Has there ever been a season like this?

[Skeptic]

Well Said.... We have heard talk in the past about Pistol formations, Hurry Up tweaks, but the bottom line is when a Defense plays sound TO defense CPJ has no answer..

Actually I would argue that no coach in the country makes better in-game and halftime adjustments. I could kind of make your argument, for instance, that when a team plays sound zone read/read option/pro set/power I defense, those coaches have no answer. The operative word being "sound". If your defense is "sound" then you are in the game against any offense.

 

[iceeater1969]

Man I hope we find a way to be more sound and not wait for them to be less sound.
In past I believed the TO forced the defense to waste defenders to give us and advantage in numbers at piint of attack.
When faced with vt and equal athletes, there were way to many defenders that were past the blockers.
They are getting better.
Could be all losses ( in 15) to real football teams except for the kick 6' '
Coach will get us going but I expect other teams to get better as well. ( by way as to injuries the has had no serious ones)

 

[awbuzz]

Well CPJ hasn't seen a season like this...
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a season like this.” – Johnson

 

[AE 87]

Probably the most troubling, or damning aspect to GT's CFB record over the last 5 years (with 2014 being a HUGE exception) is that we have found ways to lose close competitive contests far more than we have "pulled them out of the fire", so to speak. I am of the mindset that if you are talented enough to be leading in Q4 ( or essentially tied), then you are talented enough to win. Well, we have ended up on the short end in these circumstances far too much for my liking. The weakest area in CPJ's resume, if you ask me, is not: recruiting, the overall record, the struggles on defense, the relationship with the press, the unbalanced nature of the offense, nor the current losing stretch, but rather, the inability to develop a culture of winning in contests that are winnable, this being over the long haul. Every team has games that they just get beat, sometimes handily, by simply better opponents that day. It happens. GT, I feel sure, has an abysmal record in competitive (close) contests over the last half decade.

So, if you ask me, have you ever seen a season like this? Well, maybe not to this degree, but yes.

I don't agree. The reasons for late losses have been different in different years and not related to culture, imo.

 

[Skeptic]

I don't agree. The reasons for late losses have been different in different years and not related to culture, imo.

I'm in the position I always object to with others. Kind of agree with both sides, but lean more toward the culture argument. Teams that win in the fourth quarter are, in my opinion only, the teams that expect to win in the fourth quarter. My own very small sampling was a HS football team that never expected to hang on late - we knew something would go wrong and it always did - and the basketball team same year on the way to a state title. We knew that if it was close in the last 10 minutes the game was ours. And it always was. No explanation for it, except the belief we would win regardless. Sad to say Tech doesn't have that though it was there in '14.

 

[65Jacket]

I have waited until today to read any boards because it always pisses me off to hear Tech people condemning our Coach. It is disappointing as Hell to lose, I take it very poorly. I got into a heated discussion with a young guy seated behind me. He kept on CPJ's case, and I finally told him to shut up. I told him about the lack of "Jimmies and Joes"and he ridiculed me for that. He blamed the fumble on CPJ, I told him Bull S--T. I used to go through the samething in Bobby Ross'first two years. It makes losing twice as bad when people have to run down our hard working, and often underpaid, coaches.To Hell with those people!

 

[JorgeJonas]

Alabama is about .500 in one score games since Saban has been there (I'd have to look it up, but I think he was 15-14 or so in the eight years he's been there). The difference between the best teams and everyone else isn't an extra chromosome that enables them to win close games. Rather, they just play fewer tight contests.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Yeah, we have seen this before. Here's a chart* I did before the season to try and guess where we'd end up. We ended last season with a .8 power ranking. Before the VT game we had a .6 (we have played a lot of teams close). So we were down .2 on the year...... so like bottom 10% of last 111 years of GT football. But who knows where we are going to end? (er, don't answer that please.)

*Chart is for last 111 years of GT football and graphs the difference in J Howell power rankings from one year to the next versus the current year power ranking. I boxed in the .8 area since that was where we were last year.

 

[Skeptic]

Alabama is about .500 in one score games since Saban has been there (I'd have to look it up, but I think he was 15-14 or so in the eight years he's been there). The difference between the best teams and everyone else isn't an extra chromosome that enables them to win close games. Rather, they just play fewer tight contests.

Well, that is an interesting theory for sure.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I have waited until today to read any boards because it always pisses me off to hear Tech people condemning our Coach. It is disappointing as Hell to lose, I take it very poorly. I got into a heated discussion with a young guy seated behind me. He kept on CPJ's case, and I finally told him to shut up. I told him about the lack of "Jimmies and Joes"and he ridiculed me for that. He blamed the fumble on CPJ, I told him Bull S--T. I used to go through the samething in Bobby Ross'first two years. It makes losing twice as bad when people have to run down our hard working, and often underpaid, coaches.To Hell with those people!

I didn't post till today either about GT football. I am a very bad loser too. I don't really know what is wrong so I don't know who / what to "blame". But since I don't know what's wrong, I don't know how it can be fixed. It's not just the "Jimmies and Joes" as we were not out talented by Fluke, Pitt, UVa or VT and we've had mostly the same players since the beginning of the season.

We've lost a lot of close games which is what @Boomergump is talking about. Why? I don't know. Some of it is that the other team is trying to win too. And they have made the plays we don't make.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Alabama is about .500 in one score games since Saban has been there (I'd have to look it up, but I think he was 15-14 or so in the eight years he's been there). The difference between the best teams and everyone else isn't an extra chromosome that enables them to win close games. Rather, they just play fewer tight contests.

Exactly. When a team "allows" the game to stay close so that one good play by the other team or a bad call affects the outcome of the game, then the results become a lot more random. That's why a score in the first three quarters is almost as important as one in the final minute. But not the way we (I) view the game.

 

[iceeater1969]

Yeah, we have seen this before. Here's a chart* I did before the season to try and guess where we'd end up. We ended last season with a .8 power ranking. Before the VT game we had a .6 (we have played a lot of teams close). So we were down .2 on the year...... so like bottom 10% of last 111 years of GT football. But who knows where we are going to end? (er, don't answer that please.)

*Chart is for last 111 years of GT football and graphs the difference in J Howell power rankings from one year to the next versus the current year power ranking. I boxed in the .8 area since that was where we were last year.

I remember your graphs when we discussed coaches record EARLY 14.
I pointed out that graph missed the biggest difference in eras. In 65 football was a lot smaller overall = no mercers, alon, mtsu. Just leaving SEC ,Football was big thing at gt but we played teams with small but rising programs ( ,Clemson, duke, Virginia, tcu). Anyway u convinced me that without a special system ( T O or Air raid) we would be .500 against fbs. As icoach was getting things going in recruiting and adding accountability to player development ( one has become a friend). With the fortuitous schedule in games 1-4 and some momentum I relented on my key date to give new contract. I had said wait till after ND and then we would know. I later went all in and said great on extending contract. I LOVE THE TO AS IT IS THE SIGNATURE OFFENSE OF GT.

As to your graph and were we could be at the end of year. This year is a one off.

The end of this year is not the right end of the period to question. A loss to uga this year and a so so 16, & another loss to uga & WITH A LOSS TO GA SOUTHERN = change.
For me beating uga either this year or next AND a convincing gs 16 win is the minimum I can live with.

 

[redmule]

Have I seen this before? Oh hell yes. Our last 55 years against uga is just like this season. I posted a thread six months ago about where the vast majority of losses to uga since our 8 game win streak was by one score or less. Many many were on the last possession. Clemson is sorta the opposite. Generally if it's close late, we are going to win. 1988 is the year that reminds me most of this year down to one of the three wins being a top 10 USCe and five one score losses. There were several good years that were kept from being great by late blown leads: 71, 72, 75, 84, 85, 91 (when we had the jimmies and joes for sure), and 97. The last time we had a really good year and went to the Orange bowl (2009), we followed it up with a year that was almost as frustrating as this year.

Just chalk it up to this being the year where a new generation of Tech fans learn what their life is going to be like and an older generation get to relive their youth.

 

[alagold]

Probably the most troubling, or damning aspect to GT's CFB record over the last 5 years (with 2014 being a HUGE exception) is that we have found ways to lose close competitive contests far more than we have "pulled them out of the fire", so to speak. I am of the mindset that if you are talented enough to be leading in Q4 ( or essentially tied), then you are talented enough to win. Well, we have ended up on the short end in these circumstances far too much for my liking. The weakest area in CPJ's resume, if you ask me, is not: recruiting, the overall record, the struggles on defense, the relationship with the press, the unbalanced nature of the offense, nor the current losing stretch, but rather, the inability to develop a culture of winning in contests that are winnable, this being over the long haul. Every team has games that they just get beat, sometimes handily, by simply better opponents that day. It happens. GT, I feel sure, has an abysmal record in competitive (close) contests over the last half decade.

So, if you ask me, have you ever seen a season like this? Well, maybe not to this degree, but yes.

B,
I think we lost most of those games because we didn't have a decent defense--I'll never forget that 1:18 minute drive from their 17 at VT that beat us--PLEEEZ-- and the uga game last yr in OT was the outlier.Admittedly the Off struggles without a sound pass attack and teams can keep us going far fast just running but def has been the weak link. .

 

[B Lifsey]

Have I seen this before? Oh hell yes. Our last 55 years against uga is just like this season.

Ok wow...so much does seem that way.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

Where so many games which could go either way very late always end in a loss? Could it swing back in our favor next year, or at least even up some?

There has never been a season like this in which Georgia Tech was expected to do well and wet the bed. In 1991 we were defending national champs, had a stacked team and were highly ranked preseason. We had a very disappointing season, but we were still 8-5 not 3-9.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

There has never been a season like this in which Georgia Tech was expected to do well and wet the bed. In 1991 we were defending national champs, had a stacked team and were highly ranked preseason. We had a very disappointing season, but we were still 8-5 not 3-9.

Say it aloud: 3 and 9

 

[awbuzz]

5 and 7 sounds better, still bad based upon what most thought, but beats the hel* out of 3 and 9.

 

[ATL1]

With the exception of Jimmie & Joes I feel it's a combination of things all the above as to why GT isn't consistent.

 

[B Lifsey]

Say it aloud: 3 and 9

Back to the Future?