Monday Thoughts - Why Kirby Smart will be a Success: Culture

I hope everyone here at the forum is having a joyous Christmas season and looking forward to a new year. I thought it would be fun to post a little mini-series on the reasons why I think Kirby will have the success we all hope that he does at his time here.

I have been doing a lot of thinking, studying, and re-listening to a lot of the pundits over the last few days talk about the Kirby Smart hire. There's been a lot of talk on here about expectations and the sort, but I want to move away from expectations and talk more about the objective differences that CKS will bring to Georgia that I believe will translate into success.

First of all, if Georgia had made a bad hire, no matter how much I wanted to see Richt hit the bricks, I would have called it out as a bad hire. This was not a bad hire; let's just get that out there right now. This was far from a bad hire. There's been no shortage of chatter from the so-called experts about how Georgia could have done better, and how an elite program doesn't hire a coordinator to learn on the job at a program like Georgia. Normally, I would agree with this. However, there are exceptions to every rule, and Kirby is most certainly one of those exceptions. I don't need to go into the obvious nature of those exceptions, so let's just move forward and talk about why this hire was indeed the best move for Georgia and why Kirby will be successful.

Culture and Mindset

I've harped on this for eons now, and I think it is the #1 thing at Georgia inside the program that has needed a complete overhaul for a long time. This may sound harsh, but here it goes: there needs to be established a culture of high expectations and a demand that winning, not "competing," is the objective. This has been woefully absent for a very long time here. There needs to be, from the outset of spring practice, a standard laid down that the status quo is finished. If this program wants to win the SEC games it has so lacked in winning and make it to the playoffs to seriously make a run at a national championship, it starts with the culture and the mindset of winning. We heard this in Kirby's introductory presser, when he said: "Now about our brand of football...Our teams will display great mental and physical toughness. we will work toward [this] with relentless energy and passion." Why do you think he was so adamant about laying that out in his first public address as head coach?

Relentless energy and passion, mental and physical toughness are not qualities I would, in all fairness, say that we've witnessed out of this team in a long time in any fashion. And it is the number one thing that absolutely must change if anything else is going to be built here. Those qualities are what it takes to win big in today's SEC and NCAA power 5 conferences as a whole, but particularly the SEC gauntlet. The fact that Kirby sees this and had the fortitude to lay that out there tells me that he gets it, right out of the gate.

One thing you'll see and come to know about Saban and his coaches if you study them is that they have an absolute conviction that football is first and foremost a mental game. Mindset, focus, attitude, energy, and commitment are the things they drive home day in and day out. Winning every play is a culture that must envelop the program if you have any chance of winning it all. You'll see, in practice, Saban and his assistants up close, in faces, demanding relentless effort in pursuing perfection from players in what they're trying to impart.

If you want to get a look at the differences in culture that we're going to see, watch this little series about Bama's training camp. If you want a preview of coming attractions with Kirby, just watch:



If you want a comparison to our program, watch this one:



I'd be interested in hearing some comments from the knowledgable folks here in what their impressions of those two examples tell them.

One of the things I noticed in our camp video was the players were talking about the weather and how hot things were. In Bama's video, the players said afterwards that they weren't even allowed to say the word "hot" on the field. Might sounds small, but it's significant, as it's all part of that mental toughness Saban preaches.

In the previous "expectations" thread, we discussed sort of the numbers and x's and o's about our expectations. I agree with everything everyone wrote. This thread isn't about expectation, but about the objective changes we're going to see in day-to-day operations of this program that I know will make Kirby's tenure here a success. I argue that before we see our expectations fulfilled, first comes the culture change. Culture is the fertile soil that will allow the seed of x's and o's from the coaches to take root. Without that winning culture and all of its requisite components, you can drill x's and o's all day and it won't have the same impact or result on field if the mindset and focus of a winning culture isn't there.

This is the #1 reason that I know Kirby will be a success here.

Having been a long time Richt Sycophant myself, I finally woke up last spring when the QB competition required recruiting the loser of the Virginia spring competition. Failure to recruit AND develop the next leader of the offense was enough for me.

However, possibly the most GALLING quote I ever heard in the competitive arena was when Richt stated that rings just gather dust. That works FINE if you are running a rehab clinic, or if you are running a home for orphans . . . but if you are running a championship caliber football program, it (ironically) demonstrates a LACK of perspective about what your JOB is.

As far as I'm concerned, Smart is going to have tremendous success, perhaps MOSTLY because he DOES have a great sense of perspective. He also understands what it takes to succeed in the SEC arena - demonstrated by his championship rings AND his priority for being a football-brick-and-mortar-mason - build that wall, Kirby!

Gooooooo DAWGS!

First off it is appreciated that a thread such as this one found its way to Dawgs.com.

There have been many pieces of work displayed here that leave little doubt the members are deeply involved with Georgia football and the University of Georgia as a whole.

What is visible in the videos leaves little doubt about work ethic. Every football team or I will say the vast majority of football teams in the country work hard. Football is tough physically, but the real game is played more times than not mentally. Whether a lineman or any other position, comes a time in almost every game that "thinking on ones feet" comes into play.

One quick example of the above . . . . lineman tend to play a certain way, not all lineman have "everything". Smart football comes into play when one knows what to expect when the ball is snapped.

Right around the 21:30 minute mark of the UGA video Mark Richt discusses the center position. Mentioning that Kublanow went to videos to learn more about playing the position. That is good, shows the young man wants to excel. Bad thing is the head coach saying that Kublanow went elsewhere to learn how to play the position. Reminded me of several players that have come through our program and had to go "elsewhere" to improve their game.

One player in particular came to mind, Blair Walsh, now the kicker for the Minnesota Vikings. Won't go into great detail, Walsh however was in the NFL camp for less than a week and he had a coach turn his kicking game into one of the best in professional football. When he left Athens, there was some criticism from one time Georgia kicker that blasted the lack of coaching needed for Walsh to improve.

Often it has been mentioned on this board that the lack of "Leadership" has been the missing component. If we had changed only the head coaching position and the remainder of the coaching staff had signed on, I would not have had a problem with that. I also know that will not happen anywhere, leader changes, then the staff changes, business world or football world.

One thing that Mark Richt said in his departing press conference was he wanted to be more hands on. I still shake my head and think . . . . what exactly prevented that from happening in Athens? Goes to one point that you made in the thread SouthernDawg "Culture and Mindset" two very powerful words. Need to be applied with "caution and understanding" . . . . guess that also falls under "Leadership".

There is a lot to discuss in the thread SouthernDawg, know "I shall return" as General Douglas McArthur said to the Philipino People in the 1940's.

Another solid read. Thanks.

There's no doubt SouthernDawg... our culture
around here was about developing good people first and a great football team second.

No doubt whatsoever. The mistake that was made was that our former regime thought these things were mutually exclusive of one another when in fact they are not. There is more than one way to craft a few good men, but Richt only knew one way. I would say though that I've seen hard discipline and some things very different than what was taught here craft more than a few.

There is also no doubt that in our culture here, we were soft and did not have the attitude of a champion. I'm not trying to be ugly, but it's just
an absolute fact.

It's not just a physical thing either... we were mentally soft.

Facts, and we know it. We've known it for a long time. We just knew the caliber of the young men who were here and thought they could overcome, but as I said many times: a team takes on the attitude of their leadership and winning came
second there.

Sorry if that's harsh. It is what it is.

SouthernDawg, on occasion there is a thread on Dawgs.com that stays in my head. That causes me to look into what it is that keeps the thought there.

I am and have always been a person that looks for answers. Don't always find them, but I sure as heck look.

Comes down to this for me after reading carefully through your thread again.

Anyone doubting that Nick Saban has not researched Paul Bear Bryant is not on point. Anyone that thinks that Kirby Smart has not followed closely the teachings of Nick Saban, is not on point.

As you mention x's and o's, many can and do teach that way. There are some that coach more than "football x's and o's", and the following video explains that.

Not often many that have played and written about the game will speak to an individual with the reverence that is shown in the video below.

SouthernDawg, this video in my mind answers the questions and thoughts you ask for in this thread.

Alabama continues to set the SEC standard.
Hopefully Kirby Smart brings that standard to Georgia.

Saban has let Smart's secretary at Alabama assist Kirby in his duties as HC at Georgia.
That is class.

Rumors are that after Smart talks to a potential recruit, he hands the phone to Pruitt.
Respect.