It may technically be the offseason, but there won’t be much rest when it comes to coaching college football.

You can bet your money’s worth that head coach Mark Richt still is working hard to build up an SEC championship caliber football team, especially after falling short of that goal this season.

For fun, The Red & Black decided to offer a little advice to the Georgia coach as to what he should contemplate as August glares back at Richt from a distance.

1. Remember D.J. The last time an all-time great Georgia quarterback (David Greene) left and opened the door for a long-time backup (D.J. Shockley), the result was an SEC Championship. Now Matthew Stafford is gone, and it’s Joe Cox’s time to step up. Will the result be the same? Who knows. But it doesn’t hurt for a little extra motivation.

2. Vow always to tackle in practice, no matter what. You admitted you made a mistake when you stopped tackling in practice. Here’s to it not happening again. If that means Georgia faces 24 injuries next year and former Oconee County standout Andrew Johnson starts at safety, then so be it. We’d be fine with your wife Katharyn taking some time off from water duty to knock some running backs off their feet if needed. Well, as long as she tackled in practice.

3. Study the Chick-Fil-A Bowl tape. Now. Sure, Georgia Tech never really had a chance after a special teams turnover, a failed fake punt inside its own 22 and the bowling ball that is Charles Scott. However, because of those opportunities, LSU’s defense was able to play aggressively against Georgia Tech’s flexbone option, and hold the Yellow Jackets to 164 yards rushing. And that’s spectacular considering Georgia Tech racked up more than 800 on the ground in its last two weeks of the regular season.

4. Send Nick Saban a thank you note. We know you won’t admit it, but Auburn will not be nearly as good as it was just a couple seasons ago. And it’s all thanks to Nick Saban. Saban’s presence has freaked Auburn into a panic. Auburn now has forced out Tommy Tuberville and hired Gene Chizik, who lost 10 straight games at Iowa State (and was about to be fired himself). Now the Auburn fan base is outraged and alum Charles Barkley is fuming that the Tigers didn’t hire Turner Gill (who won a MAC championship at Buffalo. BUFFALO!) Oh, and Saban also owns Auburn in recruiting now.

5. Take a deep breath and count to 10 when you hear the name Lane Kiffin. You may have another coaching nemesis in the SEC at Tennessee. We all already know your personality doesn’t mix well with the Urban Meyer, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban types. And Lane Kiffin may be the latest to join that list after he called you out on possibly “falling asleep” on in-state recruits. Keep your cool. But you do a pretty good job at that.

6. Do your best to fly under the radar. This shouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world given the departure of Matthew and Knowshon. You’ve even admitted that the preseason No. 1 ranking was a distraction: “[I think if it did happen again] everybody would just understand it a little bit better and know that it doesn’t really mean a thing,” you said. “…All that does is probably cause more distractions than anything else.” Bingo.

7. Don’t listen to the Willie haters. You know it, he knows it, we know it. It wasn’t his fault. Every armchair quarterback with a Bud Light in his La-Z-Boy’s cup holder wanted to blame defensive coordinator Willie Martinez for the defense’s mishaps. It wasn’t Martinez’s fault the players didn’t wrap up as the regular season closed. You’re right: The players were in position but failed to make the plays. It begins with coaching, but the players also have to be accountable.

8. Please give us a better explanation of your special teams game plan. Blair Walsh can’t do the directional kickoffs without it going out of bounds. And Logan Gray called for so many fair catches this year his arms must be more tired than a comedian who just flew in from Cleveland. We’re sure there’s a good and logical reason behind yours and coach Jon Fabris’ scheme, and we trust you guys in that regard. We’re just curious what it is. Please fill us in. Please?

9. Give Ron Courson a raise. With 18 season-ending injuries, athletic trainer Ron Courson had to have put in his share of overtime hours. Already regarded as one of the best trainers in the country, Courson spent lots of time wrapping casts, taping ankles and properly bracing elbows. And with eight new surgeries scheduled this month and five more Bulldogs scheduled to miss spring practice, it doesn’t get any easier from here.

10. Take a vacation. This was a tumultuous season – arrests, injuries, preseason hype, missed opportunities and disappointment. Take a breather. You’ve earned it.