Will Georgia Tech Be The Most Improved Team in ACC This Year?

[GTNavyNuke]

Penalties and Turnovers...

And FGs and ST coverage and returns.

And competent clock management.

 

[bobongo]

I keep saying that 7 wins is very doable. I’m optimistic. Could Tech win fewer and I still be satisfied? Sure!

Improvement to me would be clean, crisp, mistake-free football in all phases of the game. If we get that then 7 wins is not a prerequisite for me feeling like we are on the right track. But five wins or fewer is only going to happen if we continue the mistakes of last season.

We'll be improved all around as far as ability, personnel-wise. Just as an armchair fan, I think the x factor is the coaching, but I know that's very vague.
Folks who have played and/or coached the game will understand far better than I how that works, and what exactly the coaches need to do to improve.

 

[YJMD]

Only thing that should regress is punting.

 

[85Escape]

I think we'll have a better win/loss record. Will it be enough to feel 'good' about? That will likely depend how improved we are in executing our plan. If we got really lucky and all 22 starters for every opponent we played this year was out for covid protocols, then I'm guessing we'd have a better win/loss without necessarily having much improvement over last year. On the other hand if we are in every game to the last possession and end up only winning 5 because we just don't yet have the mental toughness/development from our young players to close the door, I'll take that as a huge improvement and boding well for the growth of the program.

Anyone who drives performance (equipment, cars, teams) knows that a start-up requires you to monitor the process measures more than the outcome measures for the early stages. Otherwise you'll jerk the process around tuning knobs willy-nilly in a vain attempt to find the 'magic miracle' rather than learning to control the process and tune it to high and predictable performance.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I think we'll have a better win/loss record. Will it be enough to feel 'good' about? That will likely depend how improved we are in executing our plan. If we got really lucky and all 22 starters for every opponent we played this year was out for covid protocols, then I'm guessing we'd have a better win/loss without necessarily having much improvement over last year. On the other hand if we are in every game to the last possession and end up only winning 5 because we just don't yet have the mental toughness/development from our young players to close the door, I'll take that as a huge improvement and boding well for the growth of the program.

Anyone who drives performance (equipment, cars, teams) knows that a start-up requires you to monitor the process measures more than the outcome measures for the early stages. Otherwise you'll jerk the process around tuning knobs willy-nilly in a vain attempt to find the 'magic miracle' rather than learning to control the process and tune it to high and predictable performance.

I’m a big believer in process and see it as indispensable in any organization. Some will always think you are doing too much talking, having too many meetings, and that you just need to grab the bull by the horns and get stuff done. But establishing the culture, planning for quality control and nurturing leaders has to happen first.

Coach Bobby Ross was a believer in process also. He was also humble enough to recognize that no matter where you are in the process things will happen that are beyond your control.

 

[Sheboygan]

I voted most likely, because I feel we will be one of the most improved. Louisville and FSU were both trainwrecks, too. But because FSU still seems to get way too much
media hype, they will get named the most improved, despite our fan base feeling otherwise. Plus FSU has a slightly less difficult schedule than we do, IMO.

 

[Buzztheirazz]

Only thing that should regress is punting.

Collins said that last year we could only directional punt and this year we can directional punt and also kick rugby right or rugby left….

 

[bke1984]

Should be - if not I think we've got serious problems

 

[gville_jacket]

Collins said that last year we could only directional punt and this year we can directional punt and also kick rugby right or rugby left….

More options for creative play call doesn’t always mean better. Harvin didn’t need options. He punts big bombs.

 

[LibertyTurns]

Collins said that last year we could only directional punt and this year we can directional punt and also kick rugby right or rugby left….

Was he watching the same punter we were watching?

 

[bobongo]

Collins said that last year we could only directional punt and this year we can directional punt and also kick rugby right or rugby left….

I don't understand what that means.

 

[pinglett]

I don't understand what that means.

Which part?

 

[bobongo]

Which part?

All of it. What is a "directional punt"? I thought all punts went in the downfield direction, unless it's a coffin corner kick (which nobody does anymore). What does he mean by saying we could "only" directional punt? What is "rugby right" and "rugby left"? Is that an out-of-bounds punt? The whole thing sounds like nonsense.

Is this like snipe hunting?

 

[Buzztheirazz]

Directional is a normal punt to the right or to the left.

Rugby right is running the punter to the right and then having him kick and vice versa.

I guess shanahan can Rugby kick with both feet.

 

[bobongo]

Directional is a normal punt to the right or to the left.

Rugby right is running the punter to the right and then having him kick and vice versa.

I guess shanahan can kick with both feet.

Thanks for explaining. I hope we leave that rugby stuff to rugby. Sounds like a good way to get one blocked.

 

[85Escape]

There is a value to rugby style kicks, and they are becoming more a part of the game. For one thing, it puts pressure on the receiving team to have a balanced block rush. That means less of a set up for the return as more players have to be dedicated to the rush rather than the return. The second is it gives your gunners more time to get downfield to handle the punt, relying less on hang-time and more on the extra second or so you get from a rugby kick. Finally, it is a more offensive way to punt as you can punt at weaknesses better rather than just punch it high to either the left or the right. It is like the read-option of punts...you punt based on what you see post-snap rather than pre-snap reads.

I am totally not qualified to explain this, and may have gotten some of it wrong. But that is what I've observed and I'm totally open for correction if I'm wrong (not that you guys wait for permission to correct anyone you believe doesn't have it 'right', lol.)

 

[gtrower]

Rewatching the condensed games from last year 4 areas stood out to me that we were really, really bad.

- Kicking
- LB speed
- OT play
- Protecting the ball at QB

First one is obvious and everybody saw it. It made the FSU game close with 7 points left on the field. We ran a fake punt from BCs 29 yard line into their regular 4-3 defense in the 1Q. Just a pitiful display all year.

- Curry made some plays and will always be a leader for us. But it’s painful watching him on some of these replays. Schemed TFL turning into chunk plays because they see him coming and just bounce it outside and he’s left in the dust after two steps.

- 3/4 probably go hand in hand. True frosh QB turning the ball over isnt news. Quinney / Williams we’re getting flat out whipped though. Williams often just blowing assignments completely (again not news for a true frosh) and Quinney often getting abused.

The good news is we’ve addressed the first 3 with quality transfers and the last one you’d expect to improve greatly in year 2 for Sims.

The only area I’d expect a step back of any kind is Punter. Which will hopefully be mitigated by fewer punts. 100% confident we will be most improved. Every single media preview I’ve seen has us picked 6th in the Coastal with an air of pity.

We have a talented DT QB, the best RB in the league, and the 5th most talented team in the league. We’re gonna turn some heads against the non-playoff teams on our schedule. If we had VPI’s schedule we’d be looking at 7.5 wins O/U.

 

[bobongo]

There is a value to rugby style kicks, and they are becoming more a part of the game. For one thing, it puts pressure on the receiving team to have a balanced block rush. That means less of a set up for the return as more players have to be dedicated to the rush rather than the return. The second is it gives your gunners more time to get downfield to handle the punt, relying less on hang-time and more on the extra second or so you get from a rugby kick. Finally, it is a more offensive way to punt as you can punt at weaknesses better rather than just punch it high to either the left or the right. It is like the read-option of punts...you punt based on what you see post-snap rather than pre-snap reads.

I am totally not qualified to explain this, and may have gotten some of it wrong. But that is what I've observed and I'm totally open for correction if I'm wrong (not that you guys wait for permission to correct anyone you believe doesn't have it 'right', lol.)

Well that makes sense. And I guess there's also advantage in having a punter who can improvise a kick with either foot in a pinch, too.
I wish we could rediscover the coffin-corner kick. Aren't too many punters who can do that very well, any more, or even try. Best coffin-corner kicker I ever saw was John James of the Falcons back in the 70's.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

Well that makes sense. And I guess there's also advantage in having a punter who can improvise a kick with either foot in a pinch, too.
I wish we could rediscover the coffin-corner kick. Aren't too many punters who can do that very well, any more, or even try. Best coffin-corner kicker I ever saw was John James of the Falcons back in the 70's.

I have lunch with John every Monday. He is the most humble guy I know and never talks about his football days. So I never bring it up.

But, yeah, he pinned a lot of teams deep with his punts that seemed to have the right balance of distance and hang time.

 

[bobongo]

I have lunch with John every Monday. He is the most humble guy I know and never talks about his football days. So I never bring it up.

But, yeah, he pinned a lot of teams deep with his punts that seemed to have the right balance of distance and hang time.

Had a good aim, too. He could punch it out of bounds inside the 5 very reliably. Best I ever saw at that. But I guess it's gotten rarer because field goal kickers have gotten better. Aren't as many punts from around the 40 to 45 yard line as there used to be. It's a lost art.