Tech

By Ramble ON!

November 6, 2006 04:54 PM | Link to this

That’s right…top 10 recruiting class with a few more 4 stars still left to grab. Either way, The programs headed in the right position.

Can Chan Bashers speak up…you sure we’re loud about our recruiting the previous years!!!

…clue the crickets.

By Trey

November 6, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this

Thanks Matt. Nice job on quick thoughts.

On opponents’ defensive and special teams points — in Tech’s last three wins, the D has really only given up one TD, and that was the late long TD by Miami after everyone thought the game was iced away.

Maryland’s lone offensive TD came after a fumble recovery on Tech’s 8 yard line. NCSU did not score an offensive TD.

GT’s red zone D has been excellent this year.

By ToddGTFan

November 6, 2006 05:02 PM | Link to this

Matt, Thanks for the great reporting all year on Tech. I am a lifelong Tech fan and am very excited about the culmination of this season and the future of our football team. We have a real shot at the Orange Bowl and 12 wins. What an amazing year that would be. One thing that bothers me however, is the amount of criticism that Reggie Ball is getting, especially this year. I know he can be inconsistent, but will everyone please stop harping on the negatives only and focus on how well he plays also. He threw 4 TD’s on Saturday night. 4!! All anyone on these blogs can talk about is how he threw 2 interceptions. Give him a break. On the year he has 17 TD’s and 8 INT’s. At least 2 of his interceptions were inconsequential as they have come at the end of the half.(Samford, Troy). This guy comes out every single game and plays his butt off. He plays hurt many times (last 3 games) and still competes at a high level. Please give him some credit for the great throws he makes and the great competitor that he is. Please don’t misunderstand me, I know his is fallable. I know he can run his mouth too much. I know he makes some bad passes. I know his completion percentage is low. However, I am simply saying that all the fans that get on these blogs and talk about how they are happy that his career is ending, are not true fans. I was looking at the career numbers today and Reggie is very close to eclipsing Joe Hamilton in Yards and Touchdowns. He has a realistic shot with 5 games remaining this year (assuming ACC Championship). That is a pretty good career. If we win out and go to the Orange Bowl, it will be just rewards for a young man who has played as hard as he can for 4 years for a “semi-grateful” fan base. Sorry this ran on for so long, but this has been bothering me for quite some time. On another note, Calvin Johnson should turn pro, except that it is a great thing to have a degree from a top notch institution like GT. If he waits til next year to go, he will still be a top 5 pick. Either way it has been an amazing ride.

By The Man

November 6, 2006 05:27 PM | Link to this

THE NERDS GOT LUCKY!!!

THE DAWGS GOT UNLUCKY!!!

FEAR THE DAWGS!!!

THE DAWGS WILL CRUSH THE NERDS!!!

I AM THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TODDGTFAN PACKS FUDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By robber

November 6, 2006 05:41 PM | Link to this

Keep up the good work Reggie and Calvin. And let’s also give a shout out to James Johnson. #89 had two td’s this past weekend. One crucial 3rd conversion where he dragged the DB into the end zone. He is becoming a threat which will help out tremendously. Tashard…..you are the unsung work horse of this team as you sustain drives late in the game to give us ball control when it matters. Good work men!! And good luck against another homecoming opponent on the road. Isn’t it nice to be the hunted and admired!!

By GTNE80

November 6, 2006 05:45 PM | Link to this

Ramble On,

I’ll admit it. I’ve been a Chan basher.

However, the one area that I haven’t bashed him on is recruiting. He came in with a completely different attitude about recruiting from O’Leary. O’Leary eschewed local recruits for the most part. Chan immediately started building alliances with local HS coaches. Smart move.

My problems with Gailey have been with his administrative blunders (e.g., the players that lost their academic standing because no one was watching), the boring and predictable offensive play-calling and his pigheaded attitude toward keeping both the Head Coach and OC positions, the inability to maintain the focus of the team from week to week, his unwillingness to adapt the game plan at halftime when changes were needed, and (finally) some of his critical decisions (last minute timeouts, play calls, etc.).

Maybe the admin problems were made while he was on the learning curve of coming back to college from a long time in the pros. Haven’t heard any recent problems in that area. Now that Radakovich is the AD and Braine is off on a permanent fishing trip, we may be past that hump.

He finally got past the pig-headedness and gave the reins of the offense to an OC. If he keeps his hands off of it, and lets Nix open it up (based on the available talent) the games could get much more exciting. Our offensive output (pointswise) is getting back into the upper 20’s/lower 30’s on a regular basis against good competition.

This year’s team hasn’t shown the inconsistency of focus that marked the earlier Gailey years. Is it a function of the chemistry of the team? Are the coaches getting better at keeping the guys focused?

I haven’t noticed a lot of half-time adjustments this year, but you can’t argue with the results so far (for the most part). The play-calling in the second half in the Notre Dame game continues to be an enigma. I can’t seem to come up with an explanation for how we looked so anemic against Clemson on both sides of the ball, and then Clemson looks so pitiful on the two succeeding weeks.

And there have been no marked last-minute gaffes this year.

Time will tell if all of these factors have changed for good, or if all the stars just seem to be lined up for us this time.

My Chan bashing is over for a while. He’s making me look silly and I’ll admit it. If we can finish out the regular season with 3 more wins and a ACCCG appearance, I’ll be quiet for a while. If we win the ACCCG, I will publicly post an apology for all previous posts. If we win the Orange Bowl, I will acclaim him as a coaching genius and admit that I know NOTHING about college football.

Here’s hoping that I have a large plate of crow to eat shortly after New Year. I’ve started nibbling at it after the VT, Miami, and NC State wins just to make sure that I can keep it down.

Go Jackets!!!!!!

By thunderchunk

November 6, 2006 05:49 PM | Link to this

I have watched and cheered for Calvin at Bobby Dodd since he arrived on campus, and all GT fans should feel truly blessed to have had him on our team. That being said, there are just too many opportunities to get hurt between now and April 2008. Calvin should come out and cash in his chips; he can get his degree part-time. Oakland? Uggg, if only the Falcons could lose out….. ;)

We have got to work on our kickoff coverage. Maryland and NC State both have been able to stay in those games by virtue of kickoff returns…

And whoever suggested Dickey be replaced as center needs some sense talked into them. He’s a double-double waiting to happen.

By chan basher

November 6, 2006 06:04 PM | Link to this

bash bash bash……

chan has definitely gotten better but he didnt start out this way.

me thinks he was stubborn to fault to coach young men the same way he coached in the nfl…… wronggggggggggggggggggggggg!

it took him 5 yeats to jettison a few of his good ol buddy coaches that were draggin the team down.

it took him 5 years to realize that a good head coach hires good assistants and than deligates rather than micromanage.

now he needs to realize that he needs to develop a plan b and c for the qb position otherwise we are ripe for a great season to go down the tubes.

it is nice that he was loyal to rb but that was NOT good for the team nor for recruiting.

why would a qb want to come here if chan is so stubborn to stick with a qb that he wont give anyone else a shot???????

it is good to see him let go with the emotions. he is finally realizing the difference between coaching young men vs millionaires with egoes.

By thunderchunk

November 6, 2006 06:15 PM | Link to this

As for Chan bashing, I was not a fan of Chan’s offensive play calling. But based on how the “pundits” ranked our recruiting classes the last few years, I can’t think of many other coaches that have done a better job of developing and coaching players up than Chan. Of all the coaches in the ACC, he gets the most out of his players each week (aside from Jim Grobe, perhaps).

By WhitePowerDawg

November 6, 2006 06:21 PM | Link to this

THE NERDS WILL GO DOWN IN ATHENS IN 2 WEEKS!!!!!

FEAR THE DAWGS!!!!

WHITE POWER!!!!!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGS!!!!

SIC EM!!!!!!!!!

HUNKER DOWN!!!!!!

WHITE POWER!

By 4GT

November 6, 2006 06:22 PM | Link to this

I am truly afraid that Chan is pulling a Paul Hewitt on us. Great Guy=1 Great season and we forget all the other blunders. Unfortunately we are going lose 21 and be stuck with Chan and Paul for a while!

By neilmarlowe

November 6, 2006 06:49 PM | Link to this

I’ll ease up on Chan, but lets settle this Reggie thing once and for all by comparing his stats and record against other Tech QBs like Eddie McAshan, Shawn Jones, and others who played three or four years. Can you do this for us, Matt?

By suwannoochee

November 6, 2006 06:57 PM | Link to this

WhitePowerDawg, are you and Miss Man brothers? Or are you just followers of the Ann Coulter school of thought that no idiocy is bad as long as it gets attention? Well, count this as my last response to either of you. Undeserved recognition is a fool’s reward. Both of you, seek therapy, please. This is a football blog, and I would much rather discuss football than feel the need to respond to your cries for attention. No, the puppies won’t do anything more than submit when Tech visits. I look forward to the ACC championship game and then, hopefully to a visit to the Orange Bowl. I’m a Georgia fan, too, but your actions are just a little more ridiculous than those of the Bulldawg Nation at large, which is one of the reasons I became a fan of the Jackets in the first place. If you are somewhat sane and just in need of attention, please, stay off our blogs and go throw pumpkins at mailboxes. If you possess some degree of sanity, then please, enough of drunken desires to see your comments posted on the Internet. If you are insane, then I’m sorry for you and all of your family.

By Davey

November 6, 2006 07:16 PM | Link to this

WO WO WO WO WO WO WAIT A MOMENT NOW.

Paul Hewitt outside of last year has given us good teams for the most part. Thats like a uga fan saying they don’t want Mark Richt…….You would be crazy to think that Hewitt is a one time thing. top 10 recruiting classes would say otherwise. Gailey ain’t no slouch either. He’s made family with his team. He really cares about everyone of his kids. He cried after the UM game and all his players said they loved him. I have never seen a team with more heart. No matter what happens this year I will not be upset with what he does.

CHAN GAILEY IS MY COACH AND I’M PROUD OF IT. Keep do what your doing coach. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Go Jackets!!!!!

By phipps

November 6, 2006 07:31 PM | Link to this

whitepowderdawg and the man. BREAKS OVER. GETBACK TO THE MOPPING FLOORS OR YOU’LL BE CLEANING THE TOILETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Ralph

November 6, 2006 08:17 PM | Link to this

To GTNE80,

Points taken; my take: I think there is something to be said in coaching about winning early and not winning early. Examples:

Bill Curry lost early, but he would still be the Head Coach at Tech today if he had not went to Alabama.

Bobby Ross lost early, but ended up winning a national championship before leaving for the Chargers. He we would still be the coach at Tech if he had stayed.

George O’Leary really won later on, and may have stayed the coach at Tech if he had not taken the Notre Dame job.

Chan Gailey won later on, so you start to see things even out.

My belief is that a coach must continue to make adjustments. Gailey was willing to do so. I don’t think the admin problems were his fault. He just assumed they were being taken care of. His bad.

Recruting is improving as stability reigns. I just think there is someting to be said for patience.

By ben

November 6, 2006 08:21 PM | Link to this

Winning cures all.

By jabba17

November 6, 2006 09:42 PM | Link to this

I believe that the academic ineligibility problem was due to Dave NoBraine and the guy in the registrar’s office who had been there so long that he probably signed 90% of the diplomas of the active Jacket Nation and didn’t attend a single NCAA compliance seminar. Now that they are both gone, things are looking up and we shouldn’t see that one again.

Kudos to Radar for doing whatever he did in the recruiting office (WOW!) and for helping Chan come around on some of his sticking points (OC, etc.), not to mention getting everyone thinking positive. Sure beats what everyone was thinking last year when we came back from the Emerald City with no heart, no courage, and no Braine.

Reggie is finally realizing the promise he showed three years ago. Maybe Radar hired a sports shrink (for Travis, too).

Ralph—I shudder to think what Tech football would have been like if Bill Curry had stayed. I will probably get flamed for this, but I will say it anyway. Take away the 1985 9-2-1 season, and he’s not much better than He Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned—by most any measure. Went 1-10 in 1981, too, just like him.

Bill Curry is a great guy, but he has always been overrated as a coach—and I think he would have been a disaster in the AA.

BTW, for you Chan bashers—with the NCSU win, Chan just passed Pepper Rodgers to become Tech’s fifth winningest coach of all time (behind O’Leary and The Big Three). If we win out this year, he’ll just need 13 more wins to move into fourth place (he’ll need another 50 to tie Heisman at #3).

By Charles

November 6, 2006 11:44 PM | Link to this

Are you kidding me? Paul Hewitt is a great coach. Just watch how this year plays out before coming to any conclusions.

By Hewitt

November 7, 2006 12:48 AM | Link to this

Wow. Think next time you post. Hewitt’s had one bad year. I think most people forget one of his greatest accomplishments in 2001 when he took a severely undertalented team that Cremins couldnt win with and took them to the NCAA’s. Then of course went to the NCAA Championship game and another NCAA bid after that. I also think his NIT bid in 2003 was pretty impressive considering we had all Freshman and sophomores. He coaches the right way in that he puts the most emphasis on defense. His offenses have sputtered, but he’s realized this and is making a change this year.

By James

November 7, 2006 01:09 AM | Link to this

WhitePowerDawg and The Man, don’t y’all ever wonder why everyone hates Georgia these days?

Jabba17, I agree with you about Reggie. But, keep in mind that Bill Curry saved a program on the verge of extinction. He just didn’t make it spectacular. Bobby Ross did that. Then came “He Whose Name Shall Not Be Mentioned”.

But you’ve got to realize what took Chan so long to make a change. He took over a program that was slipping in the hands of O’Leary. Our then-horrible team can partially be credited to Ted Roof’s defense (which was just….ugh….). But give Gailey credit for making a change, and Patrick Nix has surely turned around this offense. He’s no Fridge, but the offense he has taken over was terrible. Friedgan’s offense had alot more talent. Considering the recruits that we will be bringing in, our offense should be a powerhouse soon.

By GTNE80

November 7, 2006 08:22 AM | Link to this

Good discussion guys. Ben said a mouthful with his concise but poignant “winning cures all.”

Ralph, as for winning later, I always remember the Joe Torre quote. After winning the division in his first year and coming in second the next two years he was fired. Later someone asked him about his Atlanta experience and he replied “If I’d have done it in reverse order, I’d have still been there today.”

Jabba17, I won’t “flame” you, but I will stick up for Curry. The program had sunk pretty low when Curry took over. I’m not just talking about the team, I’m talking about the total “program” (facilities, etc.) In his first few years, his record was abysmal, but he and Dr. Rice led a resurgence of the program (from top to bottom) that we are still enjoying today. I have the utmost respect for Bill Curry. I will admit that he may not have been the best head coach around. Truthfully, I would wonder if we would have had our national championship year with him at the helm.

Gailey’s salvation may well be his decision to give up the Offensive Coordinator duties. Of course, hiring Tenuta was a pretty good move also.

By GTNE80

November 7, 2006 08:42 AM | Link to this

My initial problems with Gailey started with how he chose to handle the transition from O’Leary’s assistants to his.

First, he tried to keep Roof around just to placate the alumni since Ted was a Tech guy that most of us respected from his playing days. It was obvious from the start that he didn’t want Roof and he ended up jerking the guy around.

He kept Billy O’Brien for offense but it was quite obvious that he didn’t let BO’B run things. Our offense looked like a Jekyll/Hyde. It was obvious to those of us who had been watching for years when O’Brien was calling the plays because it looked like the old Friedgen style offense. When Gailey took over, it looked like Dan Reeves style. He finally ended the charade at the end of that year by running off O’Brien and announcing (in Al Haig style) that he was in charge of the offense and would be both Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. Bad move. It took him a couple of years to admit the error of that judgement.

As many have pointed out, it’s a matter of learning lessons and making adjustments. He seems to be doing that. I just thought that at his age, by the time we got him, he would have already learned a lot of those lessons already.

The good part is that we seem to be reaping some of the benefits of his changes. The administration’s move to sign him to a long-term contract (which I openly decried) seems to be having an overwhelming effect on recruiting. I guess the one thing that these kids want to believe is that the coach that they sign on with will be there during their 4-5 years.

By Ramble ON!

November 7, 2006 11:48 AM | Link to this

Chan’s best move was demoting TED (it’s my fault Joe Hamilton didn’t win the Heisman because we couldn’t stop nobody) ROOF.

Second best move letting Patrick Nix call the plays.

Chan has more character and class than most of us will ever have after what he’s been through since coming to the flats. His players and Recruits know that.

By PCooper114

November 7, 2006 12:56 PM | Link to this

Chan was just being cautious coming into Tech. Very rarily does a coach come into a new job and instantly take on success.

Chan’s first few years were build up years. To what?

Read the newspaper and you’ll know.

By 91Wreck

November 7, 2006 01:13 PM | Link to this

GTNE80,

I am glad to see that you are moving away from the dark side (the Can Chan crowd). I have been reading your comments for the past several weeks. While I do not agree with everything you write, your analysis of a given situation and your opinions are certainly well thought-out.

I would like to futher the case for Chan as a good coach with the following statements:

1. Chan’s winning percentage is better than any coach since the mid-sixties (with the exception of George O’Leary).

2. O’Leary didn’t leave Chan that much talent. Remember, UGA whipped us his last season.

3. The academic scandal (which WAS NOT Chan’s fault) seriously depleted an already talent-challenged team.

4. Reggie - despite all of his flaws, is still the best quarterback we have. Chan can’t replace him because there is no one on the bench better than he is (have we forgotten Bennett’s lackluster performance against UConn?). Our team will suffer until Nesbitt is ready to take over the reigns in a few years.

5. The up-and down nature of our team is not a sign that Chan cannot get them to play hard and focus week after week, it is a sign that Chan can get them to play over their heads for a short stretch before they come crashing back to reality. We have become more consistent this year becasue we have more talent and depth than ever before, and we have fortunatley steered clear of major injuries.

6. Chan’s biggest problems is that he is terrible dealing with boosters (he ain’t Mark Richt). Many of the boosters protested his hiring. This constand Chan bashing has hurt our program for the last 5 years.

7. It may have taken Chan a few too many years to learn from his mistakes, but at least he has learned from them. UGA fans are about to go into meltdown mode over Richt’s refusal to hire and OC and fire their DC (especially when it is evident to just about everyone, even Tech fans, that this is what UGA needs to do to get back on track).

By Steve

November 7, 2006 02:36 PM | Link to this

No, it would not be said if Calvin ended up on the Raiders. I’m a huge Raiders fan (after being a Tech fan) and I would love for him to go to the Raiders. With their offense, we need all the help we can get!!

By NerdJacket

November 7, 2006 02:43 PM | Link to this

91Wreck ha$ $ex with men.

By GT80

November 7, 2006 03:49 PM | Link to this

Reggie B can go from playing horrible to playing brilliant in the same game, or the same half. He is not a pro caliber QB but is a barely adequate D1 college QB, and when healthy he provides a dimension that other teams don’t have. If we can have an entire game of the good Reggie, please let it be against the Puppies. I shudder to think of how good Calvin would be if we had a big, strong armed accurate QB. But you got to love Reggie’s desire and fire.

By RW

November 7, 2006 03:50 PM | Link to this

We all know it’s almost a foregone conclusion that CJ is leaving after this year, but why are all these fans virtually begging him to leave? Let him make his own decision and be appreciative either way. Whether it’s a good decision or not, if he comes back next year, are you going to criticize him and tell him he made the wrong choice? Just doesn’t feel right hearing fans begging a great player to leave.

I have never been a Chan fan, ever since he let O’Brien go as OC. I believe O’Brien will make a great OC for a real team (not Duke) some day soon. Gailey’s treatment in regards to him left a sour taste from the very start. The offensive production in subsequent years did not help, either. However, I am starting to come around on him now that he’s given the offense over to a real OC. The program seems to be on the right track, and I’m looking forward to building on this momentum.

How do people feel about “no-Braine’s” decision to extend his contract for five years now?

Also a previous mentioned recruiting strategies: I thought it was other way around- O’Leary worked to compete in-state with UGA, and when Gailey came in he started out recruiting almost exclusively out of state. Now seems to be making inroads in-state.

What makes this season more impressive is the that the talent level isn’t as high here as it was under O’Leary. Recruiting under Gailey until this year has been in bottom half of ACC for three-four years running, which is an entire roster. Can’t wait to see what happens with a few recruiting classes like this year’s coming in!

By 91Wreck

November 7, 2006 03:50 PM | Link to this

I get an “F” for the multiple spelling and subject-verb agreement issues in my 1:13 post. I is not an English Major! LOL!

Greg - aka The Man, NerdJacket, etc. It is so nice to hear from you. I am glad to know you care enough to drop a few thoughful lines to me each day. Unfortunately for you, I am not gay. However, I am flattered by your advances.

By jabba17

November 7, 2006 05:09 PM | Link to this

James and GTNE80—thanks for keeping me honest about Curry. I had forgotten about the state of the AA and the program when he showed up, with all that talk about Division III ball.

Reggie’s problem before this year was that if the other team got into his head, stick a fork in him—he was DONE. That problem seems to be gone. Now, on to Travis…

The L at Auburn With A Lake was due to the laws of physics busting up our much smaller O-line, not Reggie’s nerves. Brains can beat brawn, but only to a point.

Also his big mouth isn’t quite so big anymore. Let’s hope he can keep it shut when we visit the Cesspool, and let the scoreboard do all the talking (unless UGA unplugs it as time expires on a Tech win, as they always do).

By buzztheirazz

November 7, 2006 06:37 PM | Link to this

My main point through all the can chan debates is that we have done fairly well with the 2 and 3 star athletes. Now that we have made some changes and are starting to pull in 4 stars consistently…..success will beget success. To have made a coaching change would have set us back 3-5 years with questions still lingering.

By 4GT

November 8, 2006 01:43 PM | Link to this

Just getting back on, got to respond… Maybe Chan has turned the corner, I hope so. But I have seen the kids quit on him several times. I can’t believe in a coach whose kids quit on him once. Let alone 3 times that I can think of. As for PH. A losing record, two years after a visit to the national championship? Not good…