The following piece was written by Mark Bradley and published on Sept. 22 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
5 reasons Georgia needs to demote Willie Martinez ASAP
1. Georgia is 97th among 120 Bowl Subdivision teams in total defense, 108th in scoring defense. The Bulldogs rank last among 12 SEC schools in both categories.Simple question: Do you believe Georgia — with Rennie Curran, Geno Atkins, Jeff Owens, Justin Houston, Kade Weston, Demarcus Dobbs, Darryl Gamble, Bryan Evans, Reshad Jones, Brandon Boykin and Branden Smith — has the worst defensive talent in the SEC?
2. Georgia has one interception, one fumble recovery and four sacks in three games. It ranks 76th (tied) in sacks, 116th in turnover margin. Simple question: Does anyone think the Bulldogs’ personnel ranks in the nation’s lower tier in terms of speed, strength and level of aggression?
3. Over the past nine games, Georgia opponents have averaged — averaged — 33 points. In 42 games under Brian VanGorder, whom Martinez succeeded as defensive coordinator, one opponent scored more than 30 points, and that was the 2003 BCS champion.
4. Georgia opponents have scored 102 points in three games this season. In 1980, the national championship team yielded 137 points in 12 games.
5. Georgia football is first-class in every way — the head coach, the personnel, the offense, the recruiting, the facilities, the fan interest — except one. Athletics director Damon Evans says he wants his coaches to win championships. Simple questions: Do you believe Georgia can win another SEC title playing this sort of defense? Is there any reason a program of such pedigree should have the worst defensive coordinator in its division?
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