WTF happened...sorta rant

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Augusta, GA
That thought process is why we SUCK. He has had 8 years and you're still making excuses he hasn't had time to get all his players in the system. How long does he need, 10 years oh wait lets give him 20. Maybe by then he'll have it figured out. Supersize that is the funniest thing I've heard today. I'll give you that.
It's not a question of him having had enough time. He didn't have the opportunity to get all his players in the system. NO COACH ANYWHERE can get "his players" if he has recruiting limitations put on him. If he had been able to bring in full recruiting classes every year, then you would have an argument; but he wasn't able to, and you don't.
 

Essobee

Jolly Good Fellow
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Here is what happened, IMHO:

Our expectations were "irrationally exuberant." Our schedule is MUCH more difficult this year than last. Our opponents were for the most part better than last year. None of our opponents took us lightly this year; if anything, they considered this year as payback time for last year. We had graduated some really good seniors at key positons. We had lots of injuries, some devastating. Our team was mostly young, inexperienced, not yet battle-hardened, and softer than they will be in a year or two. Preceding last year, we lost almost what amounted to an entire recruiting year. CPJ said something to the effect that our OL last year was not as good as we thought it was, and without Mason...well, the proof was in the pudding this year. We lost some key defensive players to injury while others, such as JT, played hurt. Etc, etc., etc.

Those of us who were around for the 1980s are perhaps more battle-hardened fans. Curry high-tailed it for greener pastures and Ross almost tossed in the towel before the clouds finally rolled away and Tech won its first national championship since 1952. Then, like Curry, Ross moved on to greener pastures. Then came the L**** fiasco, followed by a brief adjustment that featured 3 straight wins over Ugag thanks to a coach with a questionable resume and who also moved on to greener pastures. Then came a coach who inherited a bad recruiting situation because of prior scholastic dilemmas. Finally, just as that coach had his best recruits just about inked, he was canned and we still had to pay his salary plus the salary of our new coach.

So yeah, we've weathered some pretty tough storms...or character builders as I like to think of them. Last year provided great encouragement with 11 wins, excellent team character, and many good recruits. We can easily weather this year's setback. And we will.
 
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It's not a question of him having had enough time. He didn't have the opportunity to get all his players in the system. NO COACH ANYWHERE can get "his players" if he has recruiting limitations put on him. If he had been able to bring in full recruiting classes every year, then you would have an argument; but he wasn't able to, and you don't.
You are not living in the real world. He has had 7 classes come into Tech. If this isn't his team, then whose is it? Let me guess you want to blame George Bush?
 

bke1984

Helluva Engineer
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3,607
The cold hard fact is Justin Thomas has become a liability. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he is hurt and has been hurt for a while. He does not give us the best chance for success at present.

I can't fault Justin. He has no help anywhere. He's getting killed on every play, and no one else is there to make a play. That being said, with our offensive line being this bad this year, we might have benefited from a bigger QB that can take more of a beating. The midline with Jordan was working a good but yesterday before everything unraveled with turnovers and poor defense. Byerly may have been very useful at times this year.
 
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13,443
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Augusta, GA
You are not living in the real world. He has had 7 classes come into Tech. If this isn't his team, then whose is it? Let me guess you want to blame George Bush?
And how many of those years was he able to recruit a FULL recruiting class? TWO !!! Yes, these are all his players now, and they haven't performed up to expectations, whether because of their (lack of) talent or coaching. Do you not remember that when he arrived, he was immediately hit with recruiting limitations because of "sins" of the past, and that because of DRad's screwup with the NCAA, he was hit with more. And on top of that, DRad consistently refused to increase the recruiting staff. Only when MBob was hired, was Johnson able to hire recruiting assistants like every other school in the country has. YOU are the one not living in the real world and facing up to FACTS. The fact that we could win last year with his recruits and yet not this year would certainly seem to indicate that there is something wrong somewhere in coaching, and Johnson must bear the responsibility for that as HC. I don't deny that, but I also don't believe that the blame can be laid entirely at his feet. If you are going to lay all the blame at his feet, then you must also give him all the credit for 2014. Are you willing to do that?
 
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13,443
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Augusta, GA
You are not living in the real world. He has had 7 classes come into Tech. If this isn't his team, then whose is it? Let me guess you want to blame George Bush?
Are you also not willing to face the fact that we have started or played 23 freshmen and redshirt freshmen due to injuries this year? Do you not believe that has played any part in the implosion this year?
 

jacketup

Helluva Engineer
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1,551
And how many of those years was he able to recruit a FULL recruiting class? TWO !!! Yes, these are all his players now, and they haven't performed up to expectations, whether because of their (lack of) talent or coaching. Do you not remember that when he arrived, he was immediately hit with recruiting limitations because of "sins" of the past, and that because of DRad's screwup with the NCAA, he was hit with more. And on top of that, DRad consistently refused to increase the recruiting staff. Only when MBob was hired, was Johnson able to hire recruiting assistants like every other school in the country has. YOU are the one not living in the real world and facing up to FACTS. The fact that we could win last year with his recruits and yet not this year would certainly seem to indicate that there is something wrong somewhere in coaching, and Johnson must bear the responsibility for that as HC. I don't deny that, but I also don't believe that the blame can be laid entirely at his feet. If you are going to lay all the blame at his feet, then you must also give him all the credit for 2014. Are you willing to do that?

I don't know where you are getting this information. I just re-read the 2011 and 2014 news reports of the probation. GT did not lose scholarships.
Further, the probation happened in 2009 under Johnson's watch. In the 2011 report, the NCAA stated "Head coach Paul Johnson will be required to “attend an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in 2012.”"

This the result of hiring a coach with no experience at the Power 5 level. He never played or coached at this level before GT. Recruiting is a different deal at this level. This is not GSU or Navy.

By the way, Johnson's FBS win % at GT is now slightly less than Gailey's. Gailey did not have prior Power 5 coaching experience, either. The real problem with GT athletics starts at the top with the hiring process and contract negotiations.

Oh, for another Homer Rice and Kim King.
 

Declinometer

Banned
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1,178
How was your body language during the game? I know I was not having a good time. If I were them I doubt I would have a smile on my face, and if someone came up to me and tried to give some Tim Tebowesque pep talk while our third stringers are getting their asses handed to them I would probably just roll my eyes. Due to injuries and youth we have been physically dominated, and I doubt the presence of strong player leadership could have overcome all the challenges this season presented. It will get better, but blaming any one player for the position we are in is ridiculous.
Please tell me who is "blaming" anyone player for the position we are in.
We weren't out of the game when he was sitting on the bench, towel draped over his head, looking detached from the game. Those of you that think he gave a rats *** about the outcome of the game are kidding yourselves. I can only comment on what I see and what I saw was not a leader that I would want to follow into combat.
 

OldJacketFan

Helluva Engineer
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Nashville, TN
Please tell me who is "blaming" anyone player for the position we are in.
We weren't out of the game when he was sitting on the bench, towel draped over his head, looking detached from the game. Those of you that think he gave a rats *** about the outcome of the game are kidding yourselves. I can only comment on what I see and what I saw was not a leader that I would want to follow into combat.

Doubling down on your dump on JeT earlier? My oh, oh my. Such an astute visual from a television screen. Your powers of observation and deduction are nothing short of amazing.
 

Buzz776g

Jolly Good Fellow
Messages
466
What did you see that would lead you to think anything different?
I saw a young man whose every bone, muscle, fiber and cell was hurting. When you are in that much pain -- throwing some emotional pain in there too -- it becomes impossible to look like an enthusiastic leader on TV, even if you are one.

Would you be able to help fire up a son or daughter to do well in some endeavor if you'd been in a wreck the day before? Of course you'd want to ... But if someone put your family room on TV I doubt you'd look like it.
 
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