Preseason Accolades

redmule

redmule

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Here is why I love GT football.

I can see us imploding this year like the Orlando guy says. Jordan's injury doesn't heal and we have QB roulette, Mills is not available, couple of A Back injuries. New FG kicker doesn't work out and Special Teams take a big step back costing us a couple of early games. Pitt beats us late again because of turnovers in game #4, and we start to press and brain fart our way into a loss to UNC in game #5, both at home. Miami and Clemson boat race us on the road, and suddenly we have to win out to make a bowl. Any Tech fan old enough to remember seeing Bud Carson on the sideline just suffered flashbacks and PTSD reading this. The wounds never heal.

I can see us death marching UT into an orange mud puddle. Seriously, how are they going to stop us with a QB that runs like Laskey, a BB that runs like Dwyer, the best set of AB's since Johnson's been here, and an OL that has a couple of guards that will be All-ACC. When UT has never seen a CPJ TO? Ask Miss St. Pitt, VT, and UNC are shells of what they were last year. Miami won't get two gift TD's this year. Clemson was lucky to catch us early last year. This year they play us after the leaves have changed like in 2014. And can anyone really think a uga team that is 4th in the SEC East is going to take an undefeated Tech team in Atlanta?

I assign equal probabilities to both scenarios.

But the main thing I am looking forward to this year is playing uga, something I used to dread. I think dread has moved 90 miles east of Atlanta.
 

Deleted member 2897

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I think anybody that fails to take into account the following will end up with silly predictions:
1) We've won fewer than 7 games only twice in the last 20 years. Think about that one for awhile.
2) Paul Johnson has only finished below 0.500 in the ACC once in the last 10 years.
3) We have 16 starters back. This is especially important to an offense like ours.
4) Not only do we have 16 starters back, but we have several multi-year starters/heavy players back. In other words, folks like Brant Mitchell, Kyle CH, Clinton Lynch, etc. etc. were either starters way back in 2015 or they were getting a lot of playing time.
5) We are also much deeper than we usually are (in my opinion). We have 4 QBs that CPJ says throw a blanket over. We probably have that many A-Backs you could say the same about.
6) Coach Paul Johnson averages 8 wins/season.
7) The rest of the Coastal Division has in large part been obliterated by graduations and NFL departures.

I think anybody that looks at us to win 8 games and finish right around #25-30 is probably a pretty fair assessment. Because that would mean you are predicting us to do about average. As a more biased person, I would say we have a lot more going in our favor this year than we usually do. But I think 8 wins is a fair starting point for someone on the outside.
 

SlawDog

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bwelbo said:
I think anybody that fails to take into account the following will end up with silly predictions:
1) We've won fewer than 7 games only twice in the last 20 years. Think about that one for awhile.
2) Paul Johnson has only finished below 0.500 in the ACC once in the last 10 years.
3) We have 16 starters back. This is especially important to an offense like ours.
4) Not only do we have 16 starters back, but we have several multi-year starters/heavy players back. In other words, folks like Brant Mitchell, Kyle CH, Clinton Lynch, etc. etc. were either starters way back in 2015 or they were getting a lot of playing time.
5) We are also much deeper than we usually are (in my opinion). We have 4 QBs that CPJ says throw a blanket over. We probably have that many A-Backs you could say the same about.
6) Coach Paul Johnson averages 8 wins/season.
7) The rest of the Coastal Division has in large part been obliterated by graduations and NFL departures.

I think anybody that looks at us to win 8 games and finish right around #25-30 is probably a pretty fair assessment. Because that would mean you are predicting us to do about average. As a more biased person, I would say we have a lot more going in our favor this year than we usually do. But I think 8 wins is a fair starting point for someone on the outside.
Click to expand...
Also IMO, the best offensive line, man for man since CPJ arrived
 
TromboneJacket

TromboneJacket

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I just hope Tennessee this year doesn't become Notre Dame 2015. Going into that game, we were looking really good and were even favored to win by some of the guys on College Gameday. Then we lost a crap ton of players in that game, and it ended up derailing our whole season. Win or lose, I'll be happy if we can come out of the Tennessee game healthy.
 
JacketFromUGA

JacketFromUGA

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TromboneJacket said:
I just hope Tennessee this year doesn't become Notre Dame 2015. Going into that game, we were looking really good and were even favored to win by some of the guys on College Gameday. Then we lost a crap ton of players in that game, and it ended up derailing our whole season. Win or lose, I'll be happy if we can come out of the Tennessee game healthy.
Click to expand...
I thought we were the ones that were going to willingly injure UT. What is this narrative.
 

Skeptic

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TromboneJacket said:
I just hope Tennessee this year doesn't become Notre Dame 2015. Going into that game, we were looking really good and were even favored to win by some of the guys on College Gameday. Then we lost a crap ton of players in that game, and it ended up derailing our whole season. Win or lose, I'll be happy if we can come out of the Tennessee game healthy.
Click to expand...
Well, if the goal is to stay healthy then bench the starters and play soft. Not sure how they would account for that on the scoreboard, though. A good way to get hurt is to play not to get hurt. The goal is to win, so go all out at Tennessee and play the next game with the players we have available. I never played a game where the goal was not to get hurt. Don't get it.
 
Eastman

Eastman

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Clemson will be strong up the middle with two offensive linemen and two defensive lineman on the first team. Their talent level really is hard to overcome.
 

GTech63

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Skeptic said:
Well, if the goal is to stay healthy then bench the starters and play soft. Not sure how they would account for that on the scoreboard, though. A good way to get hurt is to play not to get hurt. The goal is to win, so go all out at Tennessee and play the next game with the players we have available. I never played a game where the goal was not to get hurt. Don't get it.
Click to expand...
I agree! Playing not to get hurt is how you get hurt. You play the game. frekish things happen. Can get hurt WO being hit or having contact. MJ this Spring. Watson then Godhigh? 2014?,
 

YJMD

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strong90 said:
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.
Click to expand...

It's easy when you look at this:
Offensive starters returning: 9
Offensive starters lost: 4
Defensive starters returning: 9
Defensive starters lost: 4

Last year we were starting 13 guys on each side of the ball. Obviously a regression is in order when we're down to 11.
 

Sideways

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CuseJacket said:
Orlando Sentinel ranks Georgia Tech #78
Click to expand...

Well, gentlemen the gauntlet has been thrown down. There is little to no respect shown for our program. Question is, what do we do about it? "We" of course, being the players and coaches. Are we really on the level of Iowa State, SMU, Kansas, and Wake Forests of this world ? Or are we a legit football program that can hold its own in a premier power 5 conference? #78? Really? When I was teaching high school, someone get dissed like that was just asking for trouble. The best way to answer these "experts" at the Orlando Sentinel is to beat Tennessee and put an absolute beat down on Central Florida a couple of weeks later. That should do it.
 

Sideways

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YJMD said:
It's easy when you look at this:
Offensive starters returning: 9
Offensive starters lost: 4
Defensive starters returning: 9
Defensive starters lost: 4

Last year we were starting 13 guys on each side of the ball. Obviously a regression is in order when we're down to 11.
Click to expand...

I knew there was a reason why Lawrence Austin was able to intercept that pass against UGA. We had 6 DBs in the game so naturally we had everyone covered while rushing 5 with 2 linebackers. Yep, that will work even for us.
 
Whiskey_Clear

Whiskey_Clear

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Not gonna post prior quotes but will address some prior comments.

I'm a huge fan of our O scheme. Yes I think it, and CPJ calling the plays in it, gives us advantages over our opponents and helps our guys on O be successful. When we have really cooked with gas on O however, we have had strong talent and athleticism on that side. Even CPJ and his scheme needs Jimmies and Joes to succeed at a high level.

Do I have the same confidence in Roof and his scheme? No I honestly don't. Do I think he's a subpar D coordinator? No I honestly don't. Do I think talent on that side of the ball has been lacking? Yes I do. And that includes criticizing some players (talent and size / athleticism wise) who I loved watching and are favorites of mine.

Two examples, Pat Gamble and PJ Davis. Both very good players for us. Both with hearts of warriors that gave their all. How can I criticize that? Well I don't, but I do recognize some of their limitations. PJ lacked height and hip turn IMO when comparing him to elite level college ILBs. Pat poured his all into every play, and made a bunch of big plays for us. Pat lacked power, agility, and size to a degree compared to elite DTs and didn't have the athleticism to rush the edge as a DE.

Could another scheme have made these two guys more effective? Was a measure of the success they did have due in part to scheme and play calls? I honestly don't know but can see how arguments in both cases can be made.

But where I have seen multiple difference making athletes having success on O, I have not seen the same on the D side. Either in first stringers or with depth. Maybe that's just my misperception and I invite anyone to site examples to change my perception.

The recruiting successes we have had in the last 3 years lends me to believe the tide has started to turn with regards to improving talent on D. That's all just speculation till proven on the field. I still have front 7 concerns for this year but those concerns are tempered by what I believe to be talent and depth improvements here. My feeling is we are still a year away and 2018 will see a talent level that will be on par with other solid Ds. I hope we get there a year sooner than I think.
 
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