Johnson’s start proves it can be done at Georgia Tech
Paul Johnson has led Georgia Tech in ways almost nobody else has. (Johnny Crawford/AJC)
Georgia Tech has been playing football since 1892, and in that time only one football coach in 117 years has had a better start to his career than Paul Johnson.
Not Bobby Dodd, who has a stadium named after him. Not John Heisman, who has a trophy named after him. Not Bill Lewis, who … well, not Bill Lewis.
Johnson has coached 20 games at Georgia Tech. He is 15-5. The lone coach to open more impressively: William Alexander (18-2) in the 1920s. The world was different then. College football was different. Academics were different. There weren’t recruiting pressures or scholarship limits or a possibly defensive athletic director telling the world that you just can’t win consistently at places like Georgia Tech.
So do seasons of 9-4 and 6-1 count?
“If you have the right people and the right support mechanisms in place,” athletic director Dan Radakovich said, “you can be successful here.”
His comments this week echoed those of two years ago. It was the first time I had a chance to sit down with Radakovich for any length of time since he replaced Dave Braine, who made the very public mistake of saying the Yellow Jackets “will never” win consistently because of the school’s high academic standards. Braine’s intent was to take some pressure off of his coach, Chan Gailey. Instead, he cut him off at the knees in recruiting and alienated fans.
Radakovich came in with a different philosophy. He met briefly with his coaches before his introductory press conference in 2006. He told them, “Guys, I don’t have a whole lot of time here. There are only two things that are important to me: Win and don’t cheat.” His belief: It could be done at Tech.
Here's Chan Gailey after his firing, flanked by the ghosts of William Alexander (left) and Bobby Dodd. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
We can’t foretell the future. This is only a 20-game sampling. But think about this: Johnson came in with a relatively foreign offense and he is winning largely with Chan Gailey’s recruits. The thought of slipping significantly any time soon doesn’t seem likely. He is universally embraced by his players, students and alums. It’s a comfort level Gailey never experienced.
Hard to imagine, but Johnson’s biggest challenge now might be keeping the masses grounded. The Jackets are coming off an upset of fourth-ranked Virginia Tech. Fans stormed the field. They tore down the goal post, paraded it down the street and hacksawed it into pieces for souveniers. You would’ve thought a Ph.D. on campus had just learned how to manufacture jet fuel from leftover mu shu and banana peels.
Fortunately, keeping everybody grounded isn’t difficult for Johnson. His look back on win over Virginia Tech was typical of all others: moments of praise punctuated by three-punch verbal combinations of what everybody did wrong.
“We’ve played pretty good at times,” he said when asked if he ever has been fully satisfied after a game. “I remember winning the national championship [at Georgia Southern], 59-24, and gaining like 640 yards and they had about 240. We played pretty good. But you’re always striving for the perfect game. When you become satisfied and lower the standards, I don’t know if you’re doing the kids a service. You’re doing them a disservice. You have to keep raising the bar and pushing that this is what you’re looking for. If we had won every game this season, that would be different. But we haven’t.”
He considered for a moment that, “I probably need to do a better job of accentuating the positive sometimes.”
But seconds later, it was as if the Paul Johnson mini-me sitting on his shoulder slapped him on the head.
“I don’t care if they think I’m never gonna be satisfied,” he said.
There is no wrong answer. His methods work as well as his offense. Twenty games in at Georgia Tech, he is nearly without peer. There goes one perception.
♦ Georgia Tech head coaches through 20 games
William Alexander (1920-22) 18-2
Paul Johnson (2008-09) 15-5
John Heisman (1905-07) 14-4-2
Bobby Dodd (1945-46) 12-8
Pepper Rogers (1974-75) 12-8
Chan Gailey (2002-03) 11-9
George O’Leary (1995-96) 11-9
Bill Fulcher (1972-73) 10-9-1
Bill Lewis (1992-93) 10-10
Bud Carson (1967-68) 8-12
Bobby Ross (1987-88) 5-15
Bill Curry (1980-81) 2-17-1
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273 comments Add your comment
Reggie Ball
October 21st, 2009
5:03 pm
huh
KB
October 21st, 2009
5:04 pm
Paul Johnson = AWESOME
KC
October 21st, 2009
5:05 pm
I am glad we have Paul Johnson as our head coach. He is equal parts geeky offensive nerd, bad-a$$ John Wayne, and crazy river-boat gambler. He is the perfect combination of what is needed at the right time. CPJ arriving after Chan Gailey is like waking to sloppy wet BJ after a long nightmare. It gets no better than Paul Johnson right now.
Big Things Popping on the Flats…
G-Man
October 21st, 2009
5:05 pm
Very good article, Jeff. It’s hard to believe that one man (plus his assistants of course) can make this much difference. But you see it time and time again (although maybe not to the degree PJ has done it). There simply is not substitute for having the right general in place. Expectations must be tempered, however – everyone else is trying to win too. Great time to be a Yellow Jacket – Go Tech!
bugsquacher
October 21st, 2009
5:08 pm
what are ya’ll smokin’? Jeff S. must be importing the stuff. National Championship….. not in your life time….look at the patsy schedule….look at the inferior players….look at the nerdy fans…..please…fly back to pluto…
.
jackette
October 21st, 2009
5:10 pm
CPJ can win a NC at Ga Tech, what a goal to strive for, 2 NC’s in one state. What we do know is that CPJ won’t be satisfied until he goes 14-0 or more if a playoff system is implemented. The Alabamas and Floridas of this world, look out, it can happen at an engineering school with an enrollment of 18,000 without all the talent you other guys recruit every year.
KC
October 21st, 2009
5:11 pm
The Dogs schedule a real OOC schedule 1 year and now that’s all they can talk. Please start playing SE Lousiana State again so you have your imaginary 4-2 or 5-1 record and we won’t have to hear from you.
BTW. Crompton just ran another bootleg and hit a wide open WR for 30 yards. Worry about yourself.
CMR Wins the 2009 George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open
October 21st, 2009
5:13 pm
fiff
Hey bugsquacher (sic)
October 21st, 2009
5:14 pm
you have enough to worry about with your own bullpups…you guys win enough…can we not be happy as well?
CMR Wins the 2009 George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open
October 21st, 2009
5:14 pm
ok, aiff
CMR Wins the 2009 George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open
October 21st, 2009
5:14 pm
tenf?
Burdell
October 21st, 2009
5:19 pm
Jeff, no jet fuel from mu shu yet (nice cheap shot), but this PhD on campus is making biofuel from switchgrass and/or southern pine!
GO JACKETS!!! BEAT THE WAHOOS!!!
reck style
October 21st, 2009
5:20 pm
you Dawg fans make up your minds..before each game and especially the VT game, you run your mouths how GT is going to get killed…and then after we win, it is “oh you do not play anybody and it is a weak conference”…you cannot make any of you up! What is truly funny is that CPJ can win two NC’s in one state and neither one was at U of GA…hahahahahahahaha
Where have you gone Jim Bob Cooter ?
October 21st, 2009
5:26 pm
Jeff , good article. You pointed out something that needed saying , especially about Braine. But…
Really this just shows that you can’t throw money ,effort or enthusiasm at a problem and win the day. You have to throw talent ,and at every stop in his professional life ,Paul Johnson has shown that he has it. That is the real story here. The guy is just darn good at what he does and he has brought that work ethic combined with know how to the right school at the right time. I guess he’s fortunate that his players have bought into his way of doing things and have been rewarded on the field for doing so. I am not a Tech fan ,but I love to see his teams play football. I wish him success.
PMC
October 21st, 2009
5:26 pm
Every win is a thumb in the eye to Dave Braine.
PMC
October 21st, 2009
5:29 pm
Well and it’s not hard to stay grounded when you know the team hasn’t won since Scott freaking Sisson in Charlottesville. That’s reason enough to be humble.
Burdell
October 21st, 2009
5:30 pm
F. Dave Braine.
Radakovich is the best AD around! He got rid of Chan and got us The Man! Too bad his previous employer got the best of us in the Chicken Bowl…
Nativebird
October 21st, 2009
5:34 pm
Just think how good he’ll be when he actually recruits a Quarterback that can operate this offense fully? For example, imagine someone with 1/2 of Tebow’s skills at the helm. UNSTOPPABLE.
Thank goodness he has a good defense this year.
surfrider
October 21st, 2009
5:34 pm
What a list of coaches. Too think Bobby Ross was so down after 20 games and then to have the program to watch in the 90’s is something. We could tell he was building something back then. Bud Carson was younger than most coaches when he headed Tech only too go the NFL and become one of the greatest DC’s there (Steel-Iron Curtain). Without Curry maybe the rebuilding could not have started and materialized. Pepper had the fans buzzing when he arrived from UCLA/Kansas. PJ has taken things to new level of earlier than I can remember and the above charts show why. To think this is the best start in 85 years is something but we need to focus on one game at a time.
1Jacket7
October 21st, 2009
5:35 pm
Great article Jeff. GT has had the flu since 1990-91 and CPJ is the Flu shot in the arm that stings but gets the job done. I am so happy to finally get someone on the Flats that represents what TECH is all about. My experience there was just that. Respect the opponent but don’t fear him. Play to your level and above and leave the field with no regrets. There is no better place for a student-athlete than at “The Institute”, Georgia Tech, that will prepare for life’s rugged mountains and jagged edge pot holes. Finally, the pieces are now in place to help our boys pass calculus as well as mediocrity. Let’s act and think like champions and take control of our destiny starting this Saturday in Charlottesville. To be a winner you have to win. It is as simple as that. I got my hardware Jackets, now go get yours. Go Jackets!!!
Paddy
October 21st, 2009
5:37 pm
bugsquasher… those so called inferior players beat my Dawgs last season. CPJ is a great coach and just right for Tech. I wish he was coaching somewhere else. You my quasher friend are wearing blinders around those rose colored glasses!
Roger
October 21st, 2009
5:39 pm
Have a look here http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/polls/119
Jackets have a strength of schedule of 12th in the nation…and bugsquacher/others are ragging on that?
GT9
October 21st, 2009
5:45 pm
Beat Virginia!
During the Florida State game, COACH grabbed #92 by the jersey and melted his facemask with a few words of correction. One week later, #92 deflects a pass at the line of scrimmage then makes a Lynn Swann dive for the interception.
Beat Virginia!
COACH can make any kid in America a better football player. Last year, bugsquacher was saying that COACH’S offense wouldn’t work on the BCS level. Last year, that offense outscored the nation’s preseason #1 who sported two NFL first round picks. This year, #4 in the nation goes down to the offense that will not work. Put some wisdom on us, bugs. Fluke?
Beat Virginia!
1Jacket7
October 21st, 2009
5:48 pm
Roger, What’s interesting is that, Florida has a SOS of 6 and they play 4 teams that we also play they also added Troy, College of Charleston and FIU. Those three would lose to Wake Forrest, Duke and Virginia but we have a SOS of 12.
Gordon
October 21st, 2009
5:51 pm
Watch out Paul Hewitt. It’s “win and don’t cheat.” You’re doing the second one well. You better get working on that first one, because Dave Braine is gone.
StingerSplash
October 21st, 2009
5:58 pm
Yes, Jeff, you can have more Kool Aid. There’s plenty to go around. Drink all you want.
We’ll be making more.
Seriously, I’ve been waiting for the moment PJ would take over the Tech program. There was no doubt what he could there. Let’s see if the rest of the college football nation takes notice.
Now, about the basketball program….
GTSteve
October 21st, 2009
5:59 pm
Hey Roger if SOS is so important, how come UGA isnt ranked higher…their SOS is 20….
Oh , because they are not 6 and 1…..now I get it…….lol
GR82BAG8R
October 21st, 2009
6:08 pm
Beat UVA and then we’ll talk about whether Johnson’s arrival has changed Tech. Tech has a knack for winning a statement game then laying an egg. Look at last year’s Georgia game followed by the loss to LSU if you want proof.
Cuttysark
October 21st, 2009
6:08 pm
“Well this offense won’t work in a BCS conference.” Now listen to everyone. The Bandwagon the 1st year right after the hire was smaller than a row boat. The man has won championships with this offense at Georgia Southern University. You don’t think he can be successful coaching a more athletic player in the ACC?. Why is everyone so surprised? He is the best coach in college football and his halftime adjustments are simply outstanding. “Dag Gum Wishbone.”
Go to http://isportsweb.com for Georgia Tech Football articles and look for a preview of the UVA game tomorrow. Also check out the Paul Johnson article from August 17, 2009 Go Jackets!
Tommy
October 21st, 2009
6:09 pm
Did ja hear Lorne smith on the Dog network say Frank Beamer and BeamerBall was too much for the Yellow Jackets to handle+
me
October 21st, 2009
6:15 pm
Someone explain how Iowa has a sos of 3… I don’t see it….
Yellow Fuzz
October 21st, 2009
6:15 pm
GR82BAG8R
Beat Florida, Auburn, Kentucky or us and then we’ll talk about whether your opinion means JACK SCHITT to the Tech Nation. Win a statement game of your own then you can criticize us.
me
October 21st, 2009
6:16 pm
Oh, and go jackets!
GT
October 21st, 2009
6:18 pm
Great article. Coaches now days receive so much money and then Gailey pulls the old, “we can’t expect to win because we have to go to class” routine. Then don’t take the money coach or take less like the rest of the college payroll that can’t help the football team win either. I get so tire of coaches like Bill Curry who practice saying the right things but use that as a excuse for their lack of success. They have their own little smug self righteousness, they have found a meal ticket like a preacher above this winning and losing thing. Not only does it discourage the academic schools from fielding a good football team , it encourages the rogue school that uses it as their excuse for “it is a dog eat dog world and if we don’t do it we get eaten ourselves.” I can remember siting in the Tech stands hearing fans wishing Tech would cheat so we could stop losing to Georgia, like that was the missing ingredient. Believe it or not there are many schools that would rather have a winning football team that a strong academic rep, and when the two come into conflict the academic suffers. And thirdly it gives the pollsters the idea that Tech cannot be that good, instead of shoveling the spin like 99% of the SEC, Tech lays out a case of why they should never be considered for a top 10 rating. I think till this day that glass ceiling is being created by a lazy previous coach who felt more comfortable personally with low expectations and a high paycheck, but who wouldn’t? Paul Johnson would be one of a very small group who wouldn’t.
Delbert D.
October 21st, 2009
6:26 pm
Yellow Fuzz – That guy allegedly is a UF fan “Great to be a gator” is how the ID translates. I would enjoy seeing UF beat themselves, again. Like against Ole Miss last year.
ICMIII
October 21st, 2009
6:32 pm
I’m a UGA Fan and alum. I think Paul Johnson is great. Tech landed one hell of a coach. His teams play hard, and they play smart. And if they don’t, CPJ puts his foot up their butt. Wish we had a little more of that in Athens.
Delbert D.
October 21st, 2009
6:35 pm
Paul Johnson is very old school. Mark Richt seems more like hoity-toity prep school. That’s about as nasty as I get.
collegeballfan
October 21st, 2009
6:48 pm
As I believe Paul Johnson would say – “lets keep our feet on the ground here…”. Tech is 6 – 1. Great! They were 6 – 1 last year. Then went out & lost to Virginia. Ended up losing 3 of the last 6 games.
You are only as good as the outcome of your next game.
I really think Johnson is a very good football coach. They have an opportunity to have a very special season. But it is only an opportunity. The coaches & players must deliver. The last game does not matter, only the next game.
k-money
October 21st, 2009
6:49 pm
Wait about 2 or 3 more years when CPJ actually has recruited to fit his system. It’s going to be scary. These are not option o-lineman. Jordan Luallen may win a heisman after he takes over for Nesbitt.
bradley
October 21st, 2009
6:54 pm
Yeah…but he will not be at Tech long. Check it, he continues to refuse to sign any contract extension that contains a heavy buy-out. Who would want to stay at Tech? It is a stepping stone. The only positive may be low expectations.
GR82BAG8R
October 21st, 2009
6:58 pm
Delbert is correct, Yellow Fuzz. I thought you Techies were supposed to be smart. It is indeed “Great to be a Gator”. Florida has won two out of the last three BCS NCs as well as two basketball NCs. If Tech had done the same you would be feeling as great.
Now back to the question at hand, can Tech get the UVA monkey off its back? There is something about playing in Charlottesville that seems to put Tech off its game. How else do you explain loss after loss after loss since 1990.
Johnson has done some impressive work since his arrival to your school. He has really gotten the Bulldog fans attention to the point they spend more time trying to denigrate Tech than they do explaing why Georgia can’t seem to beat Florida.
Good luck Saturday in Charlottesville. You’re going to need it. Virgina is not the same team that lost to William&Mary.
jacket3
October 21st, 2009
7:00 pm
The Dawgs would love to have CPJ. What college program in 1-A wouldn’t. He made believers in 2-A as well.
Love his attitude, and his swagger. AND he did this with Gailey’s recruits! Wait ’till he gets his own group on the field…look out Dog fans…there is a new sheriff in town for Division 1-A. Certainly now the Jackets have someone with style, intelligence and class.
We’ll see how well you do Nov 28th and the next year, and the next year…..yeah, we’ll lose a game or two, but not many for a long, long time.
Go Jackets.
Paul( high school offense) Johnson
October 21st, 2009
7:07 pm
One complete pass in the whole game !!! You might can win the acc with this high school offense but if you think you can win a national championship doing nothing but running the ball i think you are a couple marbles short.It looks good with a lead but what happens next time you are down in the 4th and have to pass?Turn it over to your qb and watch him complete 1 out of 12?
Brian
October 21st, 2009
7:08 pm
THWGT
Delbert D.
October 21st, 2009
7:10 pm
GR82BAG8R – Actually, I would not like to see the Gators lose like that. I’m just generally pi$$ed off about something today. I think it was the Tiffen article in the AP. Tebow has my respect.
UVA is a nightmare that keeps me waking up in a sweat. “Laying an egg” is putting it nicely. They and UNC are my must win games, or I’m messed up for months. Can’t stand the “plantation owner” mentality of the UVA and UNC grads I’ve worked with.
GR82BAG8R
October 21st, 2009
7:12 pm
PHSOJ, remember that Johnson does not have his full complement of players yet. You also have not seen his complete offense. Don’t kid yourself that he will not use the pass, and just run, run, run. The complexity and simplicity of his offense drives defenses crazy. Just when you think you have figured it out, and covered all the run options, he will pass and it will be for a long gain.
Tech may indeed one day play for a NC under Johnson. But first, they must beat UVA.
Jackets Keep Rollin'
October 21st, 2009
7:14 pm
6-1 is a great start — Same as last year. With so many games yet to be played, there’s no point trying to write the chapter on this season…yet. With a few more crucial wins we can be a historic team. But there is a lot more football to come! Go Jackets!
GA Tech Insider
October 21st, 2009
7:31 pm
bradley, you should check you facts before making stupid statements. Paul Johnson just signed an extension after last season. Maybe it’s wishful thinking on your part, but Paul Johnson is planning on being on the Flats for a while, and the Jacket Nation, including yours truly, is more than willing to “belly up to the bar” to keep the man happy enough to stay.
Paul Johnson is already proving he can compete for championships at Georgia Tech. That was all he was looking for when he decided to leave Navy. There shouldn’t be a reason to make another move as long as we take care of him, and show him how much we appreciate what he’s doing for us.
Dan
October 21st, 2009
7:44 pm
PHSOJ, didn’t we complete one pass last year against U(sic)GA and still beat the preseason #1 team in the land? But don’t let facts get in the way of your point…
fladawg
October 21st, 2009
7:45 pm
I am glad for GT to finally be winning some games…but there is no comparison to CMR. Regardless of the weak minded dawg fans complaining this year so far, clear thinking Dawg fans are very happy to have CMR. We will see how many of you still love your coach and program when he has a down period or when more teams successfully defend the option offense.
PAUL JOHNSON BELIEVER
October 21st, 2009
7:46 pm
All I have to say is this.
Paul Johnson’s offense require players that can run in the 4.2 range and take hits. At my alma mater, Georgia Southern,coach Johnson won back to back championships. We could score from anywhere on the field at anytime. WAIT, thats already happening.
Wait until he gets the players to fit his system. Josh is good, but he is a spread QB like Tebow. As big as he is, he still manages to fit through holes and pick up huge amounts of yardage. You put someone leaner, lower to the ground and faster than Nesbit and I can ensure chaos will reign on Tech’s opponents.
Tech Fan
October 21st, 2009
7:51 pm
I remember so vividly my Saturday afternoons at Paulson Stadium,,,Watching the Ga Southern Eagle run a flawless option,,,,The Eagles were a scoring machine. After a record of 15-0 I knew then we word lose CPJ to a larger institution,,,After his departure, I relocated to Atlanta. I was over- joyed when I found out he was hired by Tech… His success is no surprise to me. COMING SOON TO ATLANTA SOON, “ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP” Starring Paul Johnson
YellowJacket
October 21st, 2009
7:52 pm
Focus on Virginia.
The Stinger
October 21st, 2009
7:55 pm
Bobby Ross is near the bottom. Oh boy, national championships will surely follow. Who could ever beat our boys in football. Johnson should win the rest this year and be undefeated next year for the BCS bowl. I can’t wait. Can you?
Doug Anderson
October 21st, 2009
8:04 pm
Much better article than the Rush BS- stick to sports.
Haters Bite
October 21st, 2009
8:07 pm
I was born and raised in Augusta and graduated from Ga Tech in 1988. I get so sick of all the UGA and GT haters. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting both CMR and CPJ. They are both good coaches and more importantly good men. It’s great for the state to have both programs do well.
Don’t get me wrong. I definitely want GT to beat UGA every year. I enjoy some of the good natured ribbing. But I don’t have to have UGA lose to feel good about myself or GT. I can’t wait till the day that both programs go into that final game undefeated. Think about how cool that would be.
jackette
October 21st, 2009
8:10 pm
While we are focusing on beating Virginia, lol, I can still foresee CPJ winning another NC in the state of GA. WHY? Because he refuses to accept anything less. What is amusing, it will be at Ga Southern and Ga Tech. No one would have bet odds on that ..UGA on the outside looking baby
What
October 21st, 2009
8:12 pm
Bug you have bug nuts we have won a national championship since the last time the mutts have and will win another before they even get close again.
Kevrock
October 21st, 2009
8:12 pm
When he was at Ga. Southern. I remember him being frustrated all the time. I was a redshirt my Freshman year so I played Scout team in ‘84. He was the OC and he was always bitching about something but I look back on those days and he was just being who he is, a perfectionist. That’s what makes him such a good Coach. We really had something special back then with him and Erk. I also remember him off the field. He is so laid back, easy to talk to and approachable. Most people don’t see that side of him. I’m proud to be one of his former players.
Rabun Dawg
October 21st, 2009
8:26 pm
Haters Bite, that was very well spoken. I feel the same as you. Both schools have class coaches, and I too wish both programs success. However, our hopes for the end of November do differ just a tad! Great for the State to have two quality programs even though mine needs to pick up a bit!
Dog poop
October 21st, 2009
8:34 pm
Right on haters bite, I have freinds and family who attended both schools. I pull for both. When the two meet,I gotta go for tech. They are almost always the underdog. I lived alot of my childhood in the 50’s near Tech. The Bobby Dodd days. But I gotta admit UGA has the advantage on recruits. The SEC, the fact thats it a liberal arts school. Many more subjects that accommodate jocks. But I don’t hate ether. You’ve got big mouths on both sides and sometimes the blogs are just silly. But thats college football.
macrotech
October 21st, 2009
8:35 pm
bugsquacher, HOW bout dem dawgs?! (No offense to the classier Dawg fans…I respect your passion for you team and value your recognition that something special is happening over here in the Flats)
Paul( high school offense) Johnson, “what happens next time you are down in the 4th and have to pass?”…. we RUN for 12, 20 or SCORE!!! You should watch Tech before you start letting ignorance fall out of your face….WIPE YOUR CHIN!!!
TECH is MOST fortunate to have CPJ….he has a winning attitude and it is contageous!!! GO TECH!!!
GT Nerd
October 21st, 2009
8:35 pm
Jeff….what would this blog be without a nerd informing you that you misspelled the first word in your tenth paragraph. Anyway….I don’t give a rat’s A$$. Just informing you that even nerds read your blog. THWG.
Tokyo jacket
October 21st, 2009
8:37 pm
GR82BAG8R, you have probably put more insiteful football comments into one blog than 70% of the Dog fans on here. The other 30% are actually pretty cool. But, I am very tired of two things: EVERYONE (including the media) having the “I’ll believe it when” mentality and the ACC is the weak sister comment.
First, prior to Nov 29, 2008, Tech had: 1) never won in Tallahassee, 2) Lost to an unranked team every year since 1991, 3) Not beaten a team in the top 5 at home in over 45 years, 4) Lost 7 straight games to UGA and 5) Not beaten UVA at UVA since 1990. Since then, items 1), 3), and 4) have all been checked off the list. Item 2) is on track to be gone at the end of the year. We’ll know about Item 3) in about 65 hrs. What more does this coach and this team have to do to convince people? He is the REAL F’n DEAL! Even if we don’t check off items 2) and 3) this year, that dude is a winner – vs: Cleam 2-0, FSU 2-0, UGA 1-0, UNC 1-1, VT 1-1, UM 1-1. Find me two years when Gailey or O’Leary did that. Oh wait, you can’t because neither ever beat FSU and Gailey never beat UGA.
ACC is the Weak Sister? Give it a rest. The ACC Coastal is better than the SEC East. The SEC East has UF at 1/2 and then USC(e) at 25. The ACC Costal has The U at 8, GT at 12 and VT at 14. The SEC East’s third best team might not make it to a bowl game this year. Every team in the ACC Coastal is .500 or better. There are probably 5 bowl teams in the ACC Coastal. The SEC East will be lucky to have 4.
Once CPJ and GT become the unofficial SEC Champs (3-0 or 4-0?), please tell me how hard the SEC is. And please, God and Sweet Baby Jesus, let us play LSU as at large teams. We will bring the thunder and lightning to Les Miles!
Jeff Schultz
October 21st, 2009
8:45 pm
G-Man – Thanks
Burdell – Let me know when you’ve finished and I’ll do a blog on it – after you explain it to me.
Nativebird – Nesbitt’s pretty good. Actually, he’s very good. Pitches are off sometimes but you can’t discount his skills.
1Jacket7—Thanks.
Doug Anderson – I’m writing something Boortz for Friday and Hannity Sunday, just for you.
David Granger
October 21st, 2009
8:55 pm
Big Dawg fan here, but I also think that Paul Johnson is a fine coach, and a very good fit at Georgia Tech.
Without a “General Studies” major to stick ‘em in and keep ‘em eligible, GT is never going to be able to recruit a big stable of four and five star players every year. PJ’s offense also limits him a little…the top rated QBs and WRs want to play in a pro set offense, and the top level RBs want to play in the I formation to get 30+ carries a game.
But if you get a bunch of smart kids who BELIEVE in his offense, and run it correctly…it can be hard to beat. Also, you get a few two and three-star players who have a little “chip” on their shoulder from not being rated a little higher or recruited by the bigger programs, and they’ll oftentimes work their tails off at practice and in the weight rooms.
I think that Paul Johnson is about as good a fit at Georgia Tech as any coach anywhere, and I think the UGA-GT game is going to be real competitive, year-in and year-out.
GT Rich
October 21st, 2009
9:04 pm
Burdell, nevermind the switchgrass, go for kudzu as your fuel source!! It never stops spreading and dominates everything it comes into contact with!! ….kind of sounds like the GT spread-option offense.
chuck
October 21st, 2009
9:04 pm
Jeff, why don’t you go and kiss Paul Johnsons A$$.
go tech
October 21st, 2009
9:12 pm
Let’s go Tech, beat the Pinot Noir and Brie eaters!!
doesherschelstillplay
October 21st, 2009
9:14 pm
October 21st, 2009
9:08 pm
oh wow, you cannot make the dawg fans up..all these years, you have acted like you cannot even be concerned with GT because your too caught up with you high and mighty games in the SEC. But here comes Loran Smith running his mouth in the UGA-Vandy broadcast how GT has nothing for VT. Since when do you hyprocrites even care? It has been 29 years since you won a national title and you act like it happened yesterday.. GET OVER IT and that includes Loran, my God, I cannot not believe how jealous you people are. By the way, I heard some of Loran on the broadcast as I was driving to the GT-VT game and he sounded incoherent and like he is 100 yrs old. He said something about some country music singer on sidelines which you couldn’t even understand what he was saying and the GA announcers had to repeat it and make something out of his nothing comments. I apologize if Loran is suffering from Dementia ..I don’t follow your games so I really truly dont know but he sounds like a hack, it is what it is
hank
October 21st, 2009
9:15 pm
nerds, before you get too giddy, the 2nd year for a h/coach is typically one of his best. richt/miles/saban/meyer and on and on and on.
if he is as good as you think, he aint going to be there long.
you could not even sell out the va tech game, your campus is surrounded by thugs/gangs/rapist. this appears to be a resume building job for him. and by the way, would be nice if he would not say G– Damn all the time on the sideline.
Cecil34
October 21st, 2009
9:15 pm
I can tell you one thing I have seen first-hand – Most of Tech’s coaching hires had a distinct lack of talent and ability, and that is the main reason that UGA had so much success against us in the last 35 years.
It isn’t like we did not have some good football players over the years – maybe not as much depth as UGA, but we could play them close.
Tech needed someone on the sidelines that was not intimidated by the job and the opposition. Who had high expectations and was not going to compromise those standards. Coach Johnson is such a man.
Gailey as a recent example has been exposed on both the college and pro level as an out and out fraud. He is uncreative, offensively narrow-minded and unadaptable.
He under performed as a head coach in Dallas as further proof of his limitations. He personally and unknowingly made Richt look like Lombardi with the way he prepared Tech for the UGA games, not to mention his horrid play calling. And starting Reggie Ball no matter what. He rode that horse and got rode out of town.
I knew all it would take to get Tech back on an even keel with the other programs was a quality coach who knows how to coach.
And Recruit.
Cowboys vs. Falcons Preview | Betting FBCC: Atlanta Falcons
October 21st, 2009
9:19 pm
[...] Johnson’s start proves it can be done at BGeorgia/B BTech/B BGeorgia/B BTech/B has been playing Bfootball/B since 1892, and in that time only one Bfootball/B coach in 117 years has had a better start to his career than [...]
Max
October 21st, 2009
9:21 pm
Having paul johnson as your coach is like buying apple stock when it was $5.
Navigator
October 21st, 2009
9:22 pm
Tech’s ability to field a top ten team has been proven over and over again through the years. The problem is keeping a top notch coaching staff there. For many reasons, coaches seem to come to Tech with ideas of going to the NFL, Notre Dame, or move onto schools they perceive as having more opportunity to win big games and often. Remember you can add up only three coaches as long time coaches (Heisman, Alexander and Dodd). They saw something at Tech few coaches do, but they were very successful while they were there.
Stinger
October 21st, 2009
9:23 pm
Coach Paul Johnson said that Virginia has never beat him in Charlottsville so he won’t take credit for any of those loses since 1990. I love his attitude and I can’t see this string going any further. PJ is making a habit of breaking streaks and the Virginia streak is over. We wear them out in the second half, 41 to 20.
snapshot
October 21st, 2009
9:24 pm
Paul high school. You know very little about football.
k483
October 21st, 2009
9:26 pm
By this and other articles it is painfully obvious you are wanting to have PJ’s love child, but do you think we’ll ever see some unbiased journalism from you in the near future?
Mike
October 21st, 2009
9:28 pm
If we don’t make it to the NC game, I hope we play an sec or big 12 team in our bowl game and kick their azz.
BIG BEE
October 21st, 2009
9:31 pm
BUGSQUACHER, just look in the mirrorand you will see the biggest da$% fool around. Class “A” idiot.
TechCrybaby
October 21st, 2009
9:34 pm
“Keep warning ‘em, keep pushing ‘em,” please, Coach Johnson. We like your style. You’ve already told the team, this week, “If you don’t play like it’s life or death, this Saturday, it’s going to be UVA’s goalpost that comes down.”
CPJ
October 21st, 2009
9:36 pm
CPJ is a damn good coach
sidslid
October 21st, 2009
9:42 pm
The Bobby Ross numbers are amazing. And he wins a national championship two years later
RAMBLE ON!!!
October 21st, 2009
9:44 pm
Sir Paul is da man.
VegasGT
October 21st, 2009
9:46 pm
I think the previous statement that PJ is a perfect fit for GT hit the nail on the head. He really seems to understand what it takes. He is also no-nonsense which is something most engineering types can appreciate. You’ve got to give it to DR for figuring out that piece of the puzzle.
Win or lose, the team is just more fun to watch.
This is one time I am glad we are “Braine-less”.
FOCUS on UVA. There is no other team on our schedule right now that means more than UVA. I love the comment about PJ not having a losing record in Charlottesville. It’s about as relevant as it’s going to get.
A Rob
October 21st, 2009
9:46 pm
I like the fact that he keeps them grounded week to week. You don’t see showboating from these guys. That shows strength of leadership. A welcome change on the Flats!
TML
October 21st, 2009
9:48 pm
CPJ – the captain of North Avenue and the envy of Athens. The Muttlanders better get used to it. The man wins everywhere he’s been and he’s showing that his “high school offense” is quick-strike like Florida and grind-the-clock-down like Alabama. Imagine what the Jackets will be like when Blackwatch-type defenses return to The Flats. Conference and – dare I say – national titles will be making return visits to North Avenue once again soon. Virginia is now next up to get gashed…
The last time we won up there was 1990. That very win is memorialized in StinGTees’ t-shirt – and soon framed print – offering “Toe Meets Leather”, available at http://www.stinGTees.com. Pick yours up TONIGHT/TODAY before your game-watching party Saturday!
JB
October 21st, 2009
9:49 pm
The bad news for ugay fans is that paul johnson has stuck it to his rivals not just at navy but everywhere he has been. He believes that beating your rival is to show dominance in your state. CPJ knows this and understands it. He will not get a bunch of 4 and 5 star kids and we don’t need any. Look at how he gets the most out of the kids that were recruited for a pro-style offense!! The man is a winner and this offense torched maybe the second best defense in the entire nation in vt. Bud foster is nasty on defense and paul johnson took him to school in the 2nd half saturday. I believe we would hang 45 on miami right now also. People better beat tech in early in the season, because once this monster of an offense gets going, nobody is going to shut tech down on offense. Only turnovers or just terrilbe play by our defense will cost us a game left on the schedule. CPJ will get have us ready for uva and i expect our offense to score 30 plus and a good showing again by the defense. Take it one game at a time, win out, and if miami falls, we will be in the orange bowl against cincy or pitt. Just imagine with almost all our starters back next year, how exciting next season will be also!!! The future is bright on the flats! GO JACKETS
THWG 45-42
Mike T.
October 21st, 2009
10:01 pm
Beat Florida, Auburn, Kentucky or us
Or Us? 59-36-5. 7 of the last 8.
GTRich
October 21st, 2009
10:02 pm
Math lesson time for the math challenged dawgs 4×3=12 equals first down. If we can grind out 3 yards on every down why should we pass? We control the ball, eat up the clock and keep the ball away from the other team’s offense. Call it boring or high school football but a W is a W. 11 Ws get us into a BCS bowl. 12 W next year will get us a NC.
Mike T.
October 21st, 2009
10:10 pm
GTRich,
Let see how many Fourth and ones you football strategy challenged Nerds convert. Gee what a bunch of morons.
SE GA LADY
October 21st, 2009
10:13 pm
Why didn’t you report the same SEC officiating crew incorrectly calling the LSU/UGA and FL/ARK games? This was a Tech crew, as I recall from the terrible LSU/UGA call against A.J. Green. This AP story appeared two days ago in the Brunswick,GA, paper, but the first I saw online was tonight in the AJC. Shame…..
Tokyo jacket
October 21st, 2009
10:22 pm
Proof that UGAyers are falling off the bandwagon and Tech’s program is turning around: I pose that the ACC Coastal is better than the SEC East and NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON ARGUED!
Max, I could not have said that any better myself man. Perfect simily.
Mike T – CPJ’s record at Tech against UGA 1-0. That’s the one that counts. Look at the upside, if Tech wins two more against UGA, you’ll get that coaching change that you dawg fans have been hoping for.
4 jacks
October 21st, 2009
10:25 pm
Say what you want. However, give Paul Johnson UGAY’s team and talent for the past 4 or 5 years and the Gators and the rest of the SEC would be in trouble…not that he would beat them every time, but he would beat them more than he gets beat. Conversley, give Richt Tech’s squad for the same period and you would get Chan Gailey results. Richt has always had the cream of the talent at FSU and now at ugay. If he ever gets to a place that he cannot recruit to 10 classes he is toast. I am sure he is a class man, but the fact is he has had the talent to already win a NC, and maybe recruiting is a little off over in the cess pool
m
October 21st, 2009
10:28 pm
Jeff…there was never any doubt that it could be done.
The problem is Tech was saddled with the worst coach in history…chan gomer gailey….and the worst AD in history….dave braine-dead.
Fortunately, DRAD came along and thanks to him and God and Greyhound…chan gomer gailey is gone forever. Any Tech fan that EVER supported or defended chan gomer gailey in any way sucks as bad as he did.
Paul Johnson is the new sheriff in town…and the sky is the limit.
dap01
October 21st, 2009
10:34 pm
Paul Johnson is a very good coach. He is changing everyone’s perception of Tech. He is making people believe that GA Tech is not a second rate team that plays on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday so that any TV network will carry them. He is helping people come to the stands to fill up one whole side and helping to raise the $17 seats at the 50 yard line. He is making people forget that almost 38,000 fans come to big games when a good team visits. He is making people forget that the teams color is yellow.
He is a great coach.
Cosmo
October 21st, 2009
10:37 pm
’bout time you got on board. This coming evolution was evident to many in the program last year and it will continue. NOW TCOB in C’ville, N’ville, Durham and @ home and we can really talk some good news.
Wreckmaniac
October 21st, 2009
10:38 pm
Whatever the reason, PJ says “performance counts”. He is saying we will not be a team that just “shows up” on game day. Maybe PJ is trying to get to the “next level” whatever that is. Our detractors will always say that if we have a successful coach he will leave for better
things. Well, ask G O’Leary who had the job for life if he wanted it.
Whatever PJ does in the future, at Tech or elsewhere, we will wish him the best. He has instilled the simpliest of values, desire and pride and we demand that.
Wreckmaniac
October 21st, 2009
10:40 pm
Thanks for the comments on DRAD. After all, if he had not had a goal, Tech would still be living through another loss to UGA which DRAD knows we will not tolerate.
Ted Striker
October 21st, 2009
10:44 pm
I just wanna know if Dan is related to Anka Radakovich. That is one funny chick. I sort of miss her.