Good Teams Don’t Beat Themselves

[UpperNorth]

You don’t have to have the best talent on the field to be successful if you don’t beat yourself. It seems like the best coaches have a high standard on the little things and are able to coach kids to avoid costly mental mistakes. We’ve all seen Saban and now Kirby (with talented players) and coaches at Wisconsin, TCU, and Mich State, etc (with less talent) harp on the importance of every aspect of the program and every aspect of the game. Not just say it, but emphasize things in a way that players really believe it. Or actually coach fundamentals into players. Or motivate guys to get it right. The more I think about it, I think CPJ’s ability to outscheme defensive coordinators most of the time is his greatest strength and that’s really valuable. But I don’t get the sense from watching that he gets the point across to his players that every little aspect of the game is crucial. I think he has a really high standard which is great, but you can have a high standard and not coach and motivate kids to reach that high standard.

I haven’t given up on this team although it doesn’t look good and I’ve been a Johnson supporter, for the most part, for a long time (he lost me in 2013 and after this weekend, I think he’ll lose me this year). But sometimes we look like a train wreck out there and it’s not always just talent (wouldn’t hurt to have more), but too often it’s mental mistakes that the best coaches seem to coach out of players.

 

[4shotB]

The more I think about it, I think CPJ’s ability to outscheme defensive coordinators most of the time is his greatest strength and that’s really valuable. But I don’t get the sense from watching that he gets the point across to his players that every little aspect of the game is crucial. I think he has a really high standard which is great, but you can have a high standard and not coach and motivate kids to reach that high standard.

What's the old saying...your greatest strength is your biggest weakness? I think this may be apropos. When "execution (or lack thereof)" is being talked about over and over, maybe something else is going on. I am wondering if our system is TOO complex given the practice time allotted or we lack time to drill on fundamentals?

I also remember when coaches when bench people who didn't "execute". Nowadays (and this isn't just CPJ) players never seemed to be benched. They earn playing time based on potential or practice performance over results when the bullets are flying. Perhaps that is a consequence of the reduced schollys a bit. But when I reflect on Tech, what other team in a P5 conference has missed 2 PAT's in a 3 game period/ In a nutshell, I think that is an indicator of how well we teach and coach and pay attention to detail across the spectrum, not merely a random "one off" stat.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Used to see CPJ coaching on the sideline all the time as well as getting in the face of a player after a missed assignment. Saturday he kind of had the look of "I've told these guys over and over and if they aren't getting it now then I am not going to be able to help them in the middle of the game." Either that or he saw that we just didn't have the talent to make the plays. A different look than I have seen from him in the past.

 

[SteamWhistle]

Paul is just too damn stubborn sometimes. The whole fumble one time and your done thing is Ludacris. Jerry Howard been in the dog house for almost 2 years now and looked what he did Saturday when he finally got to play! Sometimes I feel like Paul goes with his favorites over the best players.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

Paul is just too damn stubborn sometimes. The whole fumble one time and your done thing is Ludacris. Jerry Howard been in the dog house for almost 2 years now and looked what he did Saturday when he finally got to play! Sometimes I feel like Paul goes with his favorites over the best players.

In an interview yesterday, he was asked if TM is still banged up if he'd consider starting TO. He said "I wouldn't do that to him." Wouldn't do WHAT to him??? He put him into the game on the road in a tough environment and he did fine...he wouldn't consider playing him in a HOME GAME? Stubborn is the right word.

 

[wesgt123]

In an interview yesterday, he was asked if TM is still banged up if he'd consider starting TO. He said "I wouldn't do that to him." Wouldn't do WHAT to him??? He put him into the game on the road in a tough environment and he did fine...he wouldn't consider playing him in a HOME GAME? Stubborn is the right word.

It’s insane to me he hasn’t started TO. But then again, not surprised at this point anymore.

 

[jeffgt14]

Paul is just too damn stubborn sometimes. The whole fumble one time and your done thing is Ludacris. Jerry Howard been in the dog house for almost 2 years now and looked what he did Saturday when he finally got to play! Sometimes I feel like Paul goes with his favorites over the best players.

This isn't necessarily true. Searcy is still playing a lot.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

It’s insane to me he hasn’t started TO. But then again, not surprised at this point anymore.

Last year at Clemson according to CPJ, TM was bailing from plays and not reading the plays well...and he kept him in the whole game. Its his stubborn hallmark. If that happens again, he should at least pull him for a series or two as kind of like an extended timeout where they can review the plays and reads with TM and get him to settle down.

 

[wesgt123]

Last year at Clemson according to CPJ, TM was bailing from plays and not reading the plays well...and he kept him in the whole game. Its his stubborn hallmark. If that happens again, he should at least pull him for a series or two as kind of like an extended timeout where they can review the plays and reads with TM and get him to settle down.

It’s a good idea. But is it likely? Lol

 

[stech81]

Used to see CPJ coaching on the sideline all the time as well as getting in the face of a player after a missed assignment. Saturday he kind of had the look of "I've told these guys over and over and if they aren't getting it now then I am not going to be able to help them in the middle of the game." Either that or he saw that we just didn't have the talent to make the plays. A different look than I have seen from him in the past.

Agree he doesn't seem the same.

If we don't have the talent to compete with Pitt we have a serious problem. ( I just don't think that is the case , I hope not )

 

[dressedcheeseside]

All teams make mistakes, no team is perfect. However, the team that makes the least mistakes usually wins. Or should I say the least costly mistakes.

Also, the less talent you have, the less mistakes you can afford. That’s our problem right now. We’re making more mistakes than our talent affords us. Add in the massive injury bug that always seems to plague us and then we have to be damn near perfect.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

All teams make mistakes, no team is perfect. However, the team that makes the least mistakes usually wins. Or should I say the least costly mistakes.

Also, the less talent you have, the less mistakes you can afford. That’s our problem right now. We’re making more mistakes than our talent affords us. Add in the massive injury bug that always seems to plague us and then we have to be damn near perfect.

Yep. Ours is a system you don't learn overnight. In the last 18 months we've lost our top 4 B-Backs, our #2, 3, and 4 QB, and our #1 QB is banged up, and we were without 3 of our 5 starting OL. We're not deep enough to overcome all that if we're also making a bunch of mental mistakes.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Paul is just too damn stubborn sometimes. The whole fumble one time and your done thing is Ludacris. Jerry Howard been in the dog house for almost 2 years now and looked what he did Saturday when he finally got to play! Sometimes I feel like Paul goes with his favorites over the best players.

2 sets of parents have said the same to me about “favotites over the best players.” And the specifics they mentioned did not involve their sons.

On another note, I totally fear for the safety of TQM. CPJ’s ego will, if need be, sacrifice this young mans health.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

2 sets of parents have said the same to me about “favotites over the best players.” And the specifics they mentioned did not involve their sons.

On another note, I totally fear for the safety of TQM. CPJ’s ego will, if need be, sacrifice this young mans health.

I don’t buy it one bit. CPJ wants to win more than any fan, parent or player. He is going to play whoever gives him the best chance to win unless they’ve done something to deserve not playing. I have an idea for you, why don’t you call in tonight and ask him that?

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

I don’t buy it one bit. CPJ wants to win more than any fan, parent or player. He is going to play whoever gives him the best chance to win unless they’ve done something to deserve not playing. I have an idea for you, why don’t you call in tonight and ask him that?

Will certainly call and try.

Why don’t you call in and ask him about his assertion that our S/T practices longer &/or harder than any team in the country and if that is why we aren’t better in that part of the game?

But maybe you think his O genius overcomes any D or S/T part of the game.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Will certainly call and try.

Why don’t you call in and ask him about his assertion that our S/T practices longer &/or harder than any team in the country?

But maybe you think his O genius overcomes any D or S/T part of the game.

He has his faults like anybody does, but to say he’d not play the guy he thinks gives us the best chance to win is just dumb.

 

[takethepoints]

I don’t buy it one bit. CPJ wants to win more than any fan, parent or player. He is going to play whoever gives him the best chance to win unless they’ve done something to deserve not playing. I have an idea for you, why don’t you call in tonight and ask him that?

Yes. That's it alright.

We have above people complaining about:

• Not playing a QB with one (that's one, uno, ein, jeden) quarter of game experience in a crucial road game that we needed to win. And what would the impact be on his confidence when he failed? As, of course, he would have.

• That Coach "just doesn't seem the same" in some poorly described and magically-determined-by-watching-TV fashion. I don't know what to make of this. He was obviously exasperated in the first quarter last Saturday, but he's not the first coach to wonder what was going on out there. And, given the way we played in the second half, he knew what to do in the locker room to help get back on track. I think this is just the boo birds coming out of the woodwork.

• That Coach "plays favorites" in terms of starting players. Of course he does; all coaches do that. They all tend to favor players who they think will have the experience and talent to help the team win. Coach likes players with game experience on the field, if he has a choice. The most egregious of these complaints actually says that Coach will sacrifice the health of his players to his "ego" by playing them when they have slight injuries. That is downright defaming and nothing justifies it. Coaches play slightly hurt players all the time, after getting advice from the trainers, doctors, and listening to the players themselves. Further, the player mentioned ran for 103 yards on 28 carries and actually got better as the game went on.

• That Coach isn't able to get "… the point across to his players that every little aspect of the game is crucial." Every coach makes that point all the time. Remember, Coach started out as a defensive coordinator; he know both sides of the ball well. Further, I think some of the frustration Coach has with this outfit so far is that they are not reliably translating their performance in practice onto the field. This is especially the case in the passing game, as he said Saturday, but it goes over to all aspects of special teams too. Some of this is probably a matter of team confidence and some of getting the right people into the right place. That's his bailiwick and I know he's working on it.

Look, I'm frustrated as the rest of you. We should have won the last two games and we didn't. We need badly to get a road win and get the monkey off our back. And we'll have a difficult time getting to six wins and a bowl game. But all of that is solvable. Let's let things play out.

 

[alentrekin]

TM was exalted after a great performance against a very bad team last year. He is not to blame one bit, but I cant help but believe he is in the wrong position.

At the very least he should have been pulled when he couldn't get up. Would you ever leave a running back in after the same? And the PJTO is complex, but that is no excuse for leaving a kid in after he gets wrecked.

 

[tech_wreck47]

Look on the bright side, we’ve at least been in a place to beat ourselves instead of just getting beat up on lol.

 

[UpperNorth]

• That Coach isn't able to get "… the point across to his players that every little aspect of the game is crucial." Every coach makes that point all the time. Remember, Coach started out as a defensive coordinator; he know both sides of the ball well. Further, I think some of the frustration Coach has with this outfit so far is that they are not reliably translating their performance in practice onto the field. This is especially the case in the passing game, as he said Saturday, but it goes over to all aspects of special teams too. Some of this is probably a matter of team confidence and some of getting the right people into the right place. That's his bailiwick and I know he's working on it.

So you think since EVERY coach makes ‘the little things’ a point of emphasis, that ALL coaches are good at teaching the little things or motivating kids to do the little things? My point is he harps it like ALL coaches but isn’t getting the results. Not saying that other teams don’t make mental mistakes too, plenty do, but I’d say coach Johnson, despite his high standard, is an average coach at getting kids to play with discipline.

Look, I think his X’s and O’s aren’t perfect, but they are pretty dang good and make up for a lot of mental mistakes. But man, if he could coach out some of the bone headed things that has led to some easily avoidable losses then we’d be a much better team. Point is CPJ is good in one area and average/bad in another. Of course this is an opinion.