Here you go:
I have heard Coach Gailey speak twice now plus one "Lunch w/ Chan" and yesterday at the Touchdown Club was by far the most impressed I have been. Until yesterday, I thought Chan really hated public speaking.
He is extremely proud of the character of this team. He loves the attitude and toughness that they have displayed in overcoming adversity and never quitting. He feels that GT has played 1 very bad half of a football game (2nd half-UM), and other than that "we've been right there with a chance to win."
He has enjoyed coaching college 6 weeks and the other 4 weren't as good. This is the same in high school, college and pro. You feel better about what you do when you win. The difference he likes best is the impact he can have on the lives of young men (primarily in shaping their character). Pro players aren't looking for that type of guidance much anymore.
His primary topic for this speech was that he was "a product of all coaches he had played for/coached under." He anecdotally listed all of the coaching influences and the primary characteristic that he learned from them. I won't get all the names/characteristics right, but here is what I remember:
His first coach: Toughness and Fundamentals.
Dan Reeves: Organization and Coordination of Effort
Bill Cowher: "What you see is what you get," use your knowledge of fundamentals, but be creative and get the best players on the field where they can help the team (Slash was born).
Jerry Jones: It was good to be there, and it's good to be gone. He learned that he would never again be HC/Offensive Co-ordinator (2 full-time jobs).
Miami Coach: I don't remember.
Q & A (Questions implied):
He was very firm in his opinions of the following:
If you play football, there is a chance you will be injured. If he could tell when a player was going to be injured, He would sit them out just prior to that. Hollings had only played halves of two games, one full game and was obviously featured in the game he got hurt. Editor's note: Injuries occur in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of games with no statistically significant difference of proportion. If the player says he can play, you have to trust him.
Recruiting in GA is very difficult for GT. Unfortunate reality: Georgia Schools ranked dead last in the nation in academic achievement scores. GT incoming freshman average SAT is 1330+. GT will recruit neither a great player/marginal student nor a great student/marginal player. In order to recruit Great player/great student, we must recruit nationally. Coach Braine assured CCG as a pre-req to hiring that we would have the necessary budget to do so. Our list of targeted players is not the same as any recruiting service. We will get players with the ability to achieve the following goals: Win the ACC and beat Georgia.
He does not favor a College Football Playoff. He said "We are supposed to be an amateur sport. And IF that is what we truly are, then the bowl system is the best system." The primary reason: 25 teams get to go home and consider their season a success on some level. With a playoff system, only 1 team gets to feel great about their season.
Toughest team on GT's schedule this year: DUKE. Because we play them next.
Bilbo is NOT ready to be the starting QB. His progress has been slower than anticipated/hoped for. He can only handle "packages" right now and will only be used if we need a change of pace. Can be effective in that role. Exposing both QBs to injury (by inserting Bilbo at another position) in a given play is too risky when you don't have an experienced 3rd option.
We will be young on Defense next year and veteran on Offense (reversal of this year). We lose most of secondary, several of 2-deep linemen and LBs. Hopefully Gathers will return at full strength and make great Bookends with Hargrove, but we wil still be young on line and especially in the secondary.