Ted Roof by the numbers
Before I depart from my gargantuan hotel room in Raleigh, I dug up some before/after numbers for soon-to-be Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Ted Roof at his last four stops. I compared total yards, points, takeaways, yards per play and third-down efficiency.
Obviously, numbers don’t tell the whole story, and in a year-to-year comparison like this there’s the noise of different opponents, different players, the team’s offense, etc. This past season at Penn State, Roof’s defense this past season at Penn State played under extremely unusual circumstances whose impact is impossible to quantify. Further, the change in performance in one season is only one marker in the total evaluation of any coach.
That said, first impressions – Roof has done well at mending disasters, as was the case at Minnesota and Duke. The numbers went up at Auburn. Two things – one, 2009 was also Gus Malzahn’s first year at Auburn as offensive coordinator. His up-tempo scheme that created more plays, possessions and points had an impact, one suspects, on the defense. Two, Auburn won the national championship a year later.
My apologies for the rather crude chart.
School Yards PPG Takeaways YPP 3rd
PSU, 11-12 323.9/353.4 16.8/19.1 26/22 4.6/4.9 38/37
Auburn, 08-09 317.8/374.1 18.0/27.5 18/24 4.9/5.1 29/33
Minnesota, 07-08 518.7/383.6 36.7/24.8 14/31 6.8/5.7 44/39
Duke, 01-02 492.0/375.2 44.6/29.4 16/25 6.6/5.4 N/A
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70 comments Add your comment
BLACK BEE
January 10th, 2013
6:49 pm
Good hire considering all the factors. But it doesn’t and shouldn’t stop here, if GT and CPJ could figure a way to get Giff, then get a great AD, plus a closer and organizer for the new Recruiting position, open up the passing game and you have the chance for real change, it can be had, theball is in CPJ’s court. Can he do it, will he do it????????????????
Buford T. Pusser
January 10th, 2013
7:57 pm
Anyone criticizing this hire should either out themselves as a UGA troll or someone who knows nothing about GT football.
Attributes that Roof brings to the job are his love for the Institute, passion, and age (late 40s) which translates to energy on the defensive side of the ball.
He is also excellent recruiter in the state of GA. For those of you who do not believe the defensive recruiting has been pathetic this year; look no further than two of the three defensive lineman in the state are the son’s of former Tech players (Lawson and RR’s son) and they never considered Tech. Roof will turn that around.
There is also that issue of salary. Although it has not been published I am assuming that Roof took a pay cut to return to Tech considering our financial limitations.
His record shows he turns around poor defenses in a short amount of time ( I think Tech qualifies). I assure you if nothing else they will play with more passion and desire than any other time during the CPJ era. More blitz’s, better tackling, more running to the ball.
Maybe his best hire yet. Definitely at this position.
Buford T. Pusser
January 10th, 2013
8:00 pm
OK. Should have been two of the TOP three defensive lineman in the state.
PAJacket87
January 10th, 2013
8:55 pm
I like the hire of Ted Roof. We sorely need a significant upgrade in talent and he is noted by coaches and recruiting services as a very good recruiter. SoCal GT fan is correct… he had a major hand in bringing in state of Georgia talent when he was here, especially LBs while outrecruiting UGA for them. I believe he was responsible for Greg Gathers, Recardo Wimbush and others…As a Central Gwinnett grad, he knows the state really well, relates well to the kids and to the parents. He coaches like he plays, hard-nosed and with alot of enthusiasm. I’m finding it hard to believe he’s not respected by actual football people… Auburn had just signed him to a 3 yr/1.5M extension in 2011 so I don’t think that he was “run out of town”, O’Leary wanted him and then O’Brien chooses him over a number of pro and college coaches that he knows. I seriously doubt Kirby Smart is going to take a lateral job to come to Tech or any other school! This is a very solid hire. Start supporting your school…
GT1971
January 10th, 2013
9:05 pm
I remember when Alabama hired Bill Curry that one newspaper article (maybe AJC (not sure)) reported that Alabama could have had anybody but took the “White Knight”. I don’t know what was going on at Alabama at the time but I think they were a bit concerned about the NCAA taking a look. I don’t know if anything ever came of it.
I was a Bill Curry fan then and still am now. He is one fine person and coach.
Let’s give Ted Roof a chance. He was a great player at Tech. His first stint as a Tech coach could have been better but I’ll bet he has learned a lot since then. Other high level FBS schools liked what they saw in CTR and continued to hire him since his time at Tech.
I was at the Duke game a few years ago when CTR had his coming out party vs Tech. Duke dominated; Tech was never in the game. I’m glad CTR is back on our sidelines now.
Welcome home Ted Roof!
To hell with Georgia!
Paul in NH
January 10th, 2013
10:05 pm
@Delbert
I agree with you on the 2 year time frame. Either GT will improve on D over the next 2 years or there will be new coaches on the Flats in 2015. Hopefully Roof and Johnson will be there for a long time.
Paul in NH
January 10th, 2013
10:08 pm
I will be interested to read Ken’s report after he interviews Ted Roof. GT certainly doesn’t (or at least didn’t until the NCAA fine) have pockets as deep as PSU so I can’t think money was a motivator.
Westcoast techie
January 10th, 2013
10:12 pm
I’m an old alum who predates CTR even when he was a player on the flats. I’ve followed Tech since the golden years, and CTR is a good hire for many of the reasons already stated. We should see some improvement immediately, but will need at least two years to show big improvement. I can’t wait to see his impact on recruitment next year.
Pat Haden is loved by the USC alum/administration and rightly so. He is a 100% improvement over the egotistical Mike Garret who got USC into hot water with the NCAA. Kiffin was Garret’s boy and is now on a very short leash with Haden. My USC alum friends want Kiffin gone now. His only positive is his recruiting talent.
Buzztotop
January 11th, 2013
7:30 am
@DelbertD. obviously GT1990=troll or he would know the stats (check him out) CCK and CAM did a heck of a job after CAG was dismissed CAM coached linebackers, they both did excellent job as well as the rest of the coaches. Glad they are all still on the flats.
GThoschton
January 11th, 2013
8:07 am
This is a great hire!!! Ted will do a great job! we will improve because our fits will be better and we will play more downhill and we will play with excitment, he can get kids to the pros and thats what they want!!
The Good Word
January 11th, 2013
8:24 am
This is just what the doctor ordered.
juvenal
January 11th, 2013
8:33 am
this should have been the year to grade CPJ; the grohse lack of D, with the change, gives it an incomplete, next season tells us if we are doing anything but waiting till we can afford to change at the top, the tv/t-shirt fans out there can’t begin to see how much those of us who have given thousands of minutes & $ are invested in the outcome…….as someone who asked the 1st season why we did not go shotgun, i now wonder why we can’t line up in the TO, & then drop the QB back with the clock ticking…..& i thought the 3-4 was a no-go when Groh was hired, time to dump it…..
GT GRAD
January 11th, 2013
9:24 am
Great hire!
www
January 11th, 2013
10:19 am
solid DC, good recruiter?
i’ll take it.
Full Metal Jacket
January 11th, 2013
1:00 pm
Bottom line: Roof is a good hire. Who would’ve been a better hire (who was also affordable and who would come here)? I would have liked to see Johnson move more quickly to hire him for recruiting and PR purposes (Roof wasn’t tied up with bowl game prep and could’ve been working already in recruiting). But Johnson is also smart enough to know this hire may well make or break his own tenure at Tech so I am sure he’s sure of Roof’s ability. I hate to put deadlines on such things, but we really need to see some dramatic improvement in results (namely beating UGA and winning another ACCCG) in the next season or (at the most two). With many returning starters next year should be a good one.
Bad Dawg, Bad Dawg
January 11th, 2013
3:30 pm
GT1990 I agree on loss to UGA. I’m already lost on Johnson. He has had 5 years and Jackets are 1-4 in bowl games, 1-4 versus UGA, VT and Miami. Poor defenses and poor recruiting. The numbers speak the truth. He would be gone if not for the buy-out.
Ho hum
January 11th, 2013
4:37 pm
So tek re-roofs – next.
If Roof were that good (reading between the lines some of you posted) he would be coaching at a major school in a big boy conference. This is a band-aid at best. Tek will be ushering in an entirely new staff within 2 years. and be back at ground zero trying to build a roster. Very sad to see a once proud program become nearly irrelevant.
Ho hum
January 11th, 2013
4:40 pm
@ GThoschton reading your comment about going downhill I thought I would point out – tek has been going downhill for more than a decade
Ho hum
January 11th, 2013
4:53 pm
Please assplane – all we hear from the techies is – we can’t recruit studs because of our high academic standards – now roof comes in and you guys are getting all lathered up because he is a great recruiter. Did tek lower its standards as part of the re-roof deal or is this more delusional spin.
OkieDawg
January 11th, 2013
10:45 pm
Sorry…ain’t enough lipstick for this pig…but good try. What is it, liars figure and figures…..?