I'm glad someone else started this thread because I'd hate to be accused of whipping a dead horse into a bloody pulp.
The good man veneer that Richt has covered himself in is starting to wear thin, and more than a couple talking heads are now taking notice of this. There are legitimate questions finally beginning to be asked, even if in hushed tones.
What we saw on display last night was the same exact thumbprint Richt left on UGA during his tenure. The only difference in Richt was the school colors he was wearing - everything else was identical. The momentary lapse in composure he had on the sideline was indicative of deeper problems, even though he nor anyone else would ever admit it. It will be written off as passion, fire, heat of the moment, etc., but it was really more than that. Each year around this time, Richt is put on a stage, usually a bigger one than a lesser one. It's his moment to show what his team has accomplished and uphold his conference's pride. It is also a display of his brand of football and a chance for it to stack up against one of the nation's best teams.
And yet again, on a big stage, Richt's team folded up like cheap toilet paper.
And yet again, in the post game press conference, it was all the same empty platitudes and hollow promises we've all come to know and expect when the program falls short. I could have scripted this presser to a T, so could all of us.
In order to save everyone in the press room the time, they should just pre-record Richt's response this year after a bowl loss and just play it. Or, for that matter, go back and grab any post game loss presser anytime since 2000 and they would have the same material ready to go and the coach could just stay in the locker room.
If you want torture yourself with the ghost of UGA past, watch the first five minutes. Deja vu all over again.
Richt is a professional football coach. Not pro football, but professional football coach. He's a professional at what he does. He's going to put a very respectable product on the field each season, and is going to recruit at a high level owing to his likability, affable nature, personal convictions and his ability to sell himself to recruits mothers in their living rooms. The reason why we will continue to see this same result season after season is because winning it all and the unbelievable amount of discipline and drive it takes to win it all is not in his nature. In fact, it doesn't matter.
He said so himself when he left UGA: "Life is about people, not rings. Rings gather dust."
So, with that mentality deeply ingrained, we'll continue to watch CMR ply his trade year after year to the same result, give or take one or two here or there. Miami will be perennial bowl contender, and may eek into the playoffs on a rare year. But under no circumstances do I ever see him sniffing a championship. When his team runs up against teams that are fundamentally sound, technically accurate, disciplined and have the drive to win a national championship, they might as well get the mics ready in the post game for more talk about tails being played off and how much better we're gonna get next year. This really is pretty plain and simple for those with eyes to see.
Regarding CMR's spectacle last night on the sideline, I'm reminded of a quote I heard Jon Gruden make as Bucs head coach when they got hosed on two very bad missed pass interference calls. He was asked after the game if he felt those two calls made the difference and his response was dead on: "I'm over it. I was pissed off that they didn't come but we didn't play well enough to win this game. If you're a coach and you're blaming your loss on missed calls or bad calls, then you didn't play well enough to win in the first place."
So, here Richt sits again, back on the recruiting trail and looking forward to mat drills in the spring. He's excited about the new season and getting after it. He's happy in Miami. He's got his groove back and all arrows point upward. Season 3 will be full of promise and expectation and will be played with excitement and disappointment.
The question is how long will Miami put up with it. Time will tell.
