Brent Key is not the answer

[tmhunter52]

I think we just need to relax.
Auburn, which recruits (arguably) better, has more resources and a university commitment to athletics is also 3-4. It takes time.

One player told me at camp, nobody knew another player. Nobody. “Who are you? What position do you play?”

Coaches have an idea of how they want to compete. Perhaps they don’t have the players. Or the skills. Or the development. This isn’t Football 1985.

It’s never as good, or as bad, as it seems.

Seems pretty bad at the moment

 

[Vespidae]

Seems pretty bad at the moment

I lived through 1980 on the Flats. That was really, really bad. This in no way compares to that.

 

[awbuzz]

Not a good look when your best RB rides the pine for seemingly no reason. Mason scenario 2.0

Can you provide some insight you have seen from practices or other sources?
I am hard pressed to believe that short of disciplinary issues that the staff isn't putting players on the field that gives us the best chance to win.

 

[tmhunter52]

Regarding your last sentence...a coach's best friend is the pine and if that does not work, show them the door. There are plenty of players on that team that need to change their attitudes and work ethic or hit the road. A Florida coach once had a situation with a player not going to class. He told the young man that he was being punished with extra conditioning drills to change his mindset. Replied the outraged player who had been hyped as possible All SEC material the next year: "Do you know who I am?" Replied the coach: "Sure, you used to play football for the University of Florida" This was not all that long ago either.

We don’t seem as strong as all the other teams we are playing and it shows from blocking to pass rushing to yards after contact to stopping opposing RBs in their tracks.

 

[tmhunter52]

I lived through 1980 on the Flats. That was really, really bad. This in no way compares to that.

I lived through those years, too, and they felt like an anomaly. With the challenges of our school, NIL, money constraints, etc. right now feels more like a realization of this is what we are always going to be.

 

[Techwood Relict]

I am hopeful our BB team can be .500 in ACC Play this year and show signs we can become revenant again in BB

I like the analogy, digging ourselves out to fight another day.....

 

[Vespidae]

I lived through those years, too, and they felt like an anomaly. With the challenges of our school, NIL, money constraints, etc. right now feels more like a realization of this is what we are always going to be.

True. To be a top program today means raising $100 million a year. And exactly why J Batt was hired.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

They both are Batt’s first major hires coming of their seasons. So they are connected in that way, and the route we chose to go with each coach was vastly different.

I’m willing to agree we need to wait and see as Root said. Part of the issue is Key was a promote from within guy. So to some he’s part of the TFG legacy here at GT.

Promoting from within has been generally a good move for Tech, working out more times than not.

George O’Leary was promoted from within, taking over as interim after the disaster of Bill Lewis. It took O’Leary a few years to hit his stride but he produced some of Tech’s strongest teams.

 

[bke1984]

Promoting from within has been generally a good move for Tech, working out more times than not.

Two of those were rooted in John Heisman. Another should have an asterisk because we didn’t initially promote from within, but then rehired and promoted from within when things went south. Feels right now like we are trying to repeat the O’Leary scenario with Key.

 

[GT33]

Can you provide some insight you have seen from practices or other sources?
I am hard pressed to believe that short of disciplinary issues that the staff isn't putting players on the field that gives us the best chance to win.

Just my eyeballs.

If I was inclined to share insider info, it sure as hell would not be on the internet.

 

[slugboy]

True. To be a top program today means raising $100 million a year. And exactly why J Batt was hired.

Batt must be looking anxiously at Stoudamire and the basketball team right now.

—-

Key’s grade would be a lot healthier if the team could string together two good games. That would make Batt’s job easier

 

[bke1984]

Batt must be looking anxiously at Stoudamire and the basketball team right now.

—-

Key’s grade would be a lot healthier if the team could string together two good games. That would make Batt’s job easier

Meh, not sure Batt will get much credit or blame for Key. I don’t think he had much of a choice in the matter

 

[slugboy]

Meh, not sure Batt will get much credit or blame for Key. I don’t think he had much of a choice in the matter

I meant he needs an engine to power fundraising, and basketball looks like a better shot right now.

I don’t think he had much choice in Key, but around here we seem to forget who was responsible for things

 

[awbuzz]

Just my eyeballs.

If I was inclined to share insider info, it sure as hell would not be on the internet.

I can and do appreciate that.

My only point is we have limited information.
Also, are judging his being better than the other two based solely off of a few runs? Are you including pass protection, pass routes, knowledge of any injuries, etc.

There's more to being a running back then only running the football. ( I know... Duh!)

 

[Tech93]

I want Key to badly succeed but his style is going to lose it’s glamour quickly if his teams look as unprepared as yesterday and continue to not play 4 quarters of football. Tech has a long ways to go and not sure if we’ll get there anytime soon. I remember when we had to longest bowl streak in college football. Now we’re working on the longest streak not making a bowl. I would have never thought we could have screwed things up this badly.

 

[ibeattetris]

I saw a stat that Iowa threw for 140 yards yesterday and punted for about 450 yards

We'd be undefeated with Iowa's D. Though so would most other FBS schools.

 

[g0lftime]

Got to give Key at least next year to really judge his potential. Recruiting gets more difficult if the coach doesn't look like he will be around too long. That is the reason there are some questionable extensions that often aren't deserved. These kids transfer at the drop of the hat these days. Most if not all our kids can transfer with meaningful credits. Same can't be said for all the kids in the portal.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

He will need to make some hard decisions after the season with players and assistant coaches be them friends or not.

This. Next year we can have this discussion.

 

[stinger78]

I want Key to badly succeed but his style is going to lose it’s glamour quickly if his teams look as unprepared as yesterday and continue to not play 4 quarters of football. Tech has a long ways to go and not sure if we’ll get there anytime soon. I remember when we had to longest bowl streak in college football. Now we’re working on the longest streak not making a bowl. I would have never thought we could have screwed things up this badly.

We're also closing in on Tech's longest institutional streak of not being in a bowl game. The Rose (1902), the Sugar, Orange and Sun (1935), and the Cotton (1937) are the oldest bowls. After the 1928 season ending in the Rose Bowl, GA Tech went 10 seasons without a bowl game. However, per the above, bowls were few and far between in those days. During those 10 seasons, GA Tech's W/L record was 36-55-8, or about 3.6 wins/10-game season. It was also the height of the Great Depression and very much apples and oranges from today.

So, starting with 1939 and going forward here are our lapses in bowl participation:
1940-1941 [2]
1945 [1]
1948-1950 (7-3 records in 1948-49) [3]
1957-1958 [2]
1960 [1]
1963-1964 (both 7-3 records) [2]
1967-1969 [3]
1973-1977 (7-4 in 1975) [5]
1979-1984 (6 wins in 1982 and 84) [6]
1986-1989 (7-4 in 1989) [4]
1992-1996 (6 wins in 1995) [5]
2015 [1]
2017 [1]
2019-2023 [5]

If we don't go to a bowl this season, which looks pretty bleak to me, we will have tied the second longest streak in our modern history. Both of those other two streaks, though, included years in which a bowl would be forthcoming today, leaving only 2 and 3-season streaks. Then, next season (2024), we will be playing to tie the record of 6 straight seasons w/o a bowl. However, that streak (1979-1984) included two 6-win seasons and would have left only a 3-season streak.

So, in today's bowl context, this is already the worst streak of seasons for GA Tech football since the Great Depression. Someone please check my math.

No wonder it all feels so bad.

 

[Eli]

I still think DEION would been a good 2-3 year answer would could have gotten COLLEGE GAME DAY on CAMPUS. National media exposure ,a starting QB 1 WR/DB 1 starting SAFETY .SOLD out stadium every home game ,millions and millions dollars in sponsorship and donations. Maybe high a profile national televised games . GTAA had nothing to lose and everything to gain ,especially MONEY. Just my opinion. Agree or disagree

Deion just blew a 29 point lead to the worst P5 team in football with idk 30 more 4 stars and 5 more 5 stars than we have. I could only imagine if we did that with anyone not named Deion lol