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
Nativebird
October 8th, 2012
3:39 pm
It ain’t the assistant coaches that are the problem. You can replace as many assistants as you want my Rambling Wreck brethren but until you replace the Narcissistic jerk you have running this titanic we will never win anything of consequence again. mark it down.
CloudmanJacket
October 8th, 2012
3:40 pm
How does this solve the problem of CPJ not recruiting well enough to have the proper talent on both sides of the ball. It wasn’t Groh’s fault alone and I know that MTSU scored a bunch on our D, but why did CPJ’s unstoppable offense only score 28 against MTSU? He is ultimately responsible for everything in the program including his poor recruiting. It is time for him to go, but Groh is being made the scapegoat.
rj
October 8th, 2012
3:40 pm
Now fire Paul Johnson. He should have never left Statesboro
DawgNole
October 8th, 2012
3:41 pm
Bill Lewis
October 8th, 2012
3:30 pm
You Rang?
__________________
Wrong number!
Birmingham Jacket
October 8th, 2012
3:41 pm
GIFF SMITH
He will not only do a good job with the X’s, he will address the #1 problem: RECRUITING!!!
Bobby
October 8th, 2012
3:42 pm
It’s always a sad day when a coach has to be relived of their position. Nevertheless the decision was a correct one based on the performance of the last three years. Best wishes to Al Groh and his family. Hopefully he will find a position where his skills can be utilized.
The Grinch
October 8th, 2012
3:42 pm
Nativebird
October 8th, 2012
3:39 pm
CloudmanJacket
October 8th, 2012
3:40 pm
rj
October 8th, 2012
3:40 pm
How about that – 3 consecutive posts saying the same thing.
38pts per game
October 8th, 2012
3:42 pm
38pts per game on offense is plenty enough to win games! We just need some defensive stops to right the ship!
Notso Fast
October 8th, 2012
3:43 pm
Had to be done or forget any fan support. The only problem is now if it doesn’t work there will be only one man to blame. Paul Johnson will have go then.
Bo Duke
October 8th, 2012
3:44 pm
Mark Richt is a great coach. GT should be so fortunate.
juvenal
October 8th, 2012
3:44 pm
c’mon, BEE-still #1 on Money’s best school value list…….
Frankly
October 8th, 2012
3:44 pm
CPJ is next, need to just clean house.
CloudmanJacket
October 8th, 2012
3:44 pm
@ Grinch; do you have a point. Is it surprising that more than 1 person thinks it is time for CPJ to go
The Grinch
October 8th, 2012
3:45 pm
Look on the bright side – at least you were able to fire a coach. Had Groh been a teacher in the City of Atlanta he COULDN’T have been fired for incompetence.
JoeRational
October 8th, 2012
3:45 pm
carl
October 8th, 2012
3:23 pm
why would any of the top DC’s come to Tech?
Gee I don’t know. Maybe ask George O’Leary, Randy Edsall, Ted Roof, among other former DCs how their time at Tech worked out for them? On the offensive side ask Bill O’Brien or Ralph Friedgen if being a coordinator at Tech was a good thing for them?
Gus in Marietta
October 8th, 2012
3:46 pm
You can’t fire the team and the team isn’t any good. So that means you have to fire the coach.
CPJ had no choice. If he didn’t do this, the AD would have fired CPJ and Groh.
Slow, weak and undisciplined does not a good defense make. But still, this is not all Groh’s fault. The closest thing to a star player is on offense, not on defense. You can’t win the Kentucky Derby with a plow horse. We need studs over on defense and we don’t have em.
It is going to take RECRUITING, RECRUITING, RECRUITING. CPJ has to stop settling for the 60th best recruiting class in the country and then rationalizing it by saying you can’t tell how the kids will turn out. Go out and get 3 or 4 top-20 recruiting classes in a row and then look at where you’ll be. Unfortunately, we are at a low ebb, talent-wise and even if CPJ is up to the task of improving his recruiting, it won’t show in the W’s and L’s for 3-4 years. I am not sure the AD and the big $$ supporters will wait that long.
This year is headed for 4 or 5 wins, tops. He might survive that, might not. But if next year is like this too, he won’t be coaching us in next year’s UGA game…
Really depressing….
The Grinch
October 8th, 2012
3:46 pm
Does Johnson have one of those contracts that automatically rolls over every year?
Death2UGA
October 8th, 2012
3:46 pm
Groh at TECH was a disaster. The 3-4 with our talent makes no sense. Johnson feels the Heat and realizes the microscope is on him and the shotgun is pointing at him. His bowl record is awful, his record against all our major rivals is awful, his recruiting is terrible, and his Public Relations skills are even that much worse. It time to put up or shut up as far as I am concerned. I have defended him far to long….GO JACKETS!
Larry Spillers
October 8th, 2012
3:46 pm
Robert Nunn, Defensive line coach for the NY Giants and former head coach at GMC. He’s the man for the job. Also has coached at Green Bay, Dolphins and Tampa Bay.
Son of Sammy Davis Jr, Jr
October 8th, 2012
3:47 pm
Al Groh isn’t the problem. You don’t hire a Georgia Southern coach to take over at a school like JawGA Tech. That’s like hiring the Rome Braves manager to skipper the Atlanta Braves when Cox retired.
collegeballfan
October 8th, 2012
3:47 pm
“…we should probably hand in our old trophies since we are no longer a real college football team.”
Georgia Tech’s record since 1960: 328 wins, 268 losses and 10 ties. That is 25 games over .500. Over a 52 year period.
There is a myth out there that Georgia Tech has been a major top 20 program for decades.
Big Crimson 75
October 8th, 2012
3:47 pm
I always liked Al Groh for sticking it to Keyshawn Johnson!!
Haynes
October 8th, 2012
3:48 pm
The Offense feeds off the performance of the Defense. Think of how many points GT could score if they could make some 3rd down stops, have better field position as a result, and a higher time of possession. GT scores a crap-load of points DESPITE their defense.
George Stein
October 8th, 2012
3:48 pm
The head coach is under such heavy restrictions in recruiting that it’s the assistants that do most of the work. Get someone who has a Ph.D in that.
Louisiana Jacket
October 8th, 2012
3:49 pm
“USMC Dawg, as far as UGA goes… Fire CMR and hire who exactly?”
“I would take BOBBY PETRINO…. Okay get some screen cleaner… but mark my words… whicjever SEC team(Auburn, Tennessee, Kentucky) hires Petrino for next season will surpass UGA’s program.
The man is one of the top Football coaches in the country, whether you like him or not.”
This puts it all into perspective the win at all cost mentality – fans cheer their own QB going down (KC Chief’s this weekend); colleges continue to put thugs on their team, and you USMC Dawg want to hire a man who left the Falcons (i’m not a Falcons Fan btw) in mid-season without more than a note to his team and then brings AR down with his scummy classless ways. Yet you want him on your campus…WOW! If successful he will leave your program for greener fields in a “greenback $$$ second”. We as a nation have really gone to the Dogs kind of speak if this is where we are headed… are we already there?
I believe not yet but if we don’t stop and say wait a damn minute we’ll be there too soon. Thank you Eric Winston (blasting KC Fans), Drew Brees (classy comments after record breaking game) and Colts fans (as they support Pagano in his real battle) for reassuring me that there is still positives in sports out there!
jay
October 8th, 2012
3:49 pm
If Tech was smart, they would grab Randy Shannon, ex coach at the U as the DC…
The Grinch
October 8th, 2012
3:49 pm
JoeRational
October 8th, 2012
3:45 pm
I won’t speak for all of them, but here’s my observation on a couple of them:
O’Leary. Took his GT record to a job at Notre Dame. Fake resume sunk him, not GT. Also, he’s doing pretty good right now at Central Florida.
Friedgen went from OC at Tech to HC at Maryland. Seems he did pretty good as well.
GT
October 8th, 2012
3:50 pm
Nothing wrong with Paul Johnson. Every defense in the country has had to adjust or lose. Johnson brought this guy in ,the sea changed and the poor boy was too old and set in his ways to change with it. The defense is a reaction, youth has the advantage.
Big Crimson 75
October 8th, 2012
3:50 pm
Jay — not this year. Shannon coaches at either TCU or Baylor, I think.
USMC Dawg
October 8th, 2012
3:51 pm
“I did and if Coach Johnson doesn’t start playing Vad Lee as quarterback he probably won’t last either.”
Cathy, Tevin played a good game on Saturday, not perfect, but good enough to win with a DECENT defense.
Obviously CPJ is playing the QB that gives the Jackets the best chance to WIN. I a suspect that besides Vad Lee’s ketchy name, you don’t know too much about the player.
I don’t think he READS the defenses as well as Tevin does and that is THE main skill a QB needs to have when running the Triple Option.
CloudmanJacket
October 8th, 2012
3:51 pm
I agree offense has put up points this year, but look over the past few years and there are plenty of instances where CPJ’s offense was shut down and he had no answers. A lot of points this year, but against terrible defenses like VT, 17 against a terrible Virginia, Presbyterian, 28 against MTSU, Clemson. We haven’t played anyone but Clemson to date and Clemson has no D, just speed on offense.
In 2011, we scored 7 on Miami and 2010 7 on AIR FORCE IN A BOWL …SERIOUSLY
Pale Rider
October 8th, 2012
3:52 pm
The game had passed Al Groh- Paul Johnson is old school too and will be next to go.
The Grinch
October 8th, 2012
3:52 pm
Louisiana Jacket
October 8th, 2012
3:49 pm
“…that there is still positives in sports out there!”
Harumph, harumph!!
GTPhenom
October 8th, 2012
3:53 pm
Just throwing out an interesting note. We are one of only two teams in the top 27 of scoring with a losing record (the other being Marshall). That would kinda indicate that CPJ and his “terrible” offense aren’t exactly the problem. When you average 38 points per game, you should not be losing games . . .
The Hammer
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
Hire Nick Saban!
Homer Nice
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
When will GA Tech fans ever learn that you can only do so much with mediocre athletes? They can fire and hire all the Coaches they want and they’ll still be a second-rate ACC team.
Silly Mutts
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
Finally, PJ does something that should have been done last year! As I posted earlier this 1) shows the defense that its not all their fault and 2) gives PJ his one final shot to get it right! All the fans want to see is improvement on defense, continued improvement on the offense and continued improvement on special teams. No more regression!!! Get it done Paul get it done!!
GT4Life
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
For all you Tenuta / Galey lovers remember 2002 U.Gag 51 – GT 7. Case closed they should have walked home from Athens that night and never coached at Tech again.
I never saw Groh being able to survive the MTSU game. It was a question of when. Good coach better man. Probably just a little past too far past his prime.
Our defense hasn’t been up to par since Randy Edsel’s lone season as DC. Even with NFL talent we weren’t very good. The difference between 2008 / 2009 and this season is we don’t have the QB and RB that can grind out a clock killing drive. We still hit the big play, but that puts the defense back on the field. The offense has a role in limiting the other team’s scoring opportunities too. Without Nesbit, Dwyer, and Anthony Allen Johnson hasn’t been able to do that.
GIVE ME A BREAK
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
Again CPJ has shown that he can make the tough call. Now if he’ll just ask for some help calling the plays. No coach in the nation calls a pitch in your own end zone. ” GO JACKETS “
James
October 8th, 2012
3:55 pm
The Genuis will be next.
Elliot Garcia
October 8th, 2012
3:56 pm
KeepMarkRicht.com that is all!!!
Harry Callahan
October 8th, 2012
3:56 pm
Praise the Lord
bill
October 8th, 2012
3:56 pm
PJ truly knows his position is on thin ice. He must go with Lee at QB, or at least integrate him into 1/2 the offense DURING the game. Groh is past his prime…results are obvious.
Well, at least the first correct move was made. Had to be after Clemson with 2 weeks off before BC. If Tech can show improvemwnt and salvage at 6-6, PJ will return. Anything less and his job may be in the jackpot.
The Dulous, '70
October 8th, 2012
3:56 pm
That’s half of what I’ve been saying on this blog……….NOW THE OTHER HALF IS PUT VAD LEE IN AS THE STARTING QB, TELL HIM IT’S HIS TEAM NOW.
Then start recruiting better players, and WE WILL BE BACK! GO JACKETS!!!!!!
USMC Dawg
October 8th, 2012
3:57 pm
I will say that I think CPJ’s habit of going for “it” on 4th down at the beginning of the game while on the Tech side of the 50 yd line is a little wreckless. just my opinion.
ignition
October 8th, 2012
3:57 pm
@ juvenal Notre Dame and Standford run the 3-4 and are doing well matter of fact have excelled..
Anyway Chris Rumph has coached under both defenses.. 4-3 and 3-4
JIMBOB
October 8th, 2012
3:58 pm
Clean house and bring in Phillip Fulmer!
Born2Buzz
October 8th, 2012
3:59 pm
Joe Speed and Andy McCollum will handle the D for the rest of the season, IMHO. Both guys are good coaches and Speed will have the guys pumped. Now, move Jemea Thomas to free safety, let Isiah J be a knickle back and get aggressive.
The next change is at QB. Embrace the forward pass CPJ.
Happy days ahead boys.
Al Bundy
October 8th, 2012
3:59 pm
I hate to see anyone lose their job but it had to happen. I think CAG is a smart man and knows football, but Tech doesn’t have the talent or personnel to run his defense. Hopefully we will find someone who can work with the guys we have and salvage what’s left of the season.
creative
October 8th, 2012
3:59 pm
Jay.. I think I agree with you. Not a great head coach, but could recruit and coach D.
GT bee are you dumb. starting defense practices against practice squad filled with walk ons, redshirts and some transfers. The defense never practice against the option. Do you think when someone running the spread plays someone running a pro style offense that they practice against that they practice against the spread. The scout team always emulate what offense they are going to be going against. Its why when people used to get ready for Michael Vick they would often times put a 4th string Wide receiver at QB.
If you want to criticize the offense or play calling go ahead, but Nebraska did not win the NC in 95 with a stout defense practicing against Eric Crouch and the option.