Groh tears into Tech
In an interview with the Roanoke Times, former Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Al Groh left little doubt about his feelings about his 2 ½ years coaching the Yellow Jackets.
“Just to say it briefly, this circumstance here was the most unprofessional, divisive and negative environment in which I’ve ever been,” Groh said. “To say more would be unprofessional of myself. It was just a bad cultural match.”
Tech coach Paul Johnson hired Groh in Jan. 2010 after Groh had coached at Virginia for nine seasons. He made the decision to dismiss him Oct. 8, six games into the season, after the Jackets had allowed 40-plus points in three consecutive games.
“I’m sorry to hear that Al feels that way,” Johnson said in a statement. “I’m surprised he would stay here for 2 1/2 years if he felt like that it was that bad.”
A statement released from Groh at the time of his firing was decidedly more diplomatic.
“I appreciate all the help and input from (assistant defensive coaches) Charles Kelly, Joe Speed and Andy McCollum, and the effort of all the players,” part of Groh’s statement read. “I aimed to give the best that I had every day. It’s been an honor to be a part of the legacy of Georgia Tech football.”
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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428 comments Add your comment
jo
January 2nd, 2013
7:31 pm
Tech defense plays well at the bowl game and groh wants to growl…what a d bag.
coondawg69
January 2nd, 2013
7:34 pm
The last game the Defense did look great…. fantastic even. However, there is that annual Thanksgiving beatdown… but the defense looked great against another basically .500 team that had given up on its coach for the Illustrious Sun Bowl.
The ACC better watch out. GTU is poised for another run at the ACC title next season!!!!
Rick James
January 2nd, 2013
7:35 pm
@GTJohn2
“Whisenhunt” Rick James, and I’m not necessarily against the idea. Currently he’s interviewing for other NFL jobs.
It’ll take some serious money to attract his attention. Plus buying out CPJ’s contract would mean even more money.
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Serious money get serious results..I’m sure it wont happen do to the financial considerations.I think Tech derserves better and its sad to be stuck with a coach you cant afford to fire..But then maybe the fan base is happy with him.
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
7:44 pm
Ken Whisenhunt’s wife has been on face book taking to her best friend and Sorority Sister in North Carolina. They are really hoping to maybe join the Panthers staff and get closer to this part of the country.
Rick James
January 2nd, 2013
7:45 pm
@5150 UOAD
Rick James and when was the last time you had a nice long conversation with Paul Johnson to know he has a thin skin and has to be the smartest person in the room? If you were in the room I am sure he would be smarter than you for sure.
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I’ve been in the same room and within 5 feet of Paul Johnson about 6 times.I’ve heard several radio interviews and know of two media types he wont talk to because they’ve critisized him..With the way he’s stealing money from Tech I’d say he much smater than me.But I’m not worried about that too much because I’m smarter than you.
wrecked
January 2nd, 2013
7:46 pm
@fatboy slim, If Gt played UGa a gain the results could be worse than 42-10. UGA quit trying to score after the 3rd quarter. GT doesn’t have the talent to match up with teams like UGA.
yellowfever
January 2nd, 2013
7:48 pm
UGA, Please keep coach Saint Richt forever, that way you’ll always be the 3rd best team at beat in the sec, that is of course in less you can get an even better schedule than you had the last 2 years.
cewbee
January 2nd, 2013
7:50 pm
Sounds like a sore loser to me – couldn’t get it done with smart guys. 1-800-555-WAAH!
yellowfever
January 2nd, 2013
7:50 pm
wrecked, talent doesn’t always win. If it did Tech wouldn’t win most of their games.Never would beat jawga.
Dandy
January 2nd, 2013
7:56 pm
If you put pepper rodgers,chan gailey,bill lewis in the same room, what would you have? A big pile of sheeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!
Glory
January 2nd, 2013
7:58 pm
yellowfever
January 2nd, 2013
7:48 pm
UGA, Please keep coach Saint Richt forever, that way you’ll always be the 3rd best team at beat in the sec, that is of course in less you can get an even better schedule than you had the last 2 years.
LMAO..Number 3 in the SEC prob means number 4 or 5 in the country. I am sure you would love that.
Rick James
January 2nd, 2013
8:02 pm
@yellowfever
wrecked, talent doesn’t always win. If it did Tech wouldn’t win most of their games.Never would beat jawga.
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You do realize that Tech didnt win “most” of its games this year and hardly ever beats Georgia..1 of the last 12 and 6 of the last 32.And the main resaon the series is so lop sided is because of talent.
Reality
January 2nd, 2013
8:07 pm
Does ANYONE like Paul Johnson?
JB
January 2nd, 2013
8:16 pm
We all know it ain’t smarts that wins games. We’ve been told millions of times about Tech folk, and Tech would be 14-0 every year wouldn’t they?
hit a single
January 2nd, 2013
8:16 pm
If Southern Cal was smart they would go after one of these NFL coaches. Ken Whisenhunt would be a great addition if he was interested. Sounds like Al Groh and Lane Kiffen would get along great with each other.
Jim
January 2nd, 2013
8:23 pm
Johnson is just as culpable for this defensive fiasco as Groh. Groh has never proven himself to be an affective coach. He should have remained unemployed prior to Tech hiring him, and he should never enter the stadium as a coach again.
We Own You
January 2nd, 2013
8:26 pm
Tech fans are so cute the way they get so excited after a win over a very bad team with a terrible QB and forget all about the fact that Georgia Runs This State and has beaten Tech 12 out of 13 times–counting next year.
Dacusville Bill
January 2nd, 2013
8:32 pm
Wonder if Pitiful Paul will pitch a temper fit when Tech wises up and fires him?
NOBODYCARES
January 2nd, 2013
8:35 pm
Bitter old fart. Who cares. He must have waited until he got and cashed his last paycheck before bitching.
Contractor
January 2nd, 2013
8:38 pm
Well it apparently wasn’t so toxic that he quit accepting a paycheck. There was something that kept him there. People are always very negative when they fail. It’s always someone else’s fault, or some other reason to compensate for their failures.
Dogkicker
January 2nd, 2013
8:39 pm
yea right! do you really think the deparment of the navy would put up with what A.G is saying ?
NOBODYCARES
January 2nd, 2013
8:40 pm
“WE OWN YOU”. What a joke? Owning any team in the ACC is like someone in 1960 bragging about owning a 1960 Edsel.
The Truth
January 2nd, 2013
8:46 pm
GA Tech Lies & Cheats & Everyone knows it. Everyone!
It should not be a surprise that a former employee agrees with this. Tech is a classless program. Always has been. Always will be. Tech fans live to Lie & Cheat.
Did you notice Paul Johnson thought it was funny when a player was being interviewed after the game and started the interview with an ugly cuss word? Paul Johnson is perfect for the negative/ugly/ ussing Tech fan base.
Why would any recruit want to play at GA Tech?
Buzzzed
January 2nd, 2013
8:47 pm
@Reality, all my Tech friends like CPJ. The only people I hear bad mouthing him is UGA people.
Triple Lindy
January 2nd, 2013
8:56 pm
Must be difficult working for a genius.
gt4ever
January 2nd, 2013
9:00 pm
@The Truth
Your an idiot! UGA has more history cheating and scheming to win football games than most schools in the country… Vince Dooley was the King of Cheat!
@Buzzed
I am GT through and through, and I can’t stand what Paul Johnson is doing to our football program… There are more anti CPJ fans that are GT fans than you think…
1 4 GT
January 2nd, 2013
9:03 pm
I am a GT fan & everyone knows it. Occasionally, I read an article about Georgie that has an interesting headline. But, for the most part, I have absolutely no interest in reading or seeing anything about Georgie. My brother & other family members are Georgie fans for some strange reason. I know my younger brother was raised better, but he faltered somehow. I try hard not to say anything derogatory about Georgie around him. Otherwise, I would not make water on most of you mutts if you were on fire at my feet. You are constantly on the GT blogs spreading your kaka with your forked tongues. What is your life lacking? Why are you so obsessed with Tech matters. If we are so irrelevant, then why the hell are you here with your trash? I have known some good, nice folks that went to & support Georgie. But you fools make it awfully hard to know the difference. So I don’t even try to differentiate between the good & the bad anymore. Why worry my brain with the difference anymore. I just take the attitude that all Georgie fans are “the bad & the ugly” and take everything any Georgie mutt troll says with a grain or two of salt and pepper too. In other words….go away. I don’t like any of you butt sniffing, leg humping, stone licking, vomit eating mutts. I don’t care if y’all never win so much as a game of TiddlyWinks!
OldTimer
January 2nd, 2013
9:05 pm
Groh is a drunk. First hand experience.
kerryb
January 2nd, 2013
9:09 pm
Who cares what Al Groh thinks about a totally irrelevant program?
Death2UGA
January 2nd, 2013
9:16 pm
Al Groh can rot in his Long Term Care facility! Fact of the matter is he sucked REAL bad and his boss yelled at him a lot. Al Groh is REAL close to life expectancy so F that dude.
Lou Skunt
January 2nd, 2013
9:16 pm
I can’t fault Groh. He’s an old man and it’s been a long time since he’s coached a High School team. He should never had taken the job in the first place.
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
9:17 pm
kerryb obviously you do and it is relevant to you.
hit a single
January 2nd, 2013
9:17 pm
UGA and Tech better be thankful for the two head coaches they have. I believe they want to be where they are and don’t go looking for another job and running out on there team. The NCAA needs to do something to stop coaches leaving before the bowl games.
Re
January 2nd, 2013
9:46 pm
Defenses this day and age with the uptempo no huddle offenses can and will score a ton and in a hurry. I don’t mind pj offense, matter of fact I love watching it, but in that offense it iis tough when your behind a bunch of points. You better have a bama type defense or somewhat near, I believe to play that against the team gt plays. Yes, I understand it can help a defense by playing ball control, but I still believe gt biggest problem is it needs more players and no reason it should not be able to attract elite type players. Come on, grohl wasn’t all the problem. Just don’t buy that making the defense easier that was the magic formula. It wasn’t like the fronts were complicated, coverages were. Saban runs a complicated pro style defense, his players seem to play really well, but key is he has players, tech has some but not enough. Bottom line pj needs to recruit more players for the defense, if the offense can no longer score in a hurry
George Stein
January 2nd, 2013
9:52 pm
A Big East program is gashing a vaunted SEC defense. This is precious.
NYJacket
January 2nd, 2013
9:59 pm
Groh must have been trying to install the defensive sets used by Virginia when he played for them. Of course when Georgia Tech played Virginia when Groh played for Virginia, GT rolled up 40+ points even though Dodd only played the starters 2 qtrs.
A college coach has players that still need to be taught te game. So, the coach has to be someone the players relate to, respect and will play their butts off for. It seems that Groh was not that coach.
Hope he finds a nice quiet place to retire.
Tall
January 2nd, 2013
10:02 pm
I’ve been rooting for the New York Jets since #12 was the QB. I moved here in 1993 and adopted GT as my home team. My favorite players to watch in that time have been Joe Hamilton, Keith Brooking, and Calvin Johnson. Groh coached the Jets to a 9 – 7 season but left to coach UVA. Something wasn’t right there. He spent time under Bill Parcells and should have been more successful than his record indicates. I’m on the fence about Paul Johnson, but the game against USC was the best one they played this season. Groh should probably be happy with his severance and think about coaching high school.
Get the picture
January 2nd, 2013
10:09 pm
Groh, Schmo….the Dogs own your D-1AA arses.
Tall
January 2nd, 2013
10:14 pm
Get:
Do you go to UGA to get an education or root for a football team? I think it’s the latter and the HOPE is a huge waste of tax dollars.
Kramer
January 2nd, 2013
10:22 pm
On behalf of the Dawg Nation please sign Paul Johnson for another 10 years. No, make it 15 years. No wait a minute, make it a lifetime contract in which he can never be fired. Yeah, that’s the ticket!
Kramer
January 2nd, 2013
10:24 pm
George Stein
January 2nd, 2013
9:52 pm
A Big East program is gashing a vaunted SEC defense. This is precious.
Yes, and all we will do is win the National Championship again. Ho hum.
GTNashville
January 2nd, 2013
10:25 pm
i just hope GT fires CPJ as well. The win against USC wasn’t anything spectacular. They didn’t want to be there and it showed. Look at the last several years with CPJ. It’s a joke. I don’t think Al was a good fit and this offense is pathetic. Does anyone remember BYU or Middle TN? We don’t have to settle. Stanford hasn’t. GT used to be an elite program.
GT-UT
January 2nd, 2013
10:34 pm
I am disturbed to see Groh’s statement. I like CPJ partly because he is a hard nosed, tough competitor, but from what I’ve read CAG is a class act. CPJ should take note of this. It does NOT repeat NOT represent GT well and that represents me and my degree. That said, I do not know the man. I do not fault CPJ for firing him. Performance dictated it. 2-1/2 years of terrible D with no signs of improvement says it all. Kelly seems like a good guy and he is part of the culture.
All said, none of us were there….I just don’t like the comments from what appears to be a good man. He should not have said them and I think there can be some improvement in the GT culture.
Delbert D.
January 2nd, 2013
10:35 pm
Maybe the SEC is down a bit this year.
Re
January 2nd, 2013
10:36 pm
Not a tech fan, but the fans shouldn’t have to settle with what the overall recruits that is coming to ga tech. School has wait too much to offer. Get more players on defense, and have a more reliable passing game and tech is not that far off from being in the mix to play for acc championship. Pj needs more players. Not tech overall shortcomings but rather the coach in that area
Realist
January 2nd, 2013
10:37 pm
Are Groh’s comments really a shock to anyone? CPJ exudes negative vibes. Open your eyes.
GTGirl
January 2nd, 2013
10:38 pm
Al Groh is a bitter old man. I’m glad CPJ did not wait til the end of the season to fire him.
Smitty
January 2nd, 2013
10:38 pm
I just think defenses are better prepared for GT trick offense and it is catching up to them
Smitty
January 2nd, 2013
10:40 pm
Ex Florida coach beating his old team tonight
GT-UT
January 2nd, 2013
10:40 pm
CPJ’s 33 points per game says it all. You supposed Tech fans who are calling for his head are either not grads, or are from some soft generation who are no longer logical. Use your logic. Who will score more points? Who is out there that will do better? Give the guy his contract. Show some class and support. I’ll bet if 1/2 of you worked for me and I used your standard, I’d have fired you by now. Show some support for your school.