What is GTSWARM?

[Mack]

As always John and myself are open to ideas...if you have a problem/suggestion please send us a message or get in touch with us.

We are still a young site and we are working as hard as we can to make the site the best it can be.

Hang in there Eric..you are on right track.Just remember some of old farts are passionate about tech football and are not happy with seven and five,lose to georgie and go to a lower bowl..That is my stat and fact .

 

[forensicbuzz]

Again, I think the issue is more with posters coming on and ranting about their favorite soap box. If someone doesn't like the coaching staff and takes every opportunity to bash the staff, it gets old. Most of us went to Tech, in general, we're pretty bright: we get it. If someone has a specific gripe or criticism about said staff and voices that, he/she has every right to comment.

For me it's easier to deal with a gold-colored glasses guy that is always pumping up the program than a woe-is-me the-program-sucks-and-it's-all-CPJ's-fault every other post, but that's just me. I think it's pretty easy to discern a critical opinion regarding an issue versus a rant, and that's how I try to approach my posting. I know you guys don't want to hear me rant about the use of foul language in a public forum where younger kids may be lurking, so I've stopped posting about it every time someone drops a bomb.

All this being said, I'm excited about seeing a ton of names who's opinions I regard highly. I look forward to more insightful and balanced discussions.

 

[forensicbuzz]

Hang in there Eric..you are on right track.Just remember some of old farts are passionate about tech football and are not happy with seven and five,lose to georgie and go to a lower bowl..That is my stat and fact .

I agree with you. I don't think any of us are satisfied with 7-5 and losing to UGA. I think we can be a perennial 9-10 win team, competing for the ACC championship. As for UGA, I'm just not sure. Even when we should win, we tend to find a way to lose (same thing happened with FSU in the 90's). That's happened with every coach that's been here since I was in school, including O'Leary, who won 3 in a row (thanks in part to Donnan).

 

[Mack]

Again, I think the issue is more with posters coming on and ranting about their favorite soap box. If someone doesn't like the coaching staff and takes every opportunity to bash the staff, it gets old. Most of us went to Tech, in general, we're pretty bright: we get it. If someone has a specific gripe or criticism about said staff and voices that, he/she has every right to comment.

For me it's easier to deal with a gold-colored glasses guy that is always pumping up the program than a woe-is-me the-program-sucks-and-it's-all-CPJ's-fault every other post, but that's just me. I think it's pretty easy to discern a critical opinion regarding an issue versus a rant, and that's how I try to approach my posting. I know you guys don't want to hear me rant about the use of foul language in a public forum where younger kids may be lurking, so I've stopped posting about it every time someone drops a bomb.

All this being said, I'm excited about seeing a ton of names who's opinions I regard highly. I look forward to more insightful and balanced discussions.

Yep hard to figure out good criticism of the program etc but remember as long as we are not winning like in the minds of many we should you will have rants etc directed at the coaching staff no matter who it is..last two guys to get under radar was GOL mainly due to whipping Ga and Ross after first couple of years.It is called football and fan passion for it and you are spot on with your comments......Never got on the blog that wanted Chan to go but it was clear in my mind we were not getting production out of our offense like we should.PJ is on hot seat with lukewarm last few years but it is becoming clear to me ,and me only ,that seven and five ,loss to georgie and a low ranked bowl is becoming the norm.If you like this then fans will rally around the coach..if you dont then folks will want him gone......that is why coaches have such good buyout contracts..........Its football !

 

[Mack]

I agree with you. I don't think any of us are satisfied with 7-5 and losing to UGA. I think we can be a perennial 9-10 win team, competing for the ACC championship. As for UGA, I'm just not sure. Even when we should win, we tend to find a way to lose (same thing happened with FSU in the 90's). That's happened with every coach that's been here since I was in school, including O'Leary, who won 3 in a row (thanks in part to Donnan).

I hear you my friend but what is so disheartening is the EXCUSES we have for losing.We lose and we lead the ACC in we should have done this or that ! I dont worry about PJ since with what we have we should always be a seven and five at the worst but like you said we want better.Dont worry been tech fan for over sixty years and remember the West Stands booing Dodd for quick kicking......of course it seems every time he did this the other team fumbled but point is every Coach catches hell.I ,along with others i am sure,want to be better like we used to be......now fans may say well that was Dodd era etc etc etc and yes Dodd was along time ago but if we accept seven and five one day we will look around and only about 35000 fans will be at Grant Field and that is not good for me.Enjoyed your posts.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I get what you're saying. As for my comments, they weren't directed towards you, specifically. My impression of your posts haven't been one of ranting as much as expressing the opinion of a dissatisfied fan. Just my opinion based on what I've read.

 

[Bigb]

There doesn't have to be one end all be all board for Tech fans. There is plenty of space for boards catering to different types of personalities.

I like this board a lot. There's high quality discussion and not a lot of extra noise. It's extremely focused on GT sports. ST is more like a pub. I like that type of board a lot as well (I'm a fairly active poster there) but it serves a different purpose. It's more fun and social than swarm, but there's a lot of garbage as well.

Hopefully this board maintains it's current mission of being a focused sports community and ST can remain a fun place to call people retarts. As for other boards, I wouldn't know much about them but I'm sure there is room for whatever type of niche they're trying to serve within the Tech community.

 

[AE 87]

Here's the fundamental problem with the "have to have facts/stats to back up every post" suggestion. Your post is a great example because it is an opinion without facts nor stats but I don't see a problem with your post the way it is. I think it's okay for you to have posted a pessimistic view about this site and I don't think it should be against the rules.

There are a lot of threads on this site that have no facts/stats. In fact, the threads discussing recruiting have a lot of rumors swirling around that are very difficult to prove as factual; even if anyone could, it could still change up until NSD.

Again though, it goes back down to this:

I understand the concern but do you have any suggestions on how to fix it? I don't think there's anyone that want to address these concerns other than Eric and I so we welcome all sorts of ideas.

I explicitly said "feel" and "opinion." If I had said, "This board is just becoming bbuzzoff because the mods care more about letting people express opinion as fact than about promoting thoughtful discussion," then I would be making the kind of post that I find offensive.

Again, it's just my opinion. I appreciate your site greatly.

 

[TraderJacket]

Howdy y'all.....just found this site, guess Jim blew up GTSportstalk??

 

[gtdrew]

There doesn't have to be one end all be all board for Tech fans. There is plenty of space for boards catering to different types of personalities.

I like this board a lot. There's high quality discussion and not a lot of extra noise. It's extremely focused on GT sports. ST is more like a pub. I like that type of board a lot as well (I'm a fairly active poster there) but it serves a different purpose. It's more fun and social than swarm, but there's a lot of garbage as well.

Hopefully this board maintains it's current mission of being a focused sports community and ST can remain a fun place to call people retarts. As for other boards, I wouldn't know much about them but I'm sure there is room for whatever type of niche they're trying to serve within the Tech community.

I like the particular phrase "extra noise." THAT's what I think we need to try to avoid.

 

[Rodney Kent]

I have seen some boards where a few members try to squelch any negative comments about coaching. They somehow think the person making the comment is not a true Tech fan. Personally, I have made some negative remarks about coaching, but never about a player. I can assure this board and others that I have been a Tech fan before many have been a twinkle in the eye of their father. You can call me a sidewalk fan, and that does not bother me. and others, who came up in times where a person had to work and no parents to provide their college payments. I believe us old-timers have proven to be more loyal as Tech fans than most who attended Tech. I have been a Tech fan since the mid forties when Dodd became the head coach, and I am still here.

I have seen some good coaching and some bad coaching during the 68 some-odd years I have followed Tech and College football in general. I am glad that this site allows a person to voice his opinion about the coaching. I understand things can become too negative, but it is always a good thing to allow balanced voices. If you do not have both sides of a debate, then the debate is worthless. I do not think it is a bad thing to mention a player's name and suggestions regarding his position or effectiveness in a given game, but I do not think it is appropriate to debase an athlete for his efforts. One of the worst saga of fan attacks I have seen on a board was the constant criticism of Reggie Ball. Reggie Ball did all he could to win. If his efforts were not effective, then it was not his fault, it was the coaches fault for not replacing him with someone more effective. You can blame a coach, but a player is always giving his best, because it makes him look bad when he fails. No player deserves criticism unless he is doing something underhanded such as trying to throw a game on purpose or accepting payments from boosters. The only time a player deserves criticism is when he purposely does things to hurt the team.

I tend to watch a game from the view of coaching. Over the years, I have become convinced that any team is a mirror image of its coaching. If they have too many penalties, it is the coaching. You find some teams that seldom have penalties, that is also coaching. If the team seldom has interceptions, except on poorly thrown balls, then it is a lack of coaching the players for interceptions. If a team fumbles a lot, it is the coaching. You will find teams that seldom fumble because of coaching. You will find some team's defenses that thrive on interceptions, that is good coaching. You can find some teams that seldom allows an offense to complete a pass for third-and-long, that is good coaching. And on-and-on goes the symptoms of good and bad coaching. A good coach will win with average players. Once he starts winning, and the recruits respect him and his systems, they will migrate to him, and he begins to get the better athletes.

So, yes, I follow the coaching as much as the players.

 

[Mack]

I have seen some boards where a few members try to squelch any negative comments about coaching. They somehow think the person making the comment is not a true Tech fan. Personally, I have made some negative remarks about coaching, but never about a player. I can assure this board and others that I have been a Tech fan before many have been a twinkle in the eye of their father. You can call me a sidewalk fan, and that does not bother me. and others, who came up in times where a person had to work and no parents to provide their college payments. I believe us old-timers have proven to be more loyal as Tech fans than most who attended Tech. I have been a Tech fan since the mid forties when Dodd became the head coach, and I am still here.

I have seen some good coaching and some bad coaching during the 68 some-odd years I have followed Tech and College football in general. I am glad that this site allows a person to voice his opinion about the coaching. I understand things can become too negative, but it is always a good thing to allow balanced voices. If you do not have both sides of a debate, then the debate is worthless. I do not think it is a bad thing to mention a player's name and suggestions regarding his position or effectiveness in a given game, but I do not think it is appropriate to debase an athlete for his efforts. One of the worst saga of fan attacks I have seen on a board was the constant criticism of Reggie Ball. Reggie Ball did all he could to win. If his efforts were not effective, then it was not his fault, it was the coaches fault for not replacing him with someone more effective. You can blame a coach, but a player is always giving his best, because it makes him look bad when he fails. No player deserves criticism unless he is doing something underhanded such as trying to throw a game on purpose or accepting payments from boosters. The only time a player deserves criticism is when he purposely does things to hurt the team.

I tend to watch a game from the view of coaching. Over the years, I have become convinced that any team is a mirror image of its coaching. If they have too many penalties, it is the coaching. You find some teams that seldom have penalties, that is also coaching. If the team seldom has interceptions, except on poorly thrown balls, then it is a lack of coaching the players for interceptions. If a team fumbles a lot, it is the coaching. You will find teams that seldom fumble because of coaching. You will find some team's defenses that thrive on interceptions, that is good coaching. You can find some teams that seldom allows an offense to complete a pass for third-and-long, that is good coaching. And on-and-on goes the symptoms of good and bad coaching. A good coach will win with average players. Once he starts winning, and the recruits respect him and his systems, they will migrate to him, and he begins to get the better athletes.

So, yes, I follow the coaching as much as the players.

Good response Rod..if this is a pro PJ or a anti PJ board I will not be here long.I like to call it like I see it.Yeah dont like the option and said so on many boards and do not like the idea of calling a player out.Now I have watched Tech for over 60 yrs also and one thing always stood out when a Dodd team hit the field...They were ready to play and appeared to be enjoying it.I must admit at times at tech I have not seen any rah rah on the field and that is coaching in my book.When i coached yrs ago and I am not now or then the best coach there was ,but my job was to make sure during the week my guys were talking about the game and mentally preparing themselves for the game.I sat live during the NCS game few yrs ago and watched a pretty bad effort.Now if that is the coaches fault then I think he takes a hit.That is what he or she is paid for...to be ready to play and play to the best of your ability.Tech has always capitalized on turnovers and field position and no mistakes under Dodd and even Dodd when he quick kicked or punted on third down got boos...Yeah I heard them first hand yet when the other team fumbled the punt.......Dodds Luck held out again.Lets talk football and have a good time.Glad you are on the board.We need in my humble opinion older and more seasoned guys........which means we need a bunch of old farts.Have a good one.

 

[Rodney Kent]

Mack, thanks for the response. I think maybe you, I, and all the older guys were spoiled by Dodd. He not only was a good game day coach, but he was a pure gentleman and enjoyed life. The only thing I faulted about Dodd was his kicking on third down. There is no way you could do that in today's games as most offenses are too high powered to allow them to have the ball.

 

[AE 87]

I have seen some boards where a few members try to squelch any negative comments about coaching. They somehow think the person making the comment is not a true Tech fan. Personally, I have made some negative remarks about coaching, but never about a player. I can assure this board and others that I have been a Tech fan before many have been a twinkle in the eye of their father. You can call me a sidewalk fan, and that does not bother me. and others, who came up in times where a person had to work and no parents to provide their college payments. I believe us old-timers have proven to be more loyal as Tech fans than most who attended Tech. I have been a Tech fan since the mid forties when Dodd became the head coach, and I am still here.

I have seen some good coaching and some bad coaching during the 68 some-odd years I have followed Tech and College football in general. I am glad that this site allows a person to voice his opinion about the coaching. I understand things can become too negative, but it is always a good thing to allow balanced voices. If you do not have both sides of a debate, then the debate is worthless. I do not think it is a bad thing to mention a player's name and suggestions regarding his position or effectiveness in a given game, but I do not think it is appropriate to debase an athlete for his efforts. One of the worst saga of fan attacks I have seen on a board was the constant criticism of Reggie Ball. Reggie Ball did all he could to win. If his efforts were not effective, then it was not his fault, it was the coaches fault for not replacing him with someone more effective. You can blame a coach, but a player is always giving his best, because it makes him look bad when he fails. No player deserves criticism unless he is doing something underhanded such as trying to throw a game on purpose or accepting payments from boosters. The only time a player deserves criticism is when he purposely does things to hurt the team.

I tend to watch a game from the view of coaching. Over the years, I have become convinced that any team is a mirror image of its coaching. If they have too many penalties, it is the coaching. You find some teams that seldom have penalties, that is also coaching. If the team seldom has interceptions, except on poorly thrown balls, then it is a lack of coaching the players for interceptions. If a team fumbles a lot, it is the coaching. You will find teams that seldom fumble because of coaching. You will find some team's defenses that thrive on interceptions, that is good coaching. You can find some teams that seldom allows an offense to complete a pass for third-and-long, that is good coaching. And on-and-on goes the symptoms of good and bad coaching. A good coach will win with average players. Once he starts winning, and the recruits respect him and his systems, they will migrate to him, and he begins to get the better athletes.

So, yes, I follow the coaching as much as the players.

Just so you know, I'm one of the guys that may come off as trying to shut down complaints about the coach.

For what it's worth, I don't have a problem with people bringing up complaints and negative opinions. I have a problem with people offering negative opinions without being willing to support them or to discuss their reasons for their opinion.

 

[Rodney Kent]

AE 87: I assure that I will discuss any of my remarks if requested to do so. However, I am not one to retaliate when someone posts a negative remark about me or my post. I just assume that is their right to have their own opinion, so I leave it at that unless I am specifically asked a question by the poster, or asked to explain my remarks.