What area needs to be improved the most

[Jmonty71]

Curious to see what others think. If there is one missing, please add.. I am going with offensive play calling. The reason why is, I feel that our players fail to be put into positions to make plays, far too often.

 

[D-man44]

Coaching overall needs to be improved. No excuse for the lapses especially vs Pitt even with the injuries they aren’t 30 points better than GT. I’d like to see more zone runs and Gibbs split out than what we have. The defense has to bring more guys to get the QB off his spot the light pressure has been a real issue since UNC

 

[jacket_fan]

Happy to see that you did not have the kicking game as one of the items. I think the kicking game is the area of most improvement.

Will go with coaching overall in this poll.

 

[4shotB]

Not that it is an option in your pole, but I feel like the overarching major problem with the GT FB program predates this and the last several regimes....it is overall top down commitment from the entire institution to being excellent in athletics as well as academics with the funding to support this goal. Fix this and you treat the disease, not the symptoms. Just my opinion.

 

[bobongo]

None of the above.

For me, it would be the offensive line, which may or may not involve improving our strength & conditioning and/or OL coaching. I don't know if it's the personnel, the coaching or the S&C or some combination of the three, but we're getting pushed around up front and it's affecting the whole team. I do believe the guys up there are making an effort and I have no criticism of anyone who is doing his best. To get better, improvement on the OL is of absolutely paramount importance.

OL is the most important part of a team, IMO.

Edited comment: After thinking about it, I don't think it's mainly the coaching. I'm sure Key isn't coaching these guys to get pushed around.

 

[Gt2019]

I chose offensive play calling only because there needs to be more sims designed runs but my biggest thing is secondary rotations. The older guys such as tariq, swilling, and juanyeh (he has been solid) are slow and old causing lack of production. The younger guys such as king, brooks, Allen, sims, Walker all have stepped up in their spots and when they get playing time have provided so much more. Juanyeh I’m fine with.

 

[D-man44]

Not that it is an option in your pole, but I feel like the overarching major problem with the GT FB program predates this and the last several regimes....it is overall top down commitment from the entire institution to being excellent in athletics as well as academics with the funding to support this goal. Fix this and you treat the disease, not the symptoms. Just my opinion.

I guess schools like Nebraska, Tennessee, and recently FSU have been pumping in major money for their program for years and nothing has come of it

 

[forensicbuzz]

How about decision-making in general. I think much of the inconsistency we've seen is due to decision-making by young players (even old players screw up from time to time, so there's some of that too). Beyond that, we're thin in key areas and have experienced some injuries in those key areas, which has left us exposed.

The knee-jerk reaction from most on here will probably coaching. There have definitely been some questionable calls, but I think hammering the coaching staff is weak.

I think we're a pretty good team. There's nothing about this team that two years and two more excellent recruiting classes won't cure. It's amazing how smart the coaches become when the players execute.

 

[4shotB]

I guess schools like Nebraska, Tennessee, and recently FSU have been pumping in major money for their program for years and nothing has come of it

Money alone is not the answer. Bad management can squander away $$$$ (see your examples or many others in the private sector). Leadership (and at the very top) is the most crucial element in any endeavor. EVERYTHING flows out of this. Again, just my opinion.

 

[yeti92]

How about decision-making in general. I think much of the inconsistency we've seen is due to decision-making by young players (even old players screw up from time to time, so there's some of that too). Beyond that, we're thin in key areas and have experienced some injuries in those key areas, which has left us exposed.

The knee-jerk reaction from most on here will probably coaching. There have definitely been some questionable calls, but I think hammering the coaching staff is weak.

I think we're a pretty good team. There's nothing about this team that two years and two more excellent recruiting classes won't cure. It's amazing how smart the coaches become when the players execute.

Are there areas you think the in-game coaching has largely excelled? And I don't mean they met or exceeded your personal expectations, but that you think whatever coach is responsible for that area is top 25 in the country at doing whatever it is that you think we are excelling at.

 

[takethepoints]

None of the above. What needs improvement iOS our running game. I'm beginning to despair about this; the solutions are so obvious. And what might those be, you ask?

1. For the umpteenth time: RUN SIMS MORE. The young man can do wonders for our run production if the coaches. would let him do so. 15 designed run plays - options, draws, and sweeps - and we'd find our RBs with a lot more room to roam. Want a model of how that works? I saw it this last weekend in the LSU/Kentucky game. Their QB, Will Levis, averages 4 ypc and it makes things a lot easier for Rodriquez while remaining a very effective passer too boot. Btw, after seeing that game I wondered if after the 2016 Gator Bowl curb stomping led Stoops to a "never again" moment.

2. Give Mason the ball 15 or 20 times. If we do that he will deliver 90 - 110 yards. He always does. And he makes his own holes. Instead we give the ball to Gibbs that many times. I understand that - Gibbs is more explosive - but given the dicey blocking we've seen so far, he is unlikely to see the holes he needs to exploit his speed. I doubt the coaches will do this, of course, just as I doubt they'll ever start Smith. But it would work and it would improve our chances to win going forward.

 

[GT33]

Last week's performance pretty much cemented choice #1 in just about any rational person's mind. Our coaching overall is like layers of swiss cheese stacked on top of one another. You get a piece of cheese but every layer has a gaping hole & when the gaping holes line up you got a huge leaker, in some instances more than one.

I understand we've hired a timeout/ time clock coach. Before anyone ridicules this, I believe it to be a positive step. They recognized an issue and put a solution in place. When the level of experience rises, perhaps we no longer need it & can get rid of it.

On a lighter note:

Now please hire an "inside the Gold Zone" play caller, a "I know when to ride the hot hand" play caller, a "please run Sims more" guy, someone that thinks it's important to have 2 of 3 of Gibbs-Mason-Smith in every offensive play, a "put Yates in for a series when Sims loses it" guy, a "get Gibbs in space" guy, etc. That should about do it.

Leave the "miss the FG" guy on unemployment and for Pete's sake fire the "run Gibbs up the middle" guy along with the "have 3 of 5 OL don't block anyone" guy. Give the "throw the ball to Sanders for a TD" guy a nice pay raise.

 

[malak05]

Our Oline has gotten bigger over the years but these guys are still soft as heck and aren't able to open lanes whatsoever so... I want the overall oline play to get better and if our running game can open up just a little bit for the running backs it will put a little less pressure on Sims and help our red zone scoring opportunities too...

 

[FlatsLander]

Our Oline has gotten bigger over the years but these guys are still soft as heck and aren't able to open lanes whatsoever so... I want the overall oline play to get better and if our running game can open up just a little bit for the running backs it will put a little less pressure on Sims and help our red zone scoring opportunities too...

I agree. It's really hurting us that we don't seem to have it in us to even attempt to bull rush ahead for those hard 1 or 2 yard situations. I think that has a domino effect on play calling and forces us to make more plays outside the tackles.

 

[Jmonty71]

None of the above. What needs improvement iOS our running game. I'm beginning to despair about this; the solutions are so obvious. And what might those be, you ask?

1. For the umpteenth time: RUN SIMS MORE. The young man can do wonders for our run production if the coaches. would let him do so. 15 designed run plays - options, draws, and sweeps - and we'd find our RBs with a lot more room to roam. Want a model of how that works? I saw it this last weekend in the LSU/Kentucky game. Their QB, Will Levis, averages 4 ypc and it makes things a lot easier for Rodriquez while remaining a very effective passer too boot. Btw, after seeing that game I wondered if after the 2016 Gator Bowl curb stomping led Stoops to a "never again" moment.

2. Give Mason the ball 15 or 20 times. If we do that he will deliver 90 - 110 yards. He always does. And he makes his own holes. Instead we give the ball to Gibbs that many times. I understand that - Gibbs is more explosive - but given the dicey blocking we've seen so far, he is unlikely to see the holes he needs to exploit his speed. I doubt the coaches will do this, of course, just as I doubt they'll ever start Smith. But it would work and it would improve our chances to win going forward.

That is better play calling, overall. The players are going to run the plays given.... I agree with this 100%... Put players in a position, to make a play... I have said that since day one..

 

[TromboneJacket]

I put “Players making plays” because the answer I wanted wasn’t there. Overall coaching is just too general.

I don’t think the play calling is as much of an issue as a lot of people seem to. Maybe it is a little on defense. To me, bad play calling would be repeatedly leaving the defense in soft zones against a team that excels in short passes. Or calling blitzes with press man coverage when the other team needs a quick score. I’m a little befuddled by some of the personnel usage decisions on defense, but it doesn’t seem like we’re making things easy on offenses for the most part.

I think the biggest issue on the team is teaching the OL the plays and instilling good habits for them. I don’t know what we can do if Brent Key isn’t the right guy for the job, so I’m hoping that the issue is that the young guys haven’t had enough time to be coached up yet and that the old guys are having to unlearn tendencies that are different from what we want.

On defense, I think the players just need to make plays when they get the opportunity. I saw a lot of missed tackles against dook that turned runs of -2 into runs of +4. I saw the dook RB slipping out of tackles because our guys were trying to punch the ball out.

 

[slugboy]

This is in another thread, but it’s good for this thread too:
Post in thread 'What can our secondary do to improve?'
https://gtswarm.com/threads/what-can-our-secondary-do-to-improve.24027/post-831440

Georgia Tech Football: Advanced Stats Review - GT vs. Duke

There was plenty to critique, but Georgia Tech made explosive plays on both sides of the ball to win a game it had to have

www.fromtherumbleseat.com

My answers aren’t going to line up completely with his. The ideas he has for more power running and more outside zone make sense to me.

We need to shore up our offensive blocking. It’s job #1 right now. There have been some injuries and other factors, but we have to work around those issues with what we have, and who is healthy. I think different formations and different personnel can help.

I’ll link these personnel packages here (https://insidethe49.com/football-101/offensive-personnel-packages-nfl/).

I think I’ve seen us use 21 (2 RBs and 1 TE) and 20 (2 RBs and no TE) a couple of times. We go 00 (empty backfield, no TEs) enough for me to notice. We go the occasional 01 (1 TE, empty backfield).

We’ve used TEs for pass pro, and that hasn’t gone really well—they haven’t been our best blockers. I’d lean more towards 2x packages, because our RBs are pretty good blockers and great pressure relief valves. I’d run 20 personnel a lot of the time, and I’d run 21 or 22 in short yardage. I might even use a TE as an H-Back for an extra push on power running.

First short answer: for about one-third to one-half of the formations, have 2 RBs and 0-1 TEs. Occasionally, have someone go old-school and play fullback.

Next, opponents are teeing off and rushing the passer like crazy. They’re pass blitzing and run blitzing.

Answer: screen, bubble screen, quick flair passes to the RB.

Problem: RBs are getting hit behind the line, and we’re having trouble getting to the edge. We’re too slow on the mesh.
Answer: It’s OK to pitch the ball, or shovel pass, or use other ways to get the ball to the RB away from the QB.

============

On defense, moving to a 3-3 allowed us to get more speed. If we have enough healthy DL, we can bring them in and get more up-front push with a 4-2-5, but that costs us a playmaker at LB.
Unlike last year, our LBs have been playing well. Eley had a good game against Duke. When you look at the LBs, who do you take out? (I don’t want to take out any of the LBs).
Answer: Run the 4-2-5 occasionally. Better yet, run the 4-3 occasionally (yes, pull the Nickel. It’s probably worth it to get the disruption from the LBs).

I am expecting a couple of “LOL-fullback” and “4-3 is dead”, but they fit our problems and possibly our personnel.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Are there areas you think the in-game coaching has largely excelled? And I don't mean they met or exceeded your personal expectations, but that you think whatever coach is responsible for that area is top 25 in the country at doing whatever it is that you think we are excelling at.

Well, since Top25 in the country means comparing an outcome to others' outcomes, I'm not sure that's really relevant or measurable. But I'll answer your question this way and you can decide whether I've addressed your question appropriately enough:

1) I think our kicking game is tremendously improved. Outside of missing a couple of FG's in our first game (that really hurt), I think FG's have been significantly better than it has been. It can be argued that the first FG attempt (which was just wide left but plenty of leg) was an unfortunate miss. The second FG attempt was a slip. Not sure if that's equipment, field condition, or what. It's still on the kicker. Kick-offs have been fantastic. I think the longest return has been to the 29 and most have been touchbacks. I don't think a single one has been kicked out of bounds. Do the coaches get credit for the improvement in the kicking games? I don't know. Do they get credit when the kicking game sucks? Certainly, they do.

I'm not sure I'd say we can tell if the in-game coaching has excelled. I'd say there were definitely indications that the right calls have been made (and some indications that the wrong calls have been made) in the games. It's hard to tell when the coaches blow it or when the players blow it. Pretty much, you need to be in the film room breaking it down with the coaches and players to know that. When the players execute what has been called the team seems to have pretty good success. We've also had a bunch of unsuccessful moments too. Is that because the coaches made a bad call or the players didn't execute? I don't know.

And, when I said decision-making in general, I didn't restrict that to the players. Coaches can fall down in their decision-making, as well.

 

[mts315]

O-Line for me.

With the hype coming in, the title given, and the money spent, Key is the biggest dissapointment to me on this coaching staff.

 

[ncjacket79]

None of the above. What needs improvement iOS our running game. I'm beginning to despair about this; the solutions are so obvious. And what might those be, you ask?

1. For the umpteenth time: RUN SIMS MORE. The young man can do wonders for our run production if the coaches. would let him do so. 15 designed run plays - options, draws, and sweeps - and we'd find our RBs with a lot more room to roam. Want a model of how that works? I saw it this last weekend in the LSU/Kentucky game. Their QB, Will Levis, averages 4 ypc and it makes things a lot easier for Rodriquez while remaining a very effective passer too boot. Btw, after seeing that game I wondered if after the 2016 Gator Bowl curb stomping led Stoops to a "never again" moment.

2. Give Mason the ball 15 or 20 times. If we do that he will deliver 90 - 110 yards. He always does. And he makes his own holes. Instead we give the ball to Gibbs that many times. I understand that - Gibbs is more explosive - but given the dicey blocking we've seen so far, he is unlikely to see the holes he needs to exploit his speed. I doubt the coaches will do this, of course, just as I doubt they'll ever start Smith. But it would work and it would improve our chances to win going forward.

It all comes back to the OL though. Either suggestion will work if it’s blocked well. Neither will of it’s not.