HC Candidate/Rumors/Info Thread

leatherneckjacket

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You need to be careful when making these lists... the first 3 were OL, but Sean Bedford was a walk on playing D line and buried deep on the scout team. PJ recognized that he was giving the O line fits in practice and moved him to center. The rest is history...
I know he was an walkon. He was also became an All ACC center. Regardless if he was on DL when CPJ took over, he was on the roster and was a more talented player than any center we have recruited to play at that position since.
 

85Escape

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As I remember it, CPJs teams were routinely overmatched on the LOS. Clemson, UGA, Miami, etc were bigger, faster and stronger and we simply couldn't block them. Once teams began to really focus on assignment football against us, the superior athletes won out more often than not.
I've always wondered about that statement "We need to play assignment football." Don't teams always need to play assignment football?

I suppose you could say "We can normally play sloppy since there is such a disparity in talent in CFB. But when we play GT we need to play assignment football much better, as that system is designed to embarrass high-level players who like to wildcat."
 

Augusta_Jacket

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I've always wondered about that statement "We need to play assignment football." Don't teams always need to play assignment football?

I suppose you could say "We can normally play sloppy since there is such a disparity in talent in CFB. But when we play GT we need to play assignment football much better, as that system is designed to embarrass high-level players who like to wildcat."

Not always. Against some offenses you play zone coverages. Against the option, you really need to play a "man to man" or "assignment" style of defense. In zone coverages, you can leverage the athleticism of a superior athlete to react to a blocked defender. In the option, since the offense is essentially choosing to leave one player unblocked in order to create the hole to run in, you have an extra blocker to negate the athleticism advantage of a more talented defense. Hence the importance of playing "assignment" football. I'm sure @ilovetheoption could explain this better than I just did.
 

AugustaSwarm

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I've always wondered about that statement "We need to play assignment football." Don't teams always need to play assignment football?

I suppose you could say "We can normally play sloppy since there is such a disparity in talent in CFB. But when we play GT we need to play assignment football much better, as that system is designed to embarrass high-level players who like to wildcat."
It is a confusing phase, lol. But assignment football pretty much boils down to 'a hat on a hat' football. Each man has a single assignment, which is a player on the offense. So instead of a linebacker simply reading and reacting, the LB is responsible for sticking with the A back. So on and so forth. It is considerably different than playing cover 2 or cover 3 or what have you.
 

85Escape

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It is a confusing phase, lol. But assignment football pretty much boils down to 'a hat on a hat' football. Each man has a single assignment, which is a player on the offense. So instead of a linebacker simply reading and reacting, the LB is responsible for sticking with the A back. So on and so forth. It is considerably different than playing cover 2 or cover 3 or what have you.
Thanks. Makes sense...I always thought it was more gap control and such. Basically it was "do your job", not specifically man-on-man defense.
 

slugboy

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As I remember it, CPJs teams were routinely overmatched on the LOS. Clemson, UGA, Miami, etc were bigger, faster and stronger and we simply couldn't block them. Once teams began to really focus on assignment football against us, the superior athletes won out more often than not.
I need to look for that clip of Aaron Donald beating his fists on the ground after getting optioned off the third time in a row.

It wasn’t just superior athletes; the scheme kept us in games except for massive mismatches.

We’re also still mismatched on the offensive LOS, but it’s even worse without a scheme advantage to help us out.
 

Oakland

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I'm just wondering if Tech should give Key a one year contract, keep the staff intact, prevent a lot of transfers and decommits. Give him that type of shot. I really hate to see us having to start over again.
 

Techster

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I'm just wondering if Tech should give Key a one year contract, keep the staff intact, prevent a lot of transfers and decommits. Give him that type of shot. I really hate to see us having to start over again.

Some things GT fans need to be prepared for when the next coach is announced:

1. Some recruits will decommit and sign elsewhere.
2. Some players will transfer out.

Doesn't mean the next coach won't be a good hire, the two things listed above always happens when a new staff comes on board. Now the degree in which those two things happens may be more or less depending on the hire, but you can pretty much count on those two things happening. That's not an indictment of the quality of the new coach coming in, it's more on how players and commits feel they will fit with the new staff.
 

yellajacket20

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That might not be the best example to go with. He had a monster game with 11 tackles, 6 tfl, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

That game showed me that Donald was going to be an incredible player in the NFL as well. I was telling folks that I would love to see the Ravens draft him in the 1st and they said he didn't have a place on their DL....
 

Augusta_Jacket

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Some things GT fans need to be prepared for when the next coach is announced:

1. Some recruits will decommit and sign elsewhere.
2. Some players will transfer out.


Doesn't mean the next coach won't be a good hire, the two things listed above always happens when a new staff comes on board. Now the degree in which those two things happens may be more or less depending on the hire, but you can pretty much count on those two things happening. That's not an indictment of the quality of the new coach coming in, it's more on how players and commits feel they will fit with the new staff.

To wit, even before he is hired:

1. Some recruits will decommit and sign elsewhere. At least two have decommitted already.
2. Some players will transfer out. At least two have already entered the portal.
 

GoJacketsInRaleigh

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Some things GT fans need to be prepared for when the next coach is announced:

1. Some recruits will decommit and sign elsewhere.
2. Some players will transfer out.

Doesn't mean the next coach won't be a good hire, the two things listed above always happens when a new staff comes on board. Now the degree in which those two things happens may be more or less depending on the hire, but you can pretty much count on those two things happening. That's not an indictment of the quality of the new coach coming in, it's more on how players and commits feel they will fit with the new staff.
Good point. Let's add two more as well.

3. Some recruits will decommit from other schools and sign here.
4. Some players will transfer in.

Enjoy the ride. And don't hire a coach over a recruit or two.
 

ilovetheoption

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Not always. Against some offenses you play zone coverages. Against the option, you really need to play a "man to man" or "assignment" style of defense. In zone coverages, you can leverage the athleticism of a superior athlete to react to a blocked defender. In the option, since the offense is essentially choosing to leave one player unblocked in order to create the hole to run in, you have an extra blocker to negate the athleticism advantage of a more talented defense. Hence the importance of playing "assignment" football. I'm sure @ilovetheoption could explain this better than I just did.

FWIW, I think maybe you're conflating "coverage", meaning the positioning used by a defense to defend the field with "assignments", which are the individual instructions and responsibilities given to each player.

Most coaches I know prefer to play more zone coverage against the option, just because it means you don't have guys turning their backs and chasing blockers downfield. Doing that means you've made their block for them, rather than at least having a chance to beat the block and rally to the ball to gain a tackler.

An old offensive coordinator I knew liked to say that he ran just as much option as he needed to keep the defense in zone, because his whole passing game was zone-beaters.

Honestly I think the "assignment football" thing is sort of announcer-speak meaning mostly nothing. I have always read it pretty much as @85Escape does. Against most teams that are trying to leverage doubleteams and just slam the living hell out of the B gaps, you want guys fighting off their blocks and flying to the ball, and if they're a little bit out of control, honestly that's okay. The whole "spill and kill" mantra that defensive coordinators preach (particular your Tite front guys) is clogging up the middle, and then let everybody else rally to the ball before it gets upfield.

Against a PJ style option offense, that's not what you want. If they don't block you, that's fine, you do your job. Don't worry about rallying to the ball, don't try to make a big play. Tackle the guy you're supposed to tackle, and you'll have done your job. Particularly in your front 5/6. Make the boring play.

That's so opposed to how teams normally play that they get it wrong. Either they stay too aggressive, or they tone it down too far and get passive. That's what I think it's about. It's hard to dial it back the exact right amount when you haven't done it since you were a sophomore in High School.
 

alagold

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That might not be the best example to go with. He had a monster game with 11 tackles, 6 tfl, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.
That was a game for defense,I think we held them to MINUS yds on ground. Our De/LB ( Jerry-name?) had a monster game also. Smelter bailed us out on big catch.
 
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