Johnson: ‘A lot that I saw that I didn’t like’

[...] CPJ: ‘A lot that I saw that I didn’t like’ [...]

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“My take on [coaching] is, if one or two guys is not doing what you’d like, then they’ve got an issue,” he said. “If it’s more than one or two guys, then we’ve got an issue. We’ve got to work and make sure we help those guys play better.”

Way to go CPJ…You think if you throw your coaches under the bus they will get better? We know you have bigger fish to fry or popcorn to pop…but really?

The only good thing about Monday night was the Defense…that’s bad since GT has lived by the 3-option and now the opposing coaches know how to defend it. Time for the propeller heads to learn to spell…IRRELEVANT!

CPJ and his arrogance is yesterday’s news…What is Chan doing these days?

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F4S: Well said. This offense when properly executed is a terror to defend, because you can counter every defensive adjustment with your own adjustment that gives you back an advantage. You can change who you read and who you block which keeps the D guessing, but we have to execute. Our open field blocking was simply awful and it didn’t seem that we adjusted our play calling to counter the aggressive play of their safeties. That seems more like coaching. I like CPJ and CAG, but this was a disappointing start—we should have executed better—-not taking away from the VT defense which is very good, but when a WR, A or B back cannot block a LB or safety—heck often they completely missed them, then this offense will fail. Maybe the players need glasses.

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I’m pretty sure the wide outs will be catching balls this weekend. The only question is who will be throwing it to them? Will CPJ give Tevin the early hook and let the backups play? I sure hope so.

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The D did miss some tackles on that 4th and 4. They were fatigued. That is why sweeting got burned by that freshman on the drive before that.

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re:
3. Johnson said on his radio show on 790 the Zone Wednesday night that freshman wide receiver Anthony Autry would get playing time Saturday and indicated that wide receiver Darren Waller would probably start. He also said that an appeal for wide receiver Chris Jackson, who was held out of Monday’s game because of an academic matter concerning his credit hours, was denied and that he’ll miss four games.
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We just went through 5 weeks of fall/summer camp to find who the best WRs are ,and after one game we are already making changes?

The bottom line is that CPJ HAS NOT recruited better WRs, trying to “play mind games” by benching guys after 1-game won’t make much difference.

I identified Jeremy Moore as being a question mark at WR, he’s 6-3 183lbs. in his 4th yr. out of HS (a RS-Jr.) so it is not like he’s going to get bigger, stronger, or faster at this stage of his career, if Moore hasn’t been physical and challenged for PT in his first 3 years then why should we expect miracle now.

BTW, Aurtry is 6-2 173lbs and is in dire need of a RS and a year in the Weight Room, there’s no way that Autry is ready to play this season, basically CPJ’s anger is leading him to burn this SA’s RS for no good reason. Autry is NOT physically ready and he won’t play well, CPJ is putting him in the line-up because he’s angry at the other WRs.

Guess what CPJ?

You Recruited all of them, you only have yourself to get mad at!

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WnE is a dwagtard…CPJ is a god compared to St Richt…

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Still waiting on his fries Okie Dawg. Now get back to work son.

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First, DON’T FEED THE TROLLS. Now my comments; I blame the Chris Jackson issue more on GA Tech’s Athletic Association than Chris himself. They’re the ones who were supposed to have helped him with the NCAA from the very start to determine what his status was regarding his classes, and if he needed addiditional hours this past Spring or Summer, he could have taken them so he could have been eligible the first game of the season. If GA Tech didn’t know until now what would be acceptable, how would Chris? Is he responsible to communicate directly with the NCAA or would you expect his school to do so on his behalf?

Next, any way you look at the game, no one can deny that the short-handed defense played well. In fact, if you look back at the game, Tech’s defense had held them to only 7 points until there was 7:45 left in the 4th quarter, when they scored their 2nd TD, and that came after the Jacket Offense took a 10-7 lead just as the 4th quarter began.

Then, GA Tech drove down for the go ahead TD, to put them up by 3, with 44 seconds left in the game, and the Hokies finally kicked their tying field goal, NO TD, with 1 second left in regulation.

In other words, GA Tech defense held VA Tech’s offense to only 7 points for 3 quarters and almost half of the 4th. The Jacket’s defense were shorthanded and put back on a short field with little rest several times during that time frame yet they held up.

Then, after the defense managed to hold VA Tech to a field goal at regulation instead of giving them a TD, and then, after Tevin threw the ball away and the Hokies had the ball first and goal at our 1, the stopped their offense in a tremendous goal line stand, forcing their winning field goal, which was still risky since they fumbled a punt and he had already shanked a FG. No, they may have been exhausted, but they didn’t give up.

On the other hand, GA Tech’s offense was totally stagnant because Tevin Washington was making bad reads on his handoffs and refusing to pass the ball downfield to Wide Receivers so the VA Tech DB’s had to back off the Line of Scrimmage. If he was playing so timidly, even running out of the pistol formation, then why NOT not give Synjyn or Vad a chance to play? Even if they threw an interception downfield, at least they would start to get the Hokie defense to back off the LoS because they would have to respect the pass, the fact the Jacket offense was punting virtually every series early on any way, and as good as their defense was playing, what harm could it be if they had a turnover downfield? This, in my opinion, is on Paul Johnson because it’s a personnel decision.

My other issue was the 4th down play the Jackets DID RUN ON…why go right when every play to that side was virtually stopped for no gain and every play to the left went for positive yardage? Why over-think the obvious? If they were going to run the ball, take your chances and go with the jet sweep to the left, not right. Your odds were much better at positive yardage; much, much, much better. What happened when they went right? Lost yardage and they turned the ball over on 4th down. That was on Paul Johnson.

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Yahoo Sports is running an article titled; ‘The ACC: When does basketball season start?’ I totally get it. What a start to our football season. It’s funny too how all these ajc reporters are scared of Paul and refuse to ask him the tough questions. But, nonetheless. I am clearing my mind and moving forward will think of my GT football team as Duke. That way, when we lose, I will expect it and it won’t really matter. We need to start to realize we are just above average in football. Nothing greater. The numbers speak for themselves. 1-10 vs UGA, 0-7 in last 7 bowls. 1-4 vs VT….etc, etc. We should have won each of the last 3 games against VT but did everything in our power to lose. We were successful.

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The Days and Vad Lee momentum is building – Washington is not adequate as the qb – too slow to make reads, too slow to react, too slow, period.

He is the one area I observed that appears weak and sub-par.

Johnson’s play-calling was very vanilla – he definately wasn’t at his best that night.

Presbyterian – are you kidding? Nothing will be learned from that scrimmage.

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I meant to say ’slightly above average’.

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This isn’t Tevin’s fault. Coach Johnson stands on the sidelines withouth a play sheet, runs out of time and calls the option left or right. We use to run the option at times where we blocked differently and pitched to the B back. We used to fake the run and hit the a-back getting behind the secondary. Coach Johnson just calls play arbitrarily hoping something will hit,and that isn’t going to work against the teams with better calibre players.

It will work this week against Presbyterian.

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CPJ lived for two years on the heroics of (Josh N.,Burnette,D.Morgan,J.Dwyer,D.Thomas,& A.Allen.He doesn’t have those self-motivated stars anymore.CPJ and his staff don’t coach players up each year.You can’t have walk-ons at the top of your depth chart and expect to win championships.All CPJ did at GSU was outscore teams.He was playing a much weaker schedule.

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The triple option can be stopped by a good defense playing assignment football.

Huh. I guess I’m unaware of defenses that don’t require their players to be sound fundamentally and hold their assignments. Perhaps someone can enlighten me, though.

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Hope I’m wrong but this sounds like a train wreck in progress. Johnson was a good coach for us and won lots of games but something doesn’t seem to be clicking at Tech. I think some of it has to do with an apparent talent drop-off after his second season. Really heartbreaking loss the other night…

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“The triple option can be stopped by a good defense playing assignment football.”

ANY OFFENSE can be stopped by a good defense.

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Unfortunately the ACC is a weak football conference.FSU will leave as soon as the timing is right.

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[...] [...]

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Is it just me??

For five years now when CPJ decides to run the “FAKE the forth down and less than five play” it’s the same damn play over and over and over and over and over and over and over!!! I guess he figures the once or twice it’s worked is good enough to stick with it from now on and other teams will never figure it out. Ever try to change the cadence or line up in a different formation?? Same thing goes on the fourth down plays they do run – it’s almost ALWAYS the same play that hasn’t worked most of the game up to that point but some how CPJ thinks it will magically work this time!! We’ve gotten used to CPJ being able to adjust his game plan as he went along throughout the game – at least for the first couple years – now that other teams defenses have become better prepared – the adjustments are less frequent and with less dramatic results. I love the offense and think it can be an awesome thing to watch – if run and executed properly. However, I’m beginning to think that CPJ and players have succumbed to the “Peter Principle” as it might apply to football schemes and players being able to execute it flawlessly. CPJ set the world on fire with his teachings and techniques while he coached lesser programs who played lesser competition. However – at this level – the obvious has become apparent. Talent at the D1 level (excluding Navy) is undeniably “head and shoulders” above all other levels and that includes coaching staffs as well. The win over Notre Dame in 2007 is noted as is the Commander-in-Chiefs Trophy wins over several years (those wins came against other service schools who are not necessarily noted for having a “recruiting athletes first” mentality. My point is this – the players play as hard as they can and still make mental mistakes because of either all the scheming or lack of discipline. The coaches coach their scheme and it looks good in practice but when game time comes – it becomes an undiciplined time and everything falls apart – on both sides of the ball – and with the coaches and how the coach. The players on the field are NOT based on game accomplishments but rather based on a LIKE or dislike of how they practice or maybe how they did in previous years. When a player is obviously not getting the job done on a consistant basis – and actually ends up losing games due to indecision or poor play – rather than replacing him with someone else – excuses are made for the player and they get to continue their mediocre performances. I wonder how long it’s going to take recruits to see that no matter how talented they are – they won’t get to play unless there’s no one else to fill the spot due to graduation or unless someone gets injured. Their talent and hard work will be for nothing at Tech as long as CPJ refuses to change his thought process of which players deserve to play and give Tech the best chance to win. And – with that – Tech fans will always be relegated to the ocassional “Big” win over the elite programs of VT’s, Miami’s, Clemson’s and Georgia’s while most of the time having to be satisfied with “second class” status and so-so seasons – hopefully with a wining percent – in the world of D1 football.

Why do I keep shelling out my retirement dollars to purchase season tickets when the obvious is so apparent? I love Tech and have been to the games since my dad and I started attending in 1950 when I was 7 years old. Over the years Tech has been able to ride on the road to the national title as well as the road into the depths of desparity. The hope that Tech will find it’s way back to the “high” road on a consistant basis is what keeps myself and others like me returning year after year – but is not what will put new faces in empty seats. The school asks why more fans aren’t in the stands and how to accomplish that feat. The answer is simple – WIN – WIN – WIN!!! Win the ones you’re supposed to win and win the ones you’re not supposed to win. As the saying goes – “Everybody loves a winner”. The Tech faithful and school officials thought they had a winner in CPJ when he was hired in 2008. It’s now time for him to prove himself – or for us to start the search for someone else who can lead this program back to prominence. While the education at Tech is an unquestioned winner in every area- so also should it’s athletic programs be.

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Unfortunately i think the trolls have got to some of the true Tech fans – sure weenie is in heaven.

Perhaps we should just cancel the rest of the season like everyone wanted UGAG to do last year.

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Thank god this isn’t a Maryland blog…imagine the sheer amount of trolling there!

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I am glad to see Coach Johnson accepting blame for the coaches. Too many people accuse Johnson of throwing people under the bus when things go wrong. Johnson clearly said “we” did not do it all right and his coaching staff needs to do better.

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Jack G – Thanks.

I guess it’s just that after soooo-ooo-oo many years after Bobby Dodd of this same old stuff with a brief break for Bobby Ross and George O’Leary – it’s hard not to be critical – besides, I happen to be one who thinks that I have a right to voice my opinion since I’m a season ticket holder and have been for many many years. I enjoy 5150 and Supersize remarks and feel they also have the right to speak up – either for or against my opinions and I welcome either or both to respond to my blog. However, Buddy and Chas and others like them don’t seem to have much in the way of addressing the blog – because their responses show a lack of maturity or understanding of the background and history of the Tech program – which unfortunately is how many of the “late commer todays fans” react. They haven’t been through the “old” years of the Bobby Dodd days – the days when Tech was a part of the SEC – the days when multiple All Americans played on every Tech team (both sides of the ball) – the days when National Championships were won. Their answers are “smart” and “cute” intended to hurt rather than communicate in a meaningful way.

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Has Paul Johnson ever taken personal responsibility for anything that happens on the field?

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I have been a Jacket since the day I was born, from my grandfather, to father and now myself. So, I’m certainly not a dawg in disguise. AND, I bought in to the flex option, even the AG hire to run the 3/4. But let’s be honest at this point. We are getting blown up talent wise. And CPJ was honestly out coached Monday night. I kept thinking he’d make adjustments to offset the VPI attack but there was none. And there was none because we are sorely lacking the firepower to do so. It pains me to say it but CPJ may not be the answer and its not because of his offense but rather the recruiting or lack there of to run the offense. After Monday it felt like we are yet again back to Bill Lewis, Gailey type mediocrity. No Tech die hard wants that! It’s not that we CAN’T recruit but rather that we DON’T try. O’Leary brought in great recruits. Hell even after stumbling out of the gate Curry had the black watch with Swilling, players HE recruited. I don’t know what to think at the moment except that without better athletes we’re destined to relive years past. Sure we may get a surprise now and then with a little luck but are we building a powerhouse? Painfully No! In fact it seems to be going the opposite direction. I know many of you don’t agree with WnE and I do tire of the negativity at times myself. But unfortunately he does make some points that are hard to argue with. I read this every day but this is my first post. There just simply has to be a better way than what we are doing at the moment. VT did not look good. We were just simply shut down. What happens in death valley against Clemson??? I’m simply saying or suggesting that it might be time to reconsider the choices we’ve made.

A sorely disappointed Jacket

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Imagine what Clemson is going to do to this team. They’ll score half a hundred on that secondary.

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its the players..you simply dont have the players any longer to be very good…this type of offense will not bring in the better recruits that you would need to win 10 games like you guys hads when gailys players were here. this offense only attracts the 3-4 star guys that div 1aa schools are wanting. this offense worked fine with dyer and nesbitt and bey bey, even though you still lost to the better teams in the college football at least you were winning 10 games and competeing for the acc..now your team is trying to win more than 7

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I bet Chan Gailey is laughing his azz off.

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One data point and an emotional opinion does not make a straight line. Come on guys! VT is a good team and we were one play away from beating them. Neither team played great and yes the whole team has room to improve including the coaches—-the fundamentals of open field blocking were poor by many and that is a coaching issue. CPJ was as one above put it, very vanilla and it didn’t seem like he adjusted to how Bud Foster was defending the TO—he simply gave up on it in the 2nd half, but we had a chance to win and just didn’t come through. Now if we lose to UVA, Miami and UNC this year and have another 6-6 or 7-5 record, then you have some justification for serious concern, but let’s see where we are at the end of September before we make a legitimate statement on the status of our football program.

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BigTime ….

I saw the highlights on espn.com …… Hill (#31) was so wide open he wasn’t even in the picture.
There was NO pressure when TW first rolled left, leaving D.Hill uncovered in the right 3rd of the endzone. 4 VT defenders around TW, 7 in the vicinity of the INT.

What a horrible decision to even throw the ball by TW. He was almost on his rear-end (around the 18 yd line – i.e. 35 yd FG), falling backwards, when he decided to “throw it out of the back of the endzone” as he stated.

Another sickening play to watch was GT’s DB on the 4th & 4 play. 9 yards deep at the snap – 5 yds beyond the 1st down marker!!

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Thanks for your opinion, MC. Very insightful. You should be working for one of the Vegas sportsbooks.

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Whoever compared the loss Monday night to a Bill Lewis era game is just stupid. Bill Lewis’ teams after that collapse against FSU embarrassed themselves week after week. I didn’t see anything Monday night to be embarrassed about. We had the game won against a top 15 team and blew it in the end. Do you seriously think Tech is the only school in the country ever to have done that? If so, then you really are ignorant. And to those claiming that VT has figured out the TO…..well, duhh, if you watched the game, the majority of Tech’s offensive plays were not even run out of the TO lineup. The option was, in fact, not used that much at all during the game. Dive plays CAN be run out of the TO, but not all of them Monday night were. Regardless of what formation they were run out of, Johnson (or TW) ran them too many times. Most of the pitches made Monday were also not out of the TO lineup, nor were any of the passes. Frankly, I would have like to have seen more TO plays, because they generally do work and produce yardage. What the whole game boiled down to, however, was those final 44 seconds, when the prevent defense gave up the initial yards, and too many men on the line, plus a BADLY missed tackle, put them in FG position. I am disappointed and pissed about the outcome, but I am certainly not embarrassed, nor should any member of the team, coaching staff, or Tech fan be.

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@ GT Fan, I too see a certain level of “predictablility” lately in CPJ. What happened to the daring, unpredictable CPJ of years past? This fake punt approach to 4th down plays never works anymore, so why not go ahead and really fake it, or just punt the damn ball.

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Yeller Bug -

While I agree with some of your points – please let me say this. As you pointed out “the whole team has to improve including the coaches – the fundamentals of open field blocking were poor….”. This is CPJ’s 5th season at Tech – along with most of his coaching staff. Over the past 2 years, blocking / tackling / fumbling the ball / running routes / defense in general / special teams and coaching have increasingly come into focus or question because of the obvious lack of discipline, technique or knowledge in each of the areas named. (The first two years can be dismissed because even though we lacked the expertise – other programs were trying to figure out what we were doing and we got by using the element of surprise – note the conversations about our offensive run production now versus then.) My point is this – for the past two years we’ve been building this concern about how the coaches coach and the team plays – and nothing changes or gets any better. We come close to beating Georgia or come close to beating Clemson or come close to beating VT. It’s time to stop coming close. It’s time to stop burying our heads in the sand and acknowledge that we’re in another season of getting close – which isn’t good enough any more. We don’t need to wait until this year is over – or the next or the next – to demand better from our players and coaches. The time is now – with CPJ’s scheme – with CPJ’s players. It’s time for winning and accountability. These comments aren’t based on just one game – they are based on four years of CPJ’s building the program to meet his needs and requirements – and the failures that continue to come despite the catchy quotes and musings of the coach and positive buildup of the program after each fall practice. In MHO, we have plenty of justification for concern NOW – and that’s strictly based on the fact of HOW WE PLAYED and HOW THE TEAM WAS COACHED this past Monday night. It’s not sufficient to say let’s see how well we do for the remainder of the year – we all saw how we did Monday night – and the fact is – WE SUCKED!!

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e:
Supersize that order, mutt
September 6th, 2012
1:05 pm
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I’ll bet you never thought it would come to this did you?

You were sitting at home Monday Night with :44 seconds to go and thought of the ways you were going to come on these AJC Blogs and tear into WnE.

And then it happened.

The CFB Gods awoke from their slumber, took a look at the Recruiting Rankings and then made the necessary adjustments to make sure that CPJ and his gimmicky offense got the result they deserved.

No matter what you guys (SuperSz, FLJacket, 5150, GTBob, Paul in NH, et al) write, it is very easy to see that many of MY OPINIONS were “sitting just below the surface” for many GT Fans and have been waiting to rise to the surface.

When you go 2-6 in your last 8 games and one of those wins is vs. Dook, then the “WnE inside of everyone” comes out and folks start to analyze at a high level and put CPJ & his gimmicky offense under a microscope.

It is pretty easy to attack one guy (WnE), it is much harder for you to try your crap with a few dozen others that think like me, but don’t post for fear of being vilified by the likes of you and your scumb@g pal 5150.

How does it feel being that close to “silencing WnE” only to have it snatched away in such heartbreaking manner by VT?

I hate it when GT loses, but knowing what sort of angst that you must be dealing with makes me handle the loss a little better.

CPJ will not win more games in Sept. to November until he starts winning more Recruiting Battles in Feb.

Academics is not the crutch that many GT fans make it out to be, in recent years, Heisman Trophy winning QBs like RG-III, Cam Newton (despite laptop issues), Tim Tebow were all Academic Qualifiers for GT, academics isn’t keeping GT from have a pro-style passing team with pro-style Recruits.

Whether or not you like it, SuperSz, CPJ is the only one to blame.

CPJ told you this was his deepest & best OL , WnE said they couldn’t pass block in obvious passing situations.

Guess who was correct.

CPJ told you this was his deepest & most talented 2ndary, WnE told you this 2ndary was shaky & that I-Johnson was over-rated.

Guess who was correct and guess who missed the critical tackle on the 4th & 4 that led to an additional 15-18 yds and game-tying FG position, that would be I-Johnson, the same guy that Ol’ WnE said was over-rated.

Am I 100% correct, no, but I am 98-99% correct.

The truth is, I just don’t miss on much as it relates to GT FB & CPJ.

I know GT FB, I know CFB and I know what the 3ff I’m talking about

You can take that and “stick it” SuperSize!

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For the record…I don’t think anyone believes that you’d be silenced…even had we won. If anything, you are consistent!

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Sorry MacroTech, but 3-14 vs. the meat of our schedule is horrible and at least 3 of the local Sports Talk Radio shows talked about that stat on Tuesday & Wednesday.

The same 3-13 stats i was talking about since last yr.s bowl loss.

A 4-1 record vs. a mercurial Clemson team won’t offset that 3-14 record anytime soon.

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Actually, Tech’s biggest rivals are Georgia, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Florida State. Miami is more like a UNC or Virginia in the grand scheme of things. I’m not taking-up for PJ’s rotten record against VT, UGA, and the bowl opponents, but Miami really isn’t a huge rival for GT. I believe the Jackets are .500 against the Canes since they (UM) joined the ACC and if you asked Miami they would probably say their largest rivals in the ACC are Florida State and Clemson.

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While some may find my comments presumptuous the facts are the facts. I would venture to say I’m just as hardcore as any Tech fan out there. From my first game of over 30 years ago. My statements are meant to suggest, how long will we allow a “trend” to persist before it becomes permanent? We’ve lost six of the last eight, not one bowl win and no significant consistency over above average teams. Does my pointing this out somehow make me a pessimist? I’ve already stated that I have no problem with the offensive or defensive style of play. Those who randomly comment that it’s dated or ineffective are foolish. Of course they can be utilized at the highest level of play. Hell, how often does Alabama put it in the air. They’re most definitely a run first offense with a demoralizing defense. We do not have to sling the ball down field 40+ times a game to win. BUT, and this is the glaring issue, matchups! Talent for talent we are falling short of other teams with greater depth. Now let me say, as much as anybody, I HOPE that I am wrong. But I have a bad feeling about what’s going on on North Ave. Nobody can rightfully argue that they’re glaring indicators going off and I’m just not 100% positive that CPJ is or knows how to address them. And that, namely, is in the quality of player being recruited. The state of Georgia is a hot bed of football talent. So much so that neither of the flagships schools should suffer and yet Tech is coming up well short of expectations. I could use examples but I’m not one to throw any of our kids under the bus. I think they are exceptional kids, good kids. I simply feel that after sitting through yet another year of recruiting under this administration that one has to ask how we’re not only not getting commitments from better athletes but many times not even approaching them with the opportunities. Reluctance to try will leave us many years in the negative if this key area is not addressed quickly. IMHO. But then it is just that, my opinion. As I stated I hope I’m wrong but to blindly follow without question, well that’s pretty damn stupid too.

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@ macro…..first, I don’t have any idea what WnE posted, because I never read a word he posts anymore. He’s a worthless troll as far as I am concerned, and his OPINIONS carry no weight with me whatsoever. Secondly, unfortunately, I did not go to Blacksburg; I watched the game at home, like most of the rest of us.

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I still think it’s silly to make the claim we are getting vastly out-recruited when we take the very school that supposedly “out-recruits us” to Overtime at their place…and after we didn’t play all that well.

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CPJ is an outstanding coach with much success. GT needs to give him another 5 or 6 years to get his system in place and to recruit players that can execute it. Tech fans and the AD need to be very, very, very patient.

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“Only when you look at the final score and exclaim “Oh my – we almost won – had we only held them of another 44 seconds” or “we didn’t get blown out so I guess we must be pretty good” are you “chicken little delusional or trolling.”

That doesn’t even make sense. “We didn’t get blown out so I guess we must be pretty good” describes a Pollyanna outlook. Chicken Little proclaimed, “The sky is falling!”

I smell dog sh!t. I must have stepped in it. Sorry.

UOAD!!!!

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Look at all the negative Nellies! Oh the sky is falling!

Georgia Tech almost won that game. They played far better than the naysayers, including “Mr. Accurate” the Didactic Closet Masterbater, predicted.

Georgia Tech is going to win at least 8 games this year and can still win the Coastal Division by winning out in Conference. Va Tech’s last five games are Clemson, Miami, FSU, BC & UVA.

Is it probable? Maybe not but certainly possible.

My concern remains the O-line. They must play much better.

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re:
Highly Respected Southern Troll
September 6th, 2012
2:18 pm

Actually, Tech’s biggest rivals are Georgia, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Florida State. Miami is more like a UNC or Virginia in the grand scheme of things. I’m not taking-up for PJ’s rotten record against VT, UGA, and the bowl opponents, but Miami really isn’t a huge rival for GT. I believe the Jackets are .500 against the Canes since they (UM) joined the ACC and if you asked Miami they would probably say their largest rivals in the ACC are Florida State and Clemson.
____________

You are mostly correct.

FSU is no longer an every year game but is played on the ACC’s rotating schedule just like BC, Md. , Wake , and NC State, so outside of GT fans FSU is not really used as a measuring stick for our FB program.

The truth is, is that most CFB insiders away from the CPJ apologists measure GT FB by how we do vs. UGA, VT , Miami and our Bowl Game, hence the big-4.

The reason is those 4 teams are perceived to have the most NFL talent or future NFL talent and that’s just the way most analysts measure how good your CFB team is.

To borrow a quote from CPJ, “it is what it is”.

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re:
crackbaby

September 6th, 2012
3:03 pm

Look at all the negative Nellies! Oh the sky is falling!

Georgia Tech almost won that game. They played far better than the naysayers, including “Mr. Accurate” the Didactic Closet Masterbater, predicted.

Georgia Tech is going to win at least 8 games this year and can still win the Coastal Division by winning out in Conference. Va Tech’s last five games are Clemson, Miami, FSU, BC & UVA.

Is it probable? Maybe not but certainly possible.

My concern remains the O-line. They must play much better.
______________

Winning only 8 games vs. this crappy schedule is a good reason for a HC to canned in his 5th season.

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I was at the game, so I know what that frustration feels like. We had the game won. Despite playing poorly on offense. Despite some mistakes in the secondary. However, I am also not ready to give up on this team because of one loss. I saw some very positive things out of the secondary. I saw CPJ using formations that he’s NEVER used at GT before. I think we have the opportunity to bounce back. In successive weeks we have home games against teams that beat us last year (UVA and Miami). If we can come out of September 4-1, I will feel a lot better about this season. Seriously, what kind of fans quit on their team after one game… I think its only the kind of fans who aren’t really fans at all.

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Old Timer, I think we are more on the same page than I initially thought. Hell, I was really hoping that either Vad or Synjyn would have stepped it up a few notches in the off-season and taken over from TW. But apparently neither did. I admire TW for his courage, intelligence, class, etc, etc, and he does know how to run the offense, even though not always up to the level we need. But he needs to be replaced if he has reached his peak. The other two need to be given the chance to prove themselves in real game situations, but I don’t think Monday night was the time to have done that.

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The head coach must address three areas(offense,defense,& special teams).CPJ does not have a clue about the latter two.Therefore our team can’t hit on all cylinders.BOBBY ROSS was the last coach to seriously address all three areas.

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DOC 51…..CPJ hired a ST coach in the off-season, and I saw SOME results of that Monday night. Hopefully we will see more. He hired Groh because he thought his prior experience would pay off for Tech. Has it? Not too much so far, but some, and I DID see some overall improvement Monday night over last year. If, however, there is not significant additional improvement the rest of this season, then it’s time to find a new DC.

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For those proclaiming the potential success of this season…If 8 games and a coastal title (not probable) are your idea of success then I can understand why our program is sputtering. We obviously have two completely different definitions of the word. In fact, we could have continued to wallow in that obscurity with Gailey. We’ve had few coaches reach the success of Dodd, Alexander, Heismen, Ross, etc… but Jesus! Does that just mean suck it up and live with it? And then those who’ve said be patient? Ok, it’s been five years… I’m waiting. Exactly how patient should I be? Should I wait until the lure to come coach for a proud school with a rich heritage has faded to the point that no one would be interested in the job?! While the college football landscape is currently turning on a dime to rejuvenate programs it’s like we are trying to execute a three point turn on a very narrow road! Forgive me for not believing that Georgia Tech has to be relegated to some second tier, irrelevant program. Greatness follows great leadership with vision and desire. The last couple of years all I’ve heard is excuses. The owner of the company I work for NEVER wants a dialog about the condition of an issue. They simply want to know what I intend to do to correct it. What I want to hear is simply this, there is a problem and we will FIX this! If you’re not confident enough to say that then maybe you’re not the right man for the job. Plain and simple.

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@ Frustrated……remember that Ross’s first two years at Tech were TERRIBLE (2-9, 3-8. zero ACC wins). His 3rd year was 7-4 (4-3 ACC). NOBODY predicted or even expected what happened in 1990, and after 1989, plenty of Tech fans were screaming for his head. And then, WHAM, out of the blue, EVERYTHING fell into place. Will it happen again under CPJ? Nobody knows. CAN it happen again? Hell, yes, it CAN!!!

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DOC 51…..Pepper’s fall came from his lack of a good defense. And amazingly, he actually had some very good defensive players; they just never worked as a team. I agree about O’Leary neglecting the D once he became head coach. You would think in addition to hiring Fridge as OC, he would have hired a good DC too, but he didn’t.

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@ joke…..actually your 3:51 post is probably correct. I’m glad to see you realize that UGA isn’t going to get it done this year either.

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his disdain on #4 is how you know he is not on board with Tech core values, FL…

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re:
FL Jacket
September 6th, 2012
3:55 pm

The disciples of the WnE Manifesto are growing it seems. You know, the ones who expect the following out of CPJ and Georgia Tech…

1. 12-0 versus the best teams in those opponent schools’ recent histories, otherwise those Wins don’t really count
2. Have every player eligible drafted into the NFL
3. Perennial top-10 in Recruiting rankings
4. Graduate 100% of players in Engineering programs or else no sympathy on the recruiting obstacles Tech faces
____________

I have never written anything about our players majoring in Engr. and have written on many occasions that we should be able to Recruit better and find our “fair share” of elite recruits that can major in BUSINESS ADMIN.

As far as wins not counting, I have only said that wins vs. crappy D1-AA schools don’t count IMO, I think we should be like ND & USCw and have an “unwritten rule” to NEVER play D1-AAs.

As far as Recruiting Rankings, I have never said anything about Top-10 rankings, what I have said is that being located in Ga. and especially ATLANTA GT should be able to get Top-15 to Top-20 classes each year or 2 of every 3 years.

The fact is, back when Curry coached GT the AJC top-50 for Ga. only had 8-12 academic qualifiers for GT in most years, UGA had a HUGE advantage over GT back then, since CPJ has been at GT, 30-35 of the AJC Top-50 HS FB players are academic qualifiers for GT, therefore CPJ should have us at a top-20 Recruiting level.

I have never said anything about 100% graduation rates although I do want all GT players to graduate regardless of talent level or on-field performance, honestly I’d settle for a 65% graduation rate IF it meant getting better players in the Program.

If you’re gonna quote the “WnE Manifesto”,at least get your facts straight!

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@ chas_jacket…..those are my feelings too

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Oh Wne…haha where do I begin…

“I have never written anything about our players majoring in Engr. and have written on many occasions that we should be able to Recruit better and find our “fair share” of elite recruits that can major in BUSINESS ADMIN.”

FACT CHECK: This is from a guy who won’t even acknowledge that our Bus Admin degree is a Bachelor of Science (not Arts) which requires a semester of Finite Math, and therefore much more difficult than the run-of-the-mill Business degree.

“As far as wins not counting, I have only said that wins vs. crappy D1-AA schools don’t count IMO, I think we should be like ND & USCw and have an “unwritten rule” to NEVER play D1-AAs.”

FACT CHECK: You refuse to put any credibility into the 5-1 combined record Tech has against FSU and UNC, for example, because these teams were supposedly in “down” years. You also refuse to acknowledge how NFL-talent laden these schools were during those stretches.

“As far as Recruiting Rankings, I have never said anything about Top-10 rankings, what I have said is that being located in Ga. and especially ATLANTA GT should be able to get Top-15 to Top-20 classes each year or 2 of every 3 years.”

FACT CHECK: You can’t get into the top-20 in Recruiting rankings unless you are bringing in 20-25+ recruits a year because it is quantity-based (unless the 15-20 you do bring in are 4-5 stars on average). Tech obviously doesn’t turn kids over like the football factories do, and instead of being rewarded for the little turnover it does accomplish, it ends up getting penalized for not recruiting the Jaquay Williams, Da’Rick Rogers, and Isaiah Crowell’s of the world who end up contributing nothing to the schools the DO go to (and recruiting rankings are never retroactively adjusted).

You can’t hide behind “I never said it” when all you do non-stop is infer it.

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If the issue is expectations, then perhaps that’s where the conversation needs to be.

Speaking strictly of on-field performance, I expect us to competitive every single season. I expect that once every four or five seasons for us to have a year where things come together and we win 10-12 games. Lastly, we need to be in a spot where we are beating UGA 2 out of every five times.

Johnson has delivered on every item except beating UGA more. This season should provide us some insight into whether the gap is small or wide. At this point, I really couldn’t tell you.

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WnE — going to the game this weekend?
Remember my offer stands.
I’ll make a changed “fan” outta you by seasons end.
Thus far, my approach has been a complete failure!!
You were no where to be found Monday night til the game was over — imagine that.
I haven’t given up wrexie!!

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If you have issues with the way the football program is run, do what Notre Dame alumni and boosters do every 5 years; gather up enough money to buy-off the incumbent coaches’ contract and then get a new HC. I doubt our alumni are THAT fanatical about their football program. I’ve found most Tech fans have a LIFE and do not live vicariously through their football teams. I’ve found most are grounded family men/women who enjoy watching the football games. But I doubt you’ll be seeing droves of GT alumni and boosters publicly calling for CPJ’s head like you usually do at powerhouse schools. If CPJ wins 8 games, that’s a successful team in my book. That’s the reality of GT football. Its been the reality of GT football for the last 50 years. If you want that to change that reality, you seriously will need to pony up some serious mula (a.l.a. Boone Pickens at OSU) to get some real changes to happen at the school. Just to let you all know, since 1960, Tech has had 8 seasons where their winning pct was higher than 70%. That averages to about one magical season per every 6 years. Our last year with a winning pct higher than 70%? 2009 under CPJ. Just saying. Before that? 1998 and 2000 under O’Leary and 1990 under Bobby Ross. Not a bad company to be a part of.

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CPJ is not the only one that saw things he did NOT like. Even though GT played fairly well for 59:16, the last 44 seconds and overtime was TERRIBLE!!! It seems to be that way in all the big games … is it we can’t compete with the big boys or is it the system that they have to operate in? I think it is the latter. Thoughts?

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@ Old Timer…….I can agree with all that. I don’t know if the failures in the first half were due to Tevin or just play selection and poor blocking, but based on what CPJ had said, what you say definitely makes sense.

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Our players play hard! but We recruit every year in the 40’s, What do you expect. I expect disappointment and I am rewarded with disappointment. Until we find a way to recruit at least in the 20’s year after year, we will not get the job done, How many players on our team would start at UGA? One or two.

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Speaking of Bobby Ross, he was sitting 5 rows in front of us, seemed to be enjoying himself. As to “academic qualifiers” one person keeps mentioning, about the fact some kids just want an easy major, coaching 101, “arts and letters” and my favorite for all the Nebreska studs- General Studies. Our student athletes are students first and foremost, and yes some fail, but so does the average student. It’s not about qualifying them it’s about getting them to understand that not everyone makes the NFL, and a Tech degree will take them far in life. Been Tech fan all my life, my father, brother and I are all graduates of Tech. We have a scholarship named for my father and I personally feel that Coach Johnson is the right man for the Tech program, we can switch again, but where does that put us, no better than the football factories, in my opinion we are better than that. 8-9 wins a year are fine, beat UGA 2-3 times every 5-6 years, that’s all I ask. Either support Tech or not I don’t care, what you do, I will always support the Jackets, warts and all!!! Go Jackets!!!! THWG!!!!!

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Lesson to be learned; with less than 10 seconds to go in the game, tackle the wide receiver at his legs. That’s what he runs with.

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You people just don’t get it! We can never win until we change the academic standards and provide courses like UGA’s Lawn Care Maintenance and Physical Education degrees. We just can’t get the big, dumb, great players at Tech. Until we institute new majors, we are doomed to have 7/5- 8/4 seasons with loses to UGA and bowl games. The only good thing about Paul Johnson is that he wants to stay at Tech. All others wanted to use Tech as a stepping stone, even our beloved Bill Curry, who said he was leaving because he could never win big at Tech!

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Look I get it. CPJ deserves to be under fire IF he loses 5 or more games. No question he will be on the hot seat for 2013 if he goes 8-5 or worse. He could get fired this season if he went 6-6 or worse. BUT NONE OF THAT HAS HAPPENED YET!!!! There are still at least 11 more games to go in this season. Anyone pronouncing GT dead and saying CPJ should be fired is a troll, plain and simple. If you think GT football is already done, you have no true loyalty for Georgia Tech.

I welcome anyone who has this view after one game of the season to explain to me how they can still be considered a fan of GT

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GTFan2012:

Not only will CPJ not be fired but we cannot AFFORD to fire him even if we wanted to, his buyout would be too much for an Athl. Dept that just finished paying off Chan and is still paying off CPH.

I know CPJ is not on any hot seat due to financial obligations, but the longer he stays and the longer he Recruits “his type” of player, the deeper “the hole” will get for GT.

Then, the next HC will have an almost impossible task to dig out from in order to bring GT to being even with UGA and some of the other Programs around the South.

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@Old Timer et al: I cannot agree with your comment that WE SUCKED. We played with a lot of heart and we played well against a tough team on most of the plays. Yes, we did not execute at times—often critical times, but even that’s a misleading statement—because plays where we executed often go unnoticed—nobody seems to recall the three plays before the 23 yd pass play with 13 seconds left where we stuffed VT leaving them 4th and 4. We did not block well and that was unusual for us—because normally our WRs and A-backs block well as we typically have a bumpercrop of +20 yd running plays in a season. Heck we scored on the first play of the game for the first 3 games last year. I did think CPJ was very vanilla in play calling—he played it tight which is not typical of him. I think coaches can have an off game and he had one. If we’re not 4-1 at the end of September then I will start becoming concerned. Until then, let’s not drawn a conclusion on a season after one game.

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@gtfan2012…..the angst directed at cpj is his record against quality opponents and bowl games. Why come out and say our offensive line is experienced and deep? Same with a back? Our defense against vpi was mediocre at best! Mark my words Clemson and unc will hang 45 on this defense with ease! Watch as the stands get emptier and emptier! Give cpj a 10 yr 50 million contract…it’s what gt deserves foe it’s stupidity! I’ll play golf instead of watching high school football like gt plays right now!

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Even Stevie Wonder can see the problem. CPJ inherited good talent from Chan Gailey and won with it. Compare that talent to CPJ’s by just watching the games. Are the backs just as quick…as fast as Gailey’s. No. One step slower or one fraction of a second off the ball for a B back makes a huge difference. The A backs don’t get to the edges fast enough. Does the present QB have that it factor that Gailey recruited Josh Nesbitt did. NO! It’s talent folks. Plus the fact that PJ is too damn hardheaded to change and adapt to his current circumstance. Obviously he’s smart enough to realize his talents not as good. Obviously he’s too hardheaded to change. He knows he’s going to get in situations where he has to pass but he persist with his chuck and duck, receiver go to point A and stop and wait for the ball passing attack. He knows this yet we don’t see any shotgun formation multiple pass route formations. The problem at Tech right now is the HC, his recruiting, and his inability or unwillingness to change. It’s only going to get worse folks. And forget beating UGA. The talent gap there is getting so wide they can beat GT just getting off the bus. Last years cakewalk was the precursor to worse in that regard as well.

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Uh, GTfan2012 …..where are the holes? Stick to CADS drawings. Football is obviously not your forte. Pray tell what hiring a Special Teams Coach has to do with recruiting the level of talent that PJ needs to run his offense. Not a thing obviously. Ditto the uniforms. I’m sure recruits will just swarm to the flats to wear that uniform. COME ON MAN! You can do better than that. LMAO!

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Rushing that is.

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This for you Groh bashers: Al Groh (born July 13, 1944) is the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team.[1] He is also a former head coach of the University of Virginia football team, a former head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL. He is a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2002 and 2007. Groh has over 38 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience; this history includes 13 seasons in the NFL, a Super Bowl title with the New York Giants, and over a decade of working under coach Bill Parcells.

Al Groh has forgotten more football than PJ ever dreamed of knowing. Could it be that PJ should place a little more emphasis on recruiting the defensive side of the ball? But wait…could his ego stand a defense that wins games his offense can’t. To much credit might go to Groh.

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Paul Johnson please! go back to coaching pee wee leaque. You are 1-19 aganst Georgia and Bowl games. Gosh! you are just not any good. Also, the off. you said that could not be stopped look at the ststs I just put up. So after this year hello, middle school in Mississippi. BYE!

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