Running Backs

g0lftime

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Big Braun has not only come out and said Parker likes the new coaching staff and it's not an issue with them but he's also liked posts, including on here, alluding to it being a professional/business decision. AND if you look at the place(s) it appears he may go that makes sense.

Anyone that continues to claim discontentment must want to believe that.
He may feel like he will have a better shot at a championship somewhere else and more exposure for the NFL. It would be less likely for us in our first year with a new coach and unknown system. He will go somewhere that is established at this point in time. I really appreciate his time at Tech and 3 years of great football. He will be a Jacket for life as an alum.
 

UgaBlows

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I think Parker just wants a change of scenery or to get closer to home, a huge percentage of people choose a different grad school than their undergrad school. Maybe we don’t even offer what he wants his masters in?
 

jojatk

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Being concerned means there is reason to suspect discontentment. Most people don't leave in their senior year when everything's peachy. Couple that with a change in coaching staff and it's not hard to connect the dots.

There are a boatload of reasons why one athlete, whether he's one of the best on the team or the worst on the team, might want to go elsewhere. And most of them don't indicate a systemic problem. Examples:
  • Parker may just not like the personality of the new staff; sometimes two quality human beings don't get along with one another and can't work together and it doesn't mean either one is flawed
  • Parker might not like the way CPJ's tenure ended; again, there's not a thing wrong with a young man feeling disappointment that a man/men he feels are his life mentors and that he feels close with aren't around and that without them it's time for a change (I've seen coworkers go through something like this where leadership with whom they are close or in whom they have tremendous respect are moved out or move out of their own accord and the new leadership are vastly different personalities and even though the role they would have might stay the same they feel discomfort and have, in some cases, left for other jobs - sometimes they've regretted it and sometimes it's been the right decision)
  • Parker might feel like he's achieved everything he can at GT and that he has one more year to show everyone what he can do and feels that a bigger stage is a better place to do it (please stop with "the NFL will find the great athletes" stuff already... yes they will usually find the great ones but it's easier to get noticed when people are watching your team specifically for NFL athletes; maybe in the future we'll be more regularly ranked and my argument might change at that point but at this point we're something of an unknown)
  • Parker might feel that there's a lot of potential at GT but that during this transition there's too many question marks for him to want to take any chances with his future
  • Parker might feel like he's had a great time at GT, is getting his degree, and would like to try a new challenge and that this is the perfect time to do it given that the grad transfer rules make it possible to do so with no penalty
  • Etc...
Parker leaving is not good for the team. He'd be a tremendous help this year because he's a great young man and a great athlete. I'm bummed that he didn't feel GT is the best place for him to finish his eligibility. There's absolutely a connection between the coaching change and his decision (though I suppose some might say it's possible he would have done the same thing regardless of whether we'd have had a coaching change or not, I'm assuming if CPJ were still here so would Parker). But just because there's a relationship between those two dots doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with either of those dots.
 

g0lftime

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I think Lucas Johnson would have won the starting job last year if not injured. He looks 100 percent healthy now and I expect he will win the starting job this year.

Here’s to hoping we avoid major injuries this coming year.
He looked the best in the spring game to me. Ran well and throws a nice ball. He is more of the prototypical passer being taller than our other guys.
 

dressedcheeseside

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There are a boatload of reasons why one athlete, whether he's one of the best on the team or the worst on the team, might want to go elsewhere. And most of them don't indicate a systemic problem. Examples:
  • Parker may just not like the personality of the new staff; sometimes two quality human beings don't get along with one another and can't work together and it doesn't mean either one is flawed
  • Parker might not like the way CPJ's tenure ended; again, there's not a thing wrong with a young man feeling disappointment that a man/men he feels are his life mentors and that he feels close with aren't around and that without them it's time for a change (I've seen coworkers go through something like this where leadership with whom they are close or in whom they have tremendous respect are moved out or move out of their own accord and the new leadership are vastly different personalities and even though the role they would have might stay the same they feel discomfort and have, in some cases, left for other jobs - sometimes they've regretted it and sometimes it's been the right decision)
  • Parker might feel like he's achieved everything he can at GT and that he has one more year to show everyone what he can do and feels that a bigger stage is a better place to do it (please stop with "the NFL will find the great athletes" stuff already... yes they will usually find the great ones but it's easier to get noticed when people are watching your team specifically for NFL athletes; maybe in the future we'll be more regularly ranked and my argument might change at that point but at this point we're something of an unknown)
  • Parker might feel that there's a lot of potential at GT but that during this transition there's too many question marks for him to want to take any chances with his future
  • Parker might feel like he's had a great time at GT, is getting his degree, and would like to try a new challenge and that this is the perfect time to do it given that the grad transfer rules make it possible to do so with no penalty
  • Etc...
Parker leaving is not good for the team. He'd be a tremendous help this year because he's a great young man and a great athlete. I'm bummed that he didn't feel GT is the best place for him to finish his eligibility. There's absolutely a connection between the coaching change and his decision (though I suppose some might say it's possible he would have done the same thing regardless of whether we'd have had a coaching change or not, I'm assuming if CPJ were still here so would Parker). But just because there's a relationship between those two dots doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with either of those dots.
Fine.
 

Adadu

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Agree with the idea of moving BJS if possible. Him and Grif could be a big one two punch. IMO BJS looked like a better RB in highschool than LB
 

iceeater1969

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I think Lucas Johnson would have won the starting job last year if not injured. He looks 100 percent healthy now and I expect he will win the starting job this year.

Here’s to hoping we avoid major injuries this coming year.
And if Lucas could pass as well as we hoped we would still be running the spread option which would make me happy. Never got to see a qb under center that could burn the safeties with accurate passes. Shouldn't make me sad for Coach but it does. He did all he could w all that he had.


Now I am very optimistic we are addressing the recruiting issues and have no reason to think we have idiot coaches.
 

Whiskey_Clear

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And if Lucas could pass as well as we hoped we would still be running the spread option which would make me happy. Never got to see a qb under center that could burn the safeties with accurate passes. Shouldn't make me sad for Coach but it does. He did all he could w all that he had.


Now I am very optimistic we are addressing the recruiting issues and have no reason to think we have idiot coaches.

We are off topic but....we differ in opinions on LJ it seems. His lack of pt is primarily due to his lack of experience as a frosh and his injury as a soph imo....not because he can’t throw the ball. We will see what’s up this spring.
 

bobongo

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Unless....a current RB can play LB better than BJS does.

Not saying it will be so one way or another but there could be a lot of movement between positions and some might surprise us.

Could be. One good thing about having all new coaches is that you have a fresh set of eyes and perspectives on the team.

Not that the old ones were bad or the new ones are necessarily better, just different.
 

g0lftime

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Regardless of who ends up starting at QB we will see some mistakes due to lack of PT and passing reads. Not sure TO has a big advantage in the passing reads. Looked to me like he was on a short lease in the passing game and the new scheme may have a totally different progression.
 
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