We overhyped Mills...

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Jacketman1

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Mills was very good, a great BB. We definitely did not overhype him, he was only going to improve on how good he was last year. Heisman candidate? Nah, that is a big stretch, and I think most Tech fans would agree with that. All-ACC 2nd or 3rd team was a very realistic and achievable goal, imo. The big thing about mills is that he was a freshman last year, and there hasn't been any BB at his age near that progress. MM was close, but I think if Mills stayed, by the time he was done at GT, he wouldve been close to, if not right at Dwyer level. Calvin was hyped and he delivered. Nobody(at least nobody reasonable) thought he was the BB version of Calvin. He was a very good player, we will miss him. At the same time, we need to move on and ride with Jerry/Kirvonte.
 

Vespid

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I'll agree with you on one point. Marshall was better when he had the ball...debatable of-course, but not in my mind. Marcus had the potential to be better than Dwyer IMHO. The difference was Dedrick was way, way, way, better when he did not have the ball, and that's why he got the call.
 
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The reports I'm hearing it wasn't what everyone thinks. Wasnhe a great back and overhyped? I don't think so he was entertaining and an absolute bruiser. But as I stated earlier NOONE saw his production till he stepped on the field. I'm interested in what we may have stepping on to the same field with a more experienced line.
 

DvilleJacket

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I was watching the little league World Series when it ran across the bottom of the screen about Mills. For ESPN to even mention a player at Tech shows he was highly thought of in my opinion. To lose him and MM is pretty crushing for a life long sidewalk fan of the Institute!
 

Em_Jae20

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I've had a strange feeling all offseason about the mood of the fans regarding Dedrick after the tax slayer bowl. Everyone was expecting him to be the next Dwyer or even better. What maid it worse is Mills got the national attention something rare for a GT player as a sophomore. I've never said it on the swarm but I have always felt that Dedrick was a little overhyped. How good was Dedrick last year? 700+ yards and 12 touchdowns are impressive stats but you have to remember Marcus Marshall rushed for 600 for both of his 2 years at GT. Everyone is going to say well "Dedrick missed 4 games" but that was his fault. Dedrick rushed 152 times his Freshman year and only rushed for 771 yards, Marshall carried the ball 85 times for 649 yards as a freshman. Dedrick got Almost double the carries for only 122 more yards. Why was the hype train so big for Dedrick numbers wise he wasnt much better than Marshall as a freshman. Why did we think he was going to be such a monster I've always been confused by this. I'm probably going to get a lot of hate for this but I just don't get it. He would've been a good BB but I still think Marshall was better + Marshall didn't get in trouble. He left honestly because he was mad that coach started a freshman with off the field issues over him. I don't think the loss of Mills will have any impact over our W/L this year, call me dumb crazy whatever you want but I think we are just as good without him. We have plenty of talent at BB with Benson and Quaide, also the freshman Mason and Howard (Howard might take the starting spot) and if we need it we have Jordan-Swilling who was the #17 RB in the nation that chose to play LB. Am I upset about DM? Of course he was a great guy that loved the game, but am I gonna act like this is a rebuilding year now? No! We are a 9 win team that went 4-0 without Dedrick last year. We have 4 QBs that are good enough to start we are loaded with talent on defense the deepest DLine and Secondary we've ever had with Rnoof. I think this team is so much like 2014 it's scary, we are going to surprise a lot of people this year staring with the Volunqueers on September 4th (Sorry if that offends any one I just hate the Vols and their fans) It's time to stop pouting and get ready because toe meets leather in 17 days.
Love the glass half full optimism but you also had a "feeling" earlier that Chigoziem Okonkwo would commit to us. And how'd that go?
 

alentrekin

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Mills played really well, it sucks that he won't get to go to Tech any more and this certainly isn't occasion to validate your "strange feeling."

Volunqueers on September 4th (Sorry if that offends any one I just hate the Vols and their fans) It's time to stop pouting and get ready because toe meets leather in 17 days.

Also, GTFO with the "Volunqueers" homophobic trash.
 

ilovetheoption

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I have to strongly disagree with the premise of this thread.

1) He was a heck of a back
2) He was a better back than Marshall
3) He was a better back FOR THIS OFFENSE than Marshall.

Yes, Marshall hit homeruns, but he also consistently got you 3 when you needed 4 and 1 when you needed 2. He wasn't a guy you could count on to get the tough, unsexy yards
 

RamblinCharger

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Idk what y'all saw. I'm sort of with the OP, maybe not quite as down on DM as him, but I never saw a heisman candidate in him. The guy didn't have the speed necessary to be a game breaking RB. MM definitely had it, but wasn't as tough in between the tackles and didn't block as well, which is why he didn't start. DM will be missed, but wasn't the greatest of all time or anything. He wasn't Dwyer and in my opinion Marshall was a more talented runner. We'll be okay. We'll miss Mills because he was a tough runner and had experience, but he wasn't Bo Jackson.
 

bke1984

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This is what I tried telling myself last night once I had a few beers...I convinced myself for a minute too. Then I woke up this morning and remembered that it just ain't true...

Dedrick was not overhyped. Was he Bo Jackson? No...but there's only been one of those guys. However, he was quite possibly on the path to be the best B-Back we'd had under CPJ, and if he'd stuck around (made it through) four years he would have had a chance to break the Tech rushing record.

When people who are overhyped are dismissed from your team it doesn't show up as a headline on EVERY news outlet that's out there. The dude can play football...just not for us anymore, unfortunately.

But he's gone, and that's that. Whatever the reason (since there seems to be some disagreement), it's very clear that this kid could not stay out of trouble...that's for damn sure. I hope he gets his act together and can turn things around, because he's got a bright future in football if he does, but he's definitely got an uphill battle in front of him. I also hope that wherever he lands he doesn't end up on the other side of the field from us at any point in his career...
 

knoxjacket

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Mills would've been good, but he was no Jon Dwyer. He probably wasn't even an Anthony Allen. We haven't had legit NFL talent at BB since Allen left.

CPJ's best two scoring offenses had a combination of Sims, Laskey, and Days at BB. None of those guys were special athletes or homerun hitters. A BB will get their five ypc if the OL blocks and the QB reads correctly.
 

lv20gt

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How would Marshall have faired from the 3 yard line? Think he drags four guys in with him against Clemson? Georgia? ...the guy was very good. Marshall was also very good... just ina much different way.

Yes. Watch 1:59:00 if you don't believe me. Marshall had a lower % of his carries for less than 3 yards as well.
 

bke1984

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Yes. Watch 1:59:00 if you don't believe me. Marshall had a lower % of his carries for less than 3 yards as well.

He was great on that drive, no doubt. That's also the only time in his two years at Tech that I saw him run like that, so it's not like the guy was doing that left and right and still got beat out.

Watch the play two plays before that where he gets swallowed up at the LOS. That is more often what we saw out of him when we needed 3-4 yards.

I think he could have been great if he'd stuck around...we sure could use him right about now. The Georgia game shows what he was transitioning into. But have you thought that maybe he started to run like that because the coaches were telling him that's what he needs to do...i.e. run more like Dedrick?

Perhaps it's not the lack of playing time that caused him to leave, but the fact that he didn't want to churn out 4 yards and break 2 tackles on every play...
 

lv20gt

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He was great on that drive, no doubt. That's also the only time in his two years at Tech that I saw him run like that, so it's not like the guy was doing that left and right and still got beat out.

Watch the play two plays before that where he gets swallowed up at the LOS. That is more often what we saw out of him when we needed 3-4 yards.

And yet he still had a higher % of his runs go for 3+ yards than Mills. No, he wasn't doing it left and right. Neither was Mills.
 

inGTwetrust

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Those saying Marshall was a better back for us are just trying to convince themselves. Mills is a big loss for us, but the team will go on. I have all the confidence in the world that the next man up will do a fine job.
 

GT_05

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Is attacking someone with vitriolic and likely untrue words because you don't agree with their opinion a characteristic of a critical thinking intellectual?


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