How Good Was Coach Johnson at Tech?

[awbuzz]

Maybe you could specify who are these mythical "same 8 guys" or "the option crowd". What fonts do you consider to be illogical in their posts that fall on the "pro" "blind" option preference? It could be that there are some fonts who are illogically pro-ption to the detriment of them being logically pro-GT that are slipping my mind, and maybe if you reminded me of them, I might agree with you. But, in general, from what I've seen, the "option crowd" is nowhere nearly as driven by emotional tantrums as the general population which is why this board in particular has been an outlier of maturity for GT boards over the past 10-11 seasons. It's no coincidence that this board became what it was during the CPJ-tenure. Fonts like @Boomergump, @steebu, @stylee, @Longestday, @AE 87, among others have set the tone for this board with actual football talk, film commentary, stat commentary, etc rather than the typical "are we settling for mediocrity" BS after every loss or "we're going to the natty" after every win that you see on other fan-boards or "this guy is the next Hershel Walker" after every 4-star recruit looks our way (GT included). And, from what I've seen, the emotion level, the schtick level, the internet tough guy level, went up a few notches after the CPJ-retirement, CGC-hire. I absolutely plan to give CGC a fighting chance and the benefit of the doubt and at least 2 or 3 years to properly evaluate. Doing this and believing that we missed the mark on not hiring Monken are not mutually exclusive. I would expect every "option guy" to do the same because usually they have a lot of football and common sense. It's the "Option, LOL" guys that make it a little harder for me to enjoy the board and to actually want to see positives about CGC (and there definitely are some). So, if you want to drive those kinds of folks away or put a pseudo-wedge between them and CGC succeeding then keep doing what you're doing, I guess. When I say "you" I don't really mean you, @Milwaukee, you're not that bad. I mean it as a generic "you" to all those who go a little nuts anytime someone mentions anything to do with the option and GT.

For my part, to lay my cards on the table (as I think I've already been doing), I loved the CPJ era, the option, the culture created, and many other things. I wanted Monken badly because I think we had the chance to be extremely successful some years (with a good QB and a couple other pieces) and enjoy good success most years (without those pieces), and because I think Monken himself has about the best resume in the country regardless of scheme. We finally had a defense that looked like it was going somewhere and stats that could back up that feeling. I loved that we weren't trying to be anybody else and were trying to be the best in the world at what we do. I'm also probably very different from most on here who share those sentiments with me in that I also loved Coach Gailey. I played for him and saw what kind of man he was. I also thought that there was a lot of illogical criticism of him as well (though some was warranted). He had a great running game and a great defense; all he was missing was QB play which could've come through one player or a simple coaching change at that position or a tweak in the OC department. And, he was starting to get the recruiting going in a way that we've actually never seen at GT. (They fired him right after the '07 class, which was pretty darn dumb, if you asked me). But, hiring CPJ is what saved it for me - it made a ton of sense to me, and he won me over even more during his time here. I will not be able to not think about the option and what we had (double negative, sorry) as we go forward. If that gets on your nerves, I apologize and ask you to bear with me on that.

I promise that...
1. I will give CGC time to make his own mark on GT football (at least 2-3 years, even into the 4th) before serious judgment.
2. I will look for the positives and offer constructive comments on any negatives without personal attack.
3. I will try to be understanding of the "giddiness" over CGC and the new hope for recruiting.
4. I will not nitpick every move CGC makes or every aspect of the new offensive system.
5. I will try to be objective in evaluating all aspects of the team, using the best stats available to do so.

Here is a sincere question: what else would you have me and the "option crowd" do? I mean that sincerely. If there is anything else that you would like to see from any of us who share these sentiments, I want to know. I have blind spots, I don't know everything, and can grow in wisdom from your constructive criticism of me. Any requests, please don't hesitate to make them.

My only requests are:
1. Have sympathy for me in not being able to quickly leave the option and CPJ-tree thoughts behind.
2. Don't compliment CGC and his tenure at the expense of the CPJ tenure.
3. Don't act like the option is some lesser form of football.
There may be more that I think of as we go, and I'll share them with you if you want to hear them.

Sorry for the long post - this is some pent up stuff. Thanks for listening. Go Jackets!

... nothing to be sorry for..

[emoji122][emoji122][emoji122]

 

[wvGT11]

well the team just gave paul a big fu today for his send off, thats all I gotta say

 

[THWG16]

well the team just gave paul a big fu today for his send off, thats all I gotta say

Don’t just blame the team , they’ve looked very unprepared

 

[BCJacket]

Don’t just blame the team , they’ve looked very unprepared

Well we did fire [Ahem sorry, "not retain"] our entire assistant coaching roster last week. Hard to expect they were dialed in preparing for the game when (I assume) their primary focus is on finding a new job to provide for their families.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

Well we did fire [Ahem sorry, "not retain"] our entire assistant coaching roster last week. Hard to expect they were dialed in preparing for the game when (I assume) their primary focus is on finding a new job to provide for their families.

Perhaps true, so one would think they would have tried, wanted, worked harder or whatever to ensure a better last entry on their resume.

But actually, there have been several games like this in 2018. Unprepared, maybe?

 

[RickStromFan]

We had some great games that will be legendary memories. We also had a few donkey stinkers. If there was one criticism that was a constant, it was that we looked totally unprepared in some big games at least once/year.

Conversely, no CPJ-coached team in his tenure with us ever quit. Even in some of the more lopsided defeats, CPJ's boys always played hard til the clock hit 00:00. That's 100% credit to CPJ.

 

[GTRambler]

We had some great games that will be legendary memories. We also had a few donkey stinkers. If there was one criticism that was a constant, it was that we looked totally unprepared in some big games at least once/year.

Conversely, no CPJ-coached team in his tenure with us ever quit. Even in some of the more lopsided defeats, CPJ's boys always played hard til the clock hit 00:00. That's 100% credit to CPJ.

Yes, this is absolutely true.

 

[THWG16]

Well we did fire [Ahem sorry, "not retain"] our entire assistant coaching roster last week. Hard to expect they were dialed in preparing for the game when (I assume) their primary focus is on finding a new job to provide for their families.

Then they should’ve declined to coach

 

[awbuzz]

Why? Under contract through June iirc.

 

[knoxjacket]

Well we did fire [Ahem sorry, "not retain"] our entire assistant coaching roster last week. Hard to expect they were dialed in preparing for the game when (I assume) their primary focus is on finding a new job to provide for their families.

They didn’t provide any future employers much of a reason to hire them with that performance.

 

[Wrecked]

We had some great games that will be legendary memories. We also had a few donkey stinkers. If there was one criticism that was a constant, it was that we looked totally unprepared in some big games at least once/year.

Conversely, no CPJ-coached team in his tenure with us ever quit. Even in some of the more lopsided defeats, CPJ's boys always played hard til the clock hit 00:00. That's 100% credit to CPJ.

Did you watch the game today?

 

[AE 87]

I can't like this post enough. None of the posters you mentioned are irrational...except for AE. Nobody likes AE. I'm KIDDING.

Actually, it's probably true. However, it's irrelevant to truth.

With that being said, I was REALLY disappointed in our performance today. Even I reached my limits to explain our play calling and formations to start the game on O or how we could make MN O look as good as georgie.

 

[TechBurn]

I'm a CPJ fan, but he was outcoached today! P.J. Fleck had his crew ready to play, and perform against our option! Unfortunately for me, my brother--in-law is a big Minnesota fan, so he made it miserable for me! Also seems we couldn't tackle that running back of the Gophers!

 

[MikeJacket1967]

I'm a CPJ fan, but he was outcoached today! P.J. Fleck had his crew ready to play, and perform against our option! Unfortunately for me, my brother--in-law is a big Minnesota fan, so he made it miserable for me! Also seems we couldn't tackle that running back of the Gophers!

Minnesota wanted this game far more than GT did

 

[GT_05]

I'm a CPJ fan, but he was outcoached today! P.J. Fleck had his crew ready to play, and perform against our option! Unfortunately for me, my brother--in-law is a big Minnesota fan, so he made it miserable for me! Also seems we couldn't tackle that running back of the Gophers!

IMO, it’s hard to tell if CPJ was outcoached because the players didn’t execute. The players looked unprepared and flat-footed. That’s the worst loss I’ve seen since the Middle Tennessee loss in 2011 or 2012. I like CPJ but I’m glad we are turning the page.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Techster]

NM wrong thread

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

And how good could he have been given proper backing and resources for recruiting staff and coaching staff?

Highs were highs tand lows were fairly low with less consistency than any would have liked.

Fielded some fabulous units on offense with the right QBs who had enough playmaker’s to help carry the load. Had a couple of offenses that were painful to watch at times without the right QB.

Failed to field any good defenses and special teams at times were maddening.

Seemed to do a great job with APR and graduating players.

Didn’t recruit as well as we had hoped he might. Oddly recruiting seemed to pick up the last 4 years but the win loss records didn’t reflect it.

Some of the good on our O was undoubtedly due to good play calling and game management. Those same things also helped us overcome some wide talent gaps against some opponents.

The negatives on D prevented us from ever maintaining good consistency and winning the coastal or conference more.

Some will choose to focus on the positives in hindsight. Others will choose to focus on the negatives. There is plenty of both for each to focus on. I admittedly will focus on the wins over the mutts, the Orange Bowl years, and the big wins more than the disappointing losses.

 

[JackD]

They didn’t provide any future employers much of a reason to hire them with that performance.

Pretty sure professionals will see this tape and realize that nobody (the players and coaches) were invested in the outcome. It'll have absolutely no influence on where they get hired.

 

[RamblinRed]

And how good could he have been given proper backing and resources for recruiting staff and coaching staff?

Highs were highs tand lows were fairly low with less consistency than any would have liked.

Fielded some fabulous units on offense with the right QBs who had enough playmaker’s to help carry the load. Had a couple of offenses that were painful to watch at times without the right QB.

Failed to field any good defenses and special teams at times were maddening.

Seemed to do a great job with APR and graduating players.

Didn’t recruit as well as we had hoped he might. Oddly recruiting seemed to pick up the last 4 years but the win loss records didn’t reflect it.

Some of the good on our O was undoubtedly due to good play calling and game management. Those same things also helped us overcome some wide talent gaps against some opponents.

The negatives on D prevented us from ever maintaining good consistency and winning the coastal or conference more.

Some will choose to focus on the positives in hindsight. Others will choose to focus on the negatives. There is plenty of both for each to focus on. I admittedly will focus on the wins over the mutts, the Orange Bowl years, and the big wins more than the disappointing losses.

This is very well said.
As time goes on i'll end up focusing more on the great wins than the bad losses. in a way he was the most roller coaster coach we've had in at least 30 yrs. Very high highs, very low lows.
4 nine-win seasons the most of any coach since Dodd. 2 Orange Bowls, 1 ACC Championship.
But also 3 losing seasons and 4 non-winning seasons. Have to go back over 30 years to match that.

When they were working his offense was something to watch. But other than his first year his defenses ranged from below average to awful and after 11 years and 4 DC's there is really only one place you can put the blame for that. And ST's were very seldom special.
If you look at his best seasons it wasn't his offense that made the difference - in his 4 nine wins seasons 2 of those seasons he had a below average scoring offense by his GT standards (3rd and 4th worst of his tenure). But on defense it was his 4 best defensive teams in points allowed and 4 of the 5 best in TO's forced.

It was a good tenure and he represented the Institute well.

 

[Madison Grant]

And how good could he have been given proper backing and resources for recruiting staff and coaching staff?

Highs were highs tand lows were fairly low with less consistency than any would have liked.

Fielded some fabulous units on offense with the right QBs who had enough playmaker’s to help carry the load. Had a couple of offenses that were painful to watch at times without the right QB.

Failed to field any good defenses and special teams at times were maddening.

Seemed to do a great job with APR and graduating players.

Didn’t recruit as well as we had hoped he might. Oddly recruiting seemed to pick up the last 4 years but the win loss records didn’t reflect it.

Some of the good on our O was undoubtedly due to good play calling and game management. Those same things also helped us overcome some wide talent gaps against some opponents.

The negatives on D prevented us from ever maintaining good consistency and winning the coastal or conference more.

Some will choose to focus on the positives in hindsight. Others will choose to focus on the negatives. There is plenty of both for each to focus on. I admittedly will focus on the wins over the mutts, the Orange Bowl years, and the big wins more than the disappointing losses.

This is not the answer some want to hear, but money wouldn't have made a ton of difference in recruiting. CPJ was not looking for typical 4 and 5 star guys at some positions anyway (OL) where a completely different body type and skill set was needed. We could have doubled our budget, and we still would have been fighting the "can't get in the NFL" perception. You think if we had more staff, DL and LBs were suddenly going to stop believing the "you'll get cut blocked" message their hs coaches and the recruiters from Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina kept pumping at them?