Recap of Duke and Georgia Games

[ahsoisee]

Well I said I would wait until after the Georgia game to give my opinion of the Duke and Georgia game. I did not want to be negative leading up to the Georgia game.

I did not think we played well in the Duke game. Sure we won, but Duke had no defense and little consistent offense. I saw much of the same type of non-aggressiveness on defense and loose coverage on pass defense.

There is not much use of mentioning our innefective offense, as our offense has been dead for the whole year. Had it not been for Hollings, the first part of the year would not have looked very good.

The Georgia game further convinced me of my thoughts throughout the year. I am convinced there are many problems with the team.

It was obvious to me the Tech players did not play aggressive. Personally, I think it has nothing to do with their ability, but plenty to do with their attitude. I am convinced many players do not want Gailey to win nor want him as the head coach.

I believe the main reason goes back to the playing of Suggs instead of another quarterback. Most all GT fans, opponents of GT, and the players realize Suggs cannot do the job, so the players get frustrated because they want to win, but they also know they have no chance with Suggs.

However, even though Gailey should have been playing another QB, no player is worth a dime if he sandbags on plays because he does not like the way the team is coached.

I am still convinced O'Leary, Mac, nor O'Brien could do any better with this team, because they are not good enough coaches. O'Leary was not effective without Friegden. Friegden has taken a raw QB and molded him into a winner in this one year. He now has two ten-game winners in his first two seasons.

I think Gailey utterly failed to get the most out of this team. I think much of it is due to his hard-headedness over the Suggs situation. I also think O'Brien has been extremely innefective and has added to internal dissention among the players and coach Gailey.

I do not think Tenuta is a good defensive coach unless he has the best talent available. His defense is too soft and his players are not aggressive. They do not know how to tackle nor do they hit with authority.

All of that is a direct result of coaching. He is evidently an X & 0 man. I expect the reason he wants to coach in the pros is the fact he will have the best talent available and does not have to coach the basics of tackling and aggressiveness.

Gailey has failed miserably in his negligence to make needed changes in the coaching staff. He could have moved a couple of the coaches around and benefitted the team. He could have recognized the benefits of being humble and playing another QB instead of Suggs.

Since it would be impossible to ask him to step down after one year, he should at the least fire O'Brien, find some pro team to take Tenuta, get another special teams coach, and possibly hire another receiver's coach.

If he has another year similar to this year, he should voluntarily step down.

To those who think we have no material to match UGA, how did we beat them three years in a row? It is a fact our recruiting has been good every year up until this past year, and freshmen are not generally used in their first year anyhow.

The obvious answer is Friegden was with us for the three years we beat UGA and had all the winning seasons. It is obvious he outcoached Donnan, and it is obvious we have lost the last two years without him. At the same time, he has continued to flourish as a coach.

It is coaching, coaching, coaching. Georgia beat us pure and simple with their coaching and not their athletic ability.

If Suggs is the QB next year, it will be a disastrous season.

Am I embarrassed? No, I did not play nor coach in the game. Had I done either, I would be embarrased. Am I still a Tech fan? You Bet, but I don't have to sit and take poor coaching without putting in my two cents worth.

I wish I did not have to mention Sugg's name, but there is no way around it. I wish the best for the young man and have absolutely no bad feelings toward him. He wants to play and I don't blame him. I blame the coaches that do not get the best players into the game.

 

[3518techie]

You're right Ahso. Once again we saw the double standard where Suggs and Bilbo are concerned. Bilbo leads Tech on a strong drive, he completes a first down pass on 4th and 10. The receiver then turns it back into short of the first down. The next series the snap was low but Bilbo should have fielded cleanly. He has the ball but a Tech player gets knocked back into the ball and UGA recovers. Not totally Bilbo's fault. Bilbo doesn't play the rest of the game. Any mistake that can remotely be blamed on Bilbo gets him benched the rest of the game. Suggs throws interceptions and it always the fault of the receivers. We didn't lose the game because of Suggs but it was ridiculous not to give Bilbo a full half to see what he could do when the game was clearly out of reach. What good did have to have Suggs out there in the 4th quarter?

 

[ShadyJacket]

Once again someone on the offense to commits penalty on Bilbos first drive. then chan (who probably told one of the players to commit that penalty) brings in suggs on the 3rd and 9 because he beacuse he is more confident with suggs throwing for 9 yards than he is with bilbo. and then of course suggs throws incomplete, or a pick, or for a loss.

 

[cyclejacket]

Have you heard anything from a credible source close to the team saying that the team believes the wrong QB is starting? That kind of dissension tore up the team in 94 with the Luginbill-Davis disaster. However, if you have no credible evidence, it does no good to say "I think". Stick to what we know, neither the coaches or the team got the job done today in any way, shape or form.

 

[FAN OF BOBBY DODD]

A coach tells a player to commit an infraction to justify him keeping a player out of a game. Now I've heard it all. By the way Wes reported that Bilbo was hurt is why he did not play anymore.

 

[1game@atime]

Very early on, Ahsoisee said that Suggs did not have the arm strength. This was never more evident than on the interception at the end of the first half. The receiver was behind the defense but he could not get it to him. Later, on a pass over the middle, the receiver was wide open but the linebacker got up in the air and got his hands on the ball. A stronger arm whistles it before the linebacker could get off his feet.

 

[Wrecked]

Ahso, excellent post and I agree on most points. While it is probably not smart to post with the emotion of the game still in our heads, the scotch tells me otherwise. Chan Gailey as a hire was unprepared for the college game. His delay in taking the job, the way his staff was hired, and finally his call to give Suggs the QB job all came to head in this game. The Suggs call was crucial because it forced him to stick with a decision that was a bad one and he could not rectify it and maintain his control over the team as head coach. He blew his first and most important decision and to admit that would make him look bad in terms of the press, fans, coaching staff and most importantly the team. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions and how would it have looked if the NFL coach with the extensive resume could not even evaluate talent to pick a starting QB. Well, in hindsight (and it is always 20/20) I think he would admit he made the wrong call.

So what happens now. First, Gailey is going nowhere. You can't fire a coach after one season. BOB is gone. He got his pink slip when he openly challeged Gailey over the Bilbo decision at the end of the Wake game and got himself banished to the press box. Bilbo will probably never start here at Tech and I would not be surprised if he did not transfer. Look for Gailey to bring in his own O-coordinator, if he doesn't call the plays himself.

I do disagree with you on defense. Yes, the players did quit today, but that was not Tenuta. Our D-line is small and weak and that can only be fixed with recruiting. Give Georgia credit because they did the same thing to us last year. Tenuta stays.

Overall, the season was a huge disappointment. With a woefully weak conference and last year's coaches we would have won 9 games and maybe the conference title. We would not have beaten Georgia.

 

[ahsoisee]

Cyclejacket, there is little we know for a fact other than the final score. This is a board for discussions of our opinions. I did state it was my opinion and not fact.

My question to you is, "what gives you the right to tell me how to post"?

If we post only fact, and no person can ever give his opinion, you will not have enough posters to maintain any board at any school.

 

[71YellowJacket]

AhsoIsee,

I wish I could agree with you on Chan Gailey's second year. Before tonight, I could not have imagined any justification for Gailey leaving early.

But after watching the player and play selections in the Duke game and now the UGA game a change is needed at the top. I just don't think Gailey has the energy, and talent to compete nationally in Div I-A. He's over the hill and it wasn't a very high one. Do we want to ride the downside with him?

Let's pay whatever it takes to get a proven winner at Division I-A now and let him select his own staff.

I am convienced another year of Gailey will only dig the hole deeper.

 

[ahsoisee]

71, I have reservations about it. I would like to know more about the situation with Suggs, Bilbo, O'Brien, and the team unity or lack thereof.

I would hate to see a coach get canned in his first year if there was an intentional undercurrent caused by an assistant and some players.

Think about it. The subs for UGA could score at ease against our team. We stopped nobody, and we could do nothing on offense. Someone said the center misfired five times on the snap. Five times? That does not sound as much like coaching as possibly some chicanery.

So, even though the season was a disaster, I would want to assess the situation. Now, lets just consider a far out situation.

Let's say the loss was engineered by some players and consenting assistants to get rid of a head coach. Would you want to reward those responsible by firing the head coach. I had rather give him his choice of replacement staff personnel and give him another year to improve.

Okay, I said it was far out, but I can't come up with a better reason at this time.