Football Mill feelings?

[Eastman]

With some of the perennial powerhouse teams, it seems that every year is simply a reloading of great athletes. I always wondered what it must be like to rest in the knowledge that the 4-5 star running back that just graduated will be replaced a new recruit that many think may become even better; to know that whenever an injury occurs that there is a potential superstar ready to step in; to expect to beat most top twenty teams regularly, to be favored over the likes of dwagdumb almost every year.

Although Tech has always had some remarkable players, and depth at some positions, it seems there are always some areas of clear weakness...reasons causing me to feel that we are truly the underdogs in about half of our games each season. Recently I have noticed some atypical feelings no doubt due to the looks of this recruiting class and our current players. For the first time, I can see a future where, instead of hope, confidence typifies my view. Instead of thinking "if the defense can just play decent... we could do pretty well", I am thinking, "the defense should improve greatly next year and the offense may be even better than 2014".

I know the future is uncertain, but I certainly feel more confident about it and that is a strange sensation for me. Anyone else undergoing "the change?"

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Yes, but I was there many times before.

 

[Boomergump]

Great question. I certainly love the trajectory that the team was on to finish the season. Teams always change. That is the hard part. They change week to week during the season and they change greatly from year to year. Like most years in GT football, we have a lot of questions to be answered. Last season, many of the questions were answered to the positive. For instance, JT worked out about as well as could possibly be expected for a first year QB starter with little game experience.

I dunno. I am always nervous before every game, even after a string of impressive wins when the next opponent seems overmatched. We have a ton of people who touch the football being replaced. Once again, those are huge questions. I believe in our coaching staff and I believe in our system. I also believe in the kids we have in the program right now, especially in terms of character, which matters.

Everybody is trying to get better, not just us. Most everybody has as many questions as we do. It will be difficult to replicate the good fortune and overall success that we had this season. With that said, I think we will be good. I am confident in that. Whether we are better than this season remains to be seen. So, to answer your question, I am generally confident, but not so much so that I would go out and bet the house on another 11 win season.

 

[OldJacketFan]

To me the difference is one of a feeling of anticipation. As Boomer said every year, every team is different and that's one of things that makes it so exciting. After a lifetime of being a fan of most all sports, all ATL teams, others in different cities and countries I find myself less interested in the whole and find my focus on one. Maybe I'll be disappointed but in my mind I have a TEAM that has my unquestioned, undivided love and loyalty. Not because of last year's success but because they do it the right way. As a group, as individuals, as a TEAM

As I said after the GA game, to the younger fans enjoy. To my kindred folks age and all......................ain't it a helluva ride?????????????

Oh BTW I plan on being around a long and, man, am I going to enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Skeptic]

With some of the perennial powerhouse teams, it seems that every year is simply a reloading of great athletes. I always wondered what it must be like to rest in the knowledge that the 4-5 star running back that just graduated will be replaced a new recruit that many think may become even better; to know that whenever an injury occurs that there is a potential superstar ready to step in; to expect to beat most top twenty teams regularly, to be favored over the likes of dwagdumb almost every year.

Although Tech has always had some remarkable players, and depth at some positions, it seems there are always some areas of clear weakness...reasons causing me to feel that we are truly the underdogs in about half of our games each season. Recently I have noticed some atypical feelings no doubt due to the looks of this recruiting class and our current players. For the first time, I can see a future where, instead of hope, confidence typifies my view. Instead of thinking "if the defense can just play decent... we could do pretty well", I am thinking, "the defense should improve greatly next year and the offense may be even better than 2014".

I know the future is uncertain, but I certainly feel more confident about it and that is a strange sensation for me. Anyone else undergoing "the change?"

As Boomer notes, we lose a lot of guys who touched the football a lot in '14. At the same time some of those guys did very well though they didn't touch it more than a lick in '13. We are surrendering almost 1,800 yards from the B back slot and that two man rotation had to be a Johnson first. That position more than A back worries me, but for some reason I am less concerned with the wideouts. He always finds somebody. But the 800 pound gorilla is the schedule. 2015 looks really "challenging" to me, more so than ever, and we won't be sneaking up on anybody. Still I too am optimistic. And hope this year we won't have the Kansas-Middle Tennessee-Duke Saturday.

 

[Eastman]

Great question. I certainly love the trajectory that the team was on to finish the season. Teams always change. That is the hard part. They change week to week during the season and they change greatly from year to year. Like most years in GT football, we have a lot of questions to be answered. Last season, many of the questions were answered to the positive. For instance, JT worked out about as well as could possibly be expected for a first year QB starter with little game experience.

I dunno. I am always nervous before every game, even after a string of impressive wins when the next opponent seems overmatched. We have a ton of people who touch the football being replaced. Once again, those are huge questions. I believe in our coaching staff and I believe in our system. I also believe in the kids we have in the program right now, especially in terms of character, which matters.

Everybody is trying to get better, not just us. Most everybody has as many questions as we do. It will be difficult to replicate the good fortune and overall success that we had this season. With that said, I think we will be good. I am confident in that. Whether we are better than this season remains to be seen. So, to answer your question, I am generally confident, but not so much so that I would go out and bet the house on another 11 win season.

Totally agree that, despite a good current trajectory, that we have miles to go; and despite better recruiting, I will never take any game as a guaranteed win. What seems to be changing in me is my perennial "underdog" view that embodies a "they may have more top level players, but our team may still beat them" attitude. This recruiting class, along with the return of Jabari, adding Whitehead etc seems to be filling all the weak spots with personnel that may exceed previous performance levels. I can see a point where we may be athletically on the same level as Miami, UNC etc. That is a very different perspective for me. Guess growing up receiving constant grief from dwag fans had made me insecure.

 

[GTonTop88]

While we are losing a ton of skill players we aren't losing any Dwyer or Bey Bey type players. Smelter you could argue is goin to be hard to replace, but when he went down Waller looked like he could've been a star. After we lost Orwin a couple of years ago we worried who would step up? Days, Bostic, Zenon, Perkins, Hill? No it was former walk on 5'5" Robbie Godhigh, who til this day IMO is the best AB that has ever played on the flats. Then we worried who would take his place, and while no one person stepped up big every AB upped their game. When Laskey went down we thought we were goin to have to burn the redshirt of CJ and hoped he could hold our season together until Zach healed. But Days switched over and played lights out.

It seems to me that if we have good QB play and a solid OL then almost anybody can make plays in our offense. Thats what Im most proud of, we have a proven OL and QB coming back and the future looks bright in the trenches. Mason is going to be hard to replace but I think the group as a whole will pick up the slack. Can Leggett step up in Days' shoes? I think so, we wouldn't even know that Days was a star if Laskey didn't go down. Who else that hasnt got their chance to shine that was on the sideline or in high school last year?

On offense we have a really good group of RBs coming in that I feel has a higher ceiling than our previous groups. Snoddy and Andrews @AB. Two prototype WRs coming in that are going to be stars, plus Jeune and Messick. Stud Will Bryan on the OL and Scott Morgan coming in and alot of guys waiting their turn. Specifically Devine and Brown who could be great.

On defense JHD (academics pending) to replace Shawn Green, plus Henderson and Glaton, possibly Trent Sellars. Then ASA coming in to help get pressure with Whitehead. Harrell replacing Nealy and Gray, Noble, or Griffin replacing IJ.

I think were gonna be just fine. Go Jackets!!

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

If we can just get over having a Kansas-MTSU-Duke-atUVA-etc game each year, like we have unfortunately and puzzlingly done virtually every year that I can remember since 1962 (FSU that year), then I will be a happy man. Win the ones we are supposed to win and a few we aren't supposed to win, but don't lose any that we SHOULD win.

 

[augustabuzz]

If we can just get over having a Kansas-MTSU-Duke-atUVA-etc game each year, like we have unfortunately and puzzlingly done virtually every year that I can remember since 1962 (FSU that year), then I will be a happy man. Win the ones we are supposed to win and a few we aren't supposed to win, but don't lose any that we SHOULD win.

In all fairness, that FSU tie was the direct result of Bama's place on the schedule. However, your point is valid. Even 1990, whoever we played after that brutal game with Clemson was going to be tough with all the players we were missing.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

In all fairness, that FSU tie was the direct result of Bama's place on the schedule. However, your point is valid. Even 1990, whoever we played after that brutal game with Clemson was going to be tough with all the players we were missing.

No matter the "brutality" of the last game nor the importance of the next one, nothing should ever eclipse the current game. Easier said than done, I realize, but, like I said, Tech seems to have always had a penchant for "sitting out" a game. Do other teams have a history of the same? I don't know, but I really want to see us go on a string where each game is more important than the last, and, in military terms, take no quarter. I would LOVE to see a string like Dodd had in the 50s. He went 28-0-2 at one point from '50 to '52. Wouldn't something like that be SWEET !!!!

 

[Animal02]

No matter the "brutality" of the last game nor the importance of the next one, nothing should ever eclipse the current game. Easier said than done, I realize, but, like I said, Tech seems to have always had a penchant for "sitting out" a game. Do other teams have a history of the same? I don't know, but I really want to see us go on a string where each game is more important than the last, and, in military terms, take no quarter. I would LOVE to see a string like Dodd had in the 50s. He went 28-0-2 at one point from '50 to '52. Wouldn't something like that be SWEET !!!!

It is extremely difficult to go undefeated, it is difficult to maintain that emotional high week after week. It really takes an exceptional team to do so. You hope to squeeze out the win on the bad day(s)

 

[augustabuzz]

No matter the "brutality" of the last game nor the importance of the next one, nothing should ever eclipse the current game. Easier said than done, I realize, but, like I said, Tech seems to have always had a penchant for "sitting out" a game. Do other teams have a history of the same? I don't know, but I really want to see us go on a string where each game is more important than the last, and, in military terms, take no quarter. I would LOVE to see a string like Dodd had in the 50s. He went 28-0-2 at one point from '50 to '52. Wouldn't something like that be SWEET !!!!

We were down both starting OTs to start the laundry list. Suffice it to say we were barely above 50% strength for the team as a whole. Dodd also had more depth during that streak than anyone on the schedule.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

Dodd also had more depth during that streak than anyone on the schedule.

What Dodd did was remarkable, but he had advantages that we will never have again.

 

[Eastman]

We were down both starting OTs to start the laundry list. Suffice it to say we were barely above 50% strength for the team as a whole. Dodd also had more depth during that streak than anyone on the schedule.

Excellent point. While depth is certainly not the only factor, it is a large one since at this level every opportunity to exploit the other team is considered. It seemed to me that our major injuries this year tended to be in places of depth (such as a-back) where we could best handle it, Had say green and Gotsis gone down just for the same amount of time as Perkins and Snoddy, I doubt we make the Orange Bowl. It certainly seems we are headed in a direction of better depth which should make for more wins in games with little margin for error.

 

[IronJacket7]

For me its a similar feeling to when O'Leary had the wagon going in the right direction... but then he left. I now see CPJ retiring from here.

And JeT gives me that JOE HAM feeling when he is in the game. That "we could score at any moment" type feeling.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

What Dodd did was remarkable, but he had advantages that we will never have again.

Would say "Dodd WASTED more advantages that we will never have again."

 

[MidtownJacket]

The depth factor is definitely improving - and I think we would all agree that the S&C Coaches are making strides as well in increasing the durability of our guys. Add in the improved recruiting noise we are making (and I do hope it is more than just noise) and we may be on target to have some special seasons. I am looking forward to next season with anticipation AND hope.

 

[GTech63]

It is extremely difficult to go undefeated, it is difficult to maintain that emotional high week after week. It really takes an exceptional team to do so. You hope to squeeze out the win on the bad day(s)

I keep wondering if the mid terms have a negative effect and if many of our "drop off" loses occur at that time on the schedule.

 

[Tech First]

Would say "Dodd WASTED more advantages that we will never have again."

I was a fan in those days. What advantages are you talking about that he wasted?