Mostly “Fire Geoff Collins”, some reminiscing, maybe bourbon or other distractions

[Northeast Stinger]

Imagine the frustration Dodd must have felt in 1960. The Jackets went 5-5 with the five losses being by a TOTAL of 11 points including 1 point losses to Alabama and UGA.

Disappointment yes, frustration, no. Frustration is Sisyphus never being able to get the stone up the hill. I’m sure fans, and coaches, thought we’ll get ‘em next time, dag-gummit.

 

[sgreer]

My feelings have generally aligned with yours up until about the middle of this year. We differ in a few areas at this point.

I for one have a hard time excusing the game management stuff. This is a guy who has been around football for decades, and the clock management and timeout stuff is something that most avid football fans understand well enough to run circles around him right now. If he doesn’t have it figured out at this point then I’m not sure he ever will.

I also have a hard time seeing the progress in our offense. I think the majority of it can be attributed to a couple special players, which the staff deserves credit for. But even with the explosive plays our offense fails miserably in a few key metrics - first downs, red zone TDs, namely. I wish I could find 3 and out stats just to see where we are at, but I’m guessing it’s near the bottom of the NCAA. Leaning on the poor O line play is a convenient excuse at this time that is becoming a harder argument to support. We are a worse run team today than we were two years ago. That is concerning. It’s easy to point to the run heavy nature of our previous offense and say this should be the case, but given the difference in blocking schemes I don’t think that argument holds up. We also seemingly call plays at random or use statistics to decide plays without factoring in past performance of our team or even those same plays within the game we are currently playing. Mid game adjustments on the offensive side of the ball are non existent.

I don’t really want to talk about the defense.

But what frustrates me most is that we seem to have gotten worse as the season went on in pretty much every facet of the game. Defense is the most noticeable, but you mentioned penalties, and hell even our improved kicking game failed us when we needed it on Saturday.

I just don’t feel like it’s as simple as a few plays here or there. For example, if we stop BC I think we still lose 31-30 because we likely wouldn’t have been able to pick up a first down. If we make the XP we almost certainly lose with the new OT rules and our inability to convert. So basically all of those things need to get better just to get us to 5-6 wins. Then what?

I do agree that he’s here another year though, so we will see what happens. If we replace the DC I will renew season tickets and be there to see what happens. If he comes back then this thing is a runaway train bound for a bad ending and I will be watching from home for the first time inGuys, it’s been 3 years. Collins is horrible at coaching defense. Do you really believe he has allowed his career to plummet with Thacker? Come on. Collins has been coaching defense and he is no bueno at it. The results speak for themselves. Getting rid of Thacker won’t move the needle because Thacker is not the problem.

Guys, it’s been 3 years. Collins is horrible at coaching defense. Do you really believe he has allowed his career to plummet with Thacker? Come on. Collins has been coaching defense and he is no bueno at it. The results speak for themselves. Getting rid of Thacker won’t move the needle because Thacker is not the problem.

Guys, it’s been 3 years. Collins is horrible at coaching defense. Do you really believe he has allowed his career to plummet with Thacker? Come on. Collins has been coaching defense and he is no bueno at it. The results speak for themselves. Getting rid of Thacker won’t move the needle because Thacker is not the problem.

This is true- Thacker has to be coaching the vision of CGC defense. One big problem is there is not a GIbbs-like version of a defensive player that causes serious problems for opposing offenses.

 

[Bonaire41]

This is true- Thacker has to be coaching the vision of CGC defense. One big problem is there is not a GIbbs-like version of a defensive player that causes serious problems for opposing offenses.

We just don’t have the athletes that he had at miss state and Florida and that makes the world of a difference. Point Blank

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

Mate our attendance is falling rapidly.

Oh I know. I am at the games, but it will bottom out well north of 25k fans attending.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

your vegas adjusted is probably about right. I think most of believe we would be 5-5 or even a little better if our game day coaching was even mediocre. That is why we are so ticked off.

It's not just "game day coaching." It's also things like TDs called back, bad coverage lapses on the defense. We won't always lose these games.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I wish I could believe this but the fact is we have a losing record in a conference that is a shadow of its former self. Sharing the basement with Duke is not a sign of progress. Not buying this thesis of "adjusted records".

You don't have to buy it. Vegas guys make bank off it though because fans always assume either the best or worst about a team.

 

[jgtengineer]

Oh I know. I am at the games, but it will bottom out well north of 25k fans attending.

You hope and I hope any less will be a runaway to duke levels.

 

[GTLorenzo]

Guys, it’s been 3 years. Collins is horrible at coaching defense. Do you really believe he has allowed his career to plummet with Thacker? Come on. Collins has been coaching defense and he is no bueno at it. The results speak for themselves. Getting rid of Thacker won’t move the needle because Thacker is not the problem.

Clearly you don’t know what they did at Temple and Florida and Mississippi State and Alabama. Why Mississippi State was supposedly ranked No. 1 in the country when our Coach Collins was there. And Temple had 2, count ‘em 2, winning season with Coach Collins.

Clearly you are I’ll informed. I mean honestly, you’ve forgotten more about football than Collins will ever know.

Wait, is that right??? 3 wins again? Yeah, that’s right…..

 

[JacketOff]

I

Oh I know. I am at the games, but it will bottom out well north of 25k fans attending.

I’m not sure I would say there’s “well north” of 25k attending now. 31k announced which means there were almost certainly less people actually in the stadium than that. Probably a lot closer to 25k scanned tickets than 31k, and 31k is already an extremely low number. After what will probably be another 3-9 season and starting next year 0-1 against Clemson, I’d say we’ll be lucky to sell 30k tickets to what will more than likely be a September noon game against Western Carolina.

 

[TomOReilly]

I do not directly write into our threads regularly but read them actively. While I see many points of view and really, none of them are completely right or wrong. What I offer is the creation of a new thread we could all agree. I looked and did not see where to create a thread. But, to pass the off season with an opportunity to all agree. Without our defense expert Ibee and LongestDay for the offense into perspective, can someone create a thread on the 2021 great plays we did execute? Put a short video of the play. Our player talent is great even if they are not getting to realize their team potential. Seriously, there are good things 2021 brought to us that are worth player callout and fan comment.

 

[7979]

If I think of this season, it has been one of the most entertaining in awhile in that every game is going deep into the 4th quarter and has you on the edge of your seat. Not saying I am not frustrated by silly mistakes or repetitive problems but I, for one, have gotten maximum entertainment from this season. I will see how these next two play out but I don't go into them expecting blowouts as most seem to. but my wife thinks I am idiot too.

"...but my wife thinks I am idiot too..."
Your wife sounds like a smart girl....LOL!

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I

I’m not sure I would say there’s “well north” of 25k attending now. 31k announced which means there were almost certainly less people actually in the stadium than that. Probably a lot closer to 25k scanned tickets than 31k, and 31k is already an extremely low number. After what will probably be another 3-9 season and starting next year 0-1 against Clemson, I’d say we’ll be lucky to sell 30k tickets to what will more than likely be a September noon game against Western Carolina.

I was speaking to tickets sold.

 

[slugboy]

I do not directly write into our threads regularly but read them actively. While I see many points of view and really, none of them are completely right or wrong. What I offer is the creation of a new thread we could all agree. I looked and did not see where to create a thread. But, to pass the off season with an opportunity to all agree. Without our defense expert Ibee and LongestDay for the offense into perspective, can someone create a thread on the 2021 great plays we did execute? Put a short video of the play. Our player talent is great even if they are not getting to realize their team potential. Seriously, there are good things 2021 brought to us that are worth player callout and fan comment.

Here’s one, on defense:

 

[7979]

In all this back & forth about the data and the DC and who should get fired or replaced, one really important fact is missing. Change a couple of plays in each of 4 or 5 of our losses and we a winning team. It's not much consolation when the record is 3-7, but it could be 8-2. I am not saying those plays went the wrong way just by chance. We were the cause in most cases, but there is not a huge difference in our play at 3-7 and what it would have been if we were 8-2.

Let's say that I agree with you here.... which I kinda do.... that, as you put it, "not huge difference" is Saturday sideline coaching.... and 3-7 vs 8-2 is 100% on Geoff... Head coaches win/lose close games, not 3 TD blow outs....
Geoff is our coach and I so very much want him to succeed...

 

[TomOReilly]

Here’s one, on defense:

That play and the one that our DE #42 returned to the house. We have good athletes!

 

[orientalnc]

Let's say that I agree with you here.... which I kinda do.... that, as you put it, "not huge difference" is Saturday sideline coaching.... and 3-7 vs 8-2 is 100% on Geoff... Head coaches win/lose close games, not 3 TD blow outs....
Geoff is our coach and I so very much want him to succeed...

YES!!! This is my point exactly. The talent is almost there. Now we need our coaches to make winners of the these athletes.

 

[4shotB]

"...but my wife thinks I am idiot too..."
Your wife sounds like a smart girl....LOL!

It's a conundrum of sorts...she has all the trappings of a 'smart" person but every time I am convinced that she IS smart, I remind myself that she married me. I remain unsure then if she is. Maybe she is smart but just made one dumb decision. I do know shehasn't bothered to watch the Tech games with me and the two sons in the last 5-7 years. so there's that for her.

 

[orientalnc]

It's a conundrum of sorts...she has all the trappings of a 'smart" person but every time I am convinced that she IS smart, I remind myself that she married me. I remain unsure then if she is. Maybe she is smart but just made one dumb decision. I do know shehasn't bothered to watch the Tech games with me and the two sons in the last 5-7 years. so there's that for her.

My wife watches the App State games and tells me the GT games are too depressing. And, that my optimism is terribly misplaced. Are women really this smart???

 

[TomOReilly]

On defense - We need 3 contiguous good plays to get off the field. Clearly not there yet but I would guess we sit around 2 good plays followed by a busted play
On Offense - We need 2 of 3 to stay on the field and really do not do too bad. Just need to fix some poor play calls or penalties at critical moments.

 

[JacketOff]

I was speaking to tickets sold.

Either way selling 25k tickets or having 25k people in the stadium is an embarrassing standard to hold. That’s 45% of capacity. Can you imagine Miami or VT thinking a crowd of 29k would be acceptable? Or Florida State and South Carolina saying a crowd north of 35k was alright? Auburn fans saying if they got more than 39k it would be ok? No chance, none of those would ever happen.

It’s okay to acknowledge the fact that Georgia Tech has a very small and fickle fanbase more similar to Wake Forest’s than it is to UGA. If wins don’t come neither will people, and I’m afraid we’ve lost too many games to ever gain traction with a legitimate fan base again. Even in 2018 the Clemson game didn’t sell out, and half of the fans that were there were in orange. UGA may be the only game Georgia Tech sells out forever at this point.