Coaching at the ol' Alma Mater...

Made a side trip today to speak with a friend who is a NC fan to see how he felt about the upcoming season opener. He made a comment that made me think: "I like the way things worked out, Mark Richt going to Miami and Kirby Smart going to Georgia." Then he gave up a gem of a thought: "Do you think they will coach better at their Alma Mater?"

I suppose the general feeling is that a coach gives his all regardless of where he's at, but this question was loaded with innuendo. Will Mark Richt be a better coach at Miami? Will Kirby Smart give his all because he's at Georgia.

Got me thinking along these lines. If I'm a coach, I have no better destination than Georgia, because that's where I went to school. And, because I went to school at Georgia, there's a part of me that's driven more deeply to succeed. I hate to say it, but I think a coach feels a greater sense of responsibility to his alma mater than any other. It's about loyalty and a need to bring out the best in a program that he followed or played for as a student. It's like being a teacher, but one day having one of your own kids in your class.

There is so much here, so I'm throwing this to the board. Thoughts?

Without a doubt, coaching at one's alma mater is a matter of pride and accomplishment. It's personal. For as fed up and done with CMR as I was, I am very happy that he got a chance to go coach at this alma mater. It's good for him and it's good for the program. I hope he gets a chance to make this his last school and go out with a legacy there. I hope when and if UGA meets up with Miami on the field, we destroy them.

Will he be a better coach at Miami? That depends on how you define better. If you mean will he be better to the point where he gets a national championship trophy at Miami? I am going on record and saying that I'd lay a bunch of money on that never happening. His success or lack thereof at the "U" hinges on how he will be able to recruit in the State of Florida. And he's got stiff competition. Frankly, CMR never had to "sell" UGA to anyone. Yeah, he had to make his pitch, but UGA sells itself. History has proven this. Make no mistake, he'll have to "sell" the "U" and he'll be up against serious competitors. FSU and UF will be huge suitors and will definitely have a say in the matter, but also UCF and USF will play a factor in this as well. If he thinks they won't, he's delusional. If he can sow up recruits from Florida and the rest of the southeast, he'll amass some serious talent. Once that talent is in place, then it becomes a question of whether or not CMR will "Richt" himself in the big games again. There is not a place in my world where I ever see CMR lining up against Dabo in the ACC Championship game and walk away a winner. I will never believe that until CMR proves me wrong. I don't care if he's undefeated going into that game. That's not being mean, that's just the facts that are borne out by historical track records.

I don't ever see a time where CMR has the type of talent at the "U" that he had at UGA. Particularly with how strong the SEC East will be in two more seasons. Ask yourself this question - if you were a recruit and were hellbent on playing in the State of Florida, would you rather play for Florida, Florida State or Miami?

Exactly.

Solid reading. Separates the "stuff" from the "real".

One of my thoughts and it is backed up by a returning graduate . . . . Kirby Smart.

Not going into the "play by play" that the media had a field day on with Roquan Smith.

Allow me this . . . . Same "stuff" in the wrappers and certain sites about JaCoby Stevens. JaCoby made the "right choice" for himself, and the end result. he was a "stand-up guy" when saying why he chose LSU. Respectful, that is appreciated by many.

Enjoyed the article below, as mentioned by LimeyDawg and SouthernDawg . . . . maybe not the words in the article that the two of them used, but . . . . In this old dawgs view, much was said without saying "too much". Roquan Smith is all that, and it will play out in our opening game in Atlanta. His name will be called "often" on the speaker system, along with several wearing the Red and Black that understand that the SEC now belongs to "them".

Say this again . . . . Mark Richt understands that he needs to get off of his butt and do "something". Thomas Brown chose to follow Mark Richt to the "U". There is an article in the AJC today written by "Pouty" and Brown was quoted and made some informative statements concerning what Richt is doing now, compared to what he did in Athens.

dogbytesonline.com/roquan-smith-bringing...tude-at-ilb-for-uga/