave Santa one of your Bloodies.....it will

Help him along....just so much cookies and milk..

Go Dawgs

yd1, have several family members with us for Christmas and the holidays, we have definitely had Bloodies. I have a very active key lime tree on the property which makes for a really good BM.

Did watch Georgia Southern win convincingly last evening. They are close to the heart strings because of Erk.

Believe our defense is going to be more than maybe some think. Pruitt left this group with a lot of what Kirby Smart teaches in Tuscaloosa.

Also appreciate Rob Sale staying with his group of offensive linemen, shows a lot of class. Young man has a future in coaching. Will Friend did same with his young men in the Belk Bowl. Still some classy coaches in the college football world.

Who is ks going to hire as defensive coordinator? Since he hasn't hired anyone that makes me think he's talking to someone coaching the final four. Maybe Mel tucker. I don't know nothing about him but I'm sure he wasn't happy when he wasn't promoted as bama dc. Good or bad the oc he chose is not a "sexy" choice. I'm looking for the dc to be a little flashier.