Do you believe in miracles?

redmule

redmule

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It would seem that some of you do. Let's back up a year. From the 2013 team, we lost Attaochu, Watts, Thomas, Drummond, Dieke, Young, and Cummings on defense. In other words, the best DL, the best LB, the best DB, and several other starters with lots of experience. We didn't know if Golden and Johnson would come back from their injuries and be able to fill the Safety slots. On Offense, we lost Sims, Godhigh, Finch, Jackson, Beno, Bailey. and Lee. In other words, 4 out of 5 OL, the top two RB's and the QB. In the off season, several more like Hunt-Days, were gone for one reason or another.

Going into 2014, we had gaping holes at OL, DL, DB, and RB. We had hopes at QB, but they were just hopes as we hadn't seen a lot from Thomas. Byerly had looked better in some respects.

We won 11 games including the OB, beat the big 4, and had an OT win in athens that drove a dagger deep into the bowels of the butt-lickers to pain them all year long every time they see a Tech sticker.

Was it a miracle? Some of you seem to think so. How else to explain the wins we got against GSU, uga, Pitt or Clemson? Huge breaks that could have easily gone the other way and we would be looking at another 7-6 year.

We need more than one data point, so let's look at 2013, a typical 7-6 year. We had lost Orwin, Tevin, Sweeting, Uzzi, Barnes to name a few. Early season injuries racked us on the OL and Safety. We had a 2OT loss to uga, a penalty-fest one td loss on 4 days rest to what turned out to be a very very mediocre VT, an 8 point loss to Ole Miss in the MCB that included two 4th qtr turnovers, an Ole Miss that was ranked in the top 10 for almost all of 2014. We could call those miracle losses couldn't we if we call the 2014 wins miracles? 10-3 would not have been unthinkable in 2013. Maybe the 8 point win over UNC offsets the 8 point loss to Ole Miss, but all the other wins were by double digits, so without miracles +/- we're looking at 9-4 bottom, 10-3 tops. Not that much different than this year.

Of course, as engineers, we cannot deal in miracles. Perhaps there was something else at work. Dare we think that somehow we have developed into a college football power? That CPJ got this recruiting thing figured out three or four years ago, and has filled the pipeline with quality players that could step up when given the chance? That could make the plays that we call breaks? IMHO, the 2013 team had not learned how or did not expect to win the close games while the 2014 team did. Miracles had nothing to do with either year. Maybe it's like this, first you get the schemes, then you get the players, then you teach them how to win, to expect to win. I think that is where we are.

As I posted numerous times this season, sure we have holes on Offense and Defense. So does everybody else. That's college football. Quit obsessing over our weaknesses. CPJ has proven he's got this. We will have an elite offense, and the defense will improve. The players are there to compete with anyone we step on the field with. The raw material coming in looks to be getting better. Against the top teams we have played these last two to three years, the bounce of the football or the referee's call often decides. We turned the corner in 2014. If you don't believe it, you didn't watch the uga game. I have been bleeding White and Gold for over 50 years. I have never seen a Tech team take the punches that team took that day in athens and still get up off the floor and win. I think I know a milestone when I see one.
 
vamosjackets

vamosjackets

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Football is a game where other factors besides skill are involved ... (the bounce of the ball, the wind, the refs, the right call at the right time, injury, girlfriends, school work, ETC) ... lump all of that into a category called LUCK. Like it or not engineers, that is a major force in this game we love. Have a big enough differential in skill and luck won't matter, but that's not normally going to be the case for us. A few things go different in 2012 or 2013 and CPJ (and even Tevin or Vad) would've been hailed a hero a year earlier. A few things go different in 2014 and CPJ would still not be perceived as a hero. And, he's the same person regardless. Thomas, Laskey, Days, Smelter, Shaq, White, Butker ... all of those guys would have a totally different identity in the perception of the GT program but they would still be the exact same people. That's football and why it's important to always look at the why's and the how's and not just the what's. I do believe we are in a better position going forward for luck not to be as big of a factor in our success (or failure).
 
dressedcheeseside

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vamosjackets said:
Football is a game where other factors besides skill are involved ... (the bounce of the ball, the wind, the refs, the right call at the right time, injury, girlfriends, school work, ETC) ... lump all of that into a category called LUCK. Like it or not engineers, that is a major force in this game we love. Have a big enough differential in skill and luck won't matter, but that's not normally going to be the case for us. A few things go different in 2012 or 2013 and CPJ (and even Tevin or Vad) would've been hailed a hero a year earlier. A few things go different in 2014 and CPJ would still not be perceived as a hero. And, he's the same person regardless. Thomas, Laskey, Days, Smelter, Shaq, White, Butker ... all of those guys would have a totally different identity in the perception of the GT program but they would still be the exact same people. That's football and why it's important to always look at the why's and the how's and not just the what's. I do believe we are in a better position going forward for luck not to be as big of a factor in our success (or failure).
Click to expand...
If we don't pull off the 18 second miracle in Athens, JT goes down as Reggie Ball 2.0.
 
GTNavyNuke

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Is it a miracle for Butker to kick his longest FG of the year to tie the leg humpers at the end of the game to force overtime? After being so erratic all year? (That kick is my screen saver now!)

I'd define miracle (in sports) as something outside of 3 standard deviations likelihood. (tic somewhat) So yes I believe in miracles since I believe that we had a 99.7% chance to lose to the nad lickers but still found a way to win. Like wise I think based on past performance of all CFB teams, the chance of us ending the year with an 80% Power Ranking after where we had been the last 4 years was a miracle.
 
Vespid

Vespid

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In our offense, luck gets a big boost when the QB can execute the option plays with speed and efficiency. You get luck on steroids when that efficient option QB can also throw the ball and runs a 4.3 ;)
 

alaguy

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Vespid said:
In our offense, luck gets a big boost when the QB can execute the option plays with speed and efficiency. You get luck on steroids when that efficient option QB can also throw the ball and runs a 4.3 ;)
Click to expand...

yep, this offense needs a VERY skilled QB more than any other--must be able to take snap under ctr,handle faking EVERY play,take hits, run,and pass.No other offense puts pressure on the QB like ours. otoh-when you get a guy who can do it all--offensive nirvana
 
redmule

redmule

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GTNavyNuke said:
Is it a miracle for Butker to kick his longest FG of the year to tie the leg humpers at the end of the game to force overtime? After being so erratic all year? (That kick is my screen saver now!)

I'd define miracle (in sports) as something outside of 3 standard deviations likelihood. (tic somewhat) So yes I believe in miracles since I believe that we had a 99.7% chance to lose to the nad lickers but still found a way to win. Like wise I think based on past performance of all CFB teams, the chance of us ending the year with an 80% Power Ranking after where we had been the last 4 years was a miracle.
Click to expand...

Sure we had a 99.7% chance to lose with 18 seconds left? What was the chance of us winning when we had the lead and first down at their 10 with about 3 minutes left? Which probability was the right one? Was JT fumbling a miracle?

You see the 80% power ranking as a miracle, I see it as the culmination of 4 years of very steady work. Hold on against uga last year, and suddenly this year doesn't look like so much of an aberration. That's back to my original point, we are looking more and more like a very strong college football program, not a miracle flash in the pan.

And as for Butker's kick being his longest FG of the year, every year he is going to kick at least one longest FG of the year, so I would discount the miraculous nature. Rather, we knew from high school and kick offs that Butker has a very strong leg. IIRC, his first career FG was around 49-50 yds, not so much different than his game winner. Also, it's a given that Richt will often do something stupid in a game like call a time out to give the other team time to set up for the game winner, so we had that going for us.

It's time for a new mindset. I think we are very good and are going to be very good for a long time. Often in years past, we ran out of gas at the end of games and at the end of seasons due to depth or lack thereof. That problem has been fixed by the last four years of recruiting the players needed for the TO, red shirting, and player development. JT was recruited four years ago. He has been in the system three years, and you can see the development. Same for Snoddy, the wonderful wonderful OL, Gotsis, White, Milton. We have a lot of bench strength, and it's just getting cranked up. How else can you explain the success we had with the losses to graduation and attrition from the 2013 team? I know - miracles.

The cherry on the top is this. Where we are now is not that unusual for us. We had reached something approaching where we are now in 1986, 1991, 2000, even 2006. Talented teams, good recruiting pipelines, strong player development, good coaching. Each time we experienced coaching changes and had to begin again. We have climbed this mountain several times in the last 30 years only to slide back. We have a great school, great tradition, great location, great local football talent, smart players, and a nucleus of die hard fans. Now it seems we have coaching ability and stability. Maybe the miracle is that it took us this long to get here.
 

GTech63

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redmule said:
It would seem that some of you do. Let's back up a year. From the 2013 team, we lost Attaochu, Watts, Thomas, Drummond, Dieke, Young, and Cummings on defense. In other words, the best DL, the best LB, the best DB, and several other starters with lots of experience. We didn't know if Golden and Johnson would come back from their injuries and be able to fill the Safety slots. On Offense, we lost Sims, Godhigh, Finch, Jackson, Beno, Bailey. and Lee. In other words, 4 out of 5 OL, the top two RB's and the QB. In the off season, several more like Hunt-Days, were gone for one reason or another.

Going into 2014, we had gaping holes at OL, DL, DB, and RB. We had hopes at QB, but they were just hopes as we hadn't seen a lot from Thomas. Byerly had looked better in some respects.

We won 11 games including the OB, beat the big 4, and had an OT win in athens that drove a dagger deep into the bowels of the butt-lickers to pain them all year long every time they see a Tech sticker.

Was it a miracle? Some of you seem to think so. How else to explain the wins we got against GSU, uga, Pitt or Clemson? Huge breaks that could have easily gone the other way and we would be looking at another 7-6 year.

We need more than one data point, so let's look at 2013, a typical 7-6 year. We had lost Orwin, Tevin, Sweeting, Uzzi, Barnes to name a few. Early season injuries racked us on the OL and Safety. We had a 2OT loss to uga, a penalty-fest one td loss on 4 days rest to what turned out to be a very very mediocre VT, an 8 point loss to Ole Miss in the MCB that included two 4th qtr turnovers, an Ole Miss that was ranked in the top 10 for almost all of 2014. We could call those miracle losses couldn't we if we call the 2014 wins miracles? 10-3 would not have been unthinkable in 2013. Maybe the 8 point win over UNC offsets the 8 point loss to Ole Miss, but all the other wins were by double digits, so without miracles +/- we're looking at 9-4 bottom, 10-3 tops. Not that much different than this year.

Of course, as engineers, we cannot deal in miracles. Perhaps there was something else at work. Dare we think that somehow we have developed into a college football power? That CPJ got this recruiting thing figured out three or four years ago, and has filled the pipeline with quality players that could step up when given the chance? That could make the plays that we call breaks? IMHO, the 2013 team had not learned how or did not expect to win the close games while the 2014 team did. Miracles had nothing to do with either year. Maybe it's like this, first you get the schemes, then you get the players, then you teach them how to win, to expect to win. I think that is where we are.

As I posted numerous times this season, sure we have holes on Offense and Defense. So does everybody else. That's college football. Quit obsessing over our weaknesses. CPJ has proven he's got this. We will have an elite offense, and the defense will improve. The players are there to compete with anyone we step on the field with. The raw material coming in looks to be getting better. Against the top teams we have played these last two to three years, the bounce of the football or the referee's call often decides. We turned the corner in 2014. If you don't believe it, you didn't watch the uga game. I have been bleeding White and Gold for over 50 years. I have never seen a Tech team take the punches that team took that day in athens and still get up off the floor and win. I think I know a milestone when I see one.
Click to expand...

I like what you say but "LUCK" will always matter. However, as you point out, extra skill and depth of one team over the other can off set the "LUCK" factor. But because of
factors unique to Georgia Tech's academic restraints, it is difficult and will always be difficult for us to have the extra depth and skill differential to over come the factories team's skill and depth.

I agree that we are on the right track. Coaching plays a major part of over coming the skill and depth issues. Also team leadership does as well and the fire of TJ5 and Josh N
show how that can translate to a team sucking it up and winning in last minutes. It is an intangible something that goes deep within the heart and soul of a team and gets something extra working when their backs are to wall.

As a firm believer in miracles, because of my faith, and examples in my life, as well as in the world (Israel 1948) (Iraq War see book "A Table in the Presence"
by Carey H. Cash", and many others), I believe the faith of a team plays a larger part than many give credit for. It gives them confidence and desire to excell as a team, as brothers, working together helping each other to be better so the whole team is a winner not some egotistical player. "One for All; All for One" from the Three Musketeers applies.

I know as we get recognition, our staff will be raided but I hope we can continue to find the skilled young men unique to schools like our military academies and Georgia Tech where the graduates are making a world a better place to live. And our staff continues to give them more than just football skill development but a life skill capability. I also hope all our athletes have the same and similar goals for each of our sports, not just football.
 
Eastman

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JorgeJonas said:
They do? Then why include Clemson?
Click to expand...

Depends on how far you go back. Candidly I don't know who or when the term "big four" originated but prior to this year we had lost 3 out of four to them. Candidly, I was just making a joke and I thought the :) would have made that clear.
 
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