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Met David Greene last night
Posted on 7/12/19 at 11:09 am
Posted on 7/12/19 at 11:09 am
DG was the guest speaker for our local Bulldawg Club last night and let me just say this guy is the man.
Down to earth, as humble as can be. He drove an hour+ and had a family waiting at home and a job to wake up and be at this morning but happily stayed after the event was over to sign memorabilia and take pictures.
A couple of key insights he gave us from his playing days:
1) Leonard Pope was an animal but could only remember route patterns and not their names. Also he once thought DG was joking when he called out a blitz for LP to block so LP just ran straight up the field
2) Cory Phillips always got called out for falling asleep during film and later found out he had narcalepsy
3) Greene admitted that when threaded the needle to McMichael to setup the hob-nail boot play that he just threw that ball up and it was utter luck.
4) Mark Richt in the early years was as tough to play for as anyone. He said Bobo did nothing and Richt was the man for QBs and the entire Offense, much like Kirby is with the D today
5) Last takeaway -- Richt was so focused back then that if Greene did not take at least 5 hard steps on a hand off he was doing extra sprints and mat drills at practice.
All in all it was very nostalgic to see and listen to him speak about the early Richt years especially after the tail end of his career. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his stories of the man Richt is and how great of a coach he was when he was fully vested especially from the guy I looked up to as a hero when I was a child.
Down to earth, as humble as can be. He drove an hour+ and had a family waiting at home and a job to wake up and be at this morning but happily stayed after the event was over to sign memorabilia and take pictures.
A couple of key insights he gave us from his playing days:
1) Leonard Pope was an animal but could only remember route patterns and not their names. Also he once thought DG was joking when he called out a blitz for LP to block so LP just ran straight up the field
2) Cory Phillips always got called out for falling asleep during film and later found out he had narcalepsy
3) Greene admitted that when threaded the needle to McMichael to setup the hob-nail boot play that he just threw that ball up and it was utter luck.
4) Mark Richt in the early years was as tough to play for as anyone. He said Bobo did nothing and Richt was the man for QBs and the entire Offense, much like Kirby is with the D today
5) Last takeaway -- Richt was so focused back then that if Greene did not take at least 5 hard steps on a hand off he was doing extra sprints and mat drills at practice.
All in all it was very nostalgic to see and listen to him speak about the early Richt years especially after the tail end of his career. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his stories of the man Richt is and how great of a coach he was when he was fully vested especially from the guy I looked up to as a hero when I was a child.
This post was edited on 7/12/19 at 11:11 am
Posted on 7/12/19 at 11:21 am to LarryCulpepper
quote:
called out a blitz for LP to block so LP just ran straight up the field
wonder if that was the final play against UT in 04? :/
Posted on 7/12/19 at 11:48 am to LarryCulpepper
Life beat Richt down, alot of family and off field things made him reprioritize. Philosophically football should not be the most important thing but when you are paid millions to win in the toughest league in the most dominant era of college football, you have to resign yourself when you don't have the stomach for it anymore.
Bowden was right, he was just too nice. Roster management was pitiful to downright horrendous. Poor AD leadership let him coast along and handled our pr issues horrifically, with the exception of Devon Gales.
Bowden was right, he was just too nice. Roster management was pitiful to downright horrendous. Poor AD leadership let him coast along and handled our pr issues horrifically, with the exception of Devon Gales.
Posted on 7/12/19 at 1:32 pm to lewis and herschel
quote:
Life beat Richt down, alot of family and off field things made him reprioritize. Philosophically football should not be the most important thing but when you are paid millions to win in the toughest league in the most dominant era of college football, you have to resign yourself when you don't have the stomach for it anymore.
I know some of that is true but I don't think it can be understated the effect losing BVG had on the program. You can be more of a laid back nice guy (which btw, Richt was NOT the 'aw shucks jeepers' guy with the team he was in public. He cussed and yelled and gata like any other coach) if you have the fire and brimstone to balance it out, which BVG did. When he left and willie replaced him you lost the element of FEAR that was so prevalent early on.
quote:
Bowden was right, he was just too nice.
As above I don't agree with this at all. With a different bounce of the ball we could be talking about being national champs in 02, 07, and 12 even with richt being a nice guy.
Posted on 7/12/19 at 1:45 pm to WG_Dawg
quote:I've read Callaway was the toughest coach in the early years.
losing BVG
Posted on 7/13/19 at 10:14 am to lewis and herschel
quote:
Poor AD leadership let him coast along and handled our pr issues horrifically
Agree about the leadership and I'm assuming you're talking about Damon Evans but it had to be frustrating having to deal with a tightwad like McGarity.
Posted on 7/13/19 at 11:22 am to RD Dawg
quote:
wonder if that was the final play against UT in 04? :/
I was sitting in the end zone for that, sad day. That being said I doubt it since he threw it to him.
Posted on 7/24/19 at 6:04 pm to BigDaddyDawg
Greene came up to the corporate office at Home Depot back in 2010 and spoke to the Bulldog club. He was a real entertaining speaker and is a great storyteller. I remember he was talking about how Donnan recruited him. He had some good stories about his high school playing days as well. He has a real good sense of humor too. I'm not sure what he does professionally now other than speaking but I think he's made a good life for himself. My buddy also showed up for an ALTA tennis match one day and played against Greene. Evidently he's a good tennis player too.
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