Georgia football: One quick thing about Mike Bobo

Georgia football fans seem to be split over the hire of Mike Bobo as the new offensive coordinator. In a nutshell, get bent if you don’t like this hire.

Every Georgia football coach, player, and fan knew that there was a good chance Todd Monken would head back to the NFL this season. After two interviews with the Baltimore Ravens, that’s exactly what he did.

In the past, this might have created chaos. A scramble. A Chinese fire drill the likes of which hadn’t been seen in Athens since the days of Ray Goff.

But not in Kirby Smart’s world. The head coach who prides himself on preparation and execution followed his own preachings and was fully prepared for this eventuality. He already had his guy in the fold, and to most, it was no surprise when the announcement came that current offensive analyst and former offensive coordinator Mike Bobo would be stepping back into his old role.

It didn’t take long for the gnashing and wailing to begin among a certain segment of the Bulldog Nation. Fans who, for whatever reason, had a sour taste in their mouths when it came to Mike Bobo.

They hate the hire, they think the offense is going to completely degenerate into a modern-day version of run-run-pass-punt, and spearhead their anguish with cries of “3rd and 23, Draw play? Noooo!”

Utter and complete nonsense. Poppycock. Or, in the words of Colonel Sherman T. Potter…

“That is grade-A, 100 percent bull cookies!”

Mike Bobo has a track record of success with Georgia football

A few quick facts that could (and should) wake up the masses already decrying the Mike Bobo hire.

• After taking over as offensive coordinator in 2007, Bobo lifted Georgia from near the bottom of the country in total offense to 39th in 2011, 22nd in 2012, and 17th in 2013
• Georgia’s scoring offense went from 37th in the nation in 2007 to 8th in the nation in his final season of 2014.
• The Bulldogs actually had better numbers in yards per game, first downs per game, and points per game in 2013 than they did in 2012, despite losing Malcolm Mitchell, Justin Scott-Wesley, Keith Marshall, and star quarterback Aaron Murray to season-ending injuries.
• The 489.8 yards per game number set by the Georgia offense in 2013 still stood as a program record until the 2022 season, when the Dawgs amassed 501.1 yards per game.

If Georgia fans should hold a grudge against anyone for subpar seasons between 2007-2014, it’s former defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, whose penchant for turning the defense of a 3rd and long situation into a demonstration of mass-confusion led to the tagline, “3rd and Grantham”.

Let’s not forget that it took Todd Monken a couple of seasons to cut his teeth at Georgia and figure out what he had and what he could do with it. The Bulldogs finished 41st in total offense in his first year on the job and there were grumblings from some that he was no upgrade from James Coley (remember him, Dawg fans?)

Mike Bobo is a proven winner, a Bulldog legacy, and he’s also had a year of working with Todd Monken to add to his already-loaded offensive toolbox, so let’s let the coaches coach, and do what fans are supposed to do. Support, and cheer.