As I have watched Tech on TV this year I have been struck by how “on message” the commentators have been. I have heard how players on the line have gained weight, how CGC needs his type of players, what a colossal rebuilding job this is, how much better the offense is now on third and forever, how the players are so much more athletic now, and even “it’s more about process than winning with the program now.”
From the beginning with CGC I wondered if he really believed it when he said, “This is the greatest transition in the history of football” or whether he was just trying to inoculate himself from the inevitable fan criticism that comes to all Tech coaches when they don’t win right away. His steady drumbeat certainly has TV talking heads on board, to the point where CPJ is indirectly accused of being a bad coach and the source of all that was wrong with the program.
I hate that CPJ didn’t get the support from the AD that might have made him a more consistent winner. Now we are in year two of the experiment which says we are no longer going to get by on the cheap, we are not going to compensate for recruiting disadvantages like Army and run a special system, and we are going to compete on an even basis with the Clemsons of the world. Will Tech fans be more patient than they were with Ross, who almost left the year before the national championship, and how long before we know the experiment is working?
Throughout Tech’s history coaches have used innovation to try to even the playing field, from offensive shifts, to the belly series, to the cover 2 defense. CGC is saying we can play it straight up and beat them on their own terms. In theory, everyone is all in on this.
Being a fan means you have the right to argue and complain. Will CGC having a 7 year leash give him the space he needs to make this work? If the situation grows toxic whose fault will it be and how will we know objectively if the CGC “process” was the answer? Simply put, we are going to need a winning season by 2022. So far we are not seeing a lot of progress toward accomplishing that goal.