Preseason Accolades

[SlawDog]

We see you Stewart!

 

[Boomergump]

Now we lean on Athlon for credibility lol

Haha. I was just about to chime in with a similar comment. Whoever, does or does not make the preseason list on this publication means nothing, or maybe I should say, close to nothing. I don't want to disparage the players mentioned, but if we are using this accolade as a measuring stick for where our current "talent level" stands on either side of the ball, we have lost all sense of ourselves. This publication has no idea how players are progressing in camps. They have no idea about the guys who have redshirted. They are just surface skimming across the league's roster and plopping in names of people who have some stats.

Take for example AJ Gray. I don't know about you guys, but I feel pretty positive about his talent level and his future prospects for growth. I could care less that he was left off their list and it affects my opinion of him by less than zero. He is a good player who is only going to get better if he works.

 

[Longestday]

AJ may be great, but scheme keeps him away from action. Griffin got a chance to move closer to the action by year end.

 

[alentrekin]

AJ may be great, but scheme keeps him away from action. Griffin got a chance to move closer to the action by year end.

After watching the UT spring "game", I am glad we have those two.

 

[CuseJacket]

Mark Bradley's Pigskin pickin’: Tech and UGA both go 9-3; one wins its division

 

[CuseJacket]

Athlon: The Yellow Jackets rank No. 36 in Athlon’s Top 130 for 2017

Final Analysis
Something clicked midway through 2016. The Yellow Jackets finished strong, posting a 9–4 season including a win at Georgia that should give them momentum in a division in which the top programs are all losing multiple key players. With eight returning defensive starters and nine on offense, there are some proven, experienced ingredients. But replacing Justin Thomas, a highly productive three-year starter at quarterback, may not be that simple. And on defense, the front six has some intriguing young players but no clear-cut difference makers or vocal leaders. How Georgia Tech fills those personnel holes will likely determine whether it wins the Coastal for a fifth time in Johnson’s decade on the flats or has to sweat reaching bowl eligibility.

 

[jayparr]

Lindseys # 27!!!!!!!

 

[Sideways]

One defensive player in the entire defensive 4 deep and that one is at 3rd string. And some like to say our defensive woes are not talent, only scheme. Lol. Most notably is not one Jacket in the top 20 DL's in the conference. (4 deep of 5 DL positions) It's awful tough to field a solid defense w/o a couple studs on your DL. We've typically had one or two, but zero??? Zero backers??? One DB???

Remember, defense is different than offense, we don't have a unique defense that can use specific skill sets to magically craft a top unit. And that's not necessarily a coaching issue. Defense is a different animal. There's only so much smoke and mirrors your can do to hide talent and measureable deficiencies.

Our problems on defense are related to recruiting. There are some who complain about Coach Roof's zone coverage packages especially the four quarters but it really does come down to recruiting. We have the best recruiting class in the Johnson era for defense coming in. We need a few more. It is that simple. More linemen, more linebackers, more shutdown corners, you get the idea. No more quarterbacks playing DB, no more linebackers trying to play D line, and in the name of all that is holy recruit more speed. We can scheme the living daylights out of people on offense with fairly ordinary talent, no such luck on defense. Gotta have more "jimmies" to get more uh "joes"? Or something.

 

[Sideways]

Nice

Why Lance, and not Lawrence. I can't keep them apart on the field half the time anyway. Oh boy I bet this motivates Lawrence to step his game up big time. A little sibling rivalry never hurt anyone. I still got the scar on the top of my head from when my sister threw a metal trash can and opened a gash that required a trip to the emergency room.

 

[AE 87]

Our problems on defense are related to recruiting. There are some who complain about Coach Roof's zone coverage packages especially the four quarters but it really does come down to recruiting. We have the best recruiting class in the Johnson era for defense coming in. We need a few more. It is that simple. More linemen, more linebackers, more shutdown corners, you get the idea. No more quarterbacks playing DB, no more linebackers trying to play D line, and in the name of all that is holy recruit more speed. We can scheme the living daylights out of people on offense with fairly ordinary talent, no such luck on defense. Gotta have more "jimmies" to get more uh "joes"? Or something.

Iirc, we were #127 in 3rd down D last year. We were not #127 in talent.

The complaint has not been that we are not a top tier D. The complaint is that we're often not up to average.

 

[Sideways]

AE: We were #127 in third down conversion D? No, we are not #127 in talent. That is unacceptable. It is a wonder we beat anyone with that kind of stat. The problem is when we blitz it is seemingly linebacker running right into the opposing offensive linemen. Watch tapes from the Gailey era. The blitz packages are clever and the linebackers and DBs are coming from everywhere. That Miami quarterback from 2005 and 2006 got sacked more than a dozen times total in those two games. The amazing thing is that it wasn't just K Hall or Phillip Wheeler taking his head off but the safeties and corners were getting to him as well. The timing of the blitzes was something to behold. Now I know that Wheeler, Hall, Guyton, Reise, and Landry were talented and very athletic but we can and must do better. Our backs cannot cover these guys all day. Have to find a way to get pressure on the quarterback.

 

[CuseJacket]

Orlando Sentinel ranks Georgia Tech #78

 

[tech_wreck47]

Our problems on defense are related to recruiting. There are some who complain about Coach Roof's zone coverage packages especially the four quarters but it really does come down to recruiting. We have the best recruiting class in the Johnson era for defense coming in. We need a few more. It is that simple. More linemen, more linebackers, more shutdown corners, you get the idea. No more quarterbacks playing DB, no more linebackers trying to play D line, and in the name of all that is holy recruit more speed. We can scheme the living daylights out of people on offense with fairly ordinary talent, no such luck on defense. Gotta have more "jimmies" to get more uh "joes"? Or something.

If it's recruiting then you change schemes to fit the players you have. You don't continue to run a scheme that your players are incapable of running. Jmo

 

[Skeptic]

Orlando Sentinel ranks Georgia Tech #78

I try really hard -- honest I do, personally and professionally -- not to be defensive.

That said, being ranked 78th is like being voted the worst looking crossdresser at the county fair. That's stupid and the whole Orlando sports department must be on funny stuff.

And that's not even being defensive yet.

 

[Skeptic]

Mark Bradley's Pigskin pickin’: Tech and UGA both go 9-3; one wins its division

I think he's right about Tech -- and I am violating my rule against excessive optimism, a hard-earned one at that -- and probably about Alabama. Probably. But I know after the spring Clemson is now lifted its sights and thinks it has a legitimate chance to get back to the NC after first considering a goal of another 10-win season to keep their streak going. The backup QB from last year is considered a better runner than Watson without his passing skills, and the kid they got in from Indiana was an early entry and turned some heads and changed some minds this spring. That November FSU game is already heating up.

 

[bke1984]

I don't know man, 78th is pretty damn low. That's basically saying we're one of the last teams to squeak into a bowl. I just don't see it, but whatever. Even if we went 7-5, I don't think we'd be that far down

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I hope the players feel slighted and this makes the imaginary chip on their shoulders a little bigger. To me, this is music to my ears! For some reason, we always do the opposite of media expectations.

 

[JacketFromUGA]

How can you say

"Tech coach Paul Johnson has to find a new starting quarterback, but his team is a legitimate contender to win the ACC Coastal Division in 2017. Johnson has already won four division titles during his tenure, with the last coming in 2014."

Legitimate contender to win the Coastal but have them ranked behind at least 10-15 G5 teams.

Is the ACC Coastal really that crappy in their view?

 

[strong90]

Orlando Sentinel ranks Georgia Tech #78

Three times, the author writes GT is "...a legitimate contender to win the ACC Coastal Division in 2017" or words to that effect. So he's saying that a team that will challenge for #1 or #2 in the toughest football conference in the country is ranked #78. Rubbish.

 

[strong90]

Oops. @JacketFromUGA beat me to it.