On Nov. 2, Michael Fitzpatrick of the The Red & Black gave advice to football coach Mark Richt. His first suggestion was to “Fire Willie Martinez.”

I respect Fitzpatrick’s right to an opinion. Everyone is irked with Georgia’s defense.

But he doesn’t suggest why readers should believe what he thinks.

Fitzpatrick says last year’s defense was dismal and this season’s version is just plain awful. What’s the difference?

He stated Florida used the same misdirected game plan Tennessee used to beat Georgia. The Volunteers used a snap from center, with a naked bootleg to fool the Bulldogs. Not once did Florida run this scheme.

Yes, Fitzpatrick, Martinez’ defense has not performed.

Nationally, the Bulldogs sit 60th or lower in rushing, passing and total defense.

But no matter how rough the stats look, what right does an editorial board member have to call for a coaches head?

What’s his argument?

I can tell you mine: Somebody like Fitzpatrick, who hasn’t ever set foot in a Georgia football practice and wasn’t in Jacksonville this weekend, has no credentials to offer suggestions to Mark Richt.

The truth is many fans loathe Martinez and want him gone, and Fitzpatrick is pandering to this crowd. Writing to fire the man is a safe play because, well, everybody is writing it.

But what was added to the argument?

Should Richt fire Willie right now? In two weeks? After the season? Fitzpatrick doesn’t say.

Who should replace Martinez now, if he is cut loose? Current defensive coaches Rodney Garner, John Jancek, Jon Fabris, or somebody else?

Fitzpatrick doesn’t say.

If he’s going to scream for a head to roll, he needs to think about what happens after the axe falls. These are the issues Fitzpatrick should contemplate if he wants Martinez gone, because Richt is faced with the same questions.

Nothing is contributed by saying “Fire Willie,” except more worthless kicks to the same dead horse.

This isn’t a unique situation. Don’t forget what happened to Tommy Tuberville last season at Auburn. He fired his much-maligned offensive coordinator mid-season. And then Tuberville was fired shortly after.

That should be enough to show problems are not solved overnight by easily firing somebody.

As a football beat writer for The Red & Black, I’m around Georgia players and coaches daily. Butts-Mehre is my second home, and I spend an unhealthy amount of time pouring over stats and the depth chart.

And I still don’t feel qualified to tell Richt what he needs to do.

The coaches know what they need to work on. There’s nothing an outsider like Fitzpatrick can say that Richt hasn’t already perceived as a problem.

“I don’t think one fan has brought up something we haven’t thought of, so we think about all these things,” Richt said Tuesday, at a press conference Fitzpatrick did not attend. “We’re trying to make the best decisions that we can make.”

And Richt will address the Martinez issue when the time comes – at the end of the season.

He knows firing Willie will do nothing to improve this year’s defense. How could it?

Replacing Martinez with an interim coach within the staff is like letting a co-pilot fly the plane for a month. They have the same philosophy, mentality and overall goals. Which would amount to the same results.

Lastly, Fitzpatrick warns Richt, “if you can’t bring a title, athletic director Damon Evans needs to find someone who can.”

Actually, Richt has two SEC titles. I think that makes him more qualified on the subject than Fitzpatrick.

- Fletcher Page is a sports writer for The Red & Black.