- former Tech defensive coordinator John Tenuta has been hired to replace Andy McCollum as linebackers coach at North Carolina State. Sweet irony, Tenuta is thy name! We'll be watching this with some curiosity; sort of like putting a cat into a dog's cage. There's a chance the two will make friends & all will end up rosy. But there's a bigger chance fur flies & someone gets injured. That essentially sums up our thoughts on the Tenuta-Tom O'Brien relationship. Oh blessed schadenfreude.....On a purely strategic note we're not the least bit worried. Tenuta's default setting is blitz, which you can't do to a team running the spread option. So he's got no ammo for his pea-shooter. Plus just look at how his Notre Dame defenses fared against Navy....
- Robespierre the Slender pointed out to us that the NCAA is considering several rules changes this off-season. Since we are firm believers in the "act like you've been there & will be again" touchdown celebration policy (to which CPJ also subscribes), the new anti-taunting rule shouldn't really effect us (pounding fist onto wooden desk repeatedly....). The concussion rule is just common sense. There are two changes to which we are vehemently opposed: the "plain eye-black" rule & the seperation of teams before kick-off. As a fan, we rely heavily on eye black messages to tell us a little about the players. If you don't have your area code on your eye black, how the hell are we supposed to know where yo peeps at? Haters....And keeping teams separated before kick-off prevents things like this from happening:
Damn NCAA, trying to legislate mayhem out of the game......
- ESPN has announced it's ACC TV schedule for 2010. Obviously more games will be added but these games are set in stone. The Thursday night tilt against the Hokies at Lane Stadium in November should garner great ratings & go along way toward determining the ACC champion. Labor Day will also be important with VPISU-Boise State & Maryland vs. Navy.
- Our blue-blooded "friends" up in Virginia seem to have their smoking jackets & deck shoes in an uproar over Al Groh's contract. We love how the article calls it "a measure of curiosity". You're paying for our defensive coordinator, getting economically prison-raped & it's your own fault, but it's just a "measure of curiosity". Ahhh, the stiff upper lip. Carry on, good fellows, & enjoy the ass-whipping you get at the hands of Tech this season.
- Andy McCollum is excited to be at Tech and we're excited George O'Leary is not at Tech. Some things never change.....
A special Valentine's Day gift later.....
Was there for the end of the O'Leary years. I have fond memories of the guy. Moving the offense to suit both Joe Hamilton and Godsey successfully is quite impressive, although that may have been more of the Fridge's doing than his.
ReplyDeleteThe whole celebration thing is concerning to me. Leaving very heavy game changing decisions in the hands of interpretation be Septagenarian and Octogenarians who truly don't understand the culture of todays youth... This could be a very very bad thing. Misinterpretations will abound all year.
ReplyDeleteThe O'Leary years on the Flats were certainly interesting ones marked in my mind by some great play on the field & some not so great incidents off of it. O'Leary's teams played tough, exciting football & were always in every game. That's what I remember most; no matter how much of an underdog we were I always thought we could win any game we played. The offense under Fridge was unpredictable & exciting and featured Little Joe Hamilton & George Godsey, two of my favorite Tech players. The defenses were stout & ornery & always came to play. As to your point about the offense it was all Fridge, IMHO. As a side note, the UVA game at BDS in 1998 is the most exciting football game we've ever attended, including this year's ACC Championship game. Simply electric!
ReplyDeleteOff the field things weren't so good. There was the Dustin Vatiekunas incident which was frankly just wrong. Mike Leach just got fired for something much less harmful than what happened at Tech:
http://espn.go.com/columns/wojnarowski_adrian/1294704.html
Then there's was the NCAA probation O'Leary saddled us with from which we are just recently emerging. The use of ineligible players (11 of them) got us two years NCAA probation & we lost six scholarships in 2005,06,07,& 2008. Tough for a program to endure. O'Leary also was the catalyst for the expansion of the stadium, a move which has hindered the GTAA & left us saddled with $17 million in questionable debt. As a season ticket holder since 1997, I'm always a bit frustrated that only opposing fans generally sit in those seats, even to this day.
O'Leary's UCF tenure has been similar to his time here: above average on the field but marred with incidents off of it. First the death of Ereck Plancher during a workout & the wrongful death suit that followed & now probation for recruiting violations. It's a disturbing refrain to what might be a good song.
I too remember the O'Leary years on the field fondly, but am glad we were rid of the nasty underbelly that came with on-field success before it did irreparable damage to the program. Thanks for the thought provoking comment & stay warm in all that snow up there,
-Hash
I like this line from the article on taunting, "...controversy stemmed from Georgia receiver A.J. Green receiving a 15-year personal foul penalty..." A fifteen-YEAR penalty? Wow, that's pretty harsh, even for Georgia.
ReplyDelete