jacketup, just because you see only negative doesn't mean that you can wrap yourself in the "rational" tag. Rationality means that you see both the good AND the bad, not just one or the other. So since you've posted some negative facts I'll add some positive facts and refute some of your negative facts:
1) I don't agree that he has no experience at the major college coaching level - Navy plays against good teams every year like ND, Rutgers, Maryland, Air Force, Vandy, BC, Texas Tech, Texas Christian, NCSU, Wake Forest, UConn, Northwestern - not all of these teams are good every year but they play in Div IA and play teams from BCS conferences
2) Coached the team that was #8 in the NCAA in scoring offense - 39.9 ppg
3) Coached the team that was #1 in the NCAA in rushing offense at 351.5 ypg, and it wasn't even close (the next closest was almost 54 ypg behind)
4) Went 8-4 this year and is headed to another bowl, tremendous accomplishment considering the level of talent they have
5) I don't buy the "crammed down our AD's throat" thing so I don't give you credit for this being a "fact" - I've heard some sources claim this and others that I consider equally credible say that this is hogwash
6) Runs an offense no NFL caliber talent will want to play in - again I don't believe this to be a fact. I think there are going to be plenty of kids who will want to play in his offense who are top level talent because I don't believe he's going to be so "run dominant" as he has been at Navy. His history going all the way back to GSU shows that he runs a very versatile offense when he has the talent to do so. His offense in the past, when he's had the talent, has resembled closer to what UF (and Utah before that) runs, what WVU runs (and I think most would agree that there's some heavy duty talent on that squad at tailback at least and most would say that Pat White is a pretty good football player even if he isn't going to be an NFL QB - which I'm not saying he isn't going to be, just saying he's not an NFL prototype QB), and others like Oregon (and we know they've certainly got no NFL talent on their squad). I do think you're right though that we aren't likely to get an NFL prototype QB with PJ here. I see more of the kids who are the top athletes in their school who play QB/CB/LB on the football team AND SG/PG/SF on the basketball team AND are excellent baseball players (or some combination of these).
I'm not concerned about our ability to bring in QBs to play or even RBs. I'm more concerned about getting WRs but if UF can do it and Oregon can do it then I don't see why we can't.
7) Took over an 0-11 team (which had lost 70-7 to GT, by the way) which had a losing record to its main rival, the USMA (at the time the series was 49-46-7 in Army's favor) and after 1 season at 2-10 (one of those wins being a drubbing of Army) went 8-4 the next season, crushed Army again (my apologies to those of you in the Army or Army veterans for bringing this up so much but I'm trying to prove a point), and went to its first bowl in 7 years. That's a tremendous accomplishment at the Naval Academy. Oh, they also won the CIC trophy (between the service academies) by beating both AFA and USMA. Next season 9-2, another bowl, another CIC trophy, another win over arch-rival Army. The next season 8-4, another minor bowl, another CIC trophy and win over Army. Last season 9-4, CIC trophy, Meineke Bowl, beat Army. This past season, 8-4, another minor bowl, another CIC trophy, another destruction of Army, a win at Notre Dame to end the longest losing streak of one team to another (granted ND is worse this year than they have been in the recent past).
Now obviously these facts that I've posted are things that disturb your carefully constructed cube into which you've boxed Coach Paul Johnson. None of what I've said is based on a single bit of emotion. I've researched his career and concluded that his teams are going to score points. I'm more concerned about the defense than anything else and I have reason for optimism since we have some good talent on that side of the ball and a possibility of keeping some our defensive staff.
When we look back at this hire a few years from now we may say that it was a brilliant one or we may say that it was a disaster. Right now neither of us knows and we both can present facts that suggest one side or the other. I look at the positive ones and they make me feel he can have success. I look at the negative ones, especially the one about defense and current passing and look at his history and can see how the one about passing currently is mainly because of where he is and that his history says he'll pass with the talent to do so (and he has it here at GT) and I look for ways he can change his defensive history or ways that, when looked at realistically, can produce better results at GT than he had at the Naval Academy.
