[su_spacer size=”20″] Nick Saban and Jim McElwain, the head coach’s of Alabama and Florida respectively are on a collision course to play in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. And the fact that….oh wait, did I say CHAMPIONSHIP? You mean they don’t just play this game for fun anymore? Where have I been? Saban and McElwain also had some things to say about the University of Georgia’s decision to part ways with head coach Mark Richt; at least their decision to remove him from the sidelines. But it was Saban’s comments that struck an interesting chord. He said, “I don’t know what the world is coming to in our profession. Mark Richt has been a really good coach and a really positive person in our profession for a long, long time. I think when you win nine games, that’s a pretty good season.” This is Nick Saban talking; the guy who trashes his own team at press conferences after beating a Top-5 team by 21 because he was unhappy with one player’s blocking technique in the 3rd quarter.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia fans don’t need “Saint Nick” to point out all of Mark Richt’s great qualities as a coach or as a person. But as they’re fond of asking on “The Plains”, “HEY NICK, YOU GOT ONE SECOND?!” Let me pose a very simple question to the great leader of the Crimson Tide and even some of his most loyal supporters. How many losses to Auburn that prevented Alabama from reaching either the SEC Championship game or a potential National Title game would be acceptable in Tuscaloosa? Or more to the point, how many losses to Auburn would be acceptable, period? I have an idea. Take the Bill Curry era. He spent three (3) years in T-town. THREE! He was 26 – 10 and had the highest winning percentage of any Alabama coaches at that point since “Bear”. However, he was 0 – 3 vs. the Auburn Tigers.
[su_spacer size=”40″] That goes too far back you say? How about just this past week and LSU’s handling of Les Miles? Miles has a virtual carbon copy of Richt’s career except the obvious. Miles has a career mark of 138 – 53, but as the head coach of the Bengal Tigers, he is 111 – 32. He has three division championships, two conference titles, two national championship appearances and one national title. Oh, and his team resides in the SEC WEST and plays Alabama every single year. Yet, over the last week or two of the 2015 regular season, Les Miles’ job was rumored to be in doubt and the powers that be in Baton Rouge left him and his players twisting in the wind.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Or let’s take the “comments” from Danny Kannell, former FSU quarterback and current analyst for ESPN and host of the “Russillo and Kannell” show covering college football. Kannell, who should be better versed than most about a major college football program’s wins and losses was dumbfounded by Georgia’s move and was less than complimentary about the Bulldog program and what expectations should be had by its fan base. Kannell took to Twitter and made the following remark: “Pretty bummed about the Mark Richt news…another 9 win season and its not enough. Ridiculous expectations from that fan base.” Now, Kannell gets paid to analyze college football and dissect what he sees and what he knows, which based on those comments is hard to believe.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Hey Nick! Hey Danny! Hey, anyone in LSU who has a negative comment about the situation! SHUT UP! It is clear that you all are talking out of both sides of your collective “rear ends” and Georgia fans would appreciate it if you would zip it. Now, nobody wanted Mark Richt to succeed at Georgia more than the fans! Nobody loves him more! Nobody respects him more! And no group was more torn about a coaching change than DawgNation! But tell me, who did Georgia beat this year? What quality win did Georgia have this season? What team of consequence did Georgia put up a fight against? Which way has the program been trending since 2007? There are just too many statistics that point to the fact that although Georgia was winning games, the contests against top caliber teams were not just losses, but flat out embarrassments. So, let’s review. Saban wouldn’t have a job if he kept getting beat by his rival and was consistently absent from Atlanta. Kannell does a show that gives “pub” to college football programs, yet the Dawgs have been conspicuously absent from it. And the LSU situation and the way it was handled speak for itself.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Why is Mark Richt no longer the lead dawg in Athens? We’ll explore. But the reasons might not be exactly what you think. Richt has had a wonderful 15 year run and no one is denying that. He is one of the greatest men to ever grace the Butts-Mehre building and anyone who has been around him is a better person for it. But when you hear some of the talking heads in the media and coaches from other programs and even former players who slam the move, you must consider the sources. Mark Richt was beloved as the University of Georgia head coach and he and his family will ALWAYS have a home in Athens, Georgia and will always have a place in the hearts of Georgia fans, players, and coaches. As both parties set sail in different directions, I think each one wishes the other nothing but the best. But like families who squabble, we wish the outsiders would just shut up; especially, if they are going to say things that are so apparently hypocritical and stupid.
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