Johnson has fans, former players, buzzing about Georgia Tech
After a 9-4 season that included a win over Georgia and a tie for the ACC Coastal Division championship, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that the Georgia Tech football program has been re-energized and is moving full speed ahead under second-year coach Paul Johnson.
But any doubters that remained should have been with me Wednesday night at the Marist School.
It is April 8, the Wednesday night before Easter. A lot of people are out of town on spring break. The first round in Augusta begins this morning. The American Idol results show starts at 9 p.m.
With all that going on in this town, several hundred people turned out at Marist to hear Johnson to speak to about leadership and character on behalf of the Northside Athletes Foundation. The NAF was founded in 1990 as a charitable organization to help children through sports activities. One of the ways this organization raises funds is through a speakers series on leadership and character. Georgia’s Mark Richt spoke last year. Georgia State coach Bill Curry will speak next year.
Johnson walked off the practice field, put on a coat and tie, and was there to speak Wednesday just after 7 p.m.
Here’s who else was there and this is the part that really impressed me. There to show their support of Johnson were some of the greatest players in Georgia Tech history: RB Leon Hardeman, one of six All-Americans on the 1952 national championship team; All-America OL John Davis who once, as emcee Wes Durham pointed out, pushed Clemson’s “Refrigerator” Perry around Bobby Dodd Stadium like he was on training wheels; Jim Woods, an outstanding player under Pepper Rodgers; Randy Rhino, the only three-time All-American in school history; Taz Anderson, a member of the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame and the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame; Ryan Stewart, a former captain at Georgia Tech who has gone on to radio fame.
And as Johnson spoke I could see these former players and others in the room nod their heads in approval.
Johnson told a story of his early days at Georgia Tech. He had been in charge for only a few weeks and “was starting to feel pretty good about myself.” He ducked into a Waffle House to get a bite to eat wearing his Georgia Tech shirt. He tries to keep a low profile when the waitress comes up to him and says: “Do you go to a lot of the games (at Georgia Tech)?”
Johnson said: “I’m pretty sure I’ll get to most of the games this fall.”
Later on that same waitress told Johnson that she had heard that the new Georgia Tech head coach was in the restaurant.
“She pointed to a guy in the corner who looked like he was about 70,” said Johnson. “I figured and wasn’t as big a deal as I thought I was.”
Johnson said that a bunch of gut-check moments went into making last season successful: The comeback win at Boston College (19-16); the comeback that came up short at Virginia Tech (20-17); the comeback win over Georgia (45-42) where the Yellow Jackets trailed by double digits (28-12) on the road at halftime.
“And then for 42 days we got to listen to people tell us how good we were,” Johnson said. “Then we played LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and found out that we weren’t that good (losing 38-3).”
But every one of those games, win or lose, said Johnson, was a building block in the process. When spring practice ends on April 18, Johnson will meet individually with every Georgia Tech player. A year ago, after his first spring, Johnson had no idea what those guys were going to tell him. Now he feels like the players and the fans have bought into what he’s selling.
“I feel good about our football team,” Johnson said. That is what the folks at Marist came to hear.
And the former players, for the first time in a while, are all on the same page.
“How can you not be confident when you’re listening to Coach Johnson?” Taz Anderson said. “He knows what he’s talking about.”
At the end of the evening Michael Flint, President of the NAF, presented Johnson with a sizeable check to show the appreciation of the group. They wanted to make it out to Johnson’s favorite charity. Johnson announced that tonight his favorite charity was the NAF and handed the check right back to Flint.
Georgia Tech is back. The rivalry with Georgia is back. This is going to be fun.
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194 comments Add your comment
Corrine Brown (D) FL
April 9th, 2009
8:19 am
Toni,
Did you saw Corch Meyers and Percy Harvey there at the waffle house too?
GO GATOR!
Bamafan
April 9th, 2009
8:22 am
Tech hired a good coach in Johnson and will give the dawgs problems for years to come. Coach Richt
will still out recruit Tech and will win most of the games against Tech!!
LSWho?
April 9th, 2009
8:42 am
Great story, especially the the Waffle House bit. Coach Johnson has really done a good job at Tech, a great hire. Rhino still driving that 911 cabriolet?
m
April 9th, 2009
8:46 am
What a contrast….the worst coach in the history of the world replaced by one of the very best coaches on earth. Paul Johnson is the real deal…anyone that underestimates him does so at their own peril. You idiot dawgies need to understand that beating chan gailey is not the same as beating Paul Johnson. You should have understood that last November, but i repeat it because you are such slow learners. As TECH fans, we should THANK GOD AND GREYHOUND AND DRAD every day for firing Chan Gailey and hiring the best coach in America. We must NEVER allow another nightmare like the 6 years under Gailey. NEVER. By the way, you dawgies are the only ones that are going to miss him.
Percy Harvey
April 9th, 2009
8:54 am
Yes, I was at the waffle house with Coarch Meyers- I had the munchies big time!
Eric
April 9th, 2009
8:54 am
The one win out of the last seven was a deceptive aberration.Every blind hog finds a an acorn every now and then!
Atlanta Gator
April 9th, 2009
9:03 am
m—-Carthago delenda est.
War’s over, son. Give it a rest.
Mac
April 9th, 2009
9:09 am
I was at Ga. Southern when coach Johnson was there working under Erk. When he later returned as head coach, it was obvious he was something special. I’m just glad D-Rad was smarter than the folks at Nebraska and other programs, who maybe didn’t give him a proper look. Tech will be strong as long as he’s there.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
9:10 am
M,
Please get some new material. Wow, it must be a slow sports day when you have a WHOLE column about GT!!!!! I would rather lay in the yard and watch my grass grow!!! CPJ needs to stay away from waffle house!! He needs to get in touch with George Castanza’s Dad and get fitted for a manzire!!!!!!RTR
Voice of Reason
April 9th, 2009
9:10 am
The best coach in America runs the triple option?? Really?? And his defense gives up 131 points in the final 4 games of the year averaging over 32 points a game?? And he gives out rings for beating a mediocre UGA team by 3?? And loses to a Virginia team that USC beat 52-7?? And Virginia Tech that got beat by ECU?? Wow, don’t tell Meyer, Saban, or Pete Carroll and a slew of others…. they may think they are overachieveing.
Bill
April 9th, 2009
9:12 am
Hey UGA rednecks.Last I saw of Percy Harvin he was all alone in the end zone with a TD pass over the befuddled poodle secondary.
49-10
Voice of Reason
April 9th, 2009
9:12 am
Saint Nick, I think it should be called the bro, not the manziere
Voice of Reason
April 9th, 2009
9:15 am
actually Bill, I believe he ran past and around the UGA secondary, the pass was not over the secondary. Not that it makes thing any better for the secondary, but at least say it right if you’re going to say it.
Voice of Reason
April 9th, 2009
9:16 am
but you know what they say…. you can’t catch a crackhead.
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 9th, 2009
9:25 am
Here come the fleabags.
Hmmm, what’s CPJ’s record against UGAg at GT?
John Davis should be very happy. He couldn’t let go how important it was beating the mutts at last years Kick-off Dinner.
It’s pretty amazing when you think about how fast GT has lapped UGAg. I can see the fleabags getting on their knees and praying each night how they hope CPJ gets struck by lighting or has a heart attack or something like that…that’s just the way they are.
I really don’t see UGA beating GT again as long as CPJ is coach.
45-42, Roddy Jones just ran another 16.9 yards.
Thanks for throwing us a bone Tony and writing something about the best team in Georgia.
Brad in Jasper
April 9th, 2009
9:36 am
Ramble, I appreciate your optimism, though it may be a bit delusional. As Doc Holliday says “I’ll remembuh ya said that”. We’ll check back in 3-4 years. In the meantime as a Dawg fan, I think PJ has the Jackets on the right course. Can’t help but like the guy. I do hope he loses that game in late November, though.
Andre "Pulpwood" Smith
April 9th, 2009
9:37 am
One win in the last 8 years and suddenly Tech is back on top? I acknowledge that the better team won in Athens last season, but one win in 8 tries, regardless of who your coach is, doesn’t mean the rivalry is back. And for all the Tech bandwagoners who can’t wait for next season, here’s another history lesson. In 2007, Georgia hammers Florida and the UGA message boards explode with comments about how UGA now has Florida’s number, the tide has turned, UGA won’t lose to Florida again, etc. You recall what happened in 2008. Win the next 6 in a row, bandwagon jumpers, then we’ll talk.
MinnesotaJacket
April 9th, 2009
9:42 am
Bamafan…your correct in saying that according the amount of “star” recruits Georgia gets will always be greater because in general how many of the colleges in the SEC are even a remotely good Academic based school where any athlete who ATTEMPTED the SAT or ACT can get in….yes I am using the academic line because you wanted to talk about recruiting…am I saying that Tech players are in the hardest majors at Tech…no but they still have to at least go to class to pass.
North Carolina, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Duke all in the top 50 schools academically… (much harder to recruit semi-smart athletes)..
JustCallMeChamp
April 9th, 2009
9:49 am
To be honest with you, Georgia Tech is the one team from the ACC I WOULD’T want to play and I think they’re gonna give Georgia all they want and maybe a little more for a few years. That triple option is not something you normally see and is very difficult to prepare for week in and week out. Plus, I wouldn’t like the potential injuries to our DL the way they block in that scheme. I think that any top tier SEC team could handle them IF given time to prepare as witnessed in the LSU game but they will be a force in their conference. Do the Go Gator!…It’s sweeping the Nation!!!
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
9:52 am
GT fans = Braves Fan = BANDWAGON FOOTBALL FANS = FAIR WHEATHER FANS = ALL GT FANS = GONE AFTER THE FIRST 7 WIN SEASON!!!!!!!!
Eric
April 9th, 2009
9:54 am
It’ll be a blast every time the Beez beat the Bulldogz. I’m thinking it’ll be regular occurance. YES!!!
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 9th, 2009
9:56 am
There goes Roddy for another 16.9 yards.
m
April 9th, 2009
10:04 am
Chan Gailey coached against ugag 6 times…he went 0-6. If he had coached 100 times against ugag …he would have gone 0-100. However, in the best news in the history of the world, chan was fired. The last 5 times that Tech played ugag with a coach NOT named gailey…Tech beat ugag 4 out of 5. Also, every time since 1978 that Tech defeated ugag to stop a ugag streak, Tech went on to win the next game…every single time. So if you dawgies don’t realize that things have changed at Tech, then you are as stupid as Chan Gailey….as stupid as any Tech fans that supported chan gailey. Thank God and Greyhound that chan is gone. You dawgs may be too stupid to realize it, but you are really going to miss him.
OMG
April 9th, 2009
10:08 am
Irony of ironies. A UGA fan calls Tech fans bandwagon fans.
TIde rising
April 9th, 2009
10:08 am
Where’s JB today? I noticed in his posts last night he’s still saying Nick Saban will be gone after this year or next year. Seems he’s been saying that for 3 years now. He’s here to stay pardner. Get used to it and abandon all hope. He aint going nowhere son.
Duh
April 9th, 2009
10:10 am
One win out of seven? CPJ is 1-0 verse the dwags and 3-0 verse any team with the mascot of a bull dog. Blind hog – I don’t think so. Just remember he is not Chan “I coach not to lose; instead of coaching to win” Gailey, CPJ coaches to win.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
10:12 am
M,
I really don’t think that UGA fans really give a crap what goes on over at the Star Trek College!!!! Maybe you are the one who is too stupid to realize that Tech is an afterthought in a weak conference!!!!
athensdawg
April 9th, 2009
10:14 am
Tony, the waffle house story was classic…right up there with erk russell’s “honk if you love jesus” story. No doubt CPJ learned a lot of people skills while working with Erk.
we should be scared…….tech has a real coach.
Jack G.
April 9th, 2009
10:14 am
Just an out of context comment.
How can Tech justify an 8.5 million basketball bldg., but cant buy out CPH contract.
Ty Webb
April 9th, 2009
10:19 am
Saint Nick – you’re an idiot. GT has a notoriously small and loyal fanbase, I’ve never heard of a bandwagon GT fan in my life. You’re either a GT fan or you’re not. That school in Athens has a monopoly on bandwagon fans in this state. Most of the UGA fans in this state thinks college football started in 2002. You know, the year that UGA powerhouse finally made it to the SEC championship game.
Atlanta Jackets
April 9th, 2009
10:19 am
Finally a relevant article about football! Great job Tony. I like the waffle house bit! LOL!
Tech does recruit the best student-athletes! And notice which of those I put first… student. Yeah, that’s right mutters. These are students first and they beat your semi-pro athletes. Jones just ran for another 16.9! LOL! Burn. How does that feel? The Robot just hit Hill in stride for a touchdown. What? That hasn’t happened yet? Just wait, mutters. Just wait. It will. Over and over. LOL!
Ty Webb
April 9th, 2009
10:21 am
Good point m, remove the Chan Gailey fiasco and Tech has won 4 out of the last 5 against UGA. I’ve never thought of that.
Miles
April 9th, 2009
10:21 am
Mr. Barnhart, could you please explain the NCAA ruling regarding Florida State’s Corey Surrency? I’ve read a couple of conflicting reports. Please advise. Thank you.
Atlanta Jackets
April 9th, 2009
10:22 am
Corrine – It’s Coach not Corch and Harven, not Harvey. Even I know that and I’m not even a Gator fan! LOL! Get to know your team first. Dummy.
Otto
April 9th, 2009
10:23 am
m, Yes GT may have won a few in the past after breaking streaks but usually it one or 2 more then a new streak begins. Be careful what you ask for if UGA fails to beat UF and GT CMR maybe forced to shake up his staff.
Ty Webb
April 9th, 2009
10:24 am
Atlanta Jackets – you must not get out much, search Corrine Brown on the internet and you’ll understand the joke.
Nate
April 9th, 2009
10:24 am
So ‘m’ you need to keep on rolling out that “thank God and Greyhound”, because it’s freaking hilarious. I honestly thought Gailey was a good person, but obviously not what Tech needed. CPJ is everything Tech needs, to be different. Insert UGA comments about Tech international students here. GA fans, you can say all you want about Tech, but it is definitely obvious that Tech is on the right track and any fan should realize this. As for Tech fans talking trash, let’s be a little realistic until we win in Atlanta, let’s just let it be and let that Saturday in November speak for itself.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
10:32 am
My point is that I have been reading this blog for several years now and up until last November M was the only Tech fan on this blog that i remember. Now there seems to be about 10!!!! I would classify that as BANDWAGON!!!! That means you as a fan have to support your team ALL the time!!!!
GT fans lost in space
April 9th, 2009
10:35 am
“And then for 42 days we got to listen to people tell us how good we were,” Johnson said. “Then we played LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl and found out that we weren’t that good.”
38-3, LOL. You’re only as good as your last game.
Nov. 28, 2009……….Have a nice day
Huh?
April 9th, 2009
10:40 am
November 28, 2009. I’ll believe Georgia Tech is back when it can prove that 45-42 wasn’t a total fluke. I have my doubts.
GeoffDawg
April 9th, 2009
10:41 am
Lol at the gator fan calling anybody else’s fanbase “redneck”. Your jorts must be up your crack.
Atlanta Jackets
April 9th, 2009
10:42 am
I was debating a friend the other day about building a perfect team for this offense and we agreed that we’d have Joe Hamilton at QB (I love the Robot, but Joe is Joe). We’d have Swyer, Choice, Percy Harvin as the backs. Calvin as the wide out. Unstoppable. And then this other guy that wasn’t even part of the conversation said that Capt Kirk would be a good QB. While I appreciate the qualities CJTK brings to the table, he doesn’t beat Joe! LOL! We told him to shut it.
THWG!
gte268p
April 9th, 2009
10:44 am
Saint Nick, that logic is just dumb.
ATL Dawg
April 9th, 2009
10:47 am
Hey Techies I will be the first one to admit that coach Paul Johnson is a great coach and hire for you guys. He has won everywhere he has been. Now with that being said I think Johnson has Mark Richt’s attention and Richt will up his game even more. Johnson will give Richt trouble, but I think Richt will win more than he will lose to Johnson. The rivalry is back…..until some bigger school say maybe like Notre Dame comes calling for Johnson. Go Dawgs!!
razerGT
April 9th, 2009
10:47 am
“For 42 days we got to listen to people tell us how good we were…Then we played LSU…and found out that we weren’t that good.”
Paul Johnson tells it like it is. Hasn’t hesitated to say, after a game, that ‘we were awful here’ or ‘we could have done a lot better here’. He knows what’s wrong and he’s going to fix it. We were 9-4 last year with a terrible passing game, iffy special teams and a lot of unforced fumbles. What makes you bulldawgie fans think we’re going to be WORSE next year?
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
10:50 am
My Prediction for the 09 football season:
1. USC loses 3 games: Can’t lose all those players and not take a step back.
2. Fla wins east, Bama wins west. Fla goes 14-0 and wins NC.
3. Okl ST. wins big 12 and gets destroyed by FLA.
4. North carolina wins the ACC.
5. WVA doesn’t go bowling, South Fla wins the Big East.
6. Someone besides OSU wins the Big Ten.
7. Boise ST. goes to the BCS.
8. UT settles out of court in shirt ripping incident!
9. Notre Dame fires Weis and hires T. Gill.
RAMBLE ON!!!
April 9th, 2009
10:50 am
First down, Roddy Jones for another 16.9 yards!!!
cluett peabody
April 9th, 2009
11:04 am
m and Nate. Tgag (thank God and Greyhound)… Love it! Soon it will be up there with thwg. I hope.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
11:09 am
It’s only dumb to you because I was REFERRING TO FANS LIKE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dorsey Hill
April 9th, 2009
11:11 am
I certainly can’t talk bad about Johnson as he was my pick to take over from Donnan. I think we would have given SEC teams fits with the talent we could attract to run that system. (This is not to indicate any displeasure with what we ended up with b/c I am extremely pleased depsite my initial fears that we got Brad Scott v. 2. And I have to admit that my initial hope to have Johnson may have been related to my continued and undying anger towards Chuck Knapp for not hiring Erk, who would have brought Johnson in as OC, after Dooley retired.)
The big question mark for Tech in the coming years is going to be on the defensive side of the ball. Can Tech put substantial talent on that side of the ball and have them play consistently well against teams that will be running offenses that they can not replicate in practice? You have to have more scholarship QB’s and RB’s in the program to run what Johnson runs and in the era of the 85 limit???
John McKay said that one of the main reasons he went with an I-formation over the wish-bone and other 3 back systems was that to run those you need 4 great running backs (incl. the QB) whereas with the I formation all you needed was one OJ Simpson type talent.
And remember bulldog fans, the reason that Tech will indeed give us trouble is not because they are in any sense “better” or even that our defense stunk. In fact they may make us look bad when we have an objectively good defense. The reason is that we spend 11 weeks of the year trying to get our guys to run to the football with reckless abandon; with an almost reptilian-like reflex. Tech, and UF to a lesser extent, shows up and we have to play assignment defense and it screws us all up. That being said there are strategies to reduce the impact of that difference. Unfortunately I didn’t see any of them last fall. One key for the Tech game, and the rest of the season for that matter, is to hope and pray that we have some good, healthy DE’s.
GTSteve
April 9th, 2009
11:19 am
Here you go Mles http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_fsu/2008/09/ncaa-rule-14235.html
LSWho?
April 9th, 2009
11:20 am
Great post Dorsey, nice to see instead of all the flaming.
gte268p
April 9th, 2009
11:32 am
Sure, Saint Nick, that’s why I attended 80% of the Georgia Tech football games during my 6 years at Tech (sorry, just couldn’t road trip to the other 20%, and keep in mind many of those were during the Gailey years), nearly every home basketball game, almost every home volleyball game, and as much baseball games as possible – because I’m a bandwagon fan. That’s also why I make sure to watch any Tech game on TV (I took a job across the country after I got my Masters) that is televised, listen to them on the radio, continue to read a biased AJC online, and still somehow make it to two Tech football games a year despite my busy schedule. It’s all because of the bandwagon.
You sure do know it all, Saint Nick.
oledawg
April 9th, 2009
11:32 am
I’m telling you—–there is a reason the NFL does not run the wishbone.
This will prevent the nerds from BIG TIME recruits. Believe me, all of Tech’s opponents will not be able to make adjustments, but the good teams will. Johnson will win alot of games at Tech, but NEVER bring them to the promised land. But if I was a Tech fan, I’d be happy too, because it beats going 5 and 6, or 6 and 5, EVERY year. Johnson does not seem to mind if his quarterback gets beaten up during games, and this will cause trouble, as well as any aspirations of Tech QB’s of playing on Sunday’s. Mark my words, the QB situation will always be a point of concern for the nerds.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
11:34 am
OK, YOU and M are the 2 Non bandwagon Tech fans!!!!!!!!!!!!!RTR!!!
Otto
April 9th, 2009
11:43 am
Why would anyone be a bandwagon Tech fan?
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
11:44 am
Even though I think you exaggerating your attendance of GT sports, did you go to the science fairs too??? What about the intamural flag football games??? Volleyball??? What about cheering on CPJ at the TV station when he does his weekly show???? Follow the debate team around sharpening their pencils for them??? Do you cover your permullet with a “official GT cowboy hat”?? do you rock the “I LOVE CPJ” Sweatshirt??? LOSER GT FANS!!!!!
chuck allison
April 9th, 2009
11:49 am
M, your criticisms of Gailey do no good. But Hewitt is much worse than GAiley ever was. Why not do something useful and criticize Hewitt every chance you get.
Gailey is already gone and you are just beating a dead horse.
Otto
April 9th, 2009
11:49 am
St Nick OSU winning the Big 12? Okie lite always manages to hack up a hairball at the end. OU will be rolling by bedlam. Texas most likely has a faster start.
If I had to pick tOSU runs the tables in the Big 10 and beats USC setting up for a BCS title game. USC may have lost players but the PAC9 isn’t getting much better, if they win over tOSU they go to the BCS title game.
UF wins the SEC with someone upsetting them.
Ramblin Wrecker
April 9th, 2009
11:53 am
“m” makes a great point. UGA and GT finally have great coaches at the same time. Once George O’Leary got things going at GT, he was still facing Jim Donnan, so he won 3 in a row leading up to Donnan’s dismissal (and even the losses that O’Leary took early on from Donnan were all close games). But when UGA brought in Richt, GT lost, then hired chan Gailey and proceeded to lose 6 more. But now that Paul Johnson has arrived, the scales have balanced back out. I think this will be one of the more formidable and compelling rivalries in college football for the rest of their tenures at UGA and GT. We could all sit here and argue and trade clever (and mostly not clever) barbs or we could enjoy the great games that are ahead of us over the next decade or so. Any player, coach or team needs a foil to reach greatness. Bo Schembeckler had Woody Hayes. Ali had Frazier. Michael Jordan had the Bad Boys. The 90’s Cowboys had the 49ers. The Red Sox have the Yankees. Duke has North Carolina.
I for one relish the clash of great coaches and great programs.
m
April 9th, 2009
12:01 pm
chuck allison, chan was the worst coach in the history of the world so you point about another coach being worse is invalid. Remember, those that forget the past are doomed to repeat it. We must never allow a gailey at tech again. NEVER. Did you speak up against him while he was here? I didn’t think so. Just remember…..TGAG (ok cluett?).
Bill
April 9th, 2009
12:06 pm
Voice of reason Percy ran a straight go route.There was not a UGA defender within 20 yards of him.You may wnat to get into semantics but he was behind everyone in the UGA secondary.
As for the crackhead comment you are way of base.Since the report came out on that obscure website a week ago there has been not one credtible news outlet that has comfirmed it.
Otto
April 9th, 2009
12:06 pm
CMR has Urban. UGA does not need another. It is looking like CPJ will have GT ready to play but I would not get my hopes up yet.
As a UGA fan I always want GT to be respected nationally as it makes UGA’s schedule look tougher.
It will be interesting to see how the upcoming years playout.
PTC Jacket
April 9th, 2009
12:09 pm
It’s ironic to see UGA and Bama fans calling us “bandwagon” fans. Maybe we “came out of the woodwork”, as you like to put it, because we have something relevant to talk about. Go back to your trailer, pups.
Otto
April 9th, 2009
12:13 pm
PTC does have a point bandwagon no…fair weather maybe… but if so most of the state of AL would be fair weather fans too.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
12:15 pm
I am not sure I would be excited about “balancing the scales” with a team that won the NC a decade before your team has!!!!UGA hasn’t sniffed the NC since the early 80’s!!!GT a little more recent in 90 or 91. UGA should have won it last year, had the talent but got trucked by Bama and that team knew that dream was over!!!! GT fans need to worry about winning the ACC instead of the always overated PUPDOGS!!!!!!!!!!
mexdawg
April 9th, 2009
12:17 pm
yes Paul Johnson is a good coach.So what you’ve lost with good coachs before.We are going to dominate you in Atlanta this year.Enjoy your free hot dog and coke because that is the only thing your gonna have to cheer about.I’ll take the dawgs even money against any of you dirt dobbers who want to make a wager on next years game.Yea that’s what I thought.Notice this just in ….Tech forced to reduce the size of it’s stadium so they will not be outnumbered at the GEORGIA game again.Give me a break.
Otto
April 9th, 2009
12:20 pm
UGA should have won it in ‘07 not ‘08. A few plays against S. Car. and UGA would be in the title game. UGA did not have the OL or DL last year. Yes they had the stars but a Bama fan of all people should know that the game is won in the trenches. Yes Bama and GT won that battle last year. UGA has sniffed the Top 5 far more often than either of those schools in the past 10 years.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
12:27 pm
OSU will have the best offense in the country, and they have a new DC. OU lost too much on offense. Texas…. toss up how they finish. Bama does have bandwagon fans, BUT, they are former bama fans, turn aubbies, turn bama fans!!! If the Iron Bowl was played at Talladega Superspeedway(200,000+ capacity) It would sellout!!!!!!!! Could GT and UGA do that, only a few rivalries in college and the Superbowl can touch that!!!!!!
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
12:35 pm
Bama 12 NC
UGA 2 NC
Sniff that!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dawgs20
April 9th, 2009
12:36 pm
You know in a sick way its kind of a good thing that the nerds finally got one. Now there is trash to be talked again in stead of betting on how BAD UGA is going to win. This series has been the most boring of UGA’s rivals for the past seven years anyway. They have just been a nice way to end the year. We may have to actually pay attention to these insects until PJ gets hired to a school with an actual athletic program! Enjoy the win…might not be another one for seven more years
Dawgs20
April 9th, 2009
12:39 pm
UGA and GT could not do that because GT only has a few fans and no offense they are not SEC crazy fans. UGA and Florida (as lopsided as it is) may come close.
Dawgs20
April 9th, 2009
12:42 pm
GT and UGA could not do that. GT does not have a big fan base and of those very few are like the crazy SEC fans we have. UGA and Florida (as lopsided as it is) could come close.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
12:47 pm
I would think UT/OU or OSU/Mich would be the only other ones.
Nate
April 9th, 2009
12:50 pm
Saint Nick,
You are probably right about the Iron Bowl rivalry, but you have to look at GT’s size. Our student population is that of a middle sized university (18000 something) students. UGA has around 30,000. Also, in terms of graduation, most Tech alumni get jobs in other places. Of the five alumni I know, only one of them lives in the metro area. Whereas, most Auburn and Alabama alum just move to somewhere in state or at least in the southeast. I think it’s not a direct comparison. I will be the first to admit it also, a lot of students on campus honestly don’t care a whole lot about sports. I know this for a fact because I am a student here. Tech is an academic school, and no offense but Bama isn’t.
Ty Webb
April 9th, 2009
12:51 pm
Well in the last 20 years Tech has won a national championship in football, been to two final fours, and three CWS. Only a handful of schools can say that (certainly not UGA) so I would say their athletic department is just fine.
BS Patrol
April 9th, 2009
12:53 pm
Saint Nick? Do you attend the MORE THAN 3 TOOFS convention? How about the ANIMAL HUSBANDRY & SISTER LOVIN’ FESTIVAL? Maybe the INTERNASHUNAL ROAD KILL COOK-OFF? THE POST-TORNADO TRAILER RECONSTRUCTION SEMINAR? Nick’ll be gone after two 5-loss seasons anyway.
Now git on back to Alabammy!
gt fan
April 9th, 2009
12:56 pm
wrecker i kinda agree with you but not quite.
yes gt now has a good coach to match reverend richt however when you compare reverend richt and reverend gailey an paul johnson there is a difference.
-rev richt is a better college coach than gailey ever was
-rev gailey is a better nfl coach than either reverend richt or paul johnson
-paul johnson is at the least equal to reverend richt as a college coach
the kicker is…..
paul johnson unlike either reverend richt or reverend gailey will not allow the players to run the program. that is why the dogs do not live up to their HYPE every year under reverend richt. incredible talent and poor discipline.
last year was NOT an aberration but rather is was what most fans expect from the dawgs now. always in the hunt at the beginning of the season but always self imploding as the season draws to a close.
reverend richt has issues. the same kind of issues that chan gailey has and reverend bowden has. both of these coaches believe
JESUS would make sure the players did what they were supposed to do both on and off the field. sounds like george w bush and his letting jesus make his decisions for the country. duhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
anybody who reads the papers can tell you that reverend richt allows the ugag players to run roughshod over the program. year in and year out. it would be interesting to see how many arrests ugag averages a year under that reverend richt brand of discipline. 6 is a number that comes to mind.
a good program that recruits awesomely with no discipline ends up being an also ran most years. ask miami.
an almost good program with an average coach that lacks discipline loses to ugag 7 years in a row ala gailey.
gailey too ran a lax ship at gt big time. even the players acknowledged it.
paul johnson is not an average coach nor does he allow jesus to run his program.
look for gt to start winning the majority of games from ugag until reverend richt fixes his discipline problems.
look for gt to start out recruiting ugag in the state for good players on defense. the more gawgia players on the gt squad the more import the rivalry becomes.
at the least i see gt winning at gt this year for tiar baby.
go jackets
Rock
April 9th, 2009
1:03 pm
I was on the ‘85 and ‘86 National Championship teams at Southern. I could tell then when he went from D-Line coach to OC the next year that he was something special. The way he talks, carries himself, and tells stories is exactly how Erk used to be. He learned from the best motivator I have ever seen and I feel very fortunate to have played for both of them. Go Tech
Dawgs20
April 9th, 2009
1:03 pm
actually since 1980, UGA has been to a final four, played in three straight football national championships winning the one in 1980. Numerous SEC championships in football. a couple in basketball, as well as baseball with a few trips to the college world series as well. and those would be the big three. Andy Landers has done a pretty good job as the womens bball coach too (final fours) Over the same time period UGA has won NUMEROUS NATIONAL titles in gymnastics, golf, tennis, swimming and diving, and equestrian. But maybe one day we can match the level that the Jackets have accumulated over the past. Heres hoping
Tom
April 9th, 2009
1:06 pm
Dang it! If we’d only let them win just ONE more….we could’ve retired a JERSEY!!
Percy Harvey
April 9th, 2009
1:11 pm
Doesnt matter what kind of route i ran- there was busted coverage.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
1:12 pm
And???? So what if he leaves, bama is in 10 times better shape than before Saban, if he does leave in 7 or 8 more years, Bama will be a top 2 or 3 job in the country!!! BUT, he has given almost 2 million dollars to the fist generation scholarship fund(no athlete is eligible). So, keep praying and hoping and wishing that he will leave, NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!RTR
gt fan
April 9th, 2009
1:16 pm
hey m i gotta tell ya. i saw you praising paul hewitt on another blog.
sorry buddy but you lose all credibility with me when you do that.
paul hewitt WISHES he was half the coach that chan gailey was.
i would trade derrick favors AND phew to uga right now for mark fox if ugag agreed to assume phew’s contract.
on a positive note its good to see that we have alumni who can fork out 3.5 mil for a practice facility. all we need now is 2 of them to buy out phew and send him to a job he is more deserving of….
the president of the BCA.
how freaking ironic is it that the worst black basketball coach *sic* in the country is also the president of the BCA.
Eddie
April 9th, 2009
1:23 pm
GT fan–you are treading on very dangerous ground friend. I would be careful what I say, especially when you know not of what you speak.
GA Tech Insider
April 9th, 2009
1:28 pm
“m;”
Nice to see that you’re giving yourself props about your “Slam Chan ’s” with your other aliases again. Give it a it rest. You’ve become more than boring; you’ve become downright obnoxious about it; much worse than Chan Gailey’s record at GA Tech in fact.
We thought we only had to deal with Chan’s records during the Fall for the few seasons he was on Campus, but we now have to deal with your juvenile ramblings from here on out.
Now, down to the matter at hand…It’s really great to see the former players on board with Coach Johnson, showing their support. With GA Tech’s Alumni base spread out so far from Atlanta, these guys back in the fold really speaks volumes about where the program has come in the past year and a half.
Hopefully the players at Tech, and the recruits watching the program, can see the excitement building and feel good about the Jackets and their future.
pensacola dawg
April 9th, 2009
1:29 pm
Amazing how one win over Georgia has Tech on top of the world.
GT Jake
April 9th, 2009
1:31 pm
Mark Richt will leave Georgia before Paul Johnson leaves Georgia Tech– write it down. And it won’t be because he is hired away. It will be for the same reasons Donnan was fired— inablility to beat Florida, Georgia Tech and (now) Alabama and Tennessee. Notre Dame will get a new coach after this season, but it won’t be Johnson.
The Dude
April 9th, 2009
1:40 pm
To the non-Tech fans continuing to garble about NFL-caliber talent:
In case you haven’t noticed, Tech hasn’t sent a pro-style quarterback to the NFL…. ever. It might not be “ever”, but it’s close enough. The best quarterbacks on the best teams Tech has had in the past 20 years were dual threat quarterbacks (notably Shawn Jones and Joe Hamilton). A running back in this system will “learn” anything they might need to know how to do to be a pro back. Also, what pro-style quarterback has UGA sent to the NFL recently who has received significant playing time? Carter was a dual threat qb.
Lets try apples to apples next time, instead of apples to watermelons.
Saint Nick
April 9th, 2009
1:40 pm
Notre Dame doesn’t want CPJ!!!! If the wanted the option, they would dig up Rockney and clone him (the church could get this done).Turner Gill will be the next Notre Dame coach!!!
gtforever
April 9th, 2009
1:44 pm
Before all you GT fans slobber all over yourselves, last year we played a very WEAK schedule and we had a gut check against our rival and won. We got destroyed by LSU, a very average team at the most! There is nothing wrong with being optimistic, but please some of you people need to take a reality pill. This coach needs to recruit a lot better before GT football will be even in the same league as our friends in Athens. I would submit that we need to be very humble with the UGA fans, they still have a much better team talent wise and they sure play in a much stronger league. They could very easily hand us our jocks next year, so think before you talk. A big plate of CROW could be right around the corner!
Chuck Uga
April 9th, 2009
1:44 pm
gt fan: you are clueless. Google “village idiot” and your name & picture comes up at the top of the results.
Chuck Uga
April 9th, 2009
1:45 pm
GT Jake: see above. You too are a fool.
LSWho?
April 9th, 2009
1:55 pm
Saint Nick, can’t see the Irish taking such a big gamble as hiring Gill, Buffalo to South Bend? Just not enough big time experience, remember Gerry Faust?
Halberstram
April 9th, 2009
1:59 pm
Pretty cool of Johnson to give the check back to the NAF. It’s nice to see the rivalry real relevant again. It should be another good game as usual this year.
gt fan
April 9th, 2009
2:01 pm
Eddie… and your point was?
last time i looked …
-we finished last in the acc last year
-we almost had our 2nd losing season at HOME in a row which has happened once in 30 years before phew
-havent been the to the ncaa’s in 3 years.
-of the 4 ncaa appearances under phew we won at least one game only ONCE
-we are a regular bottom tier finisher in the acc year in an year out
-phew is fine with his record because he graduates black players or sends them to the nba (who cares about the nba… i dont)
-our coach is holding the program hostage by using his outrageous contract. what a loyal guy he is eh? his love for gt overwhelms me.
-our ticket sales and attendance took a huge plunge last year and have been declining for years.
-And our coach IS the head of the BCA.
all this with a team that probably has had the 3d best talent in the acc over the last 5 years.
i have exchanged emails with drad and he certainly doesnt sound thrilled over phew’s performance either.
his recent firing of two coaches who have out performed hewitt shows just how stymied he is by that conract. but for that contract phew would have been toast last year!
so once again i ask you to enlighten us. feel free to correct any of the facts i have listed !!!!
just dont do it with lame opinions that reek of ‘waite until next’ year rhetoric.
could be you were threatening me?
PTC Jacket
April 9th, 2009
2:02 pm
Chuck UGA
You sure backup your statements with credible sources. Oh wait, there weren’t any. Get off our blog unless you’re going to provide a good argument.
I honestly can’t say that GT has this year’s win in hand already, but I will say that it could go either way, since that UGA still has a good offense, as of now.
Atlanta Jackets
April 9th, 2009
2:06 pm
Let it rip PTC! LOL! Chuck, you’ve been Chucked!! ROTFLMAO!!
Huh?
April 9th, 2009
2:07 pm
There is talk over on the Tech beat blog that Paul Johnson actually threw the Chicken Bowl because it was a game of no importance. The stupidity of Tech fans simply knows no bounds and never fails to amaze.
gt fan
April 9th, 2009
2:09 pm
hey chuck uga i did what you suggested and it came up showing a picture of grown men on all fours barking slobbering and woofing. to make matters worse they were sniffing each others A$$ES.
was that the info you were speaking of?
now if we are done here i noticed that there is no tp in the men’s bathroom. please take care of that after you get me my fries.