I thought that was a very good article, pretty much CPJ-centric rather than being CGC-centric. And, I think he insightfully nailed some points eloquently on the head. The Butch comparison is pretty weak, but not entirely off base with the branding/recruiting-centric approach. But, with CGC, the more insightful comparison was less about Butch Jones and more what he termed the "neo-coach" - the upbeat, out-front, marketer. The question, then is whether CGC is unique in this regard of if he is a pretty typical "neo-coach". He seemed pretty unique to me, extremely strong on connecting with players, recruits, and fans and constantly churning with ideas in this regard. The fact that he (along with Thacker and Burton) could also bring elite coordination on the defensive side of the ball gives me hope. What folks tend to underestimate is 1. luck - there's stuff that happens that can make or break a game/season/era that is out of your control ... and also the head guy surrounding himself with greatness, finding other coaches/leaders that can be difference makers. I realllly like what CGC has done with the staff - Thacker, Burton, Choice, Caralla - these guys are unique and could become a crew that is the best staff in the business. I'm not sold on the OC - is there any uniqueness (anything special) there? I'll be hoping so and giving a few years to make determinations.
The most illogical point of the article was this:
In 2008 and 2009 and 2014 and 2016, his teams won nine or more games. (“They haven’t done that very often around here,” Johnson would note.) Later results showed a marked decline, a sign the rest of the ACC had begun to catch on, and it was with some relief
the Institute accepted Johnson’s resignation in November.
That makes no sense ... all you have to do is look at the years to determine there is no "pattern" of "catching on" there. Great, GREAT, middle, middle, good, middle, GREAT, bad, Great, middle, middle ... No pattern at all. It all had to do with having or not having just a couple of good pieces (especially at QB), and some luck. Crap, if we had any defensive prowess at all, there is no "catching on", there's just straight dominance.