ATHENS — Georgia football coach Kirby Smart knows how to push his players to achieve peak performance, but he also knows when to let up.
Smart, only 43 years old himself, has a knack for relating to his young athletes, and the so-called “Georgia Olympics” were the latest example.
Smart pitted his coaching staff against players in at least four events that were captured on video.
UGA’s award-winning film staff, a group that turns out snippets of the Bulldogs workouts and practices, providing fans glimpses of a team they can’t wait to see.
Georgia opened No. 3 in he Amway Coaches Poll, an impressive position considering the Bulldogs ended last season with two losses.
Smart, however, has seen to it that his championship caliber program attacked the offseason.
The Georgia slogan “Do More” has meant literally that, with one UGA player acknowledging the Bulldogs have run more than ever, becoming a leaner faster team at the right positions.
A poor combine showing in speed and explosivity drills by handful of departing Bulldogs has likely motivated Scott Sinclair and his staff to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
Georgia held a combine day earlier this offseason to provide its players feedback on where they currently stand and where they need to improve in that portion of their quest to become NFL players.
The Georgia Olympics, however, were all about fun with Smart’s clever comment as he played the role of MC.
Glenn Schumann won the Pop-A-Shot to get the coaches off to a good start.
But the players got plenty of laughs in the end when Nate McBride closed the events on video by anchoring a dominant win in the 400-meter relay.
Smart playfully lamented his coaches lack of competitiveness in the running event, his players surely noting the head coach himself did not compete on this occasion.
