The Pros and Cons for 2017

[lv20gt]

I think the team has potential but I doubt this year will be another 2014 for a couple of reasons.

The first is I'm not a huge fan of the Qb-BB dynamic that I see shaping up. Mills has a lot of things going for him but he only had 2 runs over 25 yards all year and neither ended in TDs. That alone isn't an issue because he does have the power to be a consistent producer in the middle, but the issue comes with that combined with a new QB. Every new QB under Johnson has gotten a similar treatment of a limited playbook that focused more on called plays and double options. Those two factors alone will probably skew our offense pretty heavily towards longer drives, play wise. More plays means more strain on the new QB to not make mistakes. What makes this even worse is the new kicker and punter. Long drives that end in FGs will allow teams to stick around when they shouldn't, see our bowl game, but long drives ending in missed FGs are absolutely killer. The UNC game last year is a perfect example of this. We had 5 drives, 4 of them 10+ plays, totaling about 300 yards that ended in just 6 points.
The second is that one of the big reasons 2014 was so good was that Laskey got injured and Johnson was forced to play Days. Contrary to what people like to depict, 2014 was not a two headed monster at BBack for the vast majority of the season. The first 7 games were all Laskey. The next 4 were all Days. We were 5-2 in the first 7 but the first 4 wins were sloppy and uninspiring on offense. We'd have probably still had a good year, 7-8 wins, but likely not the 11 win orange bowl season that we did. This year we have a battle at the QB spot. Of course during the summer time is when every player on every team is hyped up by their respective fanbases, but the likelihood that more than 1, let alone all 4, are ready to be ACC level QBs this year, is very small. If we go with a guy who needs a year of experience to get adjusted, then its unlikely we win 11 games. And if we do go with the "wrong" guy at QB, then even if the replacement gets a shot, it's not the same at bback, because who we have at QB greatly shapes the way we run our offense. Nesbitt and Thomas ran the same offense, but two pretty different versions of it. We took advantage of this last year against VT when they prepared for one style and we hit them with another, but we also saw in the second half that adjustments are far easier to make in that situation.

Lastly, I don't think our schedule sets up well for it. In 2014 we started off with 3 of the weaker teams we'd face that year and didn't look good, but were able to win anyways. This year we have Tenn on neutral ground and @UCF. Even not playing that well we started off 2014 with 5 wins. We're going to have to be much better much earlier to repeat that this year.

On the other side of things, the group of QBs we have do provide a wide range of skills. I think there's at least one that compliments the rest of the team well enough to win double digit games. Just need to identify and play him. Really wish we started with the 2014 schedules opening 3 games for this reason.

I do think the defense has a good chance to be the best we've had under Johnson, at least since his first year. That gives more leeway to our offense, and it also helps take advantage of our opponents replacing offensive pieces.

 

[gtwcf]

Is this '17 team the most athletic overall since 1990? My eyes say yes.

In terms of NFL talent, I think the 2006 team probably had more. The finish of that year probably sealed CCGs fate that he couldn't win big at GT. Should've won 12+ with that talent....

 

[Coloradojacket]

Schedule: actually not that bad.
Tennessee to start.
The J State and UCF. Yes going to UCF will be interesting but we should win that game.
Pitt, they will have to play Penn St and OK St right before us. They could be hurting
UNC we should win but the schedule is not an issue for them
Miami is the one. they play us after they play Fla St. and Duke. They could be a bit sore but it just depends.
Wake plays FSU, Clemson, then us, they may be out for the count.
Clemson has NC St. and FSU right after us, looking ahead not sure
VT plays Miami before us.
UVA nothing special.
Duke, well they get the plus, they tune up for us as they play Army right before.
Georgia as always.

 

[4shotB]

I mostly agree with what you are saying, but I will say that on OUR offensive recruiting instead of us getting 5 and 4 star recruits we get lower stars but with our system they are much higher rated for that system!!!

On the offensive side of the ball, CPJ has shown quantitatively that he is a great recruiter no matter what the "star system" may or may not say. Recruiting is best measured by what you see on the field.
In this regard, Bobby Ross and his staff (GOL and RF) were geniuses...I don't think their recruits were highly regarded by the "experts" back then (although I may be off a bit here as their has been a lot of water under the bridge). Marco Coleman comes to mind as a guy they got who wasn't highly recruited. But could play about as well as anyone who has ever played the game...for GT or anybody else

 

[Sideways]

All good from side but What I am looking at:

Tennessee, no returning offense, QBs RBs WRs. Defense porous and never faced CPJ.
North Carolina no returning offense, all play makers gone. Defense suspect
Duke little offense and losses on defense
Clemson no returning offense. Strong defense
Miami new QB, in QB offense. Defense overated. We moved the ball on them last year.
VT no returning offense. Defense not what it used to be
UVA, still trying to figure it out
Wake Forest 6 win team at best
Pitt no returning offense and we score on them
UGA are they really any better than the last 3 years. No.

OK, I will play devil's advocate on this.
Tennessee has talent coming out of their ears. Trust me. Last year they got hit hard by injuries so we will see. Thank God we are playing them this year and not last year at the beginning of the year. They ran Virginia Tech right out of the stadium in that first game.

UNC Regardless of who the coach is, or the system, they always have talent. Of course, they just about always underachieve so there is that. More than just about anyone, their fate will be about replacing the quarterback.

Duke Cutliffe will have them ready to play just wait and see.

Clemson Tremendous losses on both sides of the ball to be sure. So? They just reload. Clemson is a honest to goodness factory now just like UGA, Alabama, etc.

Miami Will always give us fits. Just the way it is. Always athletic on defense just not quite as much elite talent as in the old days but still a good team

VT As long as Bud Foster is on that other sideline they will present problems. Like UNC, Clemson, and Tennessee they suffered significant losses on both sides of the ball but especially on offense.

UVA OK I will give you that one

Wake Forest 6 wins for Wake is a whole lot better than they were a few years ago. One of the most improved teams in the ACC. This one may be harder than it looks.

Pitt Again, lots of attrition on offense especially. Seems to be on the upswing. We should have beaten them last year but for that fluke play.

UGA Always talented Probably not as good as 2011 or 2012 but still consider this. How many of our starters would start for them? Try to be candid in your assessment. Not that many I would wager even taking into account the differing systems on offense. A few years ago one of our players frankly admitted that we had only one or two that would start for UGA. Now I would think it is definitely more but they are still the standard. I would rather have several of our offensive linemen than what they have and I would rather have Mills than anyone they have. To be sure, we can largely minimize the talent differential with our offense but it is tough to beat them. Even in years that they have beaten us pretty good like 2011 we moved the ball on them. It is really remarkable how no matter how talented they are on defense we always find a way to move the ball. I still think they may rue the day they got involved with Kirby but we will see.

 

[Coloradojacket]

OK, I will play devil's advocate on this.
Tennessee has talent coming out of their ears. Trust me. Last year they got hit hard by injuries so we will see. Thank God we are playing them this year and not last year at the beginning of the year. They ran Virginia Tech right out of the stadium in that first game.

UNC Regardless of who the coach is, or the system, they always have talent. Of course, they just about always underachieve so there is that. More than just about anyone, their fate will be about replacing the quarterback.

Duke Cutliffe will have them ready to play just wait and see.

Clemson Tremendous losses on both sides of the ball to be sure. So? They just reload. Clemson is a honest to goodness factory now just like UGA, Alabama, etc.

Miami Will always give us fits. Just the way it is. Always athletic on defense just not quite as much elite talent as in the old days but still a good team

VT As long as Bud Foster is on that other sideline they will present problems. Like UNC, Clemson, and Tennessee they suffered significant losses on both sides of the ball but especially on offense.

UVA OK I will give you that one

Wake Forest 6 wins for Wake is a whole lot better than they were a few years ago. One of the most improved teams in the ACC. This one may be harder than it looks.

Pitt Again, lots of attrition on offense especially. Seems to be on the upswing. We should have beaten them last year but for that fluke play.

UGA Always talented Probably not as good as 2011 or 2012 but still consider this. How many of our starters would start for them? Try to be candid in your assessment. Not that many I would wager even taking into account the differing systems on offense. A few years ago one of our players frankly admitted that we had only one or two that would start for UGA. Now I would think it is definitely more but they are still the standard. I would rather have several of our offensive linemen than what they have and I would rather have Mills than anyone they have. To be sure, we can largely minimize the talent differential with our offense but it is tough to beat them. Even in years that they have beaten us pretty good like 2011 we moved the ball on them. It is really remarkable how no matter how talented they are on defense we always find a way to move the ball. I still think they may rue the day they got involved with Kirby but we will see.

Talent is a relative thing. Talent based on some star rating of some 18 year old kid playing against 95% of kids who will never progress beyond high school football? Tennessee will be starting offensive players who have never played a down of college football, as will VT, UNC etc. And then when that kid becomes 21, was he just full grown at 18 and has not progressed, or did that 3 star still have 2 more inches to gain and 30 more pounds of muscle. In the end all I am saying is we watched what happens to a team that you think is plug and play, but losses 80% of its yards. It was Georgia Tech in 2015 after losing 10 offensive starters.

 

[4shotB]

UGA Always talented Probably not as good as 2011 or 2012 but still consider this. How many of our starters would start for them? Try to be candid in your assessment. Not that many I would wager even taking into account the differing systems on offense. A few years ago one of our players frankly admitted that we had only one or two that would start for UGA. Now I would think it is definitely more but they are still the standard. I would rather have several of our offensive linemen than what they have and I would rather have Mills than anyone they have. To be sure, we can largely minimize the talent differential with our offense but it is tough to beat them. Even in years that they have beaten us pretty good like 2011 we moved the ball on them. It is really remarkable how no matter how talented they are on defense we always find a way to move the ball. I still think they may rue the day they got involved with Kirby but we will see.

I believe we now play 2-4 teams each year with the same kind of talent Uga has. Sadly, our biggest challenge with them remains a mental roadblock.IE, the "curse of Grant Field". I would much rather play them at their place than ours. It's a curse or a jinx or whatever but we always seem to play a lot looser over there.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

The first is I'm not a huge fan of the Qb-BB dynamic that I see shaping up.

I love the QB/BB dynamic that I see shaping up. Best of both worlds, smash mouth football up the gut then hit 'em over the top or around the edge when they are are forced to cheat to stop it. Brings back the chess match that CPJ is so good at. Brings back the Death March w/o sacrificing the big play. We'll have to be more perfect, as you suggest, but I think that will be mitigated by the fact that we can also be less exotic. Just a handful of plays mixed in an artful manner that keeps them guessing and super frustrated as we reel off positive gains every play, some small, some big. I'm super stoked for this season!

 

[ThatGuy]

UVA OK I will give you that one

...except that it's in Charlottesville. No matter how crappy a team UVA fields each year, if we're playing in Charlottesville, somehow they usually find a way to give us fits.

That being said, while I appreciate the devil's advocate - lord knows we could've used some of that leading up to 2015 - I'm still a little less-pessimistic than I have been in previous years. Will be interesting to see what CPJ says after the first summer practices. He was unusually complimentary - or at least not his usual negative self - after the spring game. If he comes out and again after the first few practices at summer camp & says something like he did in 2015 ("dunno which team you all are seeing, but as I see it, this OL is having issues", or something similar), I'll expect the worst.

If he's noncommittal, I'll start getting optimistic. Here's hoping.

 

[AE 87]

...except that it's in Charlottesville. No matter how crappy a team UVA fields each year, if we're playing in Charlottesville, somehow they usually find a way to give us fits.

That being said, while I appreciate the devil's advocate - lord knows we could've used some of that leading up to 2015 - I'm still a little less-pessimistic than I have been in previous years. Will be interesting to see what CPJ says after the first summer practices. He was unusually complimentary - or at least not his usual negative self - after the spring game. If he comes out and again after the first few practices at summer camp & says something like he did in 2015 ("dunno which team you all are seeing, but as I see it, this OL is having issues", or something similar), I'll expect the worst.

If he's noncommittal, I'll start getting optimistic. Here's hoping.

1) Thanks for posting because @kg01 thinks I'm you
2) I don't buy the Cville curse (but I was last there in 1990) Still, I think Bronco is a legit FB coach, and I don't take them lightly.
3) I agree that reading CPJs Fall camp comments is an art.

 

[danny daniel]

Definite Pros:
AB
BB
DB
WR
Overall depth
LS

Pros:
Starting OL if it stays healthy
DEs

Cons in the form of questions to be answered:
DT we finally have the numbers and some size and experience but how well do they perform and who steps up?
LB we have the numbers and some experience but who if any steps up to upgrade performance?
Kicker
Punter hopefully this moves quickly to definitely pro
Holder
QB depth and talent but who plays and how well? This may well be a pro
OL backups how have the Morgans and Stickler progressed and what contribution will Devine make? What Frosh (s) contributes?
Defense how much improved will we be?

 

[Sideways]

I believe we now play 2-4 teams each year with the same kind of talent Uga has. Sadly, our biggest challenge with them remains a mental roadblock.IE, the "curse of Grant Field". I would much rather play them at their place than ours. It's a curse or a jinx or whatever but we always seem to play a lot looser over there.

In addressing the original poster's question: The pros are at FSU and Clemson, the cons are at Miami. Is that what you mean?

 

[augustabuzz]

In addressing the original poster's question: The pros are at FSU and Clemson, the cons are at Miami. Is that what you mean?

 

[takethepoints]

ND , Duke, Pitt,VT , UNC and UGA could have easily been W's. It was the weirdest season of football I have ever experienced. I don't want to ever experience anything like that again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

If we had played the 2015 season with the team that started spring practice, we would have won at least 9 games and maybe more. We've never had a year where so many people got injured, especially at the skill positions. If we had kept only Leggett and Cottrell healthy, we would have won 7 - 8. Ah, what could have been!

Oth, all that game experience came in handy last year and will do so this year as well. Still …

 

[jayparr]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

If we had played the 2015 season with the team that started spring practice, we would have won at least 9 games and maybe more. We've never had a year where so many people got injured, especially at the skill positions. If we had kept only Leggett and Cottrell healthy, we would have won 7 - 8. Ah, what could have been!

Oth, all that game experience came in handy last year and will do so this year as well. Still …

Agree 100%

 

[Ibeeballin]

Pros:
QB with 4yrs in the system
The @dressedcheeseside effect: Experience and Depth at ABack
Above Avg Oline based on last yr(Don't mean much based '15)
Tevin and Candeto helping MJ progress on
Length, speed, and experience in the secondary
Punter( as long they leave Harvin alone)
Arguably the best RB in the conference
Favorable schedule

Con
LB position
Pass Rush even tho the pieces are there
FG kicker

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

In addressing the original poster's question: The pros are at FSU and Clemson, the cons are at Miami. Is that what you mean?

Pure gold sir....pure gold.

 

[slugboy]

My best guess right now...
Pros

• B-Back
• DB
• Defensive Ends (Freeman and Simmons)
• OG
• QB
• AB ? (how is the blocking this year?)

Cons

• LB

Somewhere in between right now

• DT
• OT
• WR

Just don't know yet

• Punter
• Kickoffs
• PK
• C

As for Miami, their recruiting has been better under Richt than his predecessors. I don't see why anyone would think their talent level is "down".

 

[first&ten]

You guys that are predicting Tech to be "lights out" might want to rethink your position around 2 weeks before the UT game.

 

[RonJohn]

OK, I will play devil's advocate on this.
Tennessee has talent coming out of their ears. Trust me. Last year they got hit hard by injuries so we will see. Thank God we are playing them this year and not last year at the beginning of the year. They ran Virginia Tech right out of the stadium in that first game.

UNC Regardless of who the coach is, or the system, they always have talent. Of course, they just about always underachieve so there is that. More than just about anyone, their fate will be about replacing the quarterback.

Duke Cutliffe will have them ready to play just wait and see.

Clemson Tremendous losses on both sides of the ball to be sure. So? They just reload. Clemson is a honest to goodness factory now just like UGA, Alabama, etc.

Miami Will always give us fits. Just the way it is. Always athletic on defense just not quite as much elite talent as in the old days but still a good team

VT As long as Bud Foster is on that other sideline they will present problems. Like UNC, Clemson, and Tennessee they suffered significant losses on both sides of the ball but especially on offense.

UVA OK I will give you that one

Wake Forest 6 wins for Wake is a whole lot better than they were a few years ago. One of the most improved teams in the ACC. This one may be harder than it looks.

Pitt Again, lots of attrition on offense especially. Seems to be on the upswing. We should have beaten them last year but for that fluke play.

UGA Always talented Probably not as good as 2011 or 2012 but still consider this. How many of our starters would start for them? Try to be candid in your assessment. Not that many I would wager even taking into account the differing systems on offense. A few years ago one of our players frankly admitted that we had only one or two that would start for UGA. Now I would think it is definitely more but they are still the standard. I would rather have several of our offensive linemen than what they have and I would rather have Mills than anyone they have. To be sure, we can largely minimize the talent differential with our offense but it is tough to beat them. Even in years that they have beaten us pretty good like 2011 we moved the ball on them. It is really remarkable how no matter how talented they are on defense we always find a way to move the ball. I still think they may rue the day they got involved with Kirby but we will see.

I wouldn't even count out Jacksonville State. They are a respectable FCS program. They have 14 days between games, GT has 4 1/2 days between games. In the past 10 years, they have been blown out by GT, Arkansas, and Michigan State. However, they took Auburn to OT, and Ole Miss to 2OT. They also were up on FSU with about 2 minutes to go in the game and turned the ball over a couple of times.

GT should win the game, but I wouldn't be shocked at a loss. They are too good of an FCS program to play 4 days after a hugely hyped game.