Mailbag 11/24 - Thanksgiving Edition

Jellopacket98: I just have one question, in 27 parts...(movie reference?)

1. Do you keep Keys because he showed that he could take a bad team and beat very good teams on the road OR do you let him go because he couldn’t beat two horrible teams at home?

2. Does neither of the above play into your equation and you’re ready to make Keys the coach of the future OR are you just ready to move on with an entirely new coaching staff?

3. Does the outcome of the UGA game change your answer to question 2?

Chris: 1 and 2. Neither, keep him on the staff but not as HC. Clean everyone else out. 3. No.

Logan: for 1. and 2. I’ll just cut to the point. I don’t think Key should be a head coach from a logistical standpoint. I’d like to keep him on staff, but I’m not sure if he’ll agree to a lower position after this season. It’s also tough because I think many people would argue his work as an actual O-line coach was not great before coming a head coach so where do you want him on the coaching staff becomes a question. Regardless I don’t think he has the experience yet to be a head coach for GT.

for 3. Though, absolutely if he beats uga that changes things. I think I’m on the opposite poll of most site writers on this, but if the boosters and fan base see a win against our biggest rival to cap off this season and get us in a bowl game the new AD will have a hard time fighting people on why Key shouldn’t be the HC. Not saying that’s right, but if we beat the dwags I expect that to be how things play out.

Jake: 1 - I’m closer to the latter than the former. I also wouldn’t classify Pitt as a very good team. 2 and 3 - If he beats a legitimately very good team on the road this weekend, then, yeah, the calculus changes for me a bit. However, an important thing to remember is that anything can happen in a rivalry game, and emotion still fuels everything.

Ben: No. 1 - Neither. I think Key has done about as good a job as he can. He should absolutely get an interview, but in my opinion, I do not think he should get the job as there are more qualified candidates. No. 2 - If the new coach wants to keep Brent Key on his staff, and Key is okay with that, I would be willing to give him another chance based on the rumors that have come out about Geoff Collins’ micromanagement of the team and coaching staff. The new coach should be in no way required to keep Brent Key, though. The new coach should be allowed to construct his staff however he sees fit. No. 3 - If Brent Key [Foreigner]s around and beats UGA, I would be willing to give the idea more thought, but giving him the job based on that alone and ignoring everything else would be a decision based purely on emotion that we have discussed ad nauseum on this blog.

jabsterjacket: What is your favorite COFH meme? Hell, it’s Hate Week. What are your three favorites?

Logan: do past rivalry shenanigans count as memes? The only real meme that is my favorite is the ““Soon…” meme with Coach Paul Johnson staring coldly on.

Also appreciate the dedication of the people who put uga stickers in urinals around campus, not my favorite meme but I respect people who hate a team enough to put stickers in all the urinals they can access around campus.

another story I’ve heard multiple times, but I’m still not sure if it’s true, relates to our band. I’m gonna butcher it because I don’t remember the details. Basically one year our band was using the practice field for uga before COFH. At one point when the band forms their giant GT, all the band members drop some chemical out of their pockets (can’t remember what it is, sorry). The chemical does nothing initially but eventually kills the grass in the shape of a GT. Next year the uga band tries the same stunt on our practice field, but since our practice field is Astro turf it doesn’t go as well as the uga band expected.

Jake: I mean, this was my alarm in the morning during undergrad, so that is probably number one. I always love the Technique’s THWg edition (and seeing the centerfold around and in windows was fun). And other than that, I’m not sure. Those two are far and away my favorite “meme” or “media” about the rivalry.

FrodoSwagginz: Emotions are running high for Tech fans following the upset of North Carolina and quite a lot of people on the Georgia Tech football FB group are crying out for Key as permanent HC. With that being said, what are some arguments against this and is there a reasonable contract that would make you okay with this hire?

Chris: I wrote out my thoughts on this Tuesday, but the tl;dr is: he does not have enough experience and the team now is not fundamentally better than it was when he took over so I don’t believe he’s really done anything to earn it. I am only okay with it if better options (i.e. Chadwell) turn us down or we decide to get him for cheap and commit to throwing big money at coordinators.

Logan: it’s tough because many good options are available this year. I’m not super opposed to a 1 year contract for Key but you gotta deal with FOMO on those other coaching options. Generally I think Chris does a better job explaining why Key is not the ideal candidate right now.

Jake: Chris nailed it, no need for me to be too repetitive. Football wins drive the good emotions, while we as engineers (or engineer-adjacent, well versed in STEM) have to know to be procedural and analytical. Robert had some good stuff in his column this week, too, analytically-speaking.

Ben: I would be okay with the hire if other options (specifically Jamey Chadwell and Bill Clark) say no. The main thing I would not be happy with, though, is if J Batt decides to give into the emotions of the fanbase instead of taking a data-driven approach and hire Brent Key without a second thought.

Osmosis_Jones: Any thoughts on the US in the world cup? Do you think we can make it out of the group stage?

Logan: We should make it out, but I could see scenarios where we fall short. If we don’t make it out I do think there will be some swift changes on the national team since there were higher expectations for the team this year.

Jake: *paging Akshay*

EducationalEngineer: Should it encourage me that men’s basketball came back from being down 17 points to hold a lead on Utah (even if they ultimately fell short) or should I just prepare my soul for the crushing disappointment of another ACC season where our offensive struggles are simply offensive?

Logan: for now I say it’s too early to call. I am cautiously optimistic since the past few years we have dropped early games to teams like Georgia State. I am proud of us for fighting but GT could not find offense at the end of a game they should’ve been able to close out. After games against Marquette and Iowa I think we will have a better idea of where this team actually stands.

Logan update following the Marquette game: ok we might actually suck.

Jake: I agree that I’m feeling cautiously optimistic. It’s still a pretty young/new team, and there’s a lot of growing that comes with that. I’ve also definitely seen some bright spots, for sure. With the dregs of the ACC looking truly abysmal, I think we have a good shot to be competitive in conference as-is, too.

DressHerInWhiteAndGold: Favorite Holiday Movies? I’m going with: “Scrooged” because Bill Murray, “Moonstruck”, because Cher, “A Midnight Clear”. Least favorite: “Elf” and the family yells to me EVERYTIME it comes on.

Chris: Hot take, Elf is super overrated at this point. I’ve probably seen it 100 times and I am just not interested in seeing it again. I honestly love the old stop motion ones like Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. National Lampoon Christmas Vacation is also a classic.

Logan: People debate this with me, but I stand by Die Hard being a Christmas movie and it is one of my favorites. I try to watch it once a year. If you say that isn’t a Christmas movie (which you’re wrong about but whatever) the animated movie Klaus on Netflix really tugs at my heart strings. Last time I watched it I teared up real hard.

Jake: Home Alone, for the Chicagoland John Hughes Christmas nostalgia. Also, Christmas Vacation, for some [very different] Chicago Christmas nostalgia. I think I’m pretty consistent.

Ben: Elf may be overrated, but it’s still one of my favorites. I am also a big fan of The Santa Clause (the sequels less so). I have not watched the new Disney+ series yet, but I am intrigued by it.

gtbadcarma: What’s your favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table and what do you believe is the most overated dish that can find itself on the Thanksgiving table.

Chris: I will eat my weight in the garlic green beans my mom makes. Any kind of candied or mashed and marshmallow-typed sweet potato is awful though - well-seasoned roasted sweet potato is delicious and doesn’t need all the rest.

Logan: Big fan of honey ham. Don’t really get it the rest of the year and the honey glaze tastes so darn good.

Jake: Favorite dish is whatever mysteriously Midwestern casserole is on the table. You never really know what’s in it, and it’s not always consistent year-over-year. As for the overrated, I think I give that one to pumpkin pie. I’ve just never seen the appeal.

Ben: My favorites are the turkey (if it’s done right) and either mine or my mom’s macaroni and cheese (though I think mine is just a little bit better). And because I’m sure you’re wondering. The best way to cook a turkey is to dry brine it the day before. During that dry brine, separate the skin (carefully) and generously salt the whole bird. Stick it in the fridge uncovered overnight. Pull it out the next morning and lather that bird in some kind of fat. You want herb butter, go for it. You want duck fat, go for it. You want bacon grease, go for it. Just get that fat everywhere, above and below that separated skin. You will end up with the juiciest turkey with some wonderfully crisp skin. Also, the most overrated dish is sweet potato casserole (even if that is my wife’s favorite).

Burdell91: Football is obviously front and center for the new AD right now, but how long can it be before his eye turns to men’s basketball?

Logan: I imagine the next focus will be baseball since basketball is currently underway (unless things go south real fast). I do expect after March that the results from the current basketball season will be scrutinized with a microscope.

Jake: There’s no way ACC CHAMPION COACH JOSH PASTNER™ becomes a focus of attention for him until he has a full season under his belt. Based on Tech finances and based on the results so far, he has at least a season to figure things out. Plus, I think the coaching carousel is a bit less wild in basketball midseason than football.

R2 Bee2: What is the status of Nate McCollum? Will he be able to play versus the dwags...?

Jake: Not sure, I’ve been expecting when I get the chance to catch the weekly press conference, we’d hear more.

Hey Guys,

Keeping it simple this week. Do we owe Zach Gibson an apology for dumping on his earlier performances after the win last week? Is there any athlete you would like to apologize to for making assumptions too early about their performances before they showed that they could play to or above your expectations? Later,

Not an FTX owner

Logan: I’m not gonna say Zach deserves an apology. I think it comes with the territory of being an athlete. You play well one week people will love you, you play poorly the next week everyone wants to replace you. I am glad Zach did well given the chance to actually start, and I hope the fans ease up on him a bit since Zach is clearly trying his best to win with the situation he has found himself in.

For me a similar player that I didn’t appreciate early on was Trae Young. I didn’t understand why the hawks traded Luka for Trae, who at the time seemed like a selfish and less skilled player than Luka so I felt cheated and took some of that negativity out on Trae. Since then Trae has become the face of the franchise and while the Luka argument is still a thing I do believe Trae has been a positive influence on the Hawks and an undeniable talent. Do not take this out of context as me saying Zach is as talented as Trae, but I appreciate better what both of them bring on the field currently compared to how things started.

Jake: I think a conditional one, maybe. That play to end the Virginia game is pretty egregious, considering his experience going into that game, to say nothing about the delta between them and North Carolina.

Ben: No. Having a good game doesn’t detract from the bad decision he made at the end of the Virginia game. I am glad he decided to not let that get him down. I expected he might have a better game against UNC because their defense is one of the worst ones we have faced all year. When Gibson gets time to pass, I believe he can sling it all over the field. But between our garbage OL and the tough front sevens we have faced, he has not gotten much of an opportunity to do that.