AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 02 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USGator Bowl ruminations
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is very long, but I have plenty to get out of my system.
With three straight three-point losses, Georgia Tech’s season ended with questions that won’t be answered until next season, or never, and at least one big surprise.
Having been Tech’s lifeline for most of the season, and frequently a primary reason the Yellow Jackets won or at least had a chance to, Jacket defenders Monday found themselves in rare territory. They were trying not to be the reason Tech would lose. This was quite a reversal, the defense lost a game the quarterback nearly won.
As Georgia Tech’s offense broke from two-month slumber, the defense fell into one. West Virginia’s spread offense, and all the speed in it, gave defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta and Co. fits, particularly as the Mountaineers scored 21 straight third-quarter points to turn a 35-17 deficit into a 38-35 win.
No lead was safe against the No. 13 Mountaineers, who unleashed their vaunted rushing attack for 311 yards on the ground, and gashed the Jackets for another 131 yards and two touchdowns through the air on just 15 attempts, and nine completions.
Most people figured West Virginia was going to score. That offense is ridiculous. But who’d have predicted Tech’s defense couldn’t hold a 35-17 lead? “Mistakes and speed beat us, but I think without the mistakes the speed wouldn’t have been enough,” said middle linebacker Philip Wheeler.
The only other game this season in which the defense fell apart was Clemson, and that happened late, from the end of the third quarter on. The game plan was flawed in that one, stacking too many guys on the line so that once James Davis and C.J. Spiller broke the line, they were off to the races (or Spiller was left at the sideline to catch a pass and out-run everybody after a missed tackle).
Monday, I don’t think the game plan was flawed. I think WVU’s speed was a big problem, and Tech over-pursued often. Pat White made a big difference, and the Jackets did not prepare for fullback Owen Schmitt (13 carries, 109 yards, two touchdowns) to be such a big part of the offense, even with Steve Slaton hurt.
There’s no question in my mind when the game turned. After the teams traded touchdowns to start the second half, the score was 35-24, and West Virginia forced Tech into a three-and-punt. Whether the WVU fans sensed what was happening, or actually helped create the momentum change, Alltel Stadium was rocking as Tashard Choice was held to 1 yard on first down, Tech took a delay of game on second down, and then Tashard rushed for 3 yards.
A lot of WVU fans wore T-shirts saying, “Morgantown,” on the front, and “Where greatness is learned, and couches are burned,” on the back. It’s a tradition. They celebrate big, and as Taylor Bennett and Co. came to the line on third down, the Mountaineers were in gale-force party mode. Bet fires were starting in Morgantown. Bennett’s pass to Choice was good for just 2 yards, Durant Brooks got off one of his worst punts of the year (32 yards out of bounds), and the tide had turned. WVU players and coaches were hopping like they’d already won.
WVU went 2 yards, 20, 2, and completed a pass for 14. Then, a 5-yard rush, an incomplete pass to a receiver who was wide open in the end zone - as in completely uncovered - and a 14-yard touchdown to pull within 35-31.
Worse, the kickoff drilled Tony Clark in the leg, bounced off Sedric Griffin, and WVU recovered. It was meant to be a line-drive kick, but the result was not intended quite like Tech’s earlier on-sides kick. “Theirs was by design,” said WVU coach Rich Rodriguez. “Ours was luck.”
Tack on a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Tech, a 5-yard run, and then White jitter-bugging 15 yards for the lead, and that was it.
The Jackets threatened a couple more times, but Chris Dunlap was bumped at about the 5-yard-line on Bennett’s only interception. Eight times out of 10, a flag gets thrown there. Don’t know if Dunlap would’ve caught the ball, but he’d have made a play on it.
Dunlap also blocked in the back, and Gailey later said he thought it was a fair call, to wipe out a huge third-down conversion in the red zone. It was a great check down to Choice by Bennett, the likes of which Tech fans have rarely seen.
Which brings me to the topic of quarterbacks. Bennett was way, way better than anybody could have predicted, and I don’t care that WVU had one of the nation’s worst pass defenses statistically. He bought himself time in the pocket by moving on numerous occasions, without running like Reggie Ball might have.
His recognition and pocket sense was very good, and the touchdown pass he threw to James Johnson was a laser - and a beautiful one at that. “It was a perfect, just over the cornerback and not high enough for the safety to get there,” James said. That, folks, was a big, big, big league throw.
Gailey said getting the tight ends involved was partly a function of Bennett’s height relative to Ball’s. “He can see the field a lot more, and we were able to use more of the field,” the coach said. “I thought Patrick [Nix] did a great job of adapting what we needed to do to the personnel that was available to us in this ball game. That fit things that Taylor did better.”
The lingering question is: Did Taylor fit Tech better, or rather would he have helped Tech adapt to certain situations down the stretch of the season when the rest of the team beyond the quarterback position played well enough to win?
Gailey was asked if had any second thoughts about not playing Bennett more during the season, obviously when Reggie struggled, most notably in the Clemson, North Carolina, Georgia and Wake Forest games.
Admittedly, the coach was put in a tough spot (and he’ll stay there in many minds), before he answered, “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.”
Then again, how tough is that spot? Reggie’s gone for good.
I have great respect for Chan on a lot of levels, but that’s hard to swallow. At the college and pro levels, and sometimes others too, when the starting quarterback is struggling badly (more than just a little, that is), it’s not uncommon to go with a backup - provided you have a certain level of confidence in him, and don’t have some sort of unqualified commitment to the starter.
The Bears ran away with the NFC North this year, but late in the season Lovie Smith benched Rex Grossman in favor of Brian Griese. Jake Plummer led the Broncos to the AFC title game last year, had his best season ever, threw like 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. But when he struggled this season, rookie Jay Cutler got the nod.
I know there are other circumstances in the Denver situation, like Plummer’s pending cap charge, and the possibility he’ll be jettisoned in part for that reason. Plus, Cutler was a first-round pick and the likely future for that team.
But you can always find mitigating circumstances to provide grounds to rationalize every decision made, or not made. Those are big-picture issues that don’t relate to taking the season game-by-game with the idea of doing whatever is possible to win that day.
And now, what about the greater body of evidence? On what grounds might coaches have not had sufficient confidence in Bennett to give him a run when Ball imploded over the last third of the season?
It is impossible to convince me that Bennett did not merit at least an opportunity (or three, or four) to jump-start the Jackets in several critical junctures late in the season. I’m talking about games after Gailey and Nix in October admitted (and I appreciated the candor) that Ball’s injuries beginning in the Maryland game diminished his effectiveness, thereby reducing playbook options (which apparently already were limited by Ball’s height) because his greatest skill, the ability to run, was squelched.
The unspoken but strongly insinuated sales pitch at the time was that Ball, even injured, gave Tech its best chance to win.
After the evidence we saw yesterday, who’s buying?
Comments
By Max Sizemore
January 2, 2007 04:22 PM | Link to this
I always thought Gailey was right not to bench Ball, but did he — or anyone else, for that matter — have any inkling that Bennett would be that good? Football fans have notoriously unrealistic expectations for inexperienced players, particularly quarterbacks, but maybe the critics got lucky on this one. And, let’s not forgot, Nix was as good in this game as he was terrible against Wake.
By Brad
January 2, 2007 04:26 PM | Link to this
No one is. I can only imagine the type of numbers Calvin Johnson could have had this year had Bennett had an opportunity to play. The Heisman might not be in Troy Smith’s hands.
By meman
January 2, 2007 04:27 PM | Link to this
Hard to believe WV scored so many points-especially given the fact that Steve Slaton hardly even played due to injury.
Bottom line: Joe Q. Public could be a great QB if Calvin Johnson was on his team. Once Calvin leaves, mediocre QB’s like Ball and Bennett will struggle.
I don’t know if you can “rebuild” a 9-5 season (given the fact that the Jackets lost their final three games and will finish outside the Top 25), but they will struggle on offensive if/when Johnson leaves. The days of simply lofting the ball 30 yards towards CJ are done-so could 8 win seasons for the Jackets for the next year or so.
By The Man
January 2, 2007 04:32 PM | Link to this
RAMBLE ON???
UGA-24, VAN-22??
GTGREG???
YOU IDIOTS HAVEN’T COME OUT OF HIDING SINCE UGA THUMPED YOUR A*******ES!!!
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
ENJOY YOUR OFFSEASON, YOU LOSERS!!!
SAY BYE-BYE TO CJ!!! OFF TO THE NFL, WHERE HE CAN PLAY FOR A REAL TEAM!!!
YOU FOOLS!!! YOUR TEAM FINISHED WITH A WORSE RECORD THAN UGA!!!
I AM THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By stay, just a little longer
January 2, 2007 04:33 PM | Link to this
Thanks to a “D”, we now know about the QB for next year…a good thing! . That block in the back thing…seems every game has too many of those calls…pro and college. I think that call sealed the end of the game…TBen seemed to have the drive going well…but Tech never recovered…too bad CG called for a 54 yarder…???
By Ralph
January 2, 2007 04:43 PM | Link to this
What got me was that we did not run the ball enough. If you look at the games we lost, ND, Klimpson, Muttland, Wake and WVU, it was readily apparent we could run the ball extensively more.
Tashad got his yardage, but he could have got more. But when Reggie could not run anymore, why not utilize Mike Cox out of the fullback position? That would have made up for the loss of yardage by Reggie when he got hurt.
We led into the second half in 4/5 lost games and were only down by 7 at Clemson at halftime. I think an additional 50 or so yards from the fullback position in all those games would have made the difference especially in short yardage situations. Normally, those 50 yards would have come from Reggie, but they were not there once he got hurt.
And with folks doubling up Calvin on one side we had the numbers on the other side. It was obvious to those seated near me in the stands during the games. Why not to the coaches?
The Bottom Line: We should be playing tonight or Monday, not yesterday.
By Tech smells bad
January 2, 2007 04:46 PM | Link to this
Tech’s football program is not on a footing to ever have consistent success. It should follow UGA’s lead and go find a really competent coordinator ready for his first head coaching job and then turn him loose. If you can’t beat ‘em (and you can’t) might as well emulate them.
By Ralph
January 2, 2007 04:54 PM | Link to this
To Stay…,
I understand the 54 yarder, since I believe the wind was behind him. I thought the bump against Dunlap should have been called as was the hit on Calvin out of bounds. Though, the block in the back was legit.
But the call which got me and mind you, I was watching on television, but it appeared that on one of WVU’s touchdown passes, the play clock ran out before the ball was snapped. Can’t recall what the down and distance was, but the refs let it go.
Oh well, let’s go get ready for ND in South Bend. Kickoff is in about 240 days.
Go Jackets.
By The Man
January 2, 2007 05:04 PM | Link to this
RALPH - ND WILL STOMP YOU NEXT YEAR!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
I AM THE MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Najeh Davenpoop
January 2, 2007 05:05 PM | Link to this
Not running enough has been Tech’s M.O. all year. Tashard Choice is not the NFL prospect that Calvin Johnson is, but in college he’s every bit the star, and many times throughout the season when Tech had to control the clock and avoid turnovers Gailey refused to put the rock in Tashard’s hands. Granted, he ran the ball 27 times in this game, but he definitely could have carried it more to take the pressure off Taylor Bennett.
Matt Winkeljohn touched on one of the key differences between Bennett and Ball — when Bennett moved around in the pocket, he still looked to throw, whereas when Ball pulled it down to run with it he usually never looked back up to see if anyone was open.
And looking back, it’s not too hard to see why Tech’s defense couldn’t handle WVU. Tech is an undersized, speedy defense whose success is predicated on the blitz. When you are facing a QB who can run as well as White can, you leave yourself very vulnerable to quarterback scrambles when you send extra defenders. A couple more players dropped back in zone coverage instead of blitzing on a few plays might have made the difference in the game. Not hating on Jon Tenuta, he’s done a great job all season long, but this is probably the first time GT faced a dual-threat QB as good as White all year, and they could have probably game-planned for him a little better.
By smitty
January 2, 2007 05:16 PM | Link to this
this game once again showed just how much of an idiot chan is……..you were way too nice MW, but this is a family paper and you must remain diplomatic….this game featured just about everything on offense that everyone has been clamoring for (for YEARS!) …..everyone except chan……a QB change, and an offense that mixed it up…..screens, HB/TE passes and throws across the middle and throws that CJ could actually make a play on……..it also featured a chan trademark……inablility to adjust in the second half once WV made its adjustments to stop the GT offense……..and, no way should chan be able to wiggle out of the reggie/taylor debate but there are enough apologists for chan who will do it for him…….one can only wonder what might have been this year if GT had a real coach….see richt/bobo……ga will be ranked and tech (who just a short time ago was dreaming of the orange bowl and a top ten ranking) will be in the category of others receiving votes……… chan is too old and too slow to react to the demands of the college game…….he’s a relic from the NFL……and he wasn’t that good in the NFL…..he makes decisions at a glacial pace……chan is a ball and chain around the neck of GT football, holding it back……unfreakinbelievable
By Chan Chan The Moron Man
January 2, 2007 05:31 PM | Link to this
Gailey was quoted in the Monday AJC saying he WOULD NOT force Bell to kick anything more than a 47 yd attempt…Which makes sense, given that’s the TOP END of his range.
So what happens with the game on the line AGAIN with a few minutes left? Gailey DOES what Gailey said he WOULDN’T DO — Puts Bell in an absolutely NO-WIN SITUATION with a 54 yd attempt…Not even the most IDIOTIC, BACKWOODS, MORONIC COACH IN THE WORLD would roll the dice on a 54 yd attempt in that situation!!@!@!!???
Oh sorry, that’s exactly what the most IDIOTIC, BACKWOODS, MORONIC COACH IN THE WORLD DID! Even AFTER he explicitly said he WOULDN’T. Does he TAKE THE BLAME for the loss because of this…NO! He’s HIDING and hoping Mora’s Firing takes all of the headlines and stories until his miscues are forgotten.
Can’t blame this one on Reggie Ball…But so glad to hear Gailey was telling players about “LIFE LESSONS” in the locker room after the latest debacle.
I honestly NO LONGER CARE what happens with GT football as long as GAILEY REIGNS. I lived through the drunken losses of the Bill Curry years…But I was much younger then.
Gailey FAILED in the NFL because he’s an IDIOT. He refuses to make changes in order to win games.
The Athletics Dept has already e-mailed me that Gailey is the Head Coach of GT Football until his contract expires or he expires…Whichever happens first.
We’ve already seen what happens when a Coach gives FREE REIGN TO A QB, REGARDLESS OF ON THE FIELD PERFORMANCE. It ends VERY UGLY with Gut-Wrenching Losses.
Now we get to see what happens when a University gives FREE REIGN TO A HEAD COACH, REGARDLESS OF ON THE FIELD PERFORMANCE. It ends VERY UGLY with Gut-Wrenching Losses…Only it repeats every year because the Head Coach NEVER loses eligibility.
Watching Gailey — AND GAILEY ALONE — p!ss away the 3 biggest games of his tenure because of his STUBBORNNESS has zapped me of ALL enthusiasm for GT Football…Because I know he will continue to REPEAT the same mistakes over and over and over again…UNTIL HE IS GONE FROM GT. And you can take that to the bank!
By Britishbee
January 2, 2007 05:34 PM | Link to this
If all of the Tech ‘fans’ who stayed home and thumb sucked had come to the game and cheered like the WV people did then we might have won.
It was pathetic to see all of the empty seats - you people don’t deserve a New Year’s Day bowl. We were all gutted at the GA and WF losses - but the team showed up in Jacksonville and you were missing.
Don’t whine and complain about players and coaches - the fans contributed to this loss by not being there to lift the team when they needed it most.
By Dawg76
January 2, 2007 05:41 PM | Link to this
Tech came up short after leading by 18. UGA wins after being down by 18. A winner can tackle adversity. A loser folds in the face of adversity. Gailey is not a winner. Tech has SEC type talent on their team. They have underachieved the past five years. A coach of this poor caliber would never last this long at Arkansas, Florida, Alabama or Auburn. Jim Donnan is a much better coach than Gailey. Coach Donnan was given the boot because he could not get Georgia a conference championship. Heck, even Kentucky would have never given Gailey a five year contract after four below average years. As a Dawg fan it is sad to see Tech get out coached so often. If I were a Georgia Tech fan, I would be outraged!
By kush
January 2, 2007 05:47 PM | Link to this
Chan has got to go or we better get use to 7 win seasons if we’re lucky.
By Chan Chan The Moron Man
January 2, 2007 05:59 PM | Link to this
OK Britishbee…Explain to us all how a stadium FULL of Tech Fans would’ve stopped Gailey from attempting an INSANE 54 yd FG attempt with 5 minutes left? Maybe we should’ve rushed the field?
It’s not even a LOW PERCENTAGE PLAY…It’s a NO PERCENTAGE PLAY! He GAVE THE GAME AWAY…Just like the ridiculous 4th down PUNT with NO TIME LEFT in the Conference Game. HE IS A LOSER! It like he WANTED TO LOSE because he was so resentful, being forced to start Bennett instead of Ball.
I bet Gailey sh1t his pants when Taylor started connecting left and right, short and long, to any and every receiver!
But I guess after you almost DIE of a Heart Attack, you lose any sense of the Killer Instinct required to PUT TEAMS AWAY and play for a WIN. The FG, even if by some miracle had been good, still wasn’t playing for a win. It would’ve been a TIE, which is the BEST you can expect from this coach.
BALL and the ridiculous 1st Down Heave to END the UGAy game…Punting on 4th with no time left…A 54 yd FG attempt TO TIE. NONE of them are high percentage, or even low percentage plays They are LOSS-CONCEDING PLAYS from a coach who only wins in the final minutes by beating coaches who are MORE MORONIC than him.
You think the stands are empty NOW? Wait until another year or two of absolutley IDIOTIC coaching on the GT sidelines. I WON’T go to another Gailey-coached game and YOU can’t guilt me into it. Fans VOTE with their pocketbooks…And this one’s going to be a LANDSLIDE!
By ben
January 2, 2007 06:00 PM | Link to this
Of course Gailey is lost, but I began to question why he is so lost. He’s an old man who’s past his prime, not unlike Bowden and Paterno, only much younger. He could never call a game like Boise State did because it would go against his Vince Dooley mindset of “get a small lead and don’t dare do anything on offense that might lose it. But even that doesn’t answer the glaring question of leaving Ball in, not after the Maryland game this year, but all of last year as well.
By hjh
January 2, 2007 06:15 PM | Link to this
Tech even caught a break with Slaton out…WVU’s offense is scary.
By Chan Chan The Moron Man
January 2, 2007 06:37 PM | Link to this
Bowden FIRED HIS SON because the offense wasn’t working! Gailey wouldn’t even bench a NON-PRODUCTIVE QB with an attitude problem that completed an absolutely MISERABLE 44% of his passes DURING AN ENTIRE SEASON! Therein lies your answer…
COACHING TO WIN means finding new ways to do things that WORK…And it also means TRYING NEW THINGS when something is obviously NOT WORKING.
Gailey makes a decision and, “DAMM THE TORPETERS!”…That’s just the way it’s going to be! When other coaches are making CHANGES to correct what doesn’t work, Gailey is FIRM in his decisions and will even LOSE GAMES to prove he was right!
Gailey is an opposing coaches best friend: He’s predictable, takes late game gambles that no Vegas gambler would ever consider, can’t admit that he’s EVER made a coaching error, always believes “our D will get us the ball back and we’ll have another chance if this doesn’t work”, would play Ball over Bennett next year if he could, has no Killer Instinct, depends on Tenuta and the defense to WIN instead of the offense, STILL wouldn’t have played Bennett ANY this year AFTER seeing his performance in the Gator…Need I go on?
Watch Gailey be out-coached left and right next year…It won’t be difficult to see and you’ll have MANY opportunities! I just can’t watch anymore…
By TechFan
January 2, 2007 06:52 PM | Link to this
It was sad that the Gator Bowl was not a sell out. I can understand why most bowls do not want to invite Tech!
By Chan Chan The Moron Man
January 2, 2007 07:09 PM | Link to this
The Gator didn’t want Tech because we were just there a couple of weeks earlier. They wouldn’t have wanted Wake again for the Gator. Tech would’ve sold out the GA Dome, just like UGAy because it would’ve been a “home game”.
Did YOU fly across the country to the Emerald Bowl last year?
By taylor made
January 2, 2007 07:16 PM | Link to this
It all hinges on Radavich. Does he have the “Balls” to do something about Gailey? Threet, Gardner, and Bennett competition in spring will be interesting but you can bet that Gailey won’t make an alliance as strong as it was w/ Ball this time around. I think he hears us LOUD AND CLEAR!! The future is bright….
By smitty
January 2, 2007 07:28 PM | Link to this
keep it coming CCTMM……maybe it wiil confuse all of chan’s bees; british, gee, etc, etc, etc, worker bees, who are all busy buzzing about trying to deflect criticism from the greatest QUEEN to ever coach a college game…. CANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHANCANCHAN…………………………………………..
By MC
January 2, 2007 08:08 PM | Link to this
By Chan Chan The Moron Man
January 2, 2007 07:09 PM | Link to this
The Gator didn’t want Tech because we were just there a couple of weeks earlier. They wouldn’t have wanted Wake again for the Gator. Tech would’ve sold out the GA Dome, just like UGAy because it would’ve been a “home game”.
You can’t even sell out Grant’s Toomb techmite! How do you figure you’d sell out the dome. Tech fans are all show and no go. All talk and no walk. Your history backs that up too. Even in your own stadium you are outnumbered by Clemson, FSU, and UGA fans. How do other teams sell out bowl games away from home? Because they have better fans moron.
By Dawg-Hater
January 2, 2007 09:17 PM | Link to this
Hey MC … your so brilliant with your know-it-all comments. I’ll bet you have at least a 5th grade education just like the rest of you UGAy idiots.
Go back to school and get your education!!!
By SamIam
January 2, 2007 09:21 PM | Link to this
By taylor made
January 2, 2007 01:39 PM | Link to this
The more UGA b-tches and moans about GT, the more nervous they are getting about our program.
ROFL…LMAO! You gotta be kidding! That is absolutely the stupidest thing that I have ever seen posted on any blog!
By MC
January 2, 2007 09:24 PM | Link to this
I would go back to school Dawg-Hater but West Point won’t allow one to graduate twice.
By DawgBite
January 2, 2007 09:30 PM | Link to this
Does the truth hurt that bad Dawg Hater? Amd talk about know it all comments you psuedo intellectual know it all wannbee but never will. Take off your wife’s panties sissy boy and face facts like a man. Tech is a black hole. Coaches get sucked through it and are never seen again outside of some backwater podunk outpost. You better keep Chan. Your program is such a career killer you’d be lucky to get a high school coach to take the job. You have the whiniest, non-supportive fans in college football and every coach in the country knows it.
By rw
January 2, 2007 09:34 PM | Link to this
The gator Bowl is past history-we lost to a very good team. What ALL Tech fans need to address is the HEAD COACH of our team.
Our coach , for some unfathomable reason absolutely refused to change quarterbacks when Reggie proved time and again that he was not capable of putting us in a position to win games. Ga Tech had a chance this year to win more games than any team ever at Tech. But Gailey, by not making changes when he should have—cheated the players and fans out of an opportunity to enjoy a great season. We won 9 but if everyone ellse feels like I do—the season was a HUGE missed opportunity.
If we get this same coaching in the future, I fear our returning playes and the great looking incoming recruits will suffer through more of the same. Am I alone in assessing our situation in this manner??????????????????????????????????????
By Bob Burns
January 2, 2007 09:37 PM | Link to this
Dawg Hater you are a true cretin.
By Dan
January 2, 2007 09:45 PM | Link to this
What part of MCs post can you dispute Dawg Hater? He was spot on. You DON’T even sell out your little stadium. You took what to Jacksonville the first time 5, 6, 10 thousand fan’s? And you’re going to sell out the Dome? Fill it with Tech fans? LMAO! You are just a bitter little sissy that in spite of your self proclaimed genius and intellect, doesn’t have the walking around sense to see the simplest numerical fact. Tech fan’s don’t support their team. They don’t travel. They sit at home and whine and cry because they can’t measure up to UGA. And it just kills you doesn’t Dawg Hater?
By The Man
January 2, 2007 10:25 PM | Link to this
DAWG HATER POUNDS MEN IN THE A$$!!!
TECH SUCKS!!!
F’ING LOSERS!!!
I AM THE MAN!!!
By scooter11
January 2, 2007 10:46 PM | Link to this
Just wait until Bennett gets more than a 3-man rush against him. You will wish he was more Ball-like. He’s not the answer the insects think he is. And the famed Tenuata defense is soooo overrated.
By Wrecker 1
January 3, 2007 01:32 AM | Link to this
Scooter, I’m not sure what game you were watching but rarely did WV rush just 3 men. Bennett was very cool in the pocket regardless of the pass rush. Regarding the defense Scooter, a team doesn’t show up in the national rankings year in and year out and be overrated. In the last 3 years Ugag has yet to even get 300 yards of total offense in a game vs. the Tenuta offense. One thing that has bothered me over the last 3 games of this season is that in each one of those games the defense had a chance at the end of each game to get a stop and get TECH’s offense back on the field and failed. I don’t understand Gailey’s comment that Bennett’s play wasn’t suprising yet he never gave Bennett a chance to spark the offense in the latter stages of the season. If he had no confidence in Bennett’s ability to help, then fine stick with your starter. But if he believed that Bennett couild play like that all along he owed it to the rest of the team, Bennett, himself, and even Ball to give Bennett a chance. Speaking of poor decisions - I hope TECH changes their policy of allowing seniors to self monitor their academic progress. If TECH, or any team, is about to play for the NC and they have to announce that we’ll be playing minus X number of senior starters b/c we didn’t know they were in academic trouble, looks very bad. Whether you liked O’Leary or not he knew what every player was doing academically. As a coach these young people are your life line and you better know what’s going on with them.
By m
January 3, 2007 07:52 AM | Link to this
Hiring Chan Gailey was the worst mistake in Tech history. He took a team every bit as good as the 1990 team and lost 5 games. He SUCKS. And he has sucked the life out of Tech football. He should be fired immediately.
By Doug
January 3, 2007 08:15 AM | Link to this
Heh. Dawg-Hater yells at Georgia fans for supposedly being uneducated, but then he writes “your so brilliant.” There’s no unintentional comedy quite like Tech unintentional comedy!
By GTprof
January 3, 2007 08:31 AM | Link to this
By Wrecker 1
January 3, 2007 01:32 AM | Link to this Whether you liked O’Leary or not he knew what every player was doing academically. As a coach these young people are your life line and you better know what’s going on with them.
Check your facts Wrecker1. Tech’s football graduation rate was 33% under O’Leary! And Don’t forget to count back the number of years that players were not taking degree progression courses. That also started under O’Leary. I work at Tech. Believe me. O’Leary was not the academic shepard that you just proclaimed him to be.
By Tommy
January 3, 2007 09:01 AM | Link to this
Good point prof. And it all ads up. The way these players were being scheduled for non-degree crip courses that guaranteed their eligibility made it unnecessary for the coaching staff to worry about eligibility issues. The fix was in and they knew it. And the NCAA unexpectedly nailed us just last year about this time. That would explain the why now the coaches can only say they didn’t see it coming. They haven’t had to learn to monitor progress or the time. I think that the NCAA has forced us to fix it but there is propably residue left over from the past. Obviously Reggie and Kenny Scott were Fr,So, and Jrs when that system was being used. Don’t know about Kenny Scott, but it is not hard to imagine that Reggies problems have alot to do with character issues and his own sorriness. This is something that needs to be watched closely at Tech before we really do become the biggest academic farce in the ACC.
By DoogyHowser
January 3, 2007 09:15 AM | Link to this
m…wait a minute before you go and call Chan the worst coaching mistake in Tech’s history. Look back at your history m. Something that alot of you never seem to do. You have hired how many coaches over the last 30 years? None of them lasted very long and you actually fired a good coach when you canned Pepper Rogers. So before you go calling Chan the worst, check your facts. Your winning percentage for the last 30 or so years has actually crept up. It was barely over .500 over those years and now it might be around high .500s or maybe has reached .600. And don’t forget how dumb you guys were when you hired O’Leary over the Fridge. Things would have been pretty rosy at Tech if Friedgen had been your guy. When Friedgen left, O’Leary started his slide downhill and after Mark Richt handed him a 17 point smack down in their 1st meeting as HCs, O’Leary saw the writing on the wall and bailed.
By Jack
January 3, 2007 10:24 AM | Link to this
B*** ABOUT GAILEY IS NOT GOING TO GET A DO NOTHING AD OFF HIS BUTT TO FIRE GAILEY. WHAT WILL GET THE JOB DONE IS FOR BIG CONTRIBUTORS TO GET ON THE TOP OF THE SITUATION AND WITHOLD FINANCIAL SUPPORT UNTIL GAILY IS GONE. MY RECOMENDATION FOR REPLACEMENT IS JOHNSON COACH OF NAVY.
SOMETIME YOU HAVE TO BITE THE BULLET AND BUYING OUT GAILEY’S CONTACT IS THE BULLET.
THE EXTENSION OF GAILEYS CONTRACT BY BRAINE WAS A NO BRAINE-ER
By T
January 3, 2007 10:56 AM | Link to this
Excellent work Matt ! This is probably the best article I have read from anyone at the AJC in a year.
I think this.. I think Gailey realizes that loyalty is important, but I hope he learned that sometimes to be loyal, you have to shake up the tree. Taylor should have played more during the year, hopefully Gailey learns from this, and hopefully Tech will be a better team next year because of it..
By LMAO
January 3, 2007 11:34 AM | Link to this
Is a Tech “big contributor” kinda like Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster? Do they really exist or are they disguised as all those empty yellow seats smack dab in the middle of your little stadium for all the world to see on T.V. Obviously there is not enough money in the Tech kitty to buy Chan out. Which is kind of pitiful when you think about it. Jeeze, the guy only makes a mil a year. So maybe if all you morons that want to go the buyout route would have bought more tickets and supported your team over the years the money to buy out his contract would be available. You reap what you sow nerds. You are probably the only school in NCAA history that has to market “mini” packages to opposing fans just to get rid of tickets. Support your team mites and good things will follow. Alabama got it done. And look at South Carolina. Always had fan support and full stadiums during mediocre seasons. They reaped what they sowed. They reaped Steve Spurrier. You morons need to actually get off your azzes and actually do something instead of whining and crying for the “big contributors” to do what the rank and file fans could have done if they had actually been supportive over the years.
By GT92
January 3, 2007 11:51 AM | Link to this
Great point LMAO. Threatening to withold revenue when you are already doing that by not buying tickets, not going to the games, is an empty threat. You don’t get different results doing things the same way you always have. 1st: You buy tickets and support the other revenue producing activities. 2nd: Now you have some leverage when you threaten to withold revenues. Most of you guys here are like the tree falling in the forest. Does any body hear your noise? Probably not. You have to make some noise to get the attention and then you have to have the muscle to back it up.
By LMAO
January 3, 2007 12:17 PM | Link to this
Exactly GT92. Every school has a booster that could probably write a personal check and buy out the coaches contract. But they will not do that. Why? Because they see it as a form of welfare for those whiners, moaners, and complainers, that won’t get off their sorry butts to contribute to the cause. Why should they fork over millions when the whiners won’t even pony up the price of a ticket?
By JR Tech Fan
January 3, 2007 12:18 PM | Link to this
Right-on Winkeljohn!
Too bad $$$ is what is driving the cowardly AD & Atheletic Dept., instead of pride, respect, and a winning tradition, and the insistance on not to “CAN CHAN”.
I’m reiterating your paragraph here, and broadcasting to all Tech supporters, and anyone reading this that this paragraph, with the coaches comments, is screaming “CAN CHAN” now! Gailey said getting the tight ends involved was partly a function of Bennett’s height relative to Ball’s. “He can see the field a lot more, and we were able to use more of the field,” the coach said. “I thought Patrick [Nix] did a great job of adapting what we needed to do to the personnel that was available to us in this ball game. That fit things that Taylor did better.”
The coach is saying it right there that the offense was limited with Reggie at the helm because he can’t see as much of the field!! Somebody help me … why would a QB need to see the entire field???
An offense does not need a running QB when it has the ACC rushing leader, and the best receiver in all of college football. It needs what Taylor Bennett provided in the Gator Bowl … a QB who can stand in the pocket, or when he gets flushed from the pocket, deliver the ball around ALL of the field to his receivers! This offense had these weapons at RB & Receiver, and still Reggie Ball managed to complete just 44% of his pass attempts! “CAN CHAN”
Mr. AD and the Atheletic Dept. …. Bite-the-bullet on this embarrassment of a coach/leader of the football program; he doesn’t get it!!
By Mark
January 3, 2007 12:43 PM | Link to this
A blogger made a good point a day or two ago that when Reggie takes of he is just running. Never looking on the run for recievers coming to his rescue. Watch every other decent QB. When they take off running most of them are still looking for that help until breaking the line of scrimmage. Big plays can often result off of these scrambles. But you don’t see them if ya ain’t lookin. And in 4 years, GTs coaching staff could not get Reggie to do that. Or were they scared shi#less of where he would throw it? Was he told to just run once he made that decision. I just don’t know. But it is more than obvious that RB did not have the judgement, ability, or intellect to play D1 QB. Would Steve Spurrier, Mark Richt, or any other HC that knows how to mold good, if not great QBs, stuck with Reggie Ball? I think not. The whole Reggie Ball era is just one big mystery. And we may never know what was going on behind the scenes that allowed the Reggie monster to gobble up what could have some good teams.
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 01:06 PM | Link to this
Reggie Ball wouldn’t have finished his freshman year still on a Steve Spurrier roster. That meltdown on the sideline at the Georgia game would have been the end of Reggie right then and there. The old ball coach would have personally packed Reggies bags and put him on the bus. Or called the little punk’s mother to come pick up her brat. If she even wanted him back. Maybe after he had kicked him off the team it would not have been a violation for Steve to have driven him home personally. In any case, Reggie Ball would have been dead meet with Mr. Spurrier.
By BoogerMan
January 3, 2007 01:13 PM | Link to this
Teckkies- You just played in the ACC Championship and the Gator Bowl in front of half-filled stadiums. You want to know why you lose? It’s not because of Chan or Reggie- it’s because your program and school are pathetic. You will never be known as a football powerhouse when the majority of your fanbase is licking/sucking balls in Midtown while your sorry a* team is losing the Gator Bowl.
By GT55
January 3, 2007 01:44 PM | Link to this
Chan must go! The Fans,School, players and State deserve better. I love GT but I’m getting old waiting for GT to hire a good football coach.
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 02:09 PM | Link to this
GT55, what GOOD coach would take the job. Whiney fans that don’t come to the games, don’t travel, small stadium that can’t be filled, etc. Your problem is your so called fans. Fill your damn stadium first. Develop a boglog of season ticket requests. Get to that point and then expand the stadium. Upgrade the facilities. Develop an interest in your program among non-Tech grads. A free hot dog and a coke ain’t exactly shrewd marketing. You are are not even past the point that you have to try to fill the seats with the other teams fans for christsakes! Do the above and more fans will come, GOOD coaches will come, great recruits will come. As it is now you guys are screwed. You are doing none of the above. Maybe that is why engineers and Tech grads in particular have the reputation as being p** poor managers. Get off your countrproductive butts and do something about it!
By JR Tech Fan
January 3, 2007 02:15 PM | Link to this
To the idiot, BoogerMan…
First of all, I’m kind of ashamed to be stooping to your level by posting a response to your idiocracy (to Tech fans, I apologize; to the true UGA fans, this guy is pulling a “Reggie Ball” and it should be a little embarrassing) … But, BoogerMan, (I don’t want to know how you got that penname)if I’m reading your comments correctly, and I’m assuming you either go to UGA, went to UGA, or support UGA, that you’re saying because UGA regularly has sellout crowds for home games, and has tons of fans at away games, that their record would be the same or better over the past four seasons (as well as 4-0 against Tech) if Chan Gailey was the head coach, and Reggie Ball was the QB??
One can only wonder, assuming your fan-support theory to be true, just how many more interceptions Quincy Carter would have thrown that dreadful night in Columbia, South Carolina (when he threw 5, yes 5) had 15-20 thousand UGA fans not been there to support him??
Second … True UGA fans, moreover, a sport fan with some class doesn’t stoop to the level of posting on their rivals’ blog with the kind of idiotic, classless remarks you posted (take note of your fellow UGA follower who posted “January 2, 2007, 5:41pm) ….
Are you just young & immature, or is there some mental illness/disturbance there?
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 02:43 PM | Link to this
Speaking of Columbia, SC JR Tech Fan, look at how they did it. They came to the games through thick and thin. Week end and week out Williams-Brice Stadium is rockin. They ponied up for outstanding facilities all the way around. They have lukewarm record of wins-losses yet they still come. Their support attracted Lou Holtz. They now have the best college caoch to ever don a visor and THEY are on the verge! Look at yourself in contrast. It is so obvious to those outside of the Tech program what your problem is. Why is it so hard for all the self proclaimed geniuses that populate Tech nation to see it? You are your own worst enemy! Build it and they will come morons. Your program is imploding and you aren’t smart enough to do anything about it.
By BoogerManRedoux
January 3, 2007 03:15 PM | Link to this
JR Tech Fan UGA owned you with Ray Goff as HC. The huge difference in the all around product at UGA contributes to winning.
By JR Tech Fan
January 3, 2007 03:17 PM | Link to this
Yo Gator … I’m assuming Fla Gators ….. what was the reasoning behind Fla hiring Ron Zook?? And if he was still their stinking-up the place, losing homes games left-and-right would you be pleased, and not campaigning for his temination? …My point exactly!
Zook got fired just like Chan Gailey needs to. He could recruit like hell, as could Ray Goff, and apparently Gailey (i.e. Calvin Johnson, and some of the highly-touted recruits coming in next year), but preparing, coaching, and winning with top-notch players is not one their abilities.
Winning consistantly, which takes the right coaches, builds and sustains programs. How long were Fla & GA in the “quicksand” with Zook & Goff?? And tell me when you think GA Tech will be out of the “quicksand”?
You’re not supportive of Chan Gailey b/c he went to UF are you?
By Techinator 2
January 3, 2007 03:28 PM | Link to this
Tech fans, please stop it with Taylor Bennett already. You were playing a sorry sack defense. You would not have beaten UGA with Bennett. Ball avoided the sacks with his speed, he just couldn’t complete a pass afterward. Bennett would have been on his a* 20 times. Yes, Calvin is a great receiver and made great catches, but seriously, it didn’t even look like the WV corners were even trying to knock it away. We know what Oliver did when Reggie was throwing the ball “on the money”. GOOOOO DAWGS!!!
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 03:36 PM | Link to this
When all else fails change the subject, huh? And no. I am not a gators fan or Georgia fan. So what the zooker did or did not do won’t keep my focus off of what you can’t seem to see. Who is dumb enough to take a job at Tech and walk into the sorriest mess fan wise in college football. Florida was able to fire Ron Zook because they KNEW they could get a better coach. You would be just rolling the dice. If you techmites had been smart enough over the years to support your team like SC does, where would you be today? You don’t have the infrastructure or assets available to hire a top tier coach. Fact is fact. And by the way even if Ron Zook were still the coach at UF they would still have a better product than you. They would be at the game raising hell. That is the difference. You guys aren’t doing a damn thing to change a thing. Keep whining…keep losing. Simple as that.
By Mark
January 3, 2007 03:46 PM | Link to this
Let me throw out a few examples for you JR Tech Fan and see if makes thing a little easier for you to understand.
LOUISVILLE/WVU/SOUTH FLORIDA(who by the just got back in the football business) West Virginia was an after thought. Louisville was the red headed step child in the state of Kentucky, and South Florida just started playing football again after it was terminated when the school was the University of Tampa. All of them have top notch coaches, tremendous support from their fans. With all the so called tradition Tech claims to have, why is it that those guys did it and you can’t. The answer is as plain as the nose on your face. I am totally surprised that with all the brain power that you guys claim to posses that after 30 years of mediocrity you still don’t have a clue.
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 03:50 PM | Link to this
Even when Georgia was mired in the quicksand as you say, they were better than you. And both of them had what it took to get themselves back on track. Until you guys do the obvious you will never come close to hiring a Mark Richt, Rich Rodriguez, Bobby Petrino, or Jim Leavitt.
By Mark
January 3, 2007 04:08 PM | Link to this
How can there always be more Clemson, FSU, and UGA fans in your stadium when those games are held there. They don’t get that many tickets in their allotment. There aren’t that many of those many packages. So I guess that means that you Tech “fans” have to be selling your tickets to the opposing fans. That is a hell of a way to support your team and one of the reasons that you are losersville USA.
By Blogging for Dummies
January 3, 2007 04:20 PM | Link to this
Aw crap… I just found out that I lick/suck balls because a team I cheer for lost by 3 points in the Gator Bowl. Man, now I have to quit my job, devorce my wife, and look for an apartment in Mid-town. I hope I can get a roomate… Hold on, wait a minute… Yes, I just realized that the college football team I follow doesn’t have a damn thing to do with me or my sense of self worth.
The war is over BoogerMan - The BUMS lost!
By JR Tech Fan
January 3, 2007 06:21 PM | Link to this
That’s my point ….
Coaching…
Someone said something about how great Louisville and WVU are now. They have had great teams in the past too, and those coaches either retired or left for a “better opportunity”. Then those programs took a hit, and now are rapidly rebounding because … they have the coaching. But what happens when Petrino leaves, and if/when Rodriguez leaves? If it happens soon, before these guys can build consistant 10, 11, 12 win seasons then those programs will decline again. More than likely the scenario at Louisville.
Now, for argument sake … with the track record Petrino is setting, what is the outlook at Tech if Gailey was gone and Petrino was hired as the head coach? Pretty sweet. I think most people, inside and outside of the program, would be thinking the the program would be going nowhere but up; not the case with the current head coach.
Miami and Bama are great examples… they both have fallen fairly hard in recent years … because of poor coaching. And if huge stadiums, top-notch facilities, enormous fan bases, storied tradition, etc., etc. is what attracts coaches, then why did so many coaches turn down those jobs?
By GATOR
January 3, 2007 06:45 PM | Link to this
Alabama got Nick Saban because they have all the pieces of the puzzle. Rodriguez and Petrino have put the pieces together as well. They have created tremendous fan support. A good coach will take what they leave behind. The point is that you have gotten to the point at Tech over the last 30 years or so that no career minded coach is going to risk trashing that career walking into what is now a losing proposition. Your track record over the last 30 years and the rotten fan support you give spooks most coaches. They will hold their cards and wait until a good opportunity comes along.
By Mark
January 3, 2007 06:54 PM | Link to this
Because of the expectations of the fans you moron. Nick Saban can take the heat in that kitchen because he knows he can get the job done. Never in your wildest dreams would a Saban or a Spurrier or a Petrino take a job at Tech. You guys just don’t get it do you. Tech has systematically destroyed your program over the last 30 years. You will get a career building upstart that will use you as a stop on the way to better things, IF he doesn’t ruin his career in the process. Who is going to take that chance nerds. Maybe if you guys were smart you would give Jerry Glanville a call. He wants to be a head coach again and has nothing left to prove. All Jerry might do is win his a* off at Tech. But are you guys that smart. I really doubt it.
By TOMTEE
January 3, 2007 07:10 PM | Link to this
Please JR Tech Fan, with the exception of the name thrown out above, just give us 3 names of established coaches that have the juice to come into your dysfunctional organization and muscle the things that are needed to win out of you non game attending psuedo fans. Who? Just 3 names of good coaches begging to coach at Tech. Get some upstart in there and you sorry a* bandwagon fans will have him headed for the door on the first thing smokin. That is your history nerd. And it is out there for the whole world to see. The guys that could win bailed the first time a better job came along. The others got ground up into little pieces and flushed down your football toilet. 3 names. Can you give em up?
By DawgBite
January 3, 2007 07:16 PM | Link to this
Patrick Nix wants the job. And he has promised to hire Reggie Ball as his right hand man non-graduate assistant QB coach. That is your dream team mites. You probably can’t do better than that.
By BZZZZZZZZ
January 3, 2007 07:26 PM | Link to this
I read that Tech is the only team in D1 football to take seats OUT of their stadium. You’re supposed to put seats IN brainiacs. Of course with your attendance I guess you best just leave them out. Oh well. You guys have been stuck in reverse the entire modern era so I guess it is too much to ask to get you geniuses to figure out forward from reverse.
By GTfan
January 3, 2007 07:30 PM | Link to this
They don’t call it Grant’s tomb and Joke by the Coke for nothing. We earned those names. And don’t you forget it.
By JR Tech Fan
January 3, 2007 07:55 PM | Link to this
I get it, Mark and Gator … Nick Saban was Bama’s first choice, and they got the only guy they wanted. In the end though, they may have gotten the best one. Dude, Glanville doesn’t have time to coach Tech, he’s looking for “The King” out there in Hawaii.
Tomtee … Only Jim Mora, Jr. talks about a desired coaching job that is currently filled.
Good night coaches ……. got to get ready for the radio show tomorrow - AM790 -the Zone) check it out, I’ll be doing a call-in segment from 8-8:30am with some interesting news regarding the Tech program, who’s in and who’s out in Athens, and what to watch for in the Nat’l champioship game.
By Mark
January 3, 2007 08:14 PM | Link to this
What would that be moron? That Tech is taking more seats out of their stadium. That really not a news flash. That is totally expected.
By phipps
January 4, 2007 08:38 AM | Link to this
Georgia Institute Of Technology. Please Please, fire Chan and hire a Tech man, Ken Whisenhunt, before the Falcons do. He is our future and a young coach at that!!!!!!!!!!!!!PLEASE, PLEASE. Let us have the chance to WIN. If not, stop PLAYING………………..
By ChanSux
January 4, 2007 09:11 PM | Link to this
Chan Gailey is a stubborn old coot way before his time. Tech will always lose games like the last 3 with this loser. It doesn’t matter what talent comes to Tech. Chan will find a way to be mediocre.
UGA is not scared of Chan. That is ridiculous. UGA loves Chan and UGA loves Reggie Ball. These 2 always found ways to give them the game.
CHAN SUX, and we’re apparently stuck with his mediocre arse.
By Spike
January 5, 2007 01:49 PM | Link to this
Hey JUST ME!!! How come you’re not on here running your mouth? Or are things so bad at Tech even you can’t find something to say?
By VW
January 5, 2007 10:13 PM | Link to this
West Virginia’s fan support played a major role in their victory. Their noisy crowd helped shift the momentum in the second half. According to an article in the Jacksonville newspaper, for every six GT fans in town, there seemed to be six hundred WVU fans. My hat is off to those few GT fans who followed their team to the Gator Bowl.