Where is Everyone's Mindset Right Now?

[Chas_Jacket]

We a pretty good team down on our luck. We are a few points and a bad bounce from being 7-1. If we were a very good team we could have overcome these - but we are not there. If we can man up and beat a good VT team, I think we beat Duke and have a shot against UGA. Regardless I am always impressed by our young SA’s not giving up and playing hard every week. I could barely make it through every quarter and the most strenuous thing I did was the daily trudge up the hill.

 

[Treb1982]

Expectations prior to the start of the year was 8-4 to 9-3.... Just really disappointed that we could be 7-1....being 4-4 with playing two really good teams 5-6 to 6-6 looks like more of the outcome...praying we beat UGA

 

[OldJacketFan]

Did anyone crap on the players? I dont see that. I see some critical analysis of our coaches who get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to make our programs competitive who when they put our SAs in positions to fail are ABSOLUTELY open to questioning and criticism.

I think you need to reread it and try to learn to be a little less blind to failure.

I did read you post and yes, you shat all over the team. Cant get excited, neutered, numb..................all words describing your apathy. That, my friend, is ample proof that you've given up and couldn't care less the SAs are still busting their arses in prep for the chokies and the rest of the season. Do us all a favor, turn your TV off, turn your laptop off and spare us your hand wringing and whining for the rest of the season.

 

[wvGT11]

Frustrated, but if you're a GT football fan and have been for a while you know this roller coaster all too well. Some people have only seen the CPJ years, I've seen his and Chan's and this is still better.
We win games we were not supposed to and lose horribly to games we should have won.
I think everyone who is pissed just needs to step back and see the bigger picture and understand this feeling, as its been feeling that Tech fans have dealt with for a long time.

 

[g0lftime]

I thought gymnastics was the hardest thing I ever had to do at Tech. Drown proofing wasn't nearly as bad. Thanks to coach Plaxico for that C. That's back in the day of 6 quarters of PE.

 

[InsideLB]

Our offensive line started out razor thin and lost Marshall immediately in preseason. Since then we've had injuries to several starters and back ups that have limited time, and guys have had to play hurt. The drop in performance and bump up in competition (toughest remaining schedule in D-1) have taken their toll on our offensive performance. In 2015 people said JT regressed, but it was really about the supporting cast. Marshall appears to be regressing...but it's easy to regress when the blocking you were getting is no longer there and you are facing stout D-lines.

I think we just have to keep manning up and fighting through it. It's one thing to lose and it's another thing to be beaten. We have some L's to be sure but I have not seen the fight go out of our bunch. We are capable of beating VT, but--like the Clemson game--catching a good team after a loss is never ideal. Gotta man up and get it done.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

There we go again! "He doesnt blindly accept inconsistent results, that man is a troll!" If thats a troll then by god id rather be a troll than fan who cannot hold anyone accountable when expectstions are not met.

I didn't call you a troll, I said that this post was a great thread because it will draw the trolls. I respect differing opinions. I'm pretty sure @Jmonty71 and I differ greatly on our opinions on the D, and we'll rip each other apart here on the blogs, then turn around and share a beer at the tailgates together.

This thread, however, is trollish, as evidenced by the choices in your poll questions, and as such, it will draw all the blog trolls like flies to, well, you know. So we can have debates, and I enjoy good debates, as long as we stick to facts, and not feelings. Asking where everyone's "head is at," however, is a good question if you're wiling to accept all the answers. My head is looking forward to seeing our boys take two in a row against VPISU this Saturday. If you will be there, and want to join us, contact @Supersizethatorder-mutt and he can get you directions to our tailgate. If not, then I hope you can make it to a game soon and cheer on our boys in person.

 

[InsideLB]

Our offensive line started out razor thin and lost Marshall immediately in preseason. Since then we've had injuries to several starters and back ups that have limited time, and guys have had to play hurt. The drop in performance and bump up in competition (toughest remaining schedule in D-1) have taken their toll on our offensive performance. In 2015 people said JT regressed, but it was really about the supporting cast. Marshall appears to be regressing...but it's easy to regress when the blocking you were getting is no longer there and you are facing stout D-lines.

I think we just have to keep manning up and fighting through it. It's one thing to lose and it's another thing to be beaten. We have some L's to be sure but I have not seen the fight go out of our bunch. We are capable of beating VT, but--like the Clemson game--catching a good team after a loss is never ideal. Gotta man up and get it done.

Also wanted to add that--like in 2015--defenses are lining up and attacking us.....putting 8 or 9 in the box and daring us to beat them with the pass. We aren't blocking well enough to loosen defenses up, so they'll keep doing this. I was suprised we ran no screens vs UVA....it was a play I thought might go.

I'd also like to see a sprint draw to Benson like we did with Dwyer. Benson is shifty, fast, and creative enough to make that play work.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I just hope for a dry field again. We are a good team on a dry field, not so much on a wet one.

 

[jacketup]

My mindset is generally the same as it has been since 2005. Gailey's third season in 2004 convinced me he would never get it done. In 2005 Braine gave him a raise and extension while announcing that GT football may have some randomly good years but would always return to a mediocre norm. I didn't--and don't--buy Braine's point of view, but since most GT fans seem to agree with Braine, we have been a mediocre program ever since Braine erased the Homer Rice culture.

I just saw this post this morning. Not sure who wrote it, but it is prophetic, even if posted on a Georgia board. http://georgiasports.blogspot.com/2009/01/dave-braine-will-keep-screwing-gteven.html

Hoping Stansbury will pull us out of the current culture, but it has been a tough 15-16 years since Gailey was hired.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Don't really see the way I feel. I still want to watch our team, but this has been a very difficult season to watch and have to understand.

 

[gtg936g]

Ready to beat the hell out of VT is where my mind is at. I don’t get all the doom and gloom. Football only lasts 4 months of the year and then it will be gone. As long as we have another game to play I am excited.

 

[SidewalkJacket]

Hoping Stansbury will pull us out of the current culture, but it has been a tough 15-16 years since Gailey was hired.

First post for me in a couple weeks. The board is doing it's typical thing after a bad loss. I predict a lot of these folks will be short-timers and hopefully old regulars will return to the discussion.

But it's statements like the one I quoted that get to me. Some ppl think GT football operates in a vacuum. "Just win, baby" is their mentality. They give no credence to arguments about the culture of CFB, no credence to academic hurdles, no credence to $$$. They either aren't very intelligent, tbh, or they simply enjoy arguing on the internet.

Also, regarding the years since CCG's hire, you think it's been tough? What about the 15 years before 2002 made those 15 years so much better than these 15 years? Yes we won a MNC. Besides that, there was one ACC title game appearance. One 10 win season. Multiple losing seasons. Brother, I'll take the last 15 years over the 15 before that any day.

 

[Jacket in Dairyland]

I am hopeful that CPJ will try some new wrinkles : LJ and TM in the same backfield, screen passes ( as mentioned), planned QB draws, legal picks by the WRs to rub off man to man coverage, etc. Got to find a way to back those LBs and safeties up a few yards to get out of 3rd and long so much. Defenses have moved the "true" line of scrimmage into our backfield. Will the stubborn coach do that or keep blaming missed assignments?

 

[SidewalkJacket]

I am hopeful that CPJ will try some new wrinkles : LJ and TM in the same backfield

What coach in the history of football has decided to put 2 QBs in the backfield at the same time when the offense struggles?

screen passes ( as mentioned), planned QB draws

Screens and draws work when defenses blitz. Teams don't blitz us.

legal picks by the WRs to rub off man to man coverage

90% of the time we are balanced, with a WR split to each side and ABs lining up in the backfield. Please diagram and show how we need to run picks on pass routes.

Will the stubborn coach do that or keep blaming missed assignments?

When we fail on offense due to missed assignments, I hope he will continue to blame missed assignments.

 

[JorgeJonas]

So since when did having critical feelings towards your favorite football program when they continually FAIL to meet expectations and continually FAIL to sustain success all of a sudden becoms the definition of a troll? Troll is becoming just as overused and abused and misconstrued as the word "homer".

I have maintained since the beginning of spring camp that this was the year we should finally follow up a 9+ win season with a similarly successful season. That meant winning 2-4 of Miami, VT, Clemson and UGA. It did not include losing to UT (who is hot garbage come to find out) and UVA. I have maintained I would be extremely disappointed if we did not meet that expectation I had. All the tools are there. This team cannot finish. This team cannot put together back to back good seasons under Paul Johnson. Highs are high but the lows are really low. There is no consistency.

2015 it was injuries. 2017 it is rain. Whats the next excuse? You know there is a chance its going to rain in these games. Why are you not spending practice time pitching and throwing a wet football to prepare your team. UGA spends practice time with wet balls weekly rain or shine. This is called attention to detail. Its called coaching. The fact that our team is so woefully unprepared the minute adversity hits is a direct result of the coaches not putting them into positions to succeed. Then we have to listen to our coach get pissy with the media while he blames everybody but himself or blames injuries and the weather.

Coach Paul Johnson has some serious **** to address. Special teams is still a crap show 9 years into this. The offensive line still underperforms in years where we have loads of experience and they still cant passblock a fart from wafting into our QBs delicate nostrils. The defense has ZERO pass rush.

All of these things are a constant under PJ. Just like 11-3 seasons followed by 3-9, followed by 9-4 followed by 5-6 (most likely). If you want to continue to make excuses for this then by all means continue. I wont apologize for demanding better even if I have to question the "we cant do any better than Paul Johnson". He has given us some great years. He has also given us some really crappy years. What he hasnt given us is really good years followed by pretty good years (8-9 wins). Its either 9+ or 7 or less. Thats why we dont get better in recruiting nor garner any respect nationally or from
Atlanta media. We cannot sustain success. It always comes down to "oh well we are 1 or 2 plays away from being 10-2 instead of 6-6". Im tired of that ****. Well coaches teams make thoss 1 to 2 plays. But here we are again this season saying the same ****. Failure to execute in those critical moments is coaching. Not bad luck. We have a pattern here and luck has nothing to do with it.

This is the type of nonsense that makes me lose interest in this board. There are 65 major conference schools (including Notre Dame). We pay about 40th, so in the 3rd quartile. We have fans who don’t go to games, don’t contribute, and complain like they’re entitled to something.

The margin is small, because we're part of the sport’s middle class. This is neither new nor surprising.

 

[Augusta_Jacket]

What coach in the history of football has decided to put 2 QBs in the backfield at the same time when the offense struggles?



Screens and draws work when defenses blitz. Teams don't blitz us.



90% of the time we are balanced, with a WR split to each side and ABs lining up in the backfield. Please diagram and show how we need to run picks on pass routes.



When we fail on offense due to missed assignments, I hope he will continue to blame missed assignments.

Way too much logic in this post...

 

[65Jacket]

I'm just really depressed by what has happened to a team that deserves much more. We've lost two games by one point, just bad breaks. We've lost three games that the field was unplayable and really screwed up our offensive system. With any good luck at all, we would be 7-1 and enjoying the ride. And the mighty mutts are enjoying a cup cake schedule with the Sun usually on their field. We could easily lose the rest of our games or win the rest of them as underdogs. I predict that it will rain at Duke and that will favor them, otherwise we are far better.

 

[Sideways]

Our offensive line started out razor thin and lost Marshall immediately in preseason. Since then we've had injuries to several starters and back ups that have limited time, and guys have had to play hurt. The drop in performance and bump up in competition (toughest remaining schedule in D-1) have taken their toll on our offensive performance. In 2015 people said JT regressed, but it was really about the supporting cast. Marshall appears to be regressing...but it's easy to regress when the blocking you were getting is no longer there and you are facing stout D-lines.

I think we just have to keep manning up and fighting through it. It's one thing to lose and it's another thing to be beaten. We have some L's to be sure but I have not seen the fight go out of our bunch. We are capable of beating VT, but--like the Clemson game--catching a good team after a loss is never ideal. Gotta man up and get it done.

I too am kind of numb with the way this season has gone. BUT there is absolutely no quit in this team. A testament to the leadership of the team especially Marshall and the Austins. Virginia Tech is a good team and is ranked deservedly so but they better watch out if GT gets a couple of breaks and an early lead it will be something to see.

 

[tmhunter52]

I might be wrong, but I don't think CPJ gets as "testy" as he has been in press conferences this week when his team is simply outmanned and beaten by superior talent. Frustration comes from being able to do better, but failing to rise to the level of your ability. I want to see our players - on the field and on the sideline - engaged and enthusiastic throughout the game. A little adrenaline goes a long way - a quicker step, a harder hit, a higher jump, a little more confidence and we seem to be just a step, hit, jump and bit of confidence away from being 7-1. It worked for UVA last weekend, I think.