Finally. Just one more session to go and that’s with Georgia’s Mark Richt. Expect questions about Isaiah Crowell, preseason expectations, his job status with a new contract, etc.
Also expect Richt to be laid-back as ever…
* Richt called it a “blessing” to be going into his 12th season at Georgia.
* Richt said the fact that so many veterans looked at the NFL and then chose to come back speaks well for the type of leadership his team can have this year.
* Asked if he’d rather play seven games at home or pay a big non-conference foe on the road, the coach said long road trips really “take a lot out of you.” He said, “I’d like to have 12 home games if I could.” What’s a coach going to say to that question?
* “I hope the media’s right” in their picks “this time,” Richt said. He also said his team hasn’t done a thing yet.
* Richt was asked about new LSU quarterback and ex-UGA QB Zach Mettenberger and said he’s known him since he was a little “peanut.” He said he hopes he wins every game he plays unless he’s up against Georgia. Classy comments. He also said Mettenberger would be competing for the starting job if not starting if he were still in Athens. (Richt dismissed Mettenberger after an off-field incident.)
* The coach said that he thinks UGA is capable of winning the East Division each year. He also said after Year One he felt that way which was a small bone tossed to Jim Donnan.
* Just got another “we” remark from a “media” member.
* Asked about UGA’s drug policy and if he’s lobbied for a uniform policy in the SEC, Richt said no. He said he feels it’s up to the institution. “I do think we’re doing the right thing for Georgia” he said of the Dawgs’ strict policy.
* Asked about interviewing at Missouri years ago, he said he didn’t turn down Mizzou and that the Tigers picked Gary Pinkel as the best man for that job… and they were “obviously correct.” Can this guy give a non-classy answer?
* Richt said he wouldn’t have a problem with a commissioner being able to fire a coach. (Yeah, but 99.9% of fans would.)
* The coach says Malcolm Mitchell will start out as a defensive player and then play more offense as the season goes on. Richt said he went back and looked at Champ Bailey’s two-way stats while he was at UGA and found that he played more than 100 snaps per game after the first three games in a season. He doesn’t know i
* Richt said he won’t update anything on suspensions today.
* Richt says quarterback Aaron Murray loves preparing for games as much as enjoys playing.
* Short and sweet. Not a lot of questions for UGA’s coach. Just 20 minutes. Couldn’t be that folks are already leaving Hoover and headed home could it? Nah.
Our overall grade of Richt’s “performance” based on comfort, friendliness, openness… we’ll give him a 5. (Either we were easy this year or folks were much better.) Richt answers what you throw at him and always seems to take even tough questions in stride. He’s Ward Cleaver, Jim Anderson, Mike Brady, Cliff Huxtable. If you had to pick a neighbor, deacon, or dad, Richt would be high on the list.
