Happy to hear this. Offense will be stacked next season.

@wfmcgee: That was a comment from a previous player. Not my own opinion. I would like to think that he would know a little more about this than either of us. Everybody isn't gonna agree with it, but it makes sense.

This was sent to me from my brother...

from an unnamed former player

My honest two cents?

Below is actually a compilation of thoughts from posts I made yesterday, but they come from not only my own opinions but those of other players from the Richt era I've discussed this topic with. One as recently as yesterday, and he started
on our 2002 team. I, and many others from the early Richt years, think the program has had a void of dominant leadership for too long. It's a common denominator whether the issue has been discipline, toughness, passion, etc.

Richt can get by on his calm, nice guy personality so long as he has dominant presences running each area of his program.

You can't just have it on one side of the ball, though. Everyone wants to draw the line where it all seemed to change with BVG's departure. That was only one half of the equation.

It really changed when Callaway left too. With BVG and Callaway, you had two nasty, grizzly, DOMINANT presences on each side of the ball. Both sides of the ball had a leader who the players were uncomfortable around. Guys you dreaded getting
into the elevator with or getting stuck seated next to on the bus. They were coaches you avoided if you could.

People don't understand or appreciate the dynamic we had in place when we had both BVG and Callaway. It could have been theater, but they didn't like each other either. Callaway once threatened to beat BVG's ass right there on the practice
field when he dressed down one of his OL's. They berated their players not just on football, but personal levels. BVG challenged his players' status as "men" constantly. If Callaway hadn't called you a "[filtered word]" or a "worthless fat ass" that week, then you simply
hadn't been at practice.

And I'll add another element with Fabris. Borderline insane, some ill-conceived schemes at times, but he brought a wildman attitude to special teams. And the other coaches clearly couldn't stand him any more than the players could. But
it sort of worked and reinforced an overriding attitude of tough, crazy...MEAN.

Collectively, those guys gave the program an edge. Just an unspoken sense that we were more grizzled than the opponent, and because of the daily crap the players had to endure with those leaders, there was a cocky swagger that whatever
ran out of the other tunnel on Saturday was going to be an easier task than the men that coached them during the week.

And guess what - none of the players liked any of these three coaches. But they ALL respected them and feared crossing them. And yet, when we get together and recount our fondest memories, guess which three coaches get brought up the most?
Yep, those three.

That crap is contagious and creates an atmosphere and culture of not only toughness, but MEANNESS. BVG and Callaway are MEAN. Fabris was legitmately CRAZY.

Staff chemistry can be overrated, IMO. Friction creates a lot of positive things in a competitive environment, Richt likes harmony and I have never thought him to be comfortable with confrontation, but the friction is what made him successful.
And in fact, the players sensed the friction between staff members and they loved it. It was invigorating.

I hate to dumb things down as Neanderthal-like dynamics, but so much of a competitive environment among men is based on perceived dominance. There is an unspoken heirarchy within any group of men. It's why when we fired Martinez I harped
for weeks here on this board that the #1 qualification for the new DC was to hire an "alpha male." An alpha male is a real thing and it is necessary especially in football when you must manage a lot of high-testosterone, very confident young men, many of whom
are alpha males in their own right.

Richt is admired by everyone, but in a room of strong men, he is not the alpha male. If the leader is not an alpha male, every one of his surrogates must be one.

It's no different than parenting or managing anyone else. Even children sense weakness and dominance of presence. I have other parents ask how my kids are so well-behaved. Because I am the freaking alpha male in this family and they know
ONE thing for sure - they're not going to win any battle with me. Ever. Period. Poorly behaved kids are that way because they perceive weakness in their parents. It's why fatherless kids end up on bad paths.

People romanticize successful teams, but in the early Richt years we had some bonafide turds not only playing, but starting on those teams.

And I tell ya something I've learned over the years...if they're coachable, the turds make great football players because they're just naturally mean and intimidating. Odell was MEAN. Derrick White was MEAN. Chris Clemons was MEAN. Those
were guys who with their pads off in the real world would rather knock your teeth out than give you the time of day. Clemons is the only freshman I was ever intimidated by - he was tall, skinny, and quiet but that boy was mad at something in life, and I made
sure it wasn't going to be me each day. And you know why guys like that were coachable? Because Van Gorder was a more dominant presence so they fell in line.

Discipline is 100% about strength of leadership and the perceived dominance of the man in charge. It's not about character education, it's not about suspension policies. It is about genuinely believing the man in charge is a stronger character
than you are, and an element of fear is there as a result. You fear having to deal with the guy in charge, not the suspension or penalty. When I was a kid, I feared my Dad, not being grounded. THIS is why we have discipline issues under Richt. They know Richt
will hand down a suspension but ultimately love on them and give them a hug after they serve it.

Saban recruits plenty of thugs. But he has a stronger, more dominant presencethan they do and they don't dare cross him. Facing Saban is what they fear most.

You cannot truly lead unless you are THE dominant presence. Richt isn't, and he doesn't have enough surrogates who are. Folks like to think Richt doesn't know what he's doing, but he absolutely does, and as well as anyone in the country.
The foundational principles and methods of Richt's program are nearly identical to all the great coaches in the game today, and I've always thought his most closely align with Urban Meyer. Perhaps that's why Meyer likes Richt so much. Richt is a fantastic
coach who understands the plan and the process to be successful, but he doesn't have the presence to execute it. He needs that presence and dominance from his surrogates.

That dominant presence over the team isn't there, nor has it been for several years. The plan is sound, but it must be executed with authority and unwavering dominance from the leadership. It ain't there.

People are tired of this example but watch in pregame when we walk to the end zone after flex and run up to Richt on the 25. They don't run, in reality. A handful of geaked up players do, but most of the team drags ass up to him, many don't
listen to what he's says after they break it down, and too many look disinterested. That is disrespect, and in a public setting.

There is no fear in the program. There used to be.

Isaiah Crowell, the SEC’s second-leading returning rusher with 850 yards, was the first-team tailback on Tuesday. He set a goal to be a good teammate this year and then offered this: “I’m trying to run for the Heisman.”

Wow!! Can't win a heisman on the bench.

Great News!!

Congrats Boykin! Well deserved. You will be missed next season.

@wfmcgee: I have to agree with ya on the OL. Imo we lost to Boise and MSU because of our OL. In all of your posts you mention the OL, and its true. We are losing 3 seniors on the line, and i'm actually happy because our line got embarrassed several times this past season. I'm ready to see some fresh faces on the line. As far as Bobo no. He needs to be our Qb coach. He is a great recruiter and i think thats what is saving his job. It's sad when i can sit here at home and call Uga's plays before the ball is snapped.

@Dan Taylor: I agree with you 100%. Very well said. Uga could have went undefeated and there would still be idiots calling for his head. Can't please everybody. CMR has done a good job at UGA. Look at the coaches between Dooley and Richt. Thats over 20 years of garbage results. Do you really want to go back to the Donnan and Goff era? Like Dan said above had Shockley not got hurt or the bcs not screwed us Richt would already have his NCG appearance. It will come though and when it does you will all have to eat your words about CMR.

Typical...Let him come in and throw a pick and you will all cut his head off as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Neg me all you want..You are probably the same fans that were calling for Richts head now you are supporting him again.

I have no doubt that Mason is a good Qb , but i hope we only see him in the game for mop up duty and not because Murray is hurt.

Hey look more issues around Crowell. Im starting to dislike him more and more. Sad to see Samuel go down when he was finally looking like he was finding his groove. We could use him now. Oh well somebody is gonna have to step up. Crowell's future at Uga isn't looking good so far.

@11mckc: Crowell is gonna do Uga just like Musa Smith did wait till his final year and go all out then bolt to the NFL.

@wfmcgee: Even if Georgia was on a 30 game winning streak i would still hate it that the game is played 45 minutes from my house in Jacksonville. It is a home game every year for Uf and it shouldn't be. Think of sitting in Sanford stadium watching Uga play Uf. I would love to see that, and i got a feeling it will change one day and man i can't wait....

@beechdawg: Exactly right. If Samuel wouldn't of had the fumble issues his freshman year, and stayed at Rb you would see big difference in him now as a senior. Everybody says he was move to LB for a reason. Well yeah your right but it wasn't because he wasn't a good Rb it was because of fumbles and the fact that he could have played LB or RB almost anywhere he chose to coming out of high school. Im not saying he is better than Crowell either, but as of lately Richard has started to shine, and Crowell has been where?? Looks like he may be finally starting to find his groove.

@DougsMugsCoffee.com: Not a bad idea, but figgins has got that on lock. I hope he is ok also. Would love to see him run the rock like that for the rest of the year, because fragile Crowell can't be counted on to play 4 quarters.

Haters are gonna Hate.

Well said beechdawg...... I have been defending Samuel all year, and it was good to see him run through tackles and get the tough yards. He is a very unselfish player, and deserves more playing time than what he has gotten this year. I wonder how good he would have been had he not got moved to LB and had to take a back seat to Ealey and King. Hopefully Richard doesn't miss any game time from this injury because Crowell seems to be very fragile.

@Chris White: I agree with you 100%..Great article.

I live an hour away from Jacksonville, and hate it that the Uga and Uf game is played there. The game should be played in the Swamp and in Athens. Jacksonville and the state of Florida gets to benefit from this game every year and its garbage. If you want a neutral site go play in Bama or South Carolina now that would be neutral. I would much rather drive up to Athens every other year to watch the game rather than go into Gator country every year.

Im happy Uga won. Take wins anyway we can get them. Everybody forgets walsh missed 3 field goals. That would have gave Uga a 23 point win margin, but like i said a w is a w no matter by how many points you win by. Everybody wants to get on here and bash Uga when they lose then bash them when they win. It really is getting to be annoying. I think Uga was committed to run run, and run the ball in the second half. How many times did Uga run it on 3rd down in the second half? Almost every one that i recall. I think Mark was trying to sit on that game and not run the score up. We all know Mark dont like running the score up and maybe he felt bad about last weeks blowout, so changed tactics this week. Point is nobody knows for sure so quit hating and back the Dawgs until the season is over then make your minds up.

At least Uga showed up this week. Cant complain really. Sc just got all the lucky breaks and Uga didnt. Sucks to wait all year to see Uga play and they start 0-2 though. Maybe they can win out and make up for it.

“We joked that if you’re 35 or 40 or above you hated them and if you’re under that age in the 20s and below, you loved them. It’s just fashion. I guess us younger people like the more flashy stuff and the new crazy stuff.”

Im 27 and i hate them as did a bunch of other people. Red pants or black jerseys whatever they want to put on it still isn't Uga. Silver britches all day. When i seen them take the field with that garbage on i was like WTF!! Please no more uniform changes.

I never said he was all that nor did i say he wasn't. It was his first college game calm down there Boiledbrain. Hard to run the ball when the OL cant make any room.

@RedPantsDawg: I agree... This is gonna be another rough season for Uga. Uga's OL got embarrassed by Boise. For all the talk about Geathers and Jenkins and i didn't even hear there names called once during the game. Same old over hyped Uga team once again. Anybody else notice Richt standing on the sideline smiling? It was right after Uga got called for a false start. He is such a joke cant wait till he gets fired then i will be smiling. No excuse for last night had all off season to prepare.

@WSPhead: Trying to stay positive...I really am but i dont see us beating Usc..Hope im wrong. This is getting old. Uga has all this talent with nothing to show for it