Northeast Stinger
Helluva Engineer
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Allow me one more terrible analogy. With certain kinds of cancer the best approach may be "watchful waiting." Something is going on with the body that is less than optimum but it may never prove to be a problem or it can end up killing you. However, to act prematurely could end up being worse than doing nothing. Thus the doctors advise watchful waiting.
Now this analogy becomes really unfortunate if we get too allegorical with it. I am not suggesting that CPJ is the tumor nor that he represents cells with an elevated count. If we have to fill in that part of the analogy then just go with Tech as an institution that has had chronic problems competing in football since around the mid 1960s. Those who are apologists for CPJ do not really think the issue is that we cannot get anyone better but rather that there may be no need to even see if there is anyone better. I am sure there are better coaches than Saban at Alabama but I doubt that it is worth getting rid of Saban just to run that little experiment. "But," you say, "Alabama wins a lot more games than Tech!" Yes, and Bill Curry had a much better record at Alabama than he did at Tech. The point is whether CPJ is to Tech what Saban is to Alabama. Those who want to stick with CPJ would argue that the jury is still out because, given the nature of Tech's systemic issues, we in the "watchful waiting" stage. CPJ has not failed. A comparison of his record shows that he is one of the most successful coaches Tech has had in the modern era. Some of us actually believe he can be even better but that this has taken time, and will continue to take a little more time, before we see the end results of his efforts. By the same token I think some of us are highly skeptical that you could bring in someone who could jump start this program to the next level. That has not happened at Tech since Dodd. We ain't Alabama where almost any decent coach can come in and compete at a top level right away.
Now this analogy becomes really unfortunate if we get too allegorical with it. I am not suggesting that CPJ is the tumor nor that he represents cells with an elevated count. If we have to fill in that part of the analogy then just go with Tech as an institution that has had chronic problems competing in football since around the mid 1960s. Those who are apologists for CPJ do not really think the issue is that we cannot get anyone better but rather that there may be no need to even see if there is anyone better. I am sure there are better coaches than Saban at Alabama but I doubt that it is worth getting rid of Saban just to run that little experiment. "But," you say, "Alabama wins a lot more games than Tech!" Yes, and Bill Curry had a much better record at Alabama than he did at Tech. The point is whether CPJ is to Tech what Saban is to Alabama. Those who want to stick with CPJ would argue that the jury is still out because, given the nature of Tech's systemic issues, we in the "watchful waiting" stage. CPJ has not failed. A comparison of his record shows that he is one of the most successful coaches Tech has had in the modern era. Some of us actually believe he can be even better but that this has taken time, and will continue to take a little more time, before we see the end results of his efforts. By the same token I think some of us are highly skeptical that you could bring in someone who could jump start this program to the next level. That has not happened at Tech since Dodd. We ain't Alabama where almost any decent coach can come in and compete at a top level right away.