What area needs to be improved the most

[Buzztheirazz]

He used to get called out by the GT "fanbase" for the silliest reasons

like what he wears?

 

[takethepoints]

"...If so, why do teams no longer run this?..."
1) WRs can't "stalk" block corners and safeties...they come to catch passes in RPO offenses....
2) 6'6" 315# OL-men can't "reach" block...it is most difficult of all OL blocking schemes
3) LBs run 4.6 40-yd dash...they are as fast as 90% of all RBs.... and LBs are running the "chord" while RBs must run the "arc".....

Hmmm … yet under a certain coach we all remember toss sweeps worked just fine. Largely because:

1. The WRs could all block or they weren't on the field. This is an easy fix and should be required of our WRs today.
2. The OLs were mobile enough. And they still are, imho. When Sims does QB sweeps they do alright. With a lead RB blocker, of course, just like in the aforementioned days.
3. If the LBs are immobilized by proper fakes, it doesn't matter much how fast they are. But that would require more deception - or more power running - then our present staff seems eager to call.

Imho, there's nothing wrong with the play and it could be easily run using our present scheme. But … we'd have to do something about telegraphing running plays for that to work.

 

[iceeater1969]

otoh, would it make a difference on the field where it counts? criticism of the things that don't impact the outcomes seem petty at best. I have always felt this way, going back to the days of Pepper. He used to get called out by the GT "fanbase" for the silliest reasons and it made no sense to me even back then as student.Or even worse than a student...when I was just a rat.

Good point
Being enthusiastic is good thing..

 

[iceeater1969]

Talked to Ryans dad before Pitt. RYAN hoped to only play a limited amount as he has injury
.
Talked to friends of Austin Smith - recent knee surgery may need scope. Pretty down.

ol w injuries may take time to get to point where slightly injured guys can have competent sub.

.

 

[danny daniel]

Talked to Ryans dad before Pitt. RYAN hoped to only play a limited amount as he has injury
.
Talked to friends of Austin Smith - recent knee surgery may need scope. Pretty down.

ol w injuries may take time to get to point where slightly injured guys can have competent sub.

.

With our OL injuries it looks like Lay is #1 replacement. He started a lot of the games at C in 2019 but saw limited action in 2020. Last week when the RT left with injury early Johnson moved over to RT and Lay played RG. From a pass protect standpoint it worked pretty well. Based on the Pitt game Pendley must be #2 replacement. It gets desperate after that except possibly Franklin at C.

 

[7979]

Hmmm … yet under a certain coach we all remember toss sweeps worked just fine. Largely because:

1. The WRs could all block or they weren't on the field. This is an easy fix and should be required of our WRs today.
2. The OLs were mobile enough. And they still are, imho. When Sims does QB sweeps they do alright. With a lead RB blocker, of course, just like in the aforementioned days.
3. If the LBs are immobilized by proper fakes, it doesn't matter much how fast they are. But that would require more deception - or more power running - then our present staff seems eager to call.

Imho, there's nothing wrong with the play and it could be easily run using our present scheme. But … we'd have to do something about telegraphing running plays for that to work.

When Pepper came in 1974, during our first meeting he handed everyone a single sheet of paper. On it was written the question, "Why the Wishbone?"...and under the question was the answer, "The best play (the triple option)....The best way (with a lead blocker)." We were to memorize this and to respond to anyone who questioned us about our new offense, "The best play. The best way."
AugustaBuzz was in that meeting and can verify (or correct...) my recollection.
BTW...I am not advocating a return to the WB...or to Paul's TO...just cruising down memory lane...

 

[LibertyTurns]

Well … recall that Mason averaged 5.2 YPC with our 2019 OL, i.e. an OL put together with masking tape out of walk-ons and partially injured regulars. I don't think we have anyone who would make our OL problems more manageable at RB then he would.

But the coaches seem to think that he's only good for blocking. And, of course, he is; he's easily our best back for that. But he could be more. And he almost certainly won't be. Too bad, that.

The regression of the OL should be a huge concern. The people that count either don’t realize it, have no idea how to fix it or are just hoping the issue magically disappears after they changeout the roster. I’m not sure it works that way.

 

[iceeater1969]

When Pepper came in 1974, during our first meeting he handed everyone a single sheet of paper. On it was written the question, "Why the Wishbone?"...and under the question was the answer, "The best play (the triple option)....The best way (with a lead blocker)." We were to memorize this and to respond to anyone who questioned us about our new offense, "The best play. The best way."
AugustaBuzz was in that meeting and can verify (or correct...) my recollection.
BTW...I am not advocating a return to the WB...or to Paul's TO...just cruising down memory lane...

Was one of his teams the one that beat ND without completing a pass. ?? I kind of remember that as an i formation w helluva rb and some giant ol guys.

 

[7979]

Yup...1976
..and we had two RBs who are Tech all-time greats, Eddie Lee and David Sims..
Sims had the big game that day...
...and FWIW, everyone b*tched about our sorry OL that year too...some things never change....LOL

 

[Oakland]

With our OL injuries it looks like Lay is #1 replacement. He started a lot of the games at C in 2019 but saw limited action in 2020. Last week when the RT left with injury early Johnson moved over to RT and Lay played RG. From a pass protect standpoint it worked pretty well. Based on the Pitt game Pendley must be #2 replacement. It gets desperate after that except possibly Franklin at C.

Has Lay ever been put on scholarship? I thought be performed well at center during 2019. Thank goodness he walked on at GT.

 

[Sheboygan]

Has Lay ever been put on scholarship? I thought be performed well at center during 2019. Thank goodness he walked on at GT.

Ever since I joined this board , maybe 10 years ago, I ( and others ) have whined about OL depth. What is the fix for this ? Can't we get a true 2 deep with quality on our OL ? Are we recruiting too many "projects " ? We used to blame Sewak , now Key is getting some heat. Are we just expecting too much ? When Cooper, Johnson , Cochran and Kirby leave after this year will things improve or drop off ? Any thoughts ?

 

[MWBATL]

Yeah, he was a super conservative play caller. Field position football and not running plays that could cause a loss or turnover were his top priority. Watching his offense was like watching grass grow. But, hey, it was a “pro style” offense.

and THAT is why I HATED that offense!! If I wanted to watch pro offense, I would watch the NFL (which I don't do...it bores me).

 

[Oakland]

Ever since I joined this board , maybe 10 years ago, I ( and others ) have whined about OL depth. What is the fix for this ? Can't we get a true 2 deep with quality on our OL ? Are we recruiting too many "projects " ? We used to blame Sewak , now Key is getting some heat. Are we just expecting too much ? When Cooper, Johnson , Cochran and Kirby leave after this year will things improve or drop off ? Any thoughts ?

Yeah, pretty sure all those guys will be gone, so next year could be even more problematic. I'm not sure if Kirby (listed as a senior) was a good pick up either. Along with that we're not strong at the tight end position. We're going to see a lot of new faces next year.

 

[yeti92]

Ever since I joined this board , maybe 10 years ago, I ( and others ) have whined about OL depth. What is the fix for this ? Can't we get a true 2 deep with quality on our OL ? Are we recruiting too many "projects " ? We used to blame Sewak , now Key is getting some heat. Are we just expecting too much ? When Cooper, Johnson , Cochran and Kirby leave after this year will things improve or drop off ? Any thoughts ?

Your profile says you joined May 6, 2019, and I don't think GTSwarm even existed 10 years ago - I joined really early on but wasn't active here for probably most of the time. Did another board merge with this one?

 

[Bonaire41]

I want to see what Wing Green and Joe Fusile can do and would like to see Leftwich get playing time in 4 of the last 6 games to see what they can do. All has great size and length. At this point we have nothing to lose at this point. They can’t do no worse than the ones that playing already .

 

[Jerry the Jacket]

Just reading through the responses to this thread it is apparent and obvious to me that most of our fanbase has a better realization of our problems and possible solutions than our coaching staff do, (or if they do, they are too stubborn to address them).

For me, the elephant in the room is our poor offensive line performance. I know we have limitations in talent and now more with injuries but you have to acknowledge that and plan around it. Many of the suggested formation changes and revised play calls seem to me obvious things our coaches should have already been doing. This is not a short-term problem that will fixed. It will take years of recruiting and development to resolve this problem. It is apparent that those in the pipeline are not in a position to provide any immediate relief and that concerns me greatly. I would have expected this position to be in a much stronger position based on the perceived quality of recruiting acumen and the development skills of the current coaching staff.

One of our true strengths is the running game. We are not maximizing the potential and talent we have there. This one is simple. Feature Sims as a runner and play off of that. You have to get Gibbs in space. He can not create his own holes and is not capable of running between the tackles, so let's forget that. You could put him in the slot or just use him on screens and wheel routes, but for God's sake, no more inside hand-offs. Smith needs more playing time. I think he has demonstrated to this point, he has the best ability to make something out of a play even with the limitations of our offensive line. Unfortunately for Mason, I think he has been relegated to the position of being a protector in our passing game and a red zone short-yardage option. That is still a problem, even with his talent due to our lack on a dependable offensive lineman that we can absolutely rely on to make a block when we absolutely have to have it. I think Griffin might be as effective as Smith but it looks like we may never find out. It just seems like a huge waste of talent not to utilize his ability in some manner.

The other issue is the play calling. Something needs to change here. Coach P certainly has the experience and qualifications to be in his position. I'm not sure what he is thinking sometimes. I know he probably runs some plays he knows have a low percentage of success to set up other plays and improve their chances of succeeding but it just has gotten to the point where his calls are preventing successes as opposed to enhancing our chance of success. If I were Coach Collins I would consider changing the play-calling responsibilities to someone else on the staff. A fresh set of eyes if you will. This could even be done by someone on the staff that is in the current position of an offensive analyst. We just can not continue to call plays that prevent our team from realizing the outcomes we need to be successful.

On the Defensive side, my main issue continues to be our inability to generate pressure on the opponents' quarterback and our overall inability to attack as opposed to playing bend don't break, keep everything in front of us defense. I will continue my thoughts on our defense in another post.

Go Jackets!

 

[forensicbuzz]

Just reading through the responses to this thread it is apparent and obvious to me that most of our fanbase has a better realization of our problems and possible solutions than our coaching staff do, (or if they do, they are too stubborn to address them).

For me, the elephant in the room is our poor offensive line performance. I know we have limitations in talent and now more with injuries but you have to acknowledge that and plan around it. Many of the suggested formation changes and revised play calls seem to me obvious things our coaches should have already been doing. This is not a short-term problem that will fixed. It will take years of recruiting and development to resolve this problem. It is apparent that those in the pipeline are not in a position to provide any immediate relief and that concerns me greatly. I would have expected this position to be in a much stronger position based on the perceived quality of recruiting acumen and the development skills of the current coaching staff.

One of our true strengths is the running game. We are not maximizing the potential and talent we have there. This one is simple. Feature Sims as a runner and play off of that. You have to get Gibbs in space. He can not create his own holes and is not capable of running between the tackles, so let's forget that. You could put him in the slot or just use him on screens and wheel routes, but for God's sake, no more inside hand-offs. Smith needs more playing time. I think he has demonstrated to this point, he has the best ability to make something out of a play even with the limitations of our offensive line. Unfortunately for Mason, I think he has been relegated to the position of being a protector in our passing game and a red zone short-yardage option. That is still a problem, even with his talent due to our lack on a dependable offensive lineman that we can absolutely rely on to make a block when we absolutely have to have it. I think Griffin might be as effective as Smith but it looks like we may never find out. It just seems like a huge waste of talent not to utilize his ability in some manner.

The other issue is the play calling. Something needs to change here. Coach P certainly has the experience and qualifications to be in his position. I'm not sure what he is thinking sometimes. I know he probably runs some plays he knows have a low percentage of success to set up other plays and improve their chances of succeeding but it just has gotten to the point where his calls are preventing successes as opposed to enhancing our chance of success. If I were Coach Collins I would consider changing the play-calling responsibilities to someone else on the staff. A fresh set of eyes if you will. This could even be done by someone on the staff that is in the current position of an offensive analyst. We just can not continue to call plays that prevent our team from realizing the outcomes we need to be successful.

On the Defensive side, my main issue continues to be our inability to generate pressure on the opponents' quarterback and our overall inability to attack as opposed to playing bend don't break, keep everything in front of us defense. I will continue my thoughts on our defense in another post.

Go Jackets!

Our fanbase certainly thinks they know better. I'd put my money on the coaches knowing more than a bunch of keyboard warriors. There are some on here that have the knowledge, but I don't think they're in the practices, so even they don't know.

 

[orientalnc]

Ever since I joined this board , maybe 10 years ago, I ( and others ) have whined about OL depth. What is the fix for this ?

No more posts allowed whining about the OL depth? Man, the mods are going to be busy earning our annual bonuses.

 

[forensicbuzz]

No more posts allowed whining about the OL depth? Man, the mods are going to be busy earning our annual bonuses.

I believe the whining will stop when we actually achieve OL depth. Then again, we are Georgia Tech. Complaining is what we're good at (in addition to advanced math and reading incomprehension).

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I believe the whining will stop when we actually achieve OL depth. Then again, we are Georgia Tech. Complaining is what we're good at (in addition to advanced math and reading incomprehension).

I’m not following you; what did you mean by reading incomprehension?