Never as good or as bad as it seems... and I love this GT team

Longestday

Longestday

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I wanted to start a new thread... and so I did

The good old days...

If I remember right it was Wofford and Tulane in 2014. Both of those games were not very impressive, but they were wins. Then we had GSU... not very impressive 2nd half but a fun ending! Now VT... again GT barely won, but the team willed the win to happen. Miami was a well executed game!Then GT had the UNC shoot out and we did not have the ball last and Duke Rollgate. Pitt had a fumble fest. NC State was not as good as GT. Virginia was stumbling. Clemson lost their starting QB. The old days (2014) were great but it is never as good or bad as it seems.

I think we are about in the same place as 2014 with a little less experience in our defensive backfield where GT's passing defense is more likely to look like 2013.

Present day 2016

The O line has a chance to be better than 2014. The A-Backs may make it to similar levels of production. The WR will benefit from the better pass protection. The B-Back need to continue to grow into their roles, but the ceiling may be/is higher.

If I remember right we had trouble getting Wofford off the field and we had a fumble issue with Tulane. Not to mention the BC game looked just like the 2014 VT game. History is repeating? I sure hope so...


*Qua is outstanding in receiving and running and Lynch and Willis are blocking well
*JT is showing his normal flashes and operating inside the system
*June and Brad are benefiting from OL pass protection... WR are bringing in balls when they are near on target.
*Mills and MM are going to grow into their rolls... Mills is a true freshman and MM is only a red shirt freshman!
*The OL quality is starting at a higher level across the board and should continue to improve!

I wish I knew more about defense. I believe we have the chess pieces and the raw material. I just don't have the background or understanding to speak about them the same way I do on the offense.
 
stech81

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Longestday said:
I wanted to start a new thread... and so I did

The good old days...

If I remember right it was Wofford and Tulane in 2014. Both of those games were not very impressive, but they were wins. Then we had GSU... not very impressive 2nd half but a fun ending! Now VT... again GT barely won, but the team willed the win to happen. Miami was a well executed game!Then GT had the UNC shoot out and we did not have the ball last and Duke Rollgate. Pitt had a fumble fest. NC State was not as good as GT. Virginia was stumbling. Clemson lost their starting QB. The old days (2014) were great but it is never as good or bad as it seems.

I think we are about in the same place as 2014 with a little less experience in our defensive backfield where GT's passing defense is more likely to look like 2013.

Present day 2016

The O line has a chance to be better than 2014. The A-Backs may make it to similar levels of production. The WR will benefit from the better pass protection. The B-Back need to continue to grow into their roles, but the ceiling may be/is higher.

If I remember right we had trouble getting Wofford off the field and we had a fumble issue with Tulane. Not to mention the BC game looked just like the 2014 VT game. History is repeating? I sure hope so...


*Qua is outstanding in receiving and running and Lynch and Willis are blocking well
*JT is showing his normal flashes and operating inside the system
*June and Brad are benefiting from OL pass protection... WR are bringing in balls when they are near on target.
*Mills and MM are going to grow into their rolls... Mills is a true freshman and MM is only a red shirt freshman!
*The OL quality is starting at a higher level across the board and should continue to improve!

I wish I knew more about defense. I believe we have the chess pieces and the raw material. I just don't have the background or understanding to speak about them the same way I do on the offense.
Click to expand...
Agree 100 percent and don't forget MJ .
 
iceeater1969

iceeater1969

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Please review parker brauns play.
He seems to do what coach said he wanted = go fast and hit sombody hard. On a couple plays I saw him get one guy then get up and obstruct other defenders prusuit. .
For our system he looks like a good player now and a great player down the road.
 

lastoption

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I think JJ Green is playing very good as well. I think he is going be solid carrying the ball and a very effective blocker this year. I am all in on Mills. I think he has Dwyer ceiling or more even. Probably completely irrational fanthink after two games, but I don't care.
 
Cam

Cam

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CPJ already said on his radio show that he thinks the OL is currently just as good as the 2014 OL and has room to get better. Like he's said before, he brought up how the 2014 OL was bailed out a lot by good RBs and Shaq Mason. I feel like if we can keep the guys healthy, we'll only get better on run blocking and the pass blocking will continue at its current level.
 
TheGridironGeek

TheGridironGeek

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It is an anomaly for a team that is as good defensively as Boston College to have a 3-9 season. Last season they were duped into trying to "build" an effective shotgun-spread option offense (everyone else does it, why can't we?) instead of just running up the middle and giving their excellent 'D a chance to win the games.

In the grand scheme of things, the opening-day win in Ireland was the type of game that past CPJ teams have struggled to win: Far from home, less-than-ideal field conditions against a brawny bound-to-rebound program. In the FBS, CPJ has always had workmanlike talent on defense/special teams alongside a devilish offense that puts up big numbers & increases campus/fan expectations on both sides of the ball. "Tough" wins have come 35-34, not 17-14.

I was very pleased to see them take part in a grudging, defensive struggle and win it. Then I looked at online chatter and the sky is falling.
 

Sideways

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Longestday said:
I wanted to start a new thread... and so I did

The good old days...

If I remember right it was Wofford and Tulane in 2014. Both of those games were not very impressive, but they were wins. Then we had GSU... not very impressive 2nd half but a fun ending! Now VT... again GT barely won, but the team willed the win to happen. Miami was a well executed game!Then GT had the UNC shoot out and we did not have the ball last and Duke Rollgate. Pitt had a fumble fest. NC State was not as good as GT. Virginia was stumbling. Clemson lost their starting QB. The old days (2014) were great but it is never as good or bad as it seems.

I think we are about in the same place as 2014 with a little less experience in our defensive backfield where GT's passing defense is more likely to look like 2013.

Present day 2016

The O line has a chance to be better than 2014. The A-Backs may make it to similar levels of production. The WR will benefit from the better pass protection. The B-Back need to continue to grow into their roles, but the ceiling may be/is higher.

If I remember right we had trouble getting Wofford off the field and we had a fumble issue with Tulane. Not to mention the BC game looked just like the 2014 VT game. History is repeating? I sure hope so...


*Qua is outstanding in receiving and running and Lynch and Willis are blocking well
*JT is showing his normal flashes and operating inside the system
*June and Brad are benefiting from OL pass protection... WR are bringing in balls when they are near on target.
*Mills and MM are going to grow into their rolls... Mills is a true freshman and MM is only a red shirt freshman!
*The OL quality is starting at a higher level across the board and should continue to improve!

I wish I knew more about defense. I believe we have the chess pieces and the raw material. I just don't have the background or understanding to speak about them the same way I do on the offense.
Click to expand...

Key words to the whole post in my opinion: "The OL quality is starting at a higher level ACROSS the BOARD and should continue to IMPROVE!" We do not have at present anyone who is as good at pure run blocking as Shaq was BUT potentially this line has a higher ceiling. The 64 dollar question (kids ask your grandfathers) is whether they will, in fact, get better as the year progresses. Typically, they do but to what extent and how quickly no one knows. We will see.
 
Boomergump

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OL has a chance to be pretty good. WRs have shown good hands, not much more - decent blocking I guess. QB is experienced and talented. ABs have not nearly shown as much as is being stated IMHO, sorry. Qua is the exception. BBs have a chance to be a strength. That is still evolving. In other words, there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.
 

GTech63

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Boomergump said:
OL has a chance to be pretty good. WRs have shown good hands, not much more - decent blocking I guess. QB is experienced and talented. ABs have not nearly shown as much as is being stated IMHO, sorry. Qua is the exception. BBs have a chance to be a strength. That is still evolving. In other words, there is a lot of water to go under the bridge yet.
Click to expand...
Game with Vandy Should give us a pretty good benchmark as to where we are as team. A good opponent with similar player skill level as us. We need to sting 'em good! Go Jackets THWG
 

InsideLB

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TheSilasSonRising said:
Lord, please do not let us be talking about 2014 in, say, 2019.
Click to expand...

Seems reasonble to me to cite historical precedent in making a point, whether the past phenomenon is positive or negative.

It's like the people bitching about the number of commits before summer started. If you point out we get the bulk of our recruits each year over the summer folks get mad and dont want to hear it. Fast forward to now and they are all happy with our recruiting at the moment because surprise surprise guys committed over the summer.

Fact is we didnt look great in early in 2014 but won ugly early, then finished strong. No way to say we will do the same this year but the prognosticators of doom dont want to hear anything that spoils their thesis that we are doomed to suck. Teams can and do get better sometimes. Sometimes not. Deal with it.

BTW, I was a negative nellie in 2014 and was telling everyone we'd be 7-5 and not to get too excited at moment...we werent playing well enough and pigeons would come home to roost. Never did though. This season who knows, which is the point. So no longer will I say we suck and are doomed. We have problems but also potential and need to work hard to get better each practice. If we do we can be a very good football team, IMO.
 
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Boomergump

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It's a different team every week. Lou Holtz got that one right. I don't understand why fanbases feel such a need to predict records ahead of time anyway. It goes on throughout the season. Generally speaking, I just take where we are at the moment and try to predict a record of 1-0 for the upcoming weekend. I have my opinions about how things are going on the team so far, but I can't pretend to even have half a clue as to how it is all going to play out over the course of the season. At this point in time 10-2 seems about just as likely as 4-8 to me. I have absolutely no clue, so I don't give it much thought.
 

GTech63

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IMHO 2014 could have been a 7-5 or 6-6 year and 2015 the same. Injuries, close plays, ball bounces can make a big difference in your season. especially ours where we must coach up our overall depth to compete in the top 25. This year we seem to moving in the positive direction with some good improving players providing better depth. Take them one game at a time. Sink the 'dores! THWG
 
Eastman

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Maybe this was mentioned somewhere else but Boston College held U Mass to a negative 23 yards rushing last week. That and last year make makes me think their rushing defense is pretty good.
 
FredJacket

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Boomergump said:
It's a different team every week. Lou Holtz got that one right. I don't understand why fanbases feel such a need to predict records ahead of time anyway. It goes on throughout the season. Generally speaking, I just take where we are at the moment and try to predict a record of 1-0 for the upcoming weekend. I have my opinions about how things are going on the team so far, but I can't pretend to even have half a clue as to how it is all going to play out over the course of the season. At this point in time 10-2 seems about just as likely as 4-8 to me. I have absolutely no clue, so I don't give it much thought.
Click to expand...
Very well said. I've been a Tech fan all my life. There has not been a single game that I sincerely did not see a path (a logical one) to victory. I remember Ken Swilling's pre-season prediction that our "unranked" Yellow Jackets would go undefeated in 1990. Which means I also remember graduating in mid-December 1990 just 2 weeks before traveling to Orlando to witness the culmination of his prediction. Just how cool was that?!?! Life is/was GOOD!

Call me crazy; but I would rather be a fan of a program like Tech where winning is not taken for granted. I never want to go 3-9; but I also don't envy the superpowers of the FBS who never experience the thrill of winning a real "upset"...or putting a really magical/surprising season together. They lose their minds (and interest in the season) after a single loss.

Bottom line... I feel exactly like @Boomergump here. I can see this team winning every game... but we operate within a pretty thin margin of error series to series which means less than .500 is not out of the question either.

I heard someone say the other day that...by definition...being a fan means being irrational. So... we overreact. We are not able to be objective. No surprise, I am in the company of many, many "fans" here in this forum. :nailbiting: THWG!!
 
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