Sports Columnists

By Real Bird Fan

January 3, 2007 10:50 PM | Link to this

Go Tech!

By jabster

January 3, 2007 10:53 PM | Link to this

Bulldog (and Deacon) Nation:

Please send your thank-you notes as follows:

Messrs. Chandler Gailey and Reginald Ball Georgia Tech Athletic Association 150 Bobby Dodd Way Atlanta, GA 30313

Go ahead and ask for a ticket app while your at it, as we have you on The Flats this year. Your colors may be red and black, but your money’s still green and still supports Georgia Tech Athletics!

By surfrider

January 4, 2007 12:58 AM | Link to this

Great article. This is the question. We were told Gailey wanted to do it the right way. So he redshirted Bennett. No problem there. We were told he yanked Bilbo one week prior to the start of his redshirt sophmore year (remember this Gator bowl Bennett was a redshirt sophmore with little playing time), back to Bilbo, Ball was inserted inorder to win as a true freshman. No problem trying to win. So winning is defined as 6-5, 7-5, etc. That is a problem. So Ball has a completion ratio of less than 50% and points are scarce by the offense in the 49 games totality. Chan Gailey owes a lot of people an explanation. Starting with Bilbo. Then Reggie Ball. Then the players who have been hurt like Calvin Johnson as far as clarity over 3 years of how good he was in NCAA history. And to all the Tech teamates particularly on defense who played their hearts out only to loose 14-10, 15-12, and 9-6. So if Gailey can’t explain this then the administration needs to explain it.

By HUH?

January 4, 2007 01:14 AM | Link to this

Good article, Mr. Bisher. I expected something worse. This one actually had high praises for once. Thanks so much! Taylor Bennett is the man! Calvin, surprise me!

By Crux

January 4, 2007 04:28 AM | Link to this

Good stuff, man! Go Jackets

By Rambler11

January 4, 2007 05:15 AM | Link to this

I’m confused. Is this a compliment or not from Gailey about Bennett (who played beyond my wildest dreams in this game BTW):

“I expected that, when he got his opportunity, he would go out there and play well. So no, he did not exceed my expectations.”

I guess it doesn’t really matter if it’s a compliment or not. It still doesn’t make alot of sense. According to the AJC, Bennett passed for more yards than Reggie Ball managed in any game, any year. And he completed a higher percentage of his passes than Ball ever did against a Division I-A opponent.

So was Gailey expecting Bennett to smoke a Top-15 Team’s Defense? If he wasn’t surprised like just about everyone else (including the WVU Players), then how could he possibly allow Bennett to sit on the sidelines with Reggie Ball going into an obvious meltdown…Which he did so many times this year? I’m really confused and to tell you the truth, pretty angry about this.

Apparently Bennett’s performance was no surprise to his teammates, which begs the question (despite Terrence Moore’s plea to forget about this season. Aren’t we supposed to learn from mistakes so we don’t repeat them? That’s what I learned at Tech anyway.)

Question for GAILEY after Gator Bowl: Are you having second thoughts on not playing Taylor more this season?

“I think what happens is you evaluate each situation as you go through it each week. I would not have changed anything this year in that respect.”

Question for CALVIN J.: (on the play of Taylor Bennett)

“He had a hell of a game. His first big start. He’s going to be a great quarterback. We’ve been going with him for awhile, he’s my roommate, we’re always throwing.”

Question for TASHARD C.: (on Taylor Bennett’s performance)

“Great job. He made one little mistake, but he gave us a chance to win the ballgame, that’s all you can ask for someone in their first start of the season. Everyone in the locker room understood he was going to play a great game.”

If everyone in the locker room (and I wasn’t there, but Choice was) understood Bennett was going to play a great game, then Mr. Terrence Moore, I don’t understand why you say nothing would have changed in ANY game this season if Taylor had started (or at least been put in at some point in quite obvious situations where Ball struggled).

I’m afraid Coach Gailey might have kept Bennett out and Ball in because he made him some kind of promise when he recruited Ball like, “Come play with us and I’ll never take you out of a game no matter what you do unless you’re hurt and tell me to take you out.” Gailey is a man of principles from what I can tell. If he put Ball before Bennett and the team and the fans and everyone else, like it looks on the surface, then I don’t think he should be coaching at GT. Just my 2 cents, but that kind of “loyalty” (as it was called by the announcers of the Gator Bowl at half time) REALLY CONCERNS ME. Coaches are supposed to make decisions based on what’s BEST FOR THE TEAM, not any one player.

By Bisher For President (or at least NEW HEAD COACH of GT FOOTBALL!)

January 4, 2007 05:45 AM | Link to this

BRAVO MR. FURMAN BISHER! The FIRST member of the PRESS to call-out Chan Gailey on what has to be the most puzzling, troubling, inexplicable, frustrating, game-losing STRATEGY employed by Gailey in any season he has coached: LEAVE REGGIE BALL IN NO MATTER WHAT. NEVER PUT BENNETT IN, UNLESS REGGIE FLUNKS OUT. RINSE AND REPEAT.

It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to even the most remote and uninformed Football Fan. Just ask the announcers for the Gator Bowl who quite simply were dumbfounded that Bennett wasn’t ALLOWED to play at all earlier in the season!

Gailey OWES TECH FANS AN EXPLANATION and I think HIS JOB should depend on it! You don’t just “do whatever you want because you’re the head coach by dammit” while GT FANS are screaming for you to do anything BUT let Reggie Ball lose another game…

Chan Gailey was going to start BALL in the Gator Bowl for Heaven’s Sake!? What is up with that? Can you imagine the final score: 38-0 or 38-3 or 38-6…It’s quite obvious Ball had forgotten how to find the endzone.

THIS IS A TRAVESTY! Something isn’t right here and Chan Gailey better put his phone down, get out of his office and GIVE THE TECH FAMILY some kind of explanation or reasoning for NEVER putting Bennett in before HAVING NO CHOICE!!!

Furman Bisher, you’ve got a BRASS SET for writing this! YOU ARE DOING YOUR JOB while your collegue Terrence Moore has turned his back, apparently in support of the Gailey/Ball courtship. Moore’s piece is wussy material…YOU took a stand for us and asked for ANSWERS that we are surely owed by a coach making $1 MILLION per year!

PLEASE DON’T GIVE UP MR BISHER until Chan Gailey is FORCED FROM HIDING…He will HIDE and HIDE from this like he has all season long! Thank you for asking the questions that should be asked at the conclusion of a “Season That Woulda, Coulda, Shoula Been”…

By Wisconsin Jacket

January 4, 2007 07:20 AM | Link to this

I sure would like to hear something from the GT Administration. It is always too quite over there. On Calvin J. staying or going. I wish someone would have him talk to Payton Manning about the virtues of completing his senior year. Oh how nice it would be to see Bennett, Johnson and Choice again.

By Dbow

January 4, 2007 07:54 AM | Link to this

If there is one word that you Tech boys should always be able to spell correctly - it’s lose not loose!!

By Hal

January 4, 2007 08:30 AM | Link to this

This is one of the things Gailey brings with him from the pros. All the pro coaches have it. It’s a form of loyalty and it’s not all bad. They are extremely reluctant to yank their starting QB when they are having trouble. I think they look at it as a growing experience. There is one exception Saban had at least 3 starting QB’s and did not have time in the NFL to pick up any questionable habits.

By coach

January 4, 2007 08:31 AM | Link to this

Great article Furman. You hit the nail on the head.

Thank you for asking Gailey the question he just refuses to answer.

However, I wouldn’t be so fast naming Bennett as the starting QB for next year.

Chan is capable of inserting another freshman if the new guy fits his image of what a QB is supposed to be.

And, Chan will stick with him and his plan until Hell freezes over.

Thank God we don’t have folks like Chan commanding combat troops.

By coach

January 4, 2007 08:56 AM | Link to this

Dbow,

The NFL coaches have QB’s that have demonstrated considerable talent.

Find me one that had the passing efficiency of RB coming out of college.

You may be correct in that Chan is stuck on the loyalty thing but his job is to win games.

I remember the days when Tech was in the SEC and scheduled out of conference schools from the Pac 10, the ACC and the old Southwest Conferences instead of such powers as Troy and Samford.

We had a 7 win season against resonable competition and 5 losses.

RB is a great running QB. But, Chan the man never went into a game with a plan to utilize his running skills.

Where were the run/pass options?

Where were the straight options?

Where were the designed QB cut backs from the gun?

Unfortunately for RB, the only time Chan used his running skills was when he had to scramble. So I guess Chan’s plan was to have a 5’10” QB drop back to throw and when he couldn’t see an open receiver run for his life.

By jabster

January 4, 2007 09:43 AM | Link to this

By Rambler11:

“I’m afraid Coach Gailey might have kept Bennett out and Ball in because he made him some kind of promise when he recruited Ball like, “Come play with us and I’ll never take you out of a game no matter what you do unless you’re hurt and tell me to take you out.” Gailey is a man of principles from what I can tell. “

I think you nailed it. I will bet any amount of money that Gailey made Reggie a promise that, by his word, he had to keep but had to be one of the dumbest promises any coach could ever make.

I could see a rookie coach making that mistake, but not someone with as much experience as Chan Gailey.

Maybe that works in the pros where you can get the front office to fire your mistakes. Maybe it works in I-AA where you have to pull out the stops in recruiting. But it doesn’t work in I-A, at the very least.

Just speculating though—it doesn’t speak well for one’s integrity when you make promises that can catch you up elsewhere, unless that promise was on the table for the entire team to know.

As the old Meat Loaf song goes, first he promised him that he would love him until the end of time, now he’s waiting for the end of time to arrive. Looks like the end of time came in the form of Reggie getting put on DROP status by the registrar.

By Mike

January 4, 2007 10:02 AM | Link to this

Tech should be as good, if not better in 2007. Only 5 starters were seniors and one of those was Ball. Only 10 seniors total. It’s been tough but there is a lot to look forward to.

By the way Reggie was 5th on the team in passing efficiency this year! A fullback and a wide receiver were 1-2!

By John

January 4, 2007 10:16 AM | Link to this

We will never hear from Chan on this - but do I really need to? He is so lame, he will come up with 500 excuses. Our AD appears to be weak and clueless, also. Nothing will change if Chan stays. Does not matter if Taylor, Calvin and Tashard are all back. They still will have a loser of a coach making bonehead decisions. For those GT fans that think otherwise, you really have no clue!

By Chad, New York

January 4, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this

Mr. Bisher,

I’m a youngun’ (25 years) from Atlanta, but I look forward to reading your columns here in New York every time they are posted. I hope you’ve recovered from your bout of sickness earlier in the week, and I look forward to 50 more years of your stories.

THWUGA

By jackets fan

January 4, 2007 10:28 AM | Link to this

Nice article Mr. Bisher. Gailey does owe all of Jackets nation an explaination. However, the future will not be better served by dwelling on it. GT has a lot of things to be excited about going forward. While I do wonder what might have been, I think things are going to be fine from now on. I think publicly, Gailey might not admit it, but privately I think he’s learned a lesson, and no QB will ever be given such a long leash with which to hang himself (and the team) with. And they won’t need to stick with a guy too long, since they will have options, starting with Bennett, add to him the 6’5” pocket passer from Michigan, Steven Threat and the mobile dual threat from GA, Josh Nesbitt along with Jonathan Garner (a one time Gator recruit by Zook) and the transfer from Auburn, Calvin Booker. Now that’s what I call deep and competitive. But unlike the UGA debacle this season, there is a front runner who can play and win.

GT also has the best recruiting class in their history on the way this fall, which should add depth to places that need it like the secondary and special teams. We might actually have some kicks and punts returned (instead of fair caught) with some of the new athletes we’re bringing in. And the coverages should be better with more speed.

Now if we can just be fortunate enough to have the greatest player in GT history return for one more season, we’ll be in heaven.

By John

January 4, 2007 10:33 AM | Link to this

jacket fan. you just don’t get it. none of that matters if chan is still coach. were you watching any of his games this year???

By Tech Fan '95

January 4, 2007 10:34 AM | Link to this

Now that makes alot of sense! I mean, it EXPLAINS ALOT, but it still doesn’t make any sense, as in being very smart. But I think that’s IT!

GAILEY promised BALL that he’d play him NO MATTER WHAT and SOLD IT TO THE TEAM AND NEW RECRUITS once they were already officially in GT uniforms! The players aren’t STUPID…I mean, they’re TECH students.

Don’t you think they’d be transferring, quitting the team, biotchin to the PRESS — SOMETHING — when they were playing their hearts out, only to sit CLOSER to another ReGGie Ball IMPLOSION than any of us…Yet still come back and play the next week.

He RECRUITED, then in the 1st Team Meeting, Gailey spills his guts about how BALL is the Leader of the Team and he has a “Gentleman’s Agreement” with Reggie that HE PLAYS EVERY PLAY EVERY DAY UNLESS HE GETS HURT! It’s the only “logical explanation” for a Head Coach who repeatedly watches his starting QB IMPLODE, like he was caught in some INFINITE HELLISH TIVO LOOP that just keeps playing the same show with the same BAD ending over and over and over!

That also explains why Gailey shunned Fans, Alumni and anyone else who quite literally screamed at him to stop playing Ball…PLEASE! If, and I say IF, this IS TRUE, Gailey should be forced to resign immediately. It’s unethical to recruit kids into some kind of secret nightmare that they only find out about once they show up on Campus! I really feel for the Tech players like Choice and Anoai…They were physically spent and visibly upset at BALL (NOT Tech) losing to UGA and WF in the final minutes again.

By curtrob

January 4, 2007 10:48 AM | Link to this

this is a tough one to swallow for tech fans, i have tried to defend Ball for his poor play, but i cant defend the coach for his decision making. it has to hurt the GT fanbase knowing would could have been. but i will point out a couple of key points as to why Taylor Bennett was so successful.

1. the W. V defense really had no gameplan for Bennett. they had not seen much on him, as nobody else.

2. the W.V offense is stacked, we know that, but that defense was awful. the ranked almost in total defense of the top 25 teams and gave was generous for the run and the pass this year.

with that said. Bennett was accurate, poised, mobile and managed the game better than i had ever imagined. the only other games we saw him in, were against a second rate UCONN and duke teams, where i thought he was just average. but this was a bowl game, televised and against the 13th ranked team in the nation. he took a team that managed one touchdown in the previous two games and threw three in the first half alone. thats impressive. i was skeptical of his abililties because for the most part i had never really seem him play. now i am very optimistic for next season. Nix has a year under his belt as the OC. we only lose three starting players on defense, one offensive lineman, and if Bennett is as covincing off the field as he was on the field, he might be able to keep our star, good ole number 21 in blue and gold one more year, its a long shot, but a man can dream cant he, we’ll see.

By WAKE UP TECH

January 4, 2007 10:58 AM | Link to this

ITS NOT JUST CHAN’S DECISION TO LEAVE REGGIE IN, BUT ALSO THE POOR GAME TIME DECISIONS

Does anybody remember the our last possession before halftime. There was over a minute on the game clock and TECH had all 3 timeouts. What does Chan do? He squanders a golden opportunity to put more points on the board. TECH scored touchdowns on 4 straight previous possessions. The first play from scrimmage was a good call (draw play) that picked up 5 or 6 yards, but OLE CHAN decides not to call one of his 3 timeouts and runs 30+ seconds off the clock. As a result, TECH gets the the 50 yrd line and Taylor has to throw a hell mary and hope for another Calvin miracle. My questions is did you really think you were going to keep the most exposive offense in the nation down for 4 quarters. We were torching WV defense and could have put more points on the board and Chan decided an 11 lead a halftime was good enough. I obviously tried of his Reggie stubberness, but also the conservative decision makeing and lack of fight that Chan does not possess. The blood was in the water and we could have drove a spike in WV heart. Instead we lose by 3. Just another poor decision by Chan

SOMEONE PLEASE REPLY TO THIS

By GT Athletics "Deep Throat"

January 4, 2007 11:00 AM | Link to this

Nice work! You people are very close, almost on fire. I’m tired of everyone having to keep this secret from the fans who have a right to know the real deal here. But I know Gailey. He will NOT come out of hiding on this. Someone will literally have to bust into his office and stick a microphone in his face to make him come clean. Secretly, I hope it happens. I’m tired of the lies and coverup and seeing how so many good people have been hurt by this, as someone said earlier, “travesty”. That is the appropriate term.

By ga_tech_92

January 4, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this

Thank you for the wonderful article Mr. Bisher. I think you aren’t drinking the AJC Kool-Aid though, because if you check the article Terrence wrote, the summary is “Tech Fans aren’t allowed to question any of very things you are questioning and which we all question or it’s considered whining.” Odd that Terrence is able to write so hypocritically. Thank you again Mr. Bisher for asking the VERY OBVIOUS questions, which are somehow taboo in some circles and clearly hypocritically labeled as “whining” by many.

By BLEADING WHITE & GOLD

January 4, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this

Great article! The only thing that upsets me more is Chan’s comment after the game that he still would not have changed Quarterbacks and would have started Ball in the Gator Bowl! Is he totaly clueless? Are we going to find out next that we actualy have a player who can kick off and reach the End Zone with the ball, but Chan does not want to play him!

By m

January 4, 2007 11:45 AM | Link to this

CHAN GAILEY is the WORST coach I have ever seen in my life. He has taken all the fun out of TECH football. He mostly wasted one of the finest teams in Tech history. He SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!

By SavTechIE

January 4, 2007 12:13 PM | Link to this

Is there a possibility that the administration did go over the A department’s head in selecting TECH’s Gator Bowl QB ????

For whatever reason, though, I can’t stomach TECH fans ever under any circumstances booing a TECH player or coach or play selection - - leave that for the other schools. And there certainly was no deal by Gailey while recruiting as unlikely a player as Ball; there’s something out there called loyalty and gratitude. Winning teams and coaches need fans’ trust and support, even in the pros.

By Michael

January 4, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this

WAKE UP TECH, Here was my thinking about that situation: Earlier in the year, I saw a team (I think the Falcons) call that timeout and then not get a first down. I believe that WVU had a few timeouts left, and as we know their offense is quite capable of a quick score. Imagine this situation: Tech runs the draw, calls a timeout. Next two plays are incomplete passes (or if complete short of the 1st down, WVU calls timeouts). Now they get the ball, and are able to get a FG (they have a good kicker) or a TD. Now Tech goes into half-time up 8 or 4 (depending on what WVU does). Plus, with WVU getting the ball to begin the 2nd half (I doubt Chan had made the onside kick decision by then), they could take the lead or tie it up really quickly. That’s just my thought process. Moreover, without a bad bounce on the kickoff WVU recovered, Tech likely wins this game.

By GoldRush

January 4, 2007 12:20 PM | Link to this

Chan Gailey owes the entire Georgia Tech fan base not only an explanation but an apology for his mismanagement of our football team. But we won’t get it because he’s off fishing somewhere with his sugar daddy, Dave Braine. To discuss Tech football further join us at: http://www.bbuzzoff.com

By Please_Don't_Fire_Jesus

January 4, 2007 12:42 PM | Link to this

You guys are freakin IDIOTS! Yeah, Chan just wants GT to lose! Give me a freakin break! I’m just hoping that y’all don’t fire me!

By Wrecker 1

January 4, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this

Some people need a real reality check. First there is no explanation coming b/c there basically isn’t a good explanation for not giving Bennett a try and Coach Gailey owes nobody an explanation. While we may not agree with his use of players the fact remains those are his decisions. A head coach makes numerous decisions every game and every season and the results of those decisions are usually what will determine whether he keeps his job or not. While I personally can’t figure out why Gailey wouldn’t use Bennett when Gailey himself said Bennett’s play in the bowl was no suprise, I also know that Gailey doesn’t have to answer to me. Secondly the people that are calling for Gailey’s job really need to get off it. When a coach improves the record by 2 games and goes 9-5 with a chance to win every game but one, he’s not going to be fired unless he’s at ND or OSU or some other football factory. Do I think TECH reached its full potential this year? No I don’t. Without doubt TECH should have won at least 2 of the last 3 games but the players also have to step up and make plays when the time comes. We had numerous penalties inside the 30 yard line over the last few games that cost us dearly. We had missed tackles and blown assignments at crucial times. It’s great to be passionate about your team and expect the best of the players and coaches. At the same time it does nothing to build up the program to be constantly bashing the HC. So while I think we could have achieved more and am miffed why Bennett wasn’t used earlier, I’m not wasting my time asking for things I can’t nor deserve to get. As a TECH supporter look for ways to build the program instead of causing potential damage.

By John

January 4, 2007 12:51 PM | Link to this

Gold Rush, I try to but it says my AOL email address is not accepted in there!!

By John

January 4, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this

Wrecker1, this is a blog!!! This is what we are supposed to do. Vent! You idiot!!!

By GT80

January 4, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this

The only thing I could ever figure was that Reggie had some incriminating pictures of Chan. Otherwise I just can’t understand the whole thing, the benching of an obvious talent like Bilbo, and keeping Reggie playing when better options are there. How can you watch Reggie and Taylor in practice for 3 years and not know who is the better passer? It’s just dumbfounding and I don’t think we will ever get an explanation, but Furman and all the rest of the Tech family need to keep asking for one. Forever, or until Chan comes clean or quits or is fired.

By ga_tech_92

January 4, 2007 01:06 PM | Link to this

“Coach Gailey owes nobody an explanation”, I think the majority of posters would tend to disagree with this sentiment. I think a man making a million a year to do what we feel is best for our students is not beyond reproach. We can agree to disagree on this one. I think the more important fact is, we will never know, because he isn’t going to tell us (or will tell us BS).

By ga_tech_92

January 4, 2007 01:09 PM | Link to this

rah rah Go Jackets!

By WAKE UP TECH

January 4, 2007 01:27 PM | Link to this

MICHAEAL

Thanks for responding, but I’m going to have a disagree. This was not a 3 to 3 game where Taylor had 2 picks and our defense was doing everything possible to keep us in the game. We just scored 4 straight tds, WV passing/rush defense was terrible. WV does have a very dynamic offense, but they usely win on the ground (which takes time) not with their passing attack. We all know that no lead is safe w/ that offense and we should have taken advantage of the opportunity of having one more possession. When you have a team bleeding you need to go for the kill and not give them a chance to heal. We should’ve at minimum called one timeout to give our boys a chance to move the ball. Don’t forget, we were dominating and had full momentum.

Conversative decision contributed to the ND loss and this one.

We can’t continue to ask the defense to pitch a shutout each and every game.

I do however somewhat understand how you can become brain washed after watching the poor decisioning making of our 4 year starting QB REGGIE

By WAKE UP TECH

January 4, 2007 01:31 PM | Link to this

ONE MORE THING MICHAEL

You have one of the best punters college football. WV would have had to go 70 or 80 yds to score 7 with little to no time on the clock.

Play to win not ot lose

By eastof A1A

January 4, 2007 01:32 PM | Link to this

In the spring Chan, and other coaches, will make the rounds of the GT alumni clubs. Alumni should make sure that Chan offers up an explanation at every one of these meetings. No softballs allowed.

I know that Chan is a class guy, but he’s the head coach, and he’s accountable.

A lot of us sat all year and theorized that Taylor Bennett must be really bad if he can’t do better than Reggie. Now we now he could do better. Much better.

We want to know why he wasn’t allowed to.

By techaholic

January 4, 2007 01:40 PM | Link to this

gatech92: What the heck are you talking about? It’s because Chan makes a million a year that he needs to be accountable for his mistakes! If he was a volunteer coach (which he should be) we wouldn’t be calling for explanations … we’d just be telling him he can’t volunteer any more!

Tech fans with their ‘heads in the sand’ hurt this program as much as Gailey does! Furman is right, this coach and this AD need to come front and center with explanations for no changes in the QB position while Ball was tanking.

There are a whole lot of Tech fans (and that includes Chan’s defenders) who have been questioning his QB decisions from the beginning.

To Tech’s AD Dan Radakovich: head coaches need to be accountable for their actions … we hear and read when all things go well, how about letting us know why and how come things aren’t?

I don’t want to hear Rad or anyone else in the GTAA tell me to look forward to ‘07 because we have 16 starters coming back … that doesn’t mean jack if you have a coach who doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing OR, is to loyal to someone that causes the program harm!

Having starters back that will make a difference come next season has to have a HC and coaches who know how to utilize, develop, manage and coach them correctly! We’ve seen way too many mistakes, poor decisions and lack of direction under this coach.

Dan Rad and the AA need to explain what happened at the end of this season with 3 straight losses and Chan refusing to make changes in the best interests of the program!

By Wrecker 1

January 4, 2007 01:44 PM | Link to this

gatech92, I agree with you that a guy making a million a year is not beyond reproach. I said that the decisions a coach makes will determine whether or not he keeps his job. I also said that Gailey wasn’t suprised by Bennett’s play yet he had failed to use him earlier which is what miffs me. My point is the average fan is only going to get the standard line of “we played who we thought would give us the best chance to win” and that’s about all the average fan is entitled to. In other words, Gailey doesn’t answer to me. By the way JOHN, venting comes in different forms. You don’t have to bash people to expect improvements but that concept may be more than your little pea brain can absorb.

By What Is Gailey Afraid Of?

January 4, 2007 02:00 PM | Link to this

People contribute alot of money to Ga Tech Athletics every year. To not demand answers from a coach who did everything he could to ignore those contributors because he apparently “had a better plan” is just being a putsy! Tech People deserve better than a coach who loses games that even you admit 2 of 3 should have been won and then he hides from everybody and essentially says “you people should be overjoyed with 9 wins!” Well I’m not. I’m tired of losing games we should without a doubt win. It’s how a program becomes mediocre. This team was talented enough, especially with Bennett, to finish in the TOP 10…Not fall miserably out of the polls at season’s end yet again.

Giving a coach a long term contract paying $1 million a year and giving him absolute free reign has happened. Not demanding answers when he has failed where everybody on earth can see a competent coach would have won would be a failure by the fans. If Chan Gailey can’t stand up like a man and give answers that the fans demand and Furman Bisher now agrees we are entitled to, then the smattering of fans left in the stands at the end of Gailey’s tenure will be all that’s left.

What kind of “head coach” is totally unaccountable to the fans? What is Chan Gailey so afraid of? Why didn’t Bennett play earlier in the year as Spencer Tillman and Tim Brando pondered at half-time? How could Gailey and his staff not know Bennett could play that well when given a chance? Why was he never given a chance? Is that fair to other players who play their hearts out? Why were fans pleas ignored yet another year for just trying someone different at QB? How could Gailey possibly still name Ball the starter of the Gator Bowl after his 2 most recent on field debacles? How can 3 starters be declared academically ineligible when Tech just got slammed with NCAA sanctions for failing to oversee the academics of athletes? How can some Tech fans get on this Blog and say “we don’t deserve answers to any of our questions”? Is Gailey God or something? Is he above communicating with the fans and contributors who built the GT Athletics Program? Who suffers when the contributions stop or slow dramatically because fed up fans decide to vote with their wallets? I went to Tech and I’m not ashamed to be demanding answers from this coach. If I still don’t get any, I won’t be ashamed to demand his head on a stick.

You should be ashamed for being such a putsy!

By GT55

January 4, 2007 02:11 PM | Link to this

Wrecker 1—As a Tech supporter look for ways to build the program instead of causing potential damage. The Best way to build the program is to have the best Coach possible with a little class. That’s not Mr. Gailey! Fire Gailey and lets Roll.

By WAKE UP TECH

January 4, 2007 02:14 PM | Link to this

AMEN AMEN AMEN WHAT IS GAILEY AFRAID OF?

By old nerd

January 4, 2007 02:20 PM | Link to this

i don’t think it’s important why c gailey kept playing r.ball. the fact is that he did, allowing his behavior to consistently be an embarassment to himself and his school. i think that this could have been corrected, but was enabled instead by a policy of appeasment. this shows a lack of integrity at the headcoach position and this should be paramount in the evaluation of his performance.

By George P

January 4, 2007 03:57 PM | Link to this

I think it is reasonable to assume that Chan, Pat, Buddy, etc. can see that Taylor’s arm is better but he’s not as mobile. Chan invented slash, so he’s obviously fond of mobility, and mobility was in high demand a few years ago when the O-line was awful and all the running backs were hurt. The whole true freshman saviour thing was strange. Bilbo, a better natural athlete, went on to at least get a camp and practice squad in the NFL, which RB will never see. When RB got hurt in the last half of this year, his effectiveness went out the window. Why continue to play him? A few thoughts:

1) Chan just loves the mobile or slash concept so much that he can’t let it go when it quits working. It’s also embarassing when it appears you didn’t “coach up” a player or he even gets worse.

2) He’s got a personal problem with Taylor and its reflected in playing time.

3) There’s a hidden agenda or politics at work. Not of the “secret agreement with the freshman class” tinfoil hat types. KaMichael, Hawaii Five O, Mansfield (recruited as D-line) probably wanted to see a change too. That recruiting class wasn’t exactly a barnburner.

By rw

January 4, 2007 04:58 PM | Link to this

Mr. Bisher—-THANK YOU for standing up and asking the question that all Tech supporters want answered… WHY didn”t Chan try to give our team a chance to win by giving Taylor an opportunity when Reggie was unable to produce anything? If Chan continues to make horrible decisions in the years to come—-we will continue to be a 6-6 or a 7-5 team no matter how much talent we put on the field. We ned answers and not just the usual BS that Chan gives us.

By Tech GirlieFan

January 4, 2007 05:08 PM | Link to this

WOW! That Wish List is almost exactly, word-for-word the questions that I’ve wanted answered from this coach myself! Good Job! Will GT or Gailey even respond now that Bisher has called him into accountability?

Does anyone in the GT Athletics Dept. realize the damage this coach is causing in the Tech community by hiding in his office? I mean, he clearly snubbed anyone and everyone who wanted Ball pulled out of games and Bennett sent in to try and save the game. He DID Do It HIS WAY (sorry Sinatra). Nobody can argue with that!

His way definitely didn’t work in the UGA and WAKE games. Anyone with eyes can see Tech was completely capable of winning those 2 games, and probably should have. (My Dad was so mad I thought he was going to throw the remote through the flat screen) Gailey just got out-coached and Ball, as usual, gave the ball up at crucial times or was ineffective leading the offense. Nobody can argue with that either.

Even Gailey-Supporters (there are some still left) don’t understand his absolute resolve to not play Bennett, even as Reggie was running for the sidelines in the face of pressure & never looking downfield…Or trash-talking just before a fumble or throwing an interception. {Did everyone else see him already walking off the field apparently BEFORE Oliver even caught the INT? Wasn’t that on 1st down when he just closed his eyes and launched the ball with 1 min left? I wish I’d kept it on Tivo…Well, no I don’t.}

Anyway, personally I don’t think Gailey has the ‘nads (sorry Dad) to defend his decisions. Shouldn’t a head coach be required to “report to his shareholders”, even if the questions are tough? This seems like an untreated infection or cancer…Ignoring it only ends in the patient becoming violently ill or dying. He has to come forth and say something! Right?

I’d like to add a couple of questions to the wish list, if that’s OK. (Not that it’s incomplete or anything.)

1. If Gailey is proud of his team’s season and his coaching performance, then why isn’t he out in public bragging about his 9 wins being more than his normal 7 at GT? Is it a recruiting violation or something? You’d think with recruits still to sign, he’d be talking things up if he was actually proud of what was accomplished this year.

2. Wasn’t Braine laughing as he signed Gailey’s long term contract and then he said something like Tech wouldn’t win more than 7 or 8 games a year under Gailey? Has anyone ever seen the new AD have a press conference? Isn’t it common in collegiate athletics for head coaches and ADs to answer questions following a bowl game? Did they at Tech?

3. In review of the season, does Gailey have any coaching decisions he wishes he could do over? I mean, you can’t just do what Terrence Moore said and completely leave the season behind without learning from mistakes, including coaching mistakes, that were made. Does Gailey even think he made any coaching mistakes this year? This is critical because he will do the same things over again next year if he can’t acknowledge he made mistakes. Clearly never substituting Bennett for Ball in any game situation was a mistake…One that was repeated throughout the year.

Sorry this is so long. I just want some communication from the GT Athletics Dept. or Gailey himself. I can’t understand why he is so unapproachable if he wants us to like him and support his decisions. I feel alienated from him and I don’t even know him….This is the weirdest, saddest and most confused I’ve ever felt about GT Football. I’m so afraid we’re going to lose to UGA again next year. I read where Gailey said he was going to lose that game again next year because he was tired of the Tech Alumnis and Fans calling him stupid. I suppose if he wants he can do whatever he wants and nobody can do anything about it. Gotta go, bye!

By Chuck Sosebee

January 4, 2007 05:17 PM | Link to this

Mr Bishop you have been writing sports for the Atlanta paper since I was a Young boy living in North Ga listening to the old Crackers back in the days of Paul Richards. The owners of the Falcons will regret the day they fired Jim Mora. The man they should have traded was MR VICK. This QB should not be in this position. He might be a decent running back but QB, NEVER. Too conceited. I come from the old school, a very close friend with CY GRANT back in the 40’s and 50’s. Enjoy reading your column.. CES

By Barry

January 4, 2007 06:22 PM | Link to this

Can we wipe out the stats for the entire Reggie Ball era. It was painful to watch. For some reason, Chan felt compelled to protect this kid when he should coach and find kids to get the job done. A list of would have’s - Beat UGA with Taylor - Would Calvin being staying if Taylor played earlier - Beat Wake - Give the Defense a Rest

Patrick Nix owes as much of a explanation as Chan.

By Mark

January 4, 2007 07:22 PM | Link to this

Guys the “han promised him” theory just doesn’t wash. Reggie Ball was an undersized, lightly recruited, 3 star rated prospect. That’s not exactly promise material guys. There has to be some other factor. I will wager that the players know what it is. Some sports writer should make it his mission to question every departing senior on Tech’s team. Maybe, just, maybe, the truth would come out.

By Name and Address Withheld

January 5, 2007 01:24 AM | Link to this

Gailey’s gonna do whatever Gailey wants to do. Always has, always will. This is no shock to anyone who has followed the man and his career.

Gailey is a smarter man than people realize. But it’s a dangerous kind of smarts, born of feelings of inferiority and insulation from responsibility - it borders on manipulation. Not manipulation for worldly gain, mind you…More for self-preservation allowing him to achieve his “higher calling”. Gailey sees himself as a Molder of Men first, family man second, Christian man third and head football coach fourth or fifth. He may insist the first three are skewed, but the fact remains: coaching is definitely fourth or lower. It’s one reason his coaching decisions are easy for Sunday morning critiquing - He isn’t the smartest coach on the block, and he knows it. But his coaching position allows him to further the first three causes.

Anything or Anyone threatening to chip away or disrupt his delicately-constructed pyramid, which is exactly what it is with Gailey firmly on top, is expedited. He would rather spend time with his players than fans because that’s where his allegiance lies. Gailey couldn’t care less about fans. They come with the territory, that’s it. If his players ever turned on him, he knows he would be finished.

There are no easy answers to the RB and TB questions, and most of them you will find implausible anyway. RB was the most important cog in his machinery - A cog that must be replaced this spring. Most coaches want to win it all, everything! Gailey is not a coach who wants to win 12 games in a season, and that’s why he never will. His private target is 7-10. Anything higher for even one year and he believes (right or wrong) that the bar would be set unrealistically high, and since the heart attack, he goes to great lengths to reduce unwarranted pressures in his life. He achieved every goal this year in football, although some would say a BCS was tops, that was “public”. Privately, a tie for first or second in the division was acceptable to Gailey in terms of realistically achievable and not raising future expectations too high. He never imagined the Div would be won outright. Gailey wants to be known and remembered as a molder of great men while a national championship is simply not a priority.

Contrary to how it may appear on TV, RB did exactly what Gailey requested of him, every time. In fact, nobody feels worse about the academics than RB because he feels he let Coach down - which he obviously did. In exchange for his loyalty, RB was (unknowingly) frequently the goat. More about this later. Gailey genuinely loves RB because of the effort he always gave him. Gailey needed RB to cement his “fortress of solitude”. RB would win, Gailey would look good. RB would lose (as the goat), Gailey would be insulated from criticism. RB was uniquely qualified, even ideal, for invoking the wrath of fans and other supporters. To be sure, there were those who saw through the RB smokescreen and attacked Gailey’s coaching ability. But once The Contract was a done deal, this was of absolutely no concern to Gailey, really. You guys are justified in demanding explanations, but you simply will not get any. Not from Gailey. He is comfortably sitting atop his pyramid and he knows nobody from the outside can do anything to change it. Call him the nastiest names in the book and he’s still there, smiling in your face as only he can. Bisher “calls him out” and he laughs reading about it while sitting on the toilet. His concern - paranoia - is the pyramid crumbling from within, since it happened to him in D.

I have time to cover the Bowl, maybe a little more.

He had no other option than start Bennett in the Gator. No Other Option I assure you it was very bitter medicine for him to swallow. And guess what bitter medicine does? It left a very bitter taste in his mouth. Gailey with Bennett on the bench was a tame and stable man. He had complete control of everything, which really is The Chan Gailey Way. To which I might add: He will have it no other way! However, now Gailey is a very bitter man with a very bitter aftertaste in his mouth. TB and Friends came out and from the 2nd series made Chan Gailey look like an amateur coach, even worse than a High School coach. His beloved Ball = 15 for 51, UGA + WAKE. New Kid In Town = 8-for-first-8, shooting out the lights. So good in fact, he looked like he’d never miss! Was Gailey ecstatic about the young QB’s immediate success? Hardly. “Normal” coaches would be, but Gailey is not a normal coach. TB is a threat (and literally bushwacked Gailey with his performance) to Gailey’s well-oiled machine. Gailey knew he would have to make changes after the Bowl. What he didn’t expect was being blindsided by RB’s failure off the field. Gailey panicked - and was better left alone - until he quietly accepted the fact that TB would have to start. His greatest fear was that TB would bring his A-Game. TB’s fatal error (can’t fault the kid) is he did. TB is not the QB for Gailey’s system and TB is not a cog like RB. But he is perfect for PN’s system. This is a conflict that will rock Grant Field. But Gailey has already decided the following.

Guess what? You just saw TB’s Last Start as GT QB. Gailey HATES the kid, even publicly blames him (in a very indirect and quite sophisticatedly sly manner for Gailey) for the loss in the Bowl. And why not? 1) Gailey always has a goat. It’s not always a pre-determined goat, but someone is chosen (unknowingly) by Gailey to be the goat for that game if the win is “not going to happen.” Since TB still played well enough to win, TBell was (quite to his last second surprise) chosen as goat #2 in the Bowl. PROOF: Tim Brando could barely get the words out of his mouth “This is well beyond the Travis Bell range. It would be a 54 or 55 yarder. Oh, I beg your pardon. They are going to try it.” It had been raining, the field was slightly wet and so was the ball. With 5 minutes to spare, Gailey had orchestrated 2 goats. While a 3rd developed, in the form of Tenuta’s ineffective D with the clock running out, Gailey wasn’t counting on that one. Back to TB.

2) He made him look like a complete buffoon to even Sports Commentators (most of whom are complete buffoons in their own right). In fact, TB played more this year than Gailey will allow him to play next year. If you pulled out 1/2 your hair this year wondering why TB got no playing time, then the other 1/2 is coming out next year. No Other Option is the only way Bennett plays next year. The reasons are set in concrete. That assumes Gailey doesn’t expedite him in the coming weeks, which is absolutely within his capability and personality. Gailey, in fact, prefers to expedite, believing a threat removed is a threat forever conquered. The Wild Card as I write this is CJ. He and TB are tight. If CJ stays, he is seriously leaning toward it, you can thank TB. Likewise, TB can thank CJ, since he will insist TB throws him the ball. This could and probably will get interesting because Gailey absolutely does not take being “the manipulatee” lightly. Imagine Gailey as a creature - 1/2 porcupine, 1/2 skunk. If you walk up and kick the beejeezus out of him, you never know which you’ll be covered with first: quills or skunk juice. But you can rest assured that once it’s all over, you’ll be covered from head to toe in both.

Would anyone believe me if I suggested Chan Gailey did not try to win the final 3 games of this season? Not that he tried to LOSE…That would be too obvious. He is a very nervous man, a man who is absolutely terrified of looking, well, stupid in public. He almost panicked when Tracy Wolfson cornered him on the way to the ummm…..ummmm….Lockerroom at halftime. She made no friend in Gailey since her question about blowing big leads ended up making him look thoroughly stupid once he declared that was exactly what was about to be addressed in the ummm…..ummmmm…Lockerroom at halftime. (Sorry, but couldn’t resist) To expand, consider nearly everyone in a GT football uniform is smarter than he. Everyone at the cafeteria is smarter. He’s surrounded daily by thousands of students who simply are more intelligent. And it terrifies him to the point of near-immobility at times. Almost out of time.

But Gailey is a decent man. He won’t lie to your face. He also won’t hesitate to manipulate you into an effective cog of his delicate machinery. It’s quite a dichotomy. Let’s see what else. He’s here to stay. He knows he can have a winning record and that is sufficient. How can you fire someone who just won 9 games? You can’t. Once he hit 9 (actually more like 7 to his thinking) he could do whatever he liked on the field - no matter how bizarre or absurd to spectators - and he was comfortable knowing he was untouchable. People have tried to fire Gailey since just about day one. It won’t happen, as long as he wins 7+ that is. Truth is, he’s more concerned - worried? - about winning 10+ than not winning 7 with the talent that wants to come to GT. If the UGA game were in the first 1/3 of the schedule, he would take it more seriously. With it being last, he knows it’s a game that he more than likely might have to “not win” to maintain status quo.

Sorry for any typos, but have no time to review. Go Yellow Jackets!