Bowden on Johnson
by Fox 71 on Jul 28, 2008 6:28 PM PDT
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PrintYahoo Sports has a link to an article on Rivals by Terry Bowden about a guy who many wanted to see in Westwood - Paul Johnson. Terry points out that Coach Johnson is just like another guy that many of us wanted, Coach Leach, in that each runs a multiple option offense except one is geared to the run and the other is geared to the pass. Read the whole article; it's interesting.
I was very solidly on board the Leach Bandwagon. I would also have been comfortable aboard the Johnson Bandwagon. But in retrospect, I now have my doubts about both. Sorry, vegans, but I think eating only chlorophyll based organisms is goofy. And sorry, Dr. What's your name with your sirloin steak only diet, I think eating only meat is, let us say, unusual. What's the matter with a nice salad before settling into a nice porterhouse?
I think the balanced diet we ended up with will be better for us than either of the extremes mentioned by Coach Bowden. I have no science here. But we saw what happened to our vaunted offense when the entire world, including people who had never heard of football, knew that our first two plays were going to be runs. And we also saw what happened when the game situation forced us to pass on every down. The geezers will support me when I mention that nobody knew what was coming with Coach Prothro calling the plays. And the same was true when Homer Smith was on the sideline and even with Coach Toledo. I think Coach Neuheisel and Coach Chow will be innovative enough to make our offense better even with an empty cupboard in terms of linemen. I have no science or analysis to back me up on this - just a gut feel. But I don't think we'll have to wait too long to see a successful offense serpentining out of the huddle for the Bruins.
Read Bowden's article.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.
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I was pretty happy about Neu
Especially after the way our head coach spot has been vacant the past five years, but what has me optimistic is the fact that he was able to bring both Chow and Walker on board. It’s one thing to be able to sell the program to recruits (not at all an easy task) but it’s another to be able to sell it to fully grown and experienced coaches. I am looking forward to finally watching games where I’m not left completely confused by the coaching decisions made before, during, and after.
Thanks to the editorial staff
for linking to Bowden’s article. One of these days I’ll figure out how to do it.
Johnson is a perfect fit at Georgia Tech
I was a huge supporter of bringing Johnson to Westwood, but after CRN was hired, I felt he was the better pick. Coach Johnson is a winner, period. If he ended up at Westwood, I have no doubt he would have been able to successfully run his triple option/spread offense. However, in terms of overall fit, Johnson is better suited at Georgia Tech. He’s a southerner who has coached for years in the state of Georgia, so he’s familiar with the culture, the high schools, and the collegiate landscape there. Georgia Tech has been itching for a consistent coach who can field winning teams each year, and Coach Johnson brings that philosophy that losing is not an option. GT needed a sure-fire hire that would immediately send a statement to the ACC that GT was serious about football. I’d say Johnson’s hire at GT is almost equivalent in impact to CRN’s hire at UCLA. It not only sent a message to the ACC, but also to rival Georgia that they’d be in for a dogfight each year. Doesn’t that sound remarkably like CRN?
As a former Atlanta resident, I viewed GT athletics in almost the same light as my Bruins. Both schools have strong academic and athletic programs. The GT fans I met at bars were very loyal to their school, but also showed a respectable level of class with fans from opposing schools.
Fox, I know you favor, as do I, a balanced diet for our offense. But you can’t deny that Coach Johnson’s offense has found success even though every opposing team knew he would run the ball practically every down. The basic premise behind his offense that I absolutely love is that it keeps opposing offenses off the field, and opposing defenses on the field for huge stretches of time. That must make life absolutely miserable for an opposing defense.
Okay, I’ll step off the Johnson soapbox for now. Suffice it to say that I’m excited to start our season with CRN at the helm. I found it interesting that one of the pre-season bowl predictions had UCLA facing Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl. Now that would be one game, I’d pay to see.
I may have overplayed the diet analogy
I could be very happy living on steak 95% of the time, with an occasional salad. I would also have been happy with either Coach Johnson or Coach Leach. I am happier though with Coach Neuheisel, especially the way things have been handled for the past six months. Coach Johnson is probably the perfect coach for Georgia Tech and he would have been a great coach here. But I just think that Coach Neuheisel is a better fit for us than any of the other people that whose names were getting tossed around.
I very much wanted Paul Johnson to come to UCLA
I saw some of the Navy games and I was just blown away by their ability to break off run after run after run. I was also impressed by an article I read in which he discussed Mike Leach’s offense and it was clear he understood it inside and out. It was also clear to me he would be happy to pass the ball if he had the players to do it. I’m sure we’ll see him open up his offense now that he is at Georgia Tech.
That being said, I posted here once saying that I would only be truly happy with a Neuheisel hiring over Johnson or Leach if we also got Norm Chow. We all know how that turned out.
I’m a very happy Bruin. But, I’ll be watching Georgia Tech with some interest this year. I wish P. Johnson all the luck in the world.
A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment. John Wooden
phew
i agree, Neuheisal ended up being a great hire. I’m happy we didn’t get what some consider a “gimmick coach” like June Jones or Mike Leach, as both their names were REAL hot in during our search. Neuheisal seems like an even better fit now.
Paul Johnson reminds me a lot of Ben Howland
He does what it takes to win with what he has. He develops a system that maximizes the ability of his players. I have no doubt that with greater talent at Georgia Tech he will open up his offense and find ways to maximize that talent.
"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"
by silverlakebruin on Jul 30, 2008 11:09 AM PDT reply actions
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