Where would the learned of you place Adam ( I got this!) Gotsis

[augustabuzz]

Would be great to see high light film of him.
His first year at Tech he absolutely butchered the uga offensive line and Tech pulled a 6-0 upset.

He did that to Southern Cal and Notre Dame as well, although ND was in 1970.

 

[Essobee]

Perdoni was the most physical pound for pound of any football player I ever saw at any school ever.

I wouldn't argue against Perdoni, all 233 lbs. of him, but that was a different era with different support, competition, schemes, and rules. IIRC, Tech had an outstanding offensive guard during Perdoni's time that weighed all of 210 lbs. Perdoni would be a very formidable force against such competition. OTOH, Gotsis took on 310+ lb. offensive linemen, often two at a time, and more than held his own.

 

[OldJacketFan]

I wouldn't argue against Perdoni, all 233 lbs. of him, but that was a different era with different support, competition, schemes, and rules. IIRC, Tech had an outstanding offensive guard during Perdoni's time that weighed all of 210 lbs. Perdoni would be a very formidable force against such competition. OTOH, Gotsis took on 310+ lb. offensive linemen, often two at a time, and more than held his own.

When you talk about different generations I think you have to look at a players contemporaries. Perdoni blew up his opposition as did Gotsis, but in my opinion he was tremendously more disruptive. I'm not quite old enough to have truly vivid memories of Rock but what I remember is the awe he was held in. I take nothing away from Adam, I think he will translate very well to the NFL but Perdoni is one of Tech greatest players.

 

[Boomergump]

One thing I will remember about Gotsis is his trajectory was rising every year. He went from a "need a body" DL his true freshmen year...to occupy the OL enough for our LBs to make a play his sophomore year...to a legitimate P5 DL who could play the run and get to the QB...to a force on the interior that offenses had to game plan around. His game against FSU was one of the best performances from a GT DT I can remember.

The thing is, he still has not reached his full potential. The guy did not have much help during his career, and took on a lot of double teams. He's probably playing SDE on the next level, but his versatility to play inside and outside as well as his ceiling are getting high reviews from the NFL types.

Wish him well...one of my favorite players during the CPJ era.

I would also like to add that if we were a different school than GT, we probably would have been able to RS Gotsis as a frosh and we would still have him next year. Assuming no injury, by next year, Adam would be a force.

 

[Techster]

I would also like to add that if we were a different school than GT, we probably would have been able to RS Gotsis as a frosh and we would still have him next year. Assuming no injury, by next year, Adam would be a force.

Also keep in mind Adam came in as a 20 year old, so his 2 year delay in enrolling can be viewed as a redshirt from a physical maturity standpoint. I think where redshirting would have helped is development of the game from a mental and experience standpoint since he would have been able to learn how to play the position on this level for a year instead of trial by fire like he did.

 

[iceeater1969]

I would also like to add that if we were a different school than GT, we probably would have been able to RS Gotsis as a frosh and we would still have him next year. Assuming no injury, by next year, Adam would be a force.

Seems like we had to play him out of position due to recruiting / attrition. I think he would have shined as de.

 

[Sideways]

Would be great to see high light film of him.
His first year at Tech he absolutely butchered the ug offensive line and Tech pulled a 6-0 upset.

An unusually quick player for his position. Kind of short but explosive. Very difficult for just about anyone to handle one on one. Similar to Virginia Tech's tandem of short, quick defensive tackles: Luther Maddy and I forget the other one's name. Rock came to us out of junior college and was oven ready from the very start. Having Gebhardt on the other side at end helped. Those teams pretty well mirrored their coach. Bud Carson who was old school out hit and out condition the other team Boy, howdy those teams would hit you.

 

[augustabuzz]

I wouldn't argue against Perdoni, all 233 lbs. of him, but that was a different era with different support, competition, schemes, and rules. IIRC, Tech had an outstanding offensive guard during Perdoni's time that weighed all of 210 lbs. Perdoni would be a very formidable force against such competition. OTOH, Gotsis took on 310+ lb. offensive linemen, often two at a time, and more than held his own.

I remember Rock knocked out the 1st team All-American guard from Notre Dame.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

The Southern Cal game was a heart breaker. Tech led the number one team in the nation late into the fourth quarter primarily due to the defense shutting them down. My memory was it was a fourth and long play that Tech needed a stop on to win the game but someone in the secondary fell down and the USC receiver went all the way for a touchdown. Tech tried and onside kick and Southern Cal recovered it and scored again on a disheartened team.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I wouldn't argue against Perdoni, all 233 lbs. of him, but that was a different era with different support, competition, schemes, and rules. IIRC, Tech had an outstanding offensive guard during Perdoni's time that weighed all of 210 lbs. Perdoni would be a very formidable force against such competition. OTOH, Gotsis took on 310+ lb. offensive linemen, often two at a time, and more than held his own.

I remembered him playing at 245 but Wikipedia had him listed at 275. But he was a "short" 5'11" with a V-shaped torso, very wide shoulders and powerful legs. His center of gravity was low and he always seemed to get leverage on the opposing player.

 

[CrackerJacket]

I recall a great comment on Perdoni by Assistant Coach **** Bestwick: "He's not big enough, but he doesn't know it." Fine college player in the 70s, but everybody's so much bigger now.

Gotsis has been our best quite a while. Just remember how much better the line was with him in the game than without him.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I have little faith in a better DL next year. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was worse. We need these young guys to grow up in a hurry and we desperately need Keshun to return to form. I've just about given up on Kallon making good on all that recruiting hype. We also lose a bunch of vets in the secondary. Our D could reach historic lows next year and I'm usually the up beat optimist.

 

[LongforDodd]

I remembered him playing at 245 but Wikipedia had him listed at 275. But he was a "short" 5'11" with a V-shaped torso, very wide shoulders and powerful legs. His center of gravity was low and he always seemed to get leverage on the opposing player.

I doubt very seriously that Guido played at 275 in 1969-70. I faintly remember him at games and he sure may have been 5'-11" but 275? Don't ask me how I know but at a certain neighborhood SEC school in 1977 the heaviest guy on the team was an OT was that weight (275) and he was 6'-5".

 

[takethepoints]

Anson Mount put it best when he made Rock a 1st team Playboy AA (yes, I read it in those days). Quote Anson, "The other first team defensive tackle is Rock Perdoni of Georgia Tech, the most fierce tackler we've seen in a lifetime of watching the game. Perdoni terrorized opposing quarterbacks last year … " and I can't remember the rest. Quite accurate.

Also, I think Perdoni would be as good in today's game as he was then. We saw him in another uniform a couple of years ago: Aaron McDonald from Pitt. McDonald was a bit heavier (supposedly; he didn't look any 270 to me), but had the same quick first step, the same nose for the ball, the same relentlessness, and the same ability to get under a block and shed it. The one thing that wasn't equal was the explosion on hits. Perdoni simply blew opposing O players up; that's the only way I can think of to describe it. I can remember yelling, "Have Mercy!" after a couple of them. Not, mind, that I wanted Rock to show any.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Also, I think Perdoni would be as good in today's game as he was then.

I agree with you. Apparently, when no NFL team wanted to take a chance on him, he went to Canada and had a stellar career while adding another 30 pounds to his frame.

Perdoni somehow seemed to be able to hit the offensive lineman before the offensive lineman hit him. This explosiveness couple with how he took every one of his 245 pounds and focused it on a small area of the opposing player's frame, would still work today.

For some reason, back in the day, there were a lot of Italian body builders, of which Perdoni was one. All of those guys looked like they would be a handful on the football field.

 

[33jacket]

I have little faith in a better DL next year. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was worse. We need these young guys to grow up in a hurry and we desperately need Keshun to return to form. I've just about given up on Kallon making good on all that recruiting hype. We also lose a bunch of vets in the secondary. Our D could reach historic lows next year and I'm usually the up beat optimist.

There is a reason many don't agree with and its not all players. 4 years is long enough to at least show a positive TREND on D. And it won't.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

There is a reason many don't agree with and its not all players. 4 years is long enough to at least show a positive TREND on D. And it won't.

Are you as equally warm to Pelton?

 

[Essobee]

Interesting side note to all this: Perdoni came to us from junior college and Gotsis from Australia. IOW, we got kinda lucky in our recruiting to get these guys. Over the years, we've had to convert lots of players to the defensive line (e.g., Coleman Rudolph) simply because it hasn't been easy to get the big uglies. Even our outstanding defensive tackle Larry Stallings went on to play linebacker in the pros, IIRC.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I remembered him playing at 245 but Wikipedia had him listed at 275. But he was a "short" 5'11" with a V-shaped torso, very wide shoulders and powerful legs. His center of gravity was low and he always seemed to get leverage on the opposing player.

Now that I read this it doesn't look right. I was a young kid so this is a memory from a long time ago. My memory is that Tech led 18-15 with a chance for the win, a defender fell down on a fourth and long play and USC scored and some how scored twice late to win 29-18. I do not recall now exactly how that happened but I remember Al Ciraldo saying with loud lamentation, "Now the wheels have completely fallen off for Tech."

 

[Skeptic]

I still think we would've beat UNC if he didn't get ejected.

Yes. And if you really want to mess with your mind ask how we might have done had Gotsis not been hurt, and had Hunt-Days played anywhere near the level that Mason said he saw in practice. Or had he not gained all that weight and stayed at LB.