Georgia Bulldogs: RB Coach Bryan McClendon Gets A Hefty Raise

Photo Credit: David Manning

Chalk this one up to the 'he's one helluva recruiter' explanation because, otherwise, I'm scratching my head at how running backs coach, Bryan McClendon managed to get a raise which more than doubles what he made in 2010 ($90,000 to 200,000). Tony Ball, Georgia's wide receivers coach, will also see his paycheck get a bump from $165,000+ to $200,000.

But, back to McClendon.

The raise, according to Chip Towers, was McGarity's way of being proactive in keeping the football staff intact. Both Ball and McClendon were apparently pursued by other schools this past season and opted to stay at Georgia. As a result, they were given "competitive counter offers" that allowed them to stay at Georgia and not disrupt the continuity of the coaching staff.

While I can certainly get on board with maintaining continuity, particularly in a year already marked with a ton of questions about Mark Richt's future at Georgia, McClendon's pay raise seems too generous given what he's done as a coach.

That said, it's easy to see that McClendon's value as a recruiter has given him more rope than he might normally have had. Mark Richt said as much himself when he was forced to defend McClendon's sub-par performance at recent speaking engagement.

Said Richt of McClendon's worth, "...Bryan McClendon is a hell of a coach, he’s a hell of a recruiter. And I’m glad we got Bryan McClendon."

Last season, McClendon was key in the recruitment of Isaiah Crowell, Zach DeBell, Quintavious Harrow, and Nick Marshall—all of whom are expected to be impact players at Georgia in the near future and a good recruiter is something that most any head coach will covet.

Bobo has a similar talent and has elicited as much loyalty from Richt as both McClendon and Garner.  By way of mention, however, all three men have had their fair share of criticism from both pundits and fans, about their ability as coaches—none of them appear to be in danger of losing their jobs anytime soon.

I suppose you can't blame Richt for wanting some of the best recruiters in the nation peppering his staff but, at some point, you would hope their coaching talents would be every bit as worthy of the praise.

McClendon is still young, only 27 years old, so he's still growing into his role as running backs coach (much like Bobo), but he is clearly a star on the rise, particularly as a recruiter, and if he's able to bring it all together this season, then Georgia will have made one very good deal.

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Georgia Bulldogs: Are The Running Backs Man Enough?

Photo Credit: Kelly Lambert/OnlineAthens

In 2002, Pat Dye laid down a gauntlet for Georgia when he declared they weren't "man enough" to beat Alabama. That team, led by David Greene, David Pollack, Jon Stinchcomb, and Terrell Edwards, had the last laugh—beating the Crimson Tide en route to winning their first SEC Championship in 20-years.

They were plenty man enough.

So, in thinking about Georgia's running back situation, it's no mistake that the same phraseology has entered my mind.

After seeing what each player—minus Malcome—had to offer in 2010, it seems logical to question the toughness, focus, and motivation of each player as they enter 2011.

According to a report by Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com, Georgia running backs coach, Bryan McClendon says the tailbacks are working hard right now($$$). Said McClendon, "Right now I think it's more of the open competion which has sparked them [emphasis added]. I tell them all the time let's just worry about today...right now today is we have on scholarship Caleb (King), Carlton (Thomas), Washaun (Ealey) and Ken Malcome. Those are the guys we have on scholarship; those are the guys who need to worry about today right now."

Seriously, those guys need reassurance that they still have a shot at playing time to stay motivated? How about these reasons—just off the top of my head—you stunk in short-yardage situations, you ran like sissies for the better part of the season, you acted like idiots off the field (particularly you, Caleb and Washaun), and you contributed in a major way to at least three of Georgia's losses by committing crucial turnovers on key downs.

Isaiah Crowell is the least of your worries.

If you're a Georgia fan, which I don't deny myself the privilege of admitting, you have to ask yourself: are any of these guys ready to strap on the challenge of helping lead this team back to glory? Can Ealey or King set aside their egos long enough to remember it's a team sport? Can any of us have faith that Carlton Thomas' heart is enough to overcome the limitations of his sub-175lb body? Can Malcome really be an every down back?

In the best case scenario, Crowell turns out to be the workhorse, and the star, Georgia wants him to be and he, along with Aaron Murray, wreak havoc on the rest of the SEC for the next 3-4 years. But, what if that doesn't happen? Do any of us, right now, feel confident that either Ealey or King (two of the only other guys on the roster with significant experience) will continue to work or play nearly as hard for the team if they aren't 1 and 1A on the depth chart?

Honestly I'm a bit skeptical because if the only motivation any of them can find in giving their best effort is in the possibility that Crowell won't start, they're still missing the point—it's about the letter on the helmet, fellas, not the name on the back.

I'm no coach or expert in these matters, but I do have a little advice for those guys: start playing like you want to be at Georgia and maybe you won't have to look over your shoulders as much.

Related articles

• Washaun Ealey's Suspension Ends In Time For Spring Practice (sbnation.com)
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Georgia Bulldogs: Mark Richt Should Rethink His "No Staff Changes" Stance

2011 will be coach Richt's last season if he has another even close to this one. A 6-6 team is not what Georgia fans like to see, especially in what was supposed to be a "down" year in the SEC East.

At worst, most fans were hoping to see 9-3, but losses to Mississippi State, Colorado, and Florida have not set well with the fanbase and many are calling for blood.

So, when one glances a news article where their much-maligned leader is saying that he's not planning any staff changes, it has to leave you scratching your head a little bit.

First, let's get this bit of discourse out of the way, no one at this site is claiming to be an expert. No coaching experience has been had, and there is no reason for you, the reader, to believe that the opinion espoused here is any better or worse than that of the common, rational, fan.

That said, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that there are some gross issues lurking in the ranks of Georgia's football program. First, and most importantly, the strength and conditioning program is sub-par. The defensive line was sucking wind on Saturday night against Tech—by halftime.

If the team had to play in overtime, how many of you have faith the defense could have held? Even more, how many of you were actually worried when you saw Washaun Ealey go in for the score with time left on the clock?

Just saying.

Even more, everyone in the SEC knows Georgia's defensive and offensive lines are a joke. Just check this little bit of commentary offered by Florida's players following their overtime win in jacksonville. :

Florida's offensive players really enjoyed installing the no-huddle up-tempo offense during the bye week because they knew if they ran it correctly that the Georgia defense would be overwhelmed. 

And they really, really enjoyed watching the Bulldogs struggling in the fourth quarter.

"It's fun seeing 300-pound linemen wheezing for air and you're fine," offensive lineman Carl Johnson said. "The D-line, they're wheezing and you're like, 'He's tired. He's tired.'"

Johnson took particular pleasure in talking some trash during the game.

"When 31 [defensive end Demarcus Dobbs] got hurt, I was pointing [and saying], 'He's tired. He's not really hurt.' He was just tired and faked an injury to get out of there, stop the clock. If he didn't, we were on the ball, ready to go again, they were gassed."

It's one of the few times that an offensive lineman can get in some digs about being in better shape, and Johnson said he savored that feeling.

"You feel like you own them a little bit," Johnson said. "'You're blown, you're tired, you're gasping. I'm fine.' It's fun."

Freshman H-back Trey Burton said he could tell pretty quickly the defense was going to be gasping in the fourth quarter.

"The first quarter, they were done," Burton said. "They were about to tap out after a while."

Wow...talk about embarrassing.

Coach Dave Van Halanger might be a phenomenal man of character, and he might be one of coach Richt's closest friends, but he's done a poor job of making these players into athletes. They're soft, badly conditioned, and incapable of playing a full 60 minutes at game speed.
 
It's time for him to go and Richt needs to make that happen.

As for a second guy, look no further than Bryan McClendon.

Take a look at these stats posted by EC Dawg of The Leather Helmet Blog (another site all Bulldog fans should have bookmarked), Georgia's running game was worse this season (ranked 71st overall) than in 2009 (ranked 54th overall)—something ain't right, folks.

To be fair, 2009's lapse was understandable. Knowshon Moreno was gone and McClendon was walking into a group of backs who had 1) no SEC experience (Richard Samuel and Washaun Ealey), 2) trouble staying healthy (Caleb King), and 3) were incapable of taking the pounding (Carlton Thomas). Still, he managed to get decent production out of that bunch.

However, 2010 was supposed to be the year of the back at Georgia, with both King and Ealey returning to aide the young Aaron Murray in his acclimation to the starting quarterback role. Instead, both guys struggled to find the groove they showed at the tailend of 2009 and, even worse, both became inept at holding onto the football—that's just a gross lack of fundamentals.

McClendon might make a fine assistant one day, and there is no doubt that he is a darn good recruiter, but two-years as a grad assistant did not make him qualified to move into the position of full-time running backs coach. He's in over his head, and Richt should find someone with more experience to take over the job.

2011 will be coach Richt's last season if he can't get this ship turned around and, as nice a guy as he is, he needs to realize that being a good man only takes you so far. Unfortunately for him and his throng of supporters, the "what have you done for me lately" culture of college football is working against him.

It's time that he start finishing the drill as a head coach, and that means making the tough decisions about who's presence is most hurting his staff and letting them go—Finish The Drill, Coach.

Finish.The.Drill.