The Case for Ted Roof

Boomergump

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In another thread, we got off topic a little bit as CTR and the defense came up. I thought it best to start a thread because it merits some discussion.

This is why I think CTR is the right guy for GT in the long term:

1. Over the last couple of years our kids just played harder. It is a subjective point, to be sure, but watching a lot of DVR replays has convinced me of that. There were a lot of reasons to quit in the UGA game, especially early, but hustle plays and huge stands at the goal line saved our bacon. How many plays like DJ stripping the ball before the goal line after an 80 yard chase in the "armPITT" game have we seen prior to CTR's arrival?

2. CTR can communicate the message and get kids on the same page. How many blown coverages did we see under Wommack and Groh? It doesn't seem to happen nearly as often under Roof. I have seen a few kids turned loose, but usually it was because of a slip and not a brain f@&t.

3. We have tackled better the last two years. Even though we have been out-manned up front during his tenure, we have more consistently put guys on the ground in good form.

4. Last year's defense was not great, as has been mentioned, whether statistically or emotionally, by many. However, when you consider the mess we had up front, in terms of manpower, the end results were far better than could ever be anticipated.

5. Lastly, CTR is a TECH man, through and through. Some may not think that is too important. For me personally, it speaks volumes. For those of you who were not around when CTR was a player (like me and some other older f@&ts) just trust me. That guy poured every ounce of his soul out on the field for the white and gold. People who played with him will attest. Trapped in an ineffectual body (in terms of athleticism as judged by today's standards), he was an unstoppable force. CTR gets TECH. He understands what we are about and it hasn't changed since the days I played. We have always been about character and education along with athletic excellence. I appreciate that a whole lot.

I have heard so much about CTR as a recruiter. For me personally, the jury is still out on that one. We just haven't had enough time to realize the fruits of his efforts. That will be known soon enough. On the surface, it looks good so far and there has been nothing to criticize.

So, with that, I open the floor for all opinions to be expressed.
 

ClydeBrick

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5. Lastly, CTR is a TECH man, through and through. Some may not think that is too important. For me personally, it speaks volumes. For those of you who were not around when CTR was a player (like me and some other older f@&ts) just trust me. That guy poured every ounce of his soul out on the field for the white and gold. People who played with him will attest. Trapped in an ineffectual body (in terms of athleticism as judged by today's standards), he was an unstoppable force. CTR gets TECH. He understands what we are about and it hasn't changed since the days I played. We have always been about character and education along with athletic excellence. I appreciate that a whole lot.

This cannot be emphasized enough.

There has been many discussions of the difficulties of being a SA at GT, and CTR is someone that knows exactly what Ma Tech demands of her SA's. With today's NCAA requirements and the "openness" the media (social and professional) can bring, having the background CTR has with GT is a huge advantage for him.
 

AE 87

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I posted my reaction in the 1990 uva thread. I agree about the attitude and turnover focus coming from CTR.

I think we have reason to be optimistic but haven't really seen enough in D scheme/ results to be confident.

I'm not sure we're tackling that much better or having fewer blown coverages than past Ds. Just my opinion.
 

gtg936g

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I was not a fan of the Roof hire, but I can now admit I was wrong. I think he has made a lot of improvements on the defensive side of the ball. I think we have the players on D this year to make the season really good. I just want to see us improve up front so that we do not have to bring 6 to get pressure on the QB.

The big thing for me is that our guys improve year over year. In the past I have felt like only a select few players really improved year over year. Players do not seem to stagnate under Roof.
 

GTNavyNuke

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I have been a Roof fan since the beginning since I remember him on the Black Watch. There is nothing like genuine experience and passion as a college football coach....... I wouldn't mind him being our head coach at some point. He has the fire, intelligence and personality to be a great head coach (the second time around). Some people learn from difficulties and some give up.
 

OldJacketFan

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Color me an unabashed fan of CTR, his passion for his players is evident, his passion for Tech in unquestioned and I saw players give their all on the field game in and game out. Adding the talent we're seeing coming in bodes well for the D and I feel that as the talent level increases you'll see a D that's going to be very, very nasty for a long time to come! CPJ and CTR are one helluva duo!
 

redmule

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One thing that stands out to me about last year was how well we recovered from the amount of off season attrition. It was brutal. I think, especially on defense, that it took 3-5 games for the gaps to be filled. It was not unusual to see three true freshmen on the field at the same time on D. Roof had to coach 'em up fast.

Roof is way better now than he was when he was our DC in the late 90's, IMO. As with most decisions in life you have to ask, if we change what do we get? Somebody better than Roof? I think not. Just as with a Head Coach, being a DC at Tech is not an easy job. Tough to recruit, tough to keep them in school. If we could get a hot property at DC, then in two years we are looking again. Remember Edsall?

Boomer is right, you don't see the hesitation and confusion on D that we did have. By the end of the year, they were playing fast and hard. To me, the best measure of a coach is can he keep them improving, and I think Roof did that. We will find out in the next two years if Roof is the one. He has 8 starters back. If you count Days and Harrell as returning starters, then SS is about the only slot Roof has to fill. Keep the level of intensity we had at the end of last year, throw in better depth and a year of aging, and this may be as good as it gets for us on Defense. We are looking at some big personnel loses at the end of next season, as many as 7 starters. If Roof can crank it up a notch in '15 and keep us anywhere near there in '16, then he's THE MAN.

And it is important to have a Tech Man at that level. One last thing, I think Roof's record against uga as a coach and player is right at .500. That means a lot to me and gives him a lot of slack.
 

Whiskey_Clear

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Agree with a lot that has been said already. A couple things may have been missed or forgotten that I'd like to bring up again.

CPJ seemed pretty convinced Duke and UNC had stolen our signals on D. If so, and if prevented, might we have only lost to FSU? Stats aside (and they are an important gauge) wins and losses is what it's all about. Now maybe he deserves some blame if the signals were stolen...I don't know but I hope the problem is corrected and it seems it may be.

The other thing is this...after the UNC loss (according to CPJ) upon returning to Atlanta, Roof stayed at Tech, without sleep, for well over 24 hrs looking at film etc. to right the ship. That is a level of dedication that should not be under appreciated.

On a final note, I'm not a coach. It's outside my level of expertise to judge how good or bad coaches at that level truly are. But many many respected coaches, at said level, say Roof is a damn good coach. That says a lot in my book. I'm grateful as hell to have him back on the flats.
 

wishbone

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Love it that we have CTR back on the flats. Nice to have stolen Pelton as well.
Second half of our season, we were attacking more. His "force a fumble through the whistle" at practices, paid off on both sides of the ball. Nice to see that our linebackers had more tackles this year over the DB's- who owned the stat the year before.
Thank you, Paul Davis.
I look forward to our adding Victor Alexander to the mix.
 
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Fatmike91

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If I took over for CPJ tomorrow (...scary thought...), the first thing I would do is retain the defensive staff. We got the right guy.

Plus, he's got great hair.

/
 

GTNavyNuke

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What happened to his head coaching stint?

Roof was Duke Head Coach 2004-2007. "When head coach Carl Franks was released mid-way through the 2003 season, Roof was promoted to interim head coach. The team finished the season by winning two of the last three games and Roof was subsequently hired as the 20th head coach at Duke on December 6, 2003. However, after winning only four games over the next four seasons,[2] he was fired on November 26, 2007, having compiled a 6–45 record. Despite the dismal record of Duke teams under Roof, his aggressive defenses consistently ranked in the top-30 nationally in tackles behind the line of scrimmage.[3][4]" Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Roof

People grow and learn. Looking at all he has done and seeing him at GT, I think he has the right persona for GT. Like CPJ, he has a forte (defense for Roof and offense for CPJ). But more importantly, I think Roof would crank up the fan base intensity even more being a former GT star player.
 

MWBATL

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Roof has my vote. The defense has been weak under CPJ the entire time he has been here. There has always (after his first year) been this feeling that we had to score on every possession, "or else"....even last year one had that feeling based on the first half of the season. But the D did have better moments in the 2nd half of the season, most notably in the UGa game, and that helped us a ton.

Now, if we could start to get game winning stops instead of giving up late TD's to teams like UNC and UGa, that would be the next progression...
 
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