King Injury Factual Updates

[bke1984]

We could have won the Syracuse, Louisville, and VT games

I think this is a very optimistic take. The Syracuse game needed a miracle to enter the could have won category, and based on the way our offense was playing Saturday we were nowhere near could have won territory at VT.

True, we are not getting blown out, but that’s not exactly reason for excitement.

I think what’s frustrating is that we keep doing the same stuff and expecting different results. That’s the kind of thing that crazy people do. But I guess Key wants us to win a certain way. That’s fair, as he has a vision that goes beyond one game.

We’ve still got a few games left. If King has truly been limited due to injury then maybe this spell of rest gets him back to full speed and we open up the playbook a little bit. I have my doubts, and think the goal to limit INTs is a big factor. But I’m going to watch and cheer.

Go Jackets!

 

[cpf2001]

Explosiveness (or lack thereof) is the other factor in our yards vs points issues.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

A big problem with the eye test is that it simply follows your feelings. Going by the eye test, the College Gameday crew said that FSU was going to trounce GT. I heard explanations of that after the game. Apparently, they viewed a GT practice and an FSU practice and said that FSU just looked bigger, stronger, and faster. You don't get speeding tickets based on how fast the officer "believes" you might have been going, they use laser speed guns. If you are a salesperson and beat your goals by 300%, is your bonus based on your managers eye-test, or on the actual numbers that you produced? Many people thought that Collins was exactly what GT needed in 2019 because he looked cool. Maybe it is just because I am an engineer, but actual stats mean more than feelings to me.

Points. Those are stats too. That’s the goal of an offense, not collecting yards that yield almost no points.

 

[RonJohn]

I think this is a very optimistic take. The Syracuse game needed a miracle to enter the could have won category, and based on the way our offense was playing Saturday we were nowhere near could have won territory at VT.

True, we are not getting blown out, but that’s not exactly reason for excitement.

I think what’s frustrating is that we keep doing the same stuff and expecting different results. That’s the kind of thing that crazy people do. But I guess Key wants us to win a certain way. That’s fair, as he has a vision that goes beyond one game.

We’ve still got a few games left. If King has truly been limited due to injury then maybe this spell of rest gets him back to full speed and we open up the playbook a little bit. I have my doubts, and think the goal to limit INTs is a big factor. But I’m going to watch and cheer.

Go Jackets!

The Syracuse game was a 3 point game. GT missed a FG in the third quarter. GT could have stopped Syracuse on 3rd and 10 from their 25 yard line with 2:31 left on the clock.

What I think is interesting is that people are more frustrated with the actual games now than they were in 2022. People were just mad in general with the coaches as they were with TFG, but are more interested in the games. GT is probably about 10 plays away from being 8-1. but also probably about 10 plays away from being 2-7. The only game that GT was not competitive in was the ND game. Even in that game, we were only one play away from going into the half tied. Even with all the moaning from the fans, this team is very much better than the team was in the beginning of the 2022 season.

 

[RonJohn]

Points. Those are stats too. That’s the goal of an offense, not collecting yards that yield almost no points.

Points are the most important stat. Unlike many, I don't think the offense moving the ball is the problem. I don't think the defense being able to stop the other team is the problem. Overall, both units are performing fine. Special teams has been a problem, and @roadkill pointed out that starting field position has been bad for GT this year. Fix that. Fix the offense on third and short. Fix the defensive middle on third and medium slant passes. I think the team is very close to being very good. I have seen people calling for Faulkner to be fired. I think the offense is 90% of the way towards being a good offense. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Fans typically just want to fire everyone and start from scratch. What I think the stats show is that GT is very close to being very good, and that fine tuning is needed instead of razing.

 

[Bogey]

So, any factual reports on Haynes? Holy cow, just caught up on 10 pages of the usual.

No facts here. Try your wife's bridge club, they are as good a source as this thread, maybe better.

 

[Techwood Relict]

HK is a game time decision. Just like the last two games...... My dog agrees....

 

[RonJohn]

No facts here. Try your wife's bridge club, they are as good a source as this thread, maybe better.

Not factual, but hypothetical and speculative: I understand that they knew on Sunday that he wouldn't play in the ND game. I understand it really was a day-to-day decision last week. I doubt he would have started, but might have been available. Given that, I have to believe that he will be available and likely the starter against Miami.

 

[78pike]

In my opinion a huge part of the problem this year is special teams. Not making field goals causing the offense to look worse and have to change game strategy because of the lost points. And then giving up TD's on special teams is unforgivable. Plus when that happens it makes the defensive stats look better because they don't have to defend as many possessions and it makes our offensive time of possession look better than it really is.

 

[cpf2001]

The offense hasn’t been particularly turnover prone which IMO offsets some of the field position woes in terms of the yards vs points gap. It’s not like we’re giving points away that often before the last two games.

The offense grinds but it rarely explodes. The more you have to grind, the higher the chances of not making one of those third downs. I think it’s that simple.

 

[iceeater1969]

The offense hasn’t been particularly turnover prone which IMO offsets some of the field position woes in terms of the yards vs points gap. It’s not like we’re giving points away that often before the last two games.

The offense grinds but it rarely explodes. The more you have to grind, the higher the chances of not making one of those third downs. I think it’s that simple.

ND and VT are much more talented and better coached than the the previous teams.


2 of remaining teams are very good and will have no mercy as they scramble for higher playoff spot. Expect BDS under the lights

Hope we find a game plan with more gash and less talk about old games. We are not improved

 

[Root4GT]

You can also pick out stats that are meaningless in a larger context.

My intent is to try to say that GT didn't play as poorly as people on here seem to believe. GT stopped VT a lot more than VT stopped GT. VT only converted 2 3rd downs. VT did convert 1 4th down, but that was after the officials moved the sticks/chain back to 9 yards instead of 10 yards. GT gained 100 more yards in the ND game than VT did in the game on Saturday. The attitude in the chat, and now in the threads, is that GT sucks and should be 0-9 at the moment. If the eye-test is telling you that, then your eyes are wrong.

Stats were nearly meaningless in the GT - VT game. If you think VT was taking any risk offensively once they got to 14 points you are misled by stats. VT went ultra conservative as that was the smart and safe approach.

Our D played well for sure but VT clearly played with only winning in mind.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I don't think anyone is saying that GT is actually a 6-3 or 7-2 team. We are just discussing reasons for the loss. Some people, maybe not in this forum, are saying that Key needs to be fired immediately. That is ridiculous. Some people are saying that the offense stinks. Yet the offense gained 50% more yards than VT on Saturday. I think it is much more complicated than a coach or player being inept. Injuries and illness are certainly part of the issues.

Some people are immensely stupid. These are the things we have to deal with as intelligent people.

 

[forensicbuzz]

ND and VT are much more talented and better coached than the the previous teams.


2 of remaining teams are very good and will have no mercy as they scramble for higher playoff spot. Expect BDS under the lights

Hope we find a game plan with more gash and less talk about old games. We are not improved

Sure we are. We’re just not showing it because we’re injured. If we were healthy, we’d be 9-0 right now.

 

[Bogey]

Sure we are. We’re just not showing it because we’re injured. If we were healthy, we’d be 9-0 right now.

That makes as much sense as some of the arguments I have seen saying we suck.

 

[forensicbuzz]

That makes as much sense as some of the arguments I have seen saying we suck.

Tell me one game that we couldn't (or shouldn't) have won if we were 100% healthy? To date, I can't name one. That we would win all of them is probably a stretch, but we haven't played a game yet that we shouldn't have won if we were 100% healthy. Yes, this is my opinion, but it is reasonable.

 

[Bogey]

Tell me one game that we couldn't (or shouldn't) have won if we were 100% healthy? To date, I can't name one. That we would win all of them is probably a stretch, but we haven't played a game yet that we shouldn't have won if we were 100% healthy. Yes, this is my opinion, but it is reasonable.

I agree with you on each game. I meant thinking we would be 9-0 without injuries is no more of a stretch than thinking we suck. Does that clarify it for you?

 

[forensicbuzz]

I agree with you on each game. I meant thinking we would be 9-0 without injuries is no more of a stretch than thinking we suck. Does that clarify it for you?

I agree it's very hard to win every game. But, as we do in every pre-season poll on how we're going to perform, I'm not willing to concede any winnable game before it's played, so while I don't think we'll go undefeated, I'm not willing to pick losers, so I go with giving us the benefit of the doubt in every game.

That being said, it's very difficult to go undefeated, regardless of how favorable your schedule is. I would have said 8-1, but how do I choose we'll lose if we can win them all?

 

[roadkill]

Points are the most important stat. Unlike many, I don't think the offense moving the ball is the problem. I don't think the defense being able to stop the other team is the problem. Overall, both units are performing fine. Special teams has been a problem, and @roadkill pointed out that starting field position has been bad for GT this year. Fix that. Fix the offense on third and short. Fix the defensive middle on third and medium slant passes. I think the team is very close to being very good. I have seen people calling for Faulkner to be fired. I think the offense is 90% of the way towards being a good offense. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Fans typically just want to fire everyone and start from scratch. What I think the stats show is that GT is very close to being very good, and that fine tuning is needed instead of razing.

Agree with all you said, and add one more - get healthy(er). Maybe not so easy to fix, but the byes are bound to help.

Regarding the all-important points stats (scored and allowed) and focusing on Special Teams again, what is the point differential they have cost us? Consider the missed field goals (6 in our first 8 games), blocked field goals returned for TDs, and allowing punt returns for TDs. This is on top of the EPA delta for field position. It's not insignificant. And that's not counting less tangible impacts like game flow, momentum, and play-calling that directly result from special teams failures. It is perhaps the most important thing to fix aside from players healing up.

 

[takethepoints]

That being said, it's very difficult to go undefeated, regardless of how favorable your schedule is. I would have said 8-1, but how do I choose we'll lose if we can win them all?

Yes. Part of good seasons is sheer good luck. Tech hasn't had it this year and we are still in the hunt for a bowl bid. That'll do, considering.