Biggest thing that needs fixing?

[beej67]

Agreed. This place has devolved into a delusional circle-jerk of bigrcry. People are either delusional as to the realities of how Tech fits in to a modern college football landscape, or they're ready to completely retool the entire Institute to win a few more games. Like most political discussion these days, there is a total lack of perspective or moderate opinion/understanding.

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

 

[GTSaxophone]

I absolutely agree that we need to get back to running our system. Probably because he sees our guys competing against more talented players, it seems Paul Johnson has lost the conviction that he can run option football consistently in big games and succeed. Coach, call the game like you did when you had Nesbitt, Dwyer, Thomas, Allen and Jones. And, if you can't do that because the players we have just aren't that good, then hit the recruiting trail and change this.

I think that's reading too much into it. I think he looks out across the landscape and sees things others are doing that he feels he can incorporate into our offense to make it that much more deadly. (What?!? CPJ is actually trying to innovate his offense? Impossibru!!!) The problem is that the guys aren't getting the basic stuff down, and it shows in the games. The fanbase is getting restless at the offense as a whole, when a matter of simple execution out of our players would make a night and day difference. Look at all of the one possession games we've left on the table. That isn't the mark of a system that's in over it's head as many around here would like to insinuate. That speaks loudly to our guys leaving plays on the field that would make the difference.

 

[DressCheeseSideSeaboard]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

Excellent post.

 

[Deke]

The fans.

While I tend to agree after reading a lot of threads on this board, I actually think this thread is making some pretty reasonable observations (save a couple of the usuals).

 

[GATechAE07]

Excellent post.

+1

Best post in a long time.

 

[originalwombat]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

Dang, Beej. Thought-provoking. Respect.

 

[AlaGold]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

67,
I agree we are better than some schools --so is 7 wins the limit? and what would you do to improve things(if any)?

 

[beej67]

67,
I agree we are better than some schools --so is 7 wins the limit? and what would you do to improve things(if any)?

8 +/-1 is one standard deviation of our limit.

We can get to 10 or 11 wins with two standard deviations of crazy ass balls bouncing our way, such as when our QB fumbles the ball, it's recovered by the other team, then he rips it out of their hands for a fresh set of downs. If crazy insane öööö like that happens regularly we can get to 10 or 11.

I think the first major step towards truly "improving things," not just for football but for GT in general, is to go private and get out from underneath the cloud of leghumpers running our business. Anything less is a bandaid.

Until then, I'll keep watching and cheering and etc, but I've reached "acceptance" stage when it comes to GT football.

 

[TampaBayJacket]

8 +/-1 is one standard deviation of our limit.

We can get to 10 or 11 wins with two standard deviations of crazy ass balls bouncing our way, such as when our QB fumbles the ball, it's recovered by the other team, then he rips it out of their hands for a fresh set of downs. If crazy insane öööö like that happens regularly we can get to 10 or 11.

I think the first major step towards truly "improving things," not just for football but for GT in general, is to go private and get out from underneath the cloud of leghumpers running our business. Anything less is a bandaid.

Until then, I'll keep watching and cheering and etc, but I've reached "acceptance" stage when it comes to GT football.

I think our EV goes up with those players from 2008/2009. I expect 9.5 wins +/- 1 from those players (9-10 wins). Your previous post about we're above average but not mediocre/bad was a great post, but I have to disagree that we're good. I'd say we are mediocre and a 7-6 record backs that up. Syracuse is 7-6 and you called them mediocre, coincidentally. My fear is we are trending downwards. Each year we get less talented. Each year we get further away from the teams we really want to beat. I see this thing going the wrong way.

 

[midatlantech]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

I compare us to Harvard which is why I think we should start playing them annually. (Your comment about feeling inadequate because we're not the SEC is the most laughable ever on this forum. It is true for a few, but not as a whole.)

However, the real question is simple. If we are actually something other than what we claim, why not come out of the closet and move on?

 

[staggerwing]

The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling.

The second step is realizing that we stack that deck ourselves because we're delusional blowhards who like to a) pretend that we are at the top of the academic heap and b) pretend that tying one arm behind our backs athletically is both noble and furthering our imagined academic world domination.

 

[HelluvaChemE]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

Basically exactly how I feel.

If our guys at least play hard, I don't get pissed at a loss anymore.

I especially don't get too pissed about losing to Georgia. The deck is so amazingly stacked against us.

 

[GaTech63]

Vad Lee makes the pass protection look a lot worse than it is, because he has zero pocket awareness/presence.

He runs backward and spins off almost immediately upon seeing a guy beat our tackles, which makes it worse, because a lot of the time's the interior has made a decent pocket. I don't know if I've ever seen Vad step up in the pocket, he's always moving backwards.

I wondered when someone would bring this up. That is what I saw a lot of in the bowl game. Instead of stepping up into the pocket he ran backwards into the outside rushers.

Again this can be coaching issue. I will never understand why we did not go to the pistol more and try the diamond. I wish CPJ would address why someday.

 

[Akinji07]

I wondered when someone would bring this up. That is what I saw a lot of in the bowl game. Instead of stepping up into the pocket he ran backwards into the outside rushers.

Again this can be coaching issue. I will never understand why we did not go to the pistol more and try the diamond. I wish CPJ would address why someday.

it is what it is

 

[GTSaxophone]

I wondered when someone would bring this up. That is what I saw a lot of in the bowl game. Instead of stepping up into the pocket he ran backwards into the outside rushers.

Again this can be coaching issue. I will never understand why we did not go to the pistol more and try the diamond. I wish CPJ would address why someday.

I've said this at least three times following the loss. Vad's pocket presence was very poor, and wasn't 100% on the O-Line

To answer the second part of your question, we honestly couldn't run basic principles with consistency, so expecting to start switching up formations is just asking for trouble. Vad had the same struggles passing out of the pistol at times, and the few occasions we passed out of the diamond as well. Like I said in another thread, Vad's problem was never the system; they just either never coached him up well enough, or he never picked things up well enough.

 

[gtfan247365]

I laugh the most at the idea that we are somehow terrible.

My dad's a UVA alum. I know terrible.

Or mediocre. A good friend is a Syracuse alum. I know mediocre.

GT is a good not great football school who has reached our glass ceiling of 8 +/- 1 win per year, because football is a sport played (mostly) by huge dumb jocks, and our school is definitively comprised of small smart nerds. Because the board of regents is dominated by our football rival, who is willing to move politically to ensure an on the field advantage. Because GT is hard, and unfun. Because GT's fanbase is small, and hamstrung by the UGA dominated media. Because our town is a pro sports town. Because of a million things.

We feel inadequate because we compare ourselves routinely to SEC football powerhouses. Compared to similar programs, we do öööö well.

GT fans should be proud of our team, and what our team accomplishes. Those guys study really freaking hard, and practice really freaking hard, and have made a choice to play football at a school that doesn't do them any favors. When we come up short to Ole Miss, we need to be proud that we played well, gave them a game, and almost came out with a win. We need to be proud that our football graduates aren't going to be riding garbage trucks in ten years if they don't make the NFL.

GT fans need pride. And the first step to pride is not crying like a bunch of toddlers about firing a coach. The first step to pride is taking a step back, realizing exactly how amazingly the deck is stacked against us, and smiling. Realizing that the UNC win and the Pitt win and the Syracuse win and (this year) the Duke win are good wins, for a bunch of guys who actually have to go to class, and who aren't being paid under the table like the last mega awesome highly nefariously obtained Ole Miss recruiting class was.

The team this year fell very short of my expectations, but it doesn't reduce my pride in them.

GT fans could use a little perspective.

+1

 

[TampaBayJacket]

I wondered when someone would bring this up. That is what I saw a lot of in the bowl game. Instead of stepping up into the pocket he ran backwards into the outside rushers.

Again this can be coaching issue. I will never understand why we did not go to the pistol more and try the diamond. I wish CPJ would address why someday.

it is what it is

Things are never as good or bad as they seem.

 

[GTCrew]

I wondered when someone would bring this up. That is what I saw a lot of in the bowl game. Instead of stepping up into the pocket he ran backwards into the outside rushers.

Again this can be coaching issue. I will never understand why we did not go to the pistol more and try the diamond. I wish CPJ would address why someday.

The other think QBs do to slow down a bull rush is to take off upfield. Not backwards and around the corner, that öööö works in high school but in college it rarely works. Running upfield through the gaps left when the DL blitzes with abandon is critical to help the OL. That even works for unathletic QBs.

If Vad did this regularly during games, he might have helped the OL be able to provide the protection to make the passes.

 

[LongforDodd]

Hard for me to say it is the head coach, but I do think his biggest failure is his OL philosophy. We can't pass block worth an umlaut. And today our BBacks didn't block well either. Hard to blame Vad when he is running for his life.

Congrats to our players. They played hard. I wish there was some way to fix our mediocrity.

I just replied like this in another thread. Our blocking is our biggest problem. And these are PJ's blockers.

 

[GoldZ]

How bout an AD that will fight to remove obstacles (unnecessary ones) to winning?