Mental toughness

[dressedcheeseside]

I fear it’s something we lack as a team, especially when the game hangs in the balance.

The question I have is how do you build it?

 

[flounder]

We had it when Nesbitt and Jet were our QBs. We had it when Shaq was on the OL. I think it comes down to having good leaders on the team. I think TQ will get there. We need an equivalent leader on defense.

 

[Ibeeballin]

I’ll wait after WF to weigh in on this

 

[jeffgt14]

I think Taquon has shown he’s got it. He messed up the 2pt play against UT but I think he’s learned from it. He needed to make a big time play at the end of the game on 3rd down and delivered a great pass to BS. That was the same kind of big time pass you would see JT make to Smelter at the end of a game. It just didn’t go our way but to no fault from TM.

I do think there are areas of Taquon’s game where he needs to improve. His downfield passing is really lacking. He can’t seem to take advantage of his receiver having 5+ steps on a DB so our receiver has to often stop and make the catch in coverage instead of catching in stride and walking into the endzone. JT wasn’t the most accurate deep ball passer in the world either but there were times he could throw a great one to a wide open player. I also think he needs to learn the fake pitch in the option game. There were a few times against Miami where he could’ve picked up a few extra yards by stalling the defender. One play in particular looked like he could’ve busted one for about 20 yards with how hard the defender was leaning toward the AB. Instead he pitched it and the AB got taken down for 3 yard loss.

 

[LibertyTurns]

Attitude in a player or team is formed over time and is radically affected by events. I think if we had won the UT game we would have won the U game. The key here now is to win a tight contest where we’re not favored to win. Next opportunity is Clemson.

Not that we don’t have to execute against WF but honestly this game should only be entertaining for GT fans.

Go Jackets!

 

[SteamWhistle]

Having mental toughness and being clutch are two different things. If we come out flat against Wake that will show that we lack mental toughness.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Having mental toughness and being clutch are two different things. If we come out flat against Wake that will show that we lack mental toughness.

The two are not perfectly synonymous, but they are related. We certainly are not clutch.

 

[stech81]

You need luck without it you will lose 2 or 3 games every year. Any SA at Tech has mental toughness or they would not be at Tech very long. What time does their day start and what time does their day end ?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

You need luck without it you will lose 2 or 3 games every year. Any SA at Tech has mental toughness or they would not be at Tech very long. What time does their day start and what time does their day end ?

So the defensive and offensive struggles in crunch time are explained how? Oh yeah, the coaching...

 

[stech81]

So the defensive and offensive struggles in crunch time are explained how? Oh yeah, the coaching...

No the coaching is fine I'm one of the ones who likes our coaches. Offensive struggles I don't see it, other then the lack of experience depth on the OL , and a great athlete at QB who will keep getting better the more he plays. Defense struggles playing safe late in the half and end of the game ( not being at practice I can't say who is to blame ) , and luck

 

[Coloradojacket]

So we lose to Miami. An away game with a team that just beat FSU at FSU. And FSU is loaded with athletes. Now the world ends, well. Here is what the Miami loss showed me.
1. Lack of Depth at LB. When Brandt Mitchel went out the run lanes opened up. Swilling will be good but he is a Freshman
2. Still wonder why Howard did not play at B-back. Benson is clearly a threat and then we have........
3. Crap happens. Should Stewart have caught that pass. Probably, but the pass was high and there was a defender on him. 4th and 10 you should win, instead we had a ball bounce right to the receiver.
4. Defense against the bubble screen, as I have said, If we play tight Richt sends his 4.4 receivers on go routes. Percentages maybe. As CPJ says, we need to get off the block and make the tackle.

 

[Dustman]

Are we asking this question if the 4th and 10 ball falls to the ground like it should have? I doubt it - instead we are saying we made the plays that mattered when our backs were against the wall.

 

[4shotB]

I once read a quote from a pro golfer (cannot recall the one) who said the best way to gain confidence in your putting ability is by making a lot of putts. In other words, you gain confidence via success. I agree that our guys are mentally tough. I just think they lack confidence (especially the D) that comes from closing out a half. There is a huge leap from thinking or hoping that you can vs. knowing that you will based on previous experiences.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I once read a quote from a pro golfer (cannot recall the one) who said the best way to gain confidence in your putting ability is by making a lot of putts. In other words, you gain confidence via success. I agree that our guys are mentally tough. I just think they lack confidence (especially the D) that comes from closing out a half. There is a huge leap from thinking or hoping that you can vs. knowing that you will based on previous experiences.

When you're confident, you go for the green. When you're not, you lay up.

 

[takethepoints]

I have to say that I don't see a lack of "mental toughness" in two one (that's 1) point losses. We should have won in both games. Against UT, it was a matter of inexperience for TM, against da U it was sheer old fashioned bad luck, just like it was against Pitt last year. We played the Canes well and held them off. When you get hand on a ball, knock it up in the air, and it grazes the WR's helmet and falls into his arms (try to duplicate that 5 times in a similar game situation), then all the mental toughness on the planet won't help.

I'm not worried by this nearly as much as I am about who'll get held out against Wake.

 

[deeeznutz]

Are we asking this question if the 4th and 10 ball falls to the ground like it should have? I doubt it - instead we are saying we made the plays that mattered when our backs were against the wall.

I'm afraid that Mark Richt shoved a lucky rabbit foot up his butt after the 2008 COFH game. It seems like just about every time we play his teams all the breaks go their way. Hell, even the 2014 COFH game we won had two ridiculous "here we go again" moments (and then the blocked XP in OT, when Drew illegally went right over the long snapper to block the kick, almost won the game for them too) that we had to overcome for the win.

 

[steebu]

I fear it’s something we lack as a fanbase, especially when the game hangs in the balance.

The question I have is how do you build it?

FIFY

 

[dressedcheeseside]

FIFY

How will you feel the next time we're up by less than a field goal with 2 minutes and the other team has the ball?

 

[deeeznutz]

How will you feel the next time we're up by less than a field goal with 2 minutes and the other team has the ball?

I definitely won't feel positive, but then again that's never a fun situation to be in. I'll probably be sitting there like TaQuon was on the sideline with his jersey pulled up over half his face.

 

[flea77]

I fear it’s something we lack as a team, especially when the game hangs in the balance.

The question I have is how do you build it?

I have ?. Did you " get out" of GT? Every student who " gets out" is "mentally tough". Add 10 hours a day of sport related study and practice and see how many who are not " mentally tough" make it. Sorry but this is the dumbest post I have ever seen. To question the mental toughness of our Student Athletes after a 1 point loss on the road in a monsoon against a now top 10 team is nuts. GT fans have a short memory. In the past several years GT has been in every game except for a few. It was not that long ago that GT was getting hammered... I remember sitting in the stands at the GT vs UGA game when UGA beat GT 51-7... Your questioning the "mental toughness " of these guys? Really. I think normally you a pretty rational person. To bad the swarm does not have a delete option.