I don't know how many CPJ supporters here feel the same way I do -- but I wasn't ready for a new coach yet. I liked the CPJ hire from the get-go, based on what he'd done at Navy, and really thought he was a great fit for the program. The old high-school offense was exciting to watch, and it wasn't just three yards and a cloud of dust; you could always expect a big gainer from out of nowhere. And with JeT, there was even the passing threat to keep defenses honest. What rubbed me wrong about the whole thing was that CPJ wasn't given the tools he needed to win, and I think he finally just got tired of it all. I really wanted to see him coach out his contract before he retired. The one critique everyone's had of Coach Johnson was his lack of a good defense, and I'm there as well. If he couldn't afford a good DC, then he probably should have found a genius DC from the Div-2 ranks that cost less. But that's water under the bridge.
Coach Collins is here now, and I want him to succeed -- for the sake of the team, but also for him personally. The Tech job is the one he wanted above all else, and I'd hate to see him fail at it. I just hope he doesn't turn out to be like Kirby: really good at selling his program, but not very good at the X's and O's or game-day management. Let's hope after the initial shell-shock that he grows into this job and does well!
