Above the Line / Depth Chart

AE 87

Helluva Engineer
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13,030
I discovered this weekend that a former Clemson cheerleader lives in Oriental and is still somewhat connected to the football team. She said the folks in Clemson do not think GT can compete with them and the coaches have more focus on Texas A&M. If they are correct, we may see a lot of people playing just to see who has the toughness (both mental and physical) to play deeper into the schedule. My expectation is that we will try to compete for as long as we can. If that's for four quarters I believe we will make sure we have our best players on the field as much as possible. Developing a culture is great, but winning games is better.

If they are actually more focused on A&M, then that's good for us.

I doubt it's true.
 

smokey_wasp

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5,486
If they are actually more focused on A&M, then that's good for us.

I doubt it's true.

No way Dabo lets Clemson take us lightly. That said, I am sure they are on a different agenda than we are and will pull their starters if and when they are comfortable, while we will fight for every yard to the final whistle. Pretty much like last year's game where Dabo ended up bringing his starters back in after we scored a couple of times.
 

AE 87

Helluva Engineer
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13,030
No way Dabo lets Clemson take us lightly. That said, I am sure they are on a different agenda than we are and will pull their starters if and when they are comfortable, while we will fight for every yard to the final whistle. Pretty much like last year's game where Dabo ended up bringing his starters back in after we scored a couple of times.

I didn't say that. Did you mean to reply to @orientalnc ?
 

FlatsLander

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
926
a guy who is a tweener and a bit lost as a result so to speak. But has given great effort and leadership and is playing well. We will see him in the slot, 3rd down back type stuff, special teams. He will play alot....
Last I heard, he was back in the running back room.
 

Jacket in Dairyland

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1,053
Why do you find the ATL strategy bizarre? It's unconventional, sure, but it sounds like Russo only got his shot because the ATL strategy meant he'd get his chance to play. Seemed to work as intended. Personally, I feel ATL is one of the more clever things Collins has implemented at Georgia Tech.

We're experiencing a shift in college football towards something more akin to free agency in the transfer market. A lot of the time, transfers are caused by lack of playing time or being pinned as a career backup. However, if you establish that your #2 LB will be getting nearly as many snaps as the starter if they prove to the staff they deserve it, then it should mitigate player transfers. Frankly, we had astonishingly low attrition this off-season for a coaching transition and I partially credit the ATL for that.

I also think it's good because it should keep players healthier and develop your backups more quickly as they receive more snaps. The obvious drawback is that you might not always have your best players in at all times, but a fresh backup can often outperform a tired starter for a spell. Though, like anything else, we'll see if theory works in practice this season.

Can you comment on how much the Temple players bought into Collins' culture? Because the GT players have shown a level of commitment that has even surprised the coaching staff (probably the biggest reason for our player retention). They all seem to love Collins, his energy, his staff, and his "gimmicks," and we've seen an influx of three 4* transfers and one 5* who all love it as well. The vibe I get is that the Temple fans were accustomed to Rhule's style and never totally bought into what Collins was selling, so my thought process was that this was shared with the Temple players. You think that's accurate?
+++++
 

Pointer

Helluva Engineer
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1,801
Collins inherited a very good team. We won the AAC Championship in 2016 and would have received an Access Bowl as the best G5 bid team had Western Michigan not had undefeated season. We then went 7-6 and 8-5 respectively after Collins took over. They were respectable seasons.

As I mentioned, he lost 2 games in both '17 & '18 that were real head scratchers. On the other hand, he rebounded and finished strong in each year. He could have lost the team each season and he marshalled resources, changed course and got us in a Bowl game. We did not really compete for the AAC title in either season. We didnt have an experienced QB and UCF, in our division was a better team.

I understand GT's QB situation is murky. I would watch how he and Pataneude handle it. Our fans were not happy w the players they chose as starter, particularly in his first season. Of course, 20/20 hindsight....

Collins is very much a 21st Century Sports Coach. Very media savvy, works the apps and markets himself well. Definitely likes his gimmicks. He implemented something called the "money down" where students were handed fake dollar bills w his picture on them to be tossed in the air on defense for 3rd down inspiration. Personally, im good w anything that creates enthusiasm but some people didnt like it, especially when we throwing the bills around while losing to an FCS opponent.
My God reading this, one could call you a time traveler.
 
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