September 4, 2003

1. Let me give you a little personal history here. Back in November of 1968, I sat in Fred Sanford Stadium and watched Tech lose 47-8 to Georgia. It was Bud Carsons second year as head coach, Tech had a crap-load of injuries that season, and their depleted team just got beat like a drum between the hedges. If Tim Woodall hadnt caught a late TD pass, it would have been a 47-0 shutout. That was the most depressed I have ever been while watching a college football game. I consoled myself (at the time) by saying, Well, at least youll never see anything worse than this.

   But I was wrong. The game on Nov. 30 last year was actually a bigger disaster than that meltdown in 1968. The Tech team under the leadership of Chan Gailey in 2002 quit earlier and put on a worse performance against Georgia than the injury-riddled team of Bud Carson in 1968. I never believed I would see that happen but I did. And we wont even go into the teams god-awful performance against Fresno State.

   Looking at everything that has happened since then, it seems pretty obvious that the Tech program has fallen into another of the periodic down cycles it has experienced since the retirement of Bobby Dodd in 1967. The Jackets had a good run of six consecutive winning seasons and bowl trips, but that will come to an end in 2003. Its irrational to think that theyre somehow going to produce a winning record with the schedule theyre facing and the loss of talent theyve endured. I would recommend that everybody chill out and lower their expectations. There are going to be some disappointments this year, so lets concentrate on the intangibles like tailgating. Drink an extra six-pack before the game starts and grab a few Percocets from the medicine cabinet. Youll get a nice buzz, pardon the pun, and you wont be upset so much by what happens on the field.

   Tech is down now, but theyll be up again. I also remember that in 1969, the year after losing that horrible 47-8 game in Athens, an underdog Tech team upset Georgia 6-0 at Grant Field.

1. The talk radio blowhards around here all seem to think that the SEC is the only conference where real football is played, and youll often hear them make sneering references to the PAC 10 as a conference full of brie-eating, bleached-blonde, Birkenstock-wearing, nancy-boy, left coast communists. If you listen to the Beau Bocks and the Max Howells of the world, youd get the idea that those surfers from Santa Monica and San Fransissy would all turn tail and run squealing in horror when they encounter the real men from those macho SEC schools.

   I guess all those West Coast teams didnt get the message Alabama played UCLA a couple of years ago and got their gonads stomped. Oregon ran up 42 points to beat Mississippi State in Starkville. And for two years running, Southern California has kicked Auburns butts up and down the field. The War Eagles were supposed to be the class of the SEC and were picked by many to win the national championship this year, but by the time the Trojans were finished it was USC 23, Auburn zilch. Tommy Tuberville had to be rushed to the emergency room to have Pete Carrolls foot surgically removed from his rectal canal.

   The Trojans evidently didnt pay much attention to all those talk radio experts that hang around Toomers Corner. Its easy to figure out where Auburn fell short. Their much-hyped group of running backs gained a combined total of 68 yards rushing. And Jason Campbell still sucks.

   The down side of this for Tech fans is that Auburn will roll into Bobby Dodd Stadium this week pissed off and looking to take out their frustrations on someone. It could make for a long afternoon for the Yellow Jackets. With Techs luck, this will be the week that Auburn starts playing like national contenders.

1. The defensive line is thinner than Ann Coulters biceps, but there were some encouraging signs in the Brigham Young game. Eric Henderson was putting some heat on the BYU passer and Gerris Wilkinson showed that he may be able to compensate for his relative lack of size with his speed and quickness. The disappointment was a lack of any push from the defensive tackles. Techs shortcomings at defensive line had a ripple effect on the rest of the defense, unfortunately. It seemed as if Defensive Coordinator Jon Tenuta was blitzing one or two linebackers on nearly every play, which left a big hole in the middle of the pass coverage. BYU exploited this by sending their tight ends over the middle, where they were wide open targets all night. Thats why Brigham Young was able to control the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

   Tech has a fine trio of starting linebackers in Smith, Fox and Brown and experienced backups behind them, but lets be real here: theyre going to spend a lot of time blitzing or chasing down people who get past that thin front four. Daryl Smith is good one of the best linebackers Tech has ever had but he cant play his position and the defensive line also. Those linebackers are going to be worn out by game four.

1. As I said above, the indications to me are that Tech is headed for a down season. Weve talked about the defensive line and the linebackers. Lets do a quick breakdown of the other positions as well.

   Offensive line: the starting unit is big and experienced, and there is definitely some talent here. They just didnt put much of that talent on display against Brigham Young. I was very disappointed in the OLs performance in Provo. You have to figure thats going to improve.

   Quarterback: Well discuss this in more detail below, but Reggie Ball is evidently the guy in command this season. Although theres a world of potential here, its going to take him some time before he can make full use of the playbook.

   Running backs: Tony Hollings was the most talented person ever to play running back at Tech. With his departure, theres not a lot of breakaway speed among the remaining tailbacks. If I were Chan Gailey, Id think seriously about switching Reuben Houston from DB to try to get a little more speed here (he could plug Kenny Scott into Houstons slot at cornerback). I saw Reuben play high school ball at Starrs Mill and I always thought that, as good as he was on defense, he had even more potential on offense. Why not put him there? What have you got to lose? If Gailey decides to keep Houston at cornerback, then Tech fans had better hope that the lightbulb comes on for Rashaun Grant and hes able to move into the rotation quickly.

   Wide receiver: There are two decent starters here in Jonathan Smith and Nate Curry, but Tech will miss the experience of Kerry Watkins and Will Glover, both of whom had a knack for catching a short pass and turning it into just enough yards for a first down. Perhaps Damarius Bilbo will use his size and athletic ability to blossom at this position. The Jackets are in pretty good shape here, but not as deep as they were last year.

   Defensive line: Weve already talked about this.

   Linebackers: With the lack of depth on the defensive line, theyre going to be busier than a bunch of three-peckered billygoats trying to run everybody down.

   Defensive backs: I was worried that the loss of both starting safeties would hurt the defense, and it looks like I was right. James Butler needs to pay a little more attention to those wide receivers who are getting open behind him.

   Kicking game: Tech lost its most productive placekicker in history (Luke Manget) and one of its best punters ever. Dan Burnett and Hal Higgins are adequate replacements, but there could still be a dropoff here.

1. The issue of playing a true freshman will be most glaringly evident at quarterback with Reggie Ball. Reggie is a very promising young man who makes good decisions most of the time and has the self-confidence you want at this position. Ive got every reason to believe he will be a productive quarterback for Tech. But you need to keep in mind that the three quarterbacks at the top of Techs list for career passing yards Joe Hamilton, Shawn Jones and George Godsey all had the advantage of taking a redshirt year as a freshman to learn the offense and get comfortable with the system. Reggie doesnt have that luxury.

   Its one thing to look good and make the right decisions in practice when nothing is on the line. Its quite another to do it under game conditions. A useful analogy is to look at what happened with U.S. armed forces in Iraq. Our top planners said the invasion of Iraq would be a cakewalk and the Iraqis would greet American troops as liberators. The truth on the ground turned out to be much harsher, as we all now realize. Its the same thing with Reggie Ball. He looks great in practice and did as well as could be expected against BYU, but there will be times when hes going to struggle as a true freshman on the ground under game conditions, where things are very complex and confusing.

   You can multiply that uncertainty by the fact that true freshmen will be playing as backups at practically every position, especially on defense. Its going to take time for them to get used to the faster pace of college ball. Were all going to have to suffer through that learning curve.

1. I think there are four games on the schedule where Tech has a reasonable chance of winning: Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina. If everything breaks in favor of the Jackets and they dont have any more serious injuries, they might win those four games and finish 4-8. If the breaks and injuries go against them, they could just as easily go 2-10. Honestly, I dont see the team finishing 6-6, but if by some miracle that happens, then Chan Gailey deserves to be the ACC coach of the year. As much as it pains me to say this, I have to agree with those who project that Tech and Duke will be fighting it out to see who stays out of the ACC cellar this year. Right now, it looks very possible to me that Tech starts the year with a four-game losing streak against BYU, Auburn, FSU and Clemson. Gaileys challenge, if that happens, will be to keep the team from collapsing completely and blowing off the rest of the schedule.

1. It sounds to me like someone really needs to get a life. When your team has lost 11 players to academics, including its best running back and defensive lineman, and is looking at the possibility of its first losing season in seven years, then I think uniform colors are the least of your worries.

   While were on the subject, the early leader for worst uniform of the 2003 season has got to be Oregons neon gold and green outfits. Jeez, they look like they ought to be playing in the Lilburn bowling league. How could Mike Bellotti, who has a good reputation as a shrewd coach, ever agree to let his team wear such putrid-looking pants and jerseys?

1. If theres any correlation between the location of the band and the performance of the team, I have yet to see it. Not that I mean to cast any aspersions on the Georgia Tech band they strike me as being a very talented group of musicians. I just dont recall ever seeing any of them score a touchdown.

1. North Texas, which once was known as the North Texas State Eagles, changed its nickname to the Mean Green Eagles some time ago in recognition of the schools most famous alumnus, NFL legend Mean Joe Greene. Interestingly enough, they are not the first college team to be nicknamed after a former pro football player. The Georgia Bulldogs were named in honor of Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Clyde Bulldog Turner, one of the NFLs best players back in the 1940s. Prior to that time, Georgia was called the Chihuahuas by fans and sportswriters.