Rambling Thoughts of An Old Tech Fan

AmpuTECHture

Drain Lake Powell
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
3,094
I agree. Keep in mind that Tennessee and Miami both sucked that year.
Miami was 10-3. We're ranked no 2 in the last week and lost a head scratcher to Pitt. We beat ourselves against Miami just like we did with Tennessee. Remember we only had 11 games in 2017. We won 5, and were certainly a team that was good enough to win 7, even 8 games (we wouldn't beat Duke, clemson, uga)

Even last year could have easily been a 9 win season...
 

00Burdell

Mod Thyself
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Joined
Nov 25, 2004
Messages
24,716
I know this is very long. It contains no news, just rambling thoughts of an old Tech fan. If you don't like that kind of thing, just quit reading it right now. You've been forewarned.

I liked Coach Johnson a lot. I never doubted that he knew exactly what he was doing. I knew that he hated losing as much as I did. I believe that he gave Tech the best chance to win, with the recruiting disadvantages we have.

I did get frustrated with him some times. His coaching decisions about going for fourth downs, when they failed and led to quick TDs by our opponents, were very easy for me to second-guess. And his decision to go for the two-point conversion in OT against Tennessee in the first game of the season is something I still haven't gotten over.

However, when he made the same type decisions and they worked, I was ecstatic. And, when I look back on his decisions when they didn't work, I can see that he probably made the call that gave us the best chance to win in those cases, too.

When I'm going to court as a lawyer, I often have to choose between doing what will leave the least room for me to be criticized if my client loses, or doing something that gives my client the best chance to win a tough case, even though it is so unorthodox that I will be criticized by the client and his or her family if the case is lost.

I think Coach Johnson was is a similar situation. I waver sometimes, but usually end up doing what I think gives the client the best chance to win, regardless of how bad I look if the case is lost. I think Coach Johnson did the same thing, even though I would get really mad at the time when he took one of these strategic chances and failed.

For instance, in retrospect, he probably did make the correct decision to go for the win in OT against Tennessee. The reality was simple. The odds are against making two-point conversions. But, the reality is that the offense had a better chance of winning the game right there than the team would have had of winning, if he had tied the game up and relied on our defense to stop Tennessee in subsequent overtimes.

That was the basic problem he had, while he was at Tech. He had a great offense, but he had to ask it to do more than it could in big games to make up for the weak defense. I think the reason for this is that he had the football mind and the offensive system to get the offense to play above our recruiting level, but he didn't have a similar magic to make up for our recruiting disadvantage on defense.

He reminded me of General Robert E. Lee ordering Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Lee was a great General and the Army of Northern Virginia was a great army. But, the Confederacy was at such a big disadvantage compared to the United States that Lee always had to take desperate chances to find a way to overcome the odds and win.

So, even though I got frustrated by him sometimes and criticized him at times, I was a big fan of Coach Johnson. I knew he hated to lose, he knew what he was doing, and he was willing to sacrifice himself by leaving himself wide open to criticism in order to give Tech the best chance to win. Therefore, I was sad, when he resigned. And, I'll never forget his big wins against Georgia, Clemson, FSU, Virginia Tech and others. Never.

Still, in his last season, it was obvious that he realized he was never going to be able to raise Tech to the elite level that he spoke of at his introductory press conference. Plus, he got a little defensive, talking about our recruiting disadvantages and implying fans should be realistic and compare our record with Tech's average record since Bobby Dodd's time.

Therefore, I think he did the honorable thing, when he decided to retire. I think he realized that he couldn't achieve his lofty goals at Tech. I also think he thought nobody else would be able to do so, either. And, I pretty much agreed with that, to be honest.

Then, along comes this guy that I had never heard of. "We're getting the head coach from Temple? Man, things are bad." When Coach Collins had his introductory press conference, I thought, "He can talk the talk, but I can't really believe him." I didn't think he was lying. I just didn't think he knew what he was getting into.

But, as time went by, and I saw the staff he put together and how relentless he was in recruiting, I changed my mind just a little. I started thinking, "This guy will never get this done. But, damn, he's trying so hard, and he's got this great staff that's working themselves to death." I decided to buy into what he was doing. As long as he and his staff keep believing Tech football can be great again and keep working like hell to make that happen, I'm going to be in his corner.

So, here we are, not far away from fall practice. I expect we'll win between zero and five games this year. But, that's not important. It's like Bobby Ross's first two years, when he didn't win a single ACC game. If the coach and staff can stay positive and don't let what happens on the field discourage them, they may turn the corner in season three and pop into national prominence in season four.

That's what I'm choosing to believe. But, I and all Tech fans have two things we've go to do, too. We've got to stay patient and supportive. If we do, our coach has got an outside chance to bring Tech back to the glory days. If we don't, I don't think it can be done.
Nice post, or as Al Ciraldo would say...
GT!
 

Deke

Everybody relax, I'm here.
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
6,758
But I really believe CGC was the only hire that could have lifted my spirits...because he was THE GUY responsible for the vaunted 2007 recruiting class.
I have a sincere question about this. For the longest time I always heard (primarily on Stingtalk) that Giff Smith was THE GUY for our recruiting success under Gailey. I never remember anyone mentioning Collins. Did we just not know the extent of CGC’s hand in recruiting until he came here and his background got a spotlight shined on it (and now everyone is pretending like we always knew he was the key to the recruiting juice)? Or am I somehow just misremembering how often Giff got credited for our good recruiting?
 

wesleyd21

Dodd-Like
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
16,144
I have a sincere question about this. For the longest time I always heard (primarily on Stingtalk) that Giff Smith was THE GUY for our recruiting success under Gailey. I never remember anyone mentioning Collins. Did we just not know the extent of CGC’s hand in recruiting until he came here and his background got a spotlight shined on it (and now everyone is pretending like we always knew he was the key to the recruiting juice)? Or am I somehow just misremembering how often Giff got credited for our good recruiting?
I have that same question as well. I always thought it was a lot of Giff’s work but just look at what CGC is already doing on the recruiting trail. That’s all the evidence I really need and pretty much the only thing that matters.

Take for example Dabo “the Cheerleader Coach”...think that guy could coach his way out of a paper bag? Recruiting Recruiting Recruiting is the game.
 
F

flushed 01

Guest
I know this is very long. It contains no news, just rambling thoughts of an old Tech fan. If you don't like that kind of thing, just quit reading it right now. You've been forewarned.

I liked Coach Johnson a lot. I never doubted that he knew exactly what he was doing. I knew that he hated losing as much as I did. I believe that he gave Tech the best chance to win, with the recruiting disadvantages we have.

I did get frustrated with him some times. His coaching decisions about going for fourth downs, when they failed and led to quick TDs by our opponents, were very easy for me to second-guess. And his decision to go for the two-point conversion in OT against Tennessee in the first game of the season is something I still haven't gotten over.

However, when he made the same type decisions and they worked, I was ecstatic. And, when I look back on his decisions when they didn't work, I can see that he probably made the call that gave us the best chance to win in those cases, too.

When I'm going to court as a lawyer, I often have to choose between doing what will leave the least room for me to be criticized if my client loses, or doing something that gives my client the best chance to win a tough case, even though it is so unorthodox that I will be criticized by the client and his or her family if the case is lost.

I think Coach Johnson was is a similar situation. I waver sometimes, but usually end up doing what I think gives the client the best chance to win, regardless of how bad I look if the case is lost. I think Coach Johnson did the same thing, even though I would get really mad at the time when he took one of these strategic chances and failed.

For instance, in retrospect, he probably did make the correct decision to go for the win in OT against Tennessee. The reality was simple. The odds are against making two-point conversions. But, the reality is that the offense had a better chance of winning the game right there than the team would have had of winning, if he had tied the game up and relied on our defense to stop Tennessee in subsequent overtimes.

That was the basic problem he had, while he was at Tech. He had a great offense, but he had to ask it to do more than it could in big games to make up for the weak defense. I think the reason for this is that he had the football mind and the offensive system to get the offense to play above our recruiting level, but he didn't have a similar magic to make up for our recruiting disadvantage on defense.

He reminded me of General Robert E. Lee ordering Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Lee was a great General and the Army of Northern Virginia was a great army. But, the Confederacy was at such a big disadvantage compared to the United States that Lee always had to take desperate chances to find a way to overcome the odds and win.

So, even though I got frustrated by him sometimes and criticized him at times, I was a big fan of Coach Johnson. I knew he hated to lose, he knew what he was doing, and he was willing to sacrifice himself by leaving himself wide open to criticism in order to give Tech the best chance to win. Therefore, I was sad, when he resigned. And, I'll never forget his big wins against Georgia, Clemson, FSU, Virginia Tech and others. Never.

Still, in his last season, it was obvious that he realized he was never going to be able to raise Tech to the elite level that he spoke of at his introductory press conference. Plus, he got a little defensive, talking about our recruiting disadvantages and implying fans should be realistic and compare our record with Tech's average record since Bobby Dodd's time.

Therefore, I think he did the honorable thing, when he decided to retire. I think he realized that he couldn't achieve his lofty goals at Tech. I also think he thought nobody else would be able to do so, either. And, I pretty much agreed with that, to be honest.

Then, along comes this guy that I had never heard of. "We're getting the head coach from Temple? Man, things are bad." When Coach Collins had his introductory press conference, I thought, "He can talk the talk, but I can't really believe him." I didn't think he was lying. I just didn't think he knew what he was getting into.

But, as time went by, and I saw the staff he put together and how relentless he was in recruiting, I changed my mind just a little. I started thinking, "This guy will never get this done. But, damn, he's trying so hard, and he's got this great staff that's working themselves to death." I decided to buy into what he was doing. As long as he and his staff keep believing Tech football can be great again and keep working like hell to make that happen, I'm going to be in his corner.

So, here we are, not far away from fall practice. I expect we'll win between zero and five games this year. But, that's not important. It's like Bobby Ross's first two years, when he didn't win a single ACC game. If the coach and staff can stay positive and don't let what happens on the field discourage them, they may turn the corner in season three and pop into national prominence in season four.

That's what I'm choosing to believe. But, I and all Tech fans have two things we've go to do, too. We've got to stay patient and supportive. If we do, our coach has got an outside chance to bring Tech back to the glory days. If we don't, I don't think it can be done.
 

Akinji07

Moderator you deserve
Staff member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
37,820
I stopped reading after “I know this is very long.” Someone give me the cliffsnotes.
 

Akinji07

Moderator you deserve
Staff member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
37,820
  • I like CPJ
  • We lost to Tennessee
  • I’m a lawyer
  • We lost to Tennessee
  • Robert E. Lee was a great general
  • CPJ was a great coach
  • Both took risky chances
  • CPJ retiring was honorable
  • Let’s support the new guy
Robert E Lee was the CPJ of generals?
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2011
Messages
27,277
Robert E Lee was the CPJ of generals?
Yes.

  • He was older than his contemporaries.
  • His nickname was Granny
  • He did more with less (fewer men, resources)
  • He took risks that looked brilliant when they worked
  • He took risks that looked boneheaded when they didn’t work
  • He had a daughter who was an opera singer
  • He went for it on 4th down at Gettysburg
  • Mark Richt was his daddy
 

yellowbritchies

Flats Noob
Joined
Nov 17, 2006
Messages
710
Paul Johnson was his own worst enemy. Just remember when recruiting time came around he always got the first choice on his offense, defense be damned. However, I will give him great credit for stepping aside and not trying to fight the tide.
 

txsting

Elite level sh*tposting
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
1,305
It's been a great time to be a Tech fan. We just went through one grand and bold experiment with CPJ. If it wasn't ultimately as successful as we all dreamed in the 2009 offseason, the gamble still paid off handsomely with the wins over Georgia and the Orange Bowl trophy. And it was truly fun; I loved being unique in the football world, and we earned respect and shredded knees (not) from coast to coast.

Now we are truly going into the Upside Down. Another bold experiment, this time to sell and market the program with NO EXCUSES, by someone who I have to take at his word truly loves Georgia Tech, our history, and what we stand for. It's going to be fun again to watch how it plays out.

I would echo the OP's call to be patient and support the program. GO'L took two years to get the ship turned around. If we have 1-2 seasons where we don't crack 6 wins, but the talent level is rising, i think we'll be OK.
 

FHstinger

Dodd-Like
Joined
Dec 22, 2001
Messages
2,549
I know this is very long. It contains no news, just rambling thoughts of an old Tech fan. If you don't like that kind of thing, just quit reading it right now. You've been forewarned.

I liked Coach Johnson a lot. I never doubted that he knew exactly what he was doing. I knew that he hated losing as much as I did. I believe that he gave Tech the best chance to win, with the recruiting disadvantages we have.

I did get frustrated with him some times. His coaching decisions about going for fourth downs, when they failed and led to quick TDs by our opponents, were very easy for me to second-guess. And his decision to go for the two-point conversion in OT against Tennessee in the first game of the season is something I still haven't gotten over.

However, when he made the same type decisions and they worked, I was ecstatic. And, when I look back on his decisions when they didn't work, I can see that he probably made the call that gave us the best chance to win in those cases, too.

When I'm going to court as a lawyer, I often have to choose between doing what will leave the least room for me to be criticized if my client loses, or doing something that gives my client the best chance to win a tough case, even though it is so unorthodox that I will be criticized by the client and his or her family if the case is lost.

I think Coach Johnson was is a similar situation. I waver sometimes, but usually end up doing what I think gives the client the best chance to win, regardless of how bad I look if the case is lost. I think Coach Johnson did the same thing, even though I would get really mad at the time when he took one of these strategic chances and failed.

For instance, in retrospect, he probably did make the correct decision to go for the win in OT against Tennessee. The reality was simple. The odds are against making two-point conversions. But, the reality is that the offense had a better chance of winning the game right there than the team would have had of winning, if he had tied the game up and relied on our defense to stop Tennessee in subsequent overtimes.

That was the basic problem he had, while he was at Tech. He had a great offense, but he had to ask it to do more than it could in big games to make up for the weak defense. I think the reason for this is that he had the football mind and the offensive system to get the offense to play above our recruiting level, but he didn't have a similar magic to make up for our recruiting disadvantage on defense.

He reminded me of General Robert E. Lee ordering Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Lee was a great General and the Army of Northern Virginia was a great army. But, the Confederacy was at such a big disadvantage compared to the United States that Lee always had to take desperate chances to find a way to overcome the odds and win.

So, even though I got frustrated by him sometimes and criticized him at times, I was a big fan of Coach Johnson. I knew he hated to lose, he knew what he was doing, and he was willing to sacrifice himself by leaving himself wide open to criticism in order to give Tech the best chance to win. Therefore, I was sad, when he resigned. And, I'll never forget his big wins against Georgia, Clemson, FSU, Virginia Tech and others. Never.

Still, in his last season, it was obvious that he realized he was never going to be able to raise Tech to the elite level that he spoke of at his introductory press conference. Plus, he got a little defensive, talking about our recruiting disadvantages and implying fans should be realistic and compare our record with Tech's average record since Bobby Dodd's time.

Therefore, I think he did the honorable thing, when he decided to retire. I think he realized that he couldn't achieve his lofty goals at Tech. I also think he thought nobody else would be able to do so, either. And, I pretty much agreed with that, to be honest.

Then, along comes this guy that I had never heard of. "We're getting the head coach from Temple? Man, things are bad." When Coach Collins had his introductory press conference, I thought, "He can talk the talk, but I can't really believe him." I didn't think he was lying. I just didn't think he knew what he was getting into.

But, as time went by, and I saw the staff he put together and how relentless he was in recruiting, I changed my mind just a little. I started thinking, "This guy will never get this done. But, damn, he's trying so hard, and he's got this great staff that's working themselves to death." I decided to buy into what he was doing. As long as he and his staff keep believing Tech football can be great again and keep working like hell to make that happen, I'm going to be in his corner.

So, here we are, not far away from fall practice. I expect we'll win between zero and five games this year. But, that's not important. It's like Bobby Ross's first two years, when he didn't win a single ACC game. If the coach and staff can stay positive and don't let what happens on the field discourage them, they may turn the corner in season three and pop into national prominence in season four.

That's what I'm choosing to believe. But, I and all Tech fans have two things we've go to do, too. We've got to stay patient and supportive. If we do, our coach has got an outside chance to bring Tech back to the glory days. If we don't, I don't think it can be done.
Great read. The post echoes my sentiments.
 

Techbert

Dodd-Like
Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
24,571
I'd say all the people that met the Collins hire with doubt are the people that did not know him or know what he was up to the first two times he was here.
 
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