Going on the Record

[WreckinGT]

I agree. At this point I think a bowl game - even if there are so many - is not realistic for this team, this year. Even though we have an experienced QB, we have an inexperienced OL, and no (truly) elite RB, as plusses on O. Honestly, I thought the backup QB looked more game ready in the spring game. The No. 1 QB seemed to struggle with quick decisions on where to pass the ball ( and accurately) after the snap- which will be vital in the new uptempo offense. I anticipate a mistake filled- self inflicted wounds- start to the season. I would not be surprised to see 2 QBs being tried early in the season. As always, I am praying to be surprised. But based on years 1 through 3, I am not holding my breath on that.

Honestly I would be pretty surprised if our offense showed improvement this year with the personnel losses we have taken. The coaching staff has been upgraded but they don't have a great deal to work with. If our team is going to take a big step forward it will probably have to come on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Yeah it is interesting. I had not planned on the level of transfers of good talent. So that is going to hurt the W/L, but I am very happy with the coach additions so that will help the W/L. Overall I would drop by 1 win and still think we go to a bowl game. But I am afraid that CGC has already ran out of runway from the recruiting momentum that he was building. This is now a restart sadly. Or a pause under the best case scenario. So sad how dense he is. If he had only recognized this before last season he could have really built something.

At the midpoint of last season, the Jackets were 3-3 coming off a blowout loss to Pitt and a win against Duke. Not too shabby. Then, the team proceeded to lose three games in a row that could have and perhaps, in at least one case, should have been won. The wheels came off the bus and a promising season went into the ditch. Last season was the year Geoff could have turned things around but poor coaching, turnovers, penalties, injuries, etc. were too much to overcome. The last two games were the result of a team that quit on their coaches, and on their teammates. IIWII

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

I wish I were as optimistic as you, and certainly hope you're right. I would lower my W total from 5 to 3, based mainly on a waning of optimism about the OL.

But college football, like all sports, can pack some amazing surprises sometimes. I'm hoping against hope for one of those on the Flats this year.
We see what we see, catch what glimpses we can, but what we see is far from the complete picture. You never know...

I predicted four and would stay with that. They might get lucky which in the Coastal can be as little as having a penalty or two go your way. This season is all about Sims. No more turnovers, no more hesitation on getting a first down, he has to put this team on his back and carry them. It is not fair but little in life is.

 

[JacketFan137]

At the midpoint of last season, the Jackets were 3-3 coming off a blowout loss to Pitt and a win against Duke. Not too shabby. Then, the team proceeded to lose three games in a row that could have and perhaps, in at least one case, should have been won. The wheels came off the bus and a promising season went into the ditch. Last season was the year Geoff could have turned things around but poor coaching, turnovers, penalties, injuries, etc. were too much to overcome. The last two games were the result of a team that quit on their coaches, and on their teammates. IIWII

i think it’s unfair to the players to say this team quit on the coaches and teammates the last two games. uga pretty much did the same thing to everyone not named bama and clemson this year. literally one of the best defenses in college football history and we had our backup qb in.

notre dame was not as good but again, top 10 team and we had a back up qb. the results of both games aren’t gonna change if sims is in vs yates but that was a sizeable downgrade. i will also say our o line was just bad. i don’t think they quit per se they just weren’t any good to begin with

 

[Billygoat91]

Honestly I would be pretty surprised if our offense showed improvement this year with the personnel losses we have taken. The coaching staff has been upgraded but they don't have a great deal to work with. If our team is going to take a big step forward it will probably have to come on the defensive side of the ball.

Agree. Not only that, we are installing a new system. While I am hoping for a big step forward, I just don't see it happening.

- Sims is without a doubt our most talented QB on our roster. Unfortunately for every play that he awes you with his ability, there are 5 that make you shake your head. He is the most gifted QB in terms of raw talent that tech has had in some time. I just can't help but think of David Carr when watching Sims. We have thrown him to the wolves behind our oline like the texans did Carr. I just hope it hasn't scarred him.
- Dontae is a great running back and will do a fine job for us this year. I really hope he is our workhorse back if he can hold up. I think we all agree this position, despite the loss of Gibbs, is still a strength.
- Carter is a solid receiver but disappears at times. No other receiver has shown anything yet. McGowan is gone. We have recruited well at this position, so lets hope the young guys step up
- No TE has shown anything promising. TE can be a great security blanket for a QB. Let's hope we have development here
- Oline is still a mess. I have no reason to think we will see a better unit.

-On defense, the play has been so poor that you could argue that we aren't losing a lot. It is disappointing seeing guys like Thomas and Carpenter leaving the flats and feeling as if we didn't unlock their potential. There have been several statements through the offseason that the guys left are "bought in". Who knows if there was locker room strife (on offense and defense) but let's all hope that the team is working together
- We have hit the transfer portal hard at all positions on defense. These guys figure to play a big part next year. It can wither be a big surprise or a monumental failure.
-Defensive backs is CGC's forte, allegedly, so our performance there last year had to make him sick. I think uniting the two former coaches under one DB coach (Tillman) is a great step both in terms of communication and positional flexibility. In general with defense in college football, simpler is better.

- We all new we were going to miss Pressley "Biggus Kickus" Harvin... The irishman has been a mixed bag so far but his spring game interview was kinda funny so I am rooting for him... I don't think we will make a field goal ever again. I have no clue why we can't have a successfule kicker recruit. You'd figure that that would be one position, considering the lack of jobs in the NFL, that would make a high-paying engineering degree a huge bonus for the student-athlete.

All that being said, it seems like GT also does well when we don't expect anything. The last three years have really battered our perception of the program, as evidenced by the poll, so I am crossing my fingers and hoping to be surprised this fall.

My Predictions
Realistic expectation: 3 wins
Pleasantly surprised with the team/ can handle CGC one more year limit: 6 wins
Offensive MVP: Dontae Smith
Defensive MVP: Charlie Thomas (this dude is arguably the best player on the team)
Special Teams MVP: Whoever can kick touchbacks on kickoffs
Most Surprising Player (Offense): Nate McCollum will lead the team in receptions
Most Surprising Plater (Defense): Kaleb Edwards
Freshman with most playing time: Antonio Martin
Upset game we will win: vs. Ole Miss.. Dodd's ire will strike them down. Kiffin is sidelined after contracting covid (or something else) from a co-ed.... dude is funny but sleezy
Game that will leave a bad taste in our mouth: Next week vs. UCF. What if Malzahn is our next coach?
Score of COFH: 52-7 uGA (Please, please, please be wrong)

 

[chriscarter]

I went 4 but honestly couldn't be 2

 

[7979]

a team that quit

"...a team that quit..."
HG.. I do not agree... I know this is a common observation.... and, in fairness to you and everyone else who makes this statement, sometimes it looks that way...
But...
Football is a "team" game made up of eleven individual efforts.... When you are down three TDs with 2 mins to play, you know you are not going to win....
But...
Our left guard does not come to the line with the attitude, "Oh well, who cares." I assure you, based upon my experience in these "lost cause" situations, that the LG will do his absolute best to block the DT in front of him...
No 20 yr old D-I player "quits"....ever.......
Film session on Sunday guarantees it...

 

[bobongo]

"...a team that quit..."
HG.. I do not agree... I know this is a common observation.... and, in fairness to you and everyone else who makes this statement, sometimes it looks that way...
But...
Football is a "team" game made up of eleven individual efforts.... When you are down three TDs with 2 mins to play, you know you are not going to win....
But...
Our left guard does not come to the line with the attitude, "Oh well, who cares." I assure you, based upon my experience in these "lost cause" situations, that the LG will do his absolute best to block the DT in front of him...
No 20 yr old D-I player "quits"....ever.......
Film session on Sunday guarantees it...

I saw some plays toward the end of both the ND and Ugag games that looked like some of our defensive backfield was mailing it in. Some really poor efforts at running guys down and tackling them. Not that I can't understand their frustration, but that's just the way it looked to me.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

"...a team that quit..."
HG.. I do not agree... I know this is a common observation.... and, in fairness to you and everyone else who makes this statement, sometimes it looks that way...
But...
Football is a "team" game made up of eleven individual efforts.... When you are down three TDs with 2 mins to play, you know you are not going to win....
But...
Our left guard does not come to the line with the attitude, "Oh well, who cares." I assure you, based upon my experience in these "lost cause" situations, that the LG will do his absolute best to block the DT in front of him...
No 20 yr old D-I player "quits"....ever.......
Film session on Sunday guarantees it...

You and others are more than welcome to your opinions. That said, 45-0 and 55-0 speaks volumes. They quit.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

You and others are more than welcome to your opinions. That said, 45-0 and 55-0 speaks volumes. They quit.

Yeah, I get why the phrase “they quit” triggers some people. And I’m sympathetic. These young men travel a tougher road than most of us ever will and they deserve our appreciation.

What we mean by the phrase “they quit” is important. Anyone who has ever been totally whipped during an athletic contest knows that after a certain point the mind and the body no longer respond. You are going through the motions, not because you are doing everything you can to try to will yourself to be competitive, you just don’t have it in you. It’s quitting less as an act of defiance and more of a rebellion within your bones.

The last two games of the year, if you have shown no progress, and seem to be regressing, there is no film review or coach’s chewing out (or consoling as CGC likes to do) that will make any difference to you at that point. You are ready for the season to be over so you can regroup for next year.

So here are our choices:
1. The team quit.
2. CGC’s recruits are really not very good.
3. We watched the worst coaching job in the history of Tech football.

I understand that some will argue it was all three. But I would argue that at least one of those has to be completely, unequivocally true or you don’t finish the season losing 100-0.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Yeah, I get why the phrase “they quit” triggers some people. And I’m sympathetic. These young men travel a tougher road than most of us ever will and they deserve our appreciation.

What we mean by the phrase “they quit” is important. Anyone who has ever been totally whipped during an athletic contest knows that after a certain point the mind and the body no longer respond. You are going through the motions, not because you are doing everything you can to try to will yourself to be competitive, you just don’t have it in you. It’s quitting less as an act of defiance and more of a rebellion within your bones.

The last two games of the year, if you have shown no progress, and seem to be regressing, there is no film review or coach’s chewing out (or consoling as CGC likes to do) that will make any difference to you at that point. You are ready for the season to be over so you can regroup for next year.

So here are our choices:
1. The team quit.
2. CGC’s recruits are really not very good.
3. We watched the worst coaching job in the history of Tech football.

I understand that some will argue it was all three. But I would argue that at least one of those has to be completely, unequivocally true or you don’t finish the season losing 100-0.

I vote all 3 to one degree or another.

 

[tmhunter52]

You and others are more than welcome to your opinions. That said, 45-0 and 55-0 speaks volumes. They quit.

Maybe they just gave 90%, not 100%. Against a closely-matched adversary giving 100%, giving only 90% would be apparent and look pretty bad from the stands…

 

[g0lftime]

I have tried to forget the UGA game. Sims didn't play and our best RB decided he was hurt. That tells me he had decided to transfer and why bother risking injury in a losing effort. That game was lost well before the team stepped on the field. Maybe not all of them quit but some obviously did IMO.

 

[awbuzz]

Some may have "quit", but I truly do not believe that the entire team quit.

 

[BleedGoldNWhite21]

I want Collins gone as much as anyone and think he has made us a complete embarrassment, but I think some of ya’ll put way too much emphasis on that UGA score. They won the national championship. They had one competitive game all year against a team not named Alabama. We should be more upset that we gave up 52 points to Pittsburg. Competing with Pittsburg is a realistic goal. Collins is failing at realistic goals. We can hang him for those without expecting unrealistic goals to be achieved.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I want Collins gone as much as anyone and think he has made us a complete embarrassment, but I think some of ya’ll put way too much emphasis on that UGA score. They won the national championship. They had one competitive game all year against a team not named Alabama. We should be more upset that we gave up 52 points to Pittsburg. Competing with Pittsburg is a realistic goal. Collins is failing at realistic goals. We can hang him for those without expecting unrealistic goals to be achieved.

Sure. Of course.

The point is this. By the end of a season your team can be beaten by a superior team but you still should be playing well as a team (theoretically playing your best ball) and making it hard on the other team. If it’s possible, we may have played our worst ball at the end of the season.

 

[GT33]

@Northeast Stinger Quit is a nasty word. I think you're right- demoralized, whipped, beaten down, etc. Maybe have nothing left to play for? Quit, I don't think so. An athlete with any amount of pride or honor does not quit. These are kids trying to persevere thru a very difficult time at a school that's pretty damn unforgiving.

 

[stech81]

We got beat by a better team ( as bad as we hate to say uga was better then us ) and we got beat by a better coaching staff. I really don't think the players quit I have no idea about the coaches if they quit or just point blank can't coach.

 

[iceeater1969]

You and others are more than welcome to your opinions. That said, 45-0 and 55-0 speaks volumes. They quit.

0 donations to Gtaa till they best them 100-0 will not work any better than 0 donations till we beat Duke.

The alums have quit

 

[forensicbuzz]

This discussion is so weird. We were beaten up on the OL, playing our back-up QB, and the Offense couldn't get first downs, let alone score. The Secondary was playing a different game than the front 7 and the Defense was worn down. We played two Top-5 teams. We didn't quit: we were outmatched. I'm not sure why anyone is getting revved up about the last two games. I agree there were games that were telling, but not the last two. Sometimes I just don't get our fans. There was no quit in our guys, we just weren't good enough with the players we had on the field.