"Shocking play call"

[Skeptic]

One of the best pieces of management advice I ever got, and still pass on, is don't do anything out of anger. Meaning if you are almost irrational with anger -- and a lot of the posts in this thread go way beyond that, though so far stopping short of Alabama anger, the language of which would not be tolerated on this board -- then essentially shut up and sit down. Cool off before making a decision, maybe 24 hours. If you still feel the same way, if you still want to say or write something that in the cold light of day makes you look foolish, go ahead with it. If not, start over. Lots of posters need to start over because a lot of amateur "solutions" being put out there, many of them who were touting national championship in August, are Daffy Duck-ish.

 

[33jacket]

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If we can't get 2 yards with the game ( and really, maybe the season) on the line, then we are not a very good team. Outmuscled by dook. Just wow!

do you know why CEO's, companies, and experts in industry hire outside consultants ALL THE TIME?

its because, despite the fact that they know a ton about their company, process, and product, and are experts in it, when you are invested in an environment sometimes its hard to step back and take a fresh look.

I am not suggesting "fans" know more than paul. Just as Accenture does not know more than any expert for the company they consult for. But you know what, they bring ideas and fresh thoughts to a problem, system, or topic that someone may otherwise not feel, see or even think of. But maybe Paul should talk to Chip Kelly....who runs a similar system with different techniques to learn and infuse a bit.

thats what message boards ideas can be, and its fun to discuss. You don't have to be a chef to know the cookie sucks. Well, its clear we see things on this team that need fixing. Its also clear the coaches do too. The question is....is the fix repetitive, or do we truly fix with a new wrinkle? Do we make a shift...albeit it may be SMALL to tweak something for future success. Like maybe, reducing the belly flop fish blocking we do consistently and move to more up zone and drive blocking....same system. Same assignments...just block it on your feet.

I am just saying, don't be so dismissive of external thoughts. I manage a bunch of career engineers...and thats how they are "but we have always done it this way". Environments change making the need for everyone to adapt over time. Even it slightly, to stay ahead.....

anyway, I think we would be a tad more successful on the OL if Burden and the G's stopped cutting so much locked their man and pushed allowing the BB to find a crease. Right now the D is jumping over our guys and making the play every time. Two weeks in a row.

funny enough vs UGA and Miss St....it seemed we were on our feet all the time. Not sure what changed. I even went back to the tape and re-watched and confirmed this....

 

[JKMSJ]

do you know why CEO's, companies, and experts in industry hire outside consultants ALL THE TIME?

its because, despite the fact that they know a ton about their company, process, and product, and are experts in it, when you are invested in an environment sometimes its hard to step back and take a fresh look.

I am not suggesting "fans" know more than paul. Just as Accenture does not know more than any expert for the company they consult for. But you know what, they bring ideas and fresh thoughts to a problem, system, or topic that someone may otherwise not feel, see or even think of. But maybe Paul should talk to Chip Kelly....who runs a similar system with different techniques to learn and infuse a bit.

thats what message boards ideas can be, and its fun to discuss. You don't have to be a chef to know the cookie sucks. Well, its clear we see things on this team that need fixing. Its also clear the coaches do too. The question is....is the fix repetitive, or do we truly fix with a new wrinkle? Do we make a shift...albeit it may be SMALL to tweak something for future success. Like maybe, reducing the belly flop fish blocking we do consistently and move to more up zone and drive blocking....same system. Same assignments...just block it on your feet.

I am just saying, don't be so dismissive of external thoughts. I manage a bunch of career engineers...and thats how they are "but we have always done it this way". Environments change making the need for everyone to adapt over time. Even it slightly, to stay ahead.....

anyway, I think we would be a tad more successful on the OL if Burden and the G's stopped cutting so much locked their man and pushed allowing the BB to find a crease. Right now the D is jumping over our guys and making the play every time. Two weeks in a row.

funny enough vs UGA and Miss St....it seemed we were on our feet all the time. Not sure what changed. I even went back to the tape and re-watched and confirmed this....

I agree the belly flopping has got to stop we don't have 250 lb linemen like navy. We average over 300 lbs on the o-line and have proven we can effectively drive block.

 

[AE 87]

I don't agree that w have seen 6 years of good with this scheme. I think you MUST discount the first two years as being played with Gailey's players. Our records since then have been poor, not good. We had a brilliant stretch last year for 8 games, and now we are back to the same level we had from 2010 forwards. Do I need to remind you that aside for that wonderful stretch last year, we are 34-29 against all foes, and our record against decent teams (VPI&SU, Georgia, Clemson, FSU, Miami) is much MUCH worse. ( I am too depressed to go look it up.)

Maybe YOU need to realize we have seen 3 out of 4 years of POOR performance out of this scheme, with all indications that we are well on the way to making that 4 out of 5.

In my mind, this scheme works if and only if it has some balance, Last year we had two WR's who were NFL caliber (or nearly so). We had so many times and games where we were able to throw the ball to establish that as a threat, to those two guys. My reading is that this scheme, as delightful as it is when it works, can be successfully defended if it is one sided and has no passing that. And further, my opinion is that the offensive coordinator is exceptional stubborn and does not spend enough time on the passing game to insure the balance necessary to "make it work". In short, he is a Tenuta on offense. Great against lesser teams, and fails against better teams.

"In CPJ we trust" is just not an acceptable answer to me. Sorry, but GT trained me differently than that.

From 2011 to 2014, we averaged top 20 in pts/dr vs.pwr5 opponents without top 50 recruits. Sorry, but I can't believe Tech trained you in anything.

 

[takethepoints]

We're getting a lot of advice here that seems to be predicated on a need to solve O problems.

Do we have those? Yes, but that isn't why we lost the game yesterday. We lost the game because of special teams play: 3 TDs off of returns (I count the 1 yard line as a TD) and a bad snap. Shoot, take away the two direct TDs from returns and we win with a 2 point conversion. That we couldn't take advantage of the good D play is true (and bad), but, again, that wasn't what lost the game.

We have more then just O problems, iow, and it cost us the game on Saturday. As was mentioned above, I think this is largely due to inexperience, particularly at the skill positions. This can be cured; we didn't look all that sharp in our first four games last year either. The one thing I bet Coach is regretting today is that he didn't redshirt Laskey in his freshman year. If we had Zach out there as a senior BB, we'd be way out of the woods.

 

[awbuzz]

Completely wrong, there is no way you can blame the players,...

Even if they went to the wrong side? Totally missed their assignment? ... said two and two is 3?

 

[DrJacket]

Hey. Coach told us in camp that this team sucks. I should have listened.

He tried. No one wanted to hear it.

 

[Declinometer]

He tried. No one wanted to hear it.

He's had 8 years to build it so whose fault is it

 

[DrJacket]

He's had 8 years to build it so whose fault is it

....

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

IMO no one gives us a better shot at being able to win 10 games a year. But we ain't there yet. You may want to throw the baby out with the bath water (and are a helluva lot more ready to concede this season as a failure than I am) but I ain't. Lo hope for Tech's sake mboob is more rational than some here. If not we will eventually see CPJ have success elsewhere and we probably will return to mediocrity or worse.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

60-22
60-2.9-1-217
6-22-1-6.5-23.8
I think these numbers go a long way to showing CPJ wasn't stubbornly running the same play time and again.
60 rushes to 22 passes. That seems to be about our average if not a bit more passing than usual.
60 rushes for 2.9yd average, 1td, 217 yds gained.
22 passes, 6 completions, 6.5 yds per attempt, 23.8 yds per completion, 1 int, 1 Td.
Fact of the matter is we didn't do anything well. But we were every bit as "balanced" as we were last year if not a bit more pass happy. One criticism these stats might bring up is yds per completion...which is always high due to the deep throws we often make. I recall several "short" passes we missed on vs Duke. ND too for that matter. Granted our "short" passes are usually to the sticks so often 8-10 yds. We missed on those as well but there were a few attempts in that range. Again though. We didn't do anything consistently well. And our team strength should be up the middle. So I understand the thinking in going that route. I didn't see much else Saturday that made me think..."this" is the play we need to see for sure yards. Rocket toss included.

 

[Skeptic]

do you know why CEO's, companies, and experts in industry hire outside consultants ALL THE TIME?

its because, despite the fact that they know a ton about their company, process, and product, and are experts in it, when you are invested in an environment sometimes its hard to step back and take a fresh look.

I am not suggesting "fans" know more than paul. Just as Accenture does not know more than any expert for the company they consult for. But you know what, they bring ideas and fresh thoughts to a problem, system, or topic that someone may otherwise not feel, see or even think of. But maybe Paul should talk to Chip Kelly....who runs a similar system with different techniques to learn and infuse a bit.

thats what message boards ideas can be, and its fun to discuss. You don't have to be a chef to know the cookie sucks. Well, its clear we see things on this team that need fixing. Its also clear the coaches do too. The question is....is the fix repetitive, or do we truly fix with a new wrinkle? Do we make a shift...albeit it may be SMALL to tweak something for future success. Like maybe, reducing the belly flop fish blocking we do consistently and move to more up zone and drive blocking....same system. Same assignments...just block it on your feet.

I am just saying, don't be so dismissive of external thoughts. I manage a bunch of career engineers...and thats how they are "but we have always done it this way". Environments change making the need for everyone to adapt over time. Even it slightly, to stay ahead.....

anyway, I think we would be a tad more successful on the OL if Burden and the G's stopped cutting so much locked their man and pushed allowing the BB to find a crease. Right now the D is jumping over our guys and making the play every time. Two weeks in a row.

funny enough vs UGA and Miss St....it seemed we were on our feet all the time. Not sure what changed. I even went back to the tape and re-watched and confirmed this....

A "new wrinkle" being what to an offense that has been among the top three rushing offenses in the country for lord knows how many years? Cut blocking works, now and historically. The trick is to actually cut somebody. That part is kinda missing. it is both art and science and has been discussed before: throw the block too early and they step over or out. Too late and they get a handful of jersey and momentum and toss you into the tuba section, and for a spell of my HS and brief small college career I was issued a tuba. The end result is the same: the defender moves on to make the tackle. Moreover to think GT is the only school on planet earth cutting is just plain wrong. The "wrinkle" has to be getting it right or sitting down.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Lmao....Duke has been implementing cut blocking recently. Funny considering Buttcliffs prior criticisms....guess he just thinks it's too dangerous when his guys are on the receiving end.

 

[bke1984]

A "new wrinkle" being what to an offense that has been among the top three rushing offenses in the country for lord knows how many years? Cut blocking works, now and historically. The trick is to actually cut somebody. That part is kinda missing. it is both art and science and has been discussed before: throw the block too early and they step over or out. Too late and they get a handful of jersey and momentum and toss you into the tuba section, and for a spell of my HS and brief small college career I was issued a tuba. The end result is the same: the defender moves on to make the tackle. Moreover to think GT is the only school on planet earth cutting is just plain wrong. The "wrinkle" has to be getting it right or sitting down.

I don't disagree with cut blocking at all. It absolutely works, and we should keep doing it...especially on the edge and in space. In the trenches it has its place, as well...but I'm not sure it needs to be employed in scenarios where you have physically dominant offensive linemen (i.e. Shamire should rarely cut...just let the beast run the guys over...just as effective). It's tough for some of the big boys to cut as effectively as the smaller guys.

In short, both should be utilized depending on the situation. Right now it seems like some of our linemen aren't cutting very well...perhaps we should explore drive blocking with those guys?...or maybe it will just work itself out in the coming weeks