Coach Drink Staff Thread

[AppSt94]

To add to what Yosef84 said, it is easier to attack when an offense has become one dimensional. Everyone wants to point to Ivey and Jones has calling a great game in the bowl and this worthy of being promoted. While they did call a great game, it is easier to do so when the other team can’t run the ball and is playing from behind.

[Yosef84]

To add to what Yosef84 said, it is easier to attack when an offense has become one dimensional. Everyone wants to point to Ivey and Jones has calling a great game in the bowl and this worthy of being promoted. While they did call a great game, it is easier to do so when the other team can’t run the ball and is playing from behind.

Good point. Ivey and Jones did a great job in their interim roles. They are Mountaineers and I hate seeing them go. That said, Jones was the DC at App previously and was demoted because it just did not work out. Maybe folks should go back and review the stats from those seasons (2010 - 2012). His defenses were porous, but given our current players, he found success. How bout that! Sometimes the past isn't really indicative of the future. We use it for projections because it's what we have, but nothing is that simple. Trust the visor, guys.

[asu66]

Who hasn’t been fired as DC at Tech? how many DCs have they had in PJs time as HC?

That's a weak comeback. The number you seek is totally inconsequential. Only one poses impact on our program.

If you want to stir yourself into a frenzy over who might become a part of our coaching staff, be my guest. If you are so convinced that this spells doom for App then there isn’t anything that can be said to make you think any other way. I was just pointing I'm just as entitlerthis out to make the case that not all things happen for what seems like the obvious root cause. Al Groh was fired from Ga Tech as well and he is a freaking great coach. There have been at least 5 DCs roll through Atlanta in PJs 10 year tenure as coach. Were they all bad? Al Groh is not. So the common denominator is PJ. Stop and ask some questions as to why. For instance, why does he move around a lot? Does he leave programs in a better situation? What could be the plan with this hire? How can his presence work out here? Again, he hasn’t been announced and you are already against this hire. For whatever reasons. The dude can coach and has proved it time and again. He is versed is several schemes and isn’t locked into one. He is aggressive with an attacking defense. More importantly, he gets us back into Atlanta for recruiting purposes that we had lost with the departures of Sloan and Brown. He also has been a HC and may be coming in to mentor a young HC in his first stint, while providing said mentee a trusted asset on the defensive side of the ball so that he can focus on the offense and HC duties. He may not check the boxes that you want, but he checks the boxes that the Visor needs.

Hey, easy now. Watch your blood pressure. I'm not angry, not screamin' or anything other than expressing my concern. You apparently missed a statement I made well before your two most recent explosions. It was this...

"...but if true we have no choice but to accept it, move on and hope for the best of outcomes."

I really don't care how many DC's Tech has fired since 1492. I do think the optics of App hiring the guy that Tech fired in order to poach Woody from us are simply terrible. If you think those optics are rosey, that's fine with me. You're certainly entitled to your opinion. I'm equally entitled to mine. And I'll express it any time I so choose.

[AppSt94]

You are entitled to your opinion asu66. Not trying to change it, just trying to add a perspective to all of this other than doom and gloom. Enjoy the ride.

[sixtoes9134]

Who hasn’t been fired as DC at Tech? how many DCs have they had in PJs time as HC?

That's a weak comeback. The number you seek is totally inconsequential. Only one poses impact on our program.

If you want to stir yourself into a frenzy over who might become a part of our coaching staff, be my guest. If you are so convinced that this spells doom for App then there isn’t anything that can be said to make you think any other way. I was just pointing this out to make the case that not all things happen for what seems like the obvious root cause. Al Groh was fired from Ga Tech as well and he is a freaking great coach. There have been at least 5 DCs roll through Atlanta in PJs 10 year tenure as coach. Were they all bad? Al Groh is not. So the common denominator is PJ. Stop and ask some questions as to why. For instance, why does he move around a lot? Does he leave programs in a better situation? What could be the plan with this hire? How can his presence work out here? Again, he hasn’t been announced and you are already against this hire. For whatever reasons. The dude can coach and has proved it time and again. He is versed is several schemes and isn’t locked into one. He is aggressive with an attacking defense. More importantly, he gets us back into Atlanta for recruiting purposes that we had lost with the departures of Sloan and Brown. He also has been a HC and may be coming in to mentor a young HC in his first stint, while providing said mentee a trusted asset on the defensive side of the ball so that he can focus on the offense and HC duties. He may not check the boxes that you want, but he checks the boxes that the Visor needs.

Yeah, what 94 said. Here's a good article on Ga Tech and its recruiting woes. None of which has a thing to do with anyone other than PJ.

https://www.fromtherumbleseat.com/2017/ ... uiting-cfb

[asu66]

You are entitled to your opinion asu66. Not trying to change it, just trying to add a perspective to all of this other than doom and gloom. Enjoy the ride.

No harm; no foul. Appsolutely no one's enjoyin' this 'cept gsu iggle fans.

[APP93]

Get the Jimmy and Joe's and the X's and O's will take care of themself.

[ViewCrew87]

If it ain't broke....break it.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

I am sure that there are plenty on this board who know more about football than I do, but I never realized how many football experts we apparently have. To be able to take a past record of a coach and apply his past record to our situation with absolute certainty of his failure....wow. That's an impressive ability.

If Roof is named the DC then perhaps before we proclaim the death of the App D, let's consider a few things:
1) DG and Coach Drink have both stated in no uncertain terms that we would be using the 3-4 scheme on D. That's not going to change.
2) Coaching success is situational. You do not win a National / BCS championship without defense, especially in the SEC. The situation at GT is completely different from App in terms of recruiting, history, culture....EVERYTHING. I hope Woody would have succeeded but we honestly don't know that based on his one year there.
3) There is a huge difference between being asked to build a program vs. being able to maintain it. Those are different skill sets.
4) It was said early on that Roof is a "Play back and keep it in front of you" style DC whereas App is an attacking D. Some of you need to review the past 5 years more closely. Woody was always a "Keep it in front of you" style DC (both at Wofford and here). He got more aggressive when we had the horses to do so. My guess is that ANY DC will get more aggressive if he has those horses. You play the hand that you hold.

I'm not saying that people aren't allowed to express concerns, discuss, etc. The alarmist over-reactions in this thread seem just really over the top though. Calm down folks. We actually have a pretty good history of success at App under leadership that had "failed" at the "highest level" before landing here. Coach Drink has a lot more riding on this decision that anyone on this board, and he has a lot more basis on which to make his decision. I will trust him and wait to see how things look on the field next year. I'm betting we do damn well.

I found the bolded part interesting. This was true even this year. It seemed that we would only get aggressive starting late in the first half, usually after a 2 score lead. When the opponent gets in a situation where they have to pass to keep up, that makes it a lot easier on the defense. Hopefully Roof is smart enough to realize when its time to release the hounds.

That being said, I can understand why some of us are over the top right now. We are returning all but 4 starters from an amazing team. We should start the season in the top 35, if not better. We have a legitimate chance to go undefeated. If we go undefeated, that would put us in the top 15, possibly top 10. A change to the defensive side of things could disrupt those goals. Roof's lack of experience (he has some) with 3-4 and the variation that App runs casts a legitimate doubt. It doesn't mean Roof can't do it, he might be better than the predecessors, but the feeling of doubt is warranted.

[JROCK98]

After taking some time to think about it here are my thoughts on the potential hiring of Roof.
This is a safe hire for Coach Drink and in my opinion he took the easy road in this hire if this is where he goes. Is Roof a terrible DC, probably not but he is also not a slam dunk hire that gets fans and players excited.
Just like Coach Drink with the talent and past success we have had there will be a lot of pressure on both guys from day one to win and continue the winning ways.

[AppSt94]

I am sure that there are plenty on this board who know more about football than I do, but I never realized how many football experts we apparently have. To be able to take a past record of a coach and apply his past record to our situation with absolute certainty of his failure....wow. That's an impressive ability.

If Roof is named the DC then perhaps before we proclaim the death of the App D, let's consider a few things:
1) DG and Coach Drink have both stated in no uncertain terms that we would be using the 3-4 scheme on D. That's not going to change.
2) Coaching success is situational. You do not win a National / BCS championship without defense, especially in the SEC. The situation at GT is completely different from App in terms of recruiting, history, culture....EVERYTHING. I hope Woody would have succeeded but we honestly don't know that based on his one year there.
3) There is a huge difference between being asked to build a program vs. being able to maintain it. Those are different skill sets.
4) It was said early on that Roof is a "Play back and keep it in front of you" style DC whereas App is an attacking D. Some of you need to review the past 5 years more closely. Woody was always a "Keep it in front of you" style DC (both at Wofford and here). He got more aggressive when we had the horses to do so. My guess is that ANY DC will get more aggressive if he has those horses. You play the hand that you hold.

I'm not saying that people aren't allowed to express concerns, discuss, etc. The alarmist over-reactions in this thread seem just really over the top though. Calm down folks. We actually have a pretty good history of success at App under leadership that had "failed" at the "highest level" before landing here. Coach Drink has a lot more riding on this decision that anyone on this board, and he has a lot more basis on which to make his decision. I will trust him and wait to see how things look on the field next year. I'm betting we do damn well.

I found the bolded part interesting. This was true even this year. It seemed that we would only get aggressive starting late in the first half, usually after a 2 score lead. When the opponent gets in a situation where they have to pass to keep up, that makes it a lot easier on the defense. Hopefully Roof is smart enough to realize when its time to release the hounds.

That being said, I can understand why some of us are over the top right now. We are returning all but 4 starters from an amazing team. We should start the season in the top 35, if not better. We have a legitimate chance to go undefeated. If we go undefeated, that would put us in the top 15, possibly top 10. A change to the defensive side of things could disrupt those goals. Roof's lack of experience (he has some) with 3-4 and the variation that App runs casts a legitimate doubt. It doesn't mean Roof can't do it, he might be better than the predecessors, but the feeling of doubt is warranted.

The highlighted statement is important to note. There are very few people that know how this variation is coached. Woody invented it and only those that he taught it too can truly understand it. Having said that, none of those that understand it have enough experience with it to make a first time HC comfortable enough to bring in a coach that he doesn’t know that he can trust enough to handle the day to day operations of the defense. Other than Woody himself, who has more than one year of experience running the show? Answer is no one. For those that say then bring back Woody, that romance requires mutual interest and I just don’t know that it was there.

[NattyBumppo'sRevenge]

I am sure that there are plenty on this board who know more about football than I do, but I never realized how many football experts we apparently have. To be able to take a past record of a coach and apply his past record to our situation with absolute certainty of his failure....wow. That's an impressive ability.

If Roof is named the DC then perhaps before we proclaim the death of the App D, let's consider a few things:
1) DG and Coach Drink have both stated in no uncertain terms that we would be using the 3-4 scheme on D. That's not going to change.
2) Coaching success is situational. You do not win a National / BCS championship without defense, especially in the SEC. The situation at GT is completely different from App in terms of recruiting, history, culture....EVERYTHING. I hope Woody would have succeeded but we honestly don't know that based on his one year there.
3) There is a huge difference between being asked to build a program vs. being able to maintain it. Those are different skill sets.
4) It was said early on that Roof is a "Play back and keep it in front of you" style DC whereas App is an attacking D. Some of you need to review the past 5 years more closely. Woody was always a "Keep it in front of you" style DC (both at Wofford and here). He got more aggressive when we had the horses to do so. My guess is that ANY DC will get more aggressive if he has those horses. You play the hand that you hold.

I'm not saying that people aren't allowed to express concerns, discuss, etc. The alarmist over-reactions in this thread seem just really over the top though. Calm down folks. We actually have a pretty good history of success at App under leadership that had "failed" at the "highest level" before landing here. Coach Drink has a lot more riding on this decision that anyone on this board, and he has a lot more basis on which to make his decision. I will trust him and wait to see how things look on the field next year. I'm betting we do damn well.

I found the bolded part interesting. This was true even this year. It seemed that we would only get aggressive starting late in the first half, usually after a 2 score lead. When the opponent gets in a situation where they have to pass to keep up, that makes it a lot easier on the defense. Hopefully Roof is smart enough to realize when its time to release the hounds.

That being said, I can understand why some of us are over the top right now. We are returning all but 4 starters from an amazing team. We should start the season in the top 35, if not better. We have a legitimate chance to go undefeated. If we go undefeated, that would put us in the top 15, possibly top 10. A change to the defensive side of things could disrupt those goals. Roof's lack of experience (he has some) with 3-4 and the variation that App runs casts a legitimate doubt. It doesn't mean Roof can't do it, he might be better than the predecessors, but the feeling of doubt is warranted.

The highlighted statement is important to note. There are very few people that know how this variation is coached. Woody invented it and only those that he taught it too can truly understand it. Having said that, none of those that understand it have enough experience with it to make a first time HC comfortable enough to bring in a coach that he doesn’t know that he can trust enough to handle the day to day operations of the defense. Other than Woody himself, who has more than one year of experience running the show? Answer is no one. For those that say then bring back Woody, that romance requires mutual interest and I just don’t know that it was there.

If Gasparato is the prodigy people claim he is, he could be capable of keeping it going, but maybe DG and Drink are not ready to go with him based on his level of experience. My hope, and I've seen it mentioned by others, is that Roof and Gasparato are co-DC's and Roof will be more of a mentor. He also brings in Georgia connections that are important to our recruiting.

[AppSt94]

I can see that as a long term plan. I am not against Roof as the hire, but I just don’t see him as a long term solution.

[Apptrain]

Realistically, as good as the D was this year, it will be hard to duplicate. When you are near the top there is nowhere to go but down. No matter who we hire, even had Brown stayed, repeating this phenomenal defensive performance would be difficult. I’m prepared to see a drop off. Not happy about it , but prepared. But, I truly believe the improved O will make up the difference.

[Gonzo]

This might shake up to be an ‘06->’07 kind of transition, but with better players and coaches, better facilities, more exposure, and more money.

[AppState89]

I remember people raising hell when Woody was hired. Stuff like,,,, "Why would we hire someone from Wofford? … It worked out for us.

I also remember after the Liberty game tons on this board wanted Satterfield FIRED. Look what happened after that game. This also worked out for us, again.

I say we just sit back and see what happens. Sometimes a change can be good for a coach, not always bad. Remember this, "The players make the plays on the field, not the coaches".

Go Apps!!!!

[BeauFoster]

As long as the mesh vest doesn’t come back, I’ll be willing to take a wait and see approach...

[Stonewall]

Drink has the keys , let him drive.

[Yosef10]

Who hasn’t been fired as DC at Tech? how many DCs have they had in PJs time as HC?

That's a weak comeback. The number you seek is totally inconsequential. Only one poses impact on our program.

If you want to stir yourself into a frenzy over who might become a part of our coaching staff, be my guest. If you are so convinced that this spells doom for App then there isn’t anything that can be said to make you think any other way. I was just pointing I'm just as entitlerthis out to make the case that not all things happen for what seems like the obvious root cause. Al Groh was fired from Ga Tech as well and he is a freaking great coach. There have been at least 5 DCs roll through Atlanta in PJs 10 year tenure as coach. Were they all bad? Al Groh is not. So the common denominator is PJ. Stop and ask some questions as to why. For instance, why does he move around a lot? Does he leave programs in a better situation? What could be the plan with this hire? How can his presence work out here? Again, he hasn’t been announced and you are already against this hire. For whatever reasons. The dude can coach and has proved it time and again. He is versed is several schemes and isn’t locked into one. He is aggressive with an attacking defense. More importantly, he gets us back into Atlanta for recruiting purposes that we had lost with the departures of Sloan and Brown. He also has been a HC and may be coming in to mentor a young HC in his first stint, while providing said mentee a trusted asset on the defensive side of the ball so that he can focus on the offense and HC duties. He may not check the boxes that you want, but he checks the boxes that the Visor needs.

Hey, easy now. Watch your blood pressure. I'm not angry, not screamin' or anything other than expressing my concern. You apparently missed a statement I made well before your two most recent explosions. It was this...

"...but if true we have no choice but to accept it, move on and hope for the best of outcomes."

I really don't care how many DC's Tech has fired since 1492. I do think the optics of App hiring the guy that Tech fired in order to poach Woody from us are simply terrible. If you think those optics are rosey, that's fine with me. You're certainly entitled to your opinion. I'm equally entitled to mine. And I'll express it any time I so choose.

Thank God our AD doesn’t operate off such a simple statemtent as “we can’t hire the guy Tech fires and then Tech took our guy”. Would be the worst athletic department in the country.

[Yosef10]

You are entitled to your opinion asu66. Not trying to change it, just trying to add a perspective to all of this other than doom and gloom. Enjoy the ride.

No harm; no foul. Appsolutely no one's enjoyin' this 'cept gsu iggle fans.

I’m having a pretty good time actually.