Tulane and a Little Perspective

[GTNavyNuke]

There is something different about the 2014 team and the last two games from the last 5 years of games. I don't know what it is...

So far for me it's offensive speed and blocking at most positions seems improved; that may be the competition. Plus the body language of the players is very good on and off the field.

It's going to hopefully be a 13-14 game season, so we'll have plenty of time to figure it out.

 

[biggtfan]

I'll take a win over a loss any day regardless of how much we win by. Doesn't mean I should be happy about how we played.

I would be ecstatic if we beat UGA/Clemson/VT by 1 point...especially considering our record against them the past few years.

If you think playing Wofford and Tulane means the same thing as playing UGA/Clemson/VT...good for you.

I just got back last night from the game and watched the recording on ESPNN. During the game, I was worried until mid-third qtr. Watching the game, I heard the announcers say we dominated Tulane in all three phases of the game, say that the offense is hard to stop, talk about how our offense makes it harder to make mistakes, how Tulane ran an offense that was riskier, etc. How can our fan base complain so much about a solid win on the road?

In past years, we beat weaker teams by a lot and it didn't translate into great seasons. Remember hearing a player state that it "was like a video game" while we ran up and down the field? Over-confident and complacent, we flat-lined the rest of the season. These close wins build character and give the coaches reasons to work harder. There is a silver lining if you look for it.

 

[orientalnc]

I posted this on another site: The sky is not falling, yet. But I am testing my umbrellas just in case.

 

[GTFan62]

From what I see our offensive line is so much better than last year. We are running the ball and have a quarterback who actually wants to play, who is not afraid of getting hit. We have a lot of youth on the defensive line and will continue to improve and grow. As long as we have more points than our opponent I am happy.

 

[Mack]

I find it interesting that I was thinking 38 and 24 GT before the game and yet I was a basket case when watching.

Did I (or you) think we where going to treat Tulane like Elon? No, not many did. Did Tulane beat us like MTSU in 2012? No. Did we squeak out win like NCSU and GSU? No.

There is no way to "win" with us fans and these initial games. If GT beats a lower tier team by 70 it means nothing and if GT wins by 3 scores it means the team is not good.

GT beat Tulane on the road after fumbling on the first play and a resulting Tulane TD. Passing could have been better, the team missed another short field goal, and GT gave up a long pass play for a TD. On the other hand, GT made several interceptions, was very close to at least 2 more interceptions, got a few sacks, no points given up in the second half, and ran down the field almost at will. GT won and now GT needs to win week 3. One week at a time!

The team may or may not lose the games we so desperately want to win. Some games may require GT to play without mistake or have some bounces our way. I believe the team will continue to improve and will rise up as the competition increases.

Relax a little, enjoy the season, and cheer for the men who represent our team... 2 games/wins are already in the books.

From a old Coaches persepctive you look for two things......where we ready to play and how well did we execute.You cant worry about what the other team does since you are foucusing on what defense YOU are in etc but its clear we are spotty on both sides of the ball.Yeah beat somebody by 70 and you get grief and then lose and folks start howling.One thing that still worries me is our coveage of the pass and the rush......we need to get better.

 

[Fatmike91]

So far for me it's offensive speed and blocking at most positions seems improved

Yes there is a difference in "speed" and blocking. To my untrained eye, we are making much faster decisions on offense. I think it's the reason the edge has been wide open in the first two games. Justin plays fast and the ball gets there faster than the D can adjust.

Last year we watched teams jam the box, and get outside faster than the ball. I don't believe that will happen this year (against anyone we play).


/

 

[DTGT]

It's going to hopefully be a 15 game season, so we'll have plenty of time to figure it out.

FIFY

 

[Oldgoldandwhite]

The plusses are that we are young for the most part. There is plenty of room for improvement. If we improve every game we will be fine, but the big boys will come calling soon.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Just rewatched the first half. Tulane's first td off the the fumble was lucky. Golden had the td play timed perfectly for maybe a pick, but at least a break up. Nealy tipped the ball which slowed it down causing Golden to fly by the play and allow the wr to make the catch.

As far as our Dline goes, Tulane was blocking our 4 with 6 guys every pass play. They were doubling both interior guys (our best down linemen) and going single on the outside. We brought pressure with the blitz with mixed results. All I keep hearing is how we were burned on the screen. But what about the pressure that forced the incompletes and int's? You can't ***** about the bad and then ignore the good... unless you have an agenda, of course.

 

[Longestday]

@dressedcheeseside I am not sure what it is... it just feels different. There has been no Elon type game, no Virginia 2012 type game, and no VT 2012 type game. The number of plays has been very low in both games. GSU should also have a very low number of snaps.

I was going to post that about Golden being in perfect position to break up the first TD pass and Nealy's tip changed the timing.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

From a old Coaches persepctive you look for two things......where we ready to play and how well did we execute.You cant worry about what the other team does since you are foucusing on what defense YOU are in etc but its clear we are spotty on both sides of the ball.Yeah beat somebody by 70 and you get grief and then lose and folks start howling.One thing that still worries me is our coveage of the pass and the rush......we need to get better.

Was it just me, or did Tulane's coach make a couple of crazy calls at key moments. Even the announcers were baffled that they were not content to sit on 21-21 until halftime. Anyway, perhaps he knew he would need lots of points. He probably knows his personnel better than anyone.

 

[Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau]

I posted this on another site: The sky is not falling, yet. But I am testing my umbrellas just in case.

An umbrella won't help if a grand piano is headed your way from the 18th floor.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Was it just me, or did Tulane's coach make a couple of crazy calls at key moments. Even the announcers were baffled that they were not content to sit on 21-21 until halftime. Anyway, perhaps he knew he would need lots of points. He probably knows his personnel better than anyone.

No that was a completely idiotic call. They would have gone into the half with a tie and getting the ball first in the second half.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

An umbrella won't help if a grand piano is headed your way from the 18th floor.

If the sky is falling at 2 - 0 (one on the road in a hostile environment with a qb making his first road start) and no serious injuries to starters then I hope it rains sky.

 

[GTRX7]

I'll take a win over a loss any day regardless of how much we win by. Doesn't mean I should be happy about how we played.

I would be ecstatic if we beat UGA/Clemson/VT by 1 point...especially considering our record against them the past few years.

If you think playing Wofford and Tulane means the same thing as playing UGA/Clemson/VT...good for you.

Have people been saying that? I must have missed it.

Look, nobody, let me repeat, nobody, is saying this was a great game for Tech. We all agree that there are a lot of things that need to be improved if we are going to beat UGA/Clemson/VT. However, it is not all doom and gloom either. We have a young team and a new QB. Getting into some battles early, showing resilience, and putting the foot down in the second half are all good things that can be built on for the future. We threw the ball great against Wofford and ran it really well against Tulane. We have shown glimpses that the team can and should improve as the season goes on, which is all folks are saying. It would be one thing if we were "lucky" to win. We weren't. We let both teams hang around longer than they should, but made adjustments on both offense and defense and easily locked up both games. Those are good thing. We also beat the pants off the Vegas spread, in a trap game in a team's opening of their new stadium. I am not ecstatic, but it is hard for me to be too pessimistic about that either.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

We could have easily scored on that last drive if we really wanted to. The point differential could easily have been a lot worse. Also, Tulane's first td was a gift. Not only due to the fumble/short field, but because Nealy deflected a ball that had int written all over it right into the hands of the receiver.

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

Golden was timed to block it..not pick it I think. My recollection is of him diving with one arm extended for the block. Would have made that play no doubt.

 

[Longestday]

@Whiskey_Clear I looked at the play very closely and it is hard to tell. I think the original trajectory was for the ball to come to the WR inside shoulder towards Golden. This would have been a pick area. The tip sent the ball higher and more directly to the defender. Very hard to tell... wither way the tip was good but did mess with Golden's timing.

 

[Techster]

Have people been saying that? I must have missed it.

I was responding to a poster.

Fans see what they want to see. I've said many times I'm a glass half empty person when it comes to looking at our team. We did some good things, but it's the bad things that worry me when we head into the meat of the schedule. Other people may choose to focus on the good things. No one is correct in what they want to focus on...it comes down to personality. I've always been a worry wart and that's served me well in my life because I tend to over prepare. Hey, I just look at things differently.

When Tevin was on fire to start the 2011 season, I was worried that he was under throwing the football as our receivers had to slow down their routes or stop it all together. A lot of GT fans saw it as Tevin was giving the receivers a chance to catch the ball. When the competition got better, those underthrows that he got away with against lesser opponents became batted balls or interceptions.

Not saying anyone is right or wrong on how they want to view an outcome...but I think it's well within my rights to voice my concerns.

 

[RamblinCharger]

I think we are more like the 08-09 team this year. Im not saying we are as good, but when we had 2 blows against tulane yesterday it didn't phase our guys. We went out and pretty much dominated from the 2nd quarter on. I honestly think we may have lost that game last year and the year before. These guys have played well so far. I'm happy with both wins and I hope we improve every week.