Keep Johnson

My only issue with Johnson is that he whiffed on the most important position on the field. He stuck with Marshall too long either out of stubbornness or incompetence. Neither is good, and at his age, neither can be fixed.

Or maybe he thought a "healthy" Marshall gave the team the best chance to win? I like Oliver and he seems to run the mesh much faster than TQM, getting to the edge quicker on the base plays. Outside of a few base plays, Oliver looks pretty shaky.

It will be interesting to see who starts if Marshall is completely healthy. Regardless, the coach is going to play the QB he thinks gives the team the best chance to win--after all, it's his job based upon the results.

Let's hope that the team finishes strong.
 
I do think he is nearing the end of his coaching career, but I want to keep Johnson for two reasons.

1. He has been a great coach and great for our program. I'd like to send him out on a good note.
2. I want us to continue to play option football after he leaves (Monken, etc.). I've always been a fan of the system, even before we hired CPJ.
 
Well. Paul gets to recruit, develop, and subsequently pick his quarterback. So the notion of “give Paul a good qb and he can win” only furthers my displeasure with Paul.
He has recruited 3 potentially good QBs on the roster and has another one with promise committed. That combined with what I hope is an improving defense that will be much better next year is why I think he should get another year. Let's see if he can develop one or all of them into a Thomas/Nesbitt game changer type QB.

I understand him being loyal to Marshall and can respect him for it. I don't agree with it, but he is loyal to the players that have put the time in. I think we should have changed sooner because for whatever reason, the offense isn't working with Marshall running it.
 
He has recruited 3 potentially good QBs on the roster and has another one with promise committed. That combined with what I hope is an improving defense that will be much better next year is why I think he should get another year. Let's see if he can develop one or all of them into a Thomas/Nesbitt game changer type QB.

I understand him being loyal to Marshall and can respect him for it. I don't agree with it, but he is loyal to the players that have put the time in. I think we should have changed sooner because for whatever reason, the offense isn't working with Marshall running it.
This isn't really fair. Sometimes the offense has been quite good under TQM. I just think we need to be quicker on the hook and play two guys if we have two guys. TQM can be a bit of a head case it seems, sometimes it would do him good to get a breather. I think the QB's are close to the same level; and now IMO Tobias has earned the start. But TQM should be ready and Paul should not hesitate to switch if we need a change in mojo.
 
If he is starting Tobias the next three years at QB, Heck yea.... If not...fire Him!!
 
Perhaps, so our O can get on the field quicker, we should let the other team score in one quick play, instead of death marches of 4 to 8 plays, on their first possession of the game?
 
This is just a Louisville 2, a young defense that was overmatched. We can not expect Oliver to carry the ball 40 times a game and my God is was boring to watch. Next good defense we play will do the same thing that Duke did.

VT held Duke to 14. They were just overmatched against us.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense, but what does?
 
My only issue with Johnson is that he whiffed on the most important position on the field. He stuck with Marshall too long either out of stubbornness or incompetence. Neither is good, and at his age, neither can be fixed.

I don't believe it was stubbornness or incompetence. I think TQM can execute more of the playbook than Oliver, and earlier in the season Oliver just wasn't ready. I also think that going forward TQM may be more effective against some defenses and that Oliver will be more effective against others. The two guys obviously play different; but I don't think either has locked up the QB position for the rest of this season or next season.
 
Oliver looked great running the ball last night but on the only pass attempt he tried, he stumbled and failed to complete a 10 yard pass. I fear we are all getting way too giddy about beating a team that lost to Old Dominion this year. A team that the announcers repeatedly said before, during and after the broadcast was "young and inexperienced" and whom they said was "unusually average for a Bud Foster defense".

Their defensive line was not a dominant defensive line and those are the teams we do very well against. Against those more dominant lines we will be forced to be able to throw the football. Oliver has yet to show me that he can do that (for that matter, neither has Marshall so I'm certainly not advocating going back to him).

Let's see how we do against the lines of Miami and Georgia before we start making decisions about "keep Johnson" when there is still very much the possibility that we don't make a bowl game again this year.
I've said it in another thread, but TO showed he is not completely useless as a passer when he was in against Duke. He found the open guys quickly and got the ball to them decently. Everyone's acting like TO literally slipping on the field has something do to with his ability to pass.
 
While I've very happy that we destroyed VT, it doesn't change my opinion on PJ. I still believe he's ran his course here and has taken us as far as he can. Everything about PJ is to one dimensional and that's the main reason I don't see us improving as a program. Our special teams have historically been very bad or rated very poorly since he's been here (see article in AJC this week). Our defense has been very bad or rated very poorly since he's been here (now on 4th DC). With the exception of a few years, our offense has largely been one dimensional and has seen limited to no growth involving the passing game. Now there's no doubt our offense has been above average, but it's not great enough to overcome our shortcomings on the other 2 sides which in turn is reflected in our poor record. If last night was a one game season, we had the perfect game plan. However, what happened last night is not sustainable for a QB an entire season. Grateful for every win we get and it would be awesome to run the table, but I still firmly believe it's time to move on. Win or lose he was smart going with Oliver. Hope of future success through a new QB is the only thing that will save his job IMO.

What I do appreciate about PJ is he doesn't look like he's given up when watching him on the sideline. There is still passion there to succeed I have no doubt. I just personally think he's done the best he can and to move forward we need to move on.
 
I don't believe it was stubbornness or incompetence. I think TQM can execute more of the playbook than Oliver, and earlier in the season Oliver just wasn't ready. I also think that going forward TQM may be more effective against some defenses and that Oliver will be more effective against others. The two guys obviously play different; but I don't think either has locked up the QB position for the rest of this season or next season.

What about this game has made TO look more "ready" then his play at South Florida. Marshall was ridden way to long this year IMO.
 
I got an idea. Let’s wait till the end of the season and decide what direction we need to go in at that time.
Agree, we have plenty of time because, let's be honest... nobody is gonna hire Art Briles out from under us.
 
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