AJC Interview with Big Donors - good read

[BuzzinWreck78]

You can win with a clown head coach as long as you have someone else running the show. FSU did it with Bowden in those last years. Clemson has done it to a couple of MNC's.

I'd agree to an extent that a non X's and O's type CEO coach could win if he can keep hand's off and delegate.
Do you really think this guy can do that?
I have doubts since our guy screws up even the practice regimen. How could we keep him out of practice,film room,offense and defense simultaneously?

 

[aeromech]

Bobby Bowden had extensive coaching experience. He is not Geoff.

Doesn't matter, it is clear Fisher was running the show that last few years.

 

[georgia_tech_swagger]

Most of us feel the same as these guys. As has been mentioned ITT, I do think it's a bad look to have two of your biggest donors crapping on the coach and AD like this publicly. It sort of cuts the legs out from under both of them. If you're going to do that, then should have already fired them.

Great point.

 

[aeromech]

I'd agree to an extent that a non X's and O's type CEO coach could win if he can keep hand's off and delegate.
Do you really think this guy can do that?
I have doubts since our guy screws up even the practice regimen. How could we keep him out of practice,film room,offense and defense simultaneously?

It would be tough, particularly to get the 10+ wins. Right now I'd be happy with some mediocrity to settle for.

 

[ATLNative]

Well, one more reason to long for the good old days, when the biggest contributors kept a low profile and spoke with the AD, Coach or President discreetly. Now, they want to be recognized and quoted, saying things that absolutely will harm recruiting, keeping players and getting good transfers, while drawing lines in the sand and making ultimatums. Threatening the AD that his fate will be the same as Collins is a good way to lose other coaches in other sports, some who might be successful. Big $ contributors can be a blessing to a program and they can be a curse. These two sound like the latter in this instance.

I did not like the Collins hire. I never drank the juice. But, I never want him to fail, because I never want Georgia Tech to fail. He has had three bad seasons. He has been given a fourth year. It seems biting our tongues a bit would be wise. Why not hope for a miraculous transformation this off-season and on the field next fall? If not, then act decisively. Public bashing of our coach seems to be an act of sabotage.

Very wise words spoken !!

 

[gtchief]

Most of us feel the same as these guys. As has been mentioned ITT, I do think it's a bad look to have two of your biggest donors crapping on the coach and AD like this publicly. It sort of cuts the legs out from under both of them. If you're going to do that, then should have already fired them.

Yes, PMC said it. I would have upvoted him except for the long winded editorials he wrote around it. This sounds like a very real and public vote of no confidence from power brokers that are letting next year unfold purely out of morbid curiosity

 

[ElCidBUZZingFAN]

Yes, PMC said it. I would have upvoted him except for the long winded editorials he wrote around it. This sounds like a very real and public vote of no confidence from power brokers that are letting next year unfold purely out of morbid curiosity

Well, then, it speaks to Geoff and TStan circling the wagons like a bunch of ööööing idiots instead of pushing for an all hands on deck approach.

 

[Architorture23]

Most of us feel the same as these guys. As has been mentioned ITT, I do think it's a bad look to have two of your biggest donors crapping on the coach and AD like this publicly. It sort of cuts the legs out from under both of them. If you're going to do that, then should have already fired them.

But these two guys don't have the power to fire them. And it seems to me this is a last resort kind of thing. If theirs was a minority position then I'd think they were looking to make bigger names for themselves. But this is not the minority position in the fanbase at large. It is painfully obvious. And that's why I think they went public like this.

 

[clapper]

Thoughts...

Big Donors (my favorite topic) - It looks like this article is aimed at the fans, not the AD/HC. This board even has a thread about their perceived inaction. This is their attempt to reach out to us and ask us to hold the fort while this gets handled. The quote about saving money by doing it next year is not different than most anyone else here has said. In an earlier report TStan said that he had a commitment for 3/4 of the buyout. That aligns with next year AND these are the guys that made that commitment. They set the bar very high for CGC to avoid it. Those were always the expectations by year 4. It isn't any higher. If any recruit bails because of this announcement, that's on CGC, not these guys.

TStan - I'm glad he's tied to this. There are other issues that he's caused for which he's been given a pass (or publicly covered up) that the big donors know about. This is more a last straw IMO. The donors want him to succeed and stay, but they aren't going to give him free reign anymore. If his HC succeeds, there will be a change in the way things work in the AA. Todd knows he doesn't get a pass and the standards for his continued employment have changed. He doesn't want to leave. He wants to fix this, but he's held the donors at arms length long enough.

CGC - We can only hope this is a wake up call. I expect him to take over the defensive playcalling. He can't rely on anyone else. He is a former DC that thinks he has a plan. That can not be ööööed up or he's gone. The defensive game plan is his. He owns it.

Thacker - I see no change in his title, only his responsibilities. He is going to have to focus on practice and positional development while CGC still acts as the HC.

CBK - While PMC has been one of the major detractors, he also made a poignant comment. If CBK had sucked this bad at Alabama, Saban would never keep him. That never happened. I find it hard to believe that he forgot how to coach. Zelnak was very critical of Patenaude. He's closer to the situation. It's very likely that CDP created an intolerable situation that hindered CBK from using his skills appropriately. I can picture him showing up from Bama, seeing these Temple guys operate, and saying that's not how it works...only to get shut down. Having said that, I don't expect him to be the OC, but he IS the asst. head coach. I expect him to assume more administrative control to allow CGC to focus on the defense.

Future OC - This is the key. At very least, this is your interim head coach and likely the future head coach, but it can not be someone who will undermine the attempt to turn things around next year. It needs to be a person that can develop QBs and has a strong track record as an OC, who is either on the verge of becoming a HC or is a recent HC with a good reputation. Time to open the checkbook.

 

[cincyjacket]

Doesn't matter, it is clear Fisher was running the show that last few years.

Maybe. I will argue that Bowden will go down in history as one of the top 10 college football coaches ever.

 

[Supersize that order mutt]

One has to wonder how Collins himself is reacting to this public disclosure. Has he been sufficiently humbled to realize that some things in his approach need to change, or will he arrogantly continue with all the BS and ignoring of fans and doing it all his way? Time will tell, but I am not confident.

 

[GTROY]

Thoughts...

Big Donors (my favorite topic) - It looks like this article is aimed at the fans, not the AD/HC. This board even has a thread about their perceived inaction. This is their attempt to reach out to us and ask us to hold the fort while this gets handled. The quote about saving money by doing it next year is not different than most anyone else here has said. In an earlier report TStan said that he had a commitment for 3/4 of the buyout. That aligns with next year AND these are the guys that made that commitment. They set the bar very high for CGC to avoid it. Those were always the expectations by year 4. It isn't any higher. If any recruit bails because of this announcement, that's on CGC, not these guys.

TStan - I'm glad he's tied to this. There are other issues that he's caused for which he's been given a pass (or publicly covered up) that the big donors know about. This is more a last straw IMO. The donors want him to succeed and stay, but they aren't going to give him free reign anymore. If his HC succeeds, there will be a change in the way things work in the AA. Todd knows he doesn't get a pass and the standards for his continued employment have changed. He doesn't want to leave. He wants to fix this, but he's held the donors at arms length long enough.

CGC - We can only hope this is a wake up call. I expect him to take over the defensive playcalling. He can't rely on anyone else. He is a former DC that thinks he has a plan. That can not be ööööed up or he's gone. The defensive game plan is his. He owns it.

Thacker - I see no change in his title, only his responsibilities. He is going to have to focus on practice and positional development while CGC still acts as the HC.

CBK - While PMC has been one of the major detractors, he also made a poignant comment. If CBK had sucked this bad at Alabama, Saban would never keep him. That never happened. I find it hard to believe that he forgot how to coach. Zelnak was very critical of Patenaude. He's closer to the situation. It's very likely that CDP created an intolerable situation that hindered CBK from using his skills appropriately. I can picture him showing up from Bama, seeing these Temple guys operate, and saying that's not how it works...only to get shut down. Having said that, I don't expect him to be the OC, but he IS the asst. head coach. I expect him to assume more administrative control to allow CGC to focus on the defense.

Future OC - This is the key. At very least, this is your interim head coach and likely the future head coach, but it can not be someone who will undermine the attempt to turn things around next year. It needs to be a person that can develop QBs and has a strong track record as an OC, who is either on the verge of becoming a HC or is a recent HC with a good reputation. Time to open the checkbook.

Really good analysis. I couldn't agree more.

 

[GTRules]

I seem to remember someone arguing that coaching was irrelevant…

Key has significantly improved OL recruiting, that’s all that matters, right?

Is that idiot still fixated on the OL?

Pretty good reason to put him on ignore.

 

[theDude47]

Well, one more reason to long for the good old days, when the biggest contributors kept a low profile and spoke with the AD, Coach or President discreetly. Now, they want to be recognized and quoted, saying things that absolutely will harm recruiting, keeping players and getting good transfers, while drawing lines in the sand and making ultimatums. Threatening the AD that his fate will be the same as Collins is a good way to lose other coaches in other sports, some who might be successful. Big $ contributors can be a blessing to a program and they can be a curse. These two sound like the latter in this instance.

I did not like the Collins hire. I never drank the juice. But, I never want him to fail, because I never want Georgia Tech to fail. He has had three bad seasons. He has been given a fourth year. It seems biting our tongues a bit would be wise. Why not hope for a miraculous transformation this off-season and on the field next fall? If not, then act decisively. Public bashing of our coach seems to be an act of sabotage.

None of this makes a difference. We’re going to suck next year. The recruits will see he’s going to get canned (at least they should by now). No known good OC or DC is going to come here unless they want to audition for Collins’ job when we let him go. He’s going have to settle for an also-ran who just wants a quick paycheck or an FCS guy who wants a taste of P5. That’s why Godsey at least made sense to me.

I agree it probably wasn’t the best to go on record about Collins but at least it shows we’re all united in how much he sucks and needs to go. I’ve never seen our fanbase more together. Pragmatically, we’re just going to have to wait out Collins until the end of next year and start fresh. It’s what none of us want but I don’t blame our big donors for wanting to wait a little longer just so they can put more towards the next coach and recruiting budget.

 

[MACHETE]

His point is we'll know by the end of September whether Geoff and TStan are going to be employed at the end of season. The first 4 games are: Clemson, WCU, Ole Miss, and UCF. If you start 1-3, you'd have to finish conference play 6-1 (6-2 for the year) to survive. So, you're basically facing going to the ACC title game or bust at that point, and you're not beating UGA.

We'll know in September. The search can start early and groundwork layed throughout the remainder of the season behind the scenes. Things move very quickly then in December 2022.

Agree 100%.

 

[ToHellwithUGA]

Doesn't matter, it is clear Fisher was running the show that last few years.

The last few years of his tenure, probably yes. I just meant overall, for most of his career, he was a successful actual game day coach and not just a "CEO type"

 

[GTBeeKeeper]

Hey, did y'all see that the new ATL mayor is a Tech grad... #404TakeOver ... is that how it works?

 

[BuzzinWreck78]

other thoughts ...

Nah, i don't think it's a plea to the fans to hold down the fort. Since their names were already out publicly and linked to this mess,
i think it's a way to get out in front of the impending disaster and in some way provide a defense that says "don't blame me!".

Our "big money" Neville Chamberlains may be quite prepared to do this again next year and surely threaten to warn them much more severely.
so 3 wins instead of 6...
here - take another 3 MIL...... What will 8 wins become?

Is anyone else curious why the new Vichy Regime (new OC + DC) appears to be keeping secret until after signing day?
Could they be so lackluster as to trigger even more recruit flipping and portal blitzkrieg.

even worse could collins take the DC title while allowing Thacker to continue
Key as the OC may not even necessitate giving him a raise...Saves budget money for one year. penny-wise and pound-foolish
These guys don't want panzer tracks on their backs when it's time to announce a new Marshall Plan for the greatest rebuild in the history of .....

 

[MACHETE]

other thoughts ...

Nah, i don't think it's a plea to the fans to hold down the fort. Since their names were already out publicly and linked to this mess,
i think it's a way to get out in front of the impending disaster and in some way provide a defense that says "don't blame me!".

Our "big money" Neville Chamberlains may be quite prepared to do this again next year and surely threaten to warn them much more severely.
so 3 wins instead of 6...
here - take another 3 MIL...... What will 8 wins become?

Is anyone else curious why the new Vichy Regime (new OC + DC) appears to be keeping secret until after signing day?
Could they be so lackluster as to trigger even more recruit flipping and portal blitzkrieg.

even worse could collins take the DC title while allowing Thacker to continue
Key as the OC may not even necessitate giving him a raise...Saves budget money for one year. penny-wise and pound-foolish
These guys don't want panzer tracks on their backs when it's time to announce a new Marshall Plan for the greatest rebuild in the history of .....

Ok, WW2 geek. There's no way we keep this class together without announcing who the OC/DC will be first. That would be like allowing the Soviets to encircle the Germans at Stalingrad.

 

[Supersize that order mutt]

If you have FB, go to the Georgia Tech football group there and read the original post by John Porter Knox, a member of the GT Athletic Board. You should also read the comments, some good, some bad.