Are we where we want to be?

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Perched on the threshold of the new season after a truly remarkable and successful year, are we about to embark on a run not seen since the 1950's? There are a lot of indications (coaching, recruiting, depth, individual talents) that double digit winning seasons can become the rule rather than the exception. It has been asked many times in the past 40 or 45 years: Has Georgia Tech turned the corner at last? Looking over our schedule there isn't a game that we can't win. Been a while since that could be said. That doesn't mean we will win 9 games, but the outlook is probable. To win at least nine games means we will have several big victories, the kind that propel a program to even larger success, and energize recruiting. In 2016 the core of the team will still be there, so a continuation or even an increase in the winning ways would be likely. If we run off 28 to 30 wins in three consecutive seasons (2014-2016), we would have to be considered among the elite twenty programs, would we not?

 

[bartoma]

A few things from last year had a great impact on the season - relatively few injuries to key players, lots of turnovers (our way), and just some plain luck... As many have noted, we could have easily dropped at least a couple that went our way...

If we can avoid early season injuries, and if the ball bounces our way, we'll be in good shape...

 

[iceeater1969]

We need to keep adding top tier talent at at dt. We need recruits there that can contribute day1 & go to nfl after year 3

 

[gtg936g]

If the chemistry and mindset continue from last year, I think we are where we want to be. I think we will continue to evolve into the powerhouse we want. We have the physical tools in my mind. I think we just have to continue the mentality. There is no doubt in my mind that many teams wish they were where we are. A double digit win total would be awesome, but I just want to see the team improve from week to week like we saw last year. I am really excited to see JT perform this year. I agree he could run any offensive scheme out there, but I think he is the most dangerous in our scheme. If he stays healthy he will do things that make your head spin this year.

 

[ClydeBrick]

If we run off 28 to 30 wins in three consecutive seasons (2014-2016) and join the eSECpn, we would have to be considered among the elite twenty programs, would we not?

ftfy

Gotta remember that if there is an "elite twenty programs" that 14 of those spots are already taken by definition. Leaving only six spots for mere mortal programs like tOSU, USCw, Texas, F$U, Clempson, Oregon, etc.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

ftfy

Gotta remember that if there is an "elite twenty programs" that 14 of those spots are already taken by definition. Leaving only six spots for mere mortal programs like tOSU, USCw, Texas, F$U, Clempson, Oregon, etc.

okay, I will stipulate "top 30"!

 

[Northeast Stinger]

We appear to be where we want to be.

Last year we perhaps won a couple of games by having the ball bounce our way. Of course, we lost a couple of games that we had no business losing because of that same "bouncing ball." There were several keys to Tech hitting its stride last year: Coming back against Ga Southern was huge. The Miami game where the players believed in the game plan and played within it. The repeated strips by the defense in the Pittsburgh game (that was not just luck; Tech's defense took the Pitt offensive players' heads right out of that game). Coming ready to whip Clemson and pounding them on every play from the opening whistle. And, perhaps most importantly, beating uga when it seemed like the refs were determined to break Tech's will. By the time we got to the Orange Bowl, Mississippi State was in over its head against a team that was convinced it could not lose.

What happened last year was the team developed an attitude that they expected to win every game. This was not the flip side of being cocky, this was the flip side of saying, "The only thing that can lose this game is if I do not give 100% effort from first play to the last play."

Things happen that are unexpected through the course of a season -injuries, bad calls by refs, inexplicable luck. But, in my opinion, Tech has turned that corner that all big time programs have to turn. By way of example, teams like Alabama, Georgia and Auburn also get lucky bounces and fortuitous calls by refs but no one calls them lucky anymore because we just expect good programs to have those kinds of things happen. This year Tech will be in every game, not get down on itself if they lose a game, and create more and more of the kind of good fortune that happens when a team believes in itself.

 

[redmule]

I think one thing is for sure, we will find out this year if we have turned the corner. ND and Clemson on the road, FSU and uga in Atlanta, and I think UNC and Pitt are going to bring good teams to ATL also. If we kick all of those butts, even if we lose one in a hard fought game, you'd have to say we've turned the corner with the caveat that we keep 90% of the coaches at season end. I have posted before that I believe the earth shifted under the state of Georgia last Thanksgiving (what an appropriate holiday for it to happen). I believe we will win our share of the close games with those people now rather than losing 6 of every 7.

What could indicate a corner turn more than a dramatic win in athens, three victories over top 15 in four games, top 10 finish, physical domination of heretofore top programs, huge bowl win, coaching stability, giant leap in recruiting, and low off season attrition. None of those characteristics were present in this century to date.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I think one thing is for sure, we will find out this year if we have turned the corner. ND and Clemson on the road, FSU and uga in Atlanta, and I think UNC and Pitt are going to bring good teams to ATL also. If we kick all of those butts, even if we lose one in a hard fought game, you'd have to say we've turned the corner with the caveat that we keep 90% of the coaches at season end. I have posted before that I believe the earth shifted under the state of Georgia last Thanksgiving (what an appropriate holiday for it to happen). I believe we will win our share of the close games with those people now rather than losing 6 of every 7.

What could indicate a corner turn more than a dramatic win in athens, three victories over top 15 in four games, top 10 finish, physical domination of heretofore top programs, huge bowl win, coaching stability, giant leap in recruiting, and low off season attrition. None of those characteristics were present in this century to date.

All I am asking is "Is it sustainable?"

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Continue to say with our lack of depth as some positions, we are very prone to injuries affecting our results. Also, it is hard to believe we can win the turnover battle as well 2 years in a row, but who knows?

If we stay away from major injuries to our DL, LB, and WR positions, but especially the DL and LB positions, anything is possible. I can see 7-5 all they way to 12-0 possible, with somewhere in between more realistic.

Go Jackets!!

 

[redmule]

I think it is sustainable for the reasons I mentioned above. And there are other indicators. We have since 1997 put in a pretty strong base of around 7+ wins annually. Johnson has been building on that base consistently. He is making the case that you can come to Tech, experience quite a bit of success, and have a reasonable shot at the pros. That last item (pro prospects) has been holding us back and used against us in recruiting. This year's draft, while not spectacular, has helped I think. Next year, you will see more than three be drafted, possibly a half dozen. Johnson has put to rest whether his system will work in major college football. Win ten games this year, beat uga, have a good draft, and then what can opposing recruiters say against us. CPJ was able to take advantage of our success by recruiting better. He closed strong after the OB. Seldom have we taken advantage of good seasons to recruit well. That is an indicator of sustainability.

What has always pulled us back from the corner for the last 60 years has been coaching stability. Coaching changes happen for two reasons, the coach is bad and gets fired, or the coach is good and leaves for greener pastures. Johnson is not a bad coach. He is a very good coach with an offense that other major colleges are too proud to adopt. Also he does not bull****, a trait that is admired by engineers but not necessarily by other types so he gets more tolerance at Tech. He does not hesitate to make changes even if that means firing a DC in mid season or telling the starting QB he needs to look for greener pastures. A man that won't change things will not turn a corner.

We may not be "There", but I'm going to act like we are and enjoy it as much as I possibly can.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I think it is sustainable for the reasons I mentioned above. And there are other indicators. We have since 1997 put in a pretty strong base of around 7+ wins annually. Johnson has been building on that base consistently. He is making the case that you can come to Tech, experience quite a bit of success, and have a reasonable shot at the pros. That last item (pro prospects) has been holding us back and used against us in recruiting. This year's draft, while not spectacular, has helped I think. Next year, you will see more than three be drafted, possibly a half dozen. Johnson has put to rest whether his system will work in major college football. Win ten games this year, beat uga, have a good draft, and then what can opposing recruiters say against us. CPJ was able to take advantage of our success by recruiting better. He closed strong after the OB. Seldom have we taken advantage of good seasons to recruit well. That is an indicator of sustainability.



What has always pulled us back from the corner for the last 60 years has been coaching stability. Coaching changes happen for two reasons, the coach is bad and gets fired, or the coach is good and leaves for greener pastures. Johnson is not a bad coach. He is a very good coach with an offense that other major colleges are too proud to adopt. Also he does not bull****, a trait that is admired by engineers but not necessarily by other types so he gets more tolerance at Tech. He does not hesitate to make changes even if that means firing a DC in mid season or telling the starting QB he needs to look for greener pastures. A man that won't change things will not turn a corner.

We may not be "There", but I'm going to act like we are and enjoy it as much as I possibly can.

I concur. A kid that sees our program with half a dozen guys "getting a shot" at the NFL can say I can do that. When we have nobody drafted, and nobody getting a try out, as was the case for a while, the kids are easily swayed away.

 

[a5ehren]

We're on the way. Another good season (9+ wins, given the tough schedule) to follow up last year would be a big help.

D-Line recruiting needs to get better, especially in the middle.

 

[CuseJacket]

I think we could win as few as 8 games this year and feel like we "turned the corner". As others have mentioned a lot depends on injuries and a little bit of luck. It's how we play that I'm most interested in.

Playing a little bit of devil's advocate now on 2 things. First, what have we seen from the D to date to expect great results this year, other than turnovers last year? Yes, those were huge and often "forced" turnovers, but I still need to see something from that group. I'm optimistic, but I've been blindly optimistic in past years when we ended up with 7 wins. I don't know that we're starting exactly where we want to be on that side of the ball other than recognizing we have some good looking athletes/potential.

Second, here's the thing about luck. I think we've been burned by it in the past and maybe had more than our fair share. Last year we were a missed FG (UGA) from potentially not even making the Orange Bowl. Forget the injustices that occurred against us throughout the rest of the game, but I'm confident in asserting that many would have seen a loss of any kind there as a reason we're nowhere where we need to be. Add to that going to the Champs Sports Bowl rather than the Orange Bowl and who knows what the tenor of the fanbase would have been.

Here's one example of luck in our favor from last year that I hadn't seen mentioned before. Been meaning to post this for a while. Anyone remember the play immediately after 4th and 15? One more ACC loss last year and I don't know that we make the ACC Championship game, let alone Orange Bowl. This one was gift wrapped and we skated by.



Now that all of that is out of my system, I'll say I'm optimistic that we're where we want to be. But that margin for error has me nervous.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

So all the bad luck over the decades has paid off Tech's bad karma and we finally saw the scales balanced last season with Tech getting as much good luck for a change as we have gotten bad luck in the past.

Why should we expect the defense to be better this year? Experience. What else is going to help the defense? More depth. What else is going to help the defense? Justin Thomas. Having Tech be a threat to score every time we get the ball, or milk copious amounts of time off the clock, puts the other team's offense in the position of having to play an almost perfect game. I am betting that those offenses are not able to do that in every game we play, meaning that we will win several games against good opponents who failed to play a perfect game to beat us.

Anyone want to chug the kool aid along with me?

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Just an opinion I wanted to throw out there, and see what everyone thinks.

I know a lot of you think we have turned the corner toward a great next few years and possibly some dominance. But, I still think we are not around that corner just yet. Of course, there are a lot of things that could signify that we have fully turned that corner, but for me, I was thinking this:

When our offense completely owns a Bud Foster defense, from the start of the game until the end of the game, that is when I will know there is NO stopping GT, and the NC's will be within our grasp. His defense has been the one thing, that even when we have beaten them, that has consistently created difficulty for our offense. I realize we must also have a decent defense to fully turn this corner, but I am assuming that will continue to gradually get better, so when we really DOMINATE Bud Foster's D, that will be a defining moment, in my opinion.

What is the "turned the corner", defining moment that many of you are looking for? Have you already seen it?

 

[danny daniel]

So all the bad luck over the decades has paid off Tech's bad karma and we finally saw the scales balanced last season with Tech getting as much good luck for a change as we have gotten bad luck in the past.

Why should we expect the defense to be better this year? Experience. What else is going to help the defense? More depth. What else is going to help the defense? Justin Thomas. Having Tech be a threat to score every time we get the ball, or milk copious amounts of time off the clock, puts the other team's offense in the position of having to play an almost perfect game. I am betting that those offenses are not able to do that in every game we play, meaning that we will win several games against good opponents who failed to play a perfect game to beat us.

Anyone want to chug the kool aid along with me?

I'll chug but I think to have that double digit win season we need a step up performance from Devine, Kallon, and Summers (or Jeune, Stewart, or Philpott) and either Allen or Skov need to shine. Devine rounds out our OL. Kallon completes our DT depth and gives flexibility to use Gamble situationally at SDE. WRs have to give us a real pass threat and 3rd down performance. Combination of our BBs need to take us into the 1400+ yardage area without too many fumbles. I am comfortable most, if not all, of this will happen.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Just an opinion I wanted to throw out there, and see what everyone thinks.

I know a lot of you think we have turned the corner toward a great next few years and possibly some dominance. But, I still think we are not around that corner just yet. Of course, there are a lot of things that could signify that we have fully turned that corner, but for me, I was thinking this:

When our offense completely owns a Bud Foster defense, from the start of the game until the end of the game, that is when I will know there is NO stopping GT, and the NC's will be within our grasp. His defense has been the one thing, that even when we have beaten them, that has consistently created difficulty for our offense. I realize we must also have a decent defense to fully turn this corner, but I am assuming that will continue to gradually get better, so when we really DOMINATE Bud Foster's D, that will be a defining moment, in my opinion.

What is the "turned the corner", defining moment that many of you are looking for? Have you already seen it?

That's a pretty high bar since not many teams dominate VT's defense. The key to our program turning any mythical "corner" is gonna be about the defense. And that's gonna be about the DL. If we can consistently bring in and develop the right DL players, we've turned a corner. We've had a few here and there but not enough at the same time for any length of time.

 

[IronJacket7]

I'm excited like any other year. However, I'm keeping an even keel.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I'll chug but I think to have that double digit win season we need a step up performance from Devine, Kallon, and Summers (or Jeune, Stewart, or Philpott) and either Allen or Skov need to shine. Devine rounds out our OL. Kallon completes our DT depth and gives flexibility to use Gamble situationally at SDE. WRs have to give us a real pass threat and 3rd down performance. Combination of our BBs need to take us into the 1400+ yardage area without too many fumbles. I am comfortable most, if not all, of this will happen.

Haven't you heard? It's Marcus Marshall now. The new next big thing at BB.

That's a pretty high bar since not many teams dominate VT's defense. The key to our program turning any mythical "corner" is gonna be about the defense. And that's gonna be about the DL. If we can consistently bring in and develop the right DL players, we've turned a corner. We've had a few here and there but not enough at the same time for any length of time.

Add three third down stops on defense per game and we're back in the Orange Bowl.