Dogs Win Ten Or More For Sixth Time in Last Seven Years
Another point of pride in the Rich era is the 102 football players who have earned degrees since December, 2004 For the sixth time in the past seven seasons, Georgia won at least 10 games, and Bulldog head coach Mark Richt said he and his staff are hungry for a championship just like the fans. Â In his annual conference call with the media to review the season, Richt said the Bulldogs would continue to aim for Southeastern Conference Championships and the chance to play for a national title. Â"The main thing for us, we absolutely want to maximize our potential in every area of our program," said Richt. "I want our coaches to get better, for myself to become a better leader, our players to become the best possible player they can be in the off-season, spring ball, academically, socially. I want everything to improve. We've got a tremendous base of talent, outstanding coaches and tremendous support. We've got the ingredients. Each player, coach, everybody involved, we need to make sure they are hungry and get after it. We play in a tough league and everybody else is trying to do the same. We're going to bang heads and be the best we can be. It's a tough league." ÂOn Monday, Richt said he was pleased that assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner decided to remain at Georgia. Tennessee and Auburn had approached him recently, and the Tigers also had interest in Bulldog offensive line coach Stacy Searels. Â
"It's very big and important to have all our coaches here, and it's a blessing to the program," said Richt. "To keep Rodney and Stacy on staff is very big, it's big to have everybody on staff. When you have outstanding people, other folks are attracted to them, and they will want to talk to them. All of our coaches are worth fighting for. In the end, it comes down to where these guys want to be, where their heart is. I'm thankful Rodney is staying, Stacey is staying, and all the guys are staying. Georgia is bigger than any one man, I do believe in continuity, and the right kind of men, and we have that." ÂRicht added that he want guys who want to be at Georgia, and their decision motivates him to be a better head coach, leader and to help everyone reach their full potential. Â"It's great for Georgia that they get that kind of opportunity and decide Georgia is where they want to be," said Richt. ÂRicht indicated that he had not heard any news from junior quarterback Matthew Stafford or redshirt sophomore running back Knowshon Moreno on their status of either returning to Georgia or turning professional. The deadline to declare for the National Football League draft is Jan. 15. "In a week's time or less, we may know what they are going to do," said Richt. "I don't want to put undue pressure on them, they have to figure it out by themselves. I want what's best for them and to have their heart in it." After the regular season, Richt mentioned how injuries took a toll on the Bulldogs starting with their approach in practice. During bowl workouts, Georgia opted for more contact and it helped, according to Richt. "We practiced different this year, and it was attributed to the number of injuries in camp," said Richt. "We addressed that in the way we practiced for the bowl. We tackled more in our bowl practices than we did all season long. I think our defense improved in that time frame. They tackled better, had more of a swagger in that game. That's part of it, practicing the way we need to practice." Richt said the staff would look at personnel and make sure everyone is in the right spot. As far as playing time for incoming freshmen, Richt said the best guys are going to play.  "If one of those freshman comes in and is good enough to start, he'll start," said Richt. "That's true at any position. Look at receiver, A.J. (Green) came in and we've got nine other receivers on scholarship and eventually he became a starter and led the league in receiving." After beginning 2008 as the preseason number one ranked team, Richt said if the Bulldogs were highly ranked to start 2009, they would understand better that it doesn't really mean a thing. "What really matters is the focus and the work and staying healthy," said Richt. Georgia concluded the 2008 season with a 10-3 record capped by a 24-12 win over Michigan State in the 2009 Capital One Bowl. |
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