Coach Johnson expressed interest in Tennessee's vacancy in November

[jacketup]

As a lifelong Tech fan I want to see CPJ stay here, succeed at the highest levels possible, and retire here.

But there is also a part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing him go to a factory, with a factory’s football resources, where he and his O could really shine. He’d make Miss St. a real thorn in the side of bama.

I also think a lot a sanctimonious Tech fans deserve to endure another Bill Lewis. As much as some deserve this, for the greater good of Tech I hope it never happens.

But I would like to see him get a shot at a factory where he’d shut up all of his ignorant critics. His O scheme is not his weakness. He has some weaknesses as a HC but his scheme and mastery of it ain’t one of them.

If you look at FBS win percentages for GT coaches post year 2 of their tenure, Johnson ranks behind:

Gailey
O'Leary
Ross

He is one game ahead of Curry. Good thing we didn't play UCF on the road this year.

Your post presents a lot of opinions but no facts. Your point about enduring another Lewis is completely off the rails. That was a very short term aberration. Homer corrected it in short order.

"Succeeding at the highest levels" for Johnson is his mediocre 47-46 FBS record over the last 8 years. For some of us life long Tech fans, that's not "succeeding at the highest levels." And don't start with the excuses. Johnson has a MUCH (MUCH!) higher salary than any of his predecessors---and more resources.

Johnson had no P5 experience prior to GT, and no other P5 program would hire him. Tennessee must have laughed when they received that inquiry.

 

[LibertyTurns]

[QUOTE="jacketup, post: 410403, member: 630""Succeeding at the highest levels" for Johnson is his mediocre 47-46 FBS record over the last 8 years. For some of us life long Tech fans, that's not "succeeding at the highest levels." And don't start with the excuses. Johnson has a MUCH (MUCH!) higher salary than any of his predecessors---and more resources.

Johnson had no P5 experience prior to GT, and no other P5 program would hire him. Tennessee must have laughed when they received that inquiry.[/QUOTE]You’re right about his record. I think if you look at his salary relative to other schools, his is probably about where we’ve always been. Not at the top nor at the bottom, somewhere in the middle. Note: When Chan was fired, many were tired of 7 wins. I believe the consensus was we’d take some crappy seasons for some great ones. Well those got their wish.

Lastly, I know a large number of UT fans. A weird bunch for sure, but most in my opinion based on conversations would have loved to have snagged Johnson. “Just think what he could do with our athletes” is a common theme when discussing him. Their theory goes he’d score 40+ each season and with a decent D Coord they’d win SECC’s and an occasional national championship. After we played them, this feeling easily quadrupled in intensity even as their season unfolded. Their words, not mine.

 

[Vespidae]

Johnson had no P5 experience prior to GT, and no other P5 program would hire him. Tennessee must have laughed when they received that inquiry.

CPJ was offered the job at Auburn and turned it down. Probably a good thing.

Tennessee would have eaten him alive. Coaching is not the only requirement there. Schmoozing the press, alumni, etc .. is at a scale he could not do. I like him, but he would not have lasted there. At Tech, there is no pressure and he can get away with dissing the press.

I think Paul is a excellent coach. And a terrible CEO of a program.

 

[MikeJackets1967]

[QUOTE="jacketup, post: 410403, member: 630""Succeeding at the highest levels" for Johnson is his mediocre 47-46 FBS record over the last 8 years. For some of us life long Tech fans, that's not "succeeding at the highest levels." And don't start with the excuses. Johnson has a MUCH (MUCH!) higher salary than any of his predecessors---and more resources.

Johnson had no P5 experience prior to GT, and no other P5 program would hire him. Tennessee must have laughed when they received that inquiry.

You’re right about his record. I think if you look at his salary relative to other schools, his is probably about where we’ve always been. Not at the top nor at the bottom, somewhere in the middle. Note: When Chan was fired, many were tired of 7 wins. I believe the consensus was we’d take some crappy seasons for some great ones. Well those got their wish.

Lastly, I know a large number of UT fans. A weird bunch for sure, but most in my opinion based on conversations would have loved to have snagged Johnson. “Just think what he could do with our athletes” is a common theme when discussing him. Their theory goes he’d score 40+ each season and with a decent D Coord they’d win SECC’s and an occasional national championship. After we played them, this feeling easily quadrupled in intensity even as their season unfolded. Their words, not mine.[/QUOTE]


The posters on the Volnation message board always went berserk when CPJ's name was brought
up saying they didn't want the triple option offense and how it wouldn't win in the SEC

 

[RonJohn]

I like him, but he would not have lasted there. At Tech, there is no pressure and he can get away with dissing the press.

The only press I am aware of that he has had issues with are the guys on 680 and Heather D. I have heard him in interviews with many other radio shows and on TV, and he gets along very well with reporters who don't act like douches. 680 doesn't actually cover sports. That station is full of shows that try to do reality show style "entertainment" that is based on sports. They could do the exact same show based on celebrities and you wouldn't be able to notice a difference. I don't remember what the issue with Heather D was.

Ohh I just remembered he does get annoyed when Ken asks the same questions over and over with slightly different wording expecting a different answer.

 

[Vespidae]

The only press I am aware of that he has had issues with are the guys on 680 and Heather D. I have heard him in interviews with many other radio shows and on TV, and he gets along very well with reporters who don't act like douches. 680 doesn't actually cover sports. That station is full of shows that try to do reality show style "entertainment" that is based on sports. They could do the exact same show based on celebrities and you wouldn't be able to notice a difference. I don't remember what the issue with Heather D was.

Ohh I just remembered he does get annoyed when Ken asks the same questions over and over with slightly different wording expecting a different answer.

Sorry. I lived in Knoxville. And am pretty familiar with the scene there. “Not dissing” the press won’t cut it. It is a microscope of attention and when they turn against you ... it is such a small town, you can’t escape it. I don’t see CPJ having the stomach for it all.

 

[g0lftime]

UT would not be a good fit for PJ. Their fans would not like his personality and if he only won 8 or 9 games he wouldn't last more than 3 years. They can get any ncaa qualifier in school there but PJ seems to want high character kids. Not sure that is a fit either.

 

[knoxjacket]

UT fans would’ve lost their damn minds if they hired a coach that lost to Butch effing Jones.

 

[up state jacket]

Blah blah blah blah. If we had a kicker, we would have been 8-3 last year and everybody would have been cheering about how optimistic they were going into 2018. And our offense and defense would have been the exact same as they were when we in fact went 5-6. Fans are shallow fickle people sometimes. "We are so far behind the big 3 in our conference" isn't changing anytime soon and also has nothing to do with our record or offense or stats.

You use the word if a lot. If means what you wanted to happen didn't. If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his but every time he jumped. But he doesn't. If, if, if, TQ could pass better, if our OL played better, if that guy would made that tackle. If I was 6' 8".........................so on and so on.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

You use the word if a lot. If means what you wanted to happen didn't. If a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his but every time he jumped. But he doesn't. If, if, if, TQ could pass better, if our OL played better, if that guy would made that tackle. If I was 6' 8".........................so on and so on.

The point is, what were the reasons why we didn't win 8+ games last year? Sure, the offense and defense could have both played better. But for anybody to say our offense or our defense caused us to go 5-6 and that either is in a huge state of disrepair or that TaQuon shouldn't be our quarterback, or any number of those positions - they don't reflect reality and why we lost. We had double digit leads against every team we played except Clemson and georgia - 2 teams who went to the CFP.

 

[LongforDodd]

https://www.myajc.com/sports/colleg...al-interest-tennessee/yGDYEExYTYZKYbXPag10JP/

 

[MikeJackets1967]

https://www.myajc.com/sports/colleg...al-interest-tennessee/yGDYEExYTYZKYbXPag10JP/

So Paul's agent was stirring up sh*t to get him a new contract or pay raise?

 

[up state jacket]

Ball was a sub 50 passer. Nix's offense were basically zone run. A better defense is arguable because offense changed around us as well as the arms race changed in our peers.

In hamiltons entire career he only completed 61 percent overall. that really isn't that much better than thomas if you take out the outlier 2015 year where he ran for his life the entire year ( thomas was above 50 percent in every other year.)

Shawn Jones only completed 53 percent in his entire career.

So please tell me where our magic super accurate passers are.

It also isn't a dive block, a proper cutblock targets the hip its really no different than a no wrap tackle.

I have witnessed countless plays where our OL would have 3 guys laying on the ground because they wiffed on the cut block. While the DL they wiffed on blew up the play. As better example is when our OL leaves a DL to watch him again blow the play up. 10 years and we still don't have 5 OL that can properly perform the dive I mean cut block. We fire Roof and keep the OL coach? That just proves Johnson is out for him and his boys at the expense of the betterment of the program. Johnson would make a great OC. He points the crooked finger way too much. Shawn Jones, Little Joe, Goose, all won big games and were a visible threat ruining and throwing threat. Justin was ok when he had Smelter to throw to, TQ is not a D1 QB. All you've done is prove you need to above 50% to have success and that is what I said.

 

[up state jacket]

The point is, what were the reasons why we didn't win 8+ games last year? Sure, the offense and defense could have both played better. But for anybody to say our offense or our defense caused us to go 5-6 and that either is in a huge state of disrepair or that TaQuon shouldn't be our quarterback, or any number of those positions - they don't reflect reality and why we lost. We had double digit leads against every team we played except Clemson and georgia - 2 teams who went to the CFP.

Reality is what we have to deal with. You may live in world where rainbows and cotton candy are every where, but the facts are we were below .500 in conf and overall record, missed a bowl again. Yes if that or this would gone a different way the outcome may have been different, but guess what it didn't. I chose to live in true real world not the what if.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Reality is what we have to deal with. You may live in world where rainbows and cotton candy are every where, but the facts are we were below .500 in conf and overall record, missed a bowl again. Yes if that or this would gone a different way the outcome may have been different, but guess what it didn't. I chose to live in true real world not the what if.

We were competitive. Anybody who (not saying this is you) wants to blow up the world or feel like the world is ending and we need some massive new direction is giving themselves too much stress. If we had gone 5-6 and weren’t in many games, I would feel differently. But we were right there all the time. If we had only beat Duke, we would have finished 4th out of 14 in the ACC. We are right there.

 

[GT14]

If we had only beat Duke

The fact that we're saying this is troubling.

 

[Coloradojacket]

Oh my, for all you on here getting on CPJ, 48 years I have watched Tech and in that span there has only been one coach with: 5 8 win or more seasons, been to two Orange Bowls, been to 3 conference championships, Beaten Florida State 3 times, Beaten Georgia 3 times, yes O'Leary did it as well, Won or tied the Coastal Division 5 times.....and that is CPJ.

 

[knoxjacket]

The fact that we're saying this is troubling.

UT was the worst loss. That was their worst team in the history of their program. They didn’t win a single conference game.

The UT loss was on the level of the Kansas loss.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

UT was the worst loss. That was their worst team in the history of their program. They didn’t win a single conference game.

The UT loss was on the level of the Kansas loss.

Disagree with both of you. Virginia was the worst lost because it was the only game where we completely gave up.

 

[Coloradojacket]

Disagree with both of you. Virginia was the worst lost because it was the only game where we completely gave up.

UVA gave up, we were driving for the winning score in the end and if we had not had that safety we could have tried a field goal and won. The game where it looked like we gave up was Duke. For UGA, I am not sure we showed up. In the back of my mind, I wonder if some of the issues of last year was a chemistry problem. The fights in the locker room might have actually told us something about that team and maybe it was a lack of leadership. Coaches can coach, but a team has to have leaders in order to win.