5 things that could go wrong for Tech: Most involve talent
Linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu: Is he a playmaker? (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
To reiterate: I think Georgia Tech’s going to be OK this season. Not great, but OK. That said …
Tech is coming off a 6-7 season. With such a team — and Georgia is also such a team — there can be no givens. I’ve picked the Jackets to go 8-4, and with NCAA winds swirling around Miami and North Carolina it’s possible Tech could rise to second in the ACC Coastal Division. (Can’t see anybody catching Virginia Tech, though.) Things could, as things sometimes do, also go wrong. Such things include:
1. Nesbitt could prove irreplaceable. The new quarterback is redshirt junior Tevin Washington. The backup is redshirt freshman Synjyn Days. The people’s choice is freshman Vad Lee. They’re following a truly tough act.
Starting quarterback is the most important position on any team, and his value increases exponentially in Paul Johnson’s stylized offense. Johnson’s quarterback has to make choices — as opposed to simply handing the ball off — on every snap. The quarterback in the spread option also gets hit a lot, and even the indomitable Nesbitt wound up getting hurt. It was encouraging that the Jackets gained 512 yards against Georgia with Washington at quarterback, but that game might have been a red (and black) herring.
2. These B-backs could turn out to be C-minuses. Johnson believes he could deploy Wolf Blitzer at B-back and have the man gain 1,000 yards. (Although Wolf Blitzer would seem a better candidate for outside linebacker in the 3-4.) That’s the nature of this system and the faith Johnson has in his creation.
The past two feature backs have been Jonathan Dwyer and Allen, and both were NFL draftees. Preston Lyons entered camp as the No. 1 B-back, but has been supplanted by David Sims, who once was a quarterback. Sims isn’t as husky as Dwyer or Allen, which could be reason for concern: B-backs get hit a lot, too.
3. The defense could suffer more Groh-ing pains. Defensive coordinator Al Groh made a remarkable admission after Tech lost to North Carolina State 45-28 last September: His men simply hadn’t made many plays. (He counted three.) Then he said: “There’s no supermarket we can go down to and buy new players.”
This Tech defense will have had ample time to absorb Groh’s 3-4 scheme, which was new to the Flats last season, but the question lingers: Are there any playmakers in the house? If so, who? Outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu has that potential, and inside backer Julian Burnett does, too. And maybe end Izaan Cross. The secondary, however, is all new.
4. The Jackets could lose an early game they shouldn’t. Let’s go on record as saying Tech won’t lose to Western Carolina on Thursday night. But next week brings a dicey road assignment: Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro. That’s the kind of game that could make the Blue Raiders’ season — and imperil Tech’s.
Middle Tennessee lost to Tech 42-14 last season, but that game was here, and Nesbitt was healthy. The Blue Raiders finished 6-7 last season, same as Tech, and will have already faced a team from a BCS league — even if it is only Purdue — by the time the Jackets arrive. And let’s recall what happened when Tech traveled in Week 2 game last season: It lost to Kansas, which would finish 3-9.
5. The talent gap could prove too great even for Johnson to override. Some keen-eyed Jackets-watchers insist this is the least gifted Tech team since the inglorious days of Bill Lewis. As good a coach as Johnson is — and he’s very good — he can’t outflank everybody all the time. Last season proved as much.
We on the periphery tend to overrate recruiting rankings, but the cold truth is that the playmakers Johnson inherited from Chan Gailey — Nesbitt, Dwyer, Derrick Morgan, Demaryius Thomas, Morgan Burnett — are gone, and suitable replacements have yet to emerge. Preseason all-conference lists aren’t the most reliable indicators, either; still, it’s worth noting that Tech placed only guard Omoregie Uzzi on the 25-man all-ACC team. If Tech is to have its bounce-back season, much coaching-up must be done.
By Mark Bradley
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127 comments Add your comment
J.J.M.
August 31st, 2011
12:07 pm
first?
Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
12:08 pm
Kudos once more, J.J.M.
GeorgiaDawg91
August 31st, 2011
12:13 pm
Though they may not be as talented Paul Johnson did wonders for Navy because he is tough minded and his teams usually play the same way. They will still be a team to not take lightly
sidslid
August 31st, 2011
12:14 pm
I would like Middle Tennessee if it was their opener. Teams with time to prepare for the option can beat it (see Iowa).
Killiangsu
August 31st, 2011
12:16 pm
Mark,
Do you ever have anything positive to say about the Jackets? I suppose it’s really hard for you to do so when you spend all your time hummping the legs of the UGA faithfull. Do us all a favor and leave the insights on Tech football to someone that has actually watched a Tech game this decade. I also wanted to knwo where we could get the UGA SEC Championship T-Shirts for pre-order, they may still have some laying around from 2008/2009 season….Oh Wait….
HJW
August 31st, 2011
12:16 pm
[MTSU's week 1 opponent] does not exist
Hit REAL Hard
August 31st, 2011
12:16 pm
How about 5 things that could go right for Tech?
Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
12:17 pm
Er, did I not pick Tech to go 8-4?
roger staubach
August 31st, 2011
12:20 pm
The talent level of GT vs USNA is fairly par, i’d give a slight edge to GT, but the mindset is astronomically different in favor of the Academy.
Dr. Sigmund Football
August 31st, 2011
12:20 pm
How about you give up “stylized offense,” as a New Year’s resolution. Gives you all season to steel yourself. Or, take a babystep and give it up for Lent. Not much football news then anyway.
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
12:20 pm
I guess we’ll see if you’re right about the talent. Not all Jacket watchers agree with that assessment. O-line, for example, is getting a little more beef (if less experienced beef) and that all new secondary is composed of what many Jackets insiders say is better talent. I’m certainly not going to argue that Nesbitt, Allen, and – from ‘09 – Morgan, Thomas and Burnett are not yet deemed “replaced” by observers, BUT I’m of the opinion we just can’t know who’s really getting plugged in at those spots until the first ACC games are over. Also confounding the public assessment is the closing of all practices save for a couple of scrimmages. I used to go to practices at Rose Bowl fields to see the youngbucks myself…but now we just have very little idea who’s gonna be able to do what.
I’m cautiously optimistic that 8-4 is a solid, middle-of-the-road prediction of what this season holds.
GO JACKETS! In about 27 hours I’ll be on The Flats for a much needed tailgate party!
Hankie Aron
August 31st, 2011
12:23 pm
It’s bad when Middle Tenn on the road is trap game, then again UGA should have hammered the vaunted Central Florida football team last year but our guys vacation had already started.
Hankie Aron
August 31st, 2011
12:26 pm
For both GT and UGA- the teams could just as well win 9 games or lose 7. It’s an odd time for fans
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
12:28 pm
Yeah, traveling to MTSU just seems like a very interesting choice, but I think it’s a function of how many more desirable teams were scheduled to come to BDS this season. Personally, I plan to party in Nashville and then catch the game out in Murfreesboro…should be fun. You know the MTSUers will be amped. But yeah…Tech needs to hammer them in that one. Same goes for Kansas at home in The Dodd.
spider
August 31st, 2011
12:29 pm
i dont know how much time i have left on this earth but i hope before i die i will be able too figure out why it is such a big deal to be 1st on these blogs.
Stinger2
August 31st, 2011
12:32 pm
Mark: Not trying to be picky but I don`t think Nesbitt got hurt because he was hit running the ball. As I recall, he was hurt making a tacket after throwing an interception.
Just Asking
August 31st, 2011
12:35 pm
MB Did you pick which games the Jackets would win and loose as you did with UGA? If so I didn’t see it. Just asking.
K
August 31st, 2011
12:36 pm
Don’t count this team out.
Speaking of the “What ifs,” What if Tech wins them all?
We’ve been doubted before. With Paul Johnson, I would not bet against him.
Ramblin Man
August 31st, 2011
12:39 pm
Mark I agree to a point. GT may not have many preseason favorites as far as talent goes, but how many did GT have in 08,seriously cause I don’t know. It will be a wait and see since a lot of new players will hit the field this year and yes Sims will take a lot of hits but with Perkins and Lyons right with him I am not to worried about the BB slot.
JASon
August 31st, 2011
12:39 pm
“As good a coach as Johnson is — and he’s very good”
I question this. Yeah, he’s so good he’s gotten blown out of two bowl games. I would argue his success has come mostly due to the uniqueness of his system. Hence the 6-7.
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
12:41 pm
Just Asking, I believe he did. But it brings up a good point that 8-4 could be a great number if it’s a season of redemption and there are wins against Kansas and one or more of our rivals (VT, CU, GU). But 8-4 could be a really bad number if there’s a loss to a team we should beat (KU, WCU, MTSU, Duke, UVA) and no win against any of the rivals (they all play us in our house this season, so it’d seem even worse to drop those games.) I think the best thing Tech can do to increase perception and fan support is be sure to beat GU and one of either CU or VT. We can lose to Miami, UNC and maybe NCSU, in my opinion, and still have happier fans if we beat GU and somebody else our fans hate. Of course, winning bowls also helps hugely in years like this one since they can say “And this team is so YOUNG, too!” to get people pumped. /rabbittrail
DScottGT91
August 31st, 2011
12:42 pm
Very rational analysis by MB. All those inexperienced O-Lineman make me nervous.
Still, I”ll be pulling hard Thursday night.
GO JACKETS!!
Snellville Jacket
August 31st, 2011
12:42 pm
“Some keen-eyed Jacket-watchers insist this is the least gifted Tech team since the inglorious days of Bill Lewis.”
Mark, talent wasn’t the problem for Bill Lewis – it was coaching. The team quit on him after he blew the FSU game in 1992. Unlike then, we now have a coach who can maximize the talent he has!
????
August 31st, 2011
12:43 pm
K,
with fish fry? That tub of goo will NEVER win big again at GT. The gimmick is up!
2010 Season Re-Cap
August 31st, 2011
12:43 pm
The last game Virginia Tech played, the Hokies were embarrassed 40-12.
????
August 31st, 2011
12:45 pm
PCJ,
who is GU? Ya’ll playing Georgetown this year?
TC
August 31st, 2011
12:46 pm
Is Paul Johnson a poor recruiter?
Cosmo
August 31st, 2011
12:46 pm
sidslid- Having watched this team for all the games, I’ll offer the opinion that it is more than the other team having time to prepare, rather it was GT being out of rhythm in what had been a relatively new offense to many of the GT players. I’m hoping that the newest recruits will have grown up in similar systems and the upperclassmen will have been in it long enough that their execution of the offense will be more second nature than it has in the past. Unfortunately when that has happened in the past the other team gets a lead and despite getting their legs (and heads) back in the game and running the offense effectively they cannot catch up because the defense had trouble stopping folks. Defense, not offense is the key to success this season. CPJ will have them score points. Groh needs stops.
2010 Season Re-Cap
August 31st, 2011
12:47 pm
JASon, 14-7 is not a blow out to a team that barely lost to Oklahoma.
GIVE ME A BREAK
August 31st, 2011
12:48 pm
I like tech’s talent. Washington is going to be good. Instead of taking the hits, he’ll cause the D to miss. Very optimistic about these guys. Sims is going to be a beast. ” GO JACKETS “
Delbert D.
August 31st, 2011
12:50 pm
I gotta hand it to you, Mark. Wolf Blitzer is a great football name.
techfan
August 31st, 2011
12:51 pm
I think #1 is the biggest worry. I’m still not really convinced we are in good shape at QB. Hopefully with last years experience and hard work this off season Tevin will take it up a level. The good news is that we are fairly deep at the position.
I’m really not buying that MTSU can beat us. We were not even playing that well against them last year and still beat them pretty handily. As for talent, we have about the same level of talent we have always had. Nothing really new in that area.
Herschel Talker
August 31st, 2011
1:02 pm
MB:
One thing that will go right for Tech this year is playing a Georgia team coached by Mark Richt.
Paul Johnson will out coach him and hopefully that will be the demise of Richt’s tenure at Georgia. Good riddance.
HT
JH
August 31st, 2011
1:04 pm
too much nesbitt crap. he couldn’t throw. washington and the guys here now can. your way too bullish on uga(no surprise there) and bearish on tech. yes 8 wins is bearish. We went 9-3 in cpj’s first year and nesbitts first year. TW has 5 games under his belt. You naysayer bashers will be in for quite a surprise. An improved defense will lead tech to a 10 win season. Funny how people don’t mention that half the acc has new qb’s playing this year.
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
1:05 pm
????, oh did I switch some letters or something? Sorry, I believe I was half-heartedly trying to refer to “the other state school.” I dunno, sometimes it gets mixed up…all I really care about is Tech football!
Seriously?
August 31st, 2011
1:06 pm
Did someone say that s/he wouldn’t bet against Paul Johnson? Really? He won 6 games last year (with more talent than he’ll have this year). He’s 1-2 against UGA. I’m pretty sure that I could find about 5-6 games to bet against him in this year… But he may benefit from the fact that two schools in his division are in serious trouble with the NCAA.
And why is he such a great coach again? 6-7 PJ = great coach. 6-7 MR = terrible coach on the hot seat. And please don’t mention the season before, because (1) the championship was stripped away due to ineligible players (by the way, your best player); and (2) every single star on that team was recruited by a different coach! For all of you idiots who always say that recruiting doesn’t matter… I think we’re about to see just how much it does matter. I suppose we just have higher standards at UGA for our coaches (I think our entrance standards have actually topped GT’s at this point, as well), which is why a 6-7 season is unacceptable for us, but satisfying for you.
That felt good, I have to admit.
Greg
August 31st, 2011
1:08 pm
I guess you like VT because they don’t have a single ranked team on their schedule. Nice. They will still lose at least 2. Probably to E carolina
Seriously?
August 31st, 2011
1:10 pm
Herschel Talker, are you a Tech fan? If so, you confuse me. You insult Richt as being a bad coach, but then you say that “hopefully that will be the demise of Richt’s tenure at Georgia”. So wait a minute, you think he’s a bad coach, but you want him fired? If you are a fan of GT, I don’t understand that. If you truly think he’s a bad coach, don’t you want him around as long as possible?
You guys sure do lack some fundamental logic skills, don’t you?
Me personally, I want CPJ to stay as long as possible. He speaks so arrogantly that the GT fan base can’t help but love him – even if he just came off of a 6 win season and NCAA violations.
GTBob
August 31st, 2011
1:11 pm
(1)the championship was stripped away due to ineligible players (by the way, your best player)
He still to this day has not been declared ineligible.
ss
August 31st, 2011
1:21 pm
Seriously….UGA admissions have topped Tech????? I don’t think so, see the AJC article from the 25th
SansWorld
August 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
Seriously? – so what is your over/under on the number of wins? If you bet against them on 5-6 games, you saying they will win 7 or 8?
No one wants a 6-7 season and I don’t think anyone is saying that = a great coach, but if it is unacceptable are you saying CPJ be fired at this point?
I doubt that another 6-7 season will get him fired this year. You better buck up and hope for the best out of the team. You nay saying is just sowing seeds discouragement among a young and apparently motivated teams. I wish them the best.
Seriously?
August 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
GTBob – must just be a conspiracy of sorts. The NCAA has always wanted to get after GT!!! That’s the only logical conclusion, right?
Alabama Jack
August 31st, 2011
1:29 pm
You can alway tell a dawg, you just can’t tell them much.
KB
August 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Before you say “look what he did at Navy”, you should look at who Navy played and beat while he was there. The worst Notre Dame team in last 50 years, otherwise he played some teams close but didn’t beat much of anyone.Service Academy players aren’t going to win week in and week out playing the Tech schedule, they will beat the teams Navy beat or came close to, Duke, Wake, etc. his big bowl victories were over Colorado State, and New Mexico.
1eyedJack
August 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Didn’t Nesbitt get hurt trying to make a tackle after an interception?
Killed his Heisman campaign.
Seriously?
August 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Was that really worth posting?
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
1:34 pm
ss, that article shows that UGA once closed the AT score gap to within 100 points of GT’s incoming frosh average, but that in the last 5 years it’s actually become a bigger gap again (>120 points higher at Tech on avg.)
cattledawg
August 31st, 2011
1:34 pm
Tech wins 9 or 10 against this schedule.
the real Old Gold
August 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
You COULD be wrong. Probably so.
Ezekiel
August 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
The reason why Tech is underrated and there are not many Jackets on the preseason lists is because the team is starting quite a few new players. There will be players emerge just like in the ‘08 season and Tech will surprise quite a few people this season. More GT football talk at: http://GTSportsTalk.com
GT Fan
August 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
Seriously,
For one, the ACC championship does count. Everyone saw it. PJ outschemed Clemson twice that year, beat VT (who was 4th best in the nation at that time) and beat UNC who had NFL talent all over their defense. Plus, the NCAA took the championship away because GT was “Uncooperative” since DRad told his HC the NCAA was going to come calling. No players were ever ruled ineligble, in fact in the report, the NCAA even told DRad it was fine to play D. Thomas. The kid who did receive improper benefits was TJ Barnes and he had to sit one game and he repaid his benefit. So, GT never played inelible players. Get the facts right first of all.
2. He’s a great coach because he has one of the best coaching records in history, won multiple championships at GA Southern, made Navy more than it ever was in the win column, actually did something with Gailey’s talent (Which Gailey could not do), beat UGA with a team full of freshmen in his first year IN ATHENS when UGA had two first round draft picks starting on offense. That’s why PJ is a good coach. He does more with less talent that Richt does with the Second best recruiting classes over 10 years.
Mark Richt is on the hot seat because he had the luxury of having great talent last year, including your starting QB all year AND having AJ Greene, but only mustering 6 wins. Paul Johnson had to play the meat of GT’s schedule with the backup QB who had never started a game in his life after the senior QB got hurt. Losing games is expected.
Here, let me refill your red kool-aid for you though.
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
5 things that could go wrong for Tech this year?
Clemson
UNC
Miami
NSCU
Georgia
I don’t think all 5 will go bad but at least 2 will and maybe 3.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
If these Jackets go 8 and 4, I will be the first to say I was wrong…. Good article MB. I think the statement about how this coach cannot continue to outflank everybody and last season will always be a reminder that his talent level has gone down… Personally I think we may win 6 games this year. I really think Vegas has it picked right…
GTBob
August 31st, 2011
1:46 pm
GTBob – must just be a conspiracy of sorts. The NCAA has always wanted to get after GT!!! That’s the only logical conclusion, right?
Call it whatever you want. The NCAA has never ruled D. Thomas ineligible. Look it up, it’s pretty easy to verify.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
1:47 pm
DawginLex,
You need to add Maryland to that 5…. The terps will bring their A game… Pathetically these are the only six real football games we play…
K
August 31st, 2011
1:49 pm
You are all wrong! Even Vegas.
Just wait.
Check back in December 2011.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
1:51 pm
Hope your right K
kudzu
August 31st, 2011
1:52 pm
Yeah, yeah, UGA is top five in talent every year, still can’t win a championship, so what’s the point about super talent? It’s coaching players UP, to play smart and with intensity.
Just Old Yeller
August 31st, 2011
1:52 pm
Mark,
nice article, excellent points, it definitely is a wait and see year for the performance level.
Stinger2
August 31st, 2011
1:54 pm
gt4ever: Agree with you. However, I hope we are both wrong. Mark is right about talent or lack thereof. Special teams worries me the most along with unproven defense.
GT Fan
August 31st, 2011
1:55 pm
BTW,
GT had 1 of the worst recruiting classes in GT history in 2008 after Gailey was fired. Last year, most of those players were upperclassmen and the talent in still being filled. Why do you think so many freshmen are playing significant time or starting over upperclassmen this year?
A coaching change will cripple a school like GT for a year or so until the new coach proves he can win, UGA and other “factories” can change coaches rather seamlessly. I blame it mostly on the ACC and the crappy conference that it is.
But overall, Paul Johnson has recruited better than Gailey did by ranking average stars given by Rivals, so when you guys say that Paul Johnson can’t recruit better than Gailey, you’re actually wrong.
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
1:57 pm
HT
You really want Richt to lose to Tech so he can get fired?
Don’t sit with me at that game
JM
August 31st, 2011
1:57 pm
Mark, the odds are small for all those things to happen.
Lindsey Snot
August 31st, 2011
1:59 pm
Like our ugag buddies, Mark doesn’t understand the TriOpt.
Lindsey Snot
August 31st, 2011
1:59 pm
Every singel thing you said about GT can also be said of ugag.
gold dust,
August 31st, 2011
2:04 pm
@Seriously?
Classic shortsightedness… No one is judging CPJ or CMR based on just last year’s performance. Johnson has over-achieved for the last 3 years, and Richt has underachieved. There’s no if’s, and’s or but’s about that. Johnson has already won a game against Richt, which Gailey could never do. We played y’all down to the wire in Athens last year without our starting QB after a dismal season. CPJ is a very good coach, and anyone who says otherwise simply isn’t looking at his performance rationally.
UGA, on the other hand, is all about high standards for athletic excellence. Since you’re so focused on recruiting (which Johnson hasn’t been any worse at than Gailey, according both coach’s average recruiting class rank), you should be really proud that in the last decade, Georgia has ranked second in overall recruiting class rank. The only problem is, every other team in the top 5 in average recruiting has won a national championship over that time-frame. UGA was #1 for a summer, I guess. With so much talent, so much money, a sold-out stadium every game and SEC competition every week, what’s your real excuse? UGA is a chronic under-achiever, plain and simple.
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
2:08 pm
gold dust
not chronic, just last 3 years
Actually from 2001-2007 Richt ended up ranked higher than the opening polls almost every year
He fixes it this year or he is gone
Pretty simple
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
2:08 pm
Lindsey,
They have had Top 10 recruiting classes every year for 10 years….. What part of that can you correlate with GT….
SLOW LEARNERS
August 31st, 2011
2:10 pm
most football players “get hit a lot”
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
2:12 pm
This recruiting talk is just too weird to me. Having the best recruiting classes but not winning titles with the talent is EXACTLY the same type of fake crown to wear as leading the nation in rushing and still losing games! Both are only worth bragging about when there’s no actual game being played since they don’t matter on a scoreboard.
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
2:19 pm
Slow Learners, the B-back takes a hit in nearly every down in the spread option. He’s pretty much either faking or totin’ the rock, and that’s worth a tackle either way. He gets to know all the linebackers real quick. The point was there aren’t many positions that take hits that often, so Sims being slighter in build means the man had better be scary good or have very thick skin.
Burdell
August 31st, 2011
2:23 pm
The Tech team quit on Bill Lewis when he brought that moron QB Luginbill from Junior College and played him instead of Donnie Davis. Period.
Loyal Lifetime Tech Fan
August 31st, 2011
2:24 pm
I always count the days and the hours until Tech’s opening kickoff and then to the next and the next. My Love and passion for Tech football is a cornerstone in my Life. CPJ delivers for me because he’s a winner and a uniquely straight forward guy. It’s the same reason we love Dimitrof and Smith and the way the Braves have been run for over two decades now. Winning is great and losing hurts, but winning with class and sportsmanship is icing on the cake. D. Rad and CPJ deliver the whole package. I’m excited about the 2011 team’s potential, and I’m hoping that injuries and bad calls don’t get in the way of this team’s destinay, which I’m still thinking can be in the Orange Bowl. Go Jackets and THWG!!!
Ramblnwrek
August 31st, 2011
2:31 pm
@ Seriously? and any others with regards the recruiting class rank/star level: its like talking about the weather. Either they are right in their prediction: Great recruits = Great performance, and then everyone nods their heads and thinks “well we need to get better recruits” or something similar. But when the opposite happens, Great recruits = poor performance, no body talks about it. Example (all sources from ESPN) Texas has had a consistent top 5 recruiting classes since 2006 (except ‘08 ranked only 10th) and yet in 2010, the season after going to the National Chanpionship, they FAIL to even get to a bowl game. Coincidentally U(sic)GA has is very similar since ‘06 with a class rank of 4 in the nation and going ‘07-13, ‘08-5, ‘09-6, ‘10-10.and finally ‘11-6. Yet somehow, this past year was the “Dream Team”…. eat me.
Ramblnwrek
August 31st, 2011
2:34 pm
I personally think Star ranking/recruiting class rank is more about how much can they mess up rather than how good they can be. How good they can be is based on the coach.
sting em
August 31st, 2011
2:34 pm
Bark Madly, I mean Mark Bradly…you love to talk trash
Rickster
August 31st, 2011
2:37 pm
I know I’m 77th.. but any chance on birthday kudos?
Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
2:39 pm
Happy kudo’ed birthday, Rickster. Got one upcoming myself
T3
August 31st, 2011
2:40 pm
GT goes 10-2, with a win over UGAG. Been saying it since August 1, 2011.
GT’s Offense will score 21+ TDs in the first 3 games alone.
GT’s Defense will allow 10 or fewer TDs in the first 3 games.
It will be merciful, if GT doesnt crush WCU, MTSU, and Kansas
by 30+ in each of the first 3 games. These games will be blowouts.
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
2:44 pm
T3, pass it here, friend. I need some of THAT!
1eyedJack
August 31st, 2011
2:46 pm
Which one Mark, 100?
JACKETfan12
August 31st, 2011
2:49 pm
Mark consistently writes bad articles about GT and I am beginning to think that he is a UGA homer. Tech will be fine. B-back is one of the strongest positions on the team. Any tech fan knows that. The fact that David Sims beat out starter Preston Lyons and talented Charles Perkins speaks a lot of his work ethic and ability. Groh’s defense will be strong due to TALENT- not lack of. We will be fine.
m
August 31st, 2011
2:50 pm
Mark,
It is obvious that you are just as ignorant as usual.
Tech has plenty of talent. Thanks to God and Greyhound, your beloved Gomer Gailey is gone!!! And fortunately, most of his recruits are gone, along with their bad attitudes.
Tech is young, but young in a good way. Young with players that were recruited for this offense and defense. All 3 of these QB’s have way more potential than Nesbitt (who was a warrior).
Ugag went 6-7 with their QB….Tech went 6-7 without theirs…..BIG difference. And Tech ran all over Ugag…finally losing because of a missed extra point and several turnovers deep in ugag territory.
Mark. I hope you have the decency to come back on here and admit what an idiot you are as this season unfolds.
Gomer Gailey…..Thank God and Greyhound that he and most of his players are gone.
T3
August 31st, 2011
2:50 pm
PCJacket:
If you aint on-board already, grow a pair.
Gorilla Biscuit
August 31st, 2011
2:59 pm
Tech is going to suck this year, big time.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
3:04 pm
and then there was Gorilla Biscuit, the epitome of UGA fandom….
Seriously folks
August 31st, 2011
3:05 pm
The argument that PJ is recruiting players for this system is asinine, Pj offers all the same 4 and 5 star players everyone else offers he just doesn’t sign them.
BaldBeaver
August 31st, 2011
3:05 pm
With all of these so called questions, all I can say is let’s play some ball.
MH
August 31st, 2011
3:09 pm
The ACC is so weak that no one cares what happens in that conference. Its like watching Single A football.
Paul Johnson’s stylized offense
August 31st, 2011
3:15 pm
That made me LOL but it does sound and read better than antiquated offense.
TH
August 31st, 2011
3:17 pm
I wouldn’t call winning 66% of your games with 4 being gimmes as some sort appraisal Mark. Calling for Uga to win 9, with their schedule is an absolute joke. Yes I know…no lsu or bama. But I see 4 losses in that team easily. Reverse the records and you’d look more accurate but alas, you are the king uga leg humper.
TH
August 31st, 2011
3:20 pm
The 6 line at Vegas isn’t a straight up bet but it doesn’t surprise me the uga idiots that live on this board wouldn’t know some simple math. Bet 150 to win 100 doesn’t mean they think they will only win 6. Idiots!!
BaldBeaver
August 31st, 2011
3:21 pm
Enter your comments here
BaldBeaver
August 31st, 2011
3:23 pm
Well, you must enjoy single A football. I could care less
PerimeterCenterJacket
August 31st, 2011
3:25 pm
T3, it was a positive comment. I wish I were that optimistic about Tech. Doesn’t mean I won’t be at every game (I always am!)
WhiteGoat
August 31st, 2011
3:26 pm
You can bet the bulldogs lose the second game of the season. You what if know it all bulldog fans are all bark
Kb
August 31st, 2011
3:28 pm
Funny the whole college football world looks at tech and says there isn;t talent , but somehow people think PJ , who’s only been coaching at this level for 3 seasons can turn navy type talent into BCS talent, he didn’t do it at navy and will not achieve it at tech.The notion that some of you bring that PJ recruits for his system , he recruits and offers all the same players , that includes the 4 and 5 stars everyone else offers. They choose not to play for PJ and this system. Players aren’t standing in line to play in this system and PJ is not running off 5 star talent for 2 -3 star.
Wake up
August 31st, 2011
3:35 pm
GT will NEVER fire CPJ because they will have a heard time hiring anyone worth a damn.
GT must be poised to enter the top 10. They have sold nearly 20,000 season tickets so something is in the air. But it could be the hot dog and coke kicker – just sayin.
TomB
August 31st, 2011
3:39 pm
Funny, two of the playmakers you mentioned played on defense – Burnett and Morgan – and that 2009 defense was so bad they couldn’t stop anyone all year, but still won the ACC. Better in my opinion to be solid at all positions and make fewer mistakes than winning on talent alone. Turning the ball over last year ,especially in the red zone, was the difference in winning six games instead of nine.
Tech '10
August 31st, 2011
3:43 pm
Mark,
I think your points are a valid concern. Thanks for the assessment. I personally like to see what could go wrong, all Tech fans already know what could go right: We win the ACC, Win the Orange Bowl, Beat the Dawgs, etc etc, good to see another perspective from time to time.
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
3:43 pm
I am ready for an Angus all beef patty…….
Charlie Hayes
August 31st, 2011
3:51 pm
Paul Johnson is washed up. His O has worked in smaller schools where coaching changes allow him to win against the same teams over a span of multiple years. Paul Johnson should have stayed at Navy where his O would work and he could out score people. GT is now facing coaches that have already expereiened the O over the past couple of years and they can stop it. Just go watch how well LSU played against the GT O in the bowl two (2) years ago…..I hope GT keeps CPJ for several more years. This just means more UGA wins against the NERDS! GO DAWGS!
Tech '10
August 31st, 2011
3:54 pm
HT
You really want Richt to lose to Tech so he can get fired?
Don’t sit with me at that game
@Lex – I LOL’d.
Can’t wait to play some ball!! errr or watch Tech play some ball.
We Own You....
August 31st, 2011
3:54 pm
But at least Tech did a survey this summer to find out why nobody comes to their games. I could have told them without asking anybody. They ain’t worth a damn.
We Own You....
August 31st, 2011
3:57 pm
m I hope YOU’LL have the guts to come back when Georgia beats your JV team for the 10th time in 11 years…..and there is always an excuse…right? Everyone knows that m stands for moron…
BankerDawg
August 31st, 2011
3:57 pm
I guess I just still find it funny that people think that running backs and quarterbacks are in much more peril in the CPJ spread option than other offensive attacks.
He’s 26 years (or so) in overall, and three in Atlanta, yet this notion still prevails. Drop back passers and traditional I formation backs get hurt…A LOT. These points hold no water for me.
On D, if we assume (as I do) that UGA will be better in year 2 of the 34, then we must assume the same for GT. No games played means this is all we can do at this point. Traditional wisdom is that teams are faster, better, etc in year two, right?
Regarding talent, I find the notion in the article ridiculous. These keen-eyed Jacket watchers you speak of must be reading the ESPN Top 150 and the other recruiting Mags and don’t see those guys on the field at Tech. Tech has continued to recruit the same caliber kid they always have. Is this good? Bad? I don’t know. But there is no sudden talent gap there b/c a few kids graduated or went pro from a particular class.
That’s ridiculous.
I am a Dawg fan and alum, but I also have a lot of Tech buddies, being born and raised in Atlanta, and I guess I just have a different perspective than some. But a lot of the same tired arguments are just that…tired.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC ‘EM! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!
Boise going down….
My Head is Spinning
August 31st, 2011
4:01 pm
Reading these comments is mind blowing
We lost to so and so because of this and that – no no no you lost because you scored fewer points.
We lost our QB and you had yours – ours was a freshman.
We will get 21 TD’s in our first three games – well I would hope so – those three teams are pitiful.
If frogs had wings and pigs could fly………LMAO at techies.
Saban
August 31st, 2011
4:09 pm
Mark,
Just in Richt caught wearing red panties in his hair salon in Athens. Should be a great story for you to follow up on.
GT Fan
August 31st, 2011
4:13 pm
My head is spinning…redshirt freshman. AM was a redshirt freshman. He wasn’t all brand new.
My Head is Spinning
August 31st, 2011
4:24 pm
GTFan he still had zero game experience.
You guys are fired up because a converted QB (that would never play QB) beat out your top RB. I would be worried.
You guys talk about being loaded at B Back (whatever a B Back is) because you have a dozen of them. which is yet more spin – it doesn’t matter if you have a hundred of them if they are all low on talent.
One of you guys talked about the beefy OL – LOL. I could go on and on but it is pointless. The best I can do is ask who on your two deep roster could play in the SEC or even the top tier ACC teams.
I know I know CPJ can coach them up because he did it at Navy blah blah blah. For the record Navy players are tough and disciplined.
When you guys win a major bowl game I’ll reconsider. Hell I’ll reconsider when you guys win the ACC or beat UGA. Until then you are delusional spin masters.
GT45
August 31st, 2011
4:34 pm
I wonder why I even bother reading. One thing that could go right for Tech is that Bradley gets a job in Ord, Nebraska as editor of the sports page.
LawDawg
August 31st, 2011
4:44 pm
“Although Wolf Blitzer would seem a better candidate for outside linebacker in the 3-4″
That might be the best thing you have ever written
UWGJacket03
August 31st, 2011
4:44 pm
My Head is Spinning…all this coming from the most underachieving team in the SEC. Your QB was a Fr(R) and ours was a So(R). Not that big of a difference. Nesbit would have made a difference. But that’s not an excuse.
Players on our 2 Deep that could play in the SEC? I’ll give you two on each side of the ball that would start: Offense: Omoregie Uzzi and Stephen Hill. Defense: Jeremiah Attaochu and Isaiah Johnson.
You’ll reconsider when we win the ACC? Done that already. Beat UGA? Will do that again this year. The “Dream Team” will remain just that, a fantasy drummed up in the imagination of a 5 Star laden, underachieving, middle of the pack team that will lose it’s head coach in the next 2 yrs.
beebee
August 31st, 2011
4:44 pm
Jackets need to win those first two games. Anything less would be disastrous.
bee
gt4ever
August 31st, 2011
4:48 pm
Anything can happen Bee, but the probability is very slim that we lose the first two games….. We had better blow these teams out… Anything less than that would be embarrassing….
GT GRAD
August 31st, 2011
5:07 pm
Mark Bradley should be banned by the AJC brass from writing ANY stories/blogs/pieces about GT.
Could it be that most of the decision-makers at the AJC laugh and like it when one of their “reporters” (yeah right) skews everything is such a negative light with regard to GT??????
Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
5:20 pm
Thanks, LawDawg.
Mark Bradley
August 31st, 2011
5:24 pm
Far be it from me to rain on anyone’s high dudgeon, but …
I wrote a very similar little something about Georgia two days ago.
Make Me Happy
August 31st, 2011
5:43 pm
Washington and Sims lead the scorers, and Groh’s defense grohs up, and wraps ‘em up, in Tech’s 11-1 honey of a season (including the win over the Dogs on Grant Field).
Meanwhile, Dan Radakovich finds a way to fill Bobby Dodd stadium with hi-tech grads brought back from the ends of the earth. UGA continues to party, and burst Sanford with student-simulators, and holiday rednecks.
UGA goes 9-3, and Mark Richt lives to fight another day.
THE DUDE
August 31st, 2011
5:43 pm
DO NOT BE SURPRISED IF THOSE CAROLINA GUYS WHUP UP ON THOSE BEES. I LL SAY WC 27 ga tech 3.
Gorilla Biscuit
August 31st, 2011
5:46 pm
Mark, could you only think of five things? Shoot me an email. I can give you a follow up column.
The Dude
August 31st, 2011
5:46 pm
Is on Crack!
GT71
August 31st, 2011
6:08 pm
Can’t wait till Thursday night – for one reason. All this talk-talk will stop and the games will begin.
No one has a clue about either Tech or UGA – just observations newspaper filler. Both teams are questions until toe meets leather (sorry, Al).
Been around a long time – saw Tech beat Bama stopping the 2-point try (thank God Bear – curse him and Darwin Holt forever – put in Hurl-butt and sat Broadway Joe in the 7-6 classic) and grad-geated in 71, so the good, bad and ugly is old hat by now.
Just play, guys and fer crissakes RUN THE OFFENSE!
AMG
August 31st, 2011
6:29 pm
I follow recruiting and have for years and this is one of the more talented groups of guys to hit the flats in quite a while, they are young though. I look for them to be a VERY good D by the end of the year and overall a great team. The Offense is the real question this year, there are questions with the line and that can destroy a team, but we have three warm up games so hopefully that will shore up early. 10-2 is a realistic look at this year. 8-4 is a pessimist trying to sell news papers dream.
NYJacket
August 31st, 2011
9:43 pm
SO?
lee
September 1st, 2011
11:35 am
You lost me in the first paragraph when you said Nesbitt got hurt, as if he was hurt running the option. He threw a pick and broke his arm trying to tackle someone, didn’t Christian Ponder running a pro-style dislocate his shoulder once upon a time, HAD TO BE THE OFFENSE he was running!
Robert Barron
September 1st, 2011
12:02 pm
I’m not “the people” as my choice is whoever the head coach, who watches the competition all day, puts in the starting lineup at every position.
Tevin deserves his short.
It was not his fault that our un-special team missed an extra point when he had quarterbacked us to what should have been a tie 35 all game vs the arch rival.
Tevin did his part in that game and others did not.