I second that and I'll also give a shout out to my old boss, Coach Shoop, for getting the guys back on the field. From what I understand these two departments work more closely together than they ever have - and that's a good thing.
Good deal - Looks like have a modern program for PHYSICAL improvement and injury prevention and treatment - all sides covered to support the player’s efforts which are still key. Long gone is the old school attitude of "the players know where the weight and training room is located". On this issue of injuries to date, I think that the coaches conducted a great fall camp to come into the season in good shape and injury free and have rotated players well to keep them fresh.
For another time and not on this thread I would like to find out about our programs for our players ACADEMIC improvement and injury prevention and treatment.
For you guys on the forum that know how to do these discussion threads here are some points idea for that discussion - maybe better for OFF SEASON
BASE POINTS:
The difference in good to great on the field is made a lot easier with special athletes (circa 2009) and thus we cannot afford to lose athletes to academic injury.
Academic injury is like "safety" on the construction site = Zero is the number of acceptable accidents.
AT TECH "Harvard during week (just happens) and Alabama on weekend(won't happen without expensive nation wide recruiting of special people or very very strong academic support).
GT (with its clearly more difficult academic rigor and limited sports education program offerings) needs to demonstrate it supports its athletes with a CLEARLY superior program for academic improvement and "injury" prevention and treatment that is based on each athlete as an INDIVIDUAL and not some Group boiler plate program.
IDEAS for discussion -
1. How much would a clearly superior program for academic improvement and injury prevention impact recruiting? How long?
2. What are the similarities and differences of our program verses Alabama? If ALA superior due to $, could we do things by involving students and other athletes with better academic skills as a team?
3. What programs should be in place to find out players are not doing GOOD in class and how is it ramped up as their performance drops. Is it monitored and treated just like a physical performance is monitored and how is it treated and supported ? Are our programs for the individual or are they group boiler plate? Do the player have "group" of students and advisors to help them?
4. Do we have ALL significant academic issues get documented (like a safety program) and have an upper management (HEAD OF AD AND PREZ) review committee act on them. ACADEMICS for ATHLETES should be handled JUST LIKE A CONSTRUCION SAFETY PROGRAM is for construction?
just rambling opinions follow for sake of venting
Examples DAYS and CUSTIS - who could have made major impact this year and in the future were lost due to "academic" injury.
Custis (6'2" 228 now at the junior college for the SEC with 24 carries and 11 yd average ) and Days (who should be setting the edge on game day) .
Custis not a great example - but for a CLEARLY Superior program we should at least have a lessons learned. Yes know that Custis was not here yet - "officially" - worked out for about a year with us but was not "officially" here. Yes I know that it was the high school coaches that screwed from getting the paper in etc. While this has been framed as "things beyond control just happen" - it sounds a bit old school. Also when we are recruiting players with some academic issues saying get your paper work in as "things just happens" is probably something we don’t say. To me DAYS is just a terrible thing for the University and the Football team - at some point a clearly superior would have go around having him sleeping in the guest room of the DL coaches house till his grades came up!