Performance Review - Roof

[KrazieJacket]

Not at all — in fact, that's exactly my point. Relying on 'talent' as an explanation is both false and falsely denies us the opportunity for improvement. I'm all for more recruiting analysts and Giff Smith and lower academic standards and more majors and hotter co-eds and anything else you can think of to give us better athletes. But it should be obvious that 'better athletes' aren't why teams had some difficulty moving the ball against us for 28 min but then not for 2 min. Every game. So please... offer an opinion for how to fix things.

I've already mentioned ways to fix things. I don't have every answer to fix GT football. You seem to feel maybe we can fix things through hope and bubble gum. We are outmanned, the school is hard, the school doesn't care about football, and the head coach is well respected but unconventional. Start trying, that's my opinion. Quit playing football just to subsidize the other sports.

 

[18in32]

I've already mentioned ways to fix things. I don't have every answer to fix GT football. You seem to feel maybe we can fix things through hope and bubble gum. We are outmanned, the school is hard, the school doesn't care about football, and the head coach is well respected but unconventional. Start trying, that's my opinion. Quit playing football just to subsidize the other sports.

'Hope and bubble gum'? Whatever in the world gives you that impression? To whatever extent we're able to change things academically (whatever that even means) I'm all for it. I think talk of 'devaluing degrees' is ludicrous.

But in terms of what can be done today, by Stansbury or CPJ...? If there's money to hire more or better personnel, then obviously they should do it. If there's not money to spend more, then I think coaching (like management) has a lot to do with uncertainties of temperament and 'fit' and personal life and tons of other things. If an area of the team that is under the control of a specific coach isn't working... replace him.

In my mind the question is whether Roof's *overall* performance has been bad enough to warrant dismissal. We've definitely gotten better since he got here. But better enough? Fast enough? And how do you explain some of the crazy lapses?

I'm not in the Fire Roof camp. But I wouldn't be upset if CPJ was in that camp. And I certainly wouldn't be upset if CPJ and Roof together decided to shake up other portions of the staff.

Sometimes — as UGA found — you gotta fire even good coaches if things just aren't jelling.

 

[Deleted Stingtalker 69]

We are precisely 17-23 less athletic. No wait, I didn't carry the one: we are precisely 18-22 less athletic.

There's only two things: something you measure and something you intuit. The more factors you want subsumed under 'talent', the closer it moves to the latter.

Unfortunately, football lacks the metrics to readily take a moneyball approach, but I do believe that you would be the first to warn against downplaying the importance of something just because it cannot be measured.

The relative importance of talent, player development, scheme, motivation, and luck to a program's success are certainly not set in stone in the halls of the coaching fraternity as some guiding beacon that all must follow strictly; however, it's telling to me the relative importance Nick Saban places on talent and that seems to be priority number 1 that our coach and AD have agreed upon.

 

[aeromech]

to be fair Roof would have a top 10 defense if Johnson paid recruits to come here like Ole Miss did

So you're saying it is more of a recruiting/talent issue than a coaching issue. interesting

 

[Architorture23]

IMO, the talent level on the D side of the ball has gotten better under Roof and the play on the field has gotten slightly better. We were definitely better defensively this year than in years' past.

But there are areas on D where we are still absolutely terrible. 2 minute defense is inexplicably awful. I think that is mostly because of Roof's scheme.

 

[Diseqc]

I'm for replacing him only if we aren't going to bring in another bargain bin DC. Stansbury has said we need to give CPJ more resources. If we are going to pay the assistant coaches a competitive wage and get the guy we really want, then make a change. If we can't or won't make that commitment we'll be right back where we started again.

Roof is one of the highest paid DCs in the conference. What the öööö are you smoking?

 

[Womenandcookies]

Vic Koenning - Troy - top 20 defense at Troy, top 10 last year, coached at multiple schools in the ACC, had trouble with us when he was DC at UNC, but was effective against other teams. Could understand if people were afraid of getting another ACC defensive coach after the Groh stint.
Tim DeRuyter - Cal - Had Air Force as a top 10 defense years ago, failed as a HC, so could get him a bit cheaper. Cal was bad this year but it was his first year there.
Pete Golding - UTSA, I just looked this guy up recently. He's really young, but had UTSA as the Number 7 D in the country. 4.98 yards/play
Tony Pecoraro - Southern Miss - had a top 20 defense this year. 4.95 yards/play.

My picks for a new DC. I've lost any confidence I've had in Roof.

 

[18in32]

Vic Koenning - Troy - top 20 defense at Troy, top 10 last year, coached at multiple schools in the ACC, had trouble with us when he was DC at UNC, but was effective against other teams. Could understand if people were afraid of getting another ACC defensive coach after the Groh stint.
Tim DeRuyter - Cal - Had Air Force as a top 10 defense years ago, failed as a HC, so could get him a bit cheaper. Cal was bad this year but it was his first year there.
Pete Golding - UTSA, I just looked this guy up recently. He's really young, but had UTSA as the Number 7 D in the country. 4.98 yards/play
Tony Pecoraro - Southern Miss - had a top 20 defense this year. 4.95 yards/play.

My pics for a new DC. I've lost any confidence I've had in Roof.

Ever since 1992 I've been wary of hiring coaches who've just had *the best year!*

 

[Womenandcookies]

Ever since 1992 I've been wary of hiring coaches who've just had *the best year!*

That's fair. But the first two I listed are established coaches that have had multiple years of top defenses.

 

[Vespidie]

He just needs to get his players in place. I say give him one more year with some ultimatums. Like 'rush the ööööing QB' and 'stop the 10-yd cushions on WRs'.

CPJ doesn't give a öööö about defense and is a terrible recruiter of that side of the ball. Roof is at least an upgrade on the recruiting of D.

Gotta have players that can play if we want to see a different scheme put in place. There is a reason why the DB's give those 10 yd cushions...either we don't have the personnel to rush the QB, and/or we don't have DB's that can cover receivers effectively.

 

[Rodzilla]

Gotta have players that can play if we want to see a different scheme put in place. There is a reason why the DB's give those 10 yd cushions...either we don't have the personnel to rush the QB, and/or we don't have DB's that can cover receivers effectively.

Or maybe it's because the coaching is shit?

 

[Vespidie]

Or maybe it's because the coaching is öööö?

I don't doubt for a minute that coaching doesn't play a part in execution, scheme, or whatever we want to call it, but there are hard facts regarding personnel that can't be ignored. We could put in place the same scheme that Bama, or Auburn, or even Ugag employs, however I'm sure GT wouldn't have the same results.

Give me the same personnel of those teams I mentioned, and I'm quite sure that the defensive side of the ball would have had better results.

 

[ramblinwise1]

I don't know what that means, but with a little attentive reading you'll see dozens of posts from a variety of fonts arguing that we were just out-talented on Saturday, and that we have been for forty years, and that's why our long-term trend line is one of mediocrity. That's the perspective I argue against.

Thats kinda like arguing against gravity. Talent matters. Its not everything but its the biggest.

 

[18in32]

Thats kinda like arguing against gravity. Talent matters. Its not everything but its the biggest.

gravity =\= talent

 

[stingmeyall]

How about the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State David Blackwell. I watched their defensive unit flying to the ball against Tech this year. I decided to check his bio on the JSU football website. Pretty impressive credentials.

 

[oldgoldbee]

I witnessed a CTR coached defense when GOL was here, the same thing happened then that is happening now, the offense had to score enough points in hopes of winning the game, lucky for GT at that time thanks to Fridge, GT could score some points. CTR is a helluva recruiter but a piss poor DC! In my 60 years of watching college sports I have seen this too many times a college will hire a great recruiter, but they leave a lot to be desired in the in-game coaching. But with GT's limited budget football I don't see any thing being done with CTR. A few years back CPJ wanted to hire Ellis Johnson, but because of budget restraints in the GTAA, he was not hired. I believe Ellis Johnson is a consultant for the Gamecocks football program.

 

[THWG247]

Hey! Roof could be our consultant