Updated: Al Groh fired at Tech
Al Groh will receive an unwanted respite from his 100-hour work weeks and his intricate game plans. After a 32-game term, the Georgia Tech defensive coordinator was relieved of his duties Monday.
In coach Paul Johnson’s analysis, Groh did not fall short in his effort or smarts.
“What’s inside his head, he’s very knowledgeable,” Johnson said. “There’s no questioning that. The problem was becoming, what’s in there, we weren’t seeing on the field.”
Groh’s tenure concluded in a blizzard of points, yards and missed tackles. In Tech’s past three games, losses to Miami, Middle Tennessee State and Clemson, the Yellow Jackets gave up an average of 46 points and 573.3 yards. Opponents converted 31 of 46 third downs into first downs. Improbably, Tech fared slightly worse when opponents faced 3rd-and-7 or longer than 3rd-and-6 or less.
Tech gave up more than 40 points in the three consecutive games, the first time that has happened in school history.
“I think it’s a call to everybody, the coaches, the players, myself, everybody, that we need to do better, that we’re not giving up on the season and the way we’ve played is not acceptable,” Johnson said.
Hired following the 2009 season as a replacement for Dave Wommack because of his ability to teach his scheme and adjust, Groh came to Tech after nine seasons as head coach at Virginia and boasting an NFL pedigree. A longtime friend and colleague of NFL coaching legends Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells, Groh brought a 3-4 scheme and a confident, professorial manner.
“We’re impatient to make it look good,” he said shortly after his hire. “How fast we can do it, we’ll have to see.”
Instead, the Jackets were bogged by problems with communication and alignment and had trouble tackling. Poor finishes also began to plague the team. After Tech’s 6-0 start last season, the Jackets were outscored 48-14 in the fourth quarter of the final seven games of the season and finished 8-5. Particularly devastating was a 30-27 overtime loss to Utah in the Sun Bowl, a game that Tech led 27-13 with less than seven minutes to go.
This season, Tech has been outscored 71-48 in the fourth quarter, its worst quarter on offense and defense and the only period (besides overtime) in which it has been outscored. In losses to Virginia Tech, Miami and Clemson, Tech has held fourth-quarter leads in each only to lose.
Wommack was fired after the defense ranked 54th in yards allowed and 56th in scoring in FBS. Under Groh, Tech finished roughly the same in his first two seasons before plunging to 90th in yards and 89th in scoring this season.
“It was inevitable, at least to me, that it wasn’t getting better,” Johnson said.
Groh will be replaced on an interim basis by secondary coach Charles Kelly, who has been on staff since 2006. Kelly has previously served as a defensive coordinator at Nicholls State and Jacksonville State, two FCS teams. Andy McCollum will move from coaching the defensive line to inside linebackers and Joe Speed will shift from inside linebackers to outside linebackers. Special-teams coordinator David Walkosky will coach the defensive line. Walkosky and McCollum also have experience as defensive coordinators. Johnson said he will provide assistance, as well.
Johnson said he wants to simplify the defense, have players spend more time with their position coaches and conduct more live-hitting drills in practice.
“To me, defense is energy and playing fast and enthusiasm and all those things,” Johnson said. “I think it’s hard to get that if you don’t go live some.”
Johnson made the decision Monday morning. He met with Groh later, and told the team at a meeting in the afternoon. In a statement, Groh said he respected the decision and thanked the defensive assistants and the team. Groh’s contract, a two-year deal with a school option for a third, called for him to make “a minimum of $344,000” this season in his option year.
“I aimed to give the best that I had every day,” he said in the statement. “It’s been an honor to be a part of the legacy of Georgia Tech. I feel positive that this is a good time in life to move on to a new situation.”
Former linebacker and team captain Steven Sylvester said Monday that he enjoyed playing for Groh, citing his knowledge base and his ability to explain difficult concepts easily. Despite the age difference, players related well with the 68-year-old Groh, often stopping in to his office to find him listening to anything from Jay-Z to Maroon 5 to Bruce Springsteen.
“He was a friend and he was a coach,” Sylvester said. “I know a lot of the guys down there are really going to miss him.”
With Tech in its bye week, the team had Monday off and will resume practicing Tuesday. The Jackets’ next game will be Oct. 20 at home against Boston College.
“I didn’t want to give up the rest of the season,” Johnson said. “I still think we can come back and have a good season. That’s why I did it now.”
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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863 comments Add your comment
:-) Tech Fan
October 8th, 2012
9:05 pm
GT1990…I have to think so. Today’s decision was one that I did not think would happen till the end of the season. I believe CPJ saw things the you and I do not see. Communication, team play (by defense), practice skills. I knew CPJ when he was at Georgia Southern and he left that program in god shape. As a loyal Tech fan I will support who is there and hope that DRAD know what is best for the program because I think he is one of the best at his job and the best AD we have had since Homer Rice.
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2012
9:05 pm
“@TECHFAN-Do you honestly think the state of the program is headed in the right direction?”
As of today, the indicator is slightly upward for Tech. I’m not sure about Georgia.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:06 pm
@ GT1990……O’Leary’s teams only filled the stands against the big rivals; season ticket sales have been going down for almost 20 years. In fact, they dropped off significantly after DRad put in the mandatory contribution deal. Every other school in the country has a requirement like that, but for some reason, Tech season ticket holders balked at it and stopped subscribing. That should tell you a lot about the Tech fan-base, and it’s pathetic.
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:06 pm
@SS-LOL really the first question is a joke! Im not sure im with you on the 2 one? Can you be a little more direct?
dagnabit
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
Firing Al Groh was great! Now I can sleep tonight!
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
@SS-They would not have added almost 10,000 more seats if that was the case!
Rich Elliott
October 8th, 2012
9:08 pm
Firing Al Groh is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Their problem is far larger than that. I’ll be that if you go to any dollar bill changer in the Athletic Department and put in a dollar, you’ll only get 3 quarters. Same on the football field.
Big Crimson 75
October 8th, 2012
9:09 pm
Tech fans, here’s the best options to replace Groh:
1. Jeremy Pruitt
2. Lance Thompson
3. Bo Davis
4. Brick Haley
5. Torrian Gray
6. John Neal
7. Mike Tressel
8. Luke Fickell
9. Bob Gregory
10. Mike Vrabel
Eric Sloan
October 8th, 2012
9:09 pm
I agree with Zach. Coach Johnson should have kept Tenutu. I wodwr if there is any possibility of him returning. Techs teams uder him were very competitive on defense. I will not ever see what Johnson saw in Groh. His defenses were the main reason Virginia fired him. His teams at Virginia were beaten into submission constantly. And then Johnson goes and hires him and you see what happened to the defense. Great move Coach Johnson, if you were coaching the other main program in the state.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:09 pm
@ 1990…..Why was the first question a joke? You said you could hold your own against any other Tech fan. If you were a Tech fan in 2001, and attended the games, you would know without hesitating what game I am talking about and what player O’Leary publicly humiliated for making a mistake in a game. Hint: it was on TV
ole yeller
October 8th, 2012
9:09 pm
Some of you guys need to forget about bringing back O’Leary and Fridgen it’s not going to happen. All of you people who are trashing an offense nationally rated for 3 years running in the top 20, I am finding hard to understand. I would take this offense with a Carolina defense and win a N. C. We need to recruit for defense, and get someone who puts some emotion in the game. Paul Johnson’s Achilles heel has always been a lack of defense. That I will criticize him for. His offense is not the problem.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:11 pm
@ Eric Sloan, apparently you only remember Tenuta’s good games. How about all the UGA games and the UVA games AT UVA? For every good defensive game under Tenuta, there was at least one TERRIBLE one.
WVU Just Scored Again
October 8th, 2012
9:12 pm
ACC still the worst conference……
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2012
9:13 pm
Super – Any data on the percentage of the alumni base that is in Georgia? I’ll bet that it has shifted pretty dramatically over the past 30 years (just to pick a range.)
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:13 pm
@ ole yeller —— HELL YEAH to our offense with USC’s defense
Dawgs
October 8th, 2012
9:13 pm
What about Tyrone Nix or Randy Shannon… If those two are not in the mix Tech is repeating the same mistakes..
A-mazed
October 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
ole yeller-
Absolutely right! The “fire CPJ” calls are a knee jerk reaction to a team having a hard time. One of the main problems has been identified and is being corrected. Now, on to the next problem.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
@ Delbert D……no, I don’t have any such data, but I think it’s pretty obvious that most Tech grads don’t stay in the state of Georgia; there just aren’t jobs in this state for most of them. That’s not putting down the state of Georgia; it’s just a fact.
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:14 pm
@SS-We have beat FSU 2 times.Far as the second question i would have to go with joe burns running out of bounds vs maryland?? I was only 11 years old in 2001. So, something being on tv doesn’t ring bell. I sorta meant like stat wise and wins and loses.
George Stein
October 8th, 2012
9:15 pm
His defenses shut down UGA several times. 2004 they scored 19; 2005 they scored 14: 2006 they scored 15. We lost the, all because our pro-set offense couldn’t score on Paris Hilton.
Big Crimson 75
October 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
JD Ponzi
October 8th, 2012
8:58 pm
Can a person fire himself ???
—–
Yes & No!!
Mike Dubose acually attempted this at Bama a year after leading us to the Orange Bowl against Tom Brady & Michigan.
Unfortunately, we didn’t accept.
jp
October 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
Talk about misdirection, Johnson lost the game when he called for the option on his own two yard line. That safety changed the whole game and the blame lies with Johnson.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:16 pm
@ 1990…..right on both counts. We beat FSU twice under Johnson, but never under O’Leary or Gailey. That tells me that Johnson actually did better with Gailey’s players than Gailey did. Joe Burns ran out of bounds when he probably COULD have stayed in, and O’Leary embarrased him in front of the sports writers and commentators. I lost all respect for George after that incident.
George Stein
October 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
Mike Dubose! Tide fans wish they never have to hear that name again.
A-mazed
October 8th, 2012
9:17 pm
GT 1990. Oh! – So now at the wise old age of 23 you know what it takes to make a successful football program at an engineering college. By the time you are 30, I suppose they will elect you to the AA at Tech.
Flounder
October 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
“David Walkosky will coach the defensive line” … OK, but will he still coach Special Teams as well???
There were several EMBARRASSING special teams plays against Clemson, starting with the worst field goal “attempts” I’ve ever seen … then moving on to the botched kick-off reception that had us starting a drive from our 2 yard line … and then SURPRISE! SAFETY for Clemson! Inexcusable.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
LOL @ A-mazed
Dumbo
October 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
CPJ’s title is Head Coach….he is in charge of all aspects of his team…it looks like he decided to make a executive decision…good for him and his team
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:18 pm
@SS- Do i have some respect now?? I know GT football pretty damn well.
BLT
October 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
Gosh, 610 plus comments! I’m sure most are from dogs but they always say we are irrelevant. I’ll never understand the obsession. Good for you boy! Here’s a Milkbone, now calm down. Good doggy!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:19 pm
@ Flounder……I have to wonder about that assignment too. I have not been impressed with David Walkosky’s ST coaching so far. If he has improved things, then wow, we must really have been in bad shape there.
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2012
9:22 pm
FSU had some problems with Tenuta Saturday. He’s pretty much tied to N. C. State for a few years, anyway.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
@ 1990….you seem to know a few FACTS about Tech football since 1999, but FACTS alone are not enough; you need a little more understanding about what produces those FACTS. And since you are (what?) only 24 years old now, you have a long way to go. I have been attending Tech football games since 1962. I have seen the good and the bad, and believe me, it’s been a helluva lot worse at times than it is now.
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
@Mazed-Quit with smart remarks. I honestly don’t think i can do a lesser job then some people in charge at GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
@ Delbert D……I don’t know whom NC State plays next, but I’d be willing to bet that they struggle defensively against whoever it is. That’s Tenuta’s history.
Ramblin Man
October 8th, 2012
9:24 pm
My IQ dropped ten points trying to understand the logic or lack there of in some of these posts. People if a defense is giving up all that GTs defense was I don’t care what O you use it is going to struggle because there is to much pressure to score. Support the players.
ole yeller
October 8th, 2012
9:25 pm
For those with short memory’s. Tenuta, resigned from G. T. after he did not get the head coaches job after Gaily was released. He was not fired.
Big Crimson 75
October 8th, 2012
9:25 pm
George Stein
October 8th, 2012
9:15 pm
His defenses shut down UGA several times. 2004 they scored 19; 2005 they scored 14: 2006 they scored 15. We lost the, all because our pro-set offense couldn’t score on Paris Hilton.
—–
Now that’s funny!!
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:26 pm
@SS-Im 22. It’s hard to find 22 year old these days that are die hard GT fans. Be glad you have someone of my age that still cares about winning! Please don’t passify this with “things have been worse”. There is a big problem with the direction of the football program. Hopefully im wrong but im afraid not. Time will tell though!
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2012
9:26 pm
If I’m right about Johnson hiring an offensive coordinator for next year, there goes Walkowsky’s slot. It is entirely possible that I am wrong, however.
ole yeller
October 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
Ramblin Man, I’m with you.
fuzzybee78
October 8th, 2012
9:27 pm
I have supported CPJ and this O in the past and still believe we would be 4-2 or 5-1 with a decent D this year.
In 2013 and beyond do you think we will ever have the 09 talent on O? Regrettably I don’t. Vad will help but he needs help as well. I will be in my seats either way!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:28 pm
@ 1990……yes, I AM glad that someone your age is passionate about Tech football, but I DO think you are wrong about the direction we are taking.
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:29 pm
@SS-If TALKED to you in person about GT football i would blow your mind away with my thoughts and “few’ facts i know. I promise you there isn’t to much that gets by me about GT football.
Jacket Fan Since Dodd Days
October 8th, 2012
9:29 pm
I’m afraid we could see this one coming:
1. Defender(s) standing there, waiting for ball carrier to make _his_ move instead of going after the guy.
2. Corners “cushion” receivers 10++ yeards from line of scrimmage.
3. Expecting a ball carrier to go down just because our guys took a swipe at him or hit him with a shoulder pad.
4. No FIRE in Their Bellies. (Recall Curry’s Black Watch defense? Everybody swarmed to the ball!)
On the offense, this year reminds me of the RB yrs when we just begged the coaching staff to give another guy at shot at it.
GT1990
October 8th, 2012
9:31 pm
@SS-Dude, GT is 11-12 in the last 23 games! What part of that tells you were headed in the right direction? hahahaha come on man quit convincing yourself things are fine!
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:31 pm
@ 1990……well, there are several of us bloggers that have been hanging out before the games. I am sure you would be welcome to join us if you’d like to.
Supersize that order, mutt
October 8th, 2012
9:32 pm
@ GT1990…..and why are we 11-12 in the last 23 games? It’s certainly not because of Johnson’s offense; it’s because we have had ZERO defense.
Delbert D.
October 8th, 2012
9:32 pm
Yep. Led by Ted Roof and Pat Swilling.
BLT
October 8th, 2012
9:33 pm
Hate it for Groh. I think he is a good person but it is time to move on and not just defensively. Clemson was befuddled with Tech passing on the opening drive then we went back to the same old. PJ knows how to run a passing offense. He did it at Hawaii and YES, I know wrexie. Save it!