Expectations for the 2021 season

[FlatsLander]

Dude...It would be a huge effort to get any worse from 2019.
Yes...he showed we did improve but c'mon. We were historically bad under his system.

I think the important thing to note was that we didn't stay bad. The offense was able to go from the worst in Power 5, to slightly below average just getting a few players in place and a very light offseason. I think this is at least our new floor: average team on offense. I think we could hit a top 30 offense on yards per game this year if we can click early.

 

[stech81]

Defense will be the reason we win 6 + or the reason we don't. And to help the defense we need to stop so many 3 and outs. And of course a kicker would be nice.

 

[WreckinGT]

I don't think I agree. Last year we finished ranked 71st in total offense 389.9 yards per game. Yes, 71st is nothing to highlight in the history books, but that is a huge jump up from 127th (286.3 ypg) in 2019. We totalled more yards in 2020 than in 2019, playing 2 fewer games and 9 ACC games. This was with barely any on campus offseason development and a limited fall camp, with a TF QB.

To me, it's the defense that is the major drag on overall performance. Granted, they are on the field quite a bit, but with a defense focused HC, I would think we would have seen more improvement over the last 2 years. I'm expecting the defense will take huge steps forward this year with the major upgrades we're getting on the DL, plus the added depth and talent at other positions. The schedule is a tough one, but we are no longer at the severe disadvantage of turning over the whole roster.

Our offensive efficiency ranking went from 94th in 2019 to 92nd in 2020. We need significant improvement if we want to make a bowl game this year. Basically we need to improve greatly in all three phases.

 

[Pointer]

Ever since Bud Carson became the coach it seems to be a perpetual problem that some group is always running down the current coach with a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.

I agree that it was especially egregious with CPJ when you consider how many opposing coaches hated playing his offense, worked the refs before games, tried to get certain features of the offense banned, finagled a bye week before playing us etc. It was clear to many that the last resort to keep from getting a loss against Tech was to try to wear us down with negative recruiting lines about “triple option” and “high school offense.” Sadly, too many of our “fans” bought this hook, line and sinker.

I always come back to Ross who was almost run out of Tech by “fans” the year before our National Championship. He eventually left Tech because he found recruiting here very difficult, especially given our fickle fan base and the willingness of some to carry water for opposing coaches’ narratives.

All of this makes it extremely hard to judge any coach at Tech fairly. They all need time and they all underperform at key junctures of their tenure. And all are subject to being out of favor with someone’s coaching style preference or the vicissitudes of sports journalism.

CGC has sought to overcome this by being relentlessly positive. This is a new approach at Tech. Even the ever cheerful Pepper Rodgers was not this indefatigable. Hope it works and hope that behind this approach lies some real coaching skill.

To add on to the fickle fan base part of your post, we do need to try and combat that internally. As much as we all like to think we are experts on anything tech and are 100% sure we know best and what is possible here, we all still learn something new.
For example, getting a 4* DT commit. I have been asking for a long time when we can start getting guys like this, specifically at the DT position. I found it not impossible, but extremely difficult, and here we are. If we can sign this guy and continue the trend, that would be a game changer for Tech football. Many have pointed out that we have had several excellent offenses since the late 90's, but fielding equally good defenses has always been more challenging here, and I truly believe the DT position has been a huge reason for it (though not the only, budget constrains of the DC position have also been crippling).

 

[Northeast Stinger]

To add on to the fickle fan base part of your post, we do need to try and combat that internally. As much as we all like to think we are experts on anything tech and are 100% sure we know best and what is possible here, we all still learn something new.
For example, getting a 4* DT commit. I have been asking for a long time when we can start getting guys like this, specifically at the DT position. I found it not impossible, but extremely difficult, and here we are. If we can sign this guy and continue the trend, that would be a game changer for Tech football. Many have pointed out that we have had several excellent offenses since the late 90's, but fielding equally good defenses has always been more challenging here, and I truly believe the DT position has been a huge reason for it (though not the only, budget constrains of the DC position have also been crippling).

Agree. Quality DTs seem to be in shorter supply than any other single position, even quarterback. Once the top ten or twelve teams in the country have gotten their picks we have been left decade after decade trying to find who is academically qualified among the leftovers.

This. Would. Be. Huge.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

So Ross left because of "recruiting difficulty" and "crappy fans" and the multi-million dollar offer from the San Diego Chargers didn't have anything to do with that decision to leave?

That’s what he said. He traded Tech recruiting battles for money. No brainer for him.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Ross didn't seem to stick in one place for very long. Tech is a difficult place to coach and I think the unique issues with Tech made it easy to leave. In later interviews he said he should have stayed at Tech. He had a rough time since Curry was a "win one for the Gipper" kinda coach which was in stark contrast to his disciplined approach.

Yeah, I don’t remember the exact quote but he implied to one sports writer that it was stressful to be in a job where how an 18 year old kid was feeling on a given day could turn an entire fan base against you.

 

[g0lftime]

Ross didn't seem to stick in one place for very long. Tech is a difficult place to coach and I think the unique issues with Tech made it easy to leave. In later interviews he said he should have stayed at Tech. He had a rough time since Curry was a "win one for the Gipper" kinda coach which was in stark contrast to his disciplined approach.

I agree that Ross seemed to tire of situations and changed jobs about every 5 years. I recall one of the secretaries in the GTAA saying how many long hours he put into his job. I am thankful that he did coach here even if just for 5 years. He had assembled a really good staff as well.

 

[LibertyTurns]

Bill Connelly GT Preview:
2021 Projections
Projected SP+ rank: 48th
Projected win total: 5.6 (3.3 in the ACC)

• Likely wins*: Kennesaw State (92%), Northern Illinois (90%), at Duke (78%)
• Relative toss-ups: Boston College (63%), Pitt (51%), at Virginia (47%), Virginia Tech (45%)
• Likely losses: at Notre Dame (26%), North Carolina (23%), Georgia (19%), at Miami (14%), at Clemson (8%)

SP+ sees improvement in Tech's future, in part because of massive returning production totals. A schedule with four projected top-10 opponents, however, will keep optimism in check.

My Take: 4 wins on the schedule and if we win two out of three toss ups we go Bowling!

NIU - WIN
KSU - WIN
at Clemson - Loss
UNC - Loss
Pitt - Toss up
at Duke - WIN
at UVA - Toss up
VT - Toss up
at Miami - Loss
BC - WIN
at ND - Loss
UGA - Loss

Bill Connelly's mega offseason previews: ACC Coastal

Miami and North Carolina have the best odds of winning the division, but can either challenge Clemson for ACC supremacy?

www.espn.com

Thanks for posting something other than we’re gonna win 3 games. There’s so many doom & gloomers, handwringers, etc that I was wondering whether or not there was anyone else on here that thinks we can and should win 5 or 6 games. On one hand we gloat about the talent being amassed then as soon as you suggest it should result in more wins, out comes the “but our schedule is so hard” crowd dragging us “back to reality”. I‘m glad the Team and coaches don’t have this mentality.

 

[wesgt123]

Thanks for posting something other than we’re gonna win 3 games. There’s so many doom & gloomers, handwringers, etc that I was wondering whether or not there was anyone else on here that thinks we can and should win 5 or 6 games. On one hand we gloat about the talent being amassed then as soon as you suggest it should result in more wins, out comes the “but our schedule is so hard” crowd dragging us “back to reality”. I‘m glad the Team and coaches don’t have this mentality.

I have a good feeling lots of us will be pleasantly surprised. I think we sniff 6 to 7 wins. As bad as we were the last two years, i think we are secretly a lot better than what we showed on the field. It could be my gold colored glasses but something about the spirit of every team we field, no matter the coach, always gives me reason to believe. Every year we win a game we aren't supposed to.

Imagine if we dont have to think that anymore.

 

[jacketup]

That’s what he said. He traded Tech recruiting battles for money. No brainer for him.

I'll disagree. Ross was friends with Bobby Beathard from his time at Maryland. Beathard was GM for the Redskins. Beathard became GM for the Chargers in 1990. That's the reason Ross ended up with the Chargers. Ross later stated that Tech was "not the easiest place to coach" but that's not the reason he left.

 

[CuseJacket]

Thanks for posting something other than we’re gonna win 3 games. There’s so many doom & gloomers, handwringers, etc that I was wondering whether or not there was anyone else on here that thinks we can and should win 5 or 6 games. On one hand we gloat about the talent being amassed then as soon as you suggest it should result in more wins, out comes the “but our schedule is so hard” crowd dragging us “back to reality”. I‘m glad the Team and coaches don’t have this mentality.

I think you're conflating different things.

What do you expect out of our redshirt freshman and true freshman this season? That's the majority of the "amassed talent".

The schedule is another, but separate, variable in how are W vs L will shake out.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I'll disagree. Ross was friends with Bobby Beathard from his time at Maryland. Beathard was GM for the Redskins. Beathard became GM for the Chargers in 1990. That's the reason Ross ended up with the Chargers. Ross later stated that Tech was "not the easiest place to coach" but that's not the reason he left.

I think it is clear from what he said. Not sure why people want to revise history. Ross had a hard time at Tech, almost quit earlier and later shared openly about this.

 

[WreckinGT]

I think you're conflating different things.

What do you expect out of our redshirt freshman and true freshman this season? That's the majority of the "amassed talent".

The schedule is another, but separate, variable in how are W vs L will shake out.

There is plenty of amassed talent that has come in via the transfer portal. If they can't help us win this year then im not really sure why they are here. Most will be gone in 2022.

 

[LibertyTurns]

I think you're conflating different things.

What do you expect out of our redshirt freshman and true freshman this season? That's the majority of the "amassed talent".

The schedule is another, but separate, variable in how are W vs L will shake out.

We have a ton of talent from the transfer portal plus we seem to be the only Team in the nation where Freshman and Sophomores cannot contribute. Very odd fan base we have where all we can see are the excuses & start concocting narratives months in advances to support possible shortcomings down the road. If you read these threads in isolation you’d think Rona only hit GT, we’re the only ones with injuries and academic casualties, etc. Hate to tell you but with the nature of football- injuries, losing interest in playing, now the transfer portals if you don’t like your particular circumstances you’re leaving & moving along to somewhere better. The NCAA has enabled that now. We’re going to see fewer and fewer 4-5 year at GT upperclassmen on the roster. Your Seniors are going to look more like 1 & done transfers than the traditional career GT players and we’d better adapt or it will be 1 more chink in the armor. With NIL we’re going to be in an arms race we’ll have a hard time competing in UNLESS we seize our organic technological prowess and put it to good use.

Bottom line- train the players to run the plays you want them to run & stop with all the pre-packaged excuses already. Maybe we can trade “fun time” for some practice time?

 

[orientalnc]

Very odd fan base we have where all we can see are the excuses & start concocting narratives months in advances to support possible shortcomings down the road.

Bottom line- train the players to run the plays you want them to run & stop with all the pre-packaged excuses already. Maybe we can trade “fun time” for some practice time?

You criticize our "very odd fan base" for not agreeing with your assessment of the team. And then you level a broadside at our coaching staff. Bill Connelly did a pretty fair job previewing our team. It's OK to disagree with him, but point out why you think he is wrong or support his case. It irks me when I see our coaches and fans pilloried in a single post. We should be better than that.

 

[CuseJacket]

We have a ton of talent from the transfer portal plus we seem to be the only Team in the nation where Freshman and Sophomores cannot contribute. Very odd fan base we have where all we can see are the excuses & start concocting narratives months in advances to support possible shortcomings down the road. If you read these threads in isolation you’d think Rona only hit GT, we’re the only ones with injuries and academic casualties, etc. Hate to tell you but with the nature of football- injuries, losing interest in playing, now the transfer portals if you don’t like your particular circumstances you’re leaving & moving along to somewhere better. The NCAA has enabled that now. We’re going to see fewer and fewer 4-5 year at GT upperclassmen on the roster. Your Seniors are going to look more like 1 & done transfers than the traditional career GT players and we’d better adapt or it will be 1 more chink in the armor. With NIL we’re going to be in an arms race we’ll have a hard time competing in UNLESS we seize our organic technological prowess and put it to good use.

Bottom line- train the players to run the plays you want them to run & stop with all the pre-packaged excuses already. Maybe we can trade “fun time” for some practice time?

You are misrepresenting what I said, and certainly the opinions of others:

1. Not a single person has claimed we cannot expect freshman nor sophomores to contribute
2. Not a single person has claimed that Rona only hit GT, nor have I seen suggestions that it was materially worse
3. Your closing statements have no actual basis other than a fan perception of what you/they see on social media, and ironically project pre-packaged excuses around "if we lose, it's coaching".

The remainder of your post could be true, but there is too much subjectivity for me to really engage on the materiality of the points.

 

[CuseJacket]

There is plenty of amassed talent that has come in via the transfer portal. If they can't help us win this year then im not really sure why they are here. Most will be gone in 2022.

Would it be too short of a reply to say that I agree with almost the entirety of your point here, but what I said can still be true?

The part worth discussing imo, is the definition of "plenty of". What holes do you and others believe are adequately filled by transfers?

Or maybe to be more specific, is our OL and defensive front 7 "fixed"? I think the former is in a better spot than the latter.

I certainly have high hopes for kicking game, which could be worth a win or two alone.

 

[slugboy]

There are some places where it’s hard to predict our team for this year. For example, our secondary should have been a strength for our team last year, but injuries and medical issues and a doubly constrained practice environment hurt us.

I also think Connelly does a fair and impartial job previewing the team. He has a more optimistic view than the analysts over at PFF.

Saying that there are question marks doesn’t mean that we’ll be bad. It just means we don’t know what’s “behind door number two”. Athletes with a lot of potential have joined, and we have players returning from injury.

We have a light question mark in the secondary. We had a down year for a couple of reasons, but it’s reasonable to expect a bounce-back there. We have talent, and Collins is a known top-end defensive back coach.

We have a big question at linebacker. Our leading LB graduated. We brought in a new, highly rated, all-conference-level LB in Eley, but he hasn’t played here yet. It’s not necessary a BAD question mark—it’s a chance for us to take a step up at those positions. But it’s still a question mark.

The crew over at From The Rumble Seat previewed the offensive line. We graduated two starters in DeFoor and Quinney, and depth in Clark. In theory, we’ve brought in more talented replacements. They have an entire Spring and Summer to gel as a line. Multiple years together would have been nice, but I think we have a shot at being at least middle of the road on the OL.
One of the problems two years ago was that there were a couple of places on the OL, often as many as three, where we ended being outmatched. Last year, we narrowed that down to one or two spots where we were getting beaten; for example, Syracuse abused us on the edge.
This year, we will have a couple of new starters, but there’s competition at most of the positions. Some of our question marks are because we don’t have as much experience at Georgia Tech with these players, but some is the good question mark of who will win what spot?
There are two positive things that can happen here
1. One or more of the players is a Shaq Lawson that we can get behind in short yardage situations. Ryan Johnson is back. If Cochran lives up to his reputation, we could have a go-to player to run behind. Minihan can be that player at center.
2. No weak spots. This has been our Achille’s heel. We have enough depth that if Williams or one of the other young players matures this season, that we won’t have any vulnerable spots for our opponents to take advantage of.
In case you’re interested: https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2...ech-football-position-previews-offensive-line

DL has some questions on the interior—we spent so much of the year dinged up there, that if we can field and rotate healthy players in the middle, it could make a world of difference.

WR started well last year, and the year before, and tailed off as the season went on. They weren’t a factor in our Pitt game at the end of the season. We have a new transfer slot receiver and some new recruits—it’s a big question mark, but it’s also a place where there’s a ton of opportunity for improvement.

 

[forensicbuzz]

There is plenty of amassed talent that has come in via the transfer portal. If they can't help us win this year then im not really sure why they are here. Most will be gone in 2022.

Some will be gone. A bunch of that talent will be here for several more years.