About our Coaching Staff...

[bugboy]

Based on what I've seen, we've made an upgrade on the defensive side of the ball. Tenuta/Gailey is better at adjusting to game conditions and situations than Roof/O'Leary. Let's face it. Last year, we were simply unable to make halftime adjustments in some games and it killed our season. This year's staff not only makes adjustments, but they're getting more pass rush, even though we've lost Gathers and Rogers. We were in that BYU backfield all day on pass plays. That's one main reason they had to change QB's.

Our defense is not dominant. They're not top-tier. But they're getting the job done so far and I like how they step it up late in games.

Offensively, we need to do a better job of game-planning. I was really disappointed that BOB had us come out throwing the ball around in the middle of the monsoon at Clemson. I was disappointed that we tried to do the same thing against BYU. I'll give BOB/Gailey credit for going to Hollings in both 2nd halfs. This needs to be a run first type of team. I'm hoping that BOB realizes that now...even without Hollings, we need to be a run first type of team. AJ is not ready to carry this offense on his back yet. He needs a little help and then he's effective once the defense respects the run. That was the case against Clemson and BYU. It'll probably be the same with UNC.

 

[jacketguy]

Well said Bugboy !!

I didnt like the fact that we came out throwing at Clemson either... maybe if Suggs were a little more experienced etc... it wouldnt have seemsd so bad to me... I didnt like it against BYU either...

 

[beeware]

Overall, this staff is a significant downgrade from the Seattle Bowl staff....especially the o-line and wide receivers coaches. A full time special teams coach has not been very effective either (klimpsum game was particularly bad).
Also, recruiting looks very suspect. Last night, on one of our opponents boards, they were completely bewildered why we have virtually abandoned recruiting the state of Georgia after O'leary had regained such inroads in the state.
Also, don't forget that the Roof defense held four major teams to one offensive TD...Syracuse, Maryland, Ugag and Stanford. Our current defense looks good when they guess right and not so good when they guess wrong....not consistent and no pass rush without blitzing.
We are still in for a long learning curve with this staff....a learning curve that was not necessary with the Seattle Bowl staff.
Also, we lost a significant number of players like Hall, Poree, Holiday, etc. that we were counting on to help us. We already were going to have to sign the maximum number of recruits...now it looks like we are going to need 35 or 40 instead of 25.
Braine's folly will play itself out over the next 3-5 years...right now it doesn't look so good down the road. A big thanks to Coach O'leary for recruiting so well that we can (at least for now) weather the storm.

 

[GT98]

On the subject of coaching, I agree wholeheartedly regarding the defensive side of the ball.

On offense, I am scratching my head a bit. After two poor starts in a row, surely O'brien/Gailey will be scaling down the offense and/or tailoring it to what Suggs can do well. I miss the 3 step drop and quick throw on a stop pattern from the receivers. I also miss the short out pattern and slants as well. These plays were all staples for Godsey and are all high percentage type throws and would probably boost AJ's confidence as well early in the game. Now that we are down to starting a true freshman at running back, we certainly need to find ways to get the ball into Watkins, Glover and J. Smith's hands as much as possible. I really liked the motion option that was run Sat. along w/the reverses.

Yes, I realize that the coaching staff has forgotten more about football than most of us will know (myself included) and as such, they are hopefully gameplanning the things that we are talking about right now.

I think we win Sat. With a win, there is no reason to not roll into the month of November sporting a very good record.

 

[GT98]

Originally posted by beeware:
Our current defense looks good when they guess right and not so good when they guess wrong....not consistent and no pass rush without blitzing.

Also, we lost a significant number of players like Hall, Poree, Holiday, etc. that we were counting on to help us.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">Yep, if only we had Roof. He allowed such major offensive juggernauts like UVA (39 pts.),Wake (33 pts.) and Clemson (47 pts.) to move up and down the field at will due to either his or O'leary's lack of ability to make defensive adjustments in time. Further, the pass rush must all be coaching, right? We could not muster any sort of pass rush at all most of last year, w/an all-american at one defensive end and another drafted into the NFL. W/O those players, we are able to put pressure on the QB; know what else? The defense is much, much more sound fundamentally. When is the last time the team batted down passes if they could not reach the QB? We have done this in every game thus far. Tackling is better and the secondary is now in position to make plays and the nickel back experiment has been corrected as well.

I hate to see Hall, Poree and Holiday quit the team. They didn't do anything under the previous staff either.

There may be some pressing questions regarding the offense (w/o a Fridge trained QB), how recruiting will turn out, etc., but the defense has been a bright spot thus far and have received better coaching than in year's past.

 

[bugboy]

Originally posted by beeware:
Overall, this staff is a significant downgrade from the Seattle Bowl staff....especially the o-line and wide receivers coaches. A full time special teams coach has not been very effective either (klimpsum game was particularly bad).
Also, recruiting looks very suspect. Last night, on one of our opponents boards, they were completely bewildered why we have virtually abandoned recruiting the state of Georgia after O'leary had regained such inroads in the state.
Also, don't forget that the Roof defense held four major teams to one offensive TD...Syracuse, Maryland, Ugag and Stanford. Our current defense looks good when they guess right and not so good when they guess wrong....not consistent and no pass rush without blitzing.
We are still in for a long learning curve with this staff....a learning curve that was not necessary with the Seattle Bowl staff.
Also, we lost a significant number of players like Hall, Poree, Holiday, etc. that we were counting on to help us. We already were going to have to sign the maximum number of recruits...now it looks like we are going to need 35 or 40 instead of 25.
Braine's folly will play itself out over the next 3-5 years...right now it doesn't look so good down the road. A big thanks to Coach O'leary for recruiting so well that we can (at least for now) weather the storm.

<font size="2" face="Arial, Verdana, Sans-Serif">You cite 4 games as proof about our previous defensive coaching. Against UGA, they ran it down our throats all night. They physically whipped us. We were lucky it was only 31-17. Against MD, our defensive coaches gave up the game at the end with that stupid prevent defense that allowed MD to tie us.

At least the current defensive staff makes adjustments when something isn't working.

Your concerns about recruiting are duly noted. We'll just have to see how things play out.

 

[beeware]

You are crazy if you think the defense lost the Ugag game. The defense fought like helle and held Ugag to one offensive TD.
We had the ball and were ready to drive for the go ahead score and the entire dawg nation was scared to death that they were going to lose their 4th in a row to TECH, when Godsey telegraphed a pass and Wansley broke on it and scored. If Godsey had been observant, he could have burned the out of position Wansley for the TD. Then immediately Burns fumbled the kickoff and they scored again. Until that point we were in complete position to win that game.
Roof's defense was clearly better than you remember, and if he was still here the defense would be playing just fine with all this EXPERIENCED talent that HE RECRUITED.

 

[AlaGold]

98, You called it.The D actually stopped people on key downs and were a threat all day to the BYU offense(albeit w/o their best RB).They are not dominating but they sure are pesky.Think how FEW thrown balls were touched by our DLs,LBs, or DBs even last yr compared to this yr.
That Houston is a real good addition.Now if we could just work in some backup safeties for experience,we may even be decent next yr.Oddly with Gathers/Hollings gone now next yr may be a big year if they return.

 

[bugboy]

Yea, give me that wonderful Roof/O'Leary defense that completely collapsed against Clemson...schemed defeat from the jaws of victory against MD...completely collapsed against UVA...was manhandled by an average UGA OL...yea, give me that great defense.

You need to lay off the crack pipe, Beeweird.

 

[goldmember]

beeware - you lose all credibility if you think this defense isn't way better than anything Roof put on the field. Part of it is the experience level but part of it is gameplanning and adjustments. Our D has played lights out in the past games in the 2nd half. How many times did the opposite happen under Roof? Roof does deserve credit for recruiting many of these players (many of which are from GA which it looks like we have givin up on).