Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

7/22/2010 at 6:37pm

HOOVER, Ala. — Few knew who Robbie Caldwell was entering Southeastern Conference Media Days. Everybody present at the Wynfrey Hotel will remember the interim coach at Vanderbilt after his performance Thursday.

Caldwell turned in one of the most memorable appearances in recent Media Days memory. Veteran journalists in the room were hard-pressed to think of a more entertaining coach’s session, and Caldwell even received a rare ovation after his discussion with the print media in the Wynfrey ballroom.

How did Caldwell do it? He was himself, plain and simple.

Caldwell, who took over after Bobby Johnson abruptly resigned last week, started off his statement to the media by saying, “I know the first question you’re asking is, ‘Who is Robbie Caldwell?’" By the end, media members were wondering, “Why haven’t we known about Robbie Caldwell?” after he humorously talked about a variety of topics, including working as a turkey inseminator and being a misfit for Vanderbilt.

Yep, he talked about his job on a turkey farm as an inseminator, and even went on to explain the job. He came across as the antithesis of Vanderbilt — a prestigious (and expensive) private school with a great reputation for academics — and the media loved him for it.

Questions would shift back and forth, from concerns about defensive schemes to growing up in South Carolina, yet he entertained throughout. Asked about changing previous no-cursing policies on the football team, Caldwell said in his Carolina drawl, “I’m no angel, that’s for certain … It’s just a sign of limited vocabulary sometimes. I know y’all can’t tell it, but I do have an education.”

It almost seemed as if anything Caldwell said would draw laughter, and the majority of it did. For a while, media members forgot they were on assignment to cover football and instead savored the rare treat of a coach displaying great comedic timing and freely speaking his mind. The Wynfrey ballroom turned into a suburban Birmingham comedy club.

Caldwell, asked about his adjustment to the culture at Vanderbilt, answered right on cue: “I think it was a big adjustment for Vanderbilt with my culture. I tried to give them a little flavor.”

Over the course of the next season he’ll be giving Vanderbilt all the flavor it can handle. After Thursday it’ll be worth savoring for a long while.

Checking the Richt-er Scale
One of the many stories at SEC Media Days has been the coaching hot-seat debate. Georgia Coach Mark Richt has been in the thick of it.

Richt, who has averaged 10 wins a year at Georgia, spoke Thursday and sounded calm and confident about his team and his coaching position despite the buzz surrounding his job security.

Leaning over the podium to answer questions from the media, Richt was relaxed as he talked about how excited the Bulldogs were about the upcoming season (we’re pretty sure they’re not alone, as there are 11 other SEC schools). Richt talked about his blossoming offense, his new defensive schemes and what is probably the best special teams unit in the SEC in what some speculate might be his last SEC Media Days appearance.

Spurrier Hates His QBs, Still
In the past, South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier has been very critical of his starting quarterbacks. Some wonder if his current signal caller, Stephen Garcia, is perhaps receiving the sharpest of blows.

Spurrier seemed to endlessly lash out at Garcia's play Thursday, sternly stating that the job was Garcia’s unless “he’s beaten out by the next quarterback.” Spurrier went on to rave about a freshman challenger while continuing to downplay the senior Garcia.

Despite Garcia's passing totals of 2,862 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season, Spurrier must not be happy with the 37 sacks the Gamecocks allowed with Garcia as the signal caller last season. Garcia's decision-making has always been a Spurrier beef. After four years, Garcia is deep in Spurrier’s doghouse, and it looks to stay that way until he can live up to the lofty expectations of the Head Ball Coach. We guess he’ll be sacked until then.

Quotable:
Everything Vanderbilt interim coach Robbie Caldwell said. The transcript soon will be etched in college football glory like Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is with America. But just about everything Caldwell said in relation to working on a turkey farm was golden.

A few of the gems:
“If I told some of these ladies what they put in the lipstick right there, oh my goodness. Because I de-beaked, blood tested, vaccinated, I done it all.”
— Caldwell, when asked if his turkey farm job affected his ability to enjoy Thanksgiving.

“I can still walk in places and nobody knows me. Last night I was opening the door for people, and they gave me a tip.”
— Caldwell on still being an unknown in college football.

Up Next:
LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee take the stage Friday on the finale of SEC Media Days. The storylines seem to be centered on LSU Coach Les Miles, like Georgia's Mark Richt, being on the hot seat; offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn overshadowing his head coach, Gene Chizik, at Auburn; Ole Miss struggling with quarterbacks, as Houston Nutt (according to reports in Mississippi) tries to talk heralded but disgruntled Reggie Cotton from transferring; and Tennessee faces life without their former coach of one season, Lane Kiffin, and life with the mysterious Derek Dooley.

Tagged: Gus Malzahn, football, SEC Media Days, Vanderbilt Commodores, Robbie Caldwell, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier