Option Football

[stigs02jrt]

Gailey was very good at evaluating and developing talent at every position but QB (though, that may have had to do with having Pat Nix as QB coach.)

CPJ was very good at taking undervalued / odd players and fitting them into his offensive scheme.

Neither one recruited well in terms of team player / rankings (outside of Gailey's 2007 class), but both were effective at getting guys to help them win.

In terms of who put players in the NFL, I do not think it is close. Gailey sent more players who had longer and more distinguished careers into the NFL.

Either way, they both showed that there is a path forward to winning (yes, they both won) without top 15 recruiting classes if you have a good scheme and a good eye for talent / development to fit your scheme.

CPJ is what I'd call a unicorn because of his offense, not a good comparison. Since we tech fans wanted a more modern offense so we could get better players, we now run a variation of what everyone else runs in CFB, nothing unique, so recruiting is much more important.

As for Gailey, I guess he was "winning" if you mean 7-5 records, 2-3 in bowls and 0-6 vs UGA. Middle of the road recruiting got him middle of the road results.

Ironically CPJs best 2 year stretch was with Gailey's best recruiting year, not CPJs. See how that works?

 

[leatherneckjacket]

CPJ is what I'd call a unicorn because of his offense, not a good comparison. Since we tech fans wanted a more modern offense so we could get better players, we now run a variation of what everyone else runs in CFB, nothing unique, so recruiting is much more important.

As for Gailey, I guess he was "winning" if you mean 7-5 records, 2-3 in bowls and 0-6 vs UGA. Middle of the road recruiting got him middle of the road results.

Ironically CPJs best 2 year stretch was with Gailey's best recruiting year, not CPJs. See how that works?

I think we could achieve similar highs and fewer lows than CPJ if we can hire a coach who excels in their scheme and is more open to aggressively recruiting than CPJ was.

Yes, I think making a bowl every year is winning. Gailey's win % is almost identical to CPJ. Both were winners. One had higher peaks and lower valleys while the other dwelled consistently in slightly above average.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

I like the idea of playing Pyron full time between now and ugag. Then, depending on our record, we can decide to play Pyron or Sims and Gibson.

 

[MountainBuzzMan]

I think we could achieve similar highs and fewer lows than CPJ if we can hire a coach who excels in their scheme and is more open to aggressively recruiting than CPJ was.

Yes, I think making a bowl every year is winning. Gailey's win % is almost identical to CPJ. Both were winners. One had higher peaks and lower valleys while the other dwelled consistently in slightly above average.

I agree with you partially. But CPJ was constantly asking for help with recruiting from Bigfoot and comparing our staff size to the rest of the conference. While I still think there is some truth to what you are saying. CPJ was partially sabotaged with lack of funding. I would have loved to see him get the resources that CGC got and see how his recruiting classes changed (If Any?) Even the extra non coaching head count for scouting opposing teams could have potentially created more wins.

 

[SidewalkJacket]

So the HC thread devolves into option talk and the option thread devolves into HC talk... lol.

I just came here to talk about B-backs after watching the TaxSlayer highlights. CPJ once told a buddy of mine that Adrian Peterson was the best BB ever, not because of his 40 yard dash time, but because of his 10 yard dash. They actually timed that, and AP had an initial 10 yard burst that blew everybody else away. Didn't matter what his 40 time was. I think Mills was similar... hit the hole quick and good pad level.

Anyway... I love that offense. And I don't mean the under center flexbone. Just the 3-O, in whatever formation. I miss it. The rule changes have hurt it somewhat, but it will forever be an equalizer and schematic advantage that I just find beautiful to watch.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

I agree with you partially. But CPJ was constantly asking for help with recruiting from Bigfoot and comparing our staff size to the rest of the conference. While I still think there is some truth to what you are saying. CPJ was partially sabotaged with lack of funding. I would have loved to see him get the resources that CGC got and see how his recruiting classes changed (If Any?) Even the extra non coaching head count for scouting opposing teams could have potentially created more wins.

I agree with you about his lack of support. I do think he was antagonistic to the whole recruiting game. But your point is taken.

 

[stech81]

I think we could achieve similar highs and fewer lows than CPJ if we can hire a coach who excels in their scheme and is more open to aggressively recruiting than CPJ was.

Yes, I think making a bowl every year is winning. Gailey's win % is almost identical to CPJ. Both were winners. One had higher peaks and lower valleys while the other dwelled consistently in slightly above average.

The problem with Gaily was not beating uga ,

 

[Skeptic]

Chadwell fans: please note that this guy is an unknown name amongst high level recruits; he's not going to be able to move the needle on recruiting period. He might spread option, but better athletes with some basic understanding of assignment football will stop this (sound familiar from when you ran off CPJ?). Deion or a bigger name is all we should aim for. If we can't get that (probably can't), then maybe we stick with Key and get lucky like we did with oleary.

We get one shot with this hire. That's it. Get it right, or go to club football. Even that would be more entertainikng than what Collins tried to pan off on us. It can't be from on-staff -- the record is plain. I am personally not encouraged that we can do a football hire. I want to be wrong.

I was listening to NFL Radio a few weeks back and Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian was talking about how the triple option, and yes he used those words, is part of a number of offensive playbooks in the NFL. He pointed out the Bills and the Eagles and a couple of others.

Also I've watched a couple of Ole Miss games and the announcers pointed out several times how they run a lot of triple option and I've heard it sprinkled around in other national TV broadcasts of other college football games lately.

that is a hoot. Paul Johnson revolutionized college football when nobody was looking ... and he always said the option work at any level./

 

[UgaBlows]

Well we ALL know he should have been a unanimous 5-star, can you agree on that?

 

[VRTechFan]

Th

Paul could have had more. He was his own worst enemy.

The fans wanting the team to throw more was his worst enemy.

 

[awbuzz]

Its exactly the same. That's like saying "pass right vs pass left is objectively not the same".
It's the same in any way that's meaningful.

Pitch/pass/lateral are the "same" per se. Not sure what is hard for folks not to understand what @ilovetheoption is saying.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

I just split off a bunch of posts about the importance of recruiting into a separate thread.

 

[Ibeeballin]

do we have any proof other than pure conjecture that the program was starving itself to get rid of johnson?

No but it sound good

 

[MountainBuzzMan]

No but it sound good

The only thing we have is Johnson publicly asking for more recruiting head count and looking at what he they gave him (Nothing extra under bigfoot) but then the increase was too little too late under the guy who "I have my man" Then you compare it to how much it went up for Collins.

Those are all tangable and public knowledge. So the question is do you apply the adjective of "Starving" to the lack of help he got when he kept asking for it publicly? But the facts are indisputable and public

 

[ibeattetris]

The only thing we have is Johnson publicly asking for more recruiting head count and looking at what he they gave him (Nothing extra under bigfoot) but then the increase was too little too late under the guy who "I have my man" Then you compare it to how much it went up for Collins.

Those are all tangable and public knowledge. So the question is do you apply the adjective of "Starving" to the lack of help he got when he kept asking for it publicly? But the facts are indisputable and public

Trying to send Gt to Ireland on a cargo jet wasn’t exactly great support by the AD either.

 

[JacketFan137]

The only thing we have is Johnson publicly asking for more recruiting head count and looking at what he they gave him (Nothing extra under bigfoot) but then the increase was too little too late under the guy who "I have my man" Then you compare it to how much it went up for Collins.

Those are all tangable and public knowledge. So the question is do you apply the adjective of "Starving" to the lack of help he got when he kept asking for it publicly? But the facts are indisputable and public

more than likely the program was just being cheap. still stupid and not good, but it’s a lot different than the program intentionally tanking itself to be rid of johnson. that’s just a rumor circulated to make johnson seem like a folk hero.

 

[RonJohn]

The only thing we have is Johnson publicly asking for more recruiting head count and looking at what he they gave him (Nothing extra under bigfoot) but then the increase was too little too late under the guy who "I have my man" Then you compare it to how much it went up for Collins.

Those are all tangable and public knowledge. So the question is do you apply the adjective of "Starving" to the lack of help he got when he kept asking for it publicly? But the facts are indisputable and public

He also said publicly that a donor had offered to pay for the new locker room, but it wasn't accepted.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

No more “look at me” coaches please. Thanks.

 

[GT33]

do we have any proof other than pure conjecture that the program was starving itself to get rid of johnson?

Other than lack of spending, no. No evidence at all.

 

[Ibeeballin]

No more “look at me” coaches please. Thanks.

Yeah bc the hard-nosed Brent Pry’s of the world are killing it