BIG PICTURE: Can you accept what needs to change?

[jacketup]

PJ is the best coach we can hope to have that would stay with us for the long term. Anybody better would use us as a stepping stone to an SEC, USC, or a Notre Dame job (George O' Leary).

So, we have a guy who is a top 20 paid coach. He makes $2.5 million a year, with increases scheduled.

His record since the beginning of 2010 is two games below .500 against FBS competition--a losing record. The final Sagarin ranking in 2010 was in the 60's, for 2011 in the 50's, and is 61 as I type this (all worse than Gailey's teams in corresponding years). The most recent 12 game record is 4-8. The worst since Lewis.

In summary, we have a guy who paid top dollar, is not winning in a weak conference----and he is the best we can do?

I find it that extremely strange that you measure "best we can do" as involving the necessity of keeping a coach long term--a coach who is losing. Unfortuately, your view is shared by a lot of GT fans.

Your post does explain a lot about why the program is in the biggest mess it has been in since the 1970's--it's because the fans embrace losing.

 

[jacketup]

of course there is!!! our staff slow plays recruits when they think they are "full". Full to them, meaning undersigning and still having somewhere around 7 or so scholarships of 85 left over for walkon of your choice.

Its a dumb tactic, and its killing our depth IMO. We are seeing that now. In the DL, QB, and OL to be honest. OL is not quality at all. numbers help.

It's a strategy that works. At Navy.

We keep hiring coaches with no experience at this level (not even as an assistant), and this is the type of personnel management you are going to see.

 

[nedleeds]

Paul Johnson is the best coach GT can hope to have.

Stopped reading after this. Would not recommend.

 

[ThisIsAtlanta]

When we lost to VT Nov 1 2007 (3-27) we had lost 7 of our last 12. (Chan)

When we lost to Clemson on Sep 20 2003 (3-39) we had lost 8 of our last 12. (Chan)

When we lost to Virginia on Nov 8 1997 (31-35) we had lost 8 of our last 12. (O'Leary)

And of course, there was '94 under that one guy.

88 was a disaster as well as the beginning of 89 under Ross, easily a worse stretch than under O'Leary or Chan.

A 4-8 stretch is not remarkably bad for Tech, we seem to do it at least once a decade for the last little while. Might as well get it out of the way early on in this one. O'Leary and Ross both had as bad or worse WRT W/L under their watch and both are pretty highly regarded coaches.

I think CPJ deserves any heat he gets at this point, but it isn't the worst 12 game stretch since lewis, and not in isolation indicative of his worthiness as a coach.

 

[QuadF]

didn't we collectively say we'd rather have a 12-0 & 1-11 seasons (against uga), than a pair of 7-5 seasons?

 

[flushed 01]

Paul Johnson is the best coach GT can hope to have. I think the guy's a genius. We can, and have, out-scheme more talented teams. This isn't even a question in my mind. The only problem is, he's also responsible for GT being less talented than most of the teams on our schedule. He shouldn't be praised for overcoming an obstacle that he himself is directly responsible for.

Now, for reasons that we're all aware, Tech will never consistently out-recruit the big boys. I think, assuming nothing changes w/ THE HILL, the best we can realistically finish is in the 25-30 range. So how do we overcome that?

Well, in short, Paul Johnson has to get mean. Not on the sidelines, or on Rose Bowl field. He has to start getting cut-throat when it comes to scholarships.

Why do we have 2 long-snappers on scholarship? Or 5 or 6 walk-ons on scholarship? When CPJ first arrived on the flats, his spring practices were hell. So tough in fact that he ran a few players off. We need to see that again.

Paul Johnson needs to treat every spring practice as he did his first one. Running players off that aren't contributing. It's the only way we can overcome the talent discrepancy that currently exists.

The only question is...are you willing to accept this? Truthfully, I don't know if I am or not. But I know that this will absolutely work.

I agree he is the best coach out there for Georgia Tech. I think we need to limit awarding schollies to 1 or 2 per season and only for major overachievers. I think Groh must go. I think we need to recruit more on a national level especially for lineman.I meant limit to 1 or 2 of the walkons.