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
1 4 GT
January 2nd, 2013
10:41 pm
kerryb….if Tech is totally irrelevant, as you say, why are you wasting your time here vomit eater?
1 4 GT
January 2nd, 2013
10:45 pm
Kramer….why are you living your life thru another’s success. “We” isn’t going to win anything! Bammer might, but “we” sure won’t!
ylojkt
January 2nd, 2013
10:53 pm
Groh sucked, was so glad CPJ fired him. When he was hired, I was optimistic; mainly because I had watched him develop excellent O-linemen at UVA. I was always worried about playing UVA sheerly because of the size and dominance of their O-line, and hoped he would bring the same to Tech. What I saw was over half the defense out of position, staring at the sidelines waiting for instruction while the opponent just lined up and ran whatever the hell they wanted. Good Riddance, Al!
And also, lol at Fla. getting beat down by Louisville.
Paul in NH
January 2nd, 2013
10:54 pm
“GT used to be an elite program.”
GT hasn’t been an elite program in over 50 years.
DuanoYellowJacket
January 2nd, 2013
10:56 pm
“To say more would be unprofessional…” Dude, at this point, to say ANYTHING is unprofessional. Pull up those adult depends and MOVE ON!
Paul in NH
January 2nd, 2013
11:02 pm
Look like Florida doesn’t want to be there in a minor bowl
5150 UOAD
January 2nd, 2013
11:22 pm
Paul in RDU…………..you know you can’t spell Sugar bowl with UGa…..LOL
gt40pinhd
January 2nd, 2013
11:27 pm
does the sugar bowl game winner count for an acc win since Louisville is moving to the acc?
George Stein
January 2nd, 2013
11:28 pm
Who is “we,” Kramer?
JD
January 2nd, 2013
11:28 pm
Ok, so the new ACC team is beating the cr*p out of the #3 team in the BCS and a SEC defensive leader.
Paul in NH
January 2nd, 2013
11:34 pm
Looks like UF doesn’t have Big East speed.
ylojkt
January 2nd, 2013
11:35 pm
That’s exactly right JD. All the haters can read ‘em and weep.
Was wondering what it would take to chase the mutts off this blog, apparently it’s the Sugar Bowl when their vaunted SEC SEC SEC is getting whipped like a dwag.
JD
January 2nd, 2013
11:38 pm
Oh, and since this was about Groh, could not stand him being lost on the sidelines trying to signal in the defense this year before the offense snapped the ball. I think he recruited 3 players in 3 years. “unprofessional” is his middle name after those comments. I’m sure he was pulling for USC just so he could say, “It wasn’t my fault”.
Paul in NH
January 2nd, 2013
11:39 pm
George – You didn’t know Kramer is actually Roy Kramer?
JD
January 2nd, 2013
11:55 pm
Florida trying to make it a game. Louisville went into prevent.
RAMBLE ON!!!
January 3rd, 2013
12:00 am
Wow, what a crybaby with sour grapes.
No wonder the defense sucked so bad.
I guess since he was so noble, he decided to come back for 2 years….
Pro fan
January 3rd, 2013
12:11 am
LOL I see the idiot dawgfan is at it again ..sharing all his wisdom..That boy wouldn’t know football or any sport if it hit him in the face..He’s a legend in his own mind…GEEZE what a peckerhead
RedandBlackDAWG
January 3rd, 2013
12:21 am
Johnson should know the answer as to why Al Groh stayed as long as he did. He was thinking that maybe the AD at Tech. would wake up and get rid of Johnson, so Tech. could become respectable and play big boy college football again. You have to be able to recruit quality on both sides of the ball, in order to make a football team and Johnson doesn’t do defense I would guess..
ylojkt
January 3rd, 2013
12:27 am
That makes it 3 – 3 for the SEC in bowl games, my prediction is 4 – 6 overall; 3 – 7 will make me lmao.
If the ever loved SEC does go 3 – 7, ESPN will have to eat major crow, along with all the conference boosters. 4 – 6 should accomplish the same, but some people have no shame.
GT = LUV
January 3rd, 2013
12:38 am
I hope CPJ stays at GT forever. He’s obviously a stand-up, class act. Who cares if he can’t beat UGA? He can get back to the ACC Championship by beating the likes of Duke, Virginia, VT etc. and hope that Miami and NC both are ineligible year-in and year-out. ACC Championship, here we come!!!
Buzz 2011
January 3rd, 2013
12:40 am
I only wish you could have separated from GT about 2 years ago Al.
Sour grapes don’t become you… If you could only watch that Jacket
defense now Al.. They are a real defense………………..
Buzz 2011
January 3rd, 2013
12:47 am
These leghumpers don’t like GT knocking off USC.
They scare me as ” they gun this state”….
SEC starting to tremble like the Dogs in any
” big” game………Dogs win 7 games in 2013.
GT wins 10 games and takes out the Ga trash..
GT Fan
January 3rd, 2013
1:06 am
Aww,
Guess Florida “didn’t want to be there” …….
Was AL “Pitiful 3rd Down D” GROH coaching Nebraska’s D vs. UGA?
GT Fan
January 3rd, 2013
1:15 am
Tough-guy R.James never responded to my slam of him on a recruiting blog……..where’ya at RICK!!??!!
———————
Here’s why Rick James is stupid (and you can’t fix stupid) ….
———————————-
Rick James
December 31st, 2012
10:19 pm
Hey Nick consider this..Tech has a great senior running back named Orwin Smith who averaged nearly 10 yards per carry.But in four years he’s only caried the ball 175 times.Todd Gurley at Georgia had over 130 carries this season.At Georgia you’ll get the ball.Believe in the G..
—————————————
Last I checked Orwin Smith plays A-back.
Last I checked Chubb is wanted by GT to play B-back.
Let’s check the B-back postion each year under PJ:
2008 Dwyer … 200 carries 1,395 yds
2009 Dwyer … 235 carries 1,395 yds
2010 Allen … 240 carries 1,316 yds
2011 Sims & Lyons …. 192 carries 1,038 yds
2012 Sims & Lasky …. 268 carries 1,309 yds
Seems to me that if Chubb comes to GT and wins the outright #1 spot at B-back he’ll have similar stats to Dwyer’s & Allen’s, i.e., he’ll get more than Gurley’s 130 carries.
Mr. James, your Orwin Smith “spin” has got to be one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read on these blogs.
Dawgie
January 3rd, 2013
1:22 am
Looks like the Trade School fans are happy the SEC lost a game…..How’s the A She She doing? See you girls are trying to claim Louisville is an A She She team after the fact. Don’t worry once they join the A She She they will go in the toilet just like The U, FSU, Virginia Tech, and any other team that joins your joke of a conference.
5150 UOAD
January 3rd, 2013
1:58 am
Dawgie
January 3rd, 2013
1:22 am
Looks like the Trade School fans are happy the SEC lost a game
————————————————-
It isn’t only Tech fans that are happy. I would say 80% of the country is happy to have the ESPN love child conference lose football games so we don’t have to hear all the butt kissing for a few days.
JC
January 3rd, 2013
3:17 am
If I had any respect at all for Al Groh reading his unprofessional comments took it away!
Blue43
January 3rd, 2013
5:36 am
@Dawgie, if the ACC is so bad go back to you SEC blogs and talk smack over there? I’m sure Alabama would love to hear how great y’all are, or maybe Florida since you’ve finally managed to beat them for a change? Or are worried about the ole North Ave Trade School? That would seem to be the only reason to be hanging around our blogs.
(Break, Break)
To all the CPJ hating Jacket fans, I don’t understand all the negative comments about him not taking responsibility for the teams short comings. I have read, watched, and heard many interviews where he has made statements to the effect of “that’s our fault as coaches (or problem) for not coaching the kids up right.” I have heard him say many times praising the work ethic of individual players and the team as a whole. And when the team isn’t working hard he lets you know that too. But I have never heard hog all the glory for himself like some of you seem to believe he does.
For the guys who want to see him gone because you want more of a pro style offense, let’s not forget that’s what we had with Chan, and OBTW he’s available again if that’s what you want again.
I’ve also heard in the past many people talking bad about TW. The kid worked his butt and put us in place to win many times, VT, Miami, and Utah (last year) and stayed committed and focused on the team even when he had to share time with VL. So any trash talk about TW needs to end, and ANY comparison to him and Reggie Ball is completely unfair and uncalled for, he’s much smarter than Reggie was. In the games mentioned above (and in my opinion you could Clemson to that list) we would have won if Al Groh didn’t coach the D to be as impenetrable as a wet paper sack.
I say in the off season go get a good recruiting director and move coach Kelly up to DC. He’s seems up to the task and he’s able to meet the vision of the head coach.
Rev Al
January 3rd, 2013
5:41 am
“To say more would be unprofessional of myself.”……Well Al, I think you just drove that train right out of the station……
Thomas Brown
January 3rd, 2013
6:27 am
___________________________________________________________________
“the most unprofessional, divisive and negative environment in which I’ve ever been”
___________________________________________________________________
That about sums it up for a 7-Loss 2012 Georgia Tech unranked again any poll, with # 77 NCAA Scoring Defense, with 45 % Federal Graduation Report 2011-2012 Football, on NCAA PROBATION FOOTBALL,
LIT UP 42-10 by only Rival
While other men’s sports at Georgia Tech graduate 3/4 of your athletes, are you # 52 recruiting ranking football players just DUMBER than your tennis, swimming and diving, track and field, and golf men’s recruits ?
It is true that Georgia Tech fans are “the most unprofessional, divisive and negative.”
melanie
January 3rd, 2013
6:37 am
He seems very bitter after watching this team do a hell of lot better since he left. He may have been great at VT but he did not do so well here at Tech. He is just looking to blame someone other than himself. If he did not like working here then he should have left.
Buzz-Off
January 3rd, 2013
6:58 am
Has anyone considered the fact that AG may be correct in his statement?
Paddy
January 3rd, 2013
7:10 am
Just be quiet Al. This is not the way you should go out after all these years.
Paddy
January 3rd, 2013
7:15 am
Rick James……..looks like you got schooled by some Tech folks. lol
Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!
Northside Nick
January 3rd, 2013
7:20 am
Who cares what he thinks *sniff* at the end of the day I am still a fifty year old dude hanging out with hooters girls *sniff*
old dog
January 3rd, 2013
8:42 am
It ain’t rocket science. Groh left, y’all played better defense; end of story.
Ho hum
January 3rd, 2013
8:55 am
Tell it like it is Al……………..we know the ship is rudderless and filled with rubes rather than quality athletes. Hard to soar with the eagles when you are stuck in a flock of turkeys huh………………….
gt4ever
January 3rd, 2013
8:58 am
lol on all the people who think we have played better defense… I mean that USC QB couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn…. Did any of you watch the game…. He throws like I do… Good Grief! Our Defense sucks and it still sucks…
Al Groh is a class guy for saying what he did.. Kinda like CPJ he has never been politically correct and says what he feels.. For Al to say what he did, proves that something is not right on the flats. He stayed classy by not saying anything other than what has been reported. There is always two sides to the story, and we will probably never know the real deal… Here is hoping a new AD cleans this pathetic mess up!
www
January 3rd, 2013
9:16 am
best of luck to groh. thanks for your service. sorry things didn’t work out.
now let’s all move on.
GTVegas
January 3rd, 2013
9:18 am
Whether Al was correct or not is based on opinion and not one he should have made public if he wanted to retain whatever class and dignity he had left.
I did not respect the job the man did (he failed), but I still respected the man. Now, I can no longer say that. It’s a bit pathetic.
The man is complaining after spending a few years in his post, given free reign over his side of the ball, posting declining numbers and results year over year. He can’t try to make the arguement that he did not know what he was getting into. He was an ACC guy and should have known CPJ well enough before getting hired to know what he was getting into. It’s not like CPJ was a new head coach with no personal references for Al Groh to check out. Al is just being a bitter old man.
GTAE70
January 3rd, 2013
9:38 am
Ken, we would interested in a follow up report on the offseason conditioning, attitude and actual work by the players to get ready or next year. Any chance of that on a monthly basis?
Fatboy
January 3rd, 2013
9:40 am
…and that was the contents of the article? I want me three seconds of life back!
tu87
January 3rd, 2013
9:44 am
I can tell how disfunctional GT is just by the disinterest shown by the players in half their games.
Flak Jacket
January 3rd, 2013
9:49 am
Mississippi State, LSU, Florida, all top ten at one time this year,but got pushed around in their bowl games.ESPN will sweep it under the rug.SEC STORIED,or SEC OVERRATED.
TechApp fan
January 3rd, 2013
9:51 am
Many of these bloggers are indicating/hinting that Groh was bitter because he is old.
You do not have to be old to be bitter or be an ahole. Just ask BuLLdog.
Only wish for GT football in 2013 is for PJ to understand that sometimes you need to pass even
when you seemingly do not need to, so you will know how when you do need to…pass.
gt4ever
January 3rd, 2013
9:52 am
@Flak Jacket
It’s pathetic how ESPN coddles the SEC… But hey, we can’t talk, normally(not this year) the ACC is sucking in Post season play… Interesting how GT wins this bowl, and it’s has been the only time I have ever picked against my Jackets in the bowl pickem… lol
StanH
January 3rd, 2013
9:53 am
Groh was pitiful at Virginia….pitiful at Ga Tech……and is still pitiful……Shame on you Mr Groh for even being such a loser at life which is wayyyyy more important than football….You need to get some class
WrongSport
January 3rd, 2013
10:09 am
Groh Dude! This is football not basketball, you can’t be given up no 40+ point per game and call yourself a Defense coordinator.
Booze Hound
January 3rd, 2013
10:13 am
gt4ever,
Agreed. Quality-wise, Tech’s program is not much above where it was during the Curry and Lewis years. Would love to see O’Leary come back to Tech as AD and clean this mess up. First step: fire putrid Paul.
gt4ever
January 3rd, 2013
10:23 am
@Wrong Sport
Groh never had to make a tackle or cover a wide receiver… His knowledge about defensive schemes is unmatched in his profession… I don’t understand the comments especially when all he can do is put his players in a position to be successful… Could it be that the talent level is not up to par on the defensive side of the ball… Hmmmm,… We have seen how this offense operates with the appropriate talent. We have seen, in the past 2 years how this offense operates with little or lessor talent.. There are some correlations that can be made, if we are honest… But hey, this is all just my humble opinion, yours will be different.