Overall thoughts??

[Whiskey_Clear]

We haven't lost a game this year that is a good start . But I need to see how the defense will take to their new coach before I get too Excited. Hope I can tell after the spring game.

Hmm. I though our D was looking much better last spring and was mildly optimistic from the spring game. But in the end...some was better, some was worse...overall bleh.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Um. We didn't win a road game last year. This year our key road games are @USF, @Louisville, @Virginia Tech, @Georgia, @Pittsburgh, @North Carolina.
We play 3 teams ranked in the top 5 - all 3 of them will vie for the CFP (Miami, Clemson, Georgia). Those 3 teams are currently all ranked in the Top 5!
Virginia Tech is ranked in the teens. And we play them on the road.

Even if we somehow win 2 out of 4 of Miami, Clemson, @Virginia Tech, and @Georgia, that still means to win 9 games we can only lose 1 game against Alcorn State, Bowling Green, @USF, @Louisville, Virginia, @North Carolina, Duke, @Pittsburgh. There's 4 road games in there.

I view 2018 the same way I viewed 2017. We could win a ton of games. But our schedule is so damned difficult we could play incredible football and still only go 8-4.

Meanwhile, have you looked at Georgia? The team that thinks they are National Champions to be? They think so highly of themselves that their out of conference opponents next year are Austin Peay, Middle Tennessee State, and Massachusetts. They have 2 opponents who finished ranked last year out of 12. Pathetic.

In fairness to them the mutts play in the SEC east,,,,the worst P5 division east of the Rockies so that ain’t helping their SOS.

 

[tech_wreck47]

I love the defensive hire, and I’m super excited. I think we will probably see more big plays against us, but I think we will have a lot more big plays for us as well. I actually think some will be surprised that we don’t give up as many big plays with an aggressive D as some might think.

 

[jgtengineer]

I am excited. When you have a ball control offense I have always been a fan of an attacking defense. My reasoning is simple. If you are death marching the opposing defense, score after 7 minutes or so, and then either force a turnover or give up a big play on d. That same tired defense has to come out to stop your offense again ( this is pretty much how we swamped people in 2014). Your defense by design stays pretty fresh. If you go three and out on offense you also have the chance to get the ball back quickly.

A ball control offense can offset the risks of a high risk defense. When you have a "ball control" defense basically forcing the opponents to play slow, while you play slow. Missed turns are a major problem. The roof style bend don't break defense is an asset in the Big 12 or against air raid teams where the opposing offense is slower than yours and you want to make sure a mistake by your own offense doesn't result in big deficits. ( in 2016 roofs defense scheme actually paired well with our offense as we scored a lot of big play touchdowns and then let the opponent eat up time see uva.)

As for personnel. In general there is far more available Line backer and secondary talent than nfl style 2 gap d-line talent. I think we have the interior d-line talent to play woody's scheme. I also think that our strongest pass rusher is probably Vic Alexander and we need to get him rushing the passer often.

 

[Skeptic]

If Taquon is our starting QB with 98% of the snaps, we have 7 wins at most, regardless of anything else. Zero threat in the passing game will kill us.

Special teams has to make a dramatic improvement. The ONLY good thing is punting, both coverage and return units suck. Field goals suck. Without marked improvement this alone with cost us 3-5 games.

Potentially defense could take a step forward and be legit top 35. It could also be a big help to the O-line as well with the different style of play. But we could also have some communication and recognition issues.

ALL of this is assuming we don't have anybody injured in the spring or fall practice.

I agree with the Marshall reference, unless -- unless -- Johnson gives up on the idea he can run an option offense and throw a bit, and goes all in with the Navy/Army model: Marshall keeps it and runs a series of plays with that intention.. It is the one thing he does well as a QB. It will be a dumbed down, stripped to the frame option spread and not as exciting as what we've seen, but it can be a winner. Two things have kept Johnson out of the top tier of football coaches: he can't build a defense, and he can't recruit quarterbacks. There are all kinds of reasons and it is not directed specifically to him, but there it is, every year it seems. But I am hopeful in 2018.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I haven't read any discussion yet (but I've skipped pages of inane banter), but is anyone else glad we're not playing NC State next year?

 

[tmhunter52]

I haven't read any discussion yet (but I've skipped pages of inane banter), but is anyone else glad we're not playing NC State next year?

I am glad we aren't playing NC State, Alabama, Norte Dame, Ohio State...

 

[Vespidae]

Hope springs eternal. Money is flowing, new uniforms and locker rooms ... a ton of legacy costs start winding down.

I’ll enjoy the break, but .. it’s Great to be a Yellow Jacket!

 

[knoxjacket]

In fairness to them the mutts play in the SEC east,,,,the worst P5 division east of the Rockies so that ain’t helping their SOS.

The ACC Coastal was worse this year.

 

[stech81]

The ACC Coastal was worse this year.

This year yes.

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

Unless Taquon Marshall makes a major improvement in the off season, we are going to be a .500 or less team in 2018. I don't care how much our defense improves (which is not a given), our offense is not efficient enough to win over half our games currently. Coach Johnson is not going to change QB's at this point. That's just the way he is.

Go Jackets!

 

[MikeJackets1967]

My ACC Outlook for 2018

ACC Atlantic

1)Clemson 11-1
2)FSU 9-3
3)Wake Forest 8-4
4)NCSU 8-4
5)Louisville 6-6
5)Boston College 6-6
6)Syracuse 5-7

ACC Coastal

1)Miami 11-1
2)Virginia Tech 9-3
3)Georgia Tech 8-4
4)Duke 6-6
5)Virginis 5-7
6)Pitt 4-8
7)North Carolina 4-8

 

[Sideways]

We will at least make the playoff. You heard it here first. Get on the hype train now, because once it leaves the station we won’t be stopping for fair weather fans!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We WILL..win 6 games and make a bowl! How is that for optimism? The new defense will not be the cure all that some seem to believe. Woody said it usually takes, I think, 18 months to get it where he wants it to be with personnel and technique. I am still of the belief we are lacking in the talent department for defense but more than willing to be proven wrong. We will see. I am kind of excited to see what happens just because he gives us a new face and identity on defense with different ideas and philosophy. Should be interesting.

 

[YJMD]

Unless Taquon Marshall makes a major improvement in the off season, we are going to be a .500 or less team in 2018. I don't care how much our defense improves (which is not a given), our offense is not efficient enough to win over half our games currently. Coach Johnson is not going to change QB's at this point. That's just the way he is.

Go Jackets!

I just don't get that. We were a single play in multiple games this year from being 6-5 instead of 5-6.

 

[lv20gt]

Apathetic. Not excited at all on offense. Defense, I'm mildly interested to see how things change but no real reason to expect things to be significantly better than they have always been under Johnson.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

Apathetic. Not excited at all on offense. Defense, I'm mildly interested to see how things change but no real reason to expect things to be significantly better than they have always been under Johnson.

Well if that’s the case we went to the orange bowl in 2010 then 2014. 4 years apart so “always been under Johnson” means 4 years after 2014 we’re going to the orange bowl!

I’ll let you guess what season that would be

 

[tmhunter52]

2018 results will depend upon who plays QB for us. Great running game and poor passing game will result in a losing record. Good running game and good passing game will result in a winning record.

 

[AE 87]

We're going undefeated. We RS'd some decent OL who will be ready to contribute. We'll have backup QBs ready to play without much dropoff. We'll have a D scheme that gets the most out of decent talent.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I agree with the Marshall reference, unless -- unless -- Johnson gives up on the idea he can run an option offense and throw a bit, and goes all in with the Navy/Army model: Marshall keeps it and runs a series of plays with that intention.. It is the one thing he does well as a QB. It will be a dumbed down, stripped to the frame option spread and not as exciting as what we've seen, but it can be a winner. Two things have kept Johnson out of the top tier of football coaches: he can't build a defense, and he can't recruit quarterbacks. There are all kinds of reasons and it is not directed specifically to him, but there it is, every year it seems. But I am hopeful in 2018.

So you contend, with merit, that TM can’t throw the ball but......you want CPJ to give up running so much and try to pass more.

That makes no sense unless you are simply advocating benching TM. Which again could have merit. But you didn’t make it clear if so.

I hope CPJ can bring in some more awful QBs like JT.

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

I am glad we aren't playing NC State, Alabama, Norte Dame, Ohio State...

Or opening with Tennessee. That set the tone for the whole season.