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
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
863 comments Add your comment
observer
October 9th, 2012
8:42 am
Groh did a lousy job, but Johnson hired him and kept him around for 2 1/2 seasons. That is a Johnson failure. I think he should look in the mirror to find the real problem with GT football. He should fire himself. Instead, he will hang around for a couple of more years (DRAD doesn’t have the cojones to fire him) and finally walk away. Unfortunately, it will then be very difficult to hire a quality replacement, and additional years to recruit viable talent. That means at least another 6-7 years before GT has a quality program again.
WnE
October 9th, 2012
8:46 am
re:
GT-UT
October 9th, 2012
8:29 am
Do the math. The offense scores points. So by the logic of CPJ haters, we should get rid of him for an O that scores, what?…24 points per game? Are you for real? We’ve only seen 2 QBs by the way. Both couldn’t read a D or throw well and we still scored a ton of points.
Lets see Vad or Justin with a slightly better than average D. GT is very exciting!
_________________
Please explain WHY CPJ’s Offense is so bad during the 4th qtrs. & in OT?
Please explain WHY CPJ’s offense is so bad in Bowl Games and in games where the opposition has an extra week to prepare?
Are you sure our Offense is not a problem?
CPJ is a huge hypocrite!
Last yr. our Team started out 6-0 and then went 2-4 down the stretch as the Offense struggled in the last half of the season vs. tougher competition, THIS SEASON we started out 2-4 as the Defense struggled vs. tough offenses.
Conclusion:
If CAG deserved to be fired for the 2-4 start this season then CPJ deserved to be fired for the 2-4 finish to last season!
How many points did CPJ ’s great offense score in the Bowl loss to Utah, don’t forget to subtract the pick-6 by Nealy?
I didn’t like CAG, but he should have been allowed to finish the season!
This was a cowardly, scumb@g move by CPJ & DRad!
alex
October 9th, 2012
8:51 am
Johnson may be able to trick defenses with inferior athletes on the offensive side of the ball,but defensively they cannot compete. Recruiting is the problem and that goes to the TOP-johnson.
Golden White
October 9th, 2012
8:58 am
Scape-goatery noun
The act of blaming subordinates for the
wrongdoings, mistakes, bad defense, or
faults of others, esp. for reasons of
expediency.
The Coach was charged with scape-goatery
by those who claimed that it was an
attempt to reduce the “Heat of the Seat”.
PJ
October 9th, 2012
9:02 am
I ain’t going anywhere and you can’t make me!
Under The Bleachers
October 9th, 2012
9:05 am
YO YO
October 9th, 2012
9:00 am
PJ is not doing anything to advance the program. Poor staff, poor recruiting, poor coaching, poor play and super hard headed Head Coach with the personality of a tapeworm
empy seats
October 9th, 2012
9:15 am
pj has worked for a great defensive coordinator – Erk Russel – does he not remember what a great defense does?
After graduating multitudes of athletes for our College of Management we can not find one with coaching asperations or aspirations to manage the athletic department?
We need Admin an coaches with a vest interest in Tech, no a vested interst in a solid GT gold retirement plans.
Keep setting them up D-Rad, you will have many wealthy friends in your solid GT gold retiremnt plans you love to give out. Please don’t worry about any accountability, after all this is a beauracracy!
And never apologize or take responsiblity for the NCAA violaions, costing scholarships and ACC championship caused by your Admin per the NCAA report. Blaming others is working great, stick with it D-Rad, your the best retirement planner for inadequate coaches ever!
Chiller Killer
October 9th, 2012
9:17 am
Groh….a washed up NFL’r, a washed up ACC head coach, seriously if he was any good he would be coaching in the SEC
dry dirt road
October 9th, 2012
9:24 am
fire Buzz
bryce
October 9th, 2012
9:24 am
CPJ’s offense has been pretty lackluster. We only scored 20 against Virginia Tech and 3 teams have already beat VT this season. Our win over Virginia-everybody is nailing them. We only scored 28 against Middle Tennessee. Our offense put the defense in holes at times.
CPJ should turn the play calling over to an offensive coordinator and manage.
ignition
October 9th, 2012
9:25 am
Crimson 75′ List is good
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
I like all those names but I would like to add Chris Rumph to this list..
Lance Thompson served under Tech 1990
dry dirt road
October 9th, 2012
9:26 am
hire Rock Perdoni as DC, or Pat Swilling, or Philipe Claybrooks, or Marco Coleman
dry dirt road
October 9th, 2012
9:27 am
hire Coach Glanville back
GTBEE
October 9th, 2012
9:27 am
We don’t measure up to real college football teams……we don’t measure up to Middle Tennessee State.
Tech is a wreck!
If we had a coach with a real college offense, it would still take at least three years to rebuild this team with players who can compete even in the lowly ACC. CPJ’s players can’t run a real college offense. Football has evolved and CPJ has regressed!
If you can’t throw the ball in college, you will never win big games….UGA game…Bowl Games…etc.
Tech’s 2 minute offense takes 10 minutes to run.
I am with the folks calling for D-Rads head along with his puppet CPJ. There is a Junior College somewhere looking for an Athletic Director and his waterboy!!
dry dirt road
October 9th, 2012
9:28 am
hire Kent Hill who played for Tech and LA Rams where Maxie Baughn played
GTBEE
October 9th, 2012
9:32 am
Bill Curry for AD
George Godsey for Head Coach
Full Metal Jacket
October 9th, 2012
9:34 am
While I disagree with CPJ that there is still time to have a GOOD season, I do agree that there is time to start turning things around this season for the future. I hope that includes positioning both the offense and defense for future success with playing some future starters such as Vad Lee. I am not convinced that Lee is as great as everyone thinks he is, simply because we haven’t seen any of it on the field yet. So, now, let’s see how good he and his potential future receivers/backs/line can be. Unfortunately, at this point a win over UGA and finally a win in a bowl game are the only way this season can be seen in even a barely favorable light.
Full Metal Jacket
October 9th, 2012
9:37 am
Wishing Al Groh and his family the best of luck. It is commendable that everyone (from players to coaches) respects him and his knowledge, and his farewell statement is a template for any coach who gets fired or resigns. I agree with letting him go, but also appreciate his representing the Institute well while he was here. Sometimes things just don’t work out.
Full Metal Jacket
October 9th, 2012
9:44 am
Now, at the very LEAST, the defense should have a fire lit under their stingers and we should see some very aggressive, very EFFECTIVE, hard tackling and defensive stops. The remaining schedule orginally looked pretty soft but now even Duke looks like a respectable challenge, not to mention BYU and the Puppies in Athens. Hoping we can see some changes on offense and added reps for Lee and other underclassmen. We have a young team, so with a good DC hire in the offseason and some good reps the rest of this season, we could hit the ground running next season. This season is salvageable, but only that. 6-6 or, dare to hope, 7-5, looks about the best we could do.
Leg Breakers
October 9th, 2012
9:46 am
Time for the defense to get mean. Not dirty, but mean. Young men, you have something to prove. Now prove it.
GT is a 4th rate High School Team
October 9th, 2012
9:47 am
Without Groh, GT is now -1 vs UGA. WOW, LOL
Justpassingthru
October 9th, 2012
9:52 am
Nothing is likely to change as long as Johnson remains HC. His last statement should throw fear into all Tech fan’s “I’ll be available to help”.
UGA Doggy
October 9th, 2012
9:53 am
Glad to see all my fellow Puppy Lovers posting here while we wait for our government checks (I like to call them Obama love letters myself) and our waffle house wives to come home.
chas_jacket
October 9th, 2012
9:55 am
See weenie is back after whining about how Spurrier’s shady recruiting tactics resulted in his beloved dawgs getting whipped.
CAG was let go because the defense looked lost and confused most of the season and was obviously getting demoralized. The offense hasn’t looked that great either, but expect that to change when Vad starts getting significant pt for the BC game. There is a reason weenie tried to discourage Vad from coming to Tech. He will likely make some mistakes which may even cost us a game perhaps, but he and Justin are the future which should still be bright. CPJ knows he has to throw more effectively to win consistently and believe we will start to see that in two weeks.
Wal-Mart Retards
October 9th, 2012
9:57 am
Waffle house wives? OMG – that’s great!
UGA Doggy
October 9th, 2012
9:59 am
I had a wierd dream this past weekend: I dreamed that Saint Mark went into the bowels of Hades and was soundly whipped by Satanic Spurrier and a whole bunch of chickens. Well, at least we’re still undefeated and on our way to our fifth consecutive national championship. Can’t wait till we win the Super Bowl again this year.
At least Richt doesn't have a turkey neck.
October 9th, 2012
10:03 am
They need to fire the Offensive Coordinator; oh wait that would be the Turkey Neck himself.
UGA Doggy
October 9th, 2012
10:04 am
What? we lost to Spurrier AGAIN? …the veil is rent ….the seas part …..the walls of Jericho crumble ….honey, bring me another beer.
5150 UOAD
October 9th, 2012
10:06 am
Who cares about what the dWags are doing? We have our own issues and it seems we are addressing them.
You want a good Dwag laugh here it is.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152134383570478&set=a.10150361070070478.588567.125908505477&type=1&theater
chas_jacket
October 9th, 2012
10:07 am
Agree -The waffle house wives quip was great. Need to keep that one alive to help ward off the ugag trolls. Although not sure why they would be on our blog when they are assigning athens police to toliet paper security details!
Better a Turkey Neck than a turkey brain
October 9th, 2012
10:09 am
Golden Boy Richt’s lifestyle lift is indeed holding up well (not so his hair line) and his heart is still pure, but too bad his turkey brain has once again been bested by a chicken brain. Ain’t life grand when we devolve to the point of defending/attacking football coaches based on personal appearance. I mean, after all, even if that handsome Nick Saban does get UGA fans all aroused and excited, it doesn’t mean they love Marky Mark any less.
5150 UOAD
October 9th, 2012
10:11 am
You might laugh at this one too.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152129973575478&set=a.10150361070070478.588567.125908505477&type=1&theater
Now back to TECH.
Some of the D players are not happy they lost their coach but they all seem positive they will keep working hard to get it going in the right direction.
Happy Birthday to:
Synjyn Days
Louis Young
Better a Turkey Neck than a turkey brain
October 9th, 2012
10:12 am
I do happen to agree that CPJ would be a better OC than HC. Winning games is JOB ONE, but finding a good DC is the next priority.
Delbert D.
October 9th, 2012
10:14 am
51 – Good thing that UGA guy’s number wasn’t 2 instead of 3.
Buzzsaw
October 9th, 2012
10:16 am
Not sure that we had the talent to run Groh’s system. We need to fit the system to the players we have, not vice versa. Johnson should focus on being a head coach and not just an offensive coordinator. It is also hard to compete when our recruiting efforts bring in 3 star players on average with an occasional 4 star player mixed in. I understand that the ratings are subjective but it does seem to translate on the field. I don’t want to take anything away from our players but to compete at a higher level we will need more talent, especially on defense. The offense we run should not limit our ability to recruit on the other side of the ball. I see UGA winning the recruiting battle easily. We really need to start getting our share of impact players from Georgia. Maybe the next hire should be one with the connections to recruit in state.
GrownMan Dawgs
October 9th, 2012
10:16 am
Yeah, the GrownMan Dawgs took it like groan men on Saturday night. Kinda like Ned Beatty in Deliverance….squealllllllllllllllllllllllllll.
Al Bundy
October 9th, 2012
10:20 am
This is directed to all the folks who want CPJ fired. WE CAN’T FIRE HIM NOW… Why is that so hard to understand. GT doesn’t have 10 million dollars to buy him out. Like him or not we are stuck with him for the next few years. I think the offense has made some improvements over last year. We are seeing some success in the passing game. I think we are very close to having a well oiled machine and our only issue is the level of talent. With an average defense we can compete on this level. I think we have two issues to work on, defense which CPJ is taking steps to correct and recruiting. The recruiting issue is a wait and see kind of thing. But you might as well give up on the fire CPJ stuff because he’s got us and he knows it. The only argument I can think of, is if there is a clause in his contract (like most schools) that states he can be fire if the is NCAA violations.
Full Metal Jacket
October 9th, 2012
10:20 am
Now that’s funny, GM Dawgs, I don’t care who you are. Now, it’s time for everyone on the Flats to man up….from the coaches to the players to the fans. A GOOD season is beyong our reach, but it would be great to end on a good, positive note for next season and recruiting purposes.
Ted Bundy
October 9th, 2012
10:24 am
If Turkey neck was a woman I would take care of him myself.
Full Metal Jacket
October 9th, 2012
10:27 am
Agree that firing CPJ is off the table. And not just because of the big buyout. CPJ just fired Groh and is working on the Defense lapses….and he acknowledges that they need work and improvement across the board….not just on defense. It is time for fans to show up and support the new (abeit temp) DC and as always, the team. We have talent enough to win, on the sidelines and on the field, so we just need to get it done. There may come a time when we should protest our HC by staying away on game days, but this is not that time.
DOC 51
October 9th, 2012
10:36 am
CPJ will never hire a great DC.He does not understand great defense and ST.They lead to championships.His offense being( top-3 ) in the nation in rushing, also means you can’t throw the football.Any great offense must have balance.
chas_jacket
October 9th, 2012
10:37 am
Agree Al B, need to forget about replacing CPJ for at least 2 years – besides which I would like to see how we do with Vad or Justin. All offenses revolve around the qb and ours is no exception – perhaps even more so. Nesbitt was a fair passer with average speed and good with option reads/game execution. Tevin is a weak passer, with marginal speed, game execution and leadership skills. Vad has good speed and throws a pretty pass. If /when he picks up the execution and leadership – watch out.
Jmonty
October 9th, 2012
12:01 pm
I for one am doing the happy dance. Groh sucked. He was an idiot. Maybe I should get my resume together…. LOL
UGA = Yawn
October 9th, 2012
12:04 pm
Al – Chas, etc, etc. You are WRONG! He brought an NCAA violation to our school. His contract can be terminated at any time with no monetary obligation. This was not and AD fire of Groh. This was our AD telling Johnson to right the ship and fast. Johnson fired Groh. Johnson can be fired by our AD but that would not happen until after the UGA game – if he wants to.
GTBob
October 9th, 2012
12:09 pm
You are WRONG! He brought an NCAA violation to our school. His contract can be terminated at any time with no monetary obligation.
I’m not sure who told you that but you probably shouldn’t listen to them anymore.
UGA = Yawn
October 9th, 2012
12:09 pm
Jmonty – u r not wrong. He did suck!!
Ol'JacketFan
October 9th, 2012
12:09 pm
I have now had the time to digest the dismissal of CAG and, in my opinion, it was past time for him to be relieved of his duties. Tech fans have been told it takes 2-3 years for a 3-4 to be installed and for the players to learn how to run the defense. Accepting this to be factual it still remains that the D has not shown any significant improvement coming off of last season poor performance. Given that fact this move makes sense. I would hope that CPJ does his due diligence and brings in a DC that has the knowledge and drive to get this D where is it capable of being as well as being a top flight closer in recruiting.
As to recruiting I did see the usual diatribe fron WnE as well as his self congratualory proclamations about how right he is and how all us fans should bow down to his wisdom. He went on to talk about a handful of recruits he feels would have made a difference if CPJ wasn’t such a lousy recruiter. Interestingly enough I went back and looked at those recruits he talked about. All of them were recruited by Tech and in most cases Tech was in those recruits top 2 or 3 schools so talent in being brought in to the campus and, by their own statements, are seriously considering selecting Tech for their collge of choice. I’m sure that by finishing behind the schools these recruits ultimately selected WnE will point to that as supporting his contention that CPJ is a lousy recruiter. However, let’s look a little deeper. Stephen Tuitt, Notre Dame, College of Arts & Letters, Chase Thomas, Stanford, Communications, Garrison Smith, GA, History, Ray Drew, GA, Pre Journalism/Digital Broadcasting, Trey Flowers, ARK, Engineering and James Vaughters, Stanford, no major listed.
Of all the recruits mentioned by WnE only Flowers is an Engineering major. The remainder are Liberal Arts or undecided. All of these recruits were/are academically eligble at Tech and would have been welcomed on the football team but if their major program is not offered, it is not offered. I am in no way making any academically based excuse but simply saying if one school offers your field of study and the other doesn’t then where do you think a recruit is going to wind up? I’ve seen others ask why Tech can’t get the athletes a Stanford or ND or NW or Vandy is getting I will simple say this to you, all of these schools offer a full range liberal arts program, something Tech does not and, for the forseeable future, will never offer to a student athlete.
UGA = Yawn
October 9th, 2012
12:10 pm
No one told me that. I understand how contracts are written.
JTK
October 9th, 2012
12:38 pm
Al Groh is a class man and certainly represents the tpye of individual that we want representing Tech. Why his experience and knowledge did not translate into a quality defense is a mystery. This was a must decision, though a painful one. I hope for the best for Al Groh and for our Jackets going forward.
Larry Spillers
October 9th, 2012
12:52 pm
Hire former Ga. Military and now coach of the best defensive line in football [N.Y. Giants]. Robert Nunn! Experience with Green Bay, Miami, and Tampa Bay. Young enough and good enough!