What did you guys think of Reggie Ball in 2003?

GTKyle

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Did you guys think he was the 2nd coming of Hamilton back then?
 
Personally, I didn't see him as such, but i remember after watching during his first game (a loss to BYU) and thinking that this kid was gonna be tough. I liked the way he laid the wood to the opposition and expected a new-look kind of offense. We all know how that ended up. Thank God Calvin was here at least.
 
I remember the naked reverse that RB ran against Vanderbilt to win the game. As I remember it was a 30 -35 yard run. I really thought he had some jets. I believe most shortcomings were a combination of things, not just one young man's fault.
 
Did you guys think he was the 2nd coming of Hamilton back then?

I never thought he was the 2nd coming of Hamilton. Hamilton had an incredible arm, which is often overlooked. I did expect Ball to be a very dangerous quarterback by the time he was a senior, and to a lesser degree he was. I believe he could have developed into a better quarterback if he had been taught/allowed to throw passes across the middle. I never bought into the 'he can't throw across the middle because of his height' mentality. Ball had Hamilton's competitiveness, and comparible running ability; but I don't think he would have ever developed into the next Joe Hamilton.

And if you are of the mindset that Ralph Friedgen developed Hamilton into the great quarterback he was, you should wonder why Ralphy hasn't developed a similar QB in the past 6 or so years at Maryland. Hamilton was special, I'm glad I got to watch him play.
 
I have taken the pledge, and I recommend others do the same:

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I will never discuss Reggie Ball on Stingtalk;

I will never compare any Georgia Tech quarterback past or present to him;

I will use my influence with my friends to keep them from using Reggie Ball to rationalize arguments.

My individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of Yellow Jackets throughout the country, will make a difference. Together, by honoring this pledge, we can reverse the nonsense and live in dignity.
 
In Reggie's first college game I remember yelling out "we've got us a quarterback". In fairness, Reggie had some injury problems that just killed him. His senior season he just was not at his best after getting hurt in Game 5 (?). Nothing says a QB has to be a great thrower. Reggie could have been a bigger winner as a running quarterback. It just didn't work out, that's all (and I have always stated that the Reggie attack can all be put on Chan's shoulders.)
 
Did you guys think he was the 2nd coming of Hamilton back then?

No. Dumbest comparison ever. Hamilton was arguably the best player to ever put on a GT jersey. (And yes, I realize Calvin Johnson played for Tech.)

In 2003 I said the comparison was unfair. Now I say it is just assanine. The only valid comparison is that they are both less than 6' tall.
 
I thought Ball was a good freshman QB - didn't he win freshman of the year? As good as little Joe? - I didn't think so. But, I was very disappointed in his development as a QB. I thought his best game ever was against Syracuse in the bowl. He never seemed to improve after that.

Why didn't he develop to be a mature, excellent QB and leader? His fault? Coaching? I say a little bit of both.
 
I was also a freshman in 2003. I remember carrying him off the field after beating Auburn. He was voted the best freshman in the ACC.

It's funny to look back at it now. The problem was that most rational people expected him to noticeably improve over his freshman season, but he never did.
He probably would've had a better senior year if he didn't get hurt in the Maryland game last year, though. His mobility hampered after that. Without his mobility, he went from a serviceable dual-threat guy to, well, what we saw the 2nd half of last year.
 
In fairness, Reggie had some injury problems that just killed him. His senior season he just was not at his best after getting hurt in Game 5 (?).

Too bad most people don't realize this. It sucks that we didn't have someone to step up and prove that they were a better option than an injured RB...the season could have possibly turned out different if they had. Blame whomever you want, but honestly, I can't blame RB for that...
 
Here are some posts about Reggie from this board, which were posted 4 years ago in 2003:
Ball
He's a hell of a player and he's going to be the man for the next four years. Reggie's only a freshman by class hours. He's just that good.

It's scary to think how good an athletic qb like Reggie Ball is going to be under Nix's guidance. I hope he stays at Tech for a LONG time.

Ball at Tech for a long time - not likely imo, if he stays healthy and develops. He was probably mapping his NFL future when he was a hs junior.

If he continues to improve from his first game, he will eventually join Joe Hamilton as one of Tech's greatest athletes.

He needs Gailey and Nix to help mold him and he could end up actually being better than Joe. I really see that much "potential" in him, yet we need a more diverse offense over this year and into next to bring out all the skills and pluses that Reggie can bring to the table. What was Joe like 8 out of 9 or something for 75 yards in his first game, but we won? I cant remember it all.

I agree with the post above that stated Ball will progress faster than Hamilton because of coaching. Hamilton did not have FRIDGE as a FR. Also, I think ball has more confidence as a FR than Hamilton and has more command of the game at this stage. I'm not expecting Ball to play like Hamilton did as a JR or SR but Ball is no ordinary FR. I look for Reggie to step up the performance this week, not by light years but turn it up a notch.

Funny how things change isn't it?
 
The end of this thread brings us to the following point:

You don't get rid of the head coach unless you are pretty dang sure you can do better. For every Steve Spurrier or Urban Myer out there, there is 10 Bill Lewis and Charlie Weiss.
 
Unfortunately, a lot of those early Reggie quotes were accurate IF. IF he had been developed by coaches and IF he had matured and improved at all. Its a crying shame that he never controlled his swagger, never learned how to step up in the pocket and follow thru on his throws, never learned how to read coverages over the middle and wouldn't take himself out of the game when he was not able to go as a senior. A little coaching could have helped, but apparently he got very little coaching.
 
You don't get rid of the head coach unless you are pretty dang sure you can do better. For every Steve Spurrier or Urban Myer out there, there is 10 Bill Lewis and Charlie Weiss.

And nothing ever get done unless people will assume some risks.
 
I saw him as our saviour from A.J. Suggs. And he was that.

Too bad we lost Andy Hall in all the hoo-ha at the time. He only went on to win a National Championship with the Blue Hens of Delaware and then on to the NFL.

No telling were we would be today if Chan hadn't've pinned our hopes on A.J. Suggs. A fine American and a sorry excuse for a D1 qb ( I was referring to A.J. :) ) .

Let the playcalling begin!

GO JACKETS!!! TO HELL WITH THE TURDLES!!! LET'S WHUP SOME SHELL!!! GO TECH!!! LET'S GOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Originally Posted by chilidogking
It's scary to think how good an athletic qb like Reggie Ball is going to be under Nix's guidance. I hope he stays at Tech for a LONG time.

Funny how things change isn't it?

Taken out of context. That post from me was about Nix staying a long time, not Reggie. Although I was completely wrong, it was because I thought Nix would do a better job - not RB.

Here's a post of mine from Nov 03, in response to someone his performance was not up for debate:
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I give him the benefit of the doubt because he's a freshman, but I think his performance can certainly be debated.

What scares me is that everyone is comparing him to Joe Hamilton. I think half of our fans fully expect him to end up being at least as good as Joe Hamilton, which is utterly ridiculous since JH was probably the greatest player to ever put on a Tech uniform. I think this association of Ball and Hamilton has clouded some people's judgement in assessing Ball's performance. I think another thing that clouds people's judgement on this is the fact that he is NOT AJ Suggs.

Anyway, only time will tell. I'm extrememly glad he's our QB, and glad he will be for 3 more years...
 
Lets just say this, when the students carried him off the field against Auburn, I looked at my buddy and said:
"Great, he had an average game and they're celebrating him more than Lil Joe. We can only hope it doesn't go to his head."

I thought Reggie could be a solid QB, but to be honest, I thought we ran an offense that didn't suit him. We needed to be running the option ala Nebraska with Reggie Ball and we never did.
 
Lets just say this, when the students carried him off the field against Auburn, I looked at my buddy and said:
"Great, he had an average game and they're celebrating him more than Lil Joe. We can only hope it doesn't go to his head."

I thought Reggie could be a solid QB, but to be honest, I thought we ran an offense that didn't suit him. We needed to be running the option ala Nebraska with Reggie Ball and we never did.
That's what I ran in NCAA 06 and 07 and it worked great.
 
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