ATHENS — Malcolm Mitchell, as he is wont to do, let the question rattle around in his head for a few seconds before answering. He was asked if he has come to appreciate more the level of scrutiny and criticism — and the relative lack of job security — football coaches endure.
No, he finally said. He was already aware of that well before he got to Georgia.
“I think that’s always been the role of a coach,” said Mitchell, a fifth-year senior from Valdosta. “That’s like in the job description. I think it’s understood when you take the job. I had a high school coach get released in the middle of season because of a huge loss. So, yeah, I’ve seen the pressures of coaching anytime a season is not going the way people want it to.”
Increasingly, Georgia’s players are becoming aware that some heat is being directed at their coaches. The Bulldogs’ fan base has become more vocal in their discontent about a three-loss season in a year most thought they’d at least win the SEC’s Eastern Division. That possibility was eliminated with this past Saturday’s 27-3 loss to Florida in Jacksonville.
Since then, there has been increased speculation about status of head coach Mark Richt and other members of his coaching staff. Mitchell and his teammates are increasingly aware of the “noise,” as it’s referred to inside the football complex. But they have no rationalization for it.
“I don’t know what’s taking place,” he said. “If you ask me if I have an understanding of it, yes. If you ask if I know what’s going on, then no, I don’t.”
Richt said he doesn’t issue any edicts in which orders players to stay off social media. But he does encourage them to stay away from what he calls “noise” and focus on things they can control, such as preparation and effort.
Mitchell’s attitude about the situation was reflective of most the Bulldogs’ players who were available for interviews during Tuesday’s weekly media day. In general, that is, you know something’s going in but you don’t have time to think or worry about it.
“You have two options,” Mitchell said. “You either choose to move in a way that allows for positivity or you can look at negative things. My choice is to not look at the negatives. But it’s my goal to be realistic, too, as far as that goes.”
Here is some more commentary from the Bulldogs on Tuesday:
SENIOR DL STERLING BAILEY:
On what he’s hearing …
“We came here to play football and get an education. We don’t really pay attention to what the media says or any other outside sources, because that’s not what we came here for. … Right now we’ve still got the rest of the season in front of us and we’re trying to focus on that and finish strong.”
On college coaches’ job security …
“Coaches jobs, they can be taken away just like that [snaps fingers]. You can look at the NFL and you see it happening there, too. After being here a while with certain coaches, you gain a relationship with them and you hate to see them go, you hate to see them leave. But, I mean, that’s one thing you learn. It’s part of business. It’s part of life.”
On how much he’s hearing about it …
“It’s sort of like my freshmen year when we started out 0-2 (2011). But, you know, it is what it is. There’s always going to be noise; there’s always going to be speculation. But as a player you’ve got to be able to block it out and stay focused. I do that by just playing ball and being around my teammates and having fun. ‘Cause I’m here for football and an education. I’m not interested in what outside people have to say. They’re not in the locker room or drawing up X’s and O’s. Until they show me they have something football worthy to say, I’m not listening to it.”
SENIOR OLB JORDAN JENKINS
On the level of ‘noise’ …
“After the first loss we had against Alabama, people are like ‘fire Richt, fire the defensive coordinator,’ but not a lot of teams in college football dont’ even get to how many wins we’ve got. And I feel like we’re gonna have a strong finish to the season. It’s crazy just how quickly people will just want somebody gone and I try to avoid it.”
On coaches’ job security …
“It’s definitely something I think about it every now and then. At the same time, we think if we do bad they’re gonna trash talk us. But it’s (the coaches’) job on the line. If we don’t finish strong one of the coaches might be fired. It might be a clean sweep, like some other schools are doing. I feel like that’s something that’s detrimental to the program because when you fire a whole staff, you fire a coach, it sets back everything that was set in motion. I’ve always thought badly about staff that wanted that, a fan base that wanted that.”
On his impressions of Richt …
“A lot of people say, ‘Coach Richt doesn’t have any intensity, doesn’t have anything emotional.’ But they’re not with him day in and day out like we are, five, seven days a week. The man’s emotional. The man’s a great coach, a great father figure, does a lot for this team, does a lot for this program. People just don’t see everything. They don’t see what’s behind closed doors.”
SENIOR TE JAY ROME
On the Richt hot-seat talk …
“We’re sticking with coach Richt. He’s been with us since Day 1 and we’ll be with him all the way through it. I think coach Richt is a tremendous coach and a tremendous man and I’m behind him 100 percent.”
SENIOR WR MALCOLM MITCHELL
On offensive failings …
“I think that sometimes people have a misunderstanding for how long it takes for change to take place. Because since this last offseason there’s been a lot of changes, and I think people have expected immediate results. That’s not the way change works. It’s progress and progress, and over time you start to see the effects of those changes. But there isn’t one person that can come in and in one year fix something. That’s just not the way it works. For this being my senior year, I wish it would have. I had the same goals and hopes that every other fan had. But being real with myself, that’s just not how things work. Sometimes it does, but not usually.”
On how disappointed he is in season …
“I don’t have time to think about disappointment. I’ve got four or five more games. I don’t have time to be sad.”
SOPHOMORE TB SONY MICHEL
On the state of the team since the Florida loss …
“It is what it is. We try not to dwell on it too much. We just have to let that go. It sucks. It hurt at the moment. But we can’t really focus on that now. We’re focused on moving forward and to start winning games.
On whether he has heard chatter about potential coaching changes …
“Of course. (But) a lot of people don’t know what’s going on. They’re just on the outside looking in. And no matter who’s here and what goes on, if there’s execution, there won’t be no change. The players have to execute better.”
On whether it bothers him to hear some fans want coaches fired …
“No, opinions are going to be made. You can’t really question that. Everybody’s got their own opinion. You’ve just got to let it be. I guess that’s how people feel.”
SENIOR LB JAKE GANUS
On the prospect of Richt or other coaches being fired …
“I haven’t heard that. I’m just being honest. Because you do try to ignore the noise. You do see all that stuff and what-not. I just think it’s important for us to come together as a team. Keep fighting. There’s a lot of schedule left, and stay positive because there is still a lot to play for.”
SENIOR OT JOHN THEUS
On dealing with negative feedback …
“Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes people get lose when you get in situations like this. But Coach Richt addressed the team and kind of told them what we have to work for. We definitely still have some goals, and I have faith in the guys to work towards it.”
