Tech’s D still isn’t great, but dumping Al Groh isn’t the answer

They should be much better next year!

Let’s go Jackets!

• Link
• Report this comment

then dump Al Groh, do the opposite of what Mark Bradley says and you are better off for that reason alone

• Link
• Report this comment

Overall the defense showed flashes of brilliance followed by complete lapses in judgment and apparent effort. The secondary was pretty stout all season with the exception of the Virginia Tech game where they just could not make a play on the ball. We need defensive lineman that can impact the game. We haven’t had that since ‘08 with D. Richard, V. Walker, D. Morgan and M. Johnson.

I hold out hope though. There were some kids redshirted this season that might be just what we need. I would love to see a dominant defensive performance in the bowl game. Only time will tell.

Happy Holidays everyone. GO JACKETS!!! Beat the Utes!

• Link
• Report this comment

The funny thing is that ACC football is like watching minor league play and they still can’t compete. Stick to basketball, oh wait, nevermind. Maybe Racquetball . . .?

• Link
• Report this comment

Fair assessment. The secondary is probably better than average, but, until Johnson gets some mass on the D-Line, the defense is going to be run over no matter the coach. The Linebackers are not great, but good enough to get the job done if the D-Line could plug just a few holes. Logan Walls pays as hard as anyone, but he was overmatched against most of the better teams and like you say, no Derrick Morgan to be seen. Very poor recruiting by Johnson and will eventually be his downfall.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tech doesnt have the right guys right now to run Groh’s 3-4. The d-line is too small, they get no push on the line of scrimmage, and in turn, no pressure on the qb and they get dominated at the point of attack. The key to a 3-4 is to have a nose tackle in the middle who takes up space and lets the lb’s run free. They just need to recruit better on the defensive side. Coach Johnson is so concerned about finding the right guys for his offense.

• Link
• Report this comment

Why would they dump Al Groh? He’s been really good at remaking the defense with limited talent. What they need to do is go recruit thier behinds off on defense. Talent is the issue, not coaching.

• Link
• Report this comment

I never got why they hired Groh in the first place. He has this gigantic reputation as a defensive mastermind, but if you look at the results of the teams he’s coached, not a single one has an exceptional defense. He’s the most overrated defensive mastermind I’ve ever heard of. Not a single real defensive success to back it up, so why did Tech hire him in the first place?

• Link
• Report this comment

[...] (Bonus) Shorter Mark Bradley:  Even Todd Grantham couldn’t fix what’s wrong with Tech’s defense. GA_googleFillSlot("wpcom_sharethrough_viplite"); Share this:TwitterEmailStumbleUponRedditFacebookPrintDiggLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

• Link
• Report this comment

Dump him… He is the best coach we have on this staff…. IMHO, that includes the head coach… He just doesn’t have the horses….

• Link
• Report this comment

Same ole song and dance, just a different side of the ball. Its not the coach’s fault. Its all on the lousy players. All I know is that I have never seen a secondary more utterly clueless than Georgia Tech’s was against Georgia. They were out of position for the entire game and UGA recievers went wide open and untouched. I fail to see how that is a result of a lack of talent. Vandy doesn’t have a lot of talent either but they were able to get in position and prevent Aaron Murry from putting on a virtual passing clinic. I believe that Tech players stated after the game that they thought Crowell would play and they were prepared for rushing onslaught. They faced a pass happy offense instead and could not adjust. What does talent have to do with that? Sounds like a coaching problem to me.

Just more excuses out of Mark Bradley for the Georgia Tech coaches. He must be golfing buddies with them or something.

• Link
• Report this comment

It could be said that Radakovich has painted Tech into a corner as far as this program is concerned – especially recruiting.

By employing Johnson and his triple option, Tech has narrowed the recruiting field due to many prospects not wanting to have anything to do with Tech because of this offense.

I think someone with an explosive offensive mentality such as a Mike Leach type would be better suited for Tech. It would definitely help with recruiting as prospective players would see advantages of coming to Tech for the exposure and the possibilities at the next level.

I think so much negative publicity about the triple option as well as it’s failure to perform on a national stage (Orange Bowl) has jaded recruits from considering Tech as anything but a last option.

Make no mistake, the media portrays this offense as archaic and outdated and the lack of any bona-fide passing attack doesn’t help the cause.

I would go so far to suggest that there is little hope that the Johnson years will end on a high note.

• Link
• Report this comment

30th against the pass and 70th against the run? It’s time for Al to hit the road.

• Link
• Report this comment

Sorry Mark, but dumping Al Groh is one of several answers. It isn’t necessarily his coaching as opposed to his system. GT can’t recruit to it well enough in order for it to be fully realized. So what is the back up plan? None, because apparently Al Groh cannot adjust and coach around it. Bring in a younger, 4-3/3-4 hybrid guy and things will turn around quicker. With the “academic issue” Tech fans claim is hindering them in recruiting top-shelf talent, a 70 year old coach is not going to be able to man his own system quick enough in order to prevent the same results from happening. Note to CPJ: You at least took at swing at hiring an older, wiser, more experienced hand, and it was a whiff!!! P.S. Romeo Crennel will be available in about 2 weeks. Move quickly.

• Link
• Report this comment

What I find ironic is that Tech hired Groh rather quickly and then the Techies laughed at UGA for how long it took to hire Grantham. I think we would all rather have Grantham’s results. Seems to me good coaches have to be courted and just don’t hop on the bandwagon right away.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tech is not going to do much better in recruiting. Time has proven they just don’t want to compete with
Ga. The question is “why”? Some of the best players in the nation come from the metro
Atlanta area. The administration is Tech’s biggest competition. Shame on you Tech administration, the students and fans deserve better. Paul Johnson can’t coach, but not with warm bodies.

• Link
• Report this comment

@JACKETfan12

December 20th, 2011
9:29 am

Benjamin,
If you were a real Tech fan, you would understand that Tech’s offensive problems have not been “other teams figuring it out.” Either you are a troll or someone who just came aboard the Tech fan base. There is no “secret potion” to figuring Johnson’s offense out. Tech’s offensive problems this year have been:

I will be your troll You are both right and wrong. Teams “did” figure it out. It’s called scouting. Your offense is executed by the personnel on the field, not the play card or the playbook. However, certain portions of the playbook fit individual players differently. Sure, Tevin Washington probably cannot perform at a high enough level in order to execute every play in the play book, however, he is the one on the field. So all teams have to do is “figure it out.” Also, I have never seen CPJ coach a better QB than Nesbitt, and his passing sucked too. I simply don’t think he focuses enough on it and it’s evident. From my observation, the QB’s and receivers do not have any rythmn or chemistry between them. It’s almost as if Tevin appears a little timid to throw and the receivers too timid to make big catches. All teams have to do is “figure it out.”

• Link
• Report this comment

Whiskey Breath stop with the Wild Turkey you killed enought brain cells.

• Link
• Report this comment

KEEP AL GROH. You’ll need some continuty after Utah wins and PJ is fired.

• Link
• Report this comment

Keep Groh, the talent is on the way.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark,

I agree that GT should keep Groh. Two of the 2012 defensive recruits this year say that Groh being DC played a part in their decision to commit to GT.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=ycn-10645569

Joe

• Link
• Report this comment

Serious question Dawg fans do you think Grantham has really done a better job this year or did it have more to do with the schedule?

• Link
• Report this comment

I agree Mark..Groh can only do with what he has to do with..Go Jackets!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

For those that always say “It does not have anything to do with players’ Look at prime example for 2011. Auburn. Coaches leaving to take other jobs now as they see the talent level not keeping up with 2010. Coaching helps but one has to have top notch players.

• Link
• Report this comment

I really have to disagree with everyone that thinks a new QB will make us better. I really think all the QB has to do in our system is manage the game and not make mistakes. Tevin has made a few bad throws but I think it’s pretty short sighted to put all our problems on him. I think he can do a good enough job for us to be competitive/ pretty good.

• Link
• Report this comment

And I’m not sure how much credit you can give Grantham when he has a beast like Jenkins in the middle.

• Link
• Report this comment

Grantham is a JOKE, and an embarrassment to UGA and the state of Georgia…. I don’t give two cents about what his defense did… He should at minimum been disciplined, but in my day he would have been fired. Period! UGA has a problem with discipline…. Just look at their illustrious history…

• Link
• Report this comment

As a VT season ticket holder, I completely agree!

• Link
• Report this comment

And just how many top notch players does TCU, Boise St., Florida St., Texas, Florida,etc. have? I provided the stark contrasts for a reason.It’s a two way street in some cases, but the coach has to work with what he’s got. He can’t wait on the next laptop invention in order to perfrom better on the job…lol. So, go with a 4-3, something you have the personnel for.

• Link
• Report this comment

the problem with grih’s defense is he doesnt have the athletes due to second teir recruiting.

• Link
• Report this comment

The defense is pretty Groh-ss. We need someone in here that can stop another team. They were giving up hundreds of yards to the small schools as well at the big schools. Of course until we get a QB that can pass consistently and they put in some quick slants and other short passes it will never be better than 6-8 wins usually seen under PJ. That is another rstory

• Link
• Report this comment

It all starts with the coaching. Coaches recruit players for their system based on their body of work. The coaches teach the players the skills they need to be successful in that system. The coaches field the best players they feel can get the job done.

Tech does not have the defensive players to get the job done. The under-sized line cannot get off their blocks and consistently put pressure on the quarterback, which means the linebackers have to try to compensate for their weakness. The secondary is then exposed and exploited. The players cannot cover receivers individually and do not play the zone schemes that well. The players cannot and/or are unable to tackle opposing players one-on-one.

Again, it all starts with the coaches.

• Link
• Report this comment

How’s Derrick Morgan doing in the NFL? I haven’t heard anything about him.

• Link
• Report this comment

I can’ understand why a team runs a defense when it does not have the players to run it effectively. That goes for any school, not just Tech. If they are not going to have any success getting the huge defensive lineman, then why not change to fit the personal and have a chance to be successful. UGA struggled its first year in the new defense, but was able to bring in the personnel to make it work and had a huge turn around. I think a lot have to do with the ego of coaches.

• Link
• Report this comment

The problem is no pressure on the qb. We need a guy like D morgan. Actually two like him. Since he left we’ve had no pass rush. Add no pass rush and a clumsy offense that fumbles or throws bad ints and that’s why they lost 4 games.

• Link
• Report this comment

Oh lord, this is completely about recruiting, not coaching. Tech needs to market itself better. They need to recruit better. For all the good he has done attitude wise Johnson was massively out recruited by Gailey.

IF Chan freaking Gailey who can’t find a defense that can keep Reggie Bush from gaining 200+ yards in the pros against him can’t find Derrick Morgan. Paul Johnson should be able to as well. Maybe he should soften his abrasive attitude when trying to get 18 year olds to come play for him and stop being so hard a**ed in his approach.

Plenty of great defensive players in this state with good grades, that aspire to be more than “housing” majors. Go find them coach.

• Link
• Report this comment

Bradley-I agree with basically everything you said. I can’t believe i just said that.

• Link
• Report this comment

I think our defense can continue to get better. We have some decent recruits who redshirted last year and that will be coming in next year. We need to blitz more though. If we drop back into coverage with a three man push at the line then the QB normally gets as much time as he wants to throw. This is why we are so terrible on 3rd down. Groh needs to be more aggressive.

• Link
• Report this comment

Oh, I don’t know about another Derrick Morgan in sight. Stay tuned. BUT, that said, Tech has had a rotating weakness on the defensive side for some time. In recent years, some seasons have had strength on the defensive line, when the secondary has been weak. Other seasons just the reverse. All that stated, this bunch of Jackets is the most athletic and fastest team Tech has had in many a year. Size is and has been the big weakness on the defensive front. Recruiting has to be the answer to that. I hope Groh stays because he acknowledged up front his first year that he has to have the proper athletes to fit his system. Each year since he has been at Tech, the defense has gotten somewhat better, not great, just better as your stats show. Tech is going to score a lot of points on a lot of teams with our “high school” offense because no one has actually stopped it cold. We score enough points to win games and with a little more passing, we will score more. The big need, as it has been since Coach Johnson came to Tech, is to stop the opponents from scoring. Do that, well you can do the math and understand the future results.

• Link
• Report this comment

I think Groh did about as well as he could. He still does not have the athletes to be a top flight defense. His schemes get him so far. Talent gap lost games.

Anyone think spurrier will go after him or Grantham now that johnson left to be HC at S Miss?

• Link
• Report this comment

Guys please stop giving Johnson a pass on his bad decisions. He came in and refused to keep Jon Tenuta. Johnson I repeat Johnson hired Groh to bring in a new defense and improve the defense. It did not happen – blame Johnson not Groh, but fire both of them if you want excellence.
As I have stated repeatedly on this site, Johnson is good coach (NOT GREAT) with a 1AA offense.
Please send him back to an academy and hire us a coach that has a shot at a championship.

• Link
• Report this comment

Any team in the nation with a good QB and TIGHT END will light us up.Look for more of the same from the 3-4.

• Link
• Report this comment

I agree with Mark, please keep Groh and the rest of the staff. In fact, sign Johnson to a 10 year extension. We UGA fans would appreciate it very much.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, I don’t think you’ve been paying much attention to GT recruiting this year – we have some real studs coming into this defensive scheme, including Francis Kallon and a good shot at Dalvin Tomlinson. With those two beasts on the ends and some decent talent in the interior, GT will continue to improve on D with Groh at the helm.

• Link
• Report this comment

GA Tech’s defense has gotten better – a lot of the offensive numbers put up against them were against the reserves after the first team had been pulled the beginning of the season. In the middle of the year, several key starters were injured and reserves stepped in for at least three games; ergo affecting points against the defense. When healthy, GA Tech’s first team Defense actually played quite well.

Depth and experience was being built this past season, and, hopefully, with another year under Coach Groh’s “coaching” under their belts, the defense will be even better next season because he will be more comfortable opening up his playbook and dialing up more blitzes, etc. so that sacks and run blitzes can be called.

• Link
• Report this comment

Are GT’s Academics that much better than Cal-Berekley?

The JUCO NT in question graduated in 1.5 years and had an offer from Cal.

GT needs to look under every stone to find guys like this, he went to a JUCO in Calif. which is much different from the JUCOs you find in Miss. or from GMC in Milledgeville.

Aaron Rodgers was a JUCO that went to Cal also, if Cal cal get a JUCO then some of them have to be able to qualify for GT.

Too many GT fans always assume the NEGATIVE when anyone mentions a JUCO.

• Link
• Report this comment

An excellent piece. Groh is getting his players into position. Getting players into the right position is one thing – having them big enough and strong enough and fast enough and mean enough to overpower the opponent is quite another. Tech just doesn’t get “Dream Team” players and that is a function of (1) Tech’s offensive scheme, which overshadows everything, (2) the overwhelming media slant towards UGA in this state, (4) the academics thing and (3) a good HC, but one who probably lacks some of the “people skills” that may be necessary to relate to 17 -18 years old, who have been told by everyone that they are the greatest things since sliced bread. Maybe CPJ relates better to “blue collar’ players that 5-star phenomena. Sorry, but I can’t see CPJ calling prospects to wish them “Happy Birthday” or flying in to see them on helicopters or, generally, kissing their you-know-whats, either. CPJ seems like a tough football coach, not a saleman or showman. So, it is what it is…

• Link
• Report this comment

WnE,

It has nothing to do with academics… It’s the head coach inability to recruit at a high level…

• Link
• Report this comment

re:
GTBob
December 20th, 2011
11:12 am
________________

How can GT Fans continue to play the Academics card when guys like Stephon Marbury, LaVonya Quintelle Carter (aka Quincy Carter), and Adam “Pac Man” Jones were all academic “qualifiers” for admission to GT.

At some point the GT fanbase will have to admit that the Academics card is over-played by the GT fanbase.

The Business Admin . program at GT is not the only Academic program at GT, S. Hill is majoring in Sociology according to his bio on Ramblingwreck. com.

• Link
• Report this comment

I say if you want a sure fire playmaker on defense, Tech needs to play Kyle Travis(the freshman from South Forsyth) The guy is a monster in the 3-4, 4-3, just play him and watch your national ranking on defense go up.

• Link
• Report this comment

GTBob,

It’s NOT about academics!!! It’s about coaching! Specifically recruiting…

• Link
• Report this comment

@WnE I am sure that you know that Cal-Berk is a University with a wide range of majors with varying levels of difficulty and the administration has a significant leeway on acceptance criteria. Not in all cases, but typically JUCOs will not qualify for admission to Tech, but could easily be admitted to Cal-Berk and succeed in one of their less challenging majors.

I am not against looking to the JUCO field, but admission requirements at Tech probably rule out more than 98% so you end up looking in the 2% of eligble player for that one super stud. Odds are just not there.

• Link
• Report this comment

The Business Admin . program at GT is not the only Academic program at GT, S. Hill is majoring in Sociology according to his bio on Ramblingwreck. com.

That’s weird because Sociology is not a major offered at GT. Either way, Calc 1, Calc 2, and two semesters of lab science are required of all transfers, not just Business Admin majors.

• Link
• Report this comment

The biggest fallacy in football statements: “Players win games, not coaches”. The absolute truth to the matter is that good coaches will win anywhere with the recruits they get. The winning starts first with the coach and his ability to fit players into many different schemes on both offense and defense which utilzes the existing talent on campus.

Most all players are attracted to football programs because of the schools ability to win and the coaches ability to win. As a coach showcases his coaching ability at any given school, the better recruits begin taking notice and come to that school. Of course, the good coach can then adapt his team to new and better systems using better talent. The good coach is not only a winner with poor material, but becomes a legend with better material due to his genius at winning.

A good coach can beat you with his players or beat his team with the other team’s players. It is his genius at using each player’s ability meshed with the concept of the manpower at his disposal. The good coach is adaptable and does not try to push a system that does not match his individual players’ strengths.

Look at some of the better coaches around the nation for years and years that won at schools where they had poor recruiting only to have great seasons year after year, and, finally they get a job at a top college and continue winning even bigger. It is reasonable to suggest that Boise State, Houston, TCU, etal, do not outrecruit GT, yet win big every year. They not only dominate their conferences, but beat Alabama (Boise State), and UGA (Boise State) and other powers when they play them out of conference.

Some of the legendary coaches started winning at colleges with no recruiting advantage and wound up at larger colleges and then became legends because they had the genius and better recruiting, however, they got to that position by their coaching genius rather that having top recruits.

Tech’s best days were with Bobby Dodd, and he never had a recruiting edge on anyone. He was a master at getting the most from each recruit and building different systems around the type of athletes during his tenure. However, Dodd and all good coaches were aware that the best teams were built around providing the best defense and aligning that defense according to the talent for that particular year.

The Old Man

• Link
• Report this comment

Dump Groh !!!!!! and while at it dump Johnson. Thats why passing teams destroy us !!! Our defense practices against our high school offense all the time, they dont know where to stand or cover against passing teams.

• Link
• Report this comment

See for yourself GTBob:

http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hill_stephen00.html

• Link
• Report this comment

Watch TCU through the years. The recruiting of defensive players there was double stars at best. It still is not a Georgia type class never has been. What these guys do is get out and look at players. They don’t let a recruiting hot shot tell them some kid from Columbus is to die for, they find the kid themselves. TCU led with their defense, came out of nowhere to be a perennial top 10er, and they can beat a lot of SEC teams today, including Georgia. LSU got the Honey Badger on the wavier wire, he was on no major radar. These old coaches just want to coach they don’t want to recruit. Erk Russel was an exception. He loved to recruit. He would take a high school quarterback and make a defensive end out of him, just by watching the kid play in high school he knew what he wanted and what the kid could do. It is not the scheme it is the player true enough but the coach decides which player plays where and that on defense is huge. A lot of the kids that are good instead of great may just be having to play in the wrong position to fill a roster. Al Groh is just playing the card dealt to him, now recruiting or thinking outside the box very much leaving that to the “young guys”. Richt is just reading scouting reports and occasionally getting off campus, not particularly working hard. Until last year he was even leaving the advance learning to his assistance doing God knows what in the summers. If you want to see how it should be done watch Alabama or LSU, they are all over it with their coaches not their alumni. Even Arkansas has shown what a good coach can do.

• Link
• Report this comment

Slydog,
No I was not comparing schedules just asking a serious question. Some of my UGA friends are impressed while others think he should have done more in his second season with the talent on board and the teams they faced.
Dawgfan,
I agree UGA played great D in the first half then got blown out in the second because LSU made adjustemnts and played a great second half all season long. Neither Bobo or Grantham were able to make adjustments in that game. LSU is known for thier D and special teams so one half of defensive football is not a great stat against them.
WnE,
I don’t say it’s all academics as far as how hard it is it’s the majors offered. Most top recruits do not want the class load required or the majors offered. GT needs liberal art degrees to compete in the football world today and the board of regents will never let that happen. Also stop using Stanford in your arguments they have already been outed in offering special classes for athletes.

• Link
• Report this comment

One word, to Johnson: RECRUITMENT.

• Link
• Report this comment

I keep hearing about recruiting lapses, etc. If Gailey could put together a top 15 class why can’t CPJ put together at least a top 35 class? Shouldn’t the head coach be held accountable for all aspects of the program that relate to success? I don’t think Tech fans should be satisfied with mid 40s ranking in talent year after year and then somehow wonder why Tech is not a top calibre team. Yeah the coaching makes a difference, but talent shouldn’t be diminished either, else you’re just fantasizing IMHO.

• Link
• Report this comment

GT needs liberal art degrees to compete in the football world today and the board of regents will never let that happen. Also stop using Stanford in your arguments they have already been outed in offering special classes for athletes.

Ahh the academic crutch. Its the first thing a Tech fan leans on.

Listen the academics at Tech aren’t all that great. Trust me I know some Tech grads and they aren’t all that bright.

Tech also does have special classes for football players.

Its why 98 percent of the football team is majoring in … ahem …. “Management”

Wonder why that is LOL ???

• Link
• Report this comment

They need to dump Johnson and get a new offense. The hokey offensive scheme will get them nowhere against good defenses.

• Link
• Report this comment

If Gailey could put together a top 15 class why can’t CPJ put together at least a top 35 class?

Gailey had one class that high (on scout). Every other class that Gailey had was ranked lower then every class CPJ has had so far.

• Link
• Report this comment

Do we have the statistical differences between this year’s 46th and last year’s 64th?

Not the rankings, but the actual points allowed and yards allowed divided by the number of games played. Is the difference that significant?

• Link
• Report this comment

Agree with Mark – it’s scary, this makes two or three times this month!

Tech’s secondary has talented athletes at every position thanks to Coach Groh. Jackets need more DL and LB playmakers.

IMO – Coach Groh’s D was far more aggressive in 2011 than 2010. With modestly better performance on 3rd downs, the D will be much improved. Hope Louis Young gets back on the active roster.

Go Jackets!

• Link
• Report this comment

With his incendiary comments CPJ can forget recruiting at Walmart. That leaves the fertile recruiting ground to UGA and will ensure that they continue to rund this stait. While it’s been pointed out that IC is only 18, that seems true of all freshmen. Why is it that IC is given a pass for his youth? I think being 18 means he’s half way to 36 and should know better. On the other hand, Groh is half way to 134.

• Link
• Report this comment

Steven,

So much anger…. Groh is a GREAT coach… It sounds like you have never played the game or have a clue as to what your talking about… In any case, we must recruit better… Defense is like a second thought to this Head coach…. His offense, which is supposed to be the end all to everything

• Link
• Report this comment

As a dawgs fan I had many people tell me this when willie was the coordinator, that UGA didn’t have the players then that they had when vangorder was there. Here was my response. First, who chooses what players to recruit, richt and johnson are both offensive guys and I think they are the same in the fact that the defense belongs to the DC. Maybe tech doesn’t get the players they want as much as UGA does, but that has always been the case. Second, rarely are freshman that good or make that big of an impact, meaning they have to be coached up. Now I understand some players just aren’t as physically gifted as others, but these coaches make a bunch of money to coach the players. So my response is if you don’t have the same amount of playmakers, whose fault is that? Some blame lies on the players, but a good bit of blame also lies on the coach.

• Link
• Report this comment

For the few UGA fans on here that actually went to college or even UGA I am not bashing UGA academics overall. I have three family members that went to UGA that took actual classes and real majors and are doing or have done well in life. My brother thought it was funny when he attended there that most football players had tutors for basic classes because they were lost and most had no grasp of basic math and english.

• Link
• Report this comment

Ramblin man, do you really think a D1 BCS conference football player when they are being recruited is thinking about a major? I’ve worked with athletes at the high school and college level. They may have a major in mind, but that is in the back of their mind. Why tech can’t get the good recruits is because they run an offense that no one runs in the pros, meaning offensively it doesn’t help with you getting drafted. Defensively, from what I’ve heard, paul johnson doesn’t really care about those recruits and just takes the leftovers. Richt is an offensive guy, but do you think he ignored the recruting of john jenkins? I heard he went to the doctor with jarvis jones when he was having tests run on his neck and getting cleared. You can blame your head coach for recruiting.

• Link
• Report this comment

Jarvis,
I agree and that number comes from Gailey trying to find just football players and CPJ tries to find both. I know the man, he is not going to recruit a kid that has no shot in the classroom. He may take a gamble on a kid, but you know when talking with somebody and checking if they have what it takes. If you research GT you will see that the graduation rate for football is close with the average student body.

• Link
• Report this comment

I am a Georgia Bulldog fan who has tremendous respect for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, BUT I have to say that Al Groh seems to be a nice man, but For whatever reason, I believe Al Groh’s best coaching days are behind him.

GET A NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR!

I root for the Jackets when they are not playing the Dawgs, and I respect Coach Paul Johnson and his style of coaching, but…

GO DAWGS!

• Link
• Report this comment

WHEN YOU PLAY A WEAK SISTER SCHEDUAL AND THEN HAVE TO PLAY A TEAM THAT IS GOOD YOU WILL ALL WAYS LOSE AND YOUR SCHEDUAL HAD A LOSING RECORD THIS YEAR. YOU DONT BECOME GOOD BY PLAYING WEAK TEAMS AS YOU DROP TO THIER LEVEL AND WHEN THE GOING GET ROUGH THEY FOLD THIER TENT AND LOSE THE GAME. YOU CAN’T PLAY SORRY TEAM AND GET BETTER AND PEOPLE WILL NOT COME TO SEE YOU PLAY. THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE TO GIVE AWAY FREE FOOD TO SELL TICKETS.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, I think your right. The worst thing Tech could do right now is get rid of Groh. Recruiting is the biggest issue. Look at what Grantham has done installing the 3-4 at UGA during the same time period. UGA graduated all their interior lineman the year before he took over. Now they have two massive DTs in the middle around 350 each and a huge set of LBs and DEs around them, many with NFL potential.

I’ve said it before, the hire of Johnson was a big risk because of recruiting. Could Johnson recruit the kind of players necessary to consistently beat the tougher teams on their schedule? As you pointed out, the answer has been no. In two years of mostly his players, he has one win over such competition (Clemson this year).

• Link
• Report this comment

Paul Johnson is certainly the perfect fit for the offense, although for passing situation he should put in the shotgun formation just like Georgia Southern does. As for the Defense, Al Groh’s 3-4 scheme JUST WON’T WORK FOR TECH. The 3-4 works for teams who can recruit multiple 5 star recruits EVERY SINGLE YEAR. A good example would be Nick Saban’s Alabama team. Another good example would be Mark Richt’s Georgia team.

The point is that instead of wasting time trying to get the 3-4 to work at Tech Al Groh who is a great coach, and I mean a GREAT coach should understand that the 3-4 scheme is not the right option for a team like Georgia Tech, if we go to the 4-3 not only will that help us defend the run but we have a pretty good secondary in: Rod Sweeting, Jemea Thomas, Louis Young, and Jamal Golden could be a good player as well.

More, if we go to the 4-3 we would likely start Julian Burnett or Quayshawn (spelling?) Nealy, or even the talented Jabari-Hunt Days. And at the LOLB or ROLB spot we could have Jeremiah Attaouchu (spelling).

In short, we would definitely be better defensively with a great coach in Al Groh and the 4-3!

GO JACKETS BEAT UTAH!!

• Link
• Report this comment

Back to the topic on hand I say keep Groh as hiring a new DC at this point would probably do more harm than good and it’s only his second year and it usually takes three years to get a system going. I think CPJs plan was to hire a pretty recognized and decent 3-4 guy who had a few years left in him then hopefully attract a younger guy to take over a few years later.

• Link
• Report this comment

wne
those are NOT engineering schools Good lord at least compare us to purdue. You CAN go to nd or vandy or florida and major in something really easy which you CANT do at gt. Get a clue.

• Link
• Report this comment

gt4ever, then how do you explain the fact that no coach in the last 30 years has been able to recruit well at GT?

• Link
• Report this comment

Ya’ll gotta get players!!! D-linemen smaller than your kicker, d-backs that couldn’t cover a gnat with a tablecloth and an athlete (not a QB) running the criple option……Groh (or anyone) needs more talent than you now have. A few JUCO transfers and a few good signing years will help, and the rivalry will return. Stonewall Jackson couldn’t mount too much defense with the talent (or lack thereof) that ya’ll have. Not being ugly, bro’s, just presenting the facts! You let Jaybo get out (a true QB) and you need a real QB to do the job! You can rant and rave at UGA about thugs, etc., and,yes, we are not in the elite of the SEC. However, ya’ll ain’t in the elite of the GHSA and 9 out of 10 says so! Get d-players and a big-boy offense and the rivalry will return!

• Link
• Report this comment

Tech might be better served with a young, hungry D-coordinator. They should look at Tennessee’s Justin Wilcox. He has a great eye for talent (he convinced a skeptical Chris Petersen to offer Kellen Moore and even gave up a defensive scholorship to get him when he was at Boise State) and helped build Boise State into a reputable defense. Wilcox is on a sinking ship at Tennessee I fear…

• Link
• Report this comment

Sorry Mark. You’re wrong here. The guy can’t relate to 16, 17, and 18 year olds.

He WAS a helluva coach. Hang it up, Al.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, I tweeted Jeff Schultz the other day about a rumor of the possibility of Groh being courted by Charlie Weis at Kansas. I’ve seen the rumor on a couple websites, nothing reputable yet, but what are your thoughts on this possibility?

• Link
• Report this comment

Enlighten us headley. Name the classes at GT that were created for football players.

Any of the ones Reggie Ball or Reuben Houston took.

Most Tech football players are dummies just like everywhere else. Tech fans however live in LA LA land and think every Tech football player goes on to work for NASA.

They don’t. In fact most of them don’t even graduate. They are just used by the school for whatever football they can get out of them then they are thrown to the side to fend for themselves.

Tech academics aren’t all that special. Mediocre at best.

Its just a crutch for the fan base to use to explain why they don’t win more.

• Link
• Report this comment

You guys are high-as-a-kite if you really think GA’s D is a good as their stats suggest.

And your smoking something if you couldn’t see how much the Dawgs D improved.

It was obvious to anyone who

1. Watches the games.
2. Knows anything about football.

Obviously being a tech fan your grasp of #2 will be a challenge and is probably where you missed it.

• Link
• Report this comment

They were 5-4 the rest of the way.

In an awful conference.

CPJ record against the three legit teams he has to play each year is

2 – 9 combined against Va Tech, UGA, and the bowl game.

Tech would win 4 maybe 5 games a year in the SEC. And most of those would be OOC.

• Link
• Report this comment

Noday? Nobody

• Link
• Report this comment

Tech academics aren’t all that special. Mediocre at best.

Wow, you must think UGA’s academics are god awful then.

• Link
• Report this comment

I agree with GTBob. I think there is a lot more talent out there than people realize. You know we are not getting killed by anybody, we were one game, Va. Tech, and one real play away from the championship game for crying out loud. This is the first time I felt really beat up by Georgia, under CPJ,but Georgia does have better talent and a lot of film to watch how other coaches took advantage of us by game 11. I still think Georgia has coaching problems but they have hid it with a easy schedule and a lot of talent,

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, classic example of “damning with faint praise” of Coach Groh. I don’t see the status quo being the answer at this point. If you don’t have the athletes for the scheme you are running, then maybe the scheme needs to be looked at as the problem.

• Link
• Report this comment

Wow, you must think UGA’s academics are god awful then.

No. About the same.

When you look at the college rankings Tech is usually higher but UGA makes the list and does quite well.

Here is the part where you cry ” but we aren’t a liberal arts college … we are engineers ”

As if being an engineer was the greatest thing in the world.

Don’t get me wrong we need em. But there is allot more to the world than looking at a CAD screen all day.

Tech isn’t even the best school in Atlanta.

Emory is.

• Link
• Report this comment

Georgia Tech will go from bad to worse I hope, because I think they dont have the personal for 3-4 D. They have to have big talented DL for this to work

• Link
• Report this comment

JB they were down by three touchdowns to the dawgs in 2008 and won and were down 2 touchdowns two or three separate times against the dawgs in 2010 and if it wasn’t for that missed extra point, would have tied the game. Two examples off the top of my head of them coming from behind.

• Link
• Report this comment

Headley,

Whenever you talk like this, you just look foolish…. GT is one of the best schools in the country… I mean, you really need to stop drinking so early…. Emory is a great school, but in so many other ways… You really can’t compare the two….

• Link
• Report this comment

4ever yeah management is your other option. and how many of those 5 stars want to take 3 courses of calculus, much less pass it??? get a clue.

• Link
• Report this comment

Alex,

I have a clue…. I don’t use the excuse of the school academics to rationalize poor coaching… One day we will get another coach that can get the job done!

• Link
• Report this comment

I’m going over to Jmar’s house later so we can have some “fun” if you know what I mean. We enjoy some diverse activities, including the recitation on the largest objects possible that can fit in the human rectum. Sic em!

• Link
• Report this comment

slydog, GT does not waive transfer requirements for athletes and never have. As for Stanford, here is a trivia question. When was the last time Stanford had a winning season without Luck as their QB?

• Link
• Report this comment

One player makes a huge difference. Look at Matt Ryan at BC. Rivers at NC State. Peyton Manning at the Colts. Take Luck away from Stanford and they might win 5 games this year.

• Link
• Report this comment

This man CPJ makes serious money this is big time so stop with the excuses and get er done.

Honestly, what do you expect from a coach at GT?

• Link
• Report this comment

So what is the problem as far as the Georgia based players are concerned? What is this insurmountable hurdle they can’t seem to climb? Their admission is virtually guaranteed, more so than at UGA. Let me guess: Calculus

• Link
• Report this comment

BTW, here you go. All you said was “winning” seasons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Cardinal_football

• Link
• Report this comment

slydog, that was my point. Stanford hasn’t had a winning season without Luck since 2001. They went 7 years without winning more then 5 games. Using them as proof of anything is a little silly.

• Link
• Report this comment

One of the elements of the ACC that the SEC does not get is the ACC is not as poor school wise as the SEC. It can exist very well with a lot less athletic income. The local press have made the prediction of an ACC collapse. That the power conferences would pick up the pieces and adsorb the conference. The very same month the ACC picked up two new schools in high media areas strengthen the product and trumping the SEC in the long run. The ACC as a whole produce a product academically that supports a weaker product football as football in the SEC produces a weaker product academics in their schools. If football went away tomorrow there would still be a huge demand for most of the ACC schools Tech being one of them. Somehow that seems the proper place for football.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hey Mark, wanna hear something funny? People here need to realize how gutsy Mark is for apparently not doing what’s taking place over on the Georgia boards, where Chip Towers or someone associated with him immediately deletes ANY comment that in any way suggests Chip is a raging Georgia homer. When writing that rules violation story, good ol’ UGAZero himself actually had the nerve to write, “… Richt unknowingly violated the provisions of NCAA bylaw 11.3.2.2 …” Yeah, sure, Chip … says who? Richt? Or is he a mind-reader?

As for Tech, the question isn’t whether Groh is good enough, it’s whether Tech can get someone better. And the quarterback in this system needs to do a lot more than manage the game and not make mistakes. He has to make snap decisions on a large majority of the plays, and Tevin Washington definitely decides on doing things himself far too often … which would be alright if he was faster or a better runner.

• Link
• Report this comment

Al Groh HAS GOT TO GO! Awful on defense.

• Link
• Report this comment

Please do not get rid of Groh or any other current coach on Tech’s staff. In fact, please give all of them 10 year extensions. Thank you.

• Link
• Report this comment

I wonder if Tech is gunshy at all from the probation they are still under from rules violations in the past. They have received some stiff penalties for non compliance so it’s possible that it’s limiting who they will accept.

• Link
• Report this comment

Perception is reality, and the perception in football circles is that UGA’s curriculum is easier and more diverse than Tech’s, therefore, that factor, plus the co-ed multiplication factor are always going to work in UGA’s favor.

When you are talking 17 and 18 year old boys who play football, this weighs heavy in their rather narrow worlds. Obviously, not all kids are worldly and well-grounded.

Fact is, where Tech missed the boat is by not annexing and bringing GA State up under their wing so that athletes who wanted to go to GA State and undergo their curriculum could play football for Tech.

That would definately change the playing field somewhat, and quite frankly I’m not so sure that the best coach for Tech isn’t coaching there already at Ga State. He certainly knows what challenges the Tech coach faces.

• Link
• Report this comment

“Honestly, what do you expect from a coach at GT?”

G TBob – To state it simply, I expect better. I am not content with mid-40s level recruiting results and I don’t think anyone who supports the program should be. All I am saying is let’s raise the bar. If it can be done one year in recent memory, find a way to repeat it. This has got to improve if Tech is serious about a superior football program. If not then that’s okay too but learn to be content with 8 win and occasional 9 win seasons, beating UGA every 5-7 years etc. – that’s reality. Yes, there will be that occasional fluke season…

• Link
• Report this comment

After the “success” of GT’s last prominent JUCO transfer (that would be Tom Luginbill, brought in by the worst HC in GT history) I would have been surprised if GT ever went afgter another JUCO

• Link
• Report this comment

GStateBen

December 20th, 2011
1:13 pm
Mark,

Tech rebounded? You mean beating a 1-10 Coastal Carolina team
—
I must have missed that game.

• Link
• Report this comment

Old Al would seem a lot smarter/younger if he had a couple of those big boys that play for georgie…but that will not happen.

Papa Johns knows that better ingredients make better pizza!

• Link
• Report this comment

“Tech’s defensive failings aren’t akin to Georgia’s under Willie Martinez. Back then, Georgia had conspicuously gifted players but yielded increasingly lousy results.”- MB.

Your statement implies Georgia Tech should just live with mediocrity from the defense but it is totally unacceptable in Athens. Tech should dump Al Groh immediately after their bowl game and get a coach who is highly motivated and knows how to coach defense. Their performance under his direction is unacceptable.

• Link
• Report this comment

I heard a guy named Bill Lewis speak at a GT Alumni event many years ago. He said linemen do not need to be big, they just need to have great technique. That philosophy did not work so well for him.

Groh is a very good coach. GT needs stable coaches and better Georgia recruiting. The recruiting will take time. GT fans need to be patient and satisfied with 8-4 seasons. With enough 8-4 seasons you are bound to have a 10-2 or 12-0 season every once in a while…and a couple of 5-7’s. If Bowden and Paterno had been let go whenever they had a 500 season, then they would not rank very high as coaches.

• Link
• Report this comment

I agree – Tech needs to recruit the big (300+ pounds) athletic defensive linemen. We have the coaching staff. We have the offense. We just need the defensive players.

• Link
• Report this comment

Pdmorgs -agree with you 100%. Looking forward to next year.

• Link
• Report this comment

Just curious – for everyone on here – does it make a difference in your life if Tech or UGA go 12 – 0 or 0 – 12?

• Link
• Report this comment

Our next Derrick Morgan is still in high school and his name is Francis Kallon!!! Good years are ahead!

• Link
• Report this comment

Buzzy, Kallon has been playing football for 1 year against high school competition, don’t expect much from him until 2014or beyond.

• Link
• Report this comment

Al Groh is a good coach and made some great adjustments at halftime. Tech will have trouble recruiting great players for the offense because the great ones want to play in a pro type offense. Tech should be able to recruit some great players for defense. Chan Gailey was bringing in great recruits, and his recruiting was getting better each year. Too bad Tech lost his recruiting skills. There have been no NFL first rounders brought in since he was fired. Check the NFL rosters for Gailey’s recruits. You will be amazed at how many there are. I think he would have built a dynasty if not fired.

• Link
• Report this comment

MARK its Al Groh’s job to have those players making the plays or being in place to make them. Im sorry but AL GROH NEEDS TO GO! go get a young D cord that can RECRUIT!!!! key word RECRUIT and i dont mean landing one or two guys BUT GETTING STUDS FOR EVERY SPOT ON THE FIELD. Wommack was gone in 2 years and Groh has not done anything to save his job! PLZ quit doing dumb articles on something you dont know. YOUR not a TECH guy so you dont understand

• Link
• Report this comment

OH BTW GROH HASNT STOP GEORGIA’S OFFENSE IN TWO YEARS! THATS ENOUGH TO GET FIRED IN MY BOOK. HOW OLD IS HE? EVEN IF TECH KEEPS HIM HOW MUCH LONGER DO HE REALLY WANY TO COACH??

• Link
• Report this comment

@MARK you can delete me or say what you want but this is worst article you have done. There was a reason UVA fired groh. He is not the answer. Want to know what coach i want. RANDY SHANNON yea so what he was there when all the crap happend a few months ago. I can tell you this he will be able to recruit SOUTH FLORIDA like something we as TECH fans have never seen. FIRE GROH and go get a young BLACK coach.

• Link
• Report this comment

The talented defense of Georgia
gave up 42 points to South Carolina and LSU, and the Dawgs beat ‘two’ FBS (Division1-A) teams with a winning record.

• Link
• Report this comment

Throughout the season I typically shoot the coaches an email venting or congratulating them, whichever the situation called for. This past Thanksgiving I shot the staff an email wishing them a Happy Thanksgiving and wishing them well against Georgia (so much for that right?). I was sitting around the Friday evening before the game and much to my surprise the caller was Coach Groh. We had a nice conversation. Coach Groh, on that gesture alone, demonstrated how much he believes in Tech and them doing well. He also brings experience to the table that not many coaches can bring. We cannot judge a coaches ability to coach based on Wins and Losses (See Mark Richt). A ton of Tech’s problems are based on talent alone. Letting Coach Groh go would be a major set back for our Defense.

• Link
• Report this comment

TECH FAN open up your eyes! he Can BELIVE all he wants but he is not the answer! The D has sucked since he has been here no DRAMATIC CHANGES. THERE WAS A REASON UVA fired and trust me GT can find someone better. Groh would be gone if i was the AD.

• Link
• Report this comment

GT needs better players – pure and simple. I read above about GT having some players coming in – well if they are the same talent level as the ones you have then expect more poor defense.

Tech does OK when the offense is able to control the clock (keeps the D on the bench) but when the opponent shuts down the O things get real ugly real quick.

• Link
• Report this comment

EXACTLY THESE COACHES CANT RECRUIT ! IF I WAS THE AD THAT WOULD BE A HUGE FACTOR IN HIRING A COACH OF FIRING A COACH. GT IS LOCATED IN ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO GET HIGH CALIBER PLAYERS AND EVERY YEAR THEY MISS OUT ON 95% OF THE KIDS IN THIS STATE. BAMA UF CLEMSON TENN AUBURN SO.CAR FSU ALL THESE SCHOOLS LAND ATLEAST 3 OR MORE KIDS FROM THIS STATE. TECH NEVER HAS A SHOT AT THEM AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY TECH CANT LAND ATLEAST 1 KID THAT WAS GOING TO GO TO EACH ONE OF THESE SCHOOLS. NO REASON WHY GT IS NOT IN THE TOP 25 YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT!!!!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

14 GT,

It’s hard to argue with any of his points….

• Link
• Report this comment

If CPJ would only hire Ralph friedgen…. Change our offense that would relate to 90 percent of these blue chip high school players we would have a much better chance…..

• Link
• Report this comment

@gt4ever i agree hire the big guy and let him run the option a few times a game but open it up some. I have seen high school teams throw the ball 25 times better than GT. This has been going on for 4 years now. There is a big problem with that. Im sorry but IF CPJ LOSSES TO UTAH HE NEEDS TO GO.

• Link
• Report this comment

yeah, but the head coach, sorry to say has got too much ego to throw his system away… Ralph would be perfect. Al groh will be fine, if we have the recruiting in place to help….

• Link
• Report this comment

He fired wommack after 2 years because the D didnt improve so why would he keep Groh after 2 years?? it doesnt make sense if he does keep him. I can tell you this if we lose the bowl game I am DONE with GT football until they fire these guys. It would be different if CPJ was bringing in top 25 classes every year and we could actually throw the ball AND BEAT UGA but as of right now its not happening and i dont see this program on the rise.

• Link
• Report this comment

I find IHATEUGA1990’s rants reminiscent of our good “friend”, WnE. I think most of us can agree he is a mutt troll. I just pass right over his rants now. I get annoyed at “fans” who spout so much negativity.
I don’t understand how a true fan can not temper their disappointment, and yes, I have my share with the team, but they did show improvement. Even the special teams had moments of good play making. I hate sounding like I’m making excuses. But, the kids are young and will only get better. I had many moments of frustration with the play of the entire team. I know we live in a culture of “now”. But it takes more that 2 years for a coach to get enough of the type players he needs for his scheme to be effective. We have some good youngsters coming in next year. If we will just be patient, I fully expect GT to become a really good football team, and that will begin showing up next fall. I was raised in Marietta and went to many GT, Falcons, Braves and Hawks games in the past. I am going to the Sun Bowl and plan to get at least 1 GT season ticket next year. I have suffered through many losses of “my” teams, but I never lost faith in them and have never “booed” any of them, just pouted and sulked in silence for a while after the disappointments. So come on guys, give ‘em a little praise too, ok?

• Link
• Report this comment

14 GT your a idiot to think i am UGA thats all im going to say your dumba**

• Link
• Report this comment

14 GT that is your way of dealing with the dissapointment! Me i speak the truth and dont hold any of it back. I love GT and will never give on GEORGIA TECH but i will give on paul johnson and al groh. Just becasue i dont like them does not mean i dont like GEORGIA TECH. If you read my points you can not argue with any of them because its the truth. The only thing GT is good at right now is being predictable on offense and not being able to recruit. How can you be pleased with the passing game?? somebody needs to call Johnson out on this. TW mechanics are awful his footwork in the pocket is awful why would CPJ give this kid a scholly to play QB?? none of it makes sense to me.

• Link
• Report this comment

Let’s play a what if game. Suppose that for one year the coaching staff concentrated on defense. Recruited strictly for big linemen. In this what if, they also recruited for only big and fast offensive linemen. We have enough backs on both sides of the ball. Anyone with an ounce of knowledge understands that without talent up front everyone will always be running to catch up. P.J. should be smart enough to realize that his recruiting of 175 pound quarterbacks is just not going to win the big games.

• Link
• Report this comment

If we don’t dump the coach then dump the 3-4. We don’t have the size lineman to play this scheme, especially on the line. We have, probably the most UNDERSIZED D-line in college football and when you are going up against O-lineman that are out manning you by at least 30 lbs and 4″, then you will NEVER get a pass rush. I saw this time and time again all year!!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

Techbuzz, you are right. Don’t know if you are old enough remember back that far but Paul Bear Bryant’s teams were noted for undersized linemen with great speed. That was until they played an Nebraska team in a bowl game who featured really big linemen with equal speed. Needless to say Alabama got their butt handed to them on a platter. The point is Bryant changed and started to go after the big boys after that. That’s when he went on his longest winning record. Simply put, be willing to change or suffer the consequences.

• Link
• Report this comment

im glad someone agrees with me. When i speak what i think the truth is people say i am a dog fan which is not the case at all. I LOVE GT but i dont LOVE CPJ OR CAG as our coaches. They will never win the acc or NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP and that NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP game is what im after.

• Link
• Report this comment

Who has CPJ beat in the last 2 years other than Clemson this year? and this roster is full of his players. Cant recruit cant win a bowl game and cant beat VT or UGA so how does he keep his job?

• Link
• Report this comment

Those of you who keep posting that we need better players just don’t understand the situation or don’t understand the nature of football in general compared to football factories.

Georgia Tech will “never” be a football factory because we cannot get the quality of players that UGA, Texas, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, etal can recruit.

Dodd could not do it, but he won consistently. Boise State and others like them win consistently and do not get the same quality of athletes that we can get at Tech from the States of Georgia, Florida and surrounding States.

Here is the real truth of the matter. Pay close attention! Tech has won national championships with less talent than the football factories, because of smart coaching. What is smart coaching? It is taking the caliber of recruits that are available to Tech and structuring the offense and defense around the talents of those players by a genius coach. There are plenty smart coaches available in college football, however, some of them are not at the football factories.

If a coach can win with only one system and cannot get the players for that system, then he is not a good football coach. We need coaches that are smart enough to mold a team with the talents available to Tech. We did it with the first three coaches at Tech, and it can be done again.

If Paul Johnson is unable to adapt to the changes in football from year to year, then we need a coach smart enough to adapt to the changes in football. Some problems I see with Johnson: his ego will not let him adapt, as he wants to prove that his continuous up-the-middle will work even though the defenses stack up to stop it. He did this consistently this year even though his best backs were the A Backs running outside.

Another of his problems is switching a quarterback and an A Back (Allen/last year) to the B Back position when they are more valuable as A Backs. Even though Sims might be a better breakaway runner, he is not a B Back and cannot get the consistent five yards on each carry up the middle; he is not big enough or strong enough; he should be an A Back. Actually, I saw Sims make some pretty good runs this year, when he did not go up the middle, but cut behind some blocks and go outside for good runs similar to the A Backs.

The B Backs should typically be big and strong backs. Even though Perkins is a tweener (6-0 219), he is comfortable with running up the middle, so he is worth trying at that position again during the Spring practice, although, he might be better as an A Back.

The first choice candidates for the B Back position should be Richard Watson (6-1 237), Daniel Drummond (6-3 248), or taking a 235-245 Line Backer that is not going to get a lot of playing time at that spot and making a B Back out of him.

Daniel Drummond appears to be the best of the lot for the B Back position at 6-3 248. He is fast enough to get to the hole and strong enough to gain at least five yards on most carries. The B Back does not have to score a TD on every carry, although Drummond, Watson, and one of the Line Backers would have enough speed to make long runs up the middle, because, once they get through the hole, it us a straight shot to the goal.

Players are being mismanaged on offense and defense. Coaches egos, trying to prove they can win with methods that are not working, is going to cost them their jobs in the long run. Tech’s caliber of defensive recruits must play an attacking type of defense with the defensive linemen, they cannot win consistently with the 3-4 defense.

Since Johnson is ultimately responsible for the defense, he will either change it or be gone in a few years.

The Old Man

• Link
• Report this comment

It’s not Groh’s fault that Paul Johnson is a jackass and a lot of recruits don’t like him. (That is what the Tech insiders say.)

• Link
• Report this comment

@14 GT your the biggiest dumbass! enough said.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hey….arguing ain’t solvin’ ya’lls problems. The best players ain’t coming to the cripple-option offense…period. Yeah, you will pull a few games out, and even beat UGA once in awhile. But you have to have defensive players, and many of them ain’t coming since they know they may not have the chance to win. Ya’ll used to kick-butt back in the day, and there was a rivalry. I know we are not (yet) in the elite of the SEC, but you will see: nothing against your coach but a high-school offense ain’t gonna bring in the recruits, etc. you gotta have to win. Also do not blame academics. Tech used to have kick-butt teams when they played big-boy football!

• Link
• Report this comment

You know what Mark? At least people still care about GT Football. I mean, look at the number of comments. Sure some of the posts are from dirt balls who have sand burrs between their toes, but most are from thinking fans who give a damn. I wish there were more of us. Grant Field at the end of the GT-Georgia Game looked like Sanford Stadium in terms of that God awful red. When we played Nebraska at the Citrus Bowl in ‘91 the stadium was a virtual home game for us. I know there are fans out there and we do travel when it matters–which might be the issue: It just has not mattered a whole lot in recent years. Merry Christmas to the Tech faithful! Keep the Faith.

• Link
• Report this comment

Someone posted here that “GT use to kick butt back in the day”. Let us see.

You have to go all the way back to 1955 to find a MAJOR BOWL beyond the 1967 and 2009 Orange Bowl. LOOK IT UP !! Bobby Dodd was washed up by the mid 1950s. He did tons of Gator or Bluebonnet Bowl trips ……………..all minor bowl trips after 1955, up to 67.

GT won the 55 Sugar Bowl
GT lost the 67 Orange Bowl
GT lost the 09 Orange Bowl

THREE MAJOR BOWLS In what? 56 years? UGA in this same period has been to possibly 25+ MAJOR BOWLS. Yes, GT and UGA visited some lousy MINOR bowls too but UGA has that MAJOR BOWL TRADITION ( 2012 OUTBACK ) and GT has their minor bowl tradition ( 2011 Sun Bowl) and I do recall when Joe Pa stomped Bobby Dodd in the 65 or 66 Gator Bowl.

The Citrus bowl in 91? Oh, no …………… then, that was at best a lower, mid level bowl, having just changed the name from the old Tangerine ( in 73 UGA lost there to Miami of Ohio ) and so it was not a major bowl. By definition, overall a MAJOR BOWL is Rose, Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Outback, Capital One, now incl the Fiesta.

GT has been to three ( 3 ) in 56 years.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, great read and I couldn’t agree with you more about keeping Groh. You are on target that we desperately need to upgrade our talent and put pressure on the QB. We do have talent on the way, but perhaps not enough. Recall that Francis Kallon has tremendous potential and may help right away. Also, LB Jabari Hunt-Days is a 4 start prospect that redshirted last year and should step in and contribute with Kallon next year.

• Link
• Report this comment

IHATEUGA1990—-I call you out for the UGAG GEORGIE BUTT SNIFFING LEG HUMPING MUTT TROLL that you are and all you can come up with is “your (you’re/you are) a dumbazz”. Pathetic!!!! ROFLMFAO

• Link
• Report this comment

I’m still not sold on Grantham yet. It was an easy schedule this year with only a few quality wins: Tech and perhaps Auburn.

• Link
• Report this comment