bandmaster
Varsity Lurker
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2003
- Messages
- 16
My first post...
How did we get to the point that so many Tech fans are upset and have low expectations in such a short period of time?
I, for one, have high expectations in every sport we compete in. I expect us to win. Not every time, but consistently and without falling to a losing record in the process. A consistent top 20 team will then from time to time get enough breaks to run the table to a championship. That is what happened in 1990, and there is not a reason it cannot happen again. I thought we had permanently reached that level already and would not take the big dive again.
But great teams and programs make their own breaks - not break themselves. My top expectation is that Ga Tech teams coach and play smart, and hard. How many top NFL draft picks did we have two years ago this week when we hung 70 points on Navy? It was a combination of solid play all the way around - O, D and ST. Think about that - could we hang 70 on anyone now in 2 weeks? How have we slipped so far in such a short period? How many stupid penalties, botched shotgun snaps, INTs, fumbles, missed tackles, and open TEs over the middle can we stomach?
The bottom line is Tech must out-coach, out-think, and out-execute the other guys - we are somewhat limited resources due to the academic nature of the school. The sum must be greater than the parts. We must be a team - and CG will rise or fall on this.
To this end, the academic debacle of earlier this year was inexcusable from a management standpoint and absolutely necessary from an institutional one. As a GT grad, I am thankful that students that did not go to class flunked out. As the father of a current rising soph at GT (frosh last year), I know for a fact multiple football players were not attending class from the beginning of the 2002-03 year. I have spoken to several current students who were in the same classes as players and they have confirmed this repeatedly. I knew it by the middle of last Sept and it continued right up until May - all I had to do was ask to find out. How could the athletic admin not know? Thankfully, the problem does appear to be fixed now and - surprise - the football players are attending class. (Side note - witnesses tell me PH's BB players were sometimes sitting in the first row and signing in and out of the same classes the football players were skipping. PH runs them at 6AM for cutting.)
It is my humble opinion, that given time and the support required for a former pro coach with limted college experience, Coach Gaily will be successful. His teams will also be pretty boring. I now have several years of watching him as I am also a Dolphins fan: he is very conservative and expects his defense and ST to win the game. (Better to win boring than lose like we did two years ago to Clemson?).
I too believe defense wins championships and always will. We seem to have forgotten the superior defense in 1990 that went several games into the season without giving up an offensive TD - and only remember RF, Mr. Jones and the O. Frankly, that was my biggest expectation when GOL came back and it was never fulfilled. We have not been fundamentally sound on the D side of the ball, and it comes back to coaching. I actually think we have some hope here as the tackling has improved and the young DBs on this team are the most talented since the 1990 group, and probably the most speed ever. I think JT will ultimately make it happen. Unfortunately for this year, we do not have the horses on the d-line to go with it, nor the running game on the O to make it work. For the future, it will be an adjustment for us used to "the Fridge" to see the best athletes on the D side - but I think this is the best approach long term.
In conclusion:
1)I have hope for the future and expect CG to be here and reasonably successful/competitive,
2)I am outraged we shot outselves in the foot with flunkgate
3)It is going to be a long year this year
As the football year progresses, I will be looking for improvement in player fundamentals and for the team not to quit. I look for the coaches to make adjustments and not let the same thing kill us repeatedly. If this holds, CG should be here, period; even with the 2 or 3 win season I expect us to have, including blowout losses to both FSU and the cursed fleabags.
No matter what, there is still more responsibility to deal with administratively. The best thing for all of us is for DB to quietly resign over the Christmas break and for all of us to move on together.
See (and hopefully hear) you Sat. Go Jackets! Be loud and dressed in gold! There is always hope.
Bandmaster
How did we get to the point that so many Tech fans are upset and have low expectations in such a short period of time?
I, for one, have high expectations in every sport we compete in. I expect us to win. Not every time, but consistently and without falling to a losing record in the process. A consistent top 20 team will then from time to time get enough breaks to run the table to a championship. That is what happened in 1990, and there is not a reason it cannot happen again. I thought we had permanently reached that level already and would not take the big dive again.
But great teams and programs make their own breaks - not break themselves. My top expectation is that Ga Tech teams coach and play smart, and hard. How many top NFL draft picks did we have two years ago this week when we hung 70 points on Navy? It was a combination of solid play all the way around - O, D and ST. Think about that - could we hang 70 on anyone now in 2 weeks? How have we slipped so far in such a short period? How many stupid penalties, botched shotgun snaps, INTs, fumbles, missed tackles, and open TEs over the middle can we stomach?
The bottom line is Tech must out-coach, out-think, and out-execute the other guys - we are somewhat limited resources due to the academic nature of the school. The sum must be greater than the parts. We must be a team - and CG will rise or fall on this.
To this end, the academic debacle of earlier this year was inexcusable from a management standpoint and absolutely necessary from an institutional one. As a GT grad, I am thankful that students that did not go to class flunked out. As the father of a current rising soph at GT (frosh last year), I know for a fact multiple football players were not attending class from the beginning of the 2002-03 year. I have spoken to several current students who were in the same classes as players and they have confirmed this repeatedly. I knew it by the middle of last Sept and it continued right up until May - all I had to do was ask to find out. How could the athletic admin not know? Thankfully, the problem does appear to be fixed now and - surprise - the football players are attending class. (Side note - witnesses tell me PH's BB players were sometimes sitting in the first row and signing in and out of the same classes the football players were skipping. PH runs them at 6AM for cutting.)
It is my humble opinion, that given time and the support required for a former pro coach with limted college experience, Coach Gaily will be successful. His teams will also be pretty boring. I now have several years of watching him as I am also a Dolphins fan: he is very conservative and expects his defense and ST to win the game. (Better to win boring than lose like we did two years ago to Clemson?).
I too believe defense wins championships and always will. We seem to have forgotten the superior defense in 1990 that went several games into the season without giving up an offensive TD - and only remember RF, Mr. Jones and the O. Frankly, that was my biggest expectation when GOL came back and it was never fulfilled. We have not been fundamentally sound on the D side of the ball, and it comes back to coaching. I actually think we have some hope here as the tackling has improved and the young DBs on this team are the most talented since the 1990 group, and probably the most speed ever. I think JT will ultimately make it happen. Unfortunately for this year, we do not have the horses on the d-line to go with it, nor the running game on the O to make it work. For the future, it will be an adjustment for us used to "the Fridge" to see the best athletes on the D side - but I think this is the best approach long term.
In conclusion:
1)I have hope for the future and expect CG to be here and reasonably successful/competitive,
2)I am outraged we shot outselves in the foot with flunkgate
3)It is going to be a long year this year
As the football year progresses, I will be looking for improvement in player fundamentals and for the team not to quit. I look for the coaches to make adjustments and not let the same thing kill us repeatedly. If this holds, CG should be here, period; even with the 2 or 3 win season I expect us to have, including blowout losses to both FSU and the cursed fleabags.
No matter what, there is still more responsibility to deal with administratively. The best thing for all of us is for DB to quietly resign over the Christmas break and for all of us to move on together.
See (and hopefully hear) you Sat. Go Jackets! Be loud and dressed in gold! There is always hope.
Bandmaster
