The HLS Totally Non-Homer Top 25 - Preseason Edition: #19 - Georgia Tech
And the hits, they just keep on coming. A lot of people probably don’t consider this team, with a new QB, and no more Calvin “Spiderman? More like Superman with an Engineering Degree, Beyotch.” Johnson to help said new QB, to be a top 20 team. But let’s face it, any time you can get rid of a Reggie Ball, your team almost has to get better. It’s a law of physics or something. It’s like suddenly getting rid of asthma.
Last year, with a Reggie Ball, the team still managed to go 9 and 5, and that’s WITH the lead weight attached to their ankles otherwise known as Head Coach Chan “It’s Hard Coaching the Smart Kids” Gailey. Just imagine if they got rid of Ball and Gailey this year.
Here’s the biggest reason we’ve got them at #19: Jon “Blitzkrieg” Tenuta, or, as I consider him, Charlie Weis’ doppleganger. (Look, Ma! 2 German terms in one sentence!) The guy’s a robot genius - an evil robot genius - an evil robot genius with a lot less charisma than Charlie Weis. And he’ll stop at nothing until he’s found a way to effectively zone-blitz all 11 of his defenders thru the A-gap. Like I said, Genius. So if nothing else, they’ve got that going for them, which is nice.
Offense: Forlorn GaTech fans, meet your new hope: Taylor “What the hell was I doing on the bench?” Bennet. A QB that showed, in last year’s Gator Bowl, what a real QB can do in a GaTech (I like to pronounce it “Gah! Tech.”) offense when the entire defense is worried about Calving Johnson. (And that entire defense plays for West Virginia, but I digress.) They’ve also got a running back named Tashard Choice who may, at press time, have the most un-developed amount of potential in the entire ACC.
Choice: If he were energy, he would not be kinetic. Hey-o! (That’s a little engineering humor is what that is.)
Defense: Attack! I don’t know any names on defense, and, frankly, I don’t care. They’re going to blitz on every down. They’re going to have their nose guard in pass protection 12 yards behind the LOS. And they’re going to make someone cry. Ok, here’s a name for you to remember, “Philip Wheeler, Sr.” Yep, that’s right. He’s a college kid and he’s a “Sr.” Anyway, you know that sound byte from star-wars games and movies, “I can’t shake him!” Expect to hear that from a few opposing QBs in reference to “Sr.” The guy’s an animal.
Special Teams: But for the fact that they forgot to tell their kickoff team that the guy with the ball needs to be tackled after he catches it, this unit is very good. Excellent kicking skill guys, and very fast kick and punt returners.
Facts:
- The Jackets return 15 starters this year, 7 on O and 8 on D, and not a single one of them is named Reggie Ball.
- GT has won it’s last 3 road openers - all against ranked opponents. This year’s road/season opener: Notre Dame at ND.
- GT has played in 10 straight bowl games. Lesson Learned: Even Chan Gailey can consistently get to a Bowl Game (I’m talking to you, Bob Davie and Ty Willingham).
HLS Top 25 Meta:
- Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 6
- Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: Not Ranked
- Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 18
Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:
- domer.mq once threw up all over the floor of the Georgia Tech bookstore when he was 11.
Around the Web:
HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:
The ACC has gotten to be a really sticky scene. VaTech, BC, Miami, NC State, GaTech, etc… have all gotten just good enough to be able to beat each other on any given Saturday. Hell, look at Butch Davis at UNC and wonder how long it’ll be until they’ve got their first ACC “upset.” Still, this GaTech defense gets back some really key guys, and Tenuta prepares his squad awfully well. Add in the fact that it looks like Gailey may let his new OC call plays, and GaTech could, nay, should be a pretty good squad. So, after an initial loss to Notre Dame, look for them to rebound solidly and play very well right up to the point where they vie for an ACC championship, and then watch as Chan Gailey ruins everything.
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25 Comments
You really think their opening game will be a loss to ND? Boy, I sure hope so………….
Choice is undeveloped??? He led the ACC in rushing last year with 1,497 yards and had over 100 yards in each of the last 7 games. Might want to dig a little deeper!
Jack,
I realize that. And yeah, I think he’s undeveloped. That’s how good I think he can be.
PS, Jack, don’t be a dip.
No name-calling MQ. Jack is a friend of mine and will be at the wedding with a chip on his shoulder now.
You guys can argue GT ND over cold, cold Boddington’s on the beach.
Boddington’s tastes funny with an orange in it.
if Ball was so bad (and Bennett being seen universally as an upgrade), why didn’t bennett start over him? surely gailey wasn’t just so hard-headed as to say “well, ball is our man, and nothing will ever change that.” honestly, if bennett is such an upgrade, how come he never ONCE started over ball?
and you can’t use the WVU game as evidence of his skill…. 4 out of the last 6 teams that played WVU threw for over 300 yards against them… the only two who didn’t were Rutgers and UConn. So, his 300 yard game isn’t as enlightening to me as it is to others. I mean, Jamarcus’ stock went way up after he eviscerated our D, but all of our fans were saying, “well, it’s happened all year anyway, and he did nothing special… that’s why JR isn’t as good as advertised.” Same case here with Bennett slicing through WVU’s D.
okay, end rant.
Dave,
My faith in Gailey’s ability to be a hard-head knows no bounds.
The thing that Bennet did that Ball would have never done was actually play the position in a predictable fashion, against which his OC could call plays and think, “He’s generally good at this one. It should work.” Ball never gave anyone confidence. Picking a play for him to run must have been like playing roulette.
Being the die-hard Cowboys fan that I am, I have witnessed first hand the utter stupidity of Chan Gailey. Hes a guy who should be riding the “special” bus to offensive coaching school, so to think he actually thought Ball was the best choice is not really a stretch of the imagination
I went to Georgia Tech undergrad and ND grad so here’s my take: He’s exactly right in decribing GT and yes, T. Choice has THAT much potential and yes, C. Gailey is so hard-headed as to start Ball over Bennet not on talent but only on seniority. See also Ty starting a senior over the sophmore Shark.
And by the way, Tech people say “Gah! Tech” as well so you’re in good company.
bgregor,
Really? And here I thought I was sooooo clever. Darn me. I must have picked that up on a trip to Hotlanta in my youth.
Yeah, not everyone but plenty of student I knew said “Gah-Tech”
And one other thing:
Dave, yes, absolutely Bennet is a huge upgrade from Ball and would have been last year as well. By the way, you know who are the only two QB’s in Div IA history to throw a TD on their first ever pass attempt?
Answer: Matt Leinart and Taylor Bennet.
Bennet is an upgrade simply because of his ability to be more consistent. Even if he’s consistently okay, it will be a lot better than Ball’s all-over-the-place decision-making.
I wish Ball would come back to play against us in the opener. I think it’d make it a lock.
Hey, guys. Just stopped by because I thought I heard someone ask if a far less talented player has ever been given the bulk of the playing time solely because of the stubbornness of the head football coach.
ha.
btw, DomerMQ. NEVER defile a Boddington’s with an orange.
1) oranges in beer is for girls
2) oranges do not go in Boddington’s
I’m sorry, did we decide that Boddington’s is non-sucky, and I just forgot about it? Chis and I were drinking Boddington’s in 1999. Don’t bring that broke-down junk on up in here.
Boddington’s is good, you MGD-swilling heathen.
Boddington’s is one of the best beers ever made. Go drown yourself in your bandwagon-beer. i.e. Guinness MQ. And thanks, BK. I knew you were important for a reason…
Boddington’s: For when you want to drink something that reminds you of drift wood.
And keep your Guinness for yourself. Oh, sure, it’s fine, but it’s not the first thing I’ll get at the bar because I’m no pretender.
I agree on the Guinness, but I disagree on the Boddington’s. What happens now? Do we fight to the death?
BK,
Remember what happened last time we fought to the death? It was all fun and games until someone got hurt.
I think a nice game of Where’s My Pants? this weekend should clear everything up.
you all better FREAKING be wearing pants while i get married.
Yes the whole Reggie Ball thing has perplexed GT fans for the last 4 years now. Chan is a good guy but after all of those one bounce passes and hanging ducks he should have been super glued to the bench. And while its nice to have a “nice guy” for a coach, I’d rather win games! Is it bad when you root for your own QB to go down in a game?
I’ll be happy to fight to the death that Boddington’s just ain’t quite as good as JT thinks. Solid, but not the end all be all.
Any chance the women play “Where’s my pants?” Now that would be a wedding to remember!
Boddington’s isn’t the best beer ever. That’d be Hop Ottin’ Ale from my boys at Anderson Valley. It’s just really good. One of my favorites, especially for early Sunday morning football at an English Pub. What other beers are as good for breakfast? It’s the best breakfast beer. Will you try to thwart that title? If so, suck it.
Oh, and football football, Tech, Gailey, etc. Go Irish.
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