Back when Chan Gailey was hired, I believe that Charlie Taaffe was in the mix of candidates for the job. (If this isn't the case, no doubt someone on here will clear that up.) Taaffe had been Army OC for a couple of years, then used the wishbone at The Citadel as HC for 10 seasons -- managing to get the good Bulldogs to their best season, and going 6-5 against 1-A teams in those years -- before going to the CFL and its wide-open offenses and twice being CFL coach of the year. He came back to the college ranks as Maryland's OC from 2001-2005 -- yep, Taaffe was chosen by the beloved Ralph Friedgen to be his OC. Taaffe went back to the CFL for two poor seasons, then resurfaced in 2009 as UCF's OC for six years, where he and UCF did well.
I wondered, from time to time, how things would've worked out if in 2002 Tech had plucked Charlie Taaffe from Friedgen's staff, instead of going with (predominantly) NFL guy Chan Gailey back in 2002. (Mind you, Gailey was a good guy, and a solid conventional coach. In his younger days he could be innovative; as HC at then-Troy State he used a "hurry-up" wishbone attack in '84 when they won the Div. 2 title. By the time he got to Tech, however, he was a NFL guy since leaving Troy in 1984 -- and was a very conventional coach.)
I so hope Tech doesn't opt for another NFL guy again. Just -- no.
Presumptive lamentation -- not venting -- concluded.