Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Football: Coach Gailey in Select Group

....Not necessarily a good group. Did you know that of the 65 coaches in the BCS series, there are only 5 that have less than 3 years remaining on their contract (except Barry Alvarez who will retire). Who are the others?

Of those five -- all of whom have two seasons left on their deals -- one is apparently close to signing a new contract (Miami's Larry Coker), one is reportedly about to begin contract extension talks (Colorado's Gary Barnett), one probably could have a new contract whenever he desires (Kansas State's Bill Snyder), and one is starting to feel some heat from fans and alumni (Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey).


Now the significance here is that if you have confidence in your coach that he is "your guy", you will extend his contract to send a clear signal to recruits that he is here to stay. Dave Braine can say all day long "Chan is our guy", but until he ponies up the long-term security, it's all lip-service. Coach Hewitt just got his contract extended for the umpteenth time, so it could be done at any point. We all know that. But Dave Braine's recent statements voicing a show of confidence in Chan are about all he can do without actually extending his contract.


So what's the right thing to do? Well, I think it is fine to use this season as a test case to see where this program is progressing. How success is judged will be tough. In my mind, another 7 win season will be better than the 7 win season last year, just because of the schedule and tough road games. There is no Samford this year. There is Miami, VT, Auburn and UVA on the road. Is that enough to "keep him". I say yes, because I like the character guy he is, and to win 7 games shows progress. Will it hurt recruiting - probably. But that's life I guess.


Meanwhile, the bookies sites don't see a lot of hope with the tough schedule....... Here's another Tech preview..........


On the boards, Miami fans discuss who was the weakest national champion in the last 30 years - many vote for Georgia Tech 1990................ In other news, here are details of the instant replay system.........


For some REALLY important stuff, former GT football player Matt Uremovich is in Iraq, and you can show your support by sending him an email or letter. Here is the info.............. Lastly, KaMichael Hall moving to the 2nd team was due to some unnamed off-the-field issue. Coach Gailey wouldn't divulge what that was, but I suspect he'll be back on the 1st team soon..


One last note - the team is just now getting into pads, but if you don't think PJ Daniels is ready - think again. Every carry he gets, he takes all the way down the field to the endzone, every time. I think PJ realized he might have taken last summer too lightly and got more easily banged up. I think he's physically and mentally ready to be the workhorse. He better - as Tashard Choice is breathing down his neck with a great start in early pre-season...... again.....