What is your current opinion of CPJ?

What describes your current opinion of CPJ?


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Boomergump

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
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This reminded me of how close we were to a 7 if not 6 win season in 2009.
This is pretty much true and I think it helps to emphasize the point. True, we got the 11 wins and the ring, but was the program really in a better place? Obviously it is debatable. My opinion is that we were not significantly different, but rather, a little more fortunate. In the end, you have to find a way to finish contests and get to the top of your window. We haven't been doing that lately.
 

daBuzz

Ramblin' Wreck
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965
That's a really good point about how little things can make the big difference in seasons. Thinking about this made me remember the 2009 Wake Forest game.

We're in overtime with the ball and WF has already kicked a field goal.
4th and 1 at the 5 yard line. Nesbitt convinces CPJ he can get the first down and Johnson allows him to go for it. Nesbitt converts by getting 2 yards and we get a new set of downs. On the 1st down play afterwards, we score a TD and move 1 step closer to the ACCCG. Had we not converted that 4th and 1, no championship game for us that year.
 
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This is pretty much true and I think it helps to emphasize the point. True, we got the 11 wins and the ring, but was the program really in a better place? Obviously it is debatable. My opinion is that we were not significantly different, but rather, a little more fortunate. In the end, you have to find a way to finish contests and get to the top of your window. We haven't been doing that lately.
Contemporaneous to the 2009 success, many folks were of the opinion that we still had some serious short-comings, and that we had squeaked by for a few of our wins. We had a lot of improvement needed before we could consider ourselves a strong consistent contender. First there was the porous defense. Then the losses to both Georgia and Iowa showed we had not yet arrived and did not have the killer instinct. But there was so much good going on that optimism for the 2010 outweighed the known blemishes. And then we went to Kansas.
 

Eric

Retired Co-Founder
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12,734
That's a really good point about how little things can make the big difference in seasons. Thinking about this made me remember the 2009 Wake Forest game.

We're in overtime with the ball and WF has already kicked a field goal.
4th and 1 at the 5 yard line. Nesbitt convinces CPJ he can get the first down and Johnson allows him to go for it. Nesbitt converts by getting 2 yards and we get a new set of downs. On the 1st down play afterwards, we score a TD and move 1 step closer to the ACCCG. Had we not converted that 4th and 1, no championship game for us that year.

oh yeah, it was like all the good rolls we got from the 08 and 09 season turned the opposite way the last few years.
 

Techster

Helluva Engineer
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17,715
That's a really good point about how little things can make the big difference in seasons. Thinking about this made me remember the 2009 Wake Forest game.

We're in overtime with the ball and WF has already kicked a field goal.
4th and 1 at the 5 yard line. Nesbitt convinces CPJ he can get the first down and Johnson allows him to go for it. Nesbitt converts by getting 2 yards and we get a new set of downs. On the 1st down play afterwards, we score a TD and move 1 step closer to the ACCCG. Had we not converted that 4th and 1, no championship game for us that year.

The thing is, luck/fortune plays a role in a lot of team's seasons. Auburn last year...in back to back weeks no less, was the beneficiary of huge plays falling their way. If you look at all the teams that played for the national championship, you can probably point to a few instances during their season that could have swung either way.

I think the 2009 example of Josh Nesbitt versus Wake was more us having better athletes and just execution. There wasn't a point all throughout the 2009 season if it was 3rd/4th and short that Josh wouldn't have converted...or that was our belief (and CPJ's given how often he went for it). That's why Josh gets the reputation for being "clutch" with our fanbase. Nesbitt on the midline keeper was pretty automatic for us.

I think the 2008 FSU game at BDS where luck really helped GT. Cooper Taylor sticking his hat in there and the ball popping into the endzone where a group of Jackets happened to be. Same for he 2008 UGA game when UGA fumbled on the kickoff and the ball just happened to fall into Marcus Wright's hands while he was on the ground.

Every coach will tell you that during the course of a season, there are a few plays that have to go your way to have a really special season. Sometimes they go your way, sometimes they don't.
 

GTRX7

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Luck is luck, but I think a lot of it has been of our own making. We have had a TON of chances to put away some significant games in the last few years where certainly our defense, and to some extent our offense, just couldn't get it done when they needed to (think '11 OT bowl loss, '12 VT & Miami losses, '13 UGA loss, etc.) I don't think those losses were so much "luck," as we just didn't have that final gear. I think guys like Nesbitt, Dwyer, Thomas, Morgan, just had that something extra special to get it done when those situations presented themselves. In the last few years, we just haven't had those same guys (with some exceptions like Godhigh, Golden, Attaouchu, etc.).

I think Thomas might have that something special, and I was certainly hopeful that Custis did. Maybe Smelter will? Certainly Golden does. Autry? Game changers are called that for a reason. I believe this offensive scheme and the talent we have is good enough to keep us in pretty much every single game. That much is proven. However, I am just concerned we don't have enough game changers to finish the close games off against good teams. I hope I am wrong, but we will see.
 

Ggee87

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Douglasville, Georgia
Luck is luck, but I think a lot of it has been of our own making. We have had a TON of chances to put away some significant games in the last few years where certainly our defense, and to some extent our offense, just couldn't get it done when they needed to (think '11 OT bowl loss, '12 VT & Miami losses, '13 UGA loss, etc.) I don't think those losses were so much "luck," as we just didn't have that final gear. I think guys like Nesbitt, Dwyer, Thomas, Morgan, just had that something extra special to get it done when those situations presented themselves. In the last few years, we just haven't had those same guys (with some exceptions like Godhigh, Golden, Attaouchu, etc.).

I think Thomas might have that something special, and I was certainly hopeful that Custis did. Maybe Smelter will? Certainly Golden does. Autry? Game changers are called that for a reason. I believe this offensive scheme and the talent we have is good enough to keep us in pretty much every single game. That much is proven. However, I am just concerned we don't have enough game changers to finish the close games off against good teams. I hope I am wrong, but we will see.
I think CPJ has an affinity for upperclassmen. I agree with the idea that a player is usually better year 5 than in year 1. But at what point does a young player with the IT factor actually get alot of PT over that upperclassmen? I think our problems recently have been us going with the "safe bet", so we dont make a mistake. Instead of taking a chance on a playmaker that might screw up from time to time. JMO
 

Eric

Retired Co-Founder
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12,734
I think CPJ has an affinity for upperclassmen. I agree with the idea that a player is usually better year 5 than in year 1. But at what point does a young player with the IT factor actually get alot of PT over that upperclassmen? I think our problems recently have been us going with the "safe bet", so we dont make a mistake. Instead of taking a chance on a playmaker that might screw up from time to time. JMO

Any examples of this? Because I don't see this from CPJ.
 

dressedcheeseside

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I would assume he was thinking that the Vad versus Tevin thing in 2012 was a case of upperclassman winning out over younger guy because of seniority.
Lol. We all know too well now why Tevin played over Vad and it had nothing to do with some presumed favoritism towards the upperclassman.
 

awbuzz

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Marietta, GA
... still hard pressed to belive CPJ (or any coach) routinely playing an upper classman over any other player that would outplay the upper classman. That just make no sense.
Do folks really believe that they (coaching staff) would jepordize their job an not put the best available players on the field. By "best" I include being able to actually execute properly, not just the best on paper.
 

daBuzz

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
965
Lol. We all know too well now why Tevin played over Vad and it had nothing to do with some presumed favoritism towards the upperclassman.

I wasn't passing judgement one way or the other. I was simply trying to guess what he meant and that was the only explanation I could potentially think of.
 
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