Revelations after 3 weeks

Heisman's Ghost

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AlabamaBuzz said:
Do you actually believe that Coach Saban and Coach Swinney and others don't chew butt for mental errors? Of course they do. It is a HUGE part of coaching kids. Should they be supportive and encouraging? Sure, but without the discipline, they are not getting what they need to be the best they can be. I'm ok that it be kept private most of the time, but saban let's his players have it in public at times, and he has no issues recruiting. If you believe GT will recruit better by being "nicer", good, that is great, but we won't build a tough, disciplined team by just being nice.
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I do not for a moment doubt that Coach Collins is an excellent recruiter, among the very best to have graced the Flats. I do not doubt for a moment that he is terrific at messaging, handling the media, and understands modern athletes better than 90% of the coaches out there. I do not doubt that he knows how to coach defense and is well liked and respected by the assistants and his players. What I also do not for a moment doubt is that if he does not start winning some ball games none of that other stuff matters. Currently, we are a poor team in many ways. I think we look better getting off the bus this year and have more talent but we are still a very bad football team. Certainly in the bottom tier of the ACC along with NC State, Syracuse, FSU, Duke, maybe one or two more. The ACC, once you get past Clemson, Notre Dame, and possibly Miami and UNC just isn't that great. There are still winnable games left on the schedule but none of them are winnable turning the ball over and when extra points become an adventure.
 
slugboy

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A lot of us have raw feelings today, and had them yesterday. Let’s do everyone a solid and keep away from digging at each other for a couple of days.

I’m not saying “don’t vent”, just “don’t vent AT EACH OTHER”. Almost all of us are here because we’re fans, even if we disagree on some things.

_____

On “discipline”, there’s calling out players, all the way up to yelling at them, and that’s a part of coaching. I can’t think of anyone who wanted to be yelled at on the sidelines by their head coach. Running the stadium steps, getting up at 4:30 for “extra conditioning”, all fit into that space.
That kind of discipline only needs to happen every now and then. After the first time you get yelled at, you get all you’re going to get out of yelling. Real discipline is good practice and repetition. A pole vaulter or a violinist is going to have discipline too, and the same kind of discipline that you want—here’s the way I set up, here’s when I go—down to the part that they don’t have to think about it.
Urban Meyer was famous for repetition. If the OL didn’t get in their stances the way he wanted during a scrimmage, he’d stop the scrimmage and make them repeat getting set until he was satisfied.
Yesterday, we had an illegal shift called because a receiver lined up half a yard deeper than they meant to. The receiver moved forward to adjust while another receiver is in motion. That receiver needs to know that when you’re set, you’re fixed in place. Over the next two weeks, I’d like to see this kind of discipline addressed.
 

Heisman's Ghost

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GTRanj2 said:
Honest question, do you think we can consistently recruit to the level of FSU, UM, and Clemson here?

Just talking about the better recruiters in our conference, not other conferences.
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No, but it does not mean that we cannot continue to do better. Coach Collins is the best head coach we have ever had since Dodd at recruiting. There is no doubt in my mind about that.
 
Pointer

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Heisman's Ghost said:
No, but it does not mean that we cannot continue to do better. Coach Collins is the best head coach we have ever had since Dodd at recruiting. There is no doubt in my mind about that.
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For what we run, we need to recruit in the top 15-5 range to reach Clemson level of success that I think many here are claiming this staff can achieve.

If you want to run what everyone else runs, you gotta get the best players to run it which means you have to have the best talent. That or have the best coaches to coach them up and well...
 
Supersizethatorder-mutt

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GTRanj2 said:
How then do you expect them to reach this coaching staff's goals? (Acc championship, national championship)
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By doing the most with what you have, just like previous successful coaches at Tech have done. I LOVED CPJ, but I said going into what turned out to be his last year that it was time for him to go. Rules changes, such as the newly (at the time) instituted limitations on cut blocking, lack (for whatever reason) of great recruiting, and failure (again for whatever reason) to build a consistent defense had all contributed towards the game moving past him. Whether or not I like everything about Collins (and I currently don't), he is our head coach, and I want him to succeed, and I want him to succeed big time. I want that first because he coaches our team, and I ALWAYS want our team to win. And I want it secondly because I don't want us to have to go through yet another coaching change; I would be thrilled, both for myself, for Tech, and for him, if he succeeds and stays on the Flats for 20 years. BUT, and I know many of y'all will disagree with me on this, he won't do it with P'nut as OC, and he should get rid of him ASAP. I am at least pleased with, and in some cases thrilled with all the other assistants. I just feel that P'nut doesn't have a clue, and if he doesn't go, Collins himself will end up going, and sooner rather than later. I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN !!!
 

SWATlien

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ramblinwreckguru said:
That's my biggest issue. There are so many fixable mistakes that aren't getting fixed from 1 week to the next. The coaching staff has not been good.
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Think about what you just typed. Young men, playing in their 3rd game for some, not making the same mistake from one week to the next. Good luck with that.

The goal is to get better week three won’t be the week where we’ll see marked improvement. Now week 6-7, we shouldn’t be seeing all these unforced errors.
 
AlabamaBuzz

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Heisman's Ghost said:
I do not for a moment doubt that Coach Collins is an excellent recruiter, among the very best to have graced the Flats. I do not doubt for a moment that he is terrific at messaging, handling the media, and understands modern athletes better than 90% of the coaches out there. I do not doubt that he knows how to coach defense and is well liked and respected by the assistants and his players. What I also do not for a moment doubt is that if he does not start winning some ball games none of that other stuff matters. Currently, we are a poor team in many ways. I think we look better getting off the bus this year and have more talent but we are still a very bad football team. Certainly in the bottom tier of the ACC along with NC State, Syracuse, FSU, Duke, maybe one or two more. The ACC, once you get past Clemson, Notre Dame, and possibly Miami and UNC just isn't that great. There are still winnable games left on the schedule but none of them are winnable turning the ball over and when extra points become an adventure.
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Nothing in your post do I really disagree with, in fact, I agree with it. I think CGC's success as a recruiter has been proven throughout the years. At GT, I still believe his ceiling potential will be top 25 or top 20, which means to compete with the big boys, the actual game day coaching (and game week planning/prep) and player development will be ULTRA critical. His Head Coaching ability and credentials are unproven as of now, and I am rooting for him to grow into a fine HC, but it will be interesting if he can clean up quickly what appeared to be a bit of a dumpster fire yesterday.
 
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Boomergump

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Indeed football is an emotional game. Both winning and losing bring different types of emotion to a fan base. I was so P1$$ED watching the game yesterday, just like everybody else. With that said, there are lot's of signs of progress if you are willing to look for them. Anybody who has played sports has, on several occasions, walked out on to the field of play and laid a big fat egg right along with his teammates in an ugly game that didn't even come close to showing what you were capable of. Well, that happened to us yesterday.

We may not end up with a better record this year than last year, but I can already see that we are building something. We just way out-gained a team that we lost to by 17 (could have been more) on a day where we had, what,18 penalties, if you count the offsetting fouls too? Not only that, but, once again, we spewed turnovers. Three games in a row we have put up over 400 yards of offense against FBS competition, something that NEVER happened last year against anybody.

Physically we are way more competitive along the LOS on both sides. That isn't to say we are ready to dominate by any stretch, but we are at least able to run our schemes with the guys who are out there. That wasn't the case last year.

Our freshman skill guys have a TON of upside. We are getting exactly what any team would expect to get when you play several kids like that at the same time. You can kind of hide a single frosh when surrounded by veteran players. We are not so fortunate. What we have is a maddening mix of great plays, that raise your hopes, and poor decisions leading to disaster, that crush your soul. You have to understand that the speed of the college game is so much different for these young kids. They are getting sped up so much from the clock in their head that lingers from HS. QBs arms are getting whacked because they aren't anticipating the possibility of the DL actually getting there. Stuff like that. Over time, they will adjust because they are smart and they are talented.

We should all expect this year to be one big massive struggle. GT will surprise our fanbase to both extremes for the majority of the fall. GT chose to make a massive change. They have brought in about 50 percent of the players needed to run the schemes dictated by that decision to change in two recruiting classes, players who have yet to develop. If we can continue that pace and get new players in current areas of weakness and continue to develop them, then things will play out fairly well I would imagine.
 

alagold

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33jacket said:
I think probably two kicks were actually blocked. All the others are not making it much past helmet height. The kickers are flat terrible. Beyond terrible. They are line driving little chippies they should just be poppin up. Its beyond bad

last year we were not a highly penalized team. Statistically one of the better ones.

right now we are a penalty train wreck. Its a joke. Thats half of the staff. Half on the players. Kaleb oliver lining up over the line is pathetic. Take a half step back. It wont matter. Give yourself room.

the players to me are playing like they live in an alternative universe where they think they are all stars and they are a career .200 team. Its a bit sad.
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on KalebOliver--he needsthe step apparently because he started the flood gates by missing a tackle on runner on 3rd down early when we could have got the ball back in good position
 
sgreer

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Heisman's Ghost said:
I do not for a moment doubt that Coach Collins is an excellent recruiter, among the very best to have graced the Flats. I do not doubt for a moment that he is terrific at messaging, handling the media, and understands modern athletes better than 90% of the coaches out there. I do not doubt that he knows how to coach defense and is well liked and respected by the assistants and his players. What I also do not for a moment doubt is that if he does not start winning some ball games none of that other stuff matters. Currently, we are a poor team in many ways. I think we look better getting off the bus this year and have more talent but we are still a very bad football team. Certainly in the bottom tier of the ACC along with NC State, Syracuse, FSU, Duke, maybe one or two more. The ACC, once you get past Clemson, Notre Dame, and possibly Miami and UNC just isn't that great. There are still winnable games left on the schedule but none of them are winnable turning the ball over and when extra points become an adventure.
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I am not encouraged with the next recruiting class. Not one Top 30 ranked player from our own state. Hopefully that changes or we can get some more talent to transfer in. Have to be able to steal some of these guys that our border schools keep getting.
 
AlabamaBuzz

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sgreer said:
I am not encouraged with the next recruiting class. Not one Top 30 ranked player from our own state. Hopefully that changes or we can get some more talent to transfer in. Have to be able to steal some of these guys that our border schools keep getting.
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And, the problem is, that at the same time our coaches are doing yeoman's work trying to change the landscape of our recruiting, the kids are still watching the games and the results. It does have an impact on recruiting - so, even though CGC is a top notch recruiter, this is going to be very, very hard if the results on the field look much like yesterday the rest of this year. I am the first to admit that CPJ did not leave him a lot to work with going to this new offense, but this team is CGC's now, and unfortunately for him, short term results, whether fair or not, do matter to 4 star and 5 star guys - like most of us, they like a "sure thing" most of the time - of course, the most important thing to them is getting to the League healthy, as most of them believe their talent will get them there.
 
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