Richt's time had come, but this is still a monster day

It was inevitable.

It was probably time.

            Still, to see the phrase "Georgia has fired Mark Richt" is an absolute hammer.

            We should all execute at a 74 percent success rate at our jobs - and better in our lives - with all sorts of hindrances and impediments to deal with.

            I've always said that I'd rather my kid - who, like Barney Fife's often-discussed boy, is nonexistent - play for Richt and never get a ring than play for assorted other coaches and get a ring.

            That will always be the case.

            But the bottom line is that Georgia reached its ceiling under Richt. And it hasn't really been that low a ceiling. Nevertheless, with the tools in place, Georgia should be in the national title conversation more.

            It's silly to say a team should win this or that. The Braves come to mind, but I've always said they simply should have been more competitive in the postseason rather than win X number of World Series.

            And fans generally refuse to respect or acknowledge other teams, since they and their team are the truly blessed and deserving ones.

            Still, the egg-laying performances have been astounding, and that's to somebody who wears no colors. You look at everything, and wonder how it happens that often.

            Of course, we can't figure out nearly as much as we'd like.

            What's been lost, predictably, in this discussion and all similar discussions is the job.

            No, it's not just winning games. That's frustratingly, and predictably, short-sighted.

            Coaches first and foremost are guardians, caretakers and babysitters. First and foremost.

They walk into a living room - some are nice, some are front porches - with the hopes of being trusted.

            Sure, success is tied to being trusted enough for a family - which ranges from living on an estate to living in a shack with plywood for windows - to make a decision and send a kid somewhere.

            Parents and a child - beards and tattoos aside, they still are kids - are putting their faith in a man to take care of that kid.

            Parents hand over their teenagers to the head coach, athletics director, assistants, staff, trainers, dorm managers and other athletics department personnel. This is college, where the instruction is to be vast and broad, not merely on a dozen or so Saturdays.

            Sorry, but that really is in the equation. It's more than just the bloodthirsty obsession. A winning percentage is part of the conversation, but it's doubtful that tops the list in those living rooms.

            Trust is placed that the man will take care of the child, who in turn does have to earn that scholarship by performing to the best of his ability, absurd recruiting rankings and accompanying expectations aside.

            And together, they'll try to win as many games as possible. There are millions of dollars on the line, as well as the mental stability of millions of people.

            That said, yes, it was time. As much as I like Richt - who, rest assured, has a much broader vocabulary with his team than the public saw - I saw years ago that the odds were against Georgia winning a national title with him in charge. Roster management was baffling, player development was inconsistent, there were way too many unnecessary recruiting gambles and there was a consistent stubbornness.

            All those will stop a program in its tracks.

            Let's note that Nick Saban is a once-in-a-generation head coach who wasn't really dazzling the world at Michigan State. So some reality in comparison shopping never hurts.

            Still, who you can trust your kid with is kind of a big thing.

            Looking ahead, there will be the ridiculous lusting after Jon Gruden (career winning percentage of 54.1, little job stability, almost non-existent college experience, great current job), and slobbering about Kirby Smart (pretty one-dimensional resume - the kind of resume Georgia fans would mock if hired by, say, Auburn - and little is more overrated than "he played/coached/lived here"). Won't even acknowledge that Jeremy Pruitt would be on any legitimate list.

            The guessing games can be fun, and they can be just silly.

            Georgia may get a guy who has a better, more open-minded offensive philosophy. That wouldn't necessarily be all that hard.

            And Georgia may get a guy who is a better human resource director, because a head coach's success is 100 percent tied to the quality of his staff, and its ability to recruit players and develop players.

            That's hard, no matter what, but doable.

            Georgia may get a guy who gets in players faces more, puts a little fear into them for playing poorly by sitting them, which usually makes them better and hungrier. That certainly wouldn't be hard.

            But just about no matter who gets the call, it'll take a few things for some of us to believe that Georgia is better, in a big-picture way, without Mark Richt.