Closing the deal . . .

[Jmonty71]

... how do we develop that trait? I was watching the Falcon game yesterday and was struck with how similar they are to the Yellow Jackets. They just can not close the deal when the game is on the line. Good teams know how to get that done and other teams, well they end up with a lot of losses. This trait seems to be one that you either have it or you don't. As a matter of fact if you don't have it, it seems you continually find ways to lose the close games. In other words it is magnified or comes in greater abundance as a trait. If you know how to pull out the close games you do it continually and develop a culture of being able to do it. Conversely, if you don't have it, it seems you invent ways to lose and will surely get beat when the game is on the line.

I wish I knew the secret to developing the ability to close the deal. If I did, I would bottle it up and have every Yellow Jacket take a swig every day. I'm hopeful that over the course of the next several weeks we can discover that secret.

Go Jackets!

It takes having an attack, take no prisoners, type attitude. We lack it, the Falcons lack it, as well. To me, culture has some to do with it, but also talent. In the Falcons case, the are missing 3 big pieces of that defense. They have little to no depth. With that, comes that lack of being able to shut teams down, when it matters most. Added to that, the Falcons fall back into zones, versus attacks late in games. Playing not to lose, will cost you a lot of games. As for Jackets, we have similar issues, we tend to attack and then play scared, in the 4th qtr.

 

[alagold]

As for "closing the deal"--how much confidence do you have that GT can win the game as needed--can TM lead a winning drive of over 60 yds?, can the FG kicker kick outside 40 yds for win?, can the DEF stop an opponent's drive to win ?(see uM last yr)
--until we do it, it is very questionable in all the cases

 

[DallasBuzzFan]

So that is why his head was about to explode? Because he was upset that Clemson has better players while he was playing BG? You think it had nothing to do with the missed assignments?

Lol, you are probably right. We have REALLY GOOD defensive players that keep blowing assignments. My bad.... Makes perfect sense.

 

[Jmonty71]

Another thing to consider. As a head coach, where does your trust lay? Does is lay with the defense and have the confidence that they can make that stop? Does is lay with the offense, knowing that they can score late points? I think in the minds of Quinn and Johnson, you have 2 polar opposites. DQ, is a defensive minded coach, who regrettably believes this D, can make the stops. (haven't last 2 games...BTW) CPJ, has the mindset his offense can get 1-2 yards on any 4th and 1, added to that, believes D should be able to make late stops. But, don't be fooled, he loves that offense more.

 

[bravejason]

I think it is staying focused until the end of the game. Once you start thinking about the post-game before the end of the game, you are a great risk of making a mental mistake or missing something important. Also, if you have had several instance of losing "won" games, then you might get the wrong attitude and go from thinking "focus on the play" to "don't screw this up", which is a bad mental spot.

Another thing is being able to play with the end-of-game nerves and excitement. When you see that you are about to win, then you can get the same nerves and nervous energy that you had at the start of the game. You have to figure out how to calm down or play through it.

 

[Old South Stands]

Honestly, looking back over the past 40-45 years of sports in Atlanta, I think it must be an "Atlanta" thing. Perhaps even a "Georgia" thing. UGA should have had at least 2 more NCs during that span--if not during the Herschel years alone. The Braves realistically could have had another 3 world series titles between '91 and '96. The collapse against the Yankees in '96 was epic. The first major Falcons collapse I remember was against Dallas in '80. The Falcons might have won it all, in not for that game. Then there was their inexplicable collapse in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. They might have still lost against Denver in '98/'99 championship, but they shot themselves in the foot by partying down in Miami and having to play without their star safety, who got arrested. The Hawks have had their moments in the sun but couldn't close, and neither the Flames nor the Thrashers made much of their trips to the playoffs. The Flames got there almost every season, yet were unable to advance except for one year.

As for Tech, it's been said Coach Cremins should have had a least one championship, especially with Dennis Scott and Kenny Anderson playing together. And Danny Hall? As for Tech football, I knew the 1990 team was going to be good, maybe a two-loss team that year, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought they would win it all. That's what made it so special. I don't think Tech has realistically been in a position to win a title in football any year except that year, but with that said, there have been many seasons at they flats where they could have won 2-3 additional games, but didn't. There were at least 4-5 UGA games during that stretch they should have won (or could have won, based on UGA's ineptitude, such as the 2015 game). But they let those games slip away... I really think it's a mentality in this town, and it's contagious.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

A lot of good observations made in responses to my post here. I heard the Braves manager Snitker (sp?) say his team had it. He said it happens every once in a while in baseball and he has been fortunate to be involved with some teams over his long career that had it but it doesn't come along very often. I think he was talking about a chemistry that allowed them to find a way to play beyond their talent and experience and find a way to win more often than lose. I see it as a similar thing in football but of course you have a much condensed schedule to develop it, i. e. playing 12 or so games vs. 165 or so games. I have heard Coach Johnson say that every team is different and you never know what you got until you actually get out there and play some games.

For sure having great players and great coaches would improve your odds of developing the ability to close but it seems to me that some coaches are more capable of bringing this trait out in their teams and programs. Those guys become the legends. It also appears to me that usually there are a handful of guys/leaders on a team that bring that trait out in their teammates. They lead by example but they also demand the best out of their teammates and hold them to a high standard.

I've seen some Tech teams that have had the trait but for whatever reason we have not been able to sustain it. I think it is worth really devoting some time, energy, resources and effort into studying this issue and developing a strategy and process on how we can develop a culture of closing the deal. Perhaps our new AD could give this some thought and consideration.

Go Jackets!

 

[GT_05]

Honestly, looking back over the past 40-45 years of sports in Atlanta, I think it must be an "Atlanta" thing. Perhaps even a "Georgia" thing. UGA should have had at least 2 more NCs during that span--if not during the Herschel years alone. The Braves realistically could have had another 3 world series titles between '91 and '96. The collapse against the Yankees in '96 was epic. The first major Falcons collapse I remember was against Dallas in '80. The Falcons might have won it all, in not for that game. Then there was their inexplicable collapse in the Super Bowl a couple years ago. They might have still lost against Denver in '98/'99 championship, but they shot themselves in the foot by partying down in Miami and having to play without their star safety, who got arrested. The Hawks have had their moments in the sun but couldn't close, and neither the Flames nor the Thrashers made much of their trips to the playoffs. The Flames got there almost every season, yet were unable to advance except for one year.

As for Tech, it's been said Coach Cremins should have had a least one championship, especially with Dennis Scott and Kenny Anderson playing together. And Danny Hall? As for Tech football, I knew the 1990 team was going to be good, maybe a two-loss team that year, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought they would win it all. That's what made it so special. I don't think Tech has realistically been in a position to win a title in football any year except that year, but with that said, there have been many seasons at they flats where they could have won 2-3 additional games, but didn't. There were at least 4-5 UGA games during that stretch they should have won (or could have won, based on UGA's ineptitude, such as the 2015 game). But they let those games slip away... I really think it's a mentality in this town, and it's contagious.

Right before the Falcons played in the Super Bowl, I read that Atlanta pro sports franchises have had 196 opportunities (seasons) to win a championship. We’ve won one...1995 Braves World Series.


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