Most Devastating Injury this Year

[alagold]

Interesting. I think our CBs have played well for the most part. They have covered well even though they may not have played the ball well at the end of certain plays.

B,
you are right to some degree but I watched the unc game completely and they went after Milton A LOT.He made some plays but he was the target too many times for just luck.White didn't really get it done either.That dropped int (when we were so mixed up we had ONLY White covering 2 guys), may have turned the season.It was a TD that we didn't get AGAIN.
The line is not getting rush AGAIN.The guys are not making important tackles and no one is making the key play.

 

[alagold]

Agreed but we've been seeing that on D for a while.

Not to get off topic, but the difference in tackling (which I think is kinda what you're alluding to) between us and high profile teams is staggering. I always assumed it was due to size. However, I looked back at the relative sizes of our guys and other top defenses (MichSt, TCU and the like) and the size difference was IMO negligible. But when we hit a guy he tends to fall forward for 2-3 yards. Not sure how to fix this but I think it's fixable.

you called it, not only a 267 lb avg DL but a 5-9,185 rover trying to cover the 6-4,240 lb TEs of today.With size is strength-how many broken tackles do we have? a lot

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Not a troll, just typical terrible reading comprehension.

We did the same thing this year against ND that we did last year against Duke. We scored two late window dressing TDs when the other team backed off defensively. Last year we did it with Byerly. This year with Thomas. Just like the late TDs against ND this year didn't signify anything of significance in regards to our offense this year, neither did the tacked on TDs last year against Duke signify anything as well. Garbage time is when it's clear the opposing team is playing differently than they did the rest of the game because they knew the game was in hand. And that was the case against both ND this year and Duke last year, and it was obvious.

ND had all their starters in on defense when we scored those last td's. I know because the guy next to me was cussing Brian Kelly for risking their health.

 

[OldJacketFan]

ND had all their starters in on defense when we scored those last td's. I know because the guy next to me was cussing Brian Kelly for risking their health.

Yeah but that messes up the narrative

 

[Lee]

<------ This may chum up the waters a bit but here it goes. My vote goes to Tim Byerly.

"But he's just the backup QB" you say.

I love JT. He's awesome. Tim Byerly is not JT and he knows it. He is not as fast and as slick as JT, therefore there is a fundamental difference in the approach to running the system between the 2 players. TB can be fluid running the offense. Many posters have stated their observation that JT is trying too hard to make something out of nothing, and in the process an otherwise 2-4 yard gain becomes a 5 yard loss. Many posters have stated we're not getting the tough 2-4 yards the defenses are giving us. I believe TB would get those tough yards precisely because he's not JT.

I am not wishing that JT would get benched. What I am saying is that if Tim were available, we might have seen some real old style grinding on offense in some of these losses. Even in the admittedly bad years previously, there was some offensive grinding with Tevin. He had no choice but to take what the defenses were giving. We're not seeing it this year because our playmaker is trying to be a playmaker.

If TB was available, do you think CPJ would have put him in against ND to see what would happen? I do. I can't say the end result would be drastically different, but I do think the play on the offense would be more north-south right into the teeth of the defense. Less finesse. More smash mouth.

I think that if some offense drives with TB would translate into some points, it could only help JT to see.

There's my $0.02. Agree or disagree? If not JT, then who gets your vote for most devastating injury? You cannot select a whole position group like, "all the ABs."

I'm going to post before I read the rest of the responses and say yes, without a doubt. Losing Byerly is hands down the most devastating injury. This is probably blasphemy on this board and in most GT circles, but I think a healthy Byerly might be our starting qb right now with everything g else being the same. As you said he presents a totally different style of play at the qb position.

I'm very confident that we would have beaten Duke with a healthy Byerly and as close to certain as one can be that we would've beaten UNC. Imagine Tim on the goaline for 3rd and 4th down. He gets in. I think Tim is a better passer and has more composure in the pocket than JT does as well. Justin has a better arm and quicker release, I just think that Tim does a better job of anticipating and getting the ball out on time.

Justin is the most dynamic qb we've had in a long time, but with the way the season has played out in terms of injuries, we need a bruiser ala Nesbitt or Byerly to make things. With a full roster and a competent Oline, Justin is our guy all the way and one of the best wb's in the country. Hopefully we make some strides in the next couple of weeks to turn this thing around because I feel sorry for him and the beating he is having to take.

 

[DC Bee]

@Lee

Though some folks say it makes no difference this year, I guess I'm accustomed to GT running at defenses more than running away from them. Too bad we'll never know is perhaps the real point of why the loss of TB is significant.

 

[MidtownJacket]

I have said in a few other threads that I believe missing TB has been a huge impact in preventing CPJ from pulling Jet for a series to coach him up and show tendencies and what the defense is doing.

I also think giving him a breather and a series or two off would have let him handle the beating better. As it is now he is just getting knocked around for no gain and risks injury with every snap the way our line has been playing and the edge guys have been blocking.

Does anyone know if we are trying for a medical waiver for him next season?

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

I think CJ Leggett would have been very helpful at the B Back position.

Go Jackets!

 

[IEEEWreck]

Not a troll, just typical terrible reading comprehension.

We did the same thing this year against ND that we did last year against Duke. We scored two late window dressing TDs when the other team backed off defensively. Last year we did it with Byerly. This year with Thomas. Just like the late TDs against ND this year didn't signify anything of significance in regards to our offense this year, neither did the tacked on TDs last year against Duke signify anything as well. Garbage time is when it's clear the opposing team is playing differently than they did the rest of the game because they knew the game was in hand. And that was the case against both ND this year and Duke last year, and it was obvious.

Is it really your contention that Dook and ND starting winning, then decided 'nah, screw it, maybe GT ties the game or whatever, we're out'. Do you realize how foolish it sounds to label results than ended up less than 2 touchdowns apart 'garbage time'? Garbage time is when you're up 21 with 2 mins to play, or other results that are not in doubt. And if by some miracle 21 with 2 mins becomes 1 with 45 seconds (and the other team has the ball), well, then it wasn't garbage time. Dook was as much a garbage time 4th quarter touchdown last year as U(sic)gA was a garbage time victory. If the result of the game is in doubt, it's an active game. Not your opinion of GT is totally gonna lose guys, this sucks, but actually mathematically, physically impossible not to win. Good Lord, how is this not obvious?

With Byerly in particular, we lost the ability to situationally play midline with the tenacity of a sledgehammer. Against Dook last year, Tim up the middle for 3-5 yards made Dook pay for their overreliance on Cash, because swift as he was, he couldn't get to the ball over the BBack and hit Tim to make a decision. Honestly, TB a little earlier in that game probably comes out as a win for us.

I suspect that ND would have had a lot more trouble with their dancing formations if they had to deal with a midline threat as well where they couldn't depend on the raw physicality of their defense to limit it to 2 yards. But I don't know. I can also observe that Byerly was better in that game at hitting the short route passes to punish box stacking. His injury limited us a lot more than just removing a backup, because Tim was more than a backup QB. All respect in the world to JT, he's the guy you lead with. But there are situations where his weaknesses were backstopped by TB's strengths, and we lost a lot both in flexibility, and even the threat of putting Byerly in changes how the other team deals with us.

And in my wildest fantasies, when there's 9 in the box against us we run a modified 60 go play where the center snaps the ball through the QB's legs to the BBack, who happens to be Tim Byerly. Then touchdown pass to Justin Thomas.

 

[stingyoa$$]

It is somewhat surprising that the graduate losses on D have shown up (shown up?) so glaringly. Many of us would've offered to drive IJ out of town. Good thing none of us are coaches.

Somewhat disagree on the CB play. I think they're making the best of a bad situation. The S position hasn't helped them IMHO. However, I do agree they've had a bad moment here and there.

But what do I know, per @DC Bee I'm apparently a pansy since I didn't agree/disagree with his opening post.

Lol..IJ was the focal point of much belly aching over the years. He has stuck in the NFL on Detroit practice squad getting a paycheck. I seriously doubt the NFL keeps guys around they don't think can help

 

[buzzinanut69]

Having Philpott, Andrews, and Cottrell in addition to Griffin available sure wouldn't make us worse off, I don't think. Three legit playmakers plus an OL starter. I think the offense gets back on track in a big way next year.

 

[stingyoa$$]

Having Philpott, Andrews, and Cottrell in addition to Griffin available sure wouldn't make us worse off, I don't think. Three legit playmakers plus an OL starter. I think the offense gets back on track in a big way next year.

These guys are true freshman. Playing them now doesn't make us a better team

 

[Captain killem]

My vote is that TB is the biggest loss to injury.

 

[DSGB]

The backup QB isn't the answer to why we are struggling. Lack of skill position playmakers to force defenders away from the box is the problem.

Qua Searcy -> Biggest loss.

He was the outlet at AB with speed to keep those safeties a little more honest with their angles. They are basically sending 9 into the box on most every play. Defenses have no fear. The WRs don't have deep speed. The ABs (Snoddy & Qua) were the ticket to open lanes for others.

 

[Boomergump]

The backup QB isn't the answer to why we are struggling. Lack of skill position playmakers to force defenders away from the box is the problem.

Qua Searcy -> Biggest loss.

He was the outlet at AB with speed to keep those safeties a little more honest with their angles. They are basically sending 9 into the box on most every play. Defenses have no fear. The WRs don't have deep speed. The ABs (Snoddy & Qua) were the ticket to open lanes for others.

I think it is true, in that defenses don't have to repsect our speed outside the box right now. It just isn't there. There is no field stretching happening.

 

[takethepoints]

Griffin didn't start towards the end of the 2014 season, Errin Joe took his place. Errin Joe played really well last year, but he hasn't been able to carry over that form to this year.

If I remember rightly (always a rebuttable presumption), Griffin got hurt and had to sit out the year. That's why Joe got his shot. I hope he recovers and Joe gets cleared to come back. That way we have plenty of experience starting at OT and Chamberlain graduating won't hurt as much.